On the Dot Creations

A February 2011 Desktop Wallpaper for You

 
It's (almost) February . . . time for a new desktop wallpaper!

And yes, it's FREE!  I'd be honored if you shared my design with others, but please send people to this link so that they can download it for themselves.

The wallpaper is available in the following sizes:

1024 x 768 pixels

1280 x 800 pixels

1280 x 1024 pixels

1440 x 900 pixels

Simply click on the desktop wallpaper that fits your computer monitor, save the image to your computer, and then load it onto your desktop. 

Enjoy!

 

P.S. If you're looking for another Valentine's Day-themed desktop wallpaper, check out my family blog for another (cute) option. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the links.

 
Valentine's Day Desktop Wallpaper

Cute Little Polka Dotted House

 
Now these little ornamental houses from Rodica are cute! Made from modeling clay, painted with acrylic paint, and then varnished, these little houses would look adorable as Valentine's Day decorations on a mantle, table, or bookshelf.

This polka dotted house is my favorite, although I really like this striped roof house too.

Valentine's Day is coming . . . are you ready? :)

 

Polka Dotted Lovebirds

 
As you read this, my handsome husband and I are enjoying some much-needed time away in an undisclosed location. Not really . . . we're in Myrtle Beach. And with a little luck, maybe we're doing the same thing that these polka dotted lovebirds from Baby Jives are doing. :)

Here's hoping that you have a wonderful weekend. I know I will. :)

 

Vintage Vogue Cover with Polka Dots

 
The year was 1965. The magazine was Vogue UK. The model wore polka dots, what else??

I was so excited to find this wonderful Flickr set of vintage fashion magazine covers! It's fun to see how styles have changed over the years. Looks like polka dots were popular back in 1965, too! :)

 

Polka Dot Pillows Add Zest to Home Decor

 
I've often wished that I had the nerve to buy a bright-colored chair like this one from IKEA for my home. How fun would a red chair be??

And that multi-colored disc (felt) pillow from the Dede Etsy Shop would add even more fun!

Here's another polka dotted pillow in this shop that I love:

 
These pillows make me smile. :)

How about you? Do you use brightly-colored pillows in your home decor?

Polka Dotted Accessories for Date Night

 
I'm looking forward to spending a few days away with my sweet hubby this week, and I'd love to take these cranberry-colored accessories along on the trip! These polka dotted shoes would look great with a little black dress, don't you think?
 
shoes: "bow" polka dot platform pumps
purse: faux suede ruffles satchel

I Found Polka Dots at Marshalls!

 
It seems that polka dots are popping up everywhere these days, and I wasn't surprised when I spotted some at a Marshalls store this past week. This lovely serving plate just happened to find its way into my shopping cart -- no surprise there! :)
 
I'm really excited about this plate for a few reasons:

1. I've been looking for a white serving plate to place bread/rolls in at dinner time. My place settings are white, so this is a perfect match.

2. I can change the ribbon on the plate to match the theme of the meal I'm preparing. For example, if I'm serving French bread with spaghetti, I can weave some red ribbon in the slots to match the Italian theme. 

3. The plate looks really pretty without the ribbon, too! I love it!

And of course, I had to snap this picture before I left the store:

 
So stylish!

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend, friends.

 

A Life Calendar That Makes Me Smile

 
 
I couldn't help but smile when I saw this life calendar from the Brigada Creativa Etsy shop.

What a fun way to document how you feel each day! Simply draw a face that describes your emotions - happy, sad, angry, scared, etc. I love this idea!

A calendar like this would be easy to make yourself, too. With a pack of yellow dot stickers, a piece of paper, and a marker, you'll be documenting your emotions in no time!  A fun idea for kids, too!

I really like the Love Life, Day by Day calendar too. Perfect for Valentine's Day! :)

So, how was your day? Mine was a smiley face. :)

 

Vintage Stuffed Animal Pattern {with a dotty camel}

 
I'm so excited about the wonderful resource of vintage sewing patterns that I found today on the VintagePatterns.wiki site! 

Take a look at this pattern for hand-sewn stuffed animals -- aren't they cute?? My favorite is the polka-dotted camel, of course! :)

Patterns like this make me want to learn to sew. Maybe someday . . .

 

Polka Dotted, Ruffle-Covered Bloomers {cute}

 
A former student of mine recently gave birth to a precious baby girl, and I've been searching for a cute gift for her. I think I might have found it at the RaeGun Etsy shop!

I absolutely love ruffles, and these polka dotted ruffled diaper covers are just too cute!

 
The RaeGun shop is filled with ruffles and polka dots for your sweet little ones! Enjoy!

 

Valentine's Day Handmade Patchwork Hoops

 
If you can't already tell, I LOVE Valentine's Day, and I've been finding such cute designs on Etsy on this theme. Just look at the cute shop I found today!

The Merriweather Council Etsy shop is filled with beautiful "small decor" items, including these adorable patchwork hoops. I love the vintage style paired with the polka dots!

Here's another hoop that I love! Wouldn't this be cute hanging in a kitchen?


I hope you'll take a moment to browse through the Merriweather Council shop today.

Happy Tuesday!
 
 

Polka Dotted Hand-Painted Signs for Valentine's Day

 
I'm not usually a big fan of hand-painted signs, but I found an Etsy shop that has some cute ones! And what's even better, this Etsy seller is a North Carolina girl! :)

 
These hand-painted polka dotted signs are perfect for Valentine's Day coming up!

You'll find lots of other polka dotted signs in the You're That Girl Designs shop, too! Here's a polka dotted UNC one for you Tarheel fans! :) 

Happy browsing!

 

Two Peas in a Pod: Salt and Pepper

 
While doing a bit of blog reading this morning, I happened to see an ad for these adorable salt and pepper shakers. I think their pink cheeks look like polka dots -- don't you? :)

This would be such a fun wedding or anniversary gift or even for your own table. I know my son would love these!
 
One of the fun features of this set is that the peas attach to the holder magnetically so they don't roll away. :)  From the reviews I've read, the magnets are just strong enough to prevent rolling, but not so strong that they make using the shakers awkward. 

I found the shakers here at ModCloth, but you might be able to find them on other sites, too.

So, do you have any cute salt and pepper shakers? Mine are so plain that it's sad. I might just pick up a pair of these myself! :)

Happy weekend to you!

 

Polka Dotted Heart Nesting Bowls

I don't own any handmade pottery, but if I did, it would probably come from the shop that produced these beautiful heart nesting bowls . . . JDWolfe Pottery.

I've featured this Etsy shop several times here at On the Dot Creations, but I think these polka dotted bowls are my all-time favorite item in this shop. Don't you just love them?

If you're looking for a simpler look, here are some other nesting bowls in the shop:

 
Visit JDWolfe Pottery for other beautiful handmade pottery items. I love this small polka dotted bowl, too! :)

 

Decorate Your Windows for Valentine's Day

 
I absolutely LOVE this window decoration idea from the Noodlehead blog! These pink and red pom poms looks like polka dots to me, so I thought I'd share this fun project with you!

Visit the Noodlehead blog for all of the {simple} details on how to make this garland for your own windows! 

Enjoy!

A January 2011 Desktop Wallpaper for You

Looking for a fun, wintery way to decorate your computer this January?  I've created a polka dotted desktop wallpaper for you!

And yes, it's FREE!  I'd be honored if you shared my design with others, but please send people to this link so that they can download it for themselves.

The wallpaper is available in the following sizes:

1024 x 768 pixels

1280 x 800 pixels

1280 x 1024 pixels

1440 x 900 pixels

Simply click on the desktop wallpaper that fits your computer monitor, save the image to your computer, and then load it onto your desktop. 

Enjoy -- and Happy January!!

 

P.S.  I created these wallpapers according to the most popular screen resolutions of my blog visitors (according to Google Analytics).  If you have a different monitor size and would really like a wallpaper for your computer, let me know.  I'll see what I can do. :)

Plush Puppies in Polka Dots

 
I've loved "wiener dogs" since I was a little girl. For a short time, we had a dachshund puppy named Heinz. He was so cute, but he was quite a challenge to potty train.

Seeing the polka dotted plush dachshunds in the Friends of Socktopus Etsy shop makes me want one of those puppies again. I suppose I'll have to settle for the stuffed version, though.

 
Visit this shop for other adorable stuffed designs. Just wait until you see the socktopus (hence, the name of the shop). He's fabulous!

 

Slurp in Style with Polka Dot Straws

 
Polka dotted straws? Oh my!

I've seen some beautiful striped straws lately, but today I found some polka dot paper straws at Bake It Pretty (thanks for the tip, Bakerella!).

These straws would be simply darling in just about any cup or soda can. I really like the turquoise polka dotted straws on this site, too!

 

Polka Dotted Tissue Paper Poms from Pom Love

 
Talk about a trip down memory lane! Every time I see tissue paper poms like the ones in the Pom Love Etsy shop, I feel like a kid again. I used to make poms like these when I was young, although I'm sure mine weren't as pretty as the ones from Pom Love. :)

I found so many polka dotted designs in this shop! Here are just a few more:

 
 
 
Wouldn't these be fun for parties? They'd also be darling hanging in a child's room, don't you think?

I showed you only a tiny bit of this great shop, so hop over there and look around. Wait until you see the houndstooth pom -- sweet! :)

 

Allsorts Has Gone Polka Dotty!

 
I've talked about the Allsorts blog before, but I was so excited to see that Jenny has deemed January 2011 to be POLKA DOT MONTH on her blog!  We're in for some wonderful dotty posts, tutorials, and downloads, I'm sure!

Head on over there and become a regular reader of this great blog -- you'll be glad you did! :)

 

Polka Dotted Cake Pops { yum }

 
Thanks to one of my Google Alerts, I spotted these adorable polka dotted cake pops on the Create My Event blog today. Although I've never made cake pops, I've drooled over the ones on Bakerella's blog for a long time now. I might just have to make these dotty ones. :)

Have you ever made cake pops? Were they as yummy as they look?

 

The Pitter Patter of Polka Dotted Feet

 
I have one word for these baby shoes from the Gracious May Etsy shop . . . awwww.

Such modern, sophisticated, CUTE styles for little feet!  Check out this shop for other beautiful designs.

 

Car Caddy Sewing Tutorial

 
Now, this car caddy would have come in handy during our 12-hour ride from Florida back to North Carolina this past weekend!

 
Check out the Sew 4 Home site for other fun sewing projects.  I love these ruffled hot cup jackets, too! 

 

O {polka dotted} Christmas Tree!

 
Lookie what I spied at Oh My Handmade this morning!  This adorable polka dotted tree graphic from Ollie Graphic brings lots of fun possibilities to mind!  How about these ideas?

* print on card stock and cut to make gift tags
* make your own Christmas dinner placemats -- great for kids!
* let kids get creative and draw faces on each of the large dots 

Did I mention that it's a free download??  Head over there and download it now.  Time's a wasting! :)

 

Paper Spike Bow Tutorial

 
I've seen bows like this polka-dotted one for sale in stationery stores before, but I was so excited to find a tutorial to make one of my very own!
 
 
Check out Amy's guest post tutorial on the ArtMind blog. If you're still doing some last-minute gift wrapping, this tutorial just might come in handy!

 

Polka Dotted Jumper and Matching Overcoat

 
Now, this is an outfit that makes my polka-dot-lovin' heart go pitter patter!

Talk about staying warm in style! This polka dotted jumper (80% polyester, 20% wool) and matching overcoat from Velvet & Tweed are simply beautiful!

Now, if they just made these in my size, I'd be happy! :)

 

So Dog-Gone Cute

 
I wish I had found the Pecan Pie Puppies Etsy shop sooner, because I know that my dog Daisy would look adorable in this collar for Christmas!

Just look at these other polka dotted designs too:

 
 
And this one would be adorable year-round:

 
Maybe next year, Daisy! :)

Daisy wishes you a very Merry Christmas!

 

Button Up -- It's Cold Outside!

 
Who knew that chipboard epoxy buttons could be this cute?  These buttons from Such Sweet Tierney would be adorable on a scrapbook layout (as pictured below) or attached to a Christmas tag on a handmade gift!

 
I really love these pinks, blues, and reds together, too!  I see you hiding underneath the others, little polka dotted button! :)

 
These truly are cute as a button! :)

 

Lather Up with Polka Dots

 
Handmade soaps are so popular these days, and these polka dotted clove and peppermint Christmas soaps from So Stinking Sweet are just darling!

Wouldn't these be beautiful in a glass-domed dish in the bathroom for the holidays?  Yes, please!

Visit this fun Etsy shop for other beautiful soaps.  I love this glitter snowflake soap, too!

 

Festive Felt Fun

 
I've done it again . . . stumbled upon an adorable crafty blog.  And this time, I found a fantastic felt garland idea!  CUTE!

Jess recently made these ornaments too -- eeek!

 
Click over to the Craftiness is not Optional blog for other fabulous crafty ideas!