Burlap Beauties

I am loving the burlap trend!  I have a huge burlap snowflake on my front door right now that I'm going to hate to take down very soon.  I am shopping for something cute for spring to replace it!  I did my Christmas tree with burlap garland and bought new burlap stockings.  I use burlap for my table decorations anytime we have a party or get-together.  

I decided to experiment with some burlap and canvas.  I painted the canvas a taupe/tan color and then wrapped it completely in burlap.  All of the staples are on the back and don't show.  Next, I painted whatever lettering I wanted.  I do have to use more paint than usual.  This stuff really soaks it up!  Finally, I added some burlap flowers using a good fabric glue.  Viola!  Burlap beauties!

This one is a surprise for my Pay It Forward participant #2 - Lindsey Chambers!  It has already shipped out to her and I hope she loves it!

This was my very first burlap experiment and I am so happy with how it turned out - sweet and simple.  It shipped out to my Pay It Forward participant #1 - Brittney Hodges.  She got it, loved it, and blogged about it here.  I was so glad to hear that I made her day!

How cute would this little 5x5 be in a wreath?

I am taking burlap canvas orders.  They can be done on any of the sizes listed in the sidebar and those prices apply.  Thanks!

Love People...

What a cool order is this?  I love this quote and these cheery colors!  It's also got some light distressing around the edges to give it a vintage feel.

 

This etsy order was placed to give as a gift for a friend who loves this saying.  This large 12x24 would brighten up any kitchen and look great in any color combination.  Do you know anyone who loves to cook some tasty food?

I Love You Forever...Part 2

This etsy order is based on a very popular canvas from a while back.  Actually, for some reason, it is the most visited blog posy on my entire site.  I do love that canvas, but I'm not sure why it is visited so often.  I think maybe it took off on pinterest.

Here's the link to the first one and as you can see, those colors match this fabric just about perfectly.  The only difference is that it was requested to switch the main color to green and use the pink for the details.

I love that fabric and this color combination.  This canvas truly was a joy to paint.  I added the dots down the stripes in the background to match the fabric even better.  I hope it's perfect for your nursery!  Thank you so much for the order!

Polka Dots and Date Nights

Mike and Lauren have been going to the Father/Daughter Date Night for a few years now.  Neither of them were really fired up about it this year and we had a busy weekend that weekend already.  As an alternative, they decided to go to The Little Mermaid at the Cannon County Arts Center.  Carter and I have the tradition of having a Mother/Son Date Night on that same night.  Our night usually consists of pizza and a movie, maybe a video game or some horse.  Fun stuff!  He did bring me flowers this year!

Here's the sweet couple on their big night.  Lauren was already dolled up from the Snow Princess pageant.  All she had to do was put on a cute outfit and they were ready to roll.  They had dinner in the Art Center cafe and said it was really good.  It was fun to spend time with Carter alone and I know Mike and Lauren enjoyed their time, too.

It seems like I've been painting tons of dots lately.  I always paint a lot of dots, but this seems like even more than usual.  I'm not complaining...I love dots!  This large 24x24 etsy order shipped out last week.  I did add red ribbon after this photo was taken.  It topped it off just perfectly!

I love the color choices and the clean, crisp font.  I know this is going to look fabulous over the baby bed but what's so great about it is that it would also look just as fabulous over a big boy or a teen bed, too!

This Post Is Brought To You By The Letter R

Let me just say that I love, love, love this 16x20 monogram.  I think this color combination is my favorite.  If you've ever been in my house, you know why...these are my colors!

This was an etsy order for a beautiful baby nursery that shipped out last week.  I worked so hard to incorporate all of the requested colors in a cohesive way.  I also like that just the first initial was used instead of the whole name.

I was given a photo of a picture frame that have this pattern around the matting.  I just fell in love with it and added down the sides.  I've never used this design before but I hope to see it again soon.  Maybe on something for Spring?

In the Bathroom...

It seems like orders come in groups.  I haven't done any bathroom canvases in what feels like forever and all of a sudden I'm covered up with them.  It's the same thing with wedding canvases and teacher canvases!  Here's some really pretty earth tone dots.

This order had a little different wording from what I usually do.  I love the earth tones with the little touch of aqua.

Here's a single 5x5 in turquoise and lime.

Finally, here's a set of three in red, black, and white.

As you can see, I can paint any number of canvases.  These little 5x5's look super cute in groups or by themselves.  I can also do them in whatever color combination you need.  They are great for the bathroom because they are very durable and sealed to be waterproof.  Just let me know what you need!

Life's A Party!

Life is a party if that's how you look at it.  This has been one of my busiest weeks ever with one thing popping up after another.  I've been expected to be in more that one place at a time.  As a teacher, I am also expected to always have a smile on my face and a positive attitude.  I have to admit that I've had to enlist the help of my husband, my sisters, and my mom to get it all done.  There were also some things that just didn't get done.  I've had to let that go!  There are mornings when I've had to sit in the car for just a minute and ask God to give me what I need to be what my students need.

Today for us is pageant day.  I was worn out and slept in this morning.  When I got up, I found Lauren already practicing in the den.  I'm not stressing at all about this pageant like I usually do.  She's beautiful and happy and we're just going to have fun with it!  Her daddy is taking her to dinner and a play this evening for their father/daughter date night.  No matter what happens at the pageant, today is going to be a party!

Even with all of this going on,  I still wanted to make my daughter's birthday a special day.  I think it is important to celebrate the milestones, not just for the kids but for the adults as well.  We just had a family dinner at our house and it was so nice!  I got this frame at Kathy's here in town and my husband sent me these roses.  I've had my Degas statue for a very long time!

Our party had a French theme and was just so lovely!  I don't know how I threw a party before etsy.  I bought the frame from this shop and the miniature Eiffel Tower from this one.  My burlap table runners came from here and the "Bonne Fete" banner was made here.  My dad sent Lauren these flowers.  How sweet was that?

My two nephews were the only children there so I had Eiffel Tower crayons made here.  They were out on the silver tray with bags and ribbon so they could choose the colors they wanted.  I think some adults took a few, too!

This beautiful pink and black cake with an edible Eiffel Tower came from The Sweet Shop in Smithville.  The little ballerina cupcakes are from Wal-Mart and were leftovers from the ones we took to school.  I had not planned for them to match so well!

Here's the birthday girl looking so grown up.  When your busy life is a party, time flies!  I am going to make more of an effort to slow down and really enjoy it...starting with this nice long weekend!

Lauren

Happy birthday, Baby Girl!

We were a family of three until Valentine's Day eight years ago when a little girl came into our lives.  She made our family complete and we all fell in love with her immediately.

 

She's sassy and smart, girly-girl and athletic, compassionate and competitive - she's just all that.  Everything you could want in a daughter.

Now look at her...eight years old today.  I stare at her and I can't believe she's mine.  The best Valentine I've ever gotten.

Happy birthday, Lauren Elizabeth Mansfield!

Ransom

Lacey Jones ordered this set for her new son's nursery before he was born and before she shared the name.  I've had to keep this one a secret for a while!  It was hard because I love this set so much!  She asked for the larger canvas that I do all of the time, but added the two accent pieces.  Great idea!

She sent m a sample piece from her bedding so I could get the colors just right.  I wish I would have included it in the pictures so you could see how well it matches.  She used all of these pretty earth tones.

I know he's here because I saw all of those beautiful new baby photos on facebook!  He's an absolute doll.  Congratulations to the Jones family!

Show Us Your Life - DIY Projects

Hi there and welcome to Dream Custom Artwork!  Today I am linking up with Kelly's Korner to show you some of my favorite DIY projects.  As you can see, I am an artsy-craftsy person.  Always have been!  Although most of my projects do involve painting, I've tried to dig up some variety for you.  I painted these wooden boards to be mini chalkboards!  They turned out so cute!  Here's the link to see step by step instructions.

This is one of my favorite projects ever!  The Pottery Barn Kids flower covered lampshade that my daughter wanted was totally out of my budget, so I  made one!  Here's the tutorial for that one.

I am teacher at an elementary school and at our local college.  I tie-dye each year with both groups!  Here's the link to see more tie dying and to get tips on products to use and folding techniques.  Go get your hippie on!

One of my favorite projects that I've recently taken on is working with buttons.  These buttons were just purchased at the craft store, but how fun would it be to work with some vintage buttons or family heirlooms?  I can see some beautiful projects with a vintage feel.

I fell in love with the plain wooden owl cut outs and bought them without really having a plan.  Turns out that they made wonderful bow hangers.  I just painted them up super cute and used the staple gun to attach grosgrain ribbon.  Don't use the silky kind for this project - the bows just slide right off!

I've been experimenting with burlap lately.  I love using it my home because I like that outdoorsy feel and it is not very expensive.  We had our church youth group over for a dinner and I whipped up this little banner for the mantle with scrap burlap, ribbon, paint, and a little stitch witch.  Perfect!

I hope you enjoyed some of my past projects!  This is by no means all of them.  Please feel free to browse the blog and check out all of the others.  Have a great day!

The Classics

The classics - a nice font, cream, khaki, black, brown, satin ribbon - they just never go out of style.  These canvases will look just as on trend ten years from now as they do right now.

There are those few designs that I just keep coming back to and painting over and over again.  The initial in the background, the polite remove your shoes sign, and a beautiful Bible verse are just a few of the classics.

They are perfect for any age in any situation - newlyweds or the 40th wedding anniversary, a brand new starter house or a retirement dream home.

 

I hope I never stop taking orders for these!  Thank you all so much for your business and repeat orders.  I love being a little part of your lives.

Smart Kids

Camille Brown wanted this Albert Einstein quote done in "poppy colors" for the kids' playroom.  I've seen this quote many times before, but this is the first time I've had the opportunity to paint it.  It's such a wonderful thought put into words by a brilliant man.

 

There are lots of times that I feel stupid.  I am not stupid, but we all do stupid things and we are sometimes put in situations where we are not totally confident in ourselves or our abilities.  We all have our weak and strong areas.  There are too many times when I focus too much on the weak and take the strong for granted.  Even though I think this is an awesome choice for a kids' area, how great would this be in the classroom?

Thank you so much for the order, Camille.  I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as I did!

Mrs. Feagley's Class

One of my very best customers, Mary Feagley, ordered this awesome set of rules for her classroom.  She asked for me to use the school colors - burgundy and white - and to include a paw print.  She also sent me a few custom rules to work into the painting.

I think it turned out so neat and will get lots of attention in the classroom!  Class rules are 8x24 and cost $30.00.  How great would this be for an end of the year teacher gift?  Thank you so much, Mary!