Happy Valentine's Day!

"Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young."
-Sir Arthur Wing Pinero

"When you love someone, you love the whole person, just as he or she is,
and not as you would like them to be."  -Leo Tolstoy

"Love is the true means by which the world is enjoyed: our love to others, and others' love to us."
-Thomas Trahern

Peeking Around the Store.

The Dreaming Bear is just brimmin' with all sorts of goodies that would make the perfect Valentine gift! 
Stop in and see us!!!  Or visit the art studio tomorrow between 10am-4pm, and make a special handmade goody!  See you soon!

Feeling the Love!

Today is my birthday.  And on my birthday this year, I'm going to take some of my own advice that I recently gave to a friend:  "Allow yourself to accept the love and support that your friends and family want to give you.  Let them surround you, hug you, kiss you,  and treat you well.  Don't be afraid of taking too much.  We all have times when we need to feel cherished." 

Thank you to all who are reaching out to me today...I am cherishing every minute of it!

I Heart Hearts.

Greetings, fellow earthlings!  Here's a little peek at what I've been up to lately!  I'm obsessed with hearts year round....but even more so in February!  These little lovelies get their texture from joint compound from the home improvement store!  So cheap (less than 4 dollars for a tub of it) and easy to use!  The only problem is my lack of patience...waiting for it to dry...this takes a few hours, depending on how thick you slap it on, and how dry the room is.  I had to wait until the next day to start painting on them....

but loving the outcome!  Who says Valentine's Day has to be just red and pink?  :-)

Lovin' Man and I are throwing a Valentine shin dig this weekend for our neighbors....I've had fun cutting and pasting, hanging decorations, and planning.....can't wait!  Stay tuned!

Happy February!

January and February are the months that we slow down, clean up, organize, think about future events, and I've been enjoying finishing up some lingering projects, such as this one....an old coffee table.  I started it months ago, and it didn't go the way I wanted to at first, so I set it aside and revisited it in January.

It started out with lots of colorful circles....and that's where it stopped.  But eventually, when I got back to it, I saw flowers....so I drew them over the top, exposing some of the circle patterns, and masking out the rest of the pattern.  As you can see in the bottom photo, I allowed some of the pattern to peek through the green, which gives me all kinds of fun shades, even better in person!

On Saturdays, we have been nice and busy back in the art studio too.  It's such a great way to keep the kids occupied on these dreary winter days.  This is a new project available in the studio....OWLS!  I don't know what took me so long to get these in our inventory...owls have been hot for some time now.  So thrilled to have them!  Two sizes are available....the large one is about 12 inches tall, and perfect for hanging on the wall...and the "baby" owls on stands are approx 7 inches tall, and would be sweet lined up on a shelf.  Don't you agree?

Have a fab Thursday, everyone! 

Another Snow (and ice) Day!

We've just received word that school has been cancelled due to some freezing rain overnight.  I can deal with that!  We don't have anywhere to be.  We'll just stay snuggled in, maybe do some reading, some baking and some art making.  The kids are still snoozing (teenagers!) but I might try to talk them into a card game later on. 

To cheer you on this winter day, you've gotta check out this huge art project by Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama.  AMAZING and INSPIRING!  Thank you, Erin, for sharing this with me.  It makes my heart skip a beat!

Snow Day!

We just got a bunch of snow here in Dreaming Bear land.  I decided to call a snow day, so the girls and I could stay home with our families.  It was nice to just stay inside, where it's warm, and putz around on a couple of projects.  I enjoyed finishing up a few things, and being comfy in the process!

And in case you were wondering...Elsie had a fine day too....

January Snuggles

Hello there.  How are you?  Are you staying nice and warm?  I hope so.  We haven't really had winter weather very long....but when it came, it came with the crack of a whip.  It's supposed to hover just above or around zero today.  I'm enjoying the lull of January.  After the hustle and bustle of show season in the fall, and then a super busy holiday at the store (thank you!), I'm enjoying a little peace and quiet. 

I've been working on finishing up some things that keep hanging around, haunting me.  Man, doesn't it feel good to finally finish that "thing", whatever it is, and send it out into the universe?  Especially after you've been delaying for so long.  Feels so good.  And it also feels great to try some new things....I'm painting some faces on canvases, some furniture, and doing some surface design projects as well. 

And we spend a lot of time snuggling with and staring at her.....

....seriously....a lot of time.

She's at it again!

 One of my resolutions for 2012 is to journal more.  I got sort of slackish towards the end of 2011, and missed out on documenting several things.  One of my hang ups is that I simply cannot journal on just a plain piece of paper!  (heaven forbid!)  And I got behind on prepping pages for journaling...so yesterday, I finished prepping the pages in my first pink journal.  Only a few more pages, and this one will go on the shelf...and I will move on to the BLUE one for 2012!!  Yippee!  Sorry for the poor lighting in these shots...I snapped them before the sun came up this morning!

 Lots of snippets from my favorite art magazines, and pieces of advertisements.....

Layers of acrylics and crayons.....

Cutting random holes through the pages for the heck of it.....

Bits of an article featuring Anna Maria Horner's studio...so inspiring!

The panda page was created by my niece, Katie...when she visits us, I love handing my journal over to her to create something to remember our time together.....

More fun decorating ideas.....found in magazines!

More pages that Katie made for me....

From a cereal ad:  My favorite quote of all:  "No two flakes are alike."  Ha!

And the inside cover....and a number from a cancer walk...I've been meaning to tape that in as a page...will have to do that.

Thanks for peeking....hope you enjoyed!  More to come soon!

Hello 2012!

Happy, Happy New Year!!!  Wishing you a kick butt 2012!!!

Happy Holidays!

Wishing all of you a very merry holiday.....peace in your heart....contentment in your soul.....a glimmer of light during dark times.....comfort and warmth.  May this season be one filled with cozy quilts, crackling fires, footie pajamas and smiles on your loved ones faces. 

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, for another wonderful year at The Dreaming Bear.  Thanks to our customers who support us, to our staff who work so hard, to our family who cheers us on, and our friends and neighbors, who make everything fun.  We are blessed and lucky indeed.  Happy Holidays!!

Halfway Through December Already!

Oh me....oh my.....it's the 15th of December already?  How can this be?  Mom was right about time flying faster as you get older.  Sigh.  How have you been?  We have been enjoying mild temps so far here in Iowa.....40's and rainy.  It's kind of nice....but the kids want snow.  Kids always want snow...it's fun for them.  They don't have to worry about driving through it to get to work, etc. 

We have been blessed with a very busy holiday season so far!!!  There seems to really be a shift in the way people are thinking about doing their shopping this year.  Folks are really making an effort to buy local, and support small businesses!  This makes us SO happy, of course!!!  And we are working hard to keep up with the demand.  Feeling so grateful for my helpful staff, and supportive family who help to make it all happen!

Soon I'll post some pics of the store, before all of our holiday finery gets packed up for another year! 

Christmas in the Park and The Peppermint Walk

The Peppermint Walk!

When:  Friday, December 2nd 4-8pm

Where:  downtown Marion....where else?



Hi again!  Things are moving and shaking in downtown Marion, folks!!!  Join us Friday, December 2nd for Christmas in the Park, and The Peppermint Walk!!!  Santa is coming to town. Meet him in City Square park! All of the downtown merchants are going to be open late, showing off their holiday finery, and serving yummy peppermint treats!  Our very own Emily is making some tasty sugar cookies...you've gotta come by and try one!   Click HERE for event details!  Can't wait to see you!!

Dreaming Bear is open late on Thursday evenings!

Howdy friends!  Just a friendly reminder that The Dreaming Bear store is open 10-7 on Thursdays in December!!!  We are also having open art studio every Thursday evening, 4-7!!  Stop in, say hi to Emily, and she'll help you get going on a super cool handmade gift for the holidays!!  Ornaments, glassware, picture frames, and a fresh crop of canvases are ready for your creative touch!  See you soon!