love came down on christmas

I'm thinking about my dear friend Emily tonight, she and her husband Danny are getting to know their new baby girl in China right now. God is so amazing how he brings families together. I'm smiling thinking back to when were both single girls in 2001, about how she said she wanted to adopt a baby girl from China. We worked together briefly before she went to the Peace Corps & then when she returned to the US we taught english as a 2nd language together at a local church and have so many wonderful memories with our international friends.

Both of the blogs she keeps up have amazing stories-the bumpy arrival of her baby boy & the miracle of his life and health & then now her journey to Lia Kate. Emily has always been brave-will try any kind of food, loves adventure, & always up for any type of travel. I'll never forget one time we were riding horses and the 2 horses we were on, totally took off & were racing us through the woods. The whole experience was traumatizing to me (I thought I was going to be impaled by a tree limb) & when I looked over at Emily-she was just laughing and loving it. That totally sums up Emily. I'm so happy she & Danny have Lia Kate, please pray for this transition for baby girl and the new dynamics of their family.

Christmas happenings

Henry getting handsy with the manger scene. Baby Jesus goes MIA about once a day.



This is what I made of my shells from the beach. I glittered them and tied them on pretty ribbon with a cluster of ornaments. I think I was just trying to hold on the beach for a bit longer.

Take kids in christmas pj's in front of the Christmas tree-check.

Above is a picture of my dear high school friend Melanie & of the beautiful church in Gulfport where she is the new rector. This church was rebuilt after Katrina and they did a fabulous job-wonderful architecture. This was such a special night for me. Getting to see her being installed at St. Peters by the Sea. She is such a wise person-has always been this way, even when we were all stupid in jr. high. A great listener. I pray for her all the time-the huge job she has, balancing motherhood with serving her church. Her blog is great-she's a wonderful writer.
http://lemburgordinarytime.blogspot.com/
Our day of snow!!!!!
Our beautiful Japanese Magnolia that stays this brilliant red for about 1 week.

Have a wonderful Christmas. I love this verse and it sums up how we are to treasure Christmas in your own quiet way. Think of Mary, admiring her new child & just soaking the whole experience in.....

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19

thanksgiving largen life

We went to the beach with hubby's side of the family for Thanksgiving. IT WAS FABULOUS. Nothing like the beach. Everyone is lighter at the beach. Even shopping at the Wal-Mart at the beach is a different experience-people are relaxed. The shells. I always love finding shells and thinking of ways to use them. And we did a little surprise bday celebration of Tim's bday-Jonas Brothers style. It was that or Spiderman. Our nephew Jack was a little disturbed that uncle tim "really" liked the Jonas Brothers-he said he thought only kids like them.










Had to air it out after some burnt toast.

Cross Creek show

Come for some last minute Christmas shopping. I will have great gifts for teachers, stocking stuffers and such. There will be other vendors there selling monogrammed items, children's clothing, & distressed frames. Email with questions.

pocket calendars!!! $10

Pocket calendars (Oct 2009-2011), folded size: 3.75"x 6.75", 4 designs, $10, great for the ladies on your list! Limited quantity (no lie). I can ship or you can pick up if you are local. Email me to order (sarahlargen@yahoo.com).


Design 1 (front & back view): Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men.


Design 2 (front & back view): For we walk by faith, not by sight.




Design 3 (front & back view): For from Him, through Him and to Him are all things.


Design 4 (front & back view): I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.


Inside view of each of the calendars. Scripture for each month.

4"x6" notepads-$6

These are 4"x6" 50 sheet notepads. They would make perfect stocking stuffers or teacher happies. They come wrapped unless specified otherwise. Email me (sarahlargen@yahoo.com) if you'd like to get some-I can ship or if you are local, you can pick them up. I have a limited supply!

Christmas Square sticker labels

gold tree design

dotted stocking design

pink/green angel design

trumpet angel design

ho, ho, ho balls design

3 gifts design

3 ornaments design

single ornament design

single gift design


These are the designs (original watercolors!) for my square sticker labels (2.75"x2.75"). 36 labels for $15. They are water-resistant. They will certainly spruce up your Christmas happies! Email me & specify which design & wording.

boy square sticker labels

I'm now offering these 2 3/4"x 2 3/4" square water-resistant white labels. These are all original watercolor illustrations I have done. They are great for slapping on birthday gifts and anything else that needs identifying. Above are the boy designs. $15 for 36 stickers (4 sheets of 9 stickers).
Gift wrap for an additional $1, otherwise they come in a clear plastic sleeve. I can ship these for an extra $2.

NEW TO YOU-girly square sticker labels

Above are my girly sticker designs. These are 2 3/4"x 2 3/4" square water-resistant white labels. These are all original watercolor illustrations I have done. They are great for slapping on birthday gifts and anything else that needs identifying. $15 for 36 stickers (4 sheets of 9 stickers).
Gift wrap for an additional $1, otherwise they come in a clear plastic sleeve. I can ship these for an extra $2. If you are local, I can leave them out for a pick-up. Make your gifts happy with these unique labels!!!!

cuz's wedding

we went to my cousin's wedding in natchez the other weekend and it was beautiful, the reception at dunleith (an antebellum home there). the band was fabulous and the whole fam was there-nothing better than dancing at a wedding. my family is not necessarily a group of good dancers, but we all love to dance. although my dad claims to be voted "best dancer" in high school & told us many times growing up. funny.



my cousin is a recent grad of san fran art institute and is a industrial designer-super creative & wonderful guy.



2 of my nephews breaking it down. i think they spun a hole in their pants.
the sweet couple.

punkins

i realized today after looking on facebook at everyone else's pictures of babes with pumpkins that i hadn't taken pictures of MY kids sitting in front of pumpkins. so hubby humored me and we made 3 stops to finally find a gathering of pumpkins (the first 2 patches were too slim). he's so patient, but I could tell i was pushing his hubby limits. but it was fun & I'm glad we did it.

hween partay

We had a little party for some kiddos and it was so much fun. I had such a great time decorating for this & planning for this. Each morning of this week when Henry woke up, it was big fun to show him the new stuff I put out. I've always loved Halloween (NOT the scary movie part-the previews alone give me nightmares) and always think about my potential costume although we haven't actually gone to a adult hween party in years. Each hween when my hair is boy short I want to go as Pat Benatar (circa "love is a battlefield").

largen life

hubby with his deep fried oreos at the fair-they were realllllly good.
funny largen life story (apologies to fb friends-this is a repeat)....i had gotten a letter for jury duty and for me to call in the Sunday night and see if I needed to report. But I have the baby brain and I forgot about all of this until my sister Kathleen called Monday morning at 8:10 asking if I had to report for jury duty. Yikes, so I called and all were to report at 8:30 that morning (Canton is 15 min away). Babies & I have never moved that fast (we never go anywhere before 9 a.m.). My hair is kicked up, babies in pj's & we reported for jury duty somehow by 8:30. But the official looking courtroom guard person just said "oh, you brought your kids with you? there are no kids in the courtroom, ma'am. just go down the hall and they'll dismiss you." I tried not to dance down the hall. So afterwards, my accomplices were rewarded with doughnuts and we played on the courthouse square. My dad (who is an attorney in canton) was a little put-out with my babies in the courthouse move. He thinks getting selected for jury duty is the same as winning the lottery.



thought henry looked a little "where the wild things are-esque" in these pics. can't wait to watch this movie with the kiddos in a couple of years. so loved this book growing up. and mental note, need to get this book for henry in the meantime.

henry's belated bday post

lions, tigers & bears, oh my.
big bald ruthie with the animals.





So this is a late peek at henry man's wild party (4 mths ago). Just a little fam party but I love all that goes into it. I know they think I'm cuckoo for making signs and the extras when it is just us, but I think because it not expected it makes it more fun for me. I think when it counts and when he'll actually remember is when I'll be breaking out the Wal-Mart cake & a few bags of doritos. Which I'm all for keeping it real and think bdays can get out-o-control, but as long as it is fun for all involved-I'll keep getting into it. I had his little T printed to match his invite at cafepress. I didn't make the cake this go around (a fabulous piggly wiggly caramel cake-sooo good), and splurged on some oh-so-yummy cupcakes from crumb. Funny bday morning story, Henry desperately needed a haircut, and this was a bday task I delegated to hubby (why?). Anyway, I had a fleeting thought to remind him to ask them just take off a little, but the thought never went anywhere. So you know what happened-he comes back as my little 2-year old monk. I tried not to react & we just tried to smear his bangs to the side with some product. Somehow we overcame & his hair now flops again.

girly step stool

Sweet Staci, thanks for ordering this for your niece. Kayden and Markie got similar sassy step stools. That's what usually happens when I paint in twos....

watercolor/beaded wedding invite

Thanks Amanda, for keeping me in mind for all your thoughtful gifts for others!

And on a general watercolor wedding invite note: a friend told me that a bride said her watercolor invite was her favorite wedding gift she received. I thought that was huge props & it made me happy!

markie's step stool

Lauren, thanks for being such a devoted dandelion customer. I really appreciate your order. I had fun painting this up.

crazy love

Crazy Love is a book I'm reading right now with my Bible study and it is kicking my bootay. It has some tough truths in it and has challenged me to confront that often I "serve leftovers" to God (a pitiful little prayer at the end of the day before I got to sleep or serving Him when it doesn't put me out). In general, it has made me see that I generally play it safe when it comes to loving Him. It has led to some very honest conversations with God. But this book has also reminded me of his grace and His huge love that is bigger than all of my faults. So get it and read it if you need a shot in the arm.

Saturday night hoot

If you need a laugh, here it is....So it would NOT be fun to work with 5 people in one big room, but maybe I could handle it if it were this crew. Love how they get wackier as the song progresses & the one chicky who is actually doing work-too busy for this foolishness. Seeing this makes me miss the nutty crew I used to work with at Ramey.

My niece's painting party

My sister in Birmingham, Meg, asked me if I would head up a painting party for my niece Clara, who is turning 9. I was a little nervous but I said yes & it really was a blast. All their little personalities were so funny. Some were so meticulous & some were speeding through it so they just go ahead and eat some cake. We did a birdy collage. This is the poem my niece Clara wrote for the invitation, she's a mess. I have a new appreciation for my sweet friend Bridget over at Easely Amused.

My artist aunt named Sarah,
is coming to see me Clara,
We are going to paint,
I think I might faint.
Well I'm turning nine,
that's just divine!
What a fun day it will be,
when Clara turns nine, hey that's me!

grace's verse

This is for my friend Grace. She has such a sweet spirit & I'm thankful for her. She's the type friend, if she says she's praying for you, you know she is.

wedding invites!!!!

I had accumulated a stack of invites & finally got to them. Thanks for your patience, my friends!

kiddos

I love this picture of them. Henry insisted getting up in Ruthie's crib and they were having so much fun rolling around in there together. Ruthie blends into the sheets with her dots.

outdoor life

Ruthie in the grass for the first time-what is this stuff?
My only garden life I keep, is my zinnias. Because they are hands down the easiest flowers to grow-just sprinkle the seeds and you barely have to water them.
Okay, so I looked out my window the other morning & didn't see any birds in this bird feeder but a small plot of grass growing there instead. Apparently the bird seed sprouted some lush grass. The birds weren't that hungry I guess.

dad turns 70, new orleans

A big & fun outing for me recently was going with my whole family (3 sisters & parents) to New Orleans to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday. He is looking at a scrapbook we made made for him: 70 memories of him, from serious to silly. My dad is a true one-of-a-kind. He's got loads of quirks, very loyal & loves his girls. It was a special weekend & my sisters & I were like birdies out of a cage-we couldn't believe it was happening!


mom & dad. mom is dad's #1 fan, always has been.
Here's our crew, I've got 3 sisters & they truly are my best friends. I can tell them anything-we are all very different. I thank God all the time for my sisters and my family.

Sistas on the streets. We did some serious walking & shopping. This shot shows their personality well-Meg is always into something & Polly is prob thinking-please not another picture & you better not put it on your blog. But they don't read my blog anyway, so they'll never know.

juggling

So I need to take a little break from taking orders to catch up and wrap up some graphic design work I have going right now. Not juggling it as well as this lovely lady right now. If you've already been in touch about a order, I will take care of you! Thanks for being patient & understanding.

avi grace's step stool

Hope birthday girl will enjoy her step stool! Thanks for the order, Kelli!

ellen's invite

Ellen, thanks so much for your order-I really appreciate it! Happy 10 years of marriage to you!

baby gift

Jodi, thanks for the order & I'm so happy for your friend and this special baby girl on the way!

baptism gift

Julie, thanks for the order for your niece. I hope it is a special reminder to her as she grows up.

wedding bliss

Here are some invites I've recently finished. I love doing these. Just mail me the original invite & I'll paint it up for you. Let me know certain colors, if the bride has a certain style & if there is a particular one I've painted that you like. I can paint, matte, wrap & ship your gift for around $37. And it doesn't have to be a gift, get out one of your invites & treat yourself.

manze's step stool

Manze's sweet mama-Robin, ordered this for her. Mama said to make it funky & fun-hope this makes you smile, Manze. I had fun painting this for you!

fun with paint

so all was going well with our impromptu painting session until I turn step inside to get my camera & I come back out and Henry has moved from the paper to his body (he just wanted to make the shot more interesting for me). We need to do this more often, he literally painted for about 30 min, which is about 4 hours in toddler time.

sticker & tag set

These are some baby gifts I worked up recently. Introducing laminated bag tags! So it is the square label & laminated bag tag combo. The back view of the tags are shown. The tags are $5 each and are 3.5"x3.5". So you'd have a baby gift for $20 ($5 tag+$15 labels). Just let me know the name & which icon you like (any that are shown on the square labels).

happy house

I painted one of these for me & then decided to do a slew of them for the upcoming Christmas in July show. This is a "happy house" reminder to me, that I can choose to make my little household happy. That despite the fact that Ruthie sometimes likes to poop & spit-up on me, it shouldn't wreck my day. That each day with these babies is a gift & I want this house to be a place where Tim wants to come to at the end of the day. So that is my spill behind my cutesy little painting-BE HAPPY.

I put upholstery trim as an accent on these, I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. I'll have to show self-control and not put it on everything.

Oh & they can be personalized.

baby gift

4"x6" watercolor in acrylic frame

put your santa hat on

Avoid some of the Christmas hustle by shopping early (just don't forget WHERE you put the gifts between now and december, always my prob.) Mark your calendar for Tuesday, July 28, 3-8. Children's clothing, decor, photography, stationery, jewelry-liz henry, (will most likely spend my earnings here-beautiful things), ceramics, & my little things, etc. Come & bring your list!

morning has broken

I did this in memory of Sue Henry, a very special, loving woman who holds a special place in the hearts of all camp desoto women, especially my friend Jennifer. Love you jen, jen & have a good summer at camp, although I know it is hard without sue there.

easely amused

if you are in the area and haven't gone to easely amused (i felt like the last one to do so) for a painting session, please do. my friend bridget has started it up and it is such a fun night out. this chicky can do anything: paint, decor, piano-the superwoman of swank. i went with this sweet group of girls from bible study.

ruthie in the big easy

so hubby had to go for a meeting in n.o. & ruthie & i got to tag along!!!! how wonderful, i didn't think we'd be getting down there anytime soon. was bound and determined to eat some yummy food, so we strolled ruthie into nola for a yummy meal. truthfully, i didn't really even care if she cried (we would never see them again), i was just so excited about a night out! she was perfect.
apparently, i'm drawn to this bright yellow right now & this picture made me laugh because my shirt is the same of the wall.
i think ruthie wants a beignet.

ruthie girl

These shots were taken of Ruthie a couple of months ago by Will Jacks in Cleveland, MS-so talented and so very nice. Had to share. My friend Heather told me about him.

step stool

Thanks Robin for thinking of me for this gift! Hope Claire gets much use out of it!

wedding invite with collage detail

I embellished this wedding invite with cut paper and a metallic water wash of paint. And here it is ready to gift! Thanks, sweet Sherry for the order.

beach wedding invite watercolor

I started with the watercolor and then added some sand/crushed shell detail. Here is the wrapped view as well. Emily, hope your friend likes & thanks for letting me experiment with this one!

.info

So now my little site is www.dandeliondesign.info, kinda a pitiful little domain. But .com was snatched up and they wanted way too much for .net. So I am .info, (wasn't even aware it was an option). So if you get a redirect notice, that's all it is-a different address. Trying to up the professionalism factor with my fancy .info address.

updated magnet selection $5

These are my current magnet designs. It is a watercolor print within a 3.5"x3.5" acrylic magnet frame, $5 each.

wedding invites

These two watercolor invites went to dave fron and his new bride & then my friend Sarah Brashier's (of the painted wren) little sista-Elisabeth! Soooo happy for the newlyweds.

show in cross creek clubhouse-tues, june 16

Come by Cross Creek Subdivision Clubhouse in Madison, MS-Tuesday, June 16 from 10 am-7 pm. I will have lots of framed watercolor verses, bookmarks, stationery, artwork & will be taking custom orders. I am showing with Breezy Bugs (children's handsmocked clothing), Simple Stitch (monogrammed gifts on site), Plain Jane Frames (distressed wooden frames & crosses).

DIRECTIONS: HWY 51 N through Madison & turn right at light on Oak Park Dr. The clubhouse in on the LEFT, look for signs.

need a father's day gift? (june 21)

I am with you always... matthew 28:21. This is a watercolor print mounted on a 5"x5"x1.5" wooden block. The block has been stained and painted. It can hang on the wall or be freestanding on a shelf, desk or wherever! This would be perfect for a dad, graduate, child-so practically anyone! Price is $30. Email if you'd like to order, I have a few on hand or if you give me a couple of days I can work one up for you.




Above is also a watercolor print mounted on the wooden block. I had my dad in mind when I did this, and would make a thoughtful father's day gift. Price is $30. Email if you'd like to order, I have a few on hand or if you give me a couple of days I can work one up for you.

birthday cards!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm the girl who buys birthday cards in bulk, I always like to have some on hand! Above are designs for birthday cards (size 4.25"x5.5"). You make pick 12 cards (say 4 cards in 3 designs) and make an assorted pack for $12. They are $1 a piece so mix them how you'd like. The paper is funfetti creme 100# card stock & include round envelope seals as well. I can ship (for $2) or you can pick up if you are local! These are all original little watercolors I have painted! Email me if you'd like these personalized for an extra few $.

mo cards!

A couple of more designs. See the details on the previous post. These are also $1 a piece. Perfect gift for friends, teachers & family.

dum dum da dum

Here is a watercolor wed invite that my new crafty blog friend, Emily, ordered. She is organizing (love knowing people like this) Christmas in July at her house for various crafters/artists/etc. I'll let you know when it is. Thanks, Emily for the order and I hope your friend likes it & has a beautiful wedding day.

fun cake

Look how fun this cake looks, if I had the proper amount of motivation, I would make it. More likely, one of you all could make it. This woman's blog is fabulous, it always gives me a pick-me-up to read it. She's a wonderful photographer too, wish she lived in MS & then somehow I would make her my friend.

owl + A

These are the 2 paintings I finished for my neighbor Amy (and one of henry's fave babysitters) who is graduating and going to Alabama this fall on a full ride-smart girl! She is from a wonderful family and we are completely blessed to have them across the street. The Brooks girls have been my sanity savers when I try to juggle my freelance gd work/painting and mommy role.

These 2 are a collage of pretty paper with layers of paint wash.

ruthie's baby announcement

here is the front, inside spread & back of ruthie's baby announce. fannie flagg's book-welcome to the world, baby girl is one of my favorite reads & always thought this title was so sweet. (would be a fab summer read) many people signed their little gift cards with this greeting to henry & ruthie as well.

i really enjoy designing baby announcements, if you'd like something custom for your little one-just be in touch. i don't have set prices for these-it is different each time i do them depending on size, detail, single panel, folded, etc.

at the beach

I'm out of town until Sunday, May 31-so if you email and I don't get back to ya. I'm not ignoring you, I'm probably am reading a book on the beach (hardly). It's all 22 of us of my family, pretty wild. Picture evening on the beach is the least favorite night-especially dreaded by the husbands (and the kids).

grad gift peek

i'm working this up for our neighbor who is about to graduate and go to alabama-henry's sweet babysitter. i've gotten into the collage mode, i'm still working on it...think it will be fun in her dorm room. if you have a special grad and to order something to match their room, let me know. or you could order a gift certificate. if you have an amount you'd like to spend, we could go from there...

twin monogram hangers

i made these paper collage wooden hangers for my neighbor whose daughter just had twins. the wooden block is sized at 5.5"x5.5" & 2" deep. They would be $35 each if your like to order one, they can be any color combo. they would work for any age, young or old.

bookmark boom

thanks so much for your bookmark orders, i hope your teachers enjoy them! i've really enjoyed working these up!

kd reunion t-shirt

The girls in my sorority are having a reunion this fall and here's the t design i did for it. Designing this T took me back to college, I did a few of the T-shirt designs for "swaps, sisterhood retreats, etc" because of course it wasn't a party without a t-shirt. Can't believe all that was 10 years ago. The most fun 5 years of my life, got to experience fun, silly sorority life and then artsy art department life. The best of both worlds.

lovely stamps

Some fabulous new stamps that are out. Just ordered a bunch online for Ruthie's little birth announcements. Don't you love them!

Dandy news: I've gotten a laminating machine and have been having lots of fun with it. Working on some new items: tags, laminated verse hangers, & whatever else I run through this thing. Also wanting to offer up some watercolor stationery...So many ideas bumping around in my head. We'll see what I can actually get to. Living with A.D.D. is tough stuff sometimes.

i heart mom

giving a shout-out to the moms in our little world:JoAnna (honey/Tim's mom) is such a wonderful mother-in-law, mother & grandmother-I am completely fortunate to have her. She stayed with us a week after Ruthie came and was such a great help. She was Henry's playmate the whole week and unfortunately on the last night of her stay a storm came through our area and toppled a tree on her shiny car. So sad, but so glad it did not hit the house (or Honey). She was so pooped by the end of her stay, she was calling Ruthie, Rosie-hee hee. We love you! So thankful for your sense of humor and your giving heart.
Margaret (my mom, Gigi). Ruthie was mom & dad's 10th grand, and each one is like her first! She is a loving model for me as "mom" and has dedicated her life to her husband (dad always came first, which is prob why they are still married and in luv) and her 4 girls & now our children. Love you, mom! 90% of the time I'm very glad to be so much like you, although there are some moments when it scares me (like when I say things that don't make sense or get confused). Kidding (kinda). Love you, Margaret Anne!

Tim, Henry, Ruthie & I love our moms & grandmoms.