baret boisson presented...

my sweet friend in LA, baret boisson, got quite the surprise....she forwarded this background video on the jonas brothers to me...and i'm sure everyone on this planet has heard of this boy band by now! if you follow closely you will see her wonderful will rogers painting in the video, (above) with the undeniable baret style that i love....what a thrill for me to see her work out for all to appreciate!

so check out baret's piece in the film: 2:28 is the spot!

by the way, i received my so very cool obama print from her a few weeks ago and was going to blog about that...my son grabbed it for his room and it hangs proudly amongst his collection of letters from our presidents...thanks baret, it's a wonderful treasure for us...

if you would like to browse her site, her she is: baret boisson

crafting for the 4th of july...

i came across these ideas on the country living magazine's website...i thought they were not only fun and wonderful....but they included instructions for making them yourselves...kids will love it, what festivities do they not love?, and us grownups will love to make them too...i'm including a link directly to country livings site so that you can get instructions on any of the pieces i've shown, and for other ideas....

country living magazine

my love of music...

music is a time defining moment in my head...i'm reminds me of my youth, my many moves across the country, the births of my children...for my mind seems to categorize music like this...

michael jackson's thriller album = my move to houston and my working in the middle of the night at KKBQ radio station...it was a top 40 station and song's from the thriller album were always heard....my long haul to the city at 12:00 a.m. for my 2 hour shift, taping music for the upcoming day for the d.j.'s. my baby slept peacefully in his carry bed on the floor beside me maybe listening to what the newest hits would be...maybe this is why when grown he became a musician himself...

i loved that time in my life...i loved the album thriller....and on occasion i will still pop it in my c.d. player in my studio (long gone the album and player), for there wasn't anything like it...the energy the talent the dance...i will miss the dance...

i was looking on youtube so that i could play 'thriller' for you but i stumbled upon these 'thriller' videos and thought i'd rather share the influence he had on generation after generation...

so whether it's prisoners, the groomsmen at a wedding or a way to keep college kids out of trouble....he added dance and joy to many through his music...










it was 25 years ago that we were shown the 'moonwalk'...i will miss his dance....

it's official...

i just received my early american life magazine....directory of traditional american crafts 2009 - hang tags...i was thrilled when i began to tear open the large envelope knowing goodies were inside...

beautiful magazines, hang tags, and a letter of acknowledgement into this elite group of american artists...

if you hadn't read my earlier blog about the directory, i'm happy to add some information about this license that i can proudly claim for a year...

the directory of traditional american crafts is where you need to go shopping if you are looking for top notch crafts - for these artists have been accepted through a tremendous judging process by...oh, just let them explain it:

"The Directory of Traditional American Crafts is an honor bestowed on a handful of artisans who work in traditional media, styles, and crafts, an award that singles out their work as the best now produced in America today. Each year a jury of museum curators, collectors, and other authorities selects the work of the top traditional crafters working in America to be honors and listed in the Directory, which appears in Early American Life magazine."

"An artist who has been selected for the Directory has had his or her work thoroughly evaluated by a panel of experts. They have graded the artist's work as showing a mastery of the chosen craft, a mastery that represents the top of its individual field and may even be suitable for museum display."

"This jurying assures you not only of the top-notch skill involved in making the work but also its historic integrity. The work included in the Directory is either an accurate reproduction of historic work or an original interpretation of a historic style that is entirely consistent with its historic roots. But to assure this high-quality work is not mistaken for an actual antique, the Directory requires all work to be hallmarked."

boy, that was much easier, and they certainly said it better! but this is a great site for you to go to and find some artists work that you might want to collect...this is the art that will passed down through your family for many generations...so whether you are looking for fine furniture, baskets, floor coverings and decor, this is the place you can go and be assured that you are receiving the finest quality available from american artists...

here is their link: early american life directory - (and the next time you receive a game board from me you will notice it proudly wearing it's new tag!)

to see more of my work, click this link: www.dallisongameboards.com

summer and antiquing just go together...

it's a nice summer weekend....and you feel like cleaning out your trunk and hitting the road...between antique malls, small out of the way shops and salvage junk yards your options are endless...next time you hit the road, look through new eyes...what can you do with this?....ahhhh, the ideas are endless...i found these ideas on the Better Homes & Gardens website...it is always full of fun and inexpensive ideas, from food, family to decorating...i must get to shopping myself!!

There's no hanging required -- simply prop the mantel against the wall and let the bed frame hold it in place.

fashion a fabulous four-poster bed frame from old porch posts


vintage shutters

salvaged decorative molding into a shelf

Turn an old chicken coop into magazine storage. This piece was cleaned and stripped to reveal the original mellow wood finish.

Add patina to a tub by framing the base with salvaged paneling. Here a weathered piece of tin does the job. The vanity is an antique cabinet retrofitted with a new sink and faucet.

a tin pie pan is as American as apple pie

a collection of vintage clock faces by stringing them from lengths of chain

Make a simple one-of-a-kind pencil or paintbrush holder that also displays family photos. Black-and-white snapshots slip between two clear glass flea market apothecary jars for an instant photo gallery. If you can't find apothecary jars, substitute any two graduated sizes of glass containers, such as florist's vases or kitchen glassware.

Create a functional and attractive table display with a vintage cake stand. Place a stack of plates on the stand and top it with a vintage birdcage.

an old porch railing becomes an instant organizer



for more ideas check out the BHG website: BHG.com

as i'm always saying...

time does indeed fly right on by....i'm always stunned to notice that i've lost a week or two, and here summer has just began...i think summer may be the one season where most of us have a clear view in our mind of the pleasures that will come ....watermelon, blueberry picking, late summer nights sitting outside, kids playing late into the night catching firefly's....it's just so perfect...

as i got up this morning i was running a few minutes late, and instead of flying like a madwoman, i thought... - "i think i'll slowly climb into the day"...so with a cup of coffee in hand i went to sit out on the deck...the music from cardinals, wrens, caws of crows and the badgering of blue jays, was touched with the buzz of humming birds...how can things be better than this?

i took it all in and then started into my morning rituals, feed the dog, feed the family, pack up lunches and pack up backpacks for the days adventure at camp...clean up the kitchen, family room, bedrooms and what the heck happened to that bathroom??!!!, throw in a load of laundry and sweep the floors....get ready for work and into the studio i go...all in an hour...

it was peaceful, the list of duties were accomplished in a peaceful state for i had taken some time to sit and listen to the earth, to count my blessings...and left with a knowing strength that i can accomplish anything and everything needed of me today...

Flight Song



with so much musical talent throughout the world we all have the ability to search for music that makes our spirit dance...and our soul awakened...

it's the saturday music show...turn it up!

i found this browsing on youtube which i love to do if i'm looking for some new music...thought it was pretty neat, different....hope you like it...

it's by: Lonely London Lad's and is titled "Buffalo Jump"

ohhhh...how i love this!

my dad sent this up to me...i just loved it...just a reminder of the wonderful world we are living in...i hope you enjoy it...(turn your music up)





sound of music - central station, antwerp belgium...

photos to inspire...

i was wandering through one of my favorite sites... design sponge...certainly a place to become inspired if you have the time... these photos are from their sneek peek section, but i also like the DIY page as well...when i look over these photos, i think the bottom line is we all have our own style, you really can't put it in a square...a little of this and a little of that, sentimental items, our favorite colors....so you take all of those things which = US and we have our little paradise...

so whether it's painting your ceiling a soft blue sky or finding something old and throwing YOU into it to become your own, i hope you are inspired to have fun and enjoy your home...

"home sweet home" parcheesi game board... for more game board designs here's my site: www.dallisongameboards.com

it was there, when i woke up...

i woke up this morning thinking quilts....fabrics, colors and patterns....i think it was from the fragments of an unfinished conversation with a friend last night. so i checked my email from last night and began to finish a note between the two of us...her favorite quilt pattern is log cabin, but she has switched from quilting over to rug hooking...but is finding little time for either right now....as i wake up this morning with coffee in hand, house is still quiet, beagle is running free and sleep is still around hubby and eli, i began to create my colorful day with photos of antique quilts...a most wonderful way to start my day....

if you would like to be taken to my game board website, here's the link: dallisongameboards.com

have you ever wanted to? (music)

this is something that i've always wanted to do....i remember when i was a young teen and my dad paid for me to take a helicopter ride at the state fair...from then on, that very moment, i wanted to fly helicopters...there was nothing like it...

i've always wanted to go sky diving...but something happens, we get older, we think we cannot be reckless for we are parents now...we can't just go jump out of planes, nor bridges (anymore)...so i kind of got a fear of it...i think really a more 'looking ahead' to see what terrible thing could happen...but this is tempting, this is very tempting if i had somebody holding on to me...i would feel less reckless but could still feel like i'm flying like a bird...and certainly they wouldn't make a mistake like a newbie like me...






if you would like to visit my game board website, here's the link: www.dallisongameboards.com

i learned it again...

ok....i ordinarily do not judge....i'm just not a judger of others....and one of the things i have learned along the way is if i do judge...well it's just a matter of time before i learn my lesson...for example: i do not watch any reality shows...nope not a one...i think there certainly must be something wrong with people that are watching these shows....and then remember, i got hooked on the bachelor for the first time?....(which i will NEVER watch again...) yes live and learn...

i try to surround myself with girlfriends that are smarter than i am...in a way it just makes my life much easier - for if i have a problem they can see right through it all and give me some great advice...they are always ready to go to battle if needed...they are the true people we meet and hang on to...

well my very best friend in the whole wide world, linda, lives in california....over the many phone conversations she tells me (and i feel admits in my judging mind)...that all she watches is reality shows...hmmmm i tell her....because i really do know she is smarter than i am and to me this just knocks her off her pedestal that i have carefully built for her to sit upon...

well...like so many...i have cut back on some things...and i decided that all my fancy cable and tiVo was just going to have to be lived without...certainly with 70 channels left, no tiVo and no vcr i would get along just fine...

night after night i flip through the stations...nothing is on...just nothing - for i was so used to taping everything, flying through commercials that never a moment was wasted on what i didn't like, not a moment...for i value my time just to much to stare...

well it has happened again....i confided to my mom just the other day that i am just loving housewives of new jersey...i watched for 3 hours, and of course, i've decided which women i love and which just need to go away, out of my view, for i have a growing dislike for them...and my mom knowing me, and used to me seeing things different 'one day'...chuckled and told me that she just might find me watching the kardashian family...oh to my horror!

so as i continue learning day after day and over and over again that my first thought could possibly be changed down the line i invite each and everyone of you to join me watching the NJ housewives! that is jaqcueline above, she's my favorite!

if you would like to go over to my game board site, here's my link: dallisongameboards.com