handmade art portfolio

I have a sweet, artistic and incredibly creative daughter, who LOVES to draw, write poetry and stories and create with paper. LOTS of paper. {I seriously should have taken stock in the paper industry as she can take down a ream of paper like the wind blows!} But, what she creates upon that paper is amazing, thoughtful, beautiful and sweet - images and words from her imagination, keepsake memoirs of her youth. Originals of her mind and hand colliding, creating tangible masterpieces of childhood thoughts.

And, as there are a LOT of them, I want to preserve them! I will be creating a hardbound photo book of images of her art, etc, but to keep the originals safe and easily labeled by year, etc, I found a FABULOUS idea and I am so excited to create it for her artwork - and mine too!

 {you can already tell it will be such fun to create, can't you?!}

Go here for the complete instructions and to find many more super fun and creative ideas! http://www.lilblueboo.com/2012/02/make-a-portfolio-easy-diy-artwork-or-photo-storage-a-tutorial.html

 {the finished portfolio - I intend to create them with a stamped year beneath as well}

AMAZING Stenciled Table

Seriously. WOW!  Okay, THIS amazing crafty idea from Domestic Imperfection simply ROCKS!!

Anyone who knows me knows I am SUCH a lover of discovering amazing finds! Art, doors, windows, furniture, vintage glass, unique pieces, antiques and such, in shabby shape or to refinish. Love it all. The FINDING itself is half the fun of the process! The items are just WAITING to be discovered, whether in an old barn, at a yard sale, a consignment shop or in an antique store. And when I finally discover IT, it is simply meant to be that we should meet. New stuff is great, but the history, the stories, the LIFE that is hidden within these old treasures, from a crystal doorknob to a vintage mirror is the fun "history mystery" that comes with it. 

I began this fun hobby of discovering/antiquing/spelunking/perusing - whatever it is called - as a kid with my mom who loved to do so. I tagged along behind her and learned what to spot and what to overlook. I fell in love with beautiful things, many things that others would simply pass by, as you can see by much of my photography HERE on my photography blog.

So, look at THIS!  What a fabulous way to enhance a simple table! A dining table, coffee table or side table is just the tip of the iceberg with this AMAZING technique! {Oh, and don't even get me started on the legs - my very FAVORITE color!!}  Enjoy discovering and I would love to read your thoughts on this fun project!

{Click here to see it in all of it's awesome glory from start to finish!}

http://www.domesticimperfection.com/2012/05/paisley-stenciled-table/

{dream a little dream}

What dreams drive YOU? What goals do you have written down that you want to accomplish? What are YOUR "whys" behind what you do each day to reach those goals?

What a simple, yet powerful reminder to pass by as you go about your day. Just a soft canvas pillow to make and stencil a word onto. When dreams are fulfilled, completed, captured and relished, you can celebrate, and go on to the next one.

Never stop dreaming so you will always have something amazing to reach for to make a reality.

{beachlove}

Anyone who knows me well knows my deep love for the beach and sea. I am not talking touristy stopovers and viewpoints and shells collected by paying for them from a gift shop. I adore deeply both the power and serenity of the experience of the beach and waves, and having been caught up in both I remain in love. My shell collection is 90% of what I have hand collected or had passed down to me by my mother, who had also shared the same love and instilled in me the passion for nature and conservation. I currently live within the embrace of mountains, desert and forests. It has been too long since I have been within the water I long for and miss so very much. I yearn for the wash of clear turquoise blue Carribean seawater to blanket me and to feel the white warm silky sand under my feet. {sigh}

Until then, here's a darling hat to wear and reflect upon beachy days to come!

How dang cute and simple is THIS?!

Go buy a great woven flop hat that you love and get a faux starfish from PIER 1. They look TOTALLY real but are made of a resin-type stuff so they are WAY more durable than having crispy dead sea life on your head that could get crushed when you stoop down to get in your car. Not so pretty. Go for faux. And just by slipping it through the woven areas, imperfectly wrap jute, twine or hemp around the starfish, tying it inside the hat to secure it and you have a cute sea side look for summer, whether or not you have sand under your feet!

Something old, something new

Anyone who knows me knows I am an addict.

I have been known to almost decapitate my husband to capture a photo of an amazingly beautiful old barn while traveling 80 miles per hour on a road trip as I leaned over him in a crazed fury with my camera.

When it comes to old, rusty, weathered, antiqued, vintage stuff, I am hooked. I swoon. I LOVE old doors, old windows, old cars, old rusted metal, old barns, old keys, old furniture, antique shops, and even antique people! {Fifteen + years of working in the health field with sweet seniors will do that to a girl!} The rich colors, the textures... the worn, beautiful and fragile state that old objects are in is so lovely, and the stories that are within such objects so intriguing, so unknowing, that it draws me in. I love it.

BUT, what if you wanted to make something old by hand, rather than go hunting for it?

A blog I follow has such a crafty and creative idea, I just had to share it. Check out how to make these cute and decorative aged barn doors without the splinters of 80 year old wood HERE!

PS.

Here is the barn I nearly killed my husband by capturing :

Aren't the colors incredible? And I love how it is leaning over.