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!

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!!!