HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter to you all. I will be busy today (church and such) but i wanted to post a special little post for you. And knowing how you all like a wee bit of craft I am not one to deny you ;0) so here are my little wooden egg cups all altered for your enjoyment. I kept asking my self if the cadburys cream eggs had shrunk I think we can surmise they have from this photo can't wee?

I also have to say please remember why we have/celebrate Easter. It's because God in Heaven gave his only begotten son to us as a sacrifice that we may one day all return to him I am SO grateful for this gift and blessing from our father in heaven. Now don't eat too much chocolate or you'll be sick ;0) Love Dawn xx

Domino Book

Morning, see the sunshine in my pics ;0) it's been so lovely the weather the last few days and looks like it's here to stay over the bank holiday week end to. ;0) So I have been crafting through the night so not to miss the glorious sun. I found this little idea on Terri's Blog, she in turn however, found it on Holly's Blog she has also popped a TUT on as well. I couldn't resist so I made a couple and both ladies said it was addictive lol I am inclined to agree, I was up until 5am because I had to finish them lol.

Here we have the blue one opened (this was my first) and the back. I used DIs China & Tumbled I love the colours but it was alcohol inks for the domino's Stream & Pearl. Each tiny page is distressed and I love how it turned out just with stamps & inks.

And, as I was warned, it was addictive so I made another. Only this time I took a lot more time over it. You can enlarge the pages if you like on all the photos. I have used a lot of lovely images from the Graphic Fairy I will be listing this there for Brag Monday. I will also be putting this in to the wonderful challenge that is SSS&S A Tim Holtz technique. Alcohol inks on a none porous surface is one, distressing the edges is another. I hope you like these Domino Books I really enjoyed making them even if I am dead tired now after only three hours sleep ha ha. I would also like to thank you for all your lovely comments from yesterday, it really makes me blush to know you really like what I share with you, all my bloggy friends. Love Dawn xx

WOYWW 96 & tags

So here we are again, WOYWW with Julia. It's nice to go and see peoples desks and get a few sneaky peaks of what people have on the go. Here, I have a few things going, a journal page, (which will be posted on my new blog) Journal Journey's soon. Some more tags, (see below) some new stamps and gems. If your new to my blog, thanks for visiting, I hope you come back another day.

Above are two tags I will be placing in my folksy shop for sale (link in the left hand side bar) I received some lovely stickers as gift a while ago and decided that these would look lovely as tags. Some people adore and collect these dolls (I am not one of them though) lol. However, saying that I am really pleased with the overall effect, and I hope you are too.

This one is for a friend in blogland and already on it's way, I do hope she like's it. This lady loves china, in a big way ;0) and has a beautiful blog that has TC&S as well as stunning jewellery. I hope this will also appeal to her. So if your name is Martha this is on it's way to your door. With lots of love. I hope you have had fun  visiting today. Love Dawn. xx

Tags, tags & more tags

These are for sale in my folksy shop! 'Rock Legends Tags' I hope they sell. Simple they may be but I thought they may well be useful, what do you think?

This is my psychedelic  Janis Joplin tag lol I just got my felt tips out and started colouring lol it was quite fun actually but don't think any one would buy it though lol So this was just a bit of fun to add to my blog Hope you like it. Nice quick post today ;0) Love Dawn xx

I'M SO HAPPY........

....to have friends like you. I know I send gifts off now and then but never in the expectation of getting things back. But I have to say BIG thank you's to some people who have been super lovely to me over the last month or two. All that visit and comment I think of as friends and I have made many many friends over the last couple of years. I am so grateful for this alone, but it's so nice some times to have this reciprocated, just because! lol

These beautiful hand made gifts were a thank you for winning my blog candy. (I bought the frame,) this was the card Jo made for me, and the lovely Smiffy sock doll who I fell in love with and had to buy another (they are so lovely) Jo and her sister Annie are better known as Twiglet & Wipso of the sisters crafty creations Shop. A BIG thank you to them both, do visit their individual blogs and shop, they are talented ladies. I adore my gifts Jo, thank you.

These as well as other gifts not shown were from a dear friend in Germany her name is Valerie. I am sure you have been to her blog before, if not then give her a visit at Bastlemania she has super talent and I am always inspired by her. I loved all my goodies Val thank you.

And finally, but by no means least, is this wonderful tag that arrived Saturday from the lovely Cindy from Whimsical Musings. She is such a lovely person, that every one I chat to adores her. (hope people like me half this much ha ha). And also very talented, you should check out her blog and esty shop. I love this tag thank you Cindy.

So thank you to all my friends for your continued visits and taking part in my blog by Stopping by, commenting, joining in the poll and supporting my new Journal Journey's blog your all really wonderful and thank you for making my bloggy life full. It wouldn't be any fun with out you!

I also thought I would share a few photos of my front garden in Spring, we have still things we want to do (like add some rose bushes). But it's coming along nicely. I planted my cherry tree the first year we moved in and so that's had 10yrs growing and I, or rather hubby has trimmed it back a few times and the cherries keep coming very very yummy! Can you handle another photo of crafty goodness by me?

This is a special little tag I have made to go in with a swap of TC&S china Easter Basket I have already posted off. I can't really say any more than that except,  when she receives it I will post photos of the whole gift and what I get in return. ;0) I really love swaps, I am always involved with at least two a month, but more often, many more lol. I love getting peoples had made goodies, and It's always special to me that people like what I have made. I try hard to work in myself to all my projects. If your at the the end & still reading thank you for taking the time, I hope you take a look at some blogs I have shared with you today and I hope you have enjoyed this lovely art as I have. Love Dawn xx

Tag in lilac

Morning, Hope this post finds you well and smiling. I am having a little poll until the end of the month I hope you will all join in. I wanted to get an idea what you would like to see more of on my blog, so click your fave. You can choose more than one if you like the poll is on top right so please vote thank you. I have been doing a lot of visiting around blog land and I have had a remix of the blogs I share with you (I do follow many more) there all on the right hand side. Also a couple more freebies for images on the left hand side not to mention a few candy items if your interested just click the photos. 

Now, to the tag. My ink ran out when I printed this photo (free image on Bella Creations) But I loved the lilac colour so went ahead and made my tag together with some DIs from TH I think it turned out ok, what do think? I will be adding this to SSS&S which is all to do with distressing this week.

Here's your close up, I have used some crafty individuals paper as well and a stamp from studioG We had to make the hat the focus and I have tried with the nest of eggs, so a true Easter bonnet it is lol I love being a member of Bella Creations there are a few groups to choose from so pop by and have a nosy. Here is the main page as always I thank you for stopping by. It makes me very happy if you take the time to comment as well. Love Dawn xx

Flash Back Friday

Hello my blogg friends, we had a fantastic weather spell over the weekend here in the NW of the UK it was truly like Summer. We had our grandson from Friday to Sunday and it was my dear friends funeral yesterday, hence not much to show you as of yet (I'll get on it ;0). I also have some new followers, hello and welcome to  Tonita, Melodie and Seren. Thank you for joining me. I have just found this challenge blog Flash Back Friday. The challenge this week is to show the very first real or faux stiching project. Here is mine. I had so many in my first few months here in blog land I was really at my machine a lot lol. I thought I would use this opportunity to share a couple more from Feb 2009 lol.

I know, how much has my art work changed? Strange thing is this doesn't seem that long ago to me and it's Feb 2009 I am really enjoying my time here in blog land so very much and I am so happy that you are here to share it with me Love Dawn xx

Furniture transformations

Hello hello and how are you this wonderful day. I said I would be giving you some peaks and here is your first. I showed this photo ages ago in my WOYWW one week. Now silly me forgot to take a photo of the before for two things I was going to change over the last couple of days (while the weather is warm & dry) so you will have to use your imagination a bit here. Concentrate on the draws OK.

This is the after! My hubby sanded it all for me and got rid of the varnish on the mahogany veneer. I was surprised it was actual mahogany :-0 any way I then gave a couple of coats of a metallic vintage gold paint. After that a couple of coats of heritage paint, oh so very yummy called 'Crochet' it's not white it's kind of green but not lol but I love it. Any way after that dried I got some rough sand paper and sanded bits to make it look a bit shabby. Now all my lovely arty stuff is back in there but this will be in the front room make over I think, although I did do another one with hubby's help today and that may go in there instead my be I will let you choose I may get that up loaded over the week end as my darling James will be here all week end. I can't tell you how excited I am about this new venture changing my front room but it's going to take a few months at least, I hope you like these posts but of course, but I will be putting future posting of this transformation on my NEW PAGE 'Room Makeover'  all you have to do is hit the tab at the top of the page. There is also a NEW PAGE for some 'Freebies' I am still doing swaps journalling and tags along with whatever else comes into my mind to create ;0) here on this page so worry not lol.I would also like to say thank you and welcome to my new followers Lisa & Linda and all of your beautiful and encouraging comments. I read every single one. Love Dawn xx

Journal pages

Good morning my lovely friends, I am so busy with my front room refurbishment, I may not be around as much as I'd like. However, I am so happy I found the best buys yesterday in a charity shop. It was so nice to go, find what you love and have the money to buy SO COOL! I have taken lots of before photos of my front room and I will take lots of after photos so you can see the transformation. I have done this once before in my bed room Here! I can tell you I was SO pleased with it as it was my first time (2009) and it's given me the confidence to do it again, so keep your eyes peeled over the next few months I may give you some little tasters of what I will be doing. I can assure you there is crafting in all of the things I do lol xx.

Now on to journalling, I am really loving journalling. There is so much to learn, but also nothing to learn. You can do your journal your way. When we see beautiful journal pages it may make us (well me any way) feel we can't do it. But it's the same for scrap booking and card making. You put you in to what you make and then the techniques and ideas will come. I have kept journal/diaries since I was a child. I often used to doodle and draw pretty boarders round the writing or stick photos or theatre tickets in so I was kinda journalling but with out knowing ( wish I still had them *sniff*). There are so many types of journals as well. Artist journal, sketch journals, idea/techniques journals calender journals, then there are visual journals. I am no expert in journalling but my currant journal is all of the above (although I have a separate book for my calender journal) until I decide what I like doing and then I may well go from there . Sometimes I love to write lots and other times a few images will convey what I want to say. I guess I am saying if you have wanted to start (like I did) but have put it off (for months/years) for one reason or another, why not start now?

Get some paper and just throw some paint or inks on there in a colour combo you like to get rid of the white space and then just go from there, some stamps may be (you don't have to draw beautiful faces to journal like some.) You may be reading through some magazines and see some interesting text or photos. Collect them to play with in your journal. I have no idea what I am going to do when I start a page some times (maybe it shows?) lol Some times I just do backgrounds and leave them. All I am saying is have a go. You have all the things you need to journal if you paper crafert already, so just start from there and see where it leads you. I am really happy I finally plucked up the courage to stop thinking how perfect it had to be and just thought," I am gonna have a go at this". I hope your day is bright and warm, (here it's glorious today) if not with the weather with the people around you (my adorable Grandson is staying for the weekend woo hoo). Now if you read all of the above you deserve a GOLD STAR! Sorry for having a mad waffle but sometimes the passion takes over ;0) Love Dawn xx

Grungy tag!

It's Grunge Monday #2 over at Linda's StudioL3 is a really good challenge this week. I am going to have to get some foam to make some of my very own stamps. And of course this is the wonderful Tim Holtz idea but pop along and have a look for your self.

Here is the close up. I wont go into details of how it was done obviously, but I have used tim's DIs and  Art parts from studio 490. I also used stickles to make my very own swirls and Dylusions paints, I have fell in love with these and her ink sprays to, not as expensive as some but just as good (but kinda better in their own way). As usual I am popping round lots of blogs and seeing lots of great art. I have found a couple of new blogs (added them to my list on the right) I have a switch around and add some newbies when I find them so why not pop round and have a look at a few new blogs this week. You never know what you may find ;0) You can also find some candy on the left (some very yummy stuff) and I have also found a couple more FREE image blogs, I love my freebies (don't we all?) Hello to my new followers, I am so fortunate to have you join me on my arty journey. I hope I can inspire you as you all inspire me. Love Dawn xx

Mail art

Hello, fellow crafters I am so late today I wasn't going to bother posting at all. I hope all the mothers grand-parents etc had a wonderful day. I did want you to see what I sent in the post today as well, as I have no items I can show you as yet! I was rather proud of my mail art ;0) I'm involved in a few swaps so I have sent these off today. It's always so much fun to make something for others knowing they will appreciate your work, you will also get something of theirs to have and to hold. It's also a little sad that your work is gone (a bit of a pull) you must know what I mean. But sad or not I wanted them to go in style, the post lady loved them and was so careful with the airmail stamps bless. Any way enjoy what's left of the day. Love Dawn xx

Bird journal swap. March

 How happy am I? the lovely Cindy of Whimsical Musings has featured ME? can you believe it, no I couldn't either well I have the e-mail so ner it has to be true. Cindy is a lovely person full of spirit and love for every one so to be pointed out by here I am indeed honoured. So thank you to Cindy do pop round and have a look at this woman in action her art is darling just like her. Now, here we are again with another journal swap from the bird journal, I am really getting into these swaps now and I hope my pages are also lol this months title was 'Home sweet home' I think the bird looks pretty well at home out side doesn't it?

I took Tim holtz die cut and used shrink plastic, before shrinking I used lots of alcohol inks to intensify the colours. There is some paper piecing  in there with the hills and some painting to, so quite a lot of work in this. I am entering this in to a challenge Paint Party Friday the link is in my side bar. I really loved making the back ground though as well. just an enjoyable make altogether. and that's the point of crafting isn't it, to have fun. I thank you so much for your constant support and comments. To all the women out there have a wonderful mothers day, we are all mothers to some one in some way, it's our nature! Love Dawn xx