Author: JP Dawes Artist

Another year passed by

| JP Dawes Artist

I promise not to be maudlin but I wanted to say a few things. This has been one of my most trying years for a number of reasons. It has seemed that my life has been in a state of flux. Many days I didn’t know if I was standing upright or laying in a gutter beside the road of life.

I really believe in Karma and that we all eventually get what we are deserving of in this thing we call life on earth. I also believe that the bad things will assault us when we least expect them and try to derail us permanently from our path. I woke up smiling this morning with the knowledge that I have come through the assaults with only minor singeing on my coat tails. I know that I will always survive and that good Karma will find its way back into my life.

I am looking forward to a wonderful productive year to come full of happiness and laughter. I wish all of you the same for yourself in 2012.

Its Beginning to Look Like Christmas

| JP Dawes Artist

 This is the little Charlie Brown tree in the family room. The Arts in the Cards flat Santa exchange pieces are displayed here. Santa hasn’t made it from Hawaii yet, must have gotten caught in the Santa Anna winds.


I purchased a baggie of hand made tin ornaments for 50 cents at a thrift shop that had these delightful tin ornaments that included the skeleton, the monkey and the frog. There were a couple of other more traditional pieces, but these are my favorites. I’m just always amazed at what other people toss aside but I’m always so grateful that I am given the chance to rescue them and enjoy them.

Miniature Quilts Dollhouse Size

| JP Dawes Artist

 For our little Priyanka’s Christmas. Grandpa made the beds and I dressed them.  There is a pillow and a tiny quilt for each bed. The big bed has a glitzy Indian embellished bedspread fit for a princess and our little Princess Ms. P.  The turquoise rug is a felted wool sweater and the white rug is from a felted wool jacket.  I think she is going to have a very well furnished dollhouse, don’t you?

Now I have a few other things to finish today and hopefully these will go in the post office tomorrow.

Its a HO-HO Christmas

| JP Dawes Artist

 My Arts in the Cards artist trading card group is having a voluntary trade this month. A few of the artists are taking the month off and taking a breath.  

We are doing a Flat Santa swap, something I’ve wanted to do for awhile with a group. If you know Flat Stanley, this is sort of the same thing…after all, if Flat Stanley can travel the world then Santa can’t be too far behind.

The atc size body is cardboard covered with antique wallpaper. His arms and legs, boots and mittens are all made from leather. He is articulated with  brass fasteners so he can dance and be posed. He has an antique button and his face is done with colored pencil.

I hope he brought a smile to your face and I wish you a Merry Christmas!

col

Assemblage Art Supplies

| JP Dawes Artist

On one of my many scavenger hunts last week I found a bag with all of these rolls of cool Mirrorflex tiles. Each tile is about 1/4 inch square and is really sticky. I searched online but it looks like this company is making large sheets of this for walls and back-splashes..which would be cool.

I’m not sure how it will show up in an art quilt but I’m glad to have it in my bag of tricks.