Calling All Paper Cowgirls!!

Paper Cowgirl Altered Art retreat fast approaches and I have just stocked the shelves of my Sea Dream Studio Cafe Press Shop with lots of wonderful items featuring the brand-spanking-new PC logo above. You'll find everything from shirts to stickers to ball caps with this sassy cowgirl logo with 2 wording choices. AND... COMING SOON~~ Paper Cowgirl pendants in my Etsy shop. I will be listing those no later than Wednesday, so keep an eye out!

Yee Haw! See you soon, Cowgirls!

xo~Dale

hello weekend!

Even those of us who don't have "real" jobs love weekends! After an insanely busy week I am ready for some downtime. My sis and I are thinking we might make a visit to the bird store.
I LOVE seeing all of the gorgeous birds! If Mojo (my Quaker parrot) was a bit less nippy we could take him. Alas, he is a tad naughty, so he must stay at home.
The weather is wonderful... hot, but I prefer hot to cold. I LOVE summer and yes, know it is still spring, but it sure feels like summer in Texas right now.
Hope you have a great weekend!
xoxo~Dale

small joys...

Lately I have found so much peace and joy in small things... a hug from my 17 year old son, a found feather, time to create, a pastel sunset...
My days are sweetly sprinkled with small, but beautiful treasures. I am busy, but that is a good thing. I am glad and grateful to have a life that never, ever bores me! Instead I am busy~ with family, friends,creative projects, good books, my parrot... just living and appreciating all of life's gifts and lessons that come my way.
I wish the same for you!
xo~Dale

next, please...

Whew! Art Fest was fun, exhausting and possibly my last outdoor show. The weather is just so crazy here and I can hardly believe that Sunday was actually chilly! It feels good to have this event behind me and now it is time to look forward to Paper Cowgirl in June. I need to prepare class kits and goodie bags and some special things for vendor night!
Yesterday was my birthday and it was a sweet day. My daughter took me out to lunch and we shopped at bit and laughed a lot. The evening was crowned with cake, family, friends and sweet gifts! It was enough to distract me from thinking about my age! ;)
Actually, I am using this birthday to inspire and propel me toward my dreams! In some ways I feel brand new and on the cusp of something very good!
xo~Dale

Watters Creek - Spring Art Show

Watters Creek - Spring Art Show

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Hope to see you at Watters Creek ART FEST this weekend! My sis and I, along with the amazing Jana, will have our booth filled with one-of-a-kind jewelry creations, altered art & assemblage pieces, seaglass treasues and my handcrafted flower hairclips, headbands and brooches! ♥♥♥
There will be lots of great activities including live music on The Green and a sidewalk chalk art contest (my daughter won this at the fall show). The weather is going to be great, so join us if you can!! ♥♥♥

I write a bit...

yield

A year is an arc, a swath cut
deep into the earth. Mud and ice,
clover, violets, dust and dew
occur within. Days fall, a steady rain
of pebbles down the steep sides,

grit so fine it chafes the lungs,
rocks as jagged as hasty lies.
I have walked from June to June,
barefoot and sweetly shod.
No matter. The stones still bruise.

Sand finds its way into my bed.
Sun and storm pursue my share
of sky, duel above like lazy gods.
In these twelve months graves
have blossomed, flat as fungus,

spread their spore-like, rotten
flowers, an unavoidable plague.
Joys are harder to define,
closer held. I dare not speak
of them. Gems so precious stir

the greed of trifling deities.
A year is a song, the descant
honed and smooth. I hear it
in the ryed wind. It swings
like a blade, closer, closer.

art and flowers

April is flying by! I have a big show in less than two weeks, so I am very busy!
My sis and I are creating some pretties. Jewels and paper snippets, feathers and glitter~
we are up to our necks in projects! It is delightful "work", though and I feel blessed
to have an arty life. Creating makes my heart sing and takes me to a place
where I am peaceful and filled with hope.
And we planted flowers this weekend...
another yearly task that makes me smile.
Spring is so wonderful! I take joy in these lovely days.
And I hope you are finding your own place of peace and joy.
xoxo~Dale

Hello world!

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post. Perhaps I went to Paris
to browse the flea markets or maybe I went on a cruise to Tahiti...
Ah, well, gentle reader I hate to be boring, but truthfully, I have not
strayed from my suburban abode. I am here, working away on pretties
for a 3 day show in early May and Paper Cowgirl in June. And, as usual,
I am busy with digital design work.
Of course, I am loving the beautiful weather. Spring is so delightful.
I will post some photos soon of some of my new creations.
I hope you are enjoying a creative and joyful spring!
xo~Dale

~S~P~R~I~N~G~

Ah, springtime has arrived in the Dallas suburbs and not a minute too soon!
I am loving the warmer temperatures and the beautiful reawakening of the landscape.
On the weekends that lovely sound I adore fills the air...
the suburban symphony of lawnmowers... beautiful!!!
I so need to live where there is no winter, as it seems bound and determined to kill me.
I always feel like I am emerging from a battle when spring finally arrives.
So, enough of that... suffice to say, I am very glad for longer, sunny days!
I hope your little corner of the world is sunny and bright!
xoxo~Dale

It's on!

Yep, the sign-ups for Paper Cowgirl are underway!! If you are the artsy type please check out the class offerings for "The Best Little Art Retreat in Texas". The dates are June 24~27.
I am so excited about the class I'll be teaching... Queen of the Sea. There are some really amazing artists teaching at this retreat AND we always have frosting shots! What more could you want?
There are only 20 participants per class, so if you are interested, don't dawdle!
We'll be having a hot time in Texas come June!
And by the way~ little ole me created the Paper Cowgirl graphics!
xo~Dale

Éirinn go brách!

Green greetings, my friends!
St. Patrick's Day has dawned all bright and glorious
here in the Dallas suburbs. It is spring break and
my two younger kids are sleeping in and my house
is deliciously quiet!
I feel so glad that spring is nearly here!
As usual, winter tried to kill me, but I am almost ready
to say I have survived!
Hope your St. Patty's day is fun and perhaps you will find
a pot-o-gold at the end of the rainbow!

on dreams...

Sparklette Isabelle, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

What is the worth of dreams?
How do we place a value on something so ethereal?
My dreams guide my steps in ways both bold and subtle.
They define and inspire me.
Yes, I am a dreamer.
Aren't you?

Oh, where have I been?? Lost in the world of art and everyday life.

I finally decided on and completed the prototype for my Paper Cowgirl
class. I was in a creative cramp or something!! I am so excited to be
teaching at this fabulous art retreat for the 3rd year!
We will miss our dear, sweet Tina, but she will be our cowgirl angel.

If you are interested in signing up for Paper Cowgirl, please visit here
starting tomorrow. There are so many talented teachers this year. You're
sure to find a class or two that suits you.

And here's a peek at my project... Queen of the Sea~~~~

Yes, being the Queen of France was wonderful, but what Marie Antoinette
really longed to be was King Neptune's consort. The magical realm of the sea
spoke to her soul. Now you can grant Marie's wish by creating this enchanting shadowbox where Marie reigns as the Mermaid Empress of the Deep.
This 10" x 8" assemblage is displayed under glass and is lush with glittery shells, pearls
and sea flora and fauna. Participants will learn a flower-making technique
that can be applied to other projects.


Joining me are these fabulous gals~~~

Chantel Johnson - Inspirational Tag Book

Joanna Lewis - Feathered Friend Collage

Jennifer Stewat - 4th of July Banner

Deb Taylor - Covered Journal

Jennifer Babcock - Altered Bird Trinket Box

MendyMitrani - Digi Class

Ann-Denise Anderson Victorian Boots

Angela Berger - Shabby Classy Necklace

Laverne - "pocket" book

Cindy Gilstrap - La Petite Boutique Altered Canvas

Corrine Clark - French Paper Shoe

Sandra Feazel - Beeswax/Painted Canvas
Lisa - Mixed Media Tags

What gloom??

self portrait, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Ah, this is a day for dreaming...
I have been in my studio making pretty things and ignoring the grey, grey skies. My work table is strewn with faux flowers, pearls, lace and rhinestones. My thoughts are happy ones of seaside memories~ like the astonishing night sky at Cape San Blas~ an endless spangled span that made me know that someone steers our journey with a loving hand.
Winter is still here, but buds are dreaming of the springtime sun, waiting until their season... soon, soon...

homemade springtime

Winter lingers and so I have taken matters into my own hands.
I am making piles of fabric flowers, heaps, small mountains.
Meanwhile this dreary season is getting a little old.
I am ready to kiss it good-bye.
Seriously, enough!

some days...

Do you ever feel like a dog in the back of a pickup truck? I do...

I wonder who's driving? Is he drunk? Where are we headed? Is there a map or a plan?

And why are we always so perilously close to the ditch?

Well anyway our snow is gone. Winter is still here. The foot of snow was pretty exciting, a real novelty here in Texas, but soon we were ready to retreat into our bubble domes.

And now I am thinking how nice it would be to travel to a sunny clime
and check into a swanky motel with a pool and an ice machine...
and maybe a futuristic antenna.

Or maybe a sea voyage is in order. I can be packed in an hour.

But I'm staying close to the lifeboats!

Everything feels a bit unsteady and I refuse

to go down with the ship!

Gotta' run! My ride's here.

We'll probably just go for a ride around the block,

stop for a hotdog and a Coke...

and look for signs of spring, like robins and tulips

and pink cars!

Happy Thursday! xo~Dale

wake me up!

snow!, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Certainly this vision of white madness is a dream! I live in the Dallas suburbs... um, that would be in TEXAS... think drought, cactus, sunshine, HOT! What is this fresh hell that has befallen us????
Actually, it is SNOW! Record-breaking snowfall... nearly ten inches! How do you Yankees bear this all the time? It is cold, wet and cold.
But, so very magical and pretty and quiet. My daughter and I went to the old cemetery yesterday and took some photos. I'm fairly certain we walked over some folks, but it was not on purpose. The snow was already quite deep. It was beautiful there... and yes, quiet!
My palm trees are frowning at me and my parrot... he's in a mood!
My school-aged sons are in an altogether different sort of mood. Jubilant, I believe, is the word!
And we inch one day closer to spring.

hmmmm...

Is this mermaid weather?? I think not.
My palm trees are very sad.
My parrot is very sad.
My kids (who had to go to school)
are very sad.
It will be 85 in Tortola today. The Sir Francis Drake channel will be calm and impossibly blue.
But, even this mermaid must confess that a snow day had a certain quiet charm. It is a fine day to spend in my studio. And it is one day closer to spring.
xo~Dale

winter Monday

winged, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Today is a typical winter day in north Texas... grey, cold and wet~ one of those "not fit for man nor beast" sort of days. I am unlikely to venture out into the gloom. I can't think of a thing that would lure me, except for a conveyance ready to transport me to a sunlit, seaside locale.
Even my sweet birds are quiet today. I doubt my feathered friends, with their tropical origins, are too very keen on this weather either.
I am going to play in my studio today. I need color and light, some beauty, the quiet joy that creating brings.
"Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. ~ John Updike