Mini Projects in Progress (say that 5 times fast!)

My work table at home has been rather messy lately. I've been working on a couple dozen mini canvases to get ready for the Chocolate Walk tomorrow night!!! Love them!!! Here they are, in various stages of progress. I'm really diggin' the little house about to take flight. Heh.

I use one of my girlie's old composition notebooks as a paint palette. You should see how thick it is!!! And heavy!!!

The largest canvas here is 4"x6".....giggle, giggle...

And there's a stack waiting for my inspiration to strike again.....

Happy Thursday to you!!!!

Peeking Around the Studio

Have you ever joined us for OPEN STUDIO at The Dreaming Bear? No? Well, what are you waiting for? Every Saturday, (10am-4pm) in our little studio behind the store, you can paint, mosaic, collage and create to your heart's content. We have all the supplies you need to complete a fabulous art project....and you can leave the clean up to us!!! We've got lots of luscious ribbons, and BRAND NEW at long last, LETTERS!!! I LOVE these! They are so much fun to embellish!



Colorful buttons are a great addition to a mosaic project....


And we love little plastic firemen and army men! Mosaic fish, anyone?

Baubles? We've got baubles up the wazoo!!!

Come and play with us sometime!!! You can also book your own private party! Write or call us for more info!!!!

We are working hard to prepare for the chocolate walk on Friday night. It's gonna be good, people!!!!

And the winner is.....

Hello there! Thanks to everyone for all of your wonderful comments on what you love about fall! I agree with each and every one! There's just something in the air, isn't there?!

Well, without further ado.....we have a winner!!!!!! The giveaway goodies are going out to: Alison!!!

Alison Dix said...
I love the colors- the burnt oranges and the browns, with the dried grasses and colorful leaves.
September 27, 2010 1:38 PM

Alison, please email your mailing address to me, and I'll get this right out to you!!! Congrats!

Cheers to you all, and happy hump day!!!!

The "Yippee, It's Fall" Giveaway!!!

Hey guys! I am so happy it's fall! I love this time of year!!! Don't you?? Feelin' a little squirrely here, and thought it was time for a giveaway! Yippee!!! One lucky reader who comments on this post will win this stash of goodies, which includes:

2 Fiesta fat quarters - floral print

2 beaded flowers on stems

1 kissy lips stamp and ink pad

3 tokens of affection

1 teeny tiny crystal ball (how flippin' cute it that?)

1 kissy glitter soap

and last but not least....1 wind up fruit tart! (can you stand it??!!)

When you leave a comment, please share some of your favorite things about fall. We'll draw a name on Tuesday evening, Sept 28th. Have a great day!!!

Mad Art Making in the Studio!

Hey everyone!!! Wowee!!! We were so busy on Saturday in the store and the studio, because of the Swampfox Festival!!! We were.....swamped. Heh. Heh. Lots of folks came to the studio to play...here's a peek at what some of them made!!! The above pic is our very own sweet Emily, with Anna, who celebrated her birthday with friends in the art studio. They all created a one of a kind mosaic message board.

I think they had a good time. :-)

Several other folks joined us throughout the day, creating some wonderful things too....

Some fun, embellished photo boxes.....

Wouldn't this house be cute with a little light inside?

And a colorful puppy too.....

It's truly becoming fall now...the leaves are dropping, and the temps have gone down quite a bit. I LOVE this time of year.....makes me feel like taking on some new projects. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!!!

The Chocolate Walk is coming!!!

"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!" -Lucy Van Pelt

Hi there! Well, it's that time again folks! Almost time for the chocolate walk, so mark your calendars!!!!

HARVEST MOON CHOCOLATE WALK

Friday, October 1st 8-11pm

Downtown Marion merchants will be open late for your enjoyment!!! Fun door prizes, new fall merchandise, and lots of yummy chocolate treats!!!! Bring a friend and make a night of it!!!

All of the merchants will be accepting canned food donations for the Churches of Marion Food Pantry that evening.

We can't wait to see you!!!!

All is Right with the World

Hello and happy Saturday! All of Iowa is in an uproar today, with the big game coming up later today....Iowa and Iowa State are playing, and it's kind of a big deal in these parts. Not to me, mind you....I truly couldn't care less (don't be mad at me!). But it's amusing, even now, during this early hour of the morning, I've already seen several people in their "get ups", packing the coolers and getting ready to head down to Iowa City. While I do not relate to their excitement about this particular event, it's still fun to see people happy and excited. They are ready for a good time.

These are snapshots of some projects I worked on the other day, inside the front window of the store, at our desk. That's right folks, I gotta keep painting....even when I'm taking care of customers and running the cash register. Ha! Regular Dreaming Bear customers are used to this....but it never fails to amaze new visitors when they see us with paintbrush in one hand, and ringing the cash register with the other. I kinda dig that.

The "You are a treasure" sign started out more like a collage...but by the time I was done, most of the paper was covered up with paint. Sigh. Sometimes things go like that.

Lovin' Man has been away on a business trip....and he came home last night. We are soooo happy to have him back!!! I gave him the above sign...because it's true. All is right with the world again now that he's returned.

Peeking Around the Store

Hi gang! Another week is just whizzing by. Crazy! Would you like a little peek around the store these days? Of course you would! Above is a little shadow box that I painted up...that was a fun project. And we also have more Romero Britto umbrellas in, for those of you who would like to stop traffic while out on a rainy day!



This soap makes me giggle.....a perfect pick me up for someone having a crappy day. Or life.

New extra large shopper totes. Made from recycled materials. A few designs are available...this one's my favorite.

And of course we love robots of all sizes, shapes and colors. They are peeking out of nooks all over the store. Just love 'em!!!!

More to come soon, including posting info for upcoming autumn events. So stay tuned!

Just finished reading Slumdog Millionaire. Great story...curious about seeing the movie now.

Have a great day!!!

White is not painted.

Howdy!!! I hope you all had a fun, relaxing weekend! Isn't it weird that we are past Labor Day already? Lovin' Man, the kids and I had a great time this weekend. I vowed not to do any work (except at the store on Saturday, of course), and I stuck to my resolution pretty well! Ha!

I did tackle one small project at home that's been nagging me for a few months now. I finally got around to painting this great rocking chair in our front room!!! Yahoo!! It's a big sturdy lug of a chair that I found at Goodwill a while back. I had to glue one of the rungs, but otherwise, it's in great shape. It has been sitting in our front room, naked except for white primer, for a long time.

A few months ago, (when it was still only "primed") we had guests over, and I mentioned how I needed to paint it, and our guests said, "It is painted." Lovin' Man and I laughed out loud.....and I felt the need to clarify....WHITE is not painted....not in this house anyway. It's not "PAINTED" until it's got every which color you could imagine on it. Plus you need a little McNugget shaped monster to stand guard over it before it's considered complete.

Luke the lab is far too used to these shenanigans and is thoroughly unimpressed.

Mostly, he just wants to eat the furry little monsters.

Special thanks to our neighbors Rob and Allison who hosted a YUMMY Low Country Boil on Sunday evening. Oh my goodness....I ate far too much...but it was sooooo good!!! Other highlights of the weekend included visiting the New Bohemia art fair in Czech Village, and a trip to Half Price Books to take advantage of their Labor Day sale. 20% off! Yay! I had fun helping Little Man pick out some books and a dictionary. I love buying books for the kids...it's like buying them a multi grain energy bar for their brain!!! Too cool!

Happy Tuesday!!! Ta ta for now!!!

Ray + Omaha = Good Stuff!

(a journal page I made last night)

Hey guys! I've been a bad lil' blogger...sorry about that! I guess it's just the adjustment to the new school year, and keeping the kids on schedule. And the homework.....holy smokes! The homework. But I think our family is falling into a routine now. Somewhat. How have you been?

Despite all the craziness, Lovin' Man and I ran off for a couple of days to Omaha! Our main reason for going was to see my fave: Ray Lamontagne, in concert. And as usual, he did not disappoint. There's something about that man's voice. Seated in front of us was a couple and their college aged son with some of his friends. The father was weeping during a couple of songs. It was so sweet to see his wife notice this, and gently rub his back until it passed.

If you haven't checked out Ray's latest CD, do so. (I know I'm being kinda bossy....but I really think you'd love it!) You can find it here. We got to Omaha early on Sunday, before the concert, and decided to wander around the Old Market. So many great little galleries, shops, and restaurants! We ended up eating at Vivace. Oh so tasty, and guess who we saw there!!! RAY!!! Lovin' Man had to keep reminding me not to stare, and somehow I resisted running over to Ray's table and hopping in his lap. Ha! A couple more highlights: breakfast at Lisa's Radial Cafe, and we also visited Bodies, The Exhibition. It's in Omaha until the end of September. Absolutely amazing....see it if you get a chance. (again with the bossiness)

Last night before dinner, I busted out the tree page on the left, in my art journal and I started the bicycle page on the right. I'm thinking the bikes need wings or something, don't you agree?

The orange bike is one that I am currently coveting. It's like a Dreamsicle on wheels....love that color!! I haven't notified Lovin' Man of this yet, but I intend to make it mine. Soon.

Cheers to you all, hope your September is great!