A Special Gift

It's been awhile since I've posted.  That's largely due to my "real" job getting very busy.  New clients and new projects - yay!

But, I have been working on some art projects too, just a little more slowly than usual.

One of the things I've been doing is making a gift for a keynote speaker that will be appearing at a conference I'm involved with.  The idea is to give him a handmade box filled with Bittersweet truffles.


This box is going to a gentleman who is a motivational speaker and professional magician.  I had a blast designing and creating this box.  Cobalt blue is one of my favorite colors to work with because it makes everything else pop.

I have a smaller prototype of this box that will be going up in my store soon.  Speaking of which, thanks for being patient while I move things over from Etsy to this site.  I have to take new pictures of some things and decide which inventory I want to put up in the new store. 

I'll be back with another project soon.  Meanwhile, enjoy what's left of summer!

Gardens and Such

I've been working on an art project this week, but it's not quite ready for showing off yet.  Funny how the day job can slow the creative process.  So, I thought I'd show you a few pictures I took on a recent trip to Washington state. 

I hope these intrigue, inspire, soothe, or provide you some simple pleasure.  Thanks for stopping by...

What's Happening?

Dylanbug had a blast at Hip Happening on Saturday.  Where were you all?  I got to hang with my pal Aimee all day.  A little slow for sales, but had a great group of vendors and the neighborhood looked great.  I got to take a break and sneak off to the antique mall for some treasures - thanks Minda!

Here are a couple of shots from the day.  The light was horrible, sorry.

Dylanbug Display - crafty goodness!

Bittersweet was on hand with hand-rolled truffles and deelicious cookies

Hope to see you all next time around!

Something Just for Me

Do you ever get so busy doing things for other people that you forget to be nice to yourself?  I noticed it happening with my art.  I'm always making things for friends and family, and for sale, but I rarely make anything that I intend to keep just for me.

Then along came a particular cigar box.  Unvarnished, unrouted, unpretentious.  A perfect rectangle with a slide top - no hinges or hardware to mar its lines.  I have been collecting vintage wooden cigar boxes to store supplies in, but they are almost exclusively beveled or routed, and mostly varnished and debossed with the maker's logo.  So this beauty was unusual. 

I stared at it every day for a couple of months before an idea hit me out of the blue.  The entire design came into my head fully finished.  All I had to do was put it together.

The best part?  It came together exactly like I imagined!  That almost never happens.  Things tend to evolve during the assembly process.

Now I can sit and look at this sweet little box every day and know it's just for my enjoyment.  Now I just have to decide what to put in it!

 

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #70

Hey everyone!  It's another Sunday, and another Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.  Perfect timing too.

Tinkerbell cuppies!  And...a birthday for our neighbors' daughter who is turning 8 on Friday.

So, since Kate loves all things girlie - including fairies, mermaids and butterflies, this was serendipitous.

I decorated this cute little wooden gift "bag" with sprites on all sides.  And made a card to match.  Kate's pretty sophisticated for her age, so I didn't want to do the whole Disney thing for her. 

Besides, I like to believe that there are little sprites and magical creatures in the plants and trees.  Lord knows none of mine are staying alive due to my ministrations.  The nature fairy images appealed to me and just seemed to work so well.

I'll let you know how these go over with the birthday girl.

Thanks for visiting!

Celebrations

Summer time around our house is generally chaotic.  Full of trips, family get-togethers, and social outings.  There are so many family and friend birthdays that I can barely keep up with the card-making!

Making cards and gifts for the people I care about is one of my very favorite things.  Because I know them, and can challenge myself to craft something that will make them smile. 

When I'm making things to sell, I have to balance my imagination with whether or not the ingredients and labor will be regained in the price.   But, when I'm creating for family and friends, none of that matters.  I can indulge and break out all of my fun supplies.

The mad dash to finish things is slowing down, but I still have a couple of projects to show you over the next few days. 

Thanks for stopping by, now go out and enjoy the sun!

Hip Happening, August 7th!

Dylanbug will have some awesome new treats, come check them out!

Baby Shower

Wedding

Birthday

Friendship

Just Because

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts!