Spring and Mothers Day Treats

 I've been having a lot of fun lately placing 

my art onto products!

My hand painted bees buzzing in the clover

look great digitized and printed on this floor cushion.

And the water color tiger lilies complement

it for quite a lovely garden ensemble.

If you're looking for a Spring treat or Mothers Day gift,

my art is on products at my Society 6 shop .

I believe this code will get you a discount:

https://share.society6.com/x/4nS7hj 

if you copy it and paste it in your browser

to visit Society 6 (for a limited time). 

Wild About You Notebook & Cards

Wild about nature? 

Want to let your Valentine or someone know you're wild about them?

Treat yourself to a lush notebook and stationery.  

My gouache painting is digitized and carefully placed to ensure 

you'll love writing in this journal. 

While you're at it, delight someone 

with a personally penned note on a work of art.  

You can get them HERE.  

A great gift to celebrate Earth Day, too. 

Thank you for visiting!

Rose Garden with Songbirds to Celebrate Spring

Songbirds visit this romantic and serene

rose garden with a message that's

perfect for the season.

Send this beautiful card to the women

you love and admire in your life.

Featuring a quote from the first famous

woman landscape artist, the

inside is blank for your heartfelt message.

Matching envelope and stamps 

are available, too!

Send someone a personal note the old fashioned way. It's a great way to celebrate Spring, Easter, and Mother's Day.

Happy Earth Day

Just a quick greeting

to the Mother

that sustains us all!

May you enjoy her beauty

and bounty today.

Follow my celebration of nature:
100 Days of Things That Fly
project on Instagram

Rubber stamps used: 

Paper Inspirations “World Map,” 

Tin Can Mail (face), 

Inkadinkado (small wings)

World Wildlife Day

This year I will be posting

about things I believe in and support.

You and I--we create more than arts and crafts...

we create the world

we live in.

It is astonishing and disconcerting

 to realize that we are living with 

only HALF the population

of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians 

and fish that we had in 1970.

It is important to recognize that this 

actually puts humans at risk as well.

I want to live on a planet populated

by the awesome and glorious diversity

of animals that a power much greater

than us saw fit to create!

So, I painted this tiger in gouache

to celebrate World Wildlife Day.

Human consumption of animals--

whether killing for food or trophy--

and destruction of forests are the

biggest reasons for the alarming declines

in animal populations around the globe.

BUT...we can make a difference!

The wild tiger population increased

last year for the first time in conservation 

history due to the efforts of 

governments, communities, and NGO's.

We have power and we can use it for good.

Our awareness and financial support of these

efforts, reduction in eating meat,

reduced energy consumption, and

boycotting any exotic animal products

can help turn around this unsustainable

trend of destruction.

Find out more at the World Wildlife Fund.

and by the way...

The Wildly Original Link party
will start up again this week after
an extended holiday break!

Celebrating Earth Day: 25 Recycle Craft Projects

 

I'm feeling extra appreciative

this Spring for our

beautiful planet that sustains

us in our every need.

I made this card quite awhile back,
but hadn't shared it yet.

While we're at it, here are

25 fabulous Earth-friendly crafts 

that feature recycling and upcycling

here at I Gotta Create:

DiY Wood Branch Coasters

Nature makes some stunning patterns.

And that means we can bring those

natural design elements into our homes

in simple and elegant ways.

After pruning a hedge apple tree 

we noticed the gorgeous rings in this branch.

Aha! 

Such dense wood makes for beautiful coasters

for a wedding gift,

housewarming,

fathers day

or your own home.

Here's how to make

DIY Wood Branch Coasters:

Spring Nest Color Palette & Designer Paper

Oh the many beautiful shades of Spring!

A Spring Nest project (posted here)

inspired this color chip palette. 

Match some paint, fabric or paper to this

palette to freshen up your surroundings

after a long winter.

If you'd like a couple of 

designer digital papers

based on this color palette, I provide a link below.

Newspaper Nest Tutorial

One of my favorite

signs of Spring in nature

is the nest.

The nest inspires all

kinds of decor, crafts, and holiday goodies.

These little newspaper nests

can be used throughout the Spring season,

and are perfect for Easter celebrations.

Here's how to make a newspaper nest:

Duck Tape Chip Bag Totes

Get chic with your chips!

Some of those bags are so sturdy

they're a bear to get open.

So I thought,

why not take advantage of that in an upcycle?

Happy Earth Day: 8 Earth-Loving Projects

We have at our feet a paradise.

A place perfectly equipped

to provide us with everything we need.

A place so full of beauty,

it sometimes makes me weep.

A place that unites

every human being,

every species of animal,

every bloom and blade of grass

because we all call it Home.

To celebrate and honor Earth Day,

here are some projects

that make us more aware

and more appreciative

of our environment:

Upcycled Totes from Feed Bags

Creativity and recycling

are two of my favorite things.

And when that results in something

beautiful, whimsical and functional,

you can bet it gets my 5-star seal of approval!

These bags are all that

and a bag of potato chips, too.

Actually... they were feed bags.

And they're super cool!
Check this out...

Make Your Own Fabric Softener: It's better!

I ran across a recipe for

making your own fabric softener

while researching the history of clothespins

for an article where I showed off

these beauties:

Funny how one thing leads to another.

I knew right away I was trying this!

While I love the smell 
of my usual fabric softener,

I hate that blue gunk it leaves on 

the dispenser over time....

St. Paddy's Green Mod Podge Gift Package

We're going green

and it's a perfect fit for

St. Paddy's Day,

Spring,

and being kind to the planet.

These

 pretty mod podge packages,

which can also be used as a centerpiece,

aren't over-the-top, yet

they're unique and they catch a

bit 'o sparkle in the "bow of clovers."

Here's how these scrap-busting gift packages

will also help with your Spring cleaning...

Celebrating {Mother} Earth Day

How will you celebrate Earth Day?

After sprucing up your nest, doing some yard work, attending festivities, hiking, or otherwise enjoying the outdoors, here's a refreshing idea: Make your own Lavender Cream Soda. 

Oriole Nest Vase from Plastic Bottle

We're celebrating the Oriole Nest in my Spring Nest Series. We were thrilled when an Oriole built her nest right outside our bedroom window a few years ago. 

Their nests are an amazing work of art to behold. I wish I had snapped photos of it. Instead, here's my human-made version and the tutorial: