A Serious Weakness For White's

Okay inspired friends...I have a SERIOUS weakness for WHITES, it's simplicity adds a sense of openness and calmness to a rooms space. From the pristine beauty of whites, to the relaxed look of cool whites, to the inviting tones of warm whites, when you open yourself to whites-you'll find INSPIRATION...
I am going to write about my daughter HANNAH'S (most adored accessory) a sentimental fondness for her faded calico covered lamp shade that has been on many of lamp base's through the years. She has had no problem with me ever changing out the base but never the shade, it was just something about growing up with that lampshade I guess. It was an old calico one of many faded prints, she loved the shape, the fabric and the GLOW it cast off in her room. I have asked many times if we could get a new one, it came to a point that I stopped asking until, I won the "IKEA GiveAway" from KIM at http://WhiteWhispers2u.blogspot.com With this wonderful win was the presentation of the way it was delivered and gifted. With great excitement after the box was opened I took great notice in it's gift wrapping, it was wrapped in gathered muslin to the top of the gift and tied with a cotton twine of cream and brown, I adored the win but that simple muslin fabric was fabulous.

I then said to my daughter Hannah with excitement, I am inspired, "Oh no!" she said. "I am inspired with your lamp shade" I said... "No not the shade please!" she pleaded. I said "Trust me it is time, we need to change the fabric of that old calico print." As I heard the word okay coming out of her small voice I ran for the shade and it was stripped down naked in no time. While noticing panic in her 16 year old face, a look that I have not seen in a long time I say to her, "Not to fear my dear it is all going to be alright, and why so much fuss over a lamp shade?" I have always wondered. The day was getting by and that shade of her's sat all day undressed looking pretty sad, that night with a wake up call at 2:00 a.m. for whatever reason that I could not sleep, I woke to the undressed shade. I then got up and got busy on the wire form to surprise my sick daughter with a cold and sick over her naked lamp shade.

By her morning awakening she was well rested and myself tired, I walked into her room holding her lamp shade in my hands, this beam of surprise and joy beyond joy that I could see in her face and her not wanting to admitt to how pleased she was. She was so taken with the shade as if I had made her the most magical couture fashionable lamp shade there ever was. It was a perfect dress for her naked shade and well suited for her room.

I hope this inspires you all to dress your shade up in muslin torn and tattered, couture in gypsy style, perfectly imperfect.



Thank you KIM at http://WhiteWhispers2u.blogspot.com who thanks SHELLAGH at http://tickingandtoile.blogspot.com for the JOURNEY that this simple MUSLIN FABRIC has made giving the same shade new light.
I hope this inspires all of you to dress your lampshade up in muslin, torn and tattered couture in gypsy style, perfectly imperfect.
(OLD calico fabric and NEW hand me down muslin)

A Gentle Touch Feeds The Soul

"Click on photos to enlarge details"
I am reposting this piece inspiring the awakening of life.

THIS ART WAS CREATED BY ME! "Dore Callaway" for her. I want to thank my daughter Hannah Bailey Callaway for holding my hand in all that she inspires...
I continue to marvel at the ability my daughter Hannah has in celebrating and capturing her passion with beauty in an artful life, as well as her heart. She moves you to tears, laughter and will take you to a place of wanting to feed the soul. Ephemera book and mixed media art left me with the feeling of needing to place our hands on this piece of art by using tattered POETIC book pages, you will soon understand why I had to put these hands to this special piece of paper art. Myself being an interior designer, and also an artist who works in mixed-media, altered art, paper and paint, found the needed to create around my daughters artful words in the likeness and style of this art piece. Her words as a child inspired me to do something with my hand and the hand of my daughter placing them to poetic work with paper.

WHO CAN EXPLAIN the nurturing, sustaining role art plays in all our lives? Perhaps it is the dream-like quality of art, and it's ability to engender ideas, that makes art so important. I hope my art shows a celebration of love.

The left hand is mine, the right hand is my daughter Hannah's, the bird was hers from the wild.

In 2010 when I created this piece for my daughter she was entering college I was inspired to do this art piece when thoughts of her leaving my nest brought back a dear memory of my daughter Hannah when she was 4 years old and how amazed I was at her heart and her fond love of caring for her wild birds. They were hers because they were loved with her heart while making sure they all ate more than their fair share of the pounds of seed we bought monthly. One afternoon one of her birds had flown into the glass door and fell to the ground, she cried yelling for my help and ran right out to care for it, as she picked it up stroking its head with her tiny 4 year old fingers she told it to sing and fly, you can only imagine what that did to my heart. The little bird was soon out of shock from it's near fatal crash into the glass door and flew from her soft grip. She really believed it was her love that helped it to sing and fly. So now you can see why I had to do this poetic paper art and how the words Sing and fly were perfect for this piece.


The paper art is now framed under glass and has been hanging over our storage buffet in our kitchen reminding us everyday to "Sing And Fly"

Art by Dore...Rusty French Urn

Hello friends, here is "FRENCH IRON URN Flea market ROSES" one of a number of pieces I have painted for my shop, I may take and list it on my ebay site or whole sale it to another dealer. I have done a number of creative pieces for many Southern California shop owners and ebay. I am always surprised, and excited when there are new orders placed. I am a self taught artist and schooled in graphic arts that led to being a publisher before I became an interior designer. I have a dramatic artful passion for the euro flea market style and love racking my brain developing unique art and the use of eye catching color or the lack of color :) Each piece is a one-of-a-kind hand painted mixed media in acrylics an enamels all original and signed by me.

I love to paint all my art on antique wood pieces and my framed art on the back side of paneling, the rough side of course. This is because it looks like the grain in canvas and it will never tear, it also has a wonderful vintage look and feel to it. The frame is made from vintage wood and home moldings salvaged from remodeling jobs, or just another great find. I love designing and creating art, as well as creating the next thing with my own hands. I am often asked, you built this, or you painted this, I really do not think my work is that special it's just something I have to do, it makes living a creative journey for my daughter Hannah and I.
12x12 painting size, with frame 21x21 depth of frame 1"1/2

I hope this inspires you to pick up a brush and start painting.