DIY Blog

Handmade gifts part 1, textiles and paintings….

This year I really wanted to give my loved ones heart felt gifts. I thought about what each family member would hold dear when making their present to help express to them how fortunate I feel to have them in my life. Whether it was a precious memory from my childhood or a painting, all the gifts I gave were produced with love and with these 2 hands.

TEXTILE GIFTS \| From concept drawing to hand dyed & screenprinted tea towel



Handmade doll, doll clothes, shoes and accessories out of designer fabric swatches for baby Grace


Mass destruction was underway at my house at this point! Little stacks of projects line the walls….

Farm animal paintings have become an increasingly popular gift for my family members!





Hand Painted Platter and Trivet

Handmade Gifts part 2,Vintage Frames and Photo Gifts

Vintage Frames and Photo Gifts that portray beautiful & priceless memories ……

What is the best Christmas present ever? “When your soulmate ask you to marry him!”

Our Atlanta Graffiti Hunt turns into a marriage proposal.


For My Best Friend Meg van der KruikI love digitally altering photos to make mixed media collages…


For my Little Brother- Vintage Photo Cartridge to Frame with Black and White Vellum prints.


Mom’s Photo Box

Screen printed Posters and T-shirts

My boyfriend John Stidham is an artist, like myself and musician. He has a master’s degree in painting and drawing, teaches screen printing and runs his own t-shirt shop. We recently decided to put a large poster print shop down stairs at my home. The prints below are the first large prints from the shop! John and I are really excited about the new designs we have lined up to print.

Below on the left: John looking so serious, with his friend to the right Jeremy Hughes, Artist buying a T from us.

Below Image: Title: Faded Shooter, Collaborative Print By Amber L. Rice and John Stidham 1/5 Prints 22″x33″ paper

Purchase at: Empire Screen Shop

Below Image: Title: Bang Bang, Collaborative Print By Amber L. Rice and John Stidham 1/5 Prints 22″x 33″ paper

Purchase at: Empire Screen Shop




Top Left: My friend Andrea Arnold is wearing a Custom Re-purposed Distressed Skull Design T
Top Right: My Friend Erin Rayfield has on the Razor back Shooter T – PURCHASE HERE at Empire Screenprints Shop

OUR POSTER SHOP

DIY diorama with your kid

My 9 year old son loves everything military, army, or involving combat. I am not too thrilled about this camo fascination but boys will be boys!

To put an art twist on my son’s passion for everything military, we decided to build a diorama. This particular set came from Hobby Lobby

A small replica of a war camp definitely captivated my son Tucker’s creative side.

Take it a step further! Make a map for one of the soldiers (out of an old dress pattern, making it look old. Then, fold it like a map).

A tent out of muslin fabric and sticks from outside adds a more custom look.

Build a miniature camp fire and larger sticks for soldier to sit on. Maybe even build small barricades and throw in a history lesson on the use of barricades.

Discuss actual items you can create with your child out of house hold items or things from nature that push them to think creatively and drive their imagination past the set.

Of course, now on the agenda we have a tank and helicopter to construct, so stay tuned!

You may find the first couple sets that you, the parent, will be doing all the work.

Your child is still very much interested in the process and will soon want to be more involved the application of each element.

Horse Portraits | New Commissioned work

I really enjoyed doing these portraits!!!!

For Commissioned work email me at amberleahdow@gmail.com

Pallet Furniture and other things

LONG weekend!!!! I am so tired but wanted to get these pictures posted. I had a blast making these pieces! You can purchase them at The Best Little Warehouse in Georgia located in little historic downtown Hogansville, GA. The owners BJ and Allan Boyer also own Born Again Antiques, which is one on my favorite stores! I have decided to start producing made to order custom furniture and offer staging/design services. I love, love, love creating unique spaces and you what they say, do what you love. Plus, I’m already doing must of these things on a the reg with my company SIKADA Design. SIKADA handles everything from web design and branding to product design and packaging.SIKADA site: http://www.thesikada.com/

Available at:The Best Little Warehouse in Georgia306 Main Street

Hogansville, Georgia 30230

Custom Orders call (706) 302-0383

email inquiries to amber@thesikada.com

Furniture Projects

Industrial Barn-door Dining Table

I just moved into this beautiful older home in January. Going with out a large table to entertain my dinner guests was a little stressful….. I needed a very cost effectivebut aesthetically pleasing solution for my space. Since I grew up on 2 farms and have sewn since I was a child, the industrial sewing machine base of the table from an old sewing factory and the top 200 year old barn door made the perfect materials to use for my table. Plus, I just love mixing old wood and industrial metal.Materials purchased from Born Again Antiques in Hogansville, GA

Vintage Mixed Media Coffee Table

My friend Andrea gave me the vintage wood shapes and mid-century modern base for this coffee table. I actually turned the into a piece that can be hung on a front porch or patio area. This piece and along with other art and handmade furniture will be available to purchase this Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 18th at my home in Hogansville, GA.

Bed side dresser

Sometimes plain furniture just needs an accent color to fit in a room more comfortably! Especially when you have a sweet print displayed above it that needs no help making a statement.Art by John Stidham

Tucker’s Comic Book Shelf | Recycled Materials

I recently got to travel across the country and stay with my best Friend Meg and her family in Long Beach for 10 DAYS! I got to meet some pretty cool chicks as well!

Meg & Todd (Eliza and Kashman), Nicole, Beth, Cara and Gina, I miss you all!!! Maybe one day when I’m all grown up, I‘ll be at least an 1/8 as successful as you guys are with your amazing blogs! 😉 (You can visit their BLOGS by clicking their links on my COOL PLACES page)

My son Tucker loves reading at night. Recently, he has really got into comics. Of course, my son would like vintages comics….

I decided we needed a really cool display for them to protect our investment LOL….

It is amazing what a pallet, some old wood, vintage peg legs a little imagination can create!

Peg legs and old wood from BORN AGAIN ANTIQUES

MAD dash to make everyone gifts!!!

I have been producing items like crazy for my SIKADA Creative product line and realized I needed gifts for my family lol….

So some of these items are spoken for but some are available to buy as well. If you are interested in buying any of these items email me at amberleahdow@gmail.com and I will help you with your order.

I had so much fun making these and have much more to come!

SIKADA Creative Product Line – Native Design Items

Black Raglan T – SIZE available Small | 1 left $25.00+ shipping handling

Black Over sized Market Bag with Leather Straps | 1 left $30.00+ shipping handling

Ultra Soft Native T – NA

(contact me through my email amberleahdow@gmail.com if interested in purchasing any of my products)

SIKADA Creative Product Line – Wine bag

2 available for purchase $15.99 + shipping handling

(contact me through my email amberleahdow@gmail.com if interested in purchasing any of my products)

SIKADA Creative Product – Short Sleeve T

1 available Red SIZE SMALL $20.00 + shipping handling

1 available Cream SIZE SMALL $20.00 + shipping handling

(contact me through my email amberleahdow@gmail.com if interested in purchasing any of my products)

– This screen printed T is one of my hand drawn designs.

SIKADA Creative Product Line bag | 1 available for purchase now and 2 in the works. The added details will be different for the ones still in production.

I like to add detail with stitching and leather….

1 available $30.00 + shipping handling

(contact me through my email amberleahdow@gmail.com if interested in purchasing any of my products)

– This screen printed bag is one of my hand drawn designs.

Cole’s Christmas Clutch | made from reclaimed fabric & leather swatches

Meg’s Christmas Clutch | made from reclaimed fabric & leather swatches

Mom’s Birthday Clutch | made from reclaimed fabric & leather swatches

Happy Holidays, from SIKADA Creative!

MORE CLUTCHES………

SIKADA Creative Product | made from reclaimed fabric & leather swatches- Clutch – Available

$55.00 + Shipping and handling

(contact me through my email amberleahdow@gmail.com if interested in purchasing any of my products)

SIKADA Creative Product | made from reclaimed fabric & leather swatches- Wallet – Available

$35.00 + Shipping and handling

(contact me through my email amberleahdow@gmail.com if interested in purchasing any of my products)

SIKADA Creative Product | made from reclaimed fabric & leather swatches- Wallet – NA

LARGER VIEWS OF THE CLUTCHES

FARM to INDUSTRY 2013 New Art….

Latest Artwork in Shows….

I am an artist at my very core, wanting nothing else other than to produce art that I am passionate about. I have survived and will continue to survive through anything life wants to throw at me. Like everyone human being on this earth I have endured hard times. These times make me stronger and more aware that there is a complex world around me. For anyone to claim they have it harder than anyone else is simply insane and selfish. Life is precious and very short. You must fight for happiness. Live each day as it is your last and know that if you are true to yourself and the things that make you happy you will find a way to achieve happiness. Keep moving and do not linger in self-pity. Choose to live and appreciate the life that was so graciously given to you.

My Grandparents taught me not to take for granted the opportunities given. Papa Tom, my grandfather starting working in the cotton fields at age 3. He never got to attend school or learn to read. My Grandmother got to finish high school. Both Grandparents worked HARD their whole adult lives and never spent a penny over what they needed to survive. My grandmother (the women that so graciously helped raise me) took care of everything from Financials, the house, all meals, worked in a sewing factory to make ends meet, got up when the rooster crowed and stayed up at night until every family member in the house laid down to rest. She was my rock. Grandma now has dementia and no longer knows me. The hardest thing I’ve ever experienced is looking the one person in the eyes who enriched my life and molded me into the person I am today and her not being able to look back into my eyes and see her granddaughter.

This series Entitled: FARM to INDUSTRY is for my grandparents ….. You are my rock and always will be! Your my reference of what home is, my safe haven in my time of need and where I learned what unconditional love really means.

FARM TO INDUSTRY 2013

FARM 2013