R U Looking 4 Unique Valentines? Check These...

Looking for something more than a card? Something a little different from the routine box of candy?

Here are a few ideas for little gifts for that special person...a thoughtful original!

Etsy Buy Handmade leepierce

SPRING QUEST

The latest quest that the members of DAWG have been working on has been 'spring'. Spring astronomically begins about March 20 in the Northern Hemisphere, begins March 1st according to your local weatherman, and who knows when according to the fuzzy woodland critter that shows up searching for his shadow in early February. With the frigid temperature, heavy snowfall and exceptionally harsh cold spell that many states are currently experiencing , I believe that the Spring quest has been a welcome subject for everyone to fabricate. I personally would rather draw butterflies, flowers and warm sunshiney colors, while I am looking out at a freezing white glaze covering the landscape. I think I feel a warm spell coming on already.

Here are some of my Valentine and spring aceo cards. Thanks for looking and stay warm.






And here is the reality of the weather:

Ice Storms

Snow and ice cover almost everything...it is so cold that the animals are all hidden away. The scene is set for lots of cuddling and bundling in front of a nice fire with a great book, or my favorite, a new sketch pad!

There are lots of inspirations on wintry days and nights. One only has to look at the etchings on the window panes to start seeing patterns dancing across the surface. The trees hold onto their charm year round by playing Mother Nature's canvas. On this coldest of winter days the trees seem to turn gray in preparation for the frosty coating that will no doubt be in place come morning.

So get those sketch pads out ladies and start rendering nature in her frozen stillness and ignore the numbness in your fingers! Be inspired anew by the bitter cold to paint a scene of perfect suspension and resist the urge to complain.

Yes, it is frightfully cold. But even ice has it's beauty. And if those lights go off, use that as the trigger to try something new.

When you are creating by candle light, hopefully by choice, try a new medium...wax. It has been used to grace envelopes for centuries, but it is beautiful on it's own as well.

Buy a cheap pack of crayons and a lighter. Get a blank art card or any size you like and start melting the crayons in patterns or designs all over the surface. Use old paper clips and rubber stamps to add texture or words before it hardens.

Let your creativity soar and feel the heat as the weather lets loose with it's worse. i hope you are inspired and show off what you have discovered!

Crystal Belle

Winter Time and Snowflakes

Oh how I Love to watch the snow fallen, it gives me such peace. To see those beautiful soft white flakes floating to the ground, landing ever so gently atop the previous one. They finally all make such a wonderland scene of white. Did you ever watch the Christmas Story with the Red Rider B B Gun, "You'll shoot your eye out" :) Oh that is one of my favorite movies, the part when they wake up and look at the window on Christmas Morning to find a winter wonderland of snow, and they say WOW! That is where the tiny little bit of the kids needs to stay in our hearts!! I guess that is where I get the love and the longing for the beautiful snowfalls. Another one of my favorite movies, is the lst Walton show, The Christmas Story, snow, snow and more snow everywhere!

When I was growing up we would go for weeks with no school because there would be so much snow, now my kids all nearly grown, except for Seth 11th grader, still hopes for that snow!! We get a patch here or there, but nothing like when I grew up. I sure miss those big snows, and when we do get them, I am out in them taking photos! Yes snow can be a pain to drive in, and cause other problems, but oh what a precious gift God gave us with the beauty of those snowflakes. So the next time a snowflake starts to fall, Tell God Thanks for all his beauty!!

Check out my Etsy Store and Bonanzle store for all my photos and Aceo Cards

www.bonanzle.com/booths/papermoondelights
Artbylisak on Etsy

Grapes and Ginger Jar Still LIfe in Oils

I set this up in my studio a few years ago and painted it on a stretched canvas. It is being offered here at a sale price. It would be perfect for your home. Available here for you
Please check out my blog and web site for lovely art .
Thanks so much
Barbara

A New Year Has Begun

Good Morning,

The New Year is well underway and I think I am finally catching my breath. It has been busy with commitments to family and friends without much time for art. This year I have been presented with the opportunity to do some self study in Classical Painting and work in a new medium. I have purchased some water-soluble oil paints and I am almost ready to begin learning the fine art of oil painting.

To get warmed up to oils (which I haven't begun to use yet) I have been doing some specific challenges related to classical painting. The first challenge was in sketching portraits, below is my attempt at sketching our new president elect Barrack Obama:

My second lesson was to do a landscape using only two complimentary colors and white:

The last challenge I worked on was to do my interpretation of one of the “Old Masters”. I chose to do Monet’s “Landscape #3”:

It will be fun to share my journey with you, stay tuned next month I should have my next two challenges done. I will be doing a still life in the pointillism technique, and then a painting of one of Remington’s Horse Statues, done in the style of Vallejo. Should be interesting.

Moving into t-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, tote bags, tiles and more at Susan Alison Art

Well, I thought - it's a New Year - time for some New Stuff!

So now I've got t-shirts and other garments with my designs on, and tote bags with my designs on and all in all, Border Collies are taking over the world! Yeah!

Here's Deep sea Dawg on a tie dyed t-shirt:



Click here for ebay auctions and Buy it Now items

And here's 'Her best baker boy hat' (remember those???) on a frost pink tank top......




Click here for collieish present ideas at Cafepress

Oh, okay - this creature below on his tote bag might not be a Border Collie - but he IS a Border Collie's friend...

 
 


And here for my shop on Etsy


The t-shirts are really comfortable, 100% cotton and you can have any of my designs on them. Below is 'Forget me not'.



New Year - New Stuff!!! Watch this space for more New Stuff! (hopefully a new novel, too, this year...)

Find me on MySpace and be my friend!

And have I mentioned my novel - a few hours of escapist froth for your entertainment??: Click here for Susan's novel

Thanks so much for looking…..

Susan

Cows and Windmill a landscape in oils

I just finished this landscape with some cows and a Texas windmill. I hope you like the painting. It is in oils and measures 14"x11" and is signed by me. Ready to frame and enjoy. Purchase here.
Thanks
Barbara

For all those who love snow and snowmen....

There's NO man like a SNOWMAN! Here's a handpainted china ornament. It's $10 in my Bonanzle shop. Click on the link below. I am running a sale on there if you type in Friend in the Code you will recieve 20% off. This applies to all purchases in my shop on Bonanzle until January 31, 2009....so go get yourself a bargain! Snowman Ornament Link

A New Year of Art

I can hardly believe that 2009 is upon us. My plans include the inevitable weight loss, and this year I mean it! Naturally, new and improved art work are also in the program for 2009. I started this year out, painting some larger pieces, and then some new aceo cards. We are having a quest at Dawg team on endangered animals. The quests are a great way to keep us motivated and constantly producing new work. We all post what we have completed and then vote for our favorites. It is all for fun, but a wonderful way to get feedback from each other and to keep our creative juices flowing. Our new quest is horses, so I'd best get busy. Here are some of my new paintings and drawings:
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Here's a Rhino toast to the New Year.

In Denial

It snowed here again. I am focused on all things non-winter.

Snow isn't the only thing that's White!


Drama

Flowers make me think Spring!


Pink Lady


This beautiful apple was here for such a short time! Once the caramel was ready, she took a dip and then POOF, all gone.

I'm glad I was able to do a little portrait before she left.




Beach Dreams

I even hauled out the shell collection and made sure I had photos of them all. I actually got a little sand on my drafting table. It was quite nice.

Happy New Year To My Dawg Friends

Hello Everyone I hope all has a wonderful New year and many blessings come your way! I have been working on some Jamaican Art and listing it on Bonanzle, the newest place to list and buy! Come Check it out!! :)

Check out My booth at Www.bonanzle.com/booths/papermoondelights

Happy New Year!

Well I have a new venture for 2009. I've opened another online store. I love this shop!
It's called Bonanzle. I am running a sale from now until the end of the month of January.....if you type in coupon code Friend, you will receive 20% off!

My new shop is called Eclectic Spirit because it's very eclectic. It's a joint venture with my daughter which includes some of the things we create on our creative nights. My new shop not only has ACEO's, china painting, decorative painting on wood & glass but also jewelry.....so check us out. I have lots of new stuff that has never been on Ebay or Etsy........Http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/eclecticspirit

Thanks for reading! Joann Y Wheeler
Http://jywheeler.etsy.com