Creative Dawn

Silk Chuppah

2014-08-11T09:59:00.001-07:00

So, last fall my friends and fellow Parrotheads honored me with the request to paint a Chuppah for their wedding. "Yes of course I would love too" I said. "What is a Chuppah?"
Basically, it is the canopy under which the wedding ceremony is performed and symbolizes the home.

This was a daunting task for me for a few reasons, one because it was for there special day and two because painting on fabric like silk was new to me. The only requirements were dolphins needed to be included and the colors. For months I thought about what to do and finally, this past spring an idea came to me. I drew up the designs and sent them to the couple. Yeah! They approved! OK, now how to paint on silk...yeah for you tube. Found a great tutorial and went to work gathering the supplies needed. I can do this! Uh-Oh...just totally ruined that piece of silk. :( Better get more. With just a few weeks before the wedding I started working on the Chuppah. The couple was getting a excited and I was stressing out big time! This is such a special piece of work that it had to be just right. Of course it was finished in time, but was still nervous for them to see it and being the creator, I just couldn't help but feel that the few drip spots would look awful and they would hate it. In my mind they were the size of a bowling ball and they stood out like a sore thumb. When they happy couple picked it up a week before the big day they were very pleased. Woo Hoo! Here it is for the world to see. Mazel Tov to these wonderful people!

Wine Rack & Fun Little Table

2014-07-16T18:23:00.001-07:00

Got this little side table for a few dollars at a thrift store. The top was really badly worn, but once painted it looks great! The legs are easy to remove so painting them was a snap. Each one is painted differently. Not sure where I am going to put this, but it is just so fun! Used painters tape to make the checkered pattern and a dinner plate for the circle.

In another trip to the thrift store, I found this great wine rack for 4.99. The only part that I painted was the top. My favorite types of wine in fun lettering.

LOVE my new wine rack and it holds a lot too! One other thing, the top is removable and works as a serving tray.

Paint your Veggies

2014-05-03T11:46:00.001-07:00

For whatever reason, I got the idea to paint some pictures of vegetables. I had a bunch of canvases collecting dust, so why not do something with them. These are the results. They are all 11 X 14 except the red onion which is 9 X 12

Music Table

2014-02-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Summer time means sitting outside and enjoying the weather. Especially in Minnesota when you put up with the long winter, sunshine and warmth are highly anticipated. We really enjoy spending time on the patio with some good beers and great music.

This table was purchased for 5.00 at a garage sale last summer and is what we use to put our garage radio/CD player on. Being stuck inside a lot this year due to extreme weather conditions inspired me to paint the table. After painting the top black, I just started randomly adding favorite musicians to the table.

Funky Painted Table

2014-01-17T12:19:00.004-07:00

I am sooo excited about this table! It cost 3.99 at the Goodwill and now it is an incredible work of art. There a few before and after pictures as well as in progress. Let's call it a mosaic of painted designs. What I really love about the table is that the sides are collapsible so that it can be used for many different purposes and it's on wheels too!

Lion Drawing

2013-12-21T13:56:00.001-07:00

Hello! It's been a while since I last posted. You know, work, life and everything gets in the way sometimes. For the first time in a very long time I participated in a craft show. It was so boring and very uneventful. I made 15.00...BUMMER! No one was busy unfortunately so we just chatted and checked out each others wares.

Christmas is once again upon us. Many gifts have been created this season and here is the one for my smart and awesome niece Ashley. She is a college freshman and still wants my artwork for gifts. LOVE IT! While I may not be monetarily blessed, I am blessed with wonderful people in my life which is so much more important.

Golf Chair...FORE!!!

2013-07-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here is another Adirondack chair, but this time the request was golf themed. It turned out good I think. The arms are supposed to represent actual holes at a local course. It was fun and challenging to do something other than tropical.

A family member asked for this one for a charity golf benefit. Hopefully it will raise a lot of money for Cancer research.

Update: Over $400.00 for charity!!! Woo Hoo!

Sister Peace - My 400th Post!

2013-07-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know if other artists experience this, but sometimes as I am drifting off to sleep, pictures or designs appear in my brain. That is where the inspiration for this painting comes from. I got up and grabbed a sheet of paper and pen and scribbled down what I saw in my head. I have no clue why this came to my mind. What is interesting is that I am not Catholic or Muslim, but the woman resembles someone that could be represented in either religion. Normally I don't name my works of art, but this one just popped in my head. Ah...the mind of a creative person is always a wonder to me.

Painting Recipes

2013-06-19T18:46:00.003-07:00

After a recent trip to Goodwill I got quite a few wooden plaque type items, so my options were open as far as 'canvases' for my ideas. You need to be able to look past what the item is to truly be creative. Souvenir spoon racks and wooden calendars are perfect once you remove the display parts. Lately I just want to paint everything I can get my creative little hands on. Luckily inspiration is overflowing right now too!

This is a cool idea and would also make a great gift for any cook/baker out there. We all have our go to recipes but usually need a quick reminder about quantities and cook time. Why not paint the recipe basics and hang them in a convenient spot in the kitchen?

The one on the right painting is just a pretty design created from a spoon display.

Painted Patterns

2013-06-10T10:47:00.001-07:00

I have the ability to paint just about anything, but patterns are so fun to do. It is relaxing to just doodle with the paint and create interesting designs. Here are a few of my latest.

This is a small cabinet that was 2.50 at the Goodwill. It is heavy for it's size and very sturdy. I added new knobs in addition to the fresh paint job.

Cabinet before

This is the top for one of the inexpensive side tables. It has been in my basement collecting dust until I recently decided to give it new life

Sometimes scraps of wood work for a canvas. This was free and used to stabilize a shipping box. Now it is a brightly patterned wall hanging.

This is yet another Goodwill find for next to nothing. It was probably used to display fruit or some kind of other decorative items and was originally bright yellow. The new pattern is fun and the color scheme works well in my living room.

Painted Fish

2013-06-09T15:13:00.001-07:00

Wow! I am nearing my 400th post, time to get busy blogging here. Lately I have been paint obsessed. Anything I can get my hands on has ended up with an artistic touch. The bargains at Goodwill have been too good to pass up and here are the first few items that I have finished.

This cute wooden dolphin was fun to paint, it has a Hawaiian tribal type of design.

This copper colored fish started out with a dated color scheme from the 80's, now it has a fun fresh coat of paint and a new life.

Finally this fish was a great bargain for just a few dollars. It is a cutting board that had seen better days. My dilemma with this one is how to hang it, the weight could be an issue and it is about twenty inches wide and about a foot tall.

Fuzzy Lampshade

2013-05-06T22:47:00.001-07:00

I got this great shade for 1.99 at Savers. The fabric was torn, but that just made it easier to tear it off. The yarn was on clearance at Joann Fabric for .97 a skein. I wasn't sure how must it would take to cover the shade so I bought 4. It only took one and a half! Now there has to be a project for the remaining yarn, oh bummer...

Basically the fabric was torn off and I wrapped the entire frame with the purple fuzzy yarn. It is a fun lampshade that is definitely a conversation piece.

I've Been a Bad Blogger!

2013-04-19T16:08:00.002-07:00

What I need to do is give myself a goal so that I post more often. I have a lot of things painted and a few other things made so it is really time! Lately, I have been on a chair and lampshade kick. If it's a good deal, it is difficult to pass it up! Currently there are 3 chairs that need some updating and a few lampshades. My brain is chugging away trying to come up with some good ideas. Once that happens it will be blog mania for me. Here are a few of my painting projects and believe me there are definitely more to come very soon. Have a great day and keeps creating!

Yet another pig cutting board

Paper mache pig and cow

Nothing fancy just a fun design

Beaded Lamp

2013-03-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

On 1/27/2011, I posted a lamp that I repainted. This is that same lamp now updated again. Sometimes an idea comes along and it is better than the original. This is inspired from a Pinterest posting that used old jewelry. Well, that can get expensive so this is made from wooden beads that are painted gold. The beads came from a thrift store and cost 3.50 for the bag. I still have some leftover for a future project. The beads are just glued onto the lamp and painted over with gold and pearl acrylic paint. I got some jewel-like buttons and added them for accent. The perfect lampshade was on another lamp in the house, so I just switched them up.

How much did this cost? The lamp was 1.49 originally, the beads 3.50, jewel buttons about 5.00. What a bargain for a one of a kind home accent!

Parrothead Inspiration

2013-02-09T21:47:00.001-07:00

I have posted quite a few Adirondack chairs on this blog and will probably post many more. The chairs are fun and the opportunity to paint them came about because my husband broke his leg in 2000. Weird huh!

We are in a Parrothead club and went to see Jimmy Buffett at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. My husband had broken his leg early in the summer and he wanted me to paint it with a tropical design because we were going to see Buffett. The then president of our Minnesota club, StMinnesomeplace, saw the cast and asked if I was able to paint some chairs. Well, sure, why not! Thus Dawn the Artist came to be, that is how that name was started.

I just finished the chairs that will be auctioned off at the end of March and got news that the club founder, the one who asked my to start painting chairs had passed after a battle with cancer. Jerry was my inspiration to start painting tropical designs. It was because of him that my life long love of art was rekindled after a dry spell. These chairs are dedicated to him...Thank you Jerry...Sail on...

Cat Cutting Board Take II

2013-02-08T13:35:00.001-07:00

2nd Cutting board painted

Until I started blogging and trying to find thrifty items to paint, I never realized that cutting boards were available in so many shapes. Of course there is the basic paddle board style, but there are also many animal shapes. This is the second cat one that I have found.

There is a small area in my home that had a black and white theme so like the past cat that was posted this one is also B & W. The design is a variety of patterns, kind of a signature of my style.

Oops! Thought I posted the first cat, but didn't.

Here it is.

1st Cutting board painted

One of a kind lamp shade

2013-02-02T13:42:00.001-07:00

I kind of dropped the ball around Christmas time. As usual I made many gifts, but forgot to take pictures before giving them. Some of the ideas came from pinterest, others from my imagination. My sister in laws all got glass block decorations, my nephew got a framed cross made from an old baseball and my niece got a painted cookie tray. If I can talk my family into sending me pictures, these items may be posted in the future.

For today's posting here is a very unique lampshade. The shade had a cool structure, but the fabric and trim were not in the best condition. I used my stockpile of yo-yos and sewed them to the frame of the shade. Next I used some old bits of lace and added the fabric to it.

It is very different and not everyone will like it, but it goes with my eclectic and colorful decor.

Funky Chair

2013-01-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Before

I am so addicted to Pinterest, but it has given me some great ideas. This is a chair that I got at the Goodwill for about $6.00. It is in great condition, but the fabric was dated so I updated it with some fabric scraps. It is so funky and fun!

After

Can Tab Lampshade

2012-12-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

I will have a few new posts over the next few days. This is a project that I finished a few weeks ago. There have been many ideas for can tabs and lampshades have been done before so this isn't a new concept, but my way of assembling it is probably different.

This is a larger shade and took me longer than expected to complete, but it turned out great. The tabs are wired with green floral wire. The strips of tabs are sideways and there was 16 in each row. Hope you like my version.

Animal Ink Drawings

2012-12-04T17:02:00.002-07:00

Kids are always challenging when it comes to gifts, but I'm lucky because my nieces and nephews like my creations. About a month or so ago, I emailed one of my nieces and asked what she wanted for Christmas. She replied that she loves my ink drawings of animals, so that is what I made for her. By the way she is a senior in high school. How many teenagers make requests like that?

Instead of one drawing I made three for her. My fave is the owl.

Sometimes as an artist/creative person I am amazed that these things are made by me. It may sound strange, but there are times when the drawing is finished and I stand back to look at it and say to myself, WOW, did I really do that? That was the owl for me.

Tropical Table Top

2012-10-23T10:39:00.001-07:00

Hello! So, I'm slacking a bit but no worries, Christmas is approaching and there will be more posts as gifts are created. Plus, there is something in the works that is a bit more time consuming. That should be finished in the next week...hopefully.

A very wonderful lady that has me paint a lot of stuff recently asked me to paint a small table top for her. You know those round tables that are fairly inexpensive? That is what the 'canvas' was.
She is in the Parrot head club so of course it had to be tropical. This is the only picture taken of it. The final design had a small beach chair added, but oops, it slipped my mind to take a last photo.

She is going to put it on top of the milk can from a previous post. (March 31, 2011)

YoYo Curtain

2012-08-31T21:11:00.001-07:00

For the past few months I have been making baby quilts out of all of my odds and ends fabrics. Of course to complete them buying even more fabric was necessary. Now they are all done and I do have less fabric, that's a good thing, less clutter. So, in the process smaller pieces of fabric accumulated so I made yo-yos out of those bits. A few ideas came to mind but they ended up being a really colorful curtain for the window on my patio door. There are some left and the plan is to use them for a lamp shade when I find one that will work.

Tiki Chairs

2012-07-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It's been a while since my last post because I've been busy. Lots of work which is good and have also been sewing a lot of scrap quilts. I am not posting any pictures because they all are the same except for fabrics. My quilting skills are limited to plain old squares sewn together anyways.

So, recently, I got a FB message about chairs. There was only really a week and a half to complete the painting and staining but it was possible. The results are the two pictures posted. The chairs were pre-assembled which makes the painting trickier and a lot of the pieces were rounded so the design surface was also limited.

The request was to paint Tiki themed chairs that had specific colors with the names of the couple and the date of the wedding which is today. Mission accomplished!

Cutting Board Art

2012-05-31T12:45:00.002-07:00

Every time I go to a thrift store or garage sale, I cannot help myself when it comes to wooden cutting boards. They are a great size, a sturdy material and are fun to paint. Besides, what else do you do with a used cutting board?

The first one is a rooster design. This was inspired from a book of painted designs that is from the library. The second is an endless flower design and is just a pattern that I made up. Both are going to look great added to my kitchen collection.

Estate Sale Find

2012-05-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

One day last week I was trying to figure out what to do before work that evening. There was a garage sale nearby and an estate sale on the next block. Seemed like a great idea, you never know what you will find. My purchases were a few framed pieces of art, a book, an old wooden cutting board and this chair. Total spent: $7.50.

This chair is sturdy even with the split in it. The back was missing, but that is fine and made it easier to paint. The colors are mostly blues and greens with accents of orange and yellow. Still not sure where to put it or what to do with the finished project, but it is a cool modern design.