all about Pretty!

~SPRING cleaning IS IN THE AIR~!

Yes, Spring is in the air! Yippee, I love, love, love spring!!! It’s my favourite time of year. Spring to me is a fresh and hopeful new beginning topped with fragrant flowers and a dash of sunshine. I feel so cheery this time of year and incredibly inspired... to create and to clean. Yes, you didn't hear wrong and as much as I dislike cleaning I’ve had an incredible urge to spring clean. I’m also sorting out my temporary studio (sprawled all over my house) preparing to build a brand new studio/shop in my backyard. I’ll be posting pics when it's all prettied up and ready to go. Hope to have it ready in time for my Vintage Pretty Spring Sale.

It's spring fever.... You don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  Mark Twain

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.  Sarah Ban Breathnach

Spring is nature's way of saying, Let's party!  Robin Williams

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.  Bern Williams

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.  Doug Larson

In the Spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish'd dove; In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.  Alfred, Lord Tennyson

In the meantime I've been doing a bit of shopping online and received this fabulous little package with a lovely lollipop surprise from Andrea at one hundred wishes!  I can't wait to be done with all my cleaning done & get back into the studio to create using my new flashcards.

Have a Pretty! spring,
Laura

and the winner is.....

Hi everyone, wasn't that fun! I'm definitely doing this again next year.  I met the most marvelous, creative souls during this time.  I signed up near the end so I only had 5 hours sleep for the last 4 days trying to pop around and see all the lovely blogs.

and the winner is...

Danielle from the Vintage dragonfly

I decided to send out a 2nd giveaway (a surprise) and the winner is...

Kathryn from KV Creative Designs.

A very special thanks to Lisa Oceandreamer at Heart of the Nest for being the creative mastermind behind this exceptional event,  THANKS LISA!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Let's keep in touch & see you next year!

Have a Pretty! day,
Laura

ONE WORLD ONE HEART ANNUAL GIVEAWAY!!!

Oh happy me...Lisa, of Heart of the Nest is hosting the second annual One World One Heart annual giveaway. This is so exciting for me, a new blogger, and such an amazing event to meet fellow creative bloggers from all over the world.  Wow, I feel a bit giddy about the whole thing and I also am honoured (that’s how we spell it in Canada) to participate by giving away my latest creation. I quite like how it turned out and for a few minutes wanted to keep it but that makes it all the more special now and I’m thrilled to give it away and send it off to another creative soul out there in this big beautiful world.

Just leave me a comment with your name and I’ll pop it in my big flowery hat for the big draw on February 14^th. Since I'm single I won’t be busy that day, so just think, you'll be making a single gal’s Valentine special!  I don’t believe in luck but may God throw a little blessing your way and may you be one of the blessed ones to win such special giveaways. Make sure to visit this wonderful event at One World One Heart to see all the amazing blogs and put your name in for so many lovely gifts.

Here's my pretty package for the winner~!  A restyled vintage bottle with a feather wand picture holder to display your fav pic or postcard! The picture holder is removeable if you want to just use the bottle. A postcard I bought from a cart vendor along the Siene in Paris decoupaged on canvas and my soldered button charm for the bombshell in you!

Have a Pretty! day,

Laura.

Be Blessed

I think I'm really a little girl at heart and I love creating art for little ones.  Here's my latest collage, sweet lil guy, a little perturbed about the pearl on his nose but he's still sending the message out... Be Blessed!  I've just listed him on my Etsy shop and wanted to share him with you.

Have a Pretty! day,
Laura

WINTERBELLA!!!

January was a hectic month for me, a bad flu bug took me down for a few weeks and recently I've been busy rescuing cats during a really cold snap.  I had joined the Winterbella group for the month of January but didn't have any time till last weekend so I was finally able to complete a couple of the projects and it was so fun!!! It's inspiring to see Teresa's ideas & techniques and see everyone's completed projects. 

Here are a couple of creations I finished - a nature jar and an altered vintage bingo card personalized to tell a bit about me.  Off to the studio to work on some more... 

 

If you need to get your creative juices flowing as well as some motivation I highly recommend joining Teresa for her next gig.... Sweet Bella!

Please visit Catherine Matthews-Scanlon's blog for an amazing giveaway, her fab book.

Have a Pretty! day,
Laura

crafty art... arty craft???

I was recently asked the below questions by an art student at the university for research.  She tells me this is an ongoing debate so I thought I'd share my views with you.

In your opinion what is the difference between art and craft?
Do you think there needs to be a boundary?

I'm not a formally trained artist and only recently began calling myself an artist after I took a mixed media course at Langara College in Vancouver.  I started out with no confidence but my classmates and teacher really gave my confidence a boost and helped me to realize I am an artist and the reason why.

Now I understand the difference... it's not a matter of training or even skill but the passion & heart behind what you create.  I know many crafters who enjoy a hobby or two, are extremely talented but the big difference is their level of passion.  They do like what they do but they could take it or leave it.  I believe an artist loves what they do, they live, eat & breathe what they do, regardless of how trained, skilled or gifted.  What happens is the passion shines through a creation and that is the miracle of art.

I think many people are passionate artists and they don't even know it.  They believe because they haven't had any formal training and it's not their career that they are not artists but when they jump out of bed in the morning, excited to create something and they put all their heart & soul into that piece, then that piece is art and they are an artist.

So my 2 cents...   only our spirit/soul knows the passion behind the creation.  I think there is no need to label what we do, let's just ignore the mind and it's reasoning when it comes to craft or art… it just gets in the way!

Have a Pretty! Day,

Laura

I love finding tattered & torn flea market finds and restyling them.  I'm going to start posting the before & after photos of my work.  Here's my new project and I will post the prettified new version as soon as it's finished.