Summer's End

Hello friends! Well, summer vacation has come to a screeching halt officially yesterday. The kids are back in school....and that is always bittersweet for me. Of course, it's another clear reminder of the fast paced passing of time. And it's the beginning of checking in with them every evening to make sure papers are done, homework is completed, books are read, activities are attended. That can be exhausting at times. But they are both growing into fine little human beings...and I'm proud of how far they've come...even just over summer vacation. Also, I kind of like the routine of the school year. My favorite part of the day is that little window of time that I have between dropping them off at school, and needing to be at work. The house is all mine (and Luke's) and it's a chance to get a few things done. Or nothing, if I'm lucky enough to have nothing that needs to be done. (ha, yeah right!)

The landscape has changed quite a bit in the shop/studio too. All that wonderful help I had all summer....those girls had to go back to school too, darn it. They were SO great....and they are missed! They prepped so many pieces for me.....I have a mountain of work to do that will keep me busy into the holidays! Thank you, Nicki, Lacey, Emily and Emma!!! Angie and I miss you!!!

We are enjoying LOVELY weather here....temps in the 70's during the day, and nice, chilly nights. Hallelujah! Enjoy your day!!!

Happy Chairs Up For Adoption!

Howdy! Thought you might like to see my latest project....completed, finally!!! Do you love these crazy, wacky, Mad-Hatterish chairs? There are four total...one of them with arms, three without....I found them at a thrift shop a while back. Loved their shape, (see how the back supports are wavy? Love that!) so snapped them up, and I've had so much fun working on them!!! All four are now available in the store, so come in and adopt one!

Makin' it on Friday the 13th

Hi there! Another journal page completed....and some quotes to share on this Friday the 13th....hope you all survive it just fine!!!

"Instead of working for the survival of the fittest, we should be working for the survival of the wittiest - then we can all die laughing." -Lily Tomlin

"Humor can be one of our best survival tools." - Allen Klein

"Life comes from physical survival, but the good life comes from what we care about." - Rollo May

Check out the latest Hoopla!

Hello!!! Good Lord...it's HOT out there! My sunglasses fog up when I step outside and it's maddening. Weatherman Joe says it will cool off by Sunday though.....I hope he's right!!! In the mean time, pour yourself a cold lemonade, put your feet up, and enjoy the latest "Made In Iowa" article in Hoopla! You'll see lil' ol' me! Click HERE to check it out!!! A big thank you to everyone at Hoopla for including me!!! Ta ta for now!

Check out my latest journal pages, and watch for me in Hoopla!

Good morning! I had fun playing in my art journal/altered book this weekend. (big contented sigh) I've got a few new pages to show you!!! Yippee! But first, I've got some fun news....I'm going to be featured in this week's issue of Hoopla! There's a fun little section called "Made in Iowa," where I discuss how I got started, where I find my inspiration, and more! This Thursday, you'll find it at all of the usual spots. Hoopla is a great resource for staying in touch with what's going on in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor, covering lots of events, people and more. And it's FREE! So check it out!!!

Now, on to the pages......this is my often neglected altered book...very old.....see how it's barely holding together at the seams? It's still fun to work in though.

And this is another page in the old book....I ended up just covering a page that wasn't working out. I finally used these hand painted papers that I made forever ago. I love looking at them all together...there will be room for journaling here later.

These pages are from my newer, larger art journal. I found this woman's picture in O magazine, and was so intrigued by her, that I cut out her picture and saved it for a while. I later learned that her name is Lynn Yaeger, a renowned fashion reporter. She's a woman who definitely moves to the beat of her own drum. You know how you just have a feeling that you would probably really like someone if you were to meet them in person? That's the hunch I get about her. The quote on the page is from her...it's a little hard to read, but it says, "Early on, I decided to ignore the fashion industry's dictates and make my own rules."

And my final page was just a random play with all kinds of images I had lying around, looking for a home. I found myself fretting about giving this page some sort of theme or cohesive-ness. But sometimes definite themes don't come, and you have to learn to just enjoy the movement of painting and gluing and doodling. So that's what I did, and that's how I ended up with my little "note to self" in the middle. "Enjoy the Ride.

Hope that's what you're doing! Wishing you all a fab-u-lous day!!!

My Cool Neighbors and Their Cow

Hello friends! I'm back...running on all eight (eight?) cylinders, and ever so thankful for that! It was a great weekend!!! I've got lots of things to share...so here we go!

May I share some highlights from the past few days?

1) A sweet little boy visited our open studio on Thursday with his parents. He was mesmerized by Luke, who was passing through for a sip from his water dish. He reached out and loved all over him, which never bothers Luke one bit. Later that day, we discovered that Luke's tail looked like it was dipped in baby pink and apple green paint. It's still there...we like it.

2) Friday night, I hosted little Paige's art party in the studio. Her older brother, out of the blue, asked me, "Dori, what continent would you like to visit?" A delightful discussion of travel and landmarks followed, which was a complete joy. I love random questions from smart kids.

3) Saturday morning, walking through the Farmer's Market with Lovin' Man. I found my favorite vendor...a little old lady who makes awesome chocolate zucchini bread. I'm tellin' ya, it's awesome. I need to ask her name....she's so sweet.

4) Saturday night, we were treated to wine and yummy treats at Dave and Beth's house...neighbors down the street. They shared their gorgeous patio with us, and it was so relaxing. And fun! Such a cool couple. We thought they were cool when we left on Saturday night....but then they sealed the deal on Sunday morning....read on....

5) Dave and Beth brought home a gigantic paper mache cow, strapped to their car. Look at that glorious thing!!! We were out working in our yard when they pulled up to show us their prize. Apparantly the drama dept at our high school cleaned out their props room, and this guy was in the dumpster......

They said they just couldn't leave it there...and I agree. The legs in the air are a hoot! Can't wait to hear what they do with it. I think I heard the word "pranking" a few times. Heh. Yep, we've got the coolest neighbors.


Have you ever gone dumpster diving? What's the greatest/weirdest thing you've ever found? I think my best find was a mannequin, several years ago. She was scruffy, but I did a mosaic on her body. I wish I still had her!! I'd love to hear your dumpster diving treasures and disasters. Do tell!!! More to come soon...time to eat dinner for now! xoxo

Maturity

"Sometimes when I get up in the morning, I feel very peculiar. I feel like I've just got to bite a cat! I feel like if I don't bite a cat before sundown, I'll go crazy! But then I just take a deep breath and forget about it. That's what is known as real maturity. "

-Snoopy from The Peanuts

Another Giveaway over at Sara's!!!

Hey, hey! Here I am again! I'm not gonna lie...it's been a challenging few days here in Dreaming Bear land. I've had some health issues, and it hasn't been much fun, but I think we are getting them sorted out, and I should be back to my crazy self very soon! In the meantime, you need to meet my new bloggy friend, SARA from Sara's Art House.

(photos from Sara's Art House)

(some of Sara's whimsical artwork)

This girl is FUN with a capital "F." Her house is fabulous!!! And so is her blog, so that's why I jumped on the chance to be a sponsor of her lovely space in the blogosphere. Run, don't walk, over to her blog right now....to enter a chance to win our Dreaming Bear giveaway!!! Click HERE!

Cheers to you all!!!