New Muslin Birds for Etsy...

I watched two movies last night...
Little muslin illustrations helped me stay awake!
Sweet feathered friends
for my Etsy Shop!

Some of the nests are empty...
Wee babies are bouncing around the lawn~
trying to fly...

We watched a momma bird play "injured"
(to distract attention away from babies)
as the middle school students were leaving for the day.
Sweet 16 and I wished she would just be calm,
quiet and try to blend in...
We were there long enough to see that the threat
cleared and she attended her little ones.

I could draw birds all day everyday...
Each with their own personality and beauty...
More coming soon!

Vintage Baby Dresses and Pen & Ink Notepads...

Vintage baby dresses with new art illustrations...

Hello, Sweet Friends!
I hope your day has been sunny and sweet~

We have not had much sunshine... seem to be in a
soggy weather pattern... rain, drizzle, pour, drizzle!
Today we had sunshine and I took photos
of my latest vintage baby dresses~
Well, all except one...
One little pink treasure is a surprise!
I'll share more about that soon~

I ran a thin string from twig to twig...
With these mini clothespins I hung them for a photo!

Each little dress has gorgeous details...
Please click on any photo to enlarge~

All eight...
Waiting to be pressed one more time...

The first~
Sweet little Maggie Mouse...
You can hear her skittle through the forest
because her momma put a bell around her neck~
She loves to munch on wild strawberries!

Next...
With his tummy full of honey~
Little Jem bear needs a nap!

This sweet bear would wilt if
she saw the weeds in my garden!
Trudy Garden is best at planting
Johnny Jump-Ups!

This large gown has the most gorgeous detail work...
Momma wren is tending to her three wee babies.
They perch so cozy in the stitched details!

I think these four furry bunnies are all
trying to figure out how to get that huge piece of clover!

LOVE this one!
A baby bird...
Waiting for some company...
A brother?
A sister?
One of each?

This is my favorite~
Sweet little songbird with a strawberry blossom gift...
Chubby lil' field mouse with a berry to share!

These seven vintage dresses will be listed in my Etsy
shop in a little while... Each dress has 4-5 photographs
of the gorgeous stitching and extra illustrations
that are tucked here and there!
To see more of the details...
Please click here and zoom in... ETSY STORE

I was digging deep in our bedroom closet...
How do you lose a shoe?
Nothing chews on them...
Nothing plays dress up with them...
It's like the socks that the washer eats!
While dragging everything out of the closet...
I found a box filled with some of my notepads from 2001.

After putting a small collection of them aside for
Christmas gifts (ha! I'll have to find them in December!)
I decided to wrap a few with muslin and list them
in my Etsy shop to share with you!

Our teens are almost done with school for summer...
Test week.
Recital week.
Stress and crazy schedules mixing
for a wild, busy time!
I will probably be up through the night finishing
two watercolor deadlines... and a few special orders!
It's quiet..
It's calm...
It's the only time I'm not in the car~ delivering teens!

Smiles and best wishes...

Handmade, Artist Signed Jounals...

(The large size journals...)

The only thing more fun than cracking open a new
journal and discovering empty palettes~
To write on...
Sketch on...
Capture memories & thoughts...
Creative ideas...
A place to tape in feathers & flowers...

IS MAKING THEM!!!

I LOVE to make journals!
Surrounded by vintage books that I snip images from~
Mounds and heaps of rubber stamps that I have
collected for over 20 years...
Postage stamps from around the world...
AND
Prints from my original watercolors and
pen and ink illustrations!

Each journal is different because the ephemera
is all original. The old dictionary snippets,
garden book illustrations... word sentences...
Rare postage stamps from around the world!

Each journal has similar stamped pages...

Each journal is bird themed!
My feathered friends and I spent this
entire week together!

Many of you have asked about copies of my
watercolors~ I am researching the best way
to have my originals reproduced. I want to provide
a quality print~ without a big price...
I hope to have color prints available this fall.

One of my favorite covers...

More peeks...

Example of the black and white prints...

Three of my favorite stamps put together!

Dictionary snip with a stamp...

(The medium size journals...)

Moleskine journals have smooth, off-white pages.
Acid free product with an inner back pocket.
I have added a favorite quote on the back pocket,
signed and dated each one...
I am going to list all eleven of these in my Etsy store!
More detailed photographs of the covers will
be on the individual listings... other details, too!

Hope your Friday is off to a great start!
Wishing you all the best~

Tippy and the Chipmunk...

(for some reason the video stays black until
you click on the arrow, bottom left...)

Silly chipmunks love to tease our furry tails!
They gather seeds and climb the house to perch and feast...
In front of the cats~
Right outside their favorite windows!

It's all in the tail...

Journals are finished!
Tomorrow morning I will post about them and
list them in my Etsy store~
Hope you have a wonderful evening!

Sneak Peek New Journals...

I hope your week is off to a great start!
I have been busy at the printers...
Having originals made into prints for a new project!

Moleskine jounals~
They're wonderful to write in...
Sketch in...
Journal or keepsake!

I'm making a baby book for a friend.
Another sweet baby girl!
I use vintage/old Little Golden books &
scrapbook stickers/papers to dress most pages.

While I'm making a big mess with stamps, scissors...
papers, ephemera... ribbons... stickers... glue etc.
I decided to make several bird-themed books!
5 large & 6 medium size Moleskines journals...
I will have them available in my Etsy Store soon!

These are some of the images I will tuck inside...
Hope your day is sunny & sweet~

Feathers & New Art...

Sweet 16 and I found a barn sale that had
boxes filled with all sorts of goodies!
Look at all these feathers!
She found a huge box of stained glass...
I know she will be sharing pictures when she
gets her blog up and running~

I need a day to sit and clean them...

Huge ones...
Little ones...
Bright ones...
Dull ones...

I love these plump shapes...
They're my favorites!

I listed a few more pieces in my etsy shop...

I'm running out of my little circles...
They're so much fun to draw on!

I know something else will catch my eye!

I love the Americana pieces...
When I invest in a sewing machine...
WHEN...
(giggle, giggle)
I will make pillows, banners, etc. with
patriotic themes to fill our home!

These old buttons are so thick!

I have always loved lighthouses...
Always a favorite subject at art festivals!

Hope you stop by my Etsy store to see
all of my new pieces...
More coming soon!

School is winding down for our teens~
Such a CRAZY BUSY time...
But a VERY GOOD time!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Rick Rack Vintage...

Hello, Sweet Friends!

Rick rack, no matter where I see it~
Makes me smile!
It gives these little rounds a creative kick!
I found these in a nearby antique shop...
The stitch work the woman put into each
one is truly amazing...

They're not Cinderella's mice...
They're Michelle's feathered pals!
Oh how fun to have little feathers flying all about
the studio... little chirps of delight!

Oooops!
We have cats...

So I draw them being playful~
Then list them in my Etsy store for you to enjoy!

Purple Coneflower grows very well in our gardens.
(even through the weeds at this point!)
Yellow Finch and Chickadees love to
perch, munch and rest...

Hope you're having a wonderful week!