Twas a fun holiday week!

Howdy friends!  I have had a wonderful past few days!  Have you? Most of last week was spent with family visiting from out of town.  We always LOVE to soak up as much time with them as we can! 

These particular family members are just so wonderful.  So good for the soul to be with them.  We laugh a lot together, we drink wine, Lovin' Man always makes a few batches of his homemade ice cream....and we indulge in it every night they are with us.

 And they are SO good for my kids.  They adore my kids, love on them, shower them with attention and praise....it's good stuff, man.

My brain has been swirling with lots of creative ideas and projects.  Things I want to try, especially in my journal.  But I've been a very good girl, and finishing up some larger items for some customers who have been waiting for their pieces. 

This is a pair of deck chairs that a customer needed to have repaired and repainted.  She is definitely a Caribbean soul....so the palm trees and sunshine are perfect for her, complete with a Jimmy Buffett quote, one of my faves......

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."  -Jimmy Buffett

 

And this piece was done for Cindy, whose home is just so rockin'!  Her colors are hot pink, lime, aqua, yellows, blues, and little touches of black and white.  ADORE!!!  This piece really stumped me at first.  So it sat, ignored in the corner of the studio for some time, before I figured it out. 

 

 

 It's a weird piece, that seems to be a cross between a school desk and a cuckoo clock!  We believe it's an old phone stand of some sort.  That circular piece at the top stumped me for a while, but then I remembered the fabulous trick of making zinnia flowers out of sunflower seeds and peppercorns, and Viola!  Instant pizzazz! It feels so good to mark things off the list.  In addition, we are going to keep our sweet Lily (our recent graduate) in the house for a while, so we are sprucing her room up. Got it repainted yesterday....a snazzy dark raspberry color, which I believe we are going to accent with a fun chevron print.  We shall see. 

Feeling blessed indeed.  Hope you are too!

 

Remember this.....

Happy 4th!!!

Wishing you all a perfectly sun-shiny holiday! 

Happy Independence Day, USA!

Monday Night "Art Journaling Pow Wow"

Monday night, I hosted a small group of friends in the studio to talk about and experiment with art journaling ideas and techniques.  A couple of the ladies are pretty new to the idea of art journaling and altered books, and a couple of us are fairly experienced in techniques, and what to do with supplies, etc.  It was FUN!!!

 Below are some photos of some of the backgrounds we created for our books.  We didn't really get past backgrounds....we were too chatty and excited to focus on much more than that!  Ha!  Plus we snarfed down some YUMMY pizza from Zoey's!  But these are a good jumping off point for any piece of art.  The layers!  Love the layers!  Great for working on a book, a canvas, fabric, anything! 

First off, I have to show you this shot of something Denise brought with her that made us all drool, and ooh and aah......thousands of tiny words and expressions....already cut out, and ready to include in a piece.  She was attaching these to tiny little wooden hearts and using them as "tokens" to hand to friends.  She generously shared her stash of words...it was good!

 

I was really proud of Denise for jumping in....starting...despite her hesitation and trying to "overthink." She found the heart stencil, sprayed some ink, and then went to town with water soluble crayons. 

 

More oohs and aaahs came from that side of the room, which made me smile.  Look at her go!

 

 

My friend Cindy got to work on altering an old book, with the title "Juvenile Delinquency." 

She says that this summed up her childhood, since apparently she was a naughty little sprite....and thus would be a perfect book for her to alter.  She kept the title visible while working on the cover.

 

 

She ended up painting a mouth around the title words, with a cool flower stencil and lots of doodles and layers.  I think it's gonna be a fun one for her to work in!

 

 

My Lily joined us too, and painted papers for me to use in my book, or put in collages......

 

 

We used bubble wrap, stencils, and paper towels to make texture on paper.  Everyone fell in love with Dylusions ink sprays!  So vivid, and so easy to use!  Pictured below are some pages started by the amazing Mary Zeran and the adorable Lily.

 

 

Erin was off to a fabulous start with this page...using repositionable tape and spritzing with the inks!!!  LOVE IT!  And that patterned tape is wonderful!

 

 

And here are a couple of backgrounds I got done.  There are some layers of cheap acrylic paints, inks spritzed through stencils, more acrylic pressed on with bubble wrap.  (We were singing the praises of bubble wrap!) And the uneven circles were stamped with a toilet paper roll!  All highly technical!  Ha!  The heart on the bottom of the second page was spritzed while the underlying acrylic was still wet, so it did this cool "smooshing" and swirling together. 

 

 

These are all great beginnings for a canvas too....not just a journal.  In fact, I'm working on a canvas piece that's almost done, using similar layers as a start.  I'll show you when it's done!

 

Well, thanks for taking a peek....this was seriously a fun night that FLEW by in an instant.  We all agreed that we need to do this again soon.  It's so exciting to share inspiration with other likeminded creative souls. 

 

 

 

Check out the updated studio space!

Good morning creative friends!  I've been neglectful in showing you our brand spanking new studio space at The Dreaming Bear!  Silly me!  Well, in early spring, we consolidated our retail store into the first front room of our space, and instead of having our art studio in the back, behind the store, we have moved it up!  Front and center in the second room of our space! 

This is an improvement on so many levels!  We have LOTS of natural light coming in through the windows in front....some days, we barely need to turn the lights on at all!    People walking by on the street can see the creative frenzy going on inside, so they are more inclined to pop their head in and see what's going on!

And because it's in the front, it's a lot easier for us to staff....so now the studio is open whenever the store is open.....which is quite awesome, and works with the schedules of our busy customers so much better! 

 

We still  have all the wonderful options we had before...painting, decoupage and mosaic supplies.  And I'm committed to adding new items to choose from on a weekly basis.  It's been great fun to see our customers eyes light up when they see all the paints, glitters and ribbons.  It's contagious, and hard to resist touching all of the art supplies!

 



We will definitely get back to hosting private parties in the evenings....but still working on some reliable sources for supplies, so as not to disappoint!  If you are interested in hosting your own art event, email me, and we'll see what kind of creative fun we can come up with for you and your group!

 

Okay, I just realized that all of these photos are before our JAZZY new floor was put in!  For Pete's sake!  Well, I'm not turning back now....but will show you this snapshot, to give you an idea of how much COOLER the space is now!!!  Check out that gorgeous floor!  Snazzy AND easy to clean!  Perfect for us! Ha!

 

 

 And below, take a look at what some of our customers have created in our studio already! 

 

 

Come and play with us!  Tuesday-Friday 10-5:30 and Saturdays 10-4!

 

Gorgeous Monday morning

Hi again!  We have had a couple of GLORIOUS days in a row now.  I made it a resolution to get outside a little bit each day, no matter the weather....but these beautiful days sure make it a lot more fun!  As many of you know, we have two fur babies.....Elsie (a golden/yellow lab mix) and Bosco (a chocolate lab) and they love to get out and romp.....that is....when they aren't too busy resting......

Elsie is obsessed with ball chasing, and can be a tad nervous about things.

(although you'd never know it by this picture)

Bosco is a ladies man and could care less about chasing balls. 

 He flirts with customers in my store, and holds the couch down.

 

Not a day goes by when these two do not make us laugh. 

 Our home is a happier one with them in it. 

XOXO

 

In other news, I finally feel like I'm getting my creative mojo back!  Yippee!  I went through a bit of a dry spell as of late....tired, unmotivated and unfocused. BLECH.  Some big things have changed in my life over the past few months.  I started playing roller derby last fall!  As a result, I'm healthier, stronger (lost 25 pounds and counting), and having a blast! My team is the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls....check us out!!! 

 

 

Here's a picture of me in my jersey before my first bout....I was excited, and nervous as hell!!!  Ha!  But it is such a fabulous group of women, who have taught me so much.  I would never trade this experience for anything.  We are all so different....our backgrounds, our lifestyles, etc.  But it's yet another example of people coming and working together for a common goal. 

 

In addition to all the skating, I've been doing a lot of strength training, running and other activities that have me feeling the best I ever have.  Grateful for this body that is working and cooperating, with the exception of a little ache or pain here and there! Lovin Man has really taken off with getting fit too....and we plan to run our first 5k next weekend....a COLOR RUN!!!!  Is there a better 5k for a color loving girl??  I think not!!!!

 

 

And another big change for our family is my oldest, Lily, has graduated high school!  Wow!  Where did that time go?  CRAZY.  She will be leaving us with some extra room in our house....so I am contemplating what to do with that extra space.....hmmmm.....art studio???  :)

We are excited to see family and friends this holiday week.  There will be some grilling, some playing, some sparklers, fireworks, a baseball game....We love the 4th!!!  Wishing you and yours an excellent holiday week!!!

 





A cup of joe and a psychedelic robe.

 

Hello friends.  I'm going to take baby steps with getting back into this blog.  I have a lot to tell you, but instead of just putting the whole thing off cuz I can't find the time to say it all at once, I'm just going to give some small ramblings every couple days, and see how that works. 

 

 It's the little things making me smile this morning.  Got up early to walk the dogs, brought them back home, and headed out for a walk/run by myself.  (I do not, I repeat, do NOT run WITH my dogs.  We are not that coordinated when we travel as a clump of three.  Ha!) 

 

After showering with my favorite product of all time, the aromatherapy sugar scrubs from Bath and Body Works, I sat down to a cup of Swiss Mocha and a glance through the latest Art Journaling magazine.  I ADORE THIS MAGAZINE.  ADORE IT, I SAY!!!!   And it's even better to read while wearing this psychedelic robe that my mom made for me!  All out of fabrics that I designed back in the day.  SIGH.  I miss designing fabric.  I want to design fabric again.

 

 

I will design fabric again.  Hope your day is off to a wonderful start too!  See you again soon!

 



Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

"Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance."

-Eckhart Tolle

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.  Enjoy all you are blessed with.

New Goodies in the Etsy Shop! Check it out!

Painted house with hooks  $45

Click HERE to get to the Etsy shop!!

Monster Party this Saturday!

Join us this Saturday for a

MONSTER PARTY and TRUNK SHOW!!!!

Saturday, October 27th, 10-4

Our friends, Todd and Andrea, from Bearmojo will be spending the day with us, showing off and selling their one of a kind plush monster creations! 

We know you already love the pillows and wallets we've been selling in our store, but they are bringing so much more with them on Saturday!  It's time to start tackling that holiday wish list.  Hats, tote bags, blankets, creatures, Christmas decor, and more!  Refreshments and door prizes every hour!

JOIN US!!!

Hello, I'm back!

Howdy friends!  Whew!  It's been a long, long while since I've updated here.  A big thank you to those of you who have been inquiring and encouraging me to continue with the blog!  It's good to be back.  I really have been at a crossroads with the blog, undecided about whether to move forward with it or not.  But I'm going to carry on a little longer and see where this takes me. 

We've been going through a few life changes since I wrote last.  Lovin' Man got a new job, which he is enjoying immensely.  It is out of town, so there is more commute time, and it requires adjustments to schedules/plans/mealtimes/etc.  Here at the Dreaming Bear home, we like our routines  Yes we do.  Right down to the puppies....they count on us to be timely and organized.  

Speaking of the puppies, they are both doing great.....living the life, as puppies should.  As you may recall, Bosco, our chocolate lab was recently added to the family in February, and he easily became one of the gang.  He and Elsie make a fun pair.  He has brought out a confidence in Elsie we hadn't seen before, and she is even more affectionate.  They tease and romp and nibble on each other, bringing us lots of laughs.

My kids are doing awesome too.  They don't like me to blab too much about them here, but one is a senior and one is a freshman this year.  WHERE does the time go?  Eeek.  I am certain I do not know.

As for me, I'm still busy working in my business....painting away in my studio...which I'm on the verge of moving to a smaller space.  Just waiting for the workers to fit us in to their busy schedule.  Feeling quite unsettled in my studio at the moment, with piles of things waiting for their forever home.  It's hard to feel cozy when you know you're going to up and move.  Having a hard time concentrating lately.  Still above my store....just a smaller, more manageable space.  Looking forward to that! 

I'm not doing the number of shows that I used to.  I guess I had reached my limit last fall.  The stress of it all just wasn't worth it to me.  I'm staying focused on my own store front, and design work, and it feels like a most excellent choice for now.

My biggest news on the personal front, is that I have joined a roller derby team!  That's right, I'm a Cedar Rapids Rollergirl!  Tryouts were a few weeks ago, and this past Sunday was our first on skate practice.  This is unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and it's pushing my boundaries on ALL LEVELS.  I love it and hate it....does that make sense?  Actually I love it more.....but you know what I mean?  When you're pushing through something that is really painful, physically...it's damn hard.  But when you make it to the other side, oh so satisfying!!!  It's transforming my body and my spirit daily.....literally.

 I've always been blessed with pretty good health, and a fairly strong body....but boy oh boy....this is something different entirely.  There are times when it's just pure WILL that is getting you through to the other side....that, and the wonderful support of my new family of derby sisters.  When they told me that I would be adopted into a family of sisters, they were right.  During those really hard moments when you think you can't get back up, or you can't do one more sit  up....they are right there, cheering you on, willing you to carry on.  It's amazing.  We new girls are referred to as "Fresh Meat."  Nuff said.

Looking forward to seeing  you again soon in this space.  Thanks for hanging with me as we settle into this new chapter. 

Updating Bedroom to Cloudless

Good Saturday morning to you!  I should be getting ready to start my day, yet here I sit, in my jammies with a cup of tea. I've got a mild headache and a crick in my neck today. Last night, Lovin' Man and I each slept on a couch downstairs, with the doggies at our feet, because we are finally getting around to working on our bedroom!  We pulled up the carpet last night to expose the impefect, yet still very charming hardwood floors underneath.  (I LOVE hardwood floors)  Today, Lovin' Man will be putting some trim down and prepping the walls for this:

Cloudless is its name.  You likey?  Someone asked me once what color I thought the word "bliss" was, and by golly, this is my answer.  So, I'm going to be slapping it on the walls this weekend!  I can't wait!  Wishing I hadn't put it off so long....but you know....we tend to fix up the rooms that everyone else sees first, and save our own personal spaces for last, darn it. 

Well, I should get going.  Uptown Marion Farmer's Market this morning, and we are having a sidewalk sale at the Bear today too!  Here are some links to things I think are great:

Teeny tiny travel trailers!  They make my head spin!
Feathers in quilting.  I want that skirt!
These beach ball cake balls are too cute!
Mimi's tattooed men make me swoon!  Wish I could attend Renegade Craft Fair!
Met this author earlier this week.  Delightful!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Jenny's New Mirror

Here is my sweet, glowing friend Jenny with her newly painted Dreaming Bear mirror!  Isn't she cute?

My Painted Stairs

Hello there, and happy July to you!  We are reaching the end of what seems like a very long hot spell here in the heartland....and we are thrilled to see it go!  Cool breezes are blowing in this evening, and tomorrow's temp is only supposed to get into the mid eighties.  Yippee!

Here's a little peek at my finished staircase at the house. 

They kind of give me an itty bitty thrill.  Hope you are having a good weekend so far!