Freedom

Sadness...

The kind that wraps itself around you.

Freedom...

Spirit soaring to meet the day and freed from its earthly bonds.

The vigil of our family is over now. My father-in-law has left us this morning to be with our Father in heaven. This wasn’t a surprise. He has been in this process for five years. Even with the knowledge of the inevitable it does not lessen the pain of the leaving.

I looked on him seeming to be a asleep. The little girl in me wanted to cry out awake. Don't leave!!

But it is not the time for staying. It is the time for movement, change and looking forward to what lies beyond.

I wish you Freedom Dad. May you soar up to meet the sunrise. I love you!

Nancy

Della

I have a facination for dress forms and I think there are many of you out there who love them too. So... I would like to share Della with you.

Here's Della...

Della is my favorite form. She is a 1930's vintage lovely.

From every angle she's beautiful

Della prefers to wear a sash as her only form of dress. She believes they're going to be all the rage soon.

She did consent to having her picture taken with one of Natasha Burns's fabric strawberries. Who wouldn't its beautiful!

Hope you enjoyed the views of Della.

A Fun Project

You’ll need...

An empty wine bottle

White taper candles

Your favorite rhinestone brooch or any pin you might love. This might be an opportune time to go shopping. ;~)

Off-white tulle (about 1 ½ yards)

Here’s what you do:

Tie the tulle around the bottle. Wrap it around twice, then tie a bow at the back.

Pin your rhinestone brooch in the center.

Place your candle on top.

Voila!

Or better yet: you can add something like these Venetian glass candle holders! You can purchase them here.

In this picture I actually made the bow smaller . . .

. . . which makes the bottles look more sleek.

Whichever style you choose, they’re incredibly romantic.

Bonne Fete!

Nancy

P.S. My husband has posted the details of his project on his blog, Loving Her Beautiful.

Simplicity

I find that I am moved by the simplest visions. Here are some that I especially love.

Feathers

White Sheets

Butterflies

Made of abalone shell, this is truly beautiful to behold. It can be found here.

Please visit my husband's blog Loving Her Beautiful. He's just posted the first of many upcoming entries about his new creative project.

For Erika and My Pink Square

The wonderful and talented Denise of Shabby Cottage has just posted pictures of the fairy making out pouring for Erika. It is wonderful to see how many artists in our community made a special fairy gift for this precious little one. Please see her story here. It is a wonderful story but deeply sad as well.

Please visit Denise at the link above and leave a little comment of encouragement for Erika and her Family. They’re in a crucial time with her treatment and any words of hope would be a blessing!

I’m including in this post my Pink Artist Square. I just finished it! To learn more about the Pink Project please see this post.








I was inspired to make this square by one of my faeries. I used the photo as the central theme and then created a little ruched fan in white behind them to highlight the picture. Then I added antique French trim, the word love in a butterfly shape and a rhinestone gem to finish it. This is one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve ever done. I think I’m addicted to making these. It’s inspired me to make a mother and baby themed mini-quilt! I’ll post pictures as I work on it.

Blessings to you all!

Nancy

I'm So Excited!!

Here are some pictures of the first goodies leaving my shoppe. I had to say thank you to those who have purchased items from my little shoppe and for the special orders that have been placed for my shoes. I am working hard to get them finished please bear with me, this is all so new. Love to you all...

I'm a Pink Artist

I came across this amazing art project that will be benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Sherry's blog, Espirit d'Art. The person hosting this wonderful project is Monica from Girl Gone Wild. Here are the details:

The pink artist"is a community of artists joining together to create one joint art doll to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. When the doll is complete, it will be mailed in to Art Doll Quarterly™ before finally being auctioned off on eBay at a later date.
ALL PROCEEDS WILL DIRECTLY BENEFIT CHARITY.

Create: one 2x2 inch square with a cloth base using your chosen mediumin ANY way you feel inspired to do so for this project!(ideas, but definitely not limitations might include... name of loved one,motivational word, favorite quote, theme of LOVE, HEART, DANCE, BREASTS,a face, an eye, a hand, a pose, a script that dances from your fingertips, a beaded symbol,a thread embellished design, a photo, a digitally enhanced image, poetry you wrote or a portion of a poem you LOVe, scripture, felted object (wing, heart), thick layer of paint with rubber stamping, rusted object, a clay face... let the THEME of LOVE inspire you). Sometimes just looking around your studio or work space will INSPIRE you! See something sitting on your desk that you've been wanting to use but didn't know what to do with??

I'm really excited about this project and hope to finish my square this weekend and send it off. I'll post pictures when I'm done.

Nancy

TA DA!

I am excited to say that my new blog Fete et Fleur Designs is up and running. If you have time to visit I would love it!

I would like to thank all you wonderful bloggers and readers that have encouraged me so greatly in my artwork. I have some wonderful ideas cooking in my brain and hope to present them soon. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy what I have in my little blog shoppe right now.

Here are some pictures:

Confections de Marie

Paris Mode Fashion Tags

Queenie

Lori's Shoe

I finally finished your shoe, Lori!

This is the shoe that was included in my 50th Blog Post Giveaway. Lori wanted it to look like the pink shoe I originally made here. I did my best with a few changes.

Have any of you artists out there made something and then tried to recreate it only to find it 20 times more difficult? I was beginning to feel like Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride when he tells the the man in black, "I'm a starting to lose confidence" (said with a very thick Spanish accent). I was thrilled I was able to do it!! I think I have the style of this shoe down now. YEA!!!!

I will also be offering the dark pink shoe featured on my side bar. It will be for sale here on my blog on Monday. If you are interested, please check back then.

Lori, I hope you love the pictures of your shoe. It will be winging its way to you on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

A Blessing Candle

I just received another lovely gift from the wonderful Tracie of My Petite Maison. It is a blessing candle. This candle couldn’t have come at a better time.

This means so much to me right now. Having reached a place in my life where I need hope, clarity and direction. I want to bless each and every one of my readers and blogging friends with this candle. I am going to put this at the top of my side bar so it will be one of the first things you see when my page opens. May it be a light in the darkness when you are in need.

I would also like to pass this blessing candle on to Corey of Tongue in Cheek. With this candle comes blessings for healing and hope for you and your precious Father. Your blog is such an inspiration to me. And even though we have never met or talked personally, I feel a connection with your dreams and your beautiful spirit.

Corey is an amazing blogger! Right now her father is in ICU in California recovering from a tear in his kidney. Corey flew home a few days ago to be with her family. If you have never read her blog, please visit her at Tongue in Cheek.

You Make My Day!

I just received this lovely You Make My Day Award from Tracie of My Petit Maison

Thank you Tracie! I was having the worst day ever and this has transformed my whole day and made my night so much better. Traci's blog is one of the most beautiful on the web and her posts are always fun read! I feel incredibly honored that she would choose my blog for this award.

I feel a special sweetness as I sit here thinking of all the lovely people I have met in the last 3 1/2 months. I would never have dreamed it possible to do some of the risky things I've done lately but the encouragement and support of all of you has made me braver and more confident in my artwork and who I am as a person.

If you have already received this award I hope you don’t mind me giving it to you again. I just want you to enjoy knowing there is one more person's day you have made. There is no need to pass it on again. If you haven't received it you can choose to pass it on to 10 others if you like.

It is very hard to award this to only 10 people and I sit here with a list that goes way beyond 10. But 10 I must choose so here goes…

Dawn of The Feathered Nest ~
Dawn,
Thank you for all the encouragement and advice. You have brought to life dreams in me that I never would have believed possible.

Tracie of My Petite Maison ~
Tracie,
Every one of your comments has been a blast to read. I think the world of you and I am so happy we found each other!

Lidy of French Garden House ~
Lidy,
You are a rare person. You wear your heart on your sleeve and you are always there to encourage and help. Every piece of advice and encouragement you have given me has brought hope and joy. Thank you!

Lori of Faerie Window ~
Lori,
You are just the nicest person ever. You are funny and encouraging and your blog is such a joy to visit!

Heather of Pretty Petals ~
Heather,
When I visit your blog I feel like I'm visiting a kindred spirit in design. Your lovely home and artwork are an inspiration to me!

Sherry of Esprit D'Art ~
Sherry,
You are an inspiration! Your strength and bravery is evident in every blog you write. I love to visit you. Your blog Esprit D'Art is a truly peaceful place.

Sandy of Quill Cottage ~
Sandy,
Your blog is a where my spirit finds comfort and peace. Your writing opens up the dusty places in my heart. I remember again what it is to be close to Him who loves me.

Ulla of Ullabenulla ~
Ulla,
I know we have just met but your blog is a wonderful place of inspiration. Seeing your lovely artwork has made me realize that dreams can come true.

Cheryl of Rosey Posey Confections ~
Cheryl,
You are another kindred spirit. You speak from your heart and are always an encouragement to me. Thank you!

Alison of Creative Art and Craft by Alison Gibbs ~
Alison,
Your comments on my blog have meant so much to me. Your blog is always a fun place to visit and there is always something exciting going on there.

As you can tell I could rattle on forever...

I’m giving this to one more person. I hope the blog police don’t come after me. :~)

Bill of Loving Her Beautiful (My Love)
Bill,
All of the words rush up and are drowned in a tide of love and thankfulness when I think of you. You are my number one cheering section. The one who lifts me up and brushes me off when I have fallen. The man who still loves me after 17 years of craziness. Your encouragement and belief in what I can do keeps me going everyday. Now you have started your beautiful blog to chronicle your adventures in Nancy Land. You are such a goof. I love you for that!


I hope you all have a Beautiful Day!

Scrumptious Vintage Wallpaper

Gorgeous Vintage Wallpaper…I love it!! I just recently purchased these beautiful wallpaper packs from Heather of Pretty Petals Boutique. Besides being one of the sweetest and most generous people I've ever met, Heather is an amazing artist as well and has a keen eye for beauty. The treasures she finds are one of a kind and her blog is one of the most beautiful on the web. Heather has an amazing sense of style and composition and when she puts a vignette together it's incredibly eye catching.

As most of you know I am creating the paper shoes you can find here and on the top of my side bar. I used Heather’s beautiful wallpaper packs to paper the foundation and heel of the shoes. If you’ve never visited Heather stop by her blog Pretty Petals Boutique.blogspot.com or her lovely internet store Pretty Petals Boutique.

Enjoy the beautiful papers…