Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

As an artist and mom I love Melissa & Doug toys - their stuff is so creative and fun. There are a few things (like the wooden sushi set) that I would buy for myself if I thought I could keep the kids off of it. LOL
A friend & fellow mom-blogger let me know about a holiday offer just in time for the holidays!

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Christmas Crafting has begun!

It's not even Halloween yet, but I have already started my holiday crafting.

My mother's birthday is the week before Christmas, and the woman LOVES her Christmas tree. This year for her birthday, I decided to make her a bunch of ornaments.

Since she is an English teacher, I went with book pages as my inspiration.
I did a black and cream color palate, using pages from a water damaged book, scrapbook paper, grosgrain ribbon and crepe paper.

 I got three large, plastic ornaments from the dollar store and decoupaged them with strips of scrapbook paper. I added grosgrain ribbon bows to dress them up a bit.

The oval ornaments are wooden craft blanks that I covered with scrapbook paper. The words are spelled out with Scrabble letter tiles I found at Fuzzimo dot com and printed out on my color printer. I added a ribbon hanger and black crepe paper ruffle to each one, and glittered the edges.

The large twisted ornament is another dollar store purchase that was decoupaged with book pages.
Due to the odd shape, this one took forever to do, so I won't be doing any more like it. I also got a little crazy with the glitter on this one, but I think it looks good.

I also dressed up a dollar store wreath, with circles of the various scrapbook papers. Each one has a crepe paper ruffle and glitter. They also each have a Scrabble tile letter, spelling out "Joyeaux Noel".

I also worked in a Victorian clip art Santa, and a grosgrain ribbon bow.

 This is a dozen 3 inch diameter plastic ornaments that I got at the dollar store. $1 for all 12 - can't beat that price! They are all decoupaged with the scrapbook papers and sealed with satin finish decoupage medium.

These are simple spheres made from alternating circles of card stock and scrapbook paper. I glittered the edges and sewed buttons to the top and bottom of each. These are 4 inches in diameter.

These were done the same way, but with 1 1/2 inch diameter circles, and I added a couple of beads at the top of each one. 

 This is a topiary Christmas tree - more dollar store supplies - decoupaged with book pages, and decorated with vintage buttons and about a metric ton of glitter. LOL

Finally, I made a garland for the tree by stringing buttons onto embroidery floss. They are spaced about an inch and a half apart - I tried to put them closer, but it made the whole thing too stiff and it didn't drape well.
All of the buttons I used for this project were ones I got from my late grandmother. I thought that incorporating her mother's buttons might everything a little more special for my mom.


Now that this project is put to bed, I need to figure out what I am making for my own holiday decorating. Doodlebug is 2 this year, so I know she'll be getting at the tree a lot. Everything is going to have to be non-breakable, so I'll be using a lot of felt and paper. Beyond knowing I want to do aqua, red and white though, I don't know exactly what I will be making.
I'm sure I'll be posting pics before long though. :-)

Back to Blog-land

I have been super busy the past few weeks - Ladybug started back to school and Girl Scouts, I've been working, and we're gearing up for a huge yard sale. I have been productive though. I just finished two sets of painted and embroidered canvases. This weekend they will be going to a new diner in Wilmington that displays work by local artists. This is "Roxie & Vince"

And this set is "Esteban & Maria"

I'm a little more than halfway done with a set of three more canvases. I'll be posting them when they are finished.

Gotta get back to work

Last weekend we went on a mini-vacation to Atlanta to visit family. I managed to get 2 more dress pages done in the car on the way there, but that's the last 2 I've done in over a week.
This past week was spent unpacking and going through Ladybug's clothes in preparation for school shopping. Now that that is done I need to get back to work. I'm a little over halfway done (56 dresses done, 44 to go) so I can't lose motivation now.
I have a Girl Scout Leader's meeting Wednesday night and an Art Guild board meeting on Thursday. I'll be lucky if I can get one page of dresses done this week, but it will at least get me back on track.
At least I have plenty to take with me to the board meeting to discuss my ideas for gallery shows. Fingers crossed that the others like the idea.

100 dresses

An album with the first 46 of the 100 dresses. I am still debating going in and adding in a bit more detail with colored pencils
or something. I still feel like they need... something.

The first three canvases

Just a quick update with my first three canvases.

Ispiration Struck

I was looking into some books for Ladybug to read over summer break and I thought of one I loved when I was her age. It's called The Hundred Dresses and it's about a Polish immigrant girl who is teased by the girls in her class. She tells them that she has a hundred dresses at home and, long story short, they turn out to be drawings that she's done. Anyway, thinking back to this book got me inspired to do a series and shop it around to some galleries.
Here are the first 7 of my "100 Dresses" series.



I'm using images from vintage sewing patterns, altering them a bit on the computer, printing them on cardstock and then stitching the dresses.
I am also planning to do some on canvas, with other items incorporated for an overall mixed media piece. I will post those as I get them done.