arts-4-all

Myakka River State Park.....

2011-11-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

.....in beautiful SW Florida! My grandkids and I had a perfect day hiking around this semi-wilderness park yesterday. Read all about its attractions HERE.

We've finally had some cooler nights here in the sunny south and it felt so good to be out in the crisp dry air after a long humid summer. As always, if you want to take a closer look, please click on the individual images.......

The suspension canopy walk is a major feature of this park. It is 25 feet off the ground and extends through the tree tops for 100 feet.

Here we are at the terminus of the canopy walk getting ready to climb an additional 50 feet to the top of the tower!

And here's the view from about half way up.....

Rural beauty

A bit of wetland and oak hammock

And a lovely, sunlit clearing.....

Among the many kinds of wildlife that live in or near the park, wild boars root around in the sand looking for supper. Here's a snap of wild boar tracks. We didn't see any close up on this trip, but we have before. They are fairly scary critters!

Peaceful vista

We found a leaning palm tree trunk to play on! It was a wild horse, a circus high wire and we also pretended to be monkeys ;-0 (see next shot)

And here's the nana monkey!!

riding double.....

For those of you who know, wild turkeys are very shy. We were quite fortunate to see a flock of eight. Mostly hens, and two youngsters who looked about half-size - maybe from a spring hatch?

A great week for rainbows!!

2011-11-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

Who would ever have guessed that in the same week I would make a rainbow quilt (see the post previous to this one) and then receive one in a swap?

Participating for the second time in Kate North's Another Little Quilt Swap (this is her 6th as hostess...) I received this absolutely gorgeous quilt from Marie Joerger.

Introducing "Baby Rainbow Bright"

Please click on image for a closer look!

A larger version (the "Mama??) of this quilt hangs in Marie's home and she made this one especially for the swap.

This is the most informative label I've ever seen, and how kind of Marie to include my name ;-0

The quilting is a perfect all -over meander done in a very subtle shaded rainbow rayon thread so the whole quilt has a magical sparkle.

The nine batiks used in the color blocks are the perfect complement to the bright and bubbly border fabric and even the backing is true to the rainbow theme.

If you haven't visited the ALQS blog please do. Kate does such a great job of organizing and encouraging her swap participants that maybe you'll find yourself wanting to do a swap the next time she announces one - it's great fun!! And do visit Marie's blog and Etsy shop - she's a talented gal.......

Rainbow Bright "Charmer"

2011-11-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

Not blogging very often, but still sewing up my stash ;-0 The pleasure of scrap quilts has taken over my life (when I'm not out working in my new yard, that is...) I'm discovering a creative outlet I never dreamed existed in my previous world of more predictable pre-planned quilts!

This small jewel is 16x48 and fits nicely as a runner on my kitchen table or hangs easily in several skinny wall spaces in my house. Each fabric is different, even the backing and binding - my first charm quilt. Many thanks to Mary Mashuta for the circles! I found the idea and pattern in her book, Cotton Candy Quilts.

Please click for larger view

Please click on image to get a closer look

Postcard swap.....

2011-09-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

The creative and organized artist and swap hostess, creativelenna, has completed another successful swap. The theme for this swap was, "A Summer's Day." These three postcards arrived safely in my mailbox yesterday and what a lucky girl I am to have them!!

As always, please click on each image if you want a larger view ;-0

**********************************************************************************

Being a beach girl myself, the carefully constructed beach scene is perfect for me! Amanda in California has captured a relaxing seaside day with layers of water color, rubber stamps, collage elements, and even bits of real seashells glued on. And the little fish swam all the way to the back of the card, which is as carefully created as the front.... Thanks, Amanda!!

****************************

When Tiffiny (also in California) created this sea horse postcard, little did she (or Lenna) know that it would end up with a woman who counts these tiny oceangoing pseudo-equines as her second-favorite (after giraffes) critter. Tiffiny created a wonderful underwater coral habitat for her glittered guys and added an informative list of sea horse attributes on the back of the card. Thanks Tiffiny!

****************************_

And what says summer better than a picnic complete with ants...? Barbara in Illinois crafted a three-dimensional scene so perfectly. The basket is woven from paper strips, the sandwich is created in actual layers with two slices of bread, some lettuce peeks out, and is that bologna we see in that sandwich? A red checkered tablecloth and colorful napkins are arranged on the "grass" background, and there are even tiny ants made from the tiniest fuzzy craft balls I've ever seen. Thanks, Barbara!

*****************************

If you've never done a swap, especially not one with Lenna, might I suggest that you jump in and give it a try? FUN!! FUN!! FUN!!

art journalling

2011-09-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

Back a few posts ago, I mentioned that I'd finally begun some intentional art journalling. A cross between art with no/few words, and a more conventional diary composed mostly of words. Separate from an artist's sketch and notebook, art journaling is another means by which anyone can discover the self. Whether it takes particular courage and or any special talent to do this remains to be seen.

I chose to use 9" x 6" sheets of water color paper. This is a handy size for me and the loose sheets can be arranged in a variety of ways as the journal progresses. Chronological order is obvious (date each sheet!!) but the pages can also be sorted by color, mood, theme, etc. I know many of you are in love with your Moleskine's of varying sizes, but for some reason the flexibility of individual sheets of paper appeals to me. There are no rules in art journaling!!!!! I even bought a pretty box covered in yellow roses (my favorite flower) to keep these first sheets in.

please click for larger image

One of my great pleasures is to read about and study whatever catches my interest. All the local librarians are used to seeing me standing at the check-out desk with arms full of quilting and art books. And now, I'm reading about art journaling.

In a book by Diana Trout, Journal Spilling, I found the following quote [brackets mine], which has banished forever any qualms I might have about the utility or purpose of writing and making art. Cyril Connolly was a British literary critic.

"Better to write [make art] for yourself and have no public than to write [make art] for the public and have no self."

Some quotations are sappy-gooey in their sentiment, but not this one from Connolly. And reaching back into ancient days, one of the quotations that prompted several life-changing 180's in perspective on my life several years ago, is this from Seneca,

"On him does death lie heavily who, but too well known to all, dies to himself unknown."

Ideas to think on as we ease on into the weekend and into the rest of our lives.........

ALQS #6

2011-09-08T05:48:00.000-07:00

Another Little Quilt Swap hosted by Kate North. This is my second quilt swap with Kate and her talented followers. Kate is an organized and enthusiastic hostess and so far, the quilts I've seen for this swap on her blog are gorgeous with a capital G!!

Mine own, "Lone Melody" is a 21" square - machine pieced with hand quilting and lightly beaded. 100% cotton (except for the beads of course), it is also the first (and maybe the last!) Lone Star block I ever made.

Please click for a closer look.....

Please click for a closer look...

Color my world!!!!!

2011-09-02T04:33:00.000-07:00

Although I've been mostly offline for several weeks taking a break from spending what felt like too much time sitting in front of the computer, it definitely pays to cruise the hyperlink byways on the 'net from time to time.

Click/larger.....

Would you believe I made these magical colors on fabric in my very own utility room???

It all began with "daisy yellow", which led me to Fannie Narte, which led me to Caran D'Ache Neocolor II wax crayons. So, I go to my local art supply store, Keeton's Office and Art Supply, but for some frustrating reason they don't stock the Caran D'Ache water soluble pastels. They do have a cheaper substitute, however. Since I'm always on a budget and since I had a 40% off coupon plus the usual 10% savings Keeton's gives to local artists, I was able to purchase these beauties at a give-away price.

A Binney & Smith (of Crayola fame) product

So, back to the 'net and back to the helpful and free tutorial I had found on the above mentioned Fannie Narte blog (which actually included a link to a Squidoo web site) Whew!!! All this travel has a girl in a whirl........ anyway.....

In addition to limited cash, I also have limited work space and no real outdoor place for complex fabric dying and drying operations. The beauty of this color process is that it is non-toxic and requires no gloves, vats, chemicals, or extra ventilation. I mostly work on small art pieces, so I don't need to dye yardage. I do want lots of little pieces in a wide variety of color combos. I can use them for backgrounds, or cut them even smaller for applique. Water soluble means just that, however, so any finished piece is NOT WASHABLE.

So, tickle me pink (and lime green.) In the Squidoo tutorial, no one mentions how to get the little 'belly button' of fabric that was twisted around the bead ironed out, but I'll play some more and maybe next time I'll scrunch and fold instead of twisting. A 1/2 yard cut of Kona white goes a long way when you only need 8" x 8" pieces.

I'll play with the less costly substitute (and invite my grandkids to join me!) until they are used up, and then treat myself to the real deal - a small set of the Caran D'Ache Neocolor II water soluble wax crayons. BTW - whichever brand one uses, they work beautifully on paper too!!!

click/larger

Art Journalling.......

2011-08-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

A true art journal page - photographed both with and without the flash What a different it makes, n'est ce pas?).

Begun with a 6" x 9" sheet of watercolor paper washed with several shades of blue, green and a bit of purple. I make these background papers for fun just to see how the colors will blend. Sometimes I add salt while the paint is still wet, or use my fingertips to flick some plain rubbing alcohol onto the wet color washed paper.

I totally LOVED journalling on the wavy lines using all capital letters. The rainbow haiku surfaced all by itself (YES!!)

please click to view larger

Several on my online blog pals (a couple of whom I've had the joy of meeting in real time and space!) are creating art journals. bohemiannie, creative lenna, and friedaquilter.

Not being a 'real' artist (whatever that is...) I have long puzzled over the ability to express one's feelings in visual form. Yes, I can make a pretty quilt and some of my photographs are pleasing to the eye, but the emphasis is on the technique and the form, rather than the function of expressing feeling. Or maybe I'm just so dense about myself that feelings and art have been mutually imcompatible up to now.

In the two immediately previous posts, I've featured two small traditional quilts. Pretty though they are, and as much as I enjoyed the detail process of applique, beading, couching fiber, and thread painting, and a form of art though they may be, they are not at all reflective of who I am. Or, if they are, they reflect a detail oriented person wedded to technique and a narrow range of skills that produce a predictable result.

In retirement, after the usual hectic 40+ years of home keeping, kid raising, a profession, civic and church responsibilities, I find myself not having a clue about how to go about translating feelings into some sort of visual record. For many years, I have kept a diary of sorts - all written - often following Julia Cameron's advice to write the three daily pages. When I read back through these stacks and stacks of spiral notebooks, however, there is a repetitive dullness to my words. The pages lack color and variety. Yes, from time to time I've kept my diary on blank pages, adding a sketch or two, but not having much talent for drawing, the sketches seem as flat as the paper they are drawn on.

In addition, I have created a fairly extensive collection of elaborate scrapbook pages. Made primarily with decorative store-bought elements and ephemera, in addition to all the photographs I've taken along the way, this visual record is far more about family and scenery than it is about me.

Speaking of 'me', does anybody really care? We live in the era of 'me'!! Because it is primarily women who are creating the art journals in progress, I can only assume that unfortunate feelings of invisibility and second-classness are alive and well. Feminism and major cracks in the glass ceiling aside, it is women who seem to be feeling the need to increase their visibility and validate their lives through art journaling. At the age of 65, why am I suddenly so entranced with myself????? This is a topic worthy of other essays at another time......

Previous attempts at creating an art journal are now history (though I respect the lessons I learned while trying). As usual, my focus was on the art rather than on my own interior. The art seldom pleased me, so my perception of failure was built in. Books on journaling, re-visiting Julia Cameron and SARK, even the free Strathmore® Visual Journal online classes failed to create the right climate for me to merge art and being. Perhaps the "problem" was the bound book format.....?

By chance (or, more likely, some cosmic Blessing), yesterday I came across the following blog daisy yellow.

All I can say is WOW!!!!!!! The saying, "when the student is ready the teacher will appear" couldn't be more applicable. Can't quite put my finger on just what sort of trip wire this blog has activated, but I suddenly believe I understand the ability to merge art and life.

Away with the bound book and it's linear progression of pages (although a friend of mine always starts her books somewhere in the middle, going forward and backward as the mood strikes her.) Loose sheets are better for me because I can sew on them. And in this instance, size really doesn't matter - I'll go to my local craft store and pick up a storage box that will accommodate pages of several dimensions.

See you, later....... ;-D

Flower Power II - Daylily

2011-08-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

Another small (16" x 19") quilt in a series.

please click on image for larger view

Not especially innovative artistically, but the precision pleases me.

New quilt

2011-08-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a warm couple of weeks here in Sunny Florida - too hot and humid to be outside much in the afternoon, so I've been sewing. Just when I thought I had all the books a crafter could possibly need, I found a fabulous applique techniques book at my local big-box fabric store. Since happily I also had a coupon good for 50% off any one item, the book came home with me ;-0 The book is Applique: the Basics and Beyond by Janet Pittman. The perfect book for an applique "virgin" like me!! Ms. Pittman's instructions are wonderfully clear and are backed up with outstanding color photography.

This is a small jewel only 14 1/2" x 16 3/4". Made entirely with scraps from my stash, too! One of my gal pals loves pink, so it will make its way to her for an un-birthday gifty surprise.........

Please click on image for more detail

Postcards

2011-08-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Sarasota Surface Design Guild I belong to has switched from ATC's to 4"x6" postcards for our monthly member swap. The postcards can be either fabric or paper (or a combination!!) This is a new size format for me so I've been playing......... four very different styles..........

Please click for a larger view.....

The card in the upper right is on paper I cut from a larger sheet of a water color 'experiment.' I placed a transparent overlay that has writing on it next, and then positioned the two dark strips behind it. A second overlay of the woman's image is a tape transfer. For embellishment I added three vintage mother-of-pearl buttons and some decorative machine stitching. A little twist of fancy fibers finishes the look I was aiming for.

"Beach Summer" was composed on a piece of pearlized peach colored card stock, stamped multiple times with a flower image, and then I applied the three tape transfers (can you tell I've been having fun with tape transfers???) and the lettering stickers.

"Pisces" is a combo of color stamped background (the little 'Brilliance" teardrops), an embossed peacock feather, a bit of sparkle in the swirly stickers and hand lettering which tells of the attributes of Pisces folk. I made it specifically to give to a Pisces pal of mine ;-0

"bloom" is circles of fabric appliqued onto a pieced background and is a direct copy of one of Tom Russel's styles of design. The two largest circles and the leaves were also pieced before being cut out. A few shiny black beads in the center of the smallest circles seemed called for, so I added them. I backed the fabric with a piece of light blue cardstock and zig-zagged around all the edges to hold it all together.

Each of the postcards has a hand lettered designation of 'postcard' on the back and a little drawing of a stamp (2 cents, if anyone can remember back that far.......!!) with a wiggly line down the middle to separate the address section from the message section. I know there are rubber stamps available in postcard format, but at JoAnn's and also at my local art store, they are $12.95, and I have better things to do with that amount of cash!!

Faint Praise

2011-08-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

I seem to be in "rant mode' ......... Try as I might not to let personal opinion creep into the experience of art, sometimes my feelings create a wonderful kind of energy I can't ignore. After 2 1/2 months of getting settled in a new home, I'm finally able to find my art and sewing supplies and have been on a binge of making - ATC's, postcards, a mini-quilt, a bracelet made with vintage buttons, and trying a few new techniques with paper and paint. All this activity has unleashed a few thoughts.......

I belong to a surface design guild and our regular monthly meeting was the other evening. In addition to the business of the meeting, the membership brings items they have been working on to share. Obviously, in any group, some of us are more talented than others. Some are 'real' artists in that they regularly sell their work, exhibit in galleries, and have a presence on ETSY. Others of us have less native talent perhaps (or are just less ego-driven) but are not less creative in our own way.

I am in the latter category, definitely!!! But, I love what I do, and do not consider myself to be a dilettante. I work hard at my small crafts and occasionally produce a work which can hold its own in any but the most august company.

All through the formative years (childhood, in an old-fashioned parlance) my mother used the expression "Damned by faint praise." Find a bit of explanation here.

Several years ago, I was the media specialist (school librarian in an old-fashioned parlance) in an inner city school. The children had so little and were mostly unloved by just about everybody. I had a wonderful teacher's aide named Cindy, and together, we vowed to find something positive to say about each child who visited the media center. Today, Jamal might have the brightest stripes on his shirt, and tomorrow, Carmenita the cutest little curl on the nape of her neck. We praised pink plastic barrettes, well-tied shoe laces, clean fingernails, and a thousand other unique details about these youngsters. We stretched our observational skills, our vocabulary of adjectives, and our hearts, while finding something special about each of these precious babies. In school system training workshops, we learned to make academic praise specific. Even a mediocre effort has something good in it. Even the neat use of glue, an improvement in scissor skills, a tidier column of numbers in an addition problem, and so forth.

This training echoed the lesson my mother taught me and has stood me in good stead to this day.

When I attend the guild meetings, it is easy to wax ecstatic and gush over the artistry of the truly talented, but even the most humble contributor in the group has worked to create whatever it is she has brought to share. It is her best effort and deserves more than a cursory glance and a quick, "That's nice." Such empty praise is no praise at all! Since I fall into that latter group of the minimally talented, it is disheartening to hear my offerings damned by faint praise.

In almost all cases, the maxim, "if you can't find something nice to say, don't say anything at all' is true. In the case of commenting on the artwork of others, however, I would add that it is imperative to find one special thing to praise - something that lets the artist know that you have really looked at her work.

I'm not sure if I will continue to bring my creations to share with the group because I come away from meetings feeling inadequate. I will, however, continue the practice of observation so that I can contribute a specific bit of praise, ask a question about technique, and in general let the artist know that I am interested in her effort whether it is a show-stopper or not.

Invasive Species aka Noxious Weeds

2011-08-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

One of my casual acquaintances is on the landscape committee of her condominium association. The condo complex is a relatively small one that was developed about four miles from the Gulf of Mexico in Manatee County, Florida, in the early 1980's. At the time of development, the Carrotwood was a popular landscape choice.

Sadly, it was discovered too late that Carrotwoods are invasive, difficult to eradicate, and are generally a danger to already fragile coastal ecosystems. Many areas in Florida have city/county ordinances against planting them.

This acquaintance of mine is generally considered to be a nice woman. She and her husband are pillars of their church, and are well-loved neighbors of the condominium residents. She is also what I call a hyper-Christian. Prayer chains and Bible studies, as well as frequent church attendance, feature regularly in her daily life, and references to God and "his" blessings abound in her speech. God causes the weather, the joys and heartaches we experience, and "his" will is evident all around us.

Being on the landscape committee has thrust this acquaintance into a battle with the Carrotwood trees that were planted in her condo complex and she has successfully lobbied to have many of them removed. (No easy task, as they continue to sprout from the roots unless quite drastic action with toxic chemicals is taken.)

It has occurred to me that it is this woman's lack of control over this particular species that galls her. Broadly speaking, she has selected the invasive Carrotwood as a touchstone for all that is beyond her ability to understand. Her hatred of the trees in her complex is evident in the frown lines that develop between her brows, the down-turn of her mouth, and the nasty little twist in her tongue when she says 'invasive species.' Several weeks ago, I cheerfully allowed as how God created the Carrotwood in addition to all the other trees. For a moment, you could have heard the proverbial pin drop. A strange look crossed her face. That man imported and planted the trees in Florida to begin with, and that ignorant birds tend to carry the seeds for dispersion is of little account. It is the wayward and incorrigible nature of these trees that is the entire focus of her interest in them.

If you follow the link in the first paragraph and read about the Carrotwood, you will notice similarities to the behaviors and spread of human habitation. We too, are an invasive species, noxious weeds able to be eradicated only by the drastic action of toxic chemicals. The degradation of the coastal areas of southwest Florida is far more likely to have been caused by intentional human greed and the desire to own water-side property. There are not miles and miles of Carrotwood trees consuming vast acreage, but there are miles and miles of high-rise vacation rentals. We require air-conditioning, strip malls, automobiles, a complex electric grid and miles of paving. Our use of dwindling fresh water resources verges on the criminal.

Although they are, indeed, a threat to mangrove and other coastal habitats, the Carrotwoods provide shade, food and nesting safety for birds, and are a visually attractive tree. Highly salt tolerant, they thrive in semi-tropical where other shade trees can't. They are clueless bystanders in a strange war not at all of their own making. To blame the trees themselves, is like blaming the winter snow for a flood in June.

Like human beings and snow and even flooding or thunderstorms, the Carrotwood is neither all good nor all bad. And the small and rather interfering God of my acquaintance, probably has little or nothing to do with any of these mysteries!

Post Card Swap

2011-07-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

If you treat yourself and hop on over to Lenna's Creative Swaps page you'll discover that there are just a few spots left to join this incredible swap!!!

Lenna's swaps are always inspiring and well organized. And the results.......? Well, it's always top-drawer art from a faithful following of regulars, plus talented newcomers joining in on the fun. Lenna has several swaps in progress, but I love the postcard size, and maps, and summer, and taking trips..... so it was a no-brainer that I should do postcards.

The swap is three for three (plus I did an extra one for Lenna because she is such an able and enthusiastic hostess.)

(Click to view a bit larger)

I'm no poet, but this bit of rhyming silliness felt right ;-0
(Click to view a bit larger)

So the art is finished, the photos taken, a bit of blogging done, and when I head out later today will send these off to Lenna to share. I'll be watching her blog to see what the other participants are doing and start dreaming about which three postcards will be mine when the swap is over.

Thanks Lenna!!!

Zentangle Challenge # 32

2011-07-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Laura Harms has another guest challenger this week - the talented Carole Ohl.

Here's what Carol wrote about this week's challenge:

"Weekly Challenge #32: Zentangle is for Everyone

Zentangle is for everyone!

I love that every week of the Diva challenge, we get to see each person’s unique and wonderful interpretation. It’s an stunning affirmation of the natural beauty that lives in all of us. I know, it’s kind of mushy, but it’s true.

I was recently asked to participate as an “Artist of the Month” by a new local restaurant. Each month Amicis gives their wall space to a local artist.

Instead of showing just my own work, it seemed like an opportunity to showcase that Zentangle truly is ‘art for everyone.’

One section of the show will feature a wall of Zentangle tiles that have been created by different artists, using the same four tangles.

This challenge contains an invitation to participate with me in this little show. (You can, of course, participate in the challenge even if you don’t want to be in the actual show.)

The challenge: Use a 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inch tile. If you have an official Zentangle tile, great, if not, that’s ok too. The frames I will be using fit this size tile. Use any string you like with these four tangles: Pais (by Mikee Huber), Zedbra (by Laura Harms and Margaret Bremner), Keenees (by Donna Hornsby), and Baton (by moi) [moi, being Carol Ohl, herself] to create a response to this challenge."

And here's the tile I'll be mailing to Carol..... This truly was a challenge, because these aren't tangles I've used very often or played with very much. We sure do learn something about ourselves through challenges - I love the easy curves of Pais, but not so much the more angular work of Zedbra and Baton, while Keenes seemed a bit repetitive without being relaxing or conducive to meditation.

Home again, home again.....

2011-05-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

This blog hasn't been high on my list of priorities lately.

Some of you know that I've recently bought a small condominium instead of continuing to rent an apartment, and others of you know that I recently took a two week trip to the UK. Between traveling, packing. planning, keeping up a bit with a few small art projects and doing some kidsitting with my grandchildren, there just hasn't been time to post.

I did take LOTS of photos in the UK, and am going to throw a few of my favorite ones at you here!!

If you want to see any of them larger, please just remember to click on the image ;-0

Leaving on a jet plane.....

Victoria Station, London

Who would think in the middle of Bath, in a crack between ancient cobbles there would be a tiny, hot pink Mickey Mouse head sequin - is there no escape?????

The abbey, Bath

River Avon in Bath

Being an early morning tea drinker, i was thrilled to find these kinds of tea services wherever I stayed. The electric kettles heat up super fast and really heat the water, real milk comes in the little blue-topped containers, and there were usually biscuits (cookies) too!

Can you believe I rented a car and drove on the "wrong" side of the road for 11 days!!! As you can see, thew steering wheel is on the "wrong" side of the car, too, but it really wasn't too difficult to master a new skill. Did get beeped at a few times and the occasional irritated look. the roundabouts are the worst, but overall, UK drivers are much more polite and patient than we are!! ;-0

Probably should have a separate post just for all the wonderful churches I saw, but this country steeple really caught my eye, so am including it here.

My first real pub!!!!!!! Had a tasty sandwich and a half of the local ale - delish!!

At Graylake Nature Preserve

Lovely roadside scene on the way to Cornwall

Bluebells and snowdrops

Green!!!!!

This very clever hand washing device was at a local parking spot in Port Isaac, Cornwall, UK.
It is soap, water and an air drier all in one.

Fabric Collage

2011-04-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to 3 Creative Studios and guest artist, Donna, I had fun this morning playing with scraps. I'm taking a trip in a couple of weeks and will need a few special hostess gifts (for some very special hostesses!!!) so thought I'd make a test piece to see how Donna's tutorial would work. I tend toward precision in all things, but this free-style approach to small art pieces really appealed to my inner playmate and here is the result. "Sunflower" - a 5 1/2 x 8 inch mini 'quilt' in some sunshiny colors plus B&W for the pop factor....... Guess I could add beads or buttons if I wanted to, but am very eager to get on with the next experiment!

Please click to see larger image ;-0

Just in case you're thinking my squaring-up skills are lacking, this is meant to be wonky ;-0

The Diva's Weekly Challenge # 16

2011-04-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Sixteen weeks, going strong and growing!!! That would be Laura Harms' Zentangle© challenge.

This week the tangle is a new one, Mooka, that was designed by the originators of Zentangle©. You can read all about it on Laura's blog, and if you follow the hyperlinks she provides, you can see an absolutely nifty YouTube tutorial by tangling gurus, Rick and Maria.

Unlike some, I don't even try to draw a tile every day, but this new Mooka tangle is absolutely the most pen and paper fun I've had in a long while. The continuous line of this new pattern just flows from the pen by itself..... I've been decorating my grocery list and a file folder, in addition to creating several tiles and it's still only Monday ;-0 The pattern seems to work well in any size - large and full-blown or small and precise. It's time for supper, or I'd start another tile!!! Anyone for dessert?

Please click for closer look.....

Rainy week... and an art challenge

2011-03-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

So far it's been a rainy time in Florida the past few days. We certainly need the rain to nourish trees, grass and shrubbery, but the downpour just awhile ago was nearly scary, and I love rough weather! Took a couple of photos of wind and rain from my porch.

Sheets of windblown rain acting like a curtain

Rain pouring off the roof in two streams.....

Since this sure wasn't an afternoon to be outside, I decided to play with the monthly challenge from the Sarasota Surface Design Guild. We were given a photo copy of the outline of a hand and no further instructions. I've been wanting to trace my own hand and create a piece of ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art). Thinking about the henna decorations on bridal hands set me on this path with my trusty sepia-toned Sakura micron pen....... I took several different photos in different light, with and without flash. These two photos seem to show detail the best. The name of the piece is "Eye-Hand Coordination"

Please click for larger image

Never too busy to tangle.....

2011-03-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is usually so true, but last week was a bear!! A whole family full of company in my tiny apartment and I broke the little toe on my right foot by catching it on the coffee table leg..... ouch!!! We had the best time, however - you know how it is when you see old friends. Lots of laughs, plenty of good food, a couple of picnic adventures, and always, the beautiful beach!!

Missed Laura's "straight lines" challenge, but wanted to try it anyway as the challenge this week is to use only curving lines. The Diva wants us to see if we feel any different drawing curves than straights, so had to do the straight first...... I'm usually into curves, but actually enjoyed working with only straight lines and felt a bit more inclined to keep adding tangles. What we learn about ourselves and our drawing because of these challenges!! It's great ;-0

So, here's my curves tile followed by the straights tile, and then a few cute pics of the good time I had with my company..... enjoy ;-0

(please ignore the little blob of white paint in the upper left corner - the phone rang, my pink marker slipped, and I had to do a wee bit of repair ;-0 - WHY does this happen only when you're about finished?????)

Please click for larger image

Click for larger view

These pictures are of dear friends - it was the little kids' first trip to the beach - I'm so happy I could share this exciting event in their lives!!!

The sweet mom and her boy, my godson ;-0

Big sister....

Sunset - can you believe these luscious colors!!!

A fellow "beach bum" offered to take our picture!!!

The kids on my porch

Daddy Matt with his first-ever RAW OYSTER!!!!! (He liked it, and ate some more..... ;-0

Quilts for Japan

2011-03-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

No photos with this post - just a link to a Quilter's Newsletter post about a way to send comfort quilts to those in need in Japan. In the comments section, several people have raised some valid questions about this effort, and also offered suggestions for making this a successful project.

I am neither endorsing nor discouraging participation, but after reading the QN post and all the comments so far, I do feel comfortable about sending at least one quilt from my stack!

Non-dominant hand tangle #2

2011-03-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Can hardly believe what a glutton for punishment I am! Going out of my way to draw a second tile with my non-dominant (right) hand...... This was a real challenge, and it has piqued my interest, thanks to Laura. Have never posted two challenge tiles in a week, but somehow just couldn't resist showing off a bit ;-0

I need to apologize for not responding at all to everyone's tangles for this week. It hasn't been a great past few days for several reasons, but I'll get through it. Knowing that there is still creativity at the end of most dark tunnels and a friendly gathering of fellow tanglers, has kept a bit of cheer in my heart most of the time. I did look at all the tiles and think we did an amazing job!!!

I drew this one on a 5x7 piece of paper intending to make bolder strokes, but ended up with patterns about the same size as I usually draw, just more of them and lots more white space.

Please click to view a bit larger

A REAL challenge!!

2011-03-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

Our fearless Laura at iamthedivaczt of Zentangle© challenge fame, has come up with a dilly for this week!! Draw a tangle with your non-dominant hand!!! Easier for some than others - pretty difficult for me, I can tell you.

I'm a lefty, so am fairly ambidextrous (it is a right-handed world, isn't it!) but not to draw! OK Miss Susan, relax - well, I could do that.... now, breathe - definitely a must for this challenge to maintain any sense of flow, now, smile? That was the most difficult thing to remember!! Kept feeling those frownies developing between my eyebrows. But, I did it!! Also added in some blue because I missed last week ;-0

Please click for larger image

Oooooh, La-La!

2011-03-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

Lenna's Vintage Notecard Swap is finished and the three notecards from other participants arrived in my mailbox today ;-0 Lenna always packages her swaps nicely so everything arrives in tip-top condition.

Please click for larger image

I LOVE them all!!

As you can see, they are just beautiful with their romantic vintage images, embellishments of lace and buttons and even a bit of glitz! All have wonderfully decorated matching envelopes.... And as always, Lenna has done her utmost to make this swap fun. She's efficient too, keeping us all on track, informed, and inspired ;-0 (Thanks LENNA!!) The cards I received came from Sabine in Germany, from Margriet in the Netherlands, and from Nancy, right here in Florida. Sorry I don't have blog addresses for Nancy and Margriet. (oopsie... my apologies all, just realized that I've reversed two of the envelopes in the first photo. I've been back and forth with my camera enough already - you'll see the correct ones in the individual photos.)

Please click for larger image

This card is from Sabine. Love the color (!) and she used a strip of film with an image of a dressmaker's form on it. Note the lace, and that's a real mother of pearl button! A bit of purple glitz completes this lovely card.

Coincidentally, Sabine and I also participated in Kate's recent quilt swap, though we didn't get each other's quilts.

Please click to enlarge

This beauty came all the way from the Netherlands and Margriet's creative hands! It has beautiful lace and subtle blue paper behind the image, and the curly swirls on the envelope are all hand drawn! Don't you love the way the little bird echoes the shape of that amazing hat? Can't quite picture how ladies managed those large chapeaux.......

Please click for larger image

Last, but certainly not least, is Nancy's sweet creation. All girly, pink, and lace with vintage buttons and floral accents. Some fine altering of a vintage songbook page too, for the background!

(How did all these ladies know how much I love antique buttons.....hmmmmm??)

Each of the cards has a mix of glue and stitching, with hand-sewn buttons. Lovely work, ladies ;-0

Lenna's next swap is going to be tiny books - can't wait..... Maybe you'll join in?

First art show!!

2011-03-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

The Sarasota (Florida) Surface Design Guild was invited to participate in an art show at the Sarasota Art Center - end of March through late April. We work in so many different ways, from knitting to book making to polymer clay, quilting, beading, etc., so our president and board came up with a few guidelines for entries so there would be a [somewhat] cohesive look to the display of all our mediums. One of the choices we were given was to use a 12x12 pre-stretched canvas to do anything we liked with - paint, stamp, cover with twigs, whatever our little artistic hears desired.......

I'll play with almost anything, but for an entry in my first ever art show, I wanted to make something using materials that I'm confident with. Wrapping the canvas with a small quilt seemed like a good idea.

Since discovering Susan Carlson and her fabulous fabric collage art quilts, I've been spending quite a bit of my playtime arranging and re-arranging tiny bits of fabric using Susan's technique to make fish and butterflies. I used one of Susan's fish patterns early on, but came up with my own butterfly patterns, and now, this Sea Anemones collage. I love to bead, too, so here's what I've designed for the show.

Click for larger image - this photo taken with the flash and the colors are accurate....

The next photos were taken under incandescent lighting. There's a color shift I can't seem to correct, but the beading shows up to advantage, so I've left them as is.....

Please click to enlarge

Beading detail - please click to enlarge

Beading detail - please click for larger view

Monotangle

2011-03-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Laura Harms' challenge for this week (#11!) is to create a tile using just one tangle pattern. Don't know if mine is an 'official' pattern, but I just got lost in all these swirls and loops - felt very mellow..... Some Wise One of yore said, "It is better to walk one path a thousand times than to walk a thousand different paths."

This said, it is spring where I am, and being outside enjoying the warm weather is suddenly taking precedence over everything else. I welcome and appreciate all your comments, but know it is probably warming up where you are too, and you may be busy with gardens and other outdoor projects and have no more time than I do to spend hunched over a computer. Also, at this point, so many of us are participating in Laura's challenge that it doesn't seem possible to add a meaningful comment to each person's blog. I'm starting to feel guilty if I don't respond to each and every one of you wonderful ZT friends (sad sigh......) Laura probably never intended that, so am going to send a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you, and let it go at that..... at least for this week ;-0

Please click for full-size image

Notebook cover

2011-02-25T13:37:00.000-08:00

Terri Stegmiller shared her process for creating an inspiring cover that transforms an ordinary composition book HERE. For a bit more info, I followed the link on her post, and am also enjoying the book she wrote with Sue Bleiweiss, Creative Ways with Books and Journals. Combining bits and parts of the various instructions to suit myself, I had fun yesterday making this journal cover for my daughter. Tonight is family pizza night and I can't wait to see the grin on my DD's face when I give her the journal ;-0 Not bad for an experimental prototype.....

For all you tanglers out there......

Don't know what kind of craft/hobby stores you have where you are, but my town has Michael's - a large chain that has a presence in many US states. I had read recently that people are using the old plexiglass photo cubes for displaying their Zentangle© tiles. Michael's has new ones for $2.99 and they are so perfect for the 3.5 x 3.5 tiles.

"Spaces" - Challenge # 10

2011-02-22T15:43:00.001-08:00

This week's Zentangle© challenge from Laura is about spaces - leaving some room for air to circulate around our tangles. A problem for some, but since I tend toward doing this anyway, it was hardly a fair test ;-0 ! (Maybe next week she'll insist we cover every little part of our tile and then I'm in trouble!!) Seldom give a title to my tiles, but this week's came up looking like a windmill, which led my brain to hop to a memory of the old song about 'windmills in my mind' which led to a meditation lesson from a yoga instructor many years ago. He always asked us to examine the spaces between our thoughts...... now think about it!! So, here is "Windmill"

Please click for larger image....

Artoo - challenge # 9

2011-02-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

Laura H. has issued a new challenge with a new tangle named in honor of her sweet Artoo. Who could resist? For some reason known only to the zt fairy, I was moved to use a long skinny tile, 1 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches - if you speak metric, you're on your own ;-0

Oops! missing the end.... please click for larger (and complete) view

To all who commented on the altered book, many thanks - this is a whole new thing for me and doing vintage is a real challenge, I can always use positive feedback, and also welcome constructive criticism while I learn ;-0

Tooting my own horn..... again ;-0

2011-02-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

Have been playing some more with the original altered book I started, and realized that 'practice' wasn't bringing out the best in me. When I saw these old-fashioned composition books with the squiggly B&W covers on sale for a buck a piece, I knew it was time to plunge in and do the real thing. I've made this for a dear friend, but she won't know who she is from this blog until it arrives in her mailbox......

As luck would have it, at the same time, I found a public library book with a few ideas for altering these composition books (Beyond Scrapbooks by Barbara Bourassa, published in 2006 by Quarry Books).

I have been collecting a stash of vintage ephemera (some from Lenna's inspiring blog).

When it all was put together, the front of the notebook happened,this way - gessoed, stamped, collaged, buttoned, beribboned, tagged, and more - altered beyond recognition, but still with some of the B&W squiggles peeking through because I like them!! So I took this photo....

Please click for larger view

It's funny when you see something in a photo (particularly your own work) how it looks so different from the real thing. There was something blah happening..... so I added a bit of distress ink around the edges and judiciously on the spine, and here's the final result.

Please click for larger view

The inside cover is also decorated a bit, as is the back cover (to hide unlovely barcodes and such...)

Happy Valentine's Day to All !!!

2011-02-14T05:05:00.000-08:00

To followers and visitors alike...... I am so grateful to be part of this community. Valentine's Day is an old holiday, commemorating Saint Valentine. It has been celebrated in various ways throughout the centuries, but its focus on love, whether romantic, familial, or platonic, has only grown and continued to fill hearts everywhere.

Here's the "Valentangle" I've made for fellow bloggers, and friends and visitors to Blipfoto.

Please click for a closer view ;-0

Falling behind.....

2011-02-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

First it was a grandchild with Chicken Pox who required some extra time with Nana, and then I picked up a nasty cold and have been feeling less than my usual chipper self. No posts, no reading your blogs, and falling behind in reading and laundry..... haven't even been tangling!!! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I hope to be up and at my art table early to create a little heart-y something to share.....

Flame Vine

2011-02-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

This time of year in Florida, a marvelous sight awaits visitors to older neighborhoods. An old-fashioned creeper called Flame Vine (more info and photos here) brightens an otherwise drab winter landscape.

It is gray and misting rain today, so thought I'd post a bit of color. I'm home with a grandchild, who, despite getting the proper 'shots' when an infant, has developed a case of the Chicken Pox. Hooray.....no school!!! We're having fun, playing games, doing art, making cookies - QUALITY Nana Time!!

Zentangle # 8

2011-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

This week's double challenge from Laura presents a real-life spiritual charge. Her baby son has a variety of health issues and was recently hospitalized with breathing difficulties. My tangle this week combines a previous challenge theme, 'simplicity' and last week's theme, 'breathe.' How we take our life-giving breaths for granted! So, this is for Artoo and his family - a simple heart filled with loving prayers flowing through time and space.

Please click to enlarge further

Zentangle Challenge # 7

2011-02-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

B R E A T H E ...... and then take a little risk.. This week's challenge from Laura encouraged me to breathe my way out of my comfort zone. Since breathing is a circular activity, this is my first Zendala, and also the most complex tangle I've accomplished yet.

Please click for larger image

Artsy house

2011-02-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

One of the features I like best about where I live is this colorful and exotic house. Don't know who lives here now or who did all the art work, but it is a joy to see such exuberance! The pillars and sidewalk are decorated with a diversity of glass and ceramic mosaics, with all manner of little faces peeking out here and there. In addition the artist/s who created these wonders used found objects - seashells, small figurines, bits of stone and cuts of marble and granite, even broken dishes and marbles. Some of the most colorful work is done simply with pinched off bits of rolled out clay, which was then glazed in a gorgeous range of colors and applied. The walls and columns themselves are painted in luscious tropical shades of purple, turquoise, shocking pink and lime. The house is pink with turquoise and lavender trim.

Making art papers.....

2011-01-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a great recipe for success!!

Join Joey at Keeton's Office and Art Supply here in Bradenton for an exhilarating morning of turning ordinary paper bags into ART!!!! As always, click on each photo if you want a closer look.......

The ingredients.....

Some tools........

There were 10 of us in the workshop, and these photos represent just a few of the wonderful diversity of papers we created using brown paper grocery bags, acrylic paints, an assortment of foam stamps, and the best - spray webbing from Krylon in white, black, or silver (think it comes in gold, too)!! I can't wait to set up my own play table at home and get started on more colorful creations!!!

Some of the photos are my papers, some are the WOW! inspirations of the other participants.

Raspberry soda anyone?

When the deep purple falls over shady garden walls.....

Hot, hot, HOT!!

Polka-dot Paradise

Luscious Lime Squeeze...

Metallic Mambo ;-)

Misty dreams....

These papers are quite sturdy and could be used for gift wrap, or for covering books or a small box, as backgrounds for collages or ATC's, or ..... Just about anything your inner artist can dream up!

Sunny Day Jaunt

2011-01-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

Though it is a bit on the cool side (for Florida, anyway) the sun is shining brightly so took a little trip to Bradenton Beach and to Cortez, Florida So sorry I can't make a workable link to the Google map. It's just a short hop for me but always a thrill with sights to see each time I visit.. Walked on the beach a bit to clear my sinuses.... and then came home across the bridge. A large yacht was going through the drawbridge so had to wait.

Looking north and west to Anna maria Island vacation condos

Here's the beauty that opened the bridge......

I stopped at the charter boat place to see if any pelicans were hanging out and they were....!! Even a White Pelican (different and MUCH larger than our more familiar Brown Pelicans.

"Ixorus" Challenge

2011-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Please click to enlarge

The Diva's weekly challenge # 6 is Ixorus. Drew mine before looking at all the other postings and was interested to see that they seem to fall into two categories - open and airy, or very detailed and mixed with other tangles. I'm absolutely loving seeing all these fabulous tiles every week!!

Please click to enlarge

I also featured these in an earlier post, but they seemed to get lost in amongst the other photos - hope this doesn't confuse either Laura or anyone else!

Confessions of a [busy] lazy blogger.....

2011-01-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

Got to wondering if I'd ever post again - the days fly by with creating art of various sorts, reading your posts, and taking photos for my blip. And when I'm not doing all this, I just want to flop on the sofa and read!!

Little Blue Heron (blipfoto)

Lampwork Glass Bauble (blipfoto)

Am also still working away on my entry for the Hoffman Challenge (can't show you that, of course ;-D)

But trust me, there is a lot of beading to keep my fingers occupied.......!!!

The whole Zentangle© thing has me very excited. Here are my two for this week's
Diva challenge # 6 - "Ixorus"

Please click to enlarge

I have also continued to make some vintage pieces just for fun... though for me, I'm discovering that working in a vintage collage format is not my fave! Oh well - we live and learn.

Pretty ladies images courtesy of Mary Green - see Green Paper Collage Club on the sidebar.

We've had some wonderful beach combing weather (sorry to sound like I'm gloating, but it is what it is.......

DeSoto National Memorial, Bradenton

Bradenton Beach

Sandpipers scurrying

Weekly Zentangle Challenge # 5

2011-01-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

The theme for this week's challenge is "Orbs." I Am the Diva has a lovely and inspiring tale to tell about why she chose this theme. Here are a couple of photos of my "Orbs."

Please click for larger image

Jane's fabric vase....

2011-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

Although it wasn't especially chilly today, the rain came down in torrents most of the day. It was a good time to stay inside and dry! Have been wanting to make Jane LaFazio's fabric vase (see her wonderful tutorial here), so got out the scraps from a small quilted strippy tablecloth I had made several months ago.

After I'd finished, I emailed Jane to show her what I'd done and asked her permission to post these photos and to link to her blog post with the tutorial. If you haven't been following this talented artist, you'll be happy I sent you..... ;-)

Following Jane's directions and her photos, I was able to create a reasonable facsimile.

Please click to enlarge

It's a fun project - not exactly super-simple, but not very difficult, either, and heaven knows we all have scraps we can use! I enjoyed rearranging the pieces of fabric until they suddenly looked 'right' to my eye. Ironing them down to the Peltex is a snap, and then the stamping and stitching can begin. Except for the fabric used, mine is pretty much a copy of Jane's (brights with B&W) but have other tablecloths. Will make another vase using scraps from my collection of blue batiks, which will match other placemats and runners I use on the dining table. I think these vases would also be great holders for breadsticks!

Please click to enlarge

Jane didn't say how she got the shape for the vase sides - I folded a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper in half the long way so both edges would be even, and then drew a template. Cut out the template, unfolded the paper and voila! I started with a piece of Peltex about 18 x 20, so had plenty of room to lay out the sides of the vase to include some of the special free motion stitching I'd done.

Please click to enlarge

Definitely a fun way to while away the hours of a rainy day, and the end product is something different, useful and would make a terrific gift.

Shifting gears......

2011-01-15T05:03:00.000-08:00

..... or going back to horse-and-buggy days perhaps I should say, I've also been participating in Mary's Green Paper Collage Club and created this small piece using her wonderful downloaded images.

Please click to enlarge

In doing all these art activities, I'm discovering where my interests do and don't follow. What is a truly inspiring challenge and what is a form of drudgery just to get through.

Maybe someday I'l discover my own personal 'style' but for now, it's just exciting to explore!

This and that.....

2011-01-15T04:48:00.000-08:00

We can blog and blip or make art, and I'm finding it difficult to do both. Whole hours seem to disappear into the glow of my computer screen. Sometimes I love the feelings of sharing and connectivity my blog, blip, and flickr friends give me, but at other times, I just want to chuck all the technology and get back to my art table! Since I'm new to blog/blip land, will work on finding an acceptable balance! There's just so much to see on the web, and I do love reading everyone's posts and seeing what they are working on.....

I've been mostly playing this past week - had to have a little skin cancer surgery so have needed to be quiet while a stitched and stapled area healed.

Here are four of the ten tangles I did for a swap today at my local art supply store (local business - not a chain). The theme is 1-1-11. I'm more into organic shapes than angular ones, so tangling 1's was a problem for me - decided to do some curvy double string j's as an alternative. Of the 10 I made (all different btw) I like the j in the lower right of this photo best. My tangles tend to be simple and airy, but I admire the more complex and densely created ones.

Please click for larger image

Starry-Eyed Surprise - Challenge Week #4

2011-01-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

If you're following the weekly Zentangle© challenge, here is my offering for this week. There will also be a tangle swap at my local art supply store this coming Saturday. The theme is 1-1-11. Ten people have told the swap facilitator they will attend, so we are to make 10 tangles - whew!! I only have five finished, all different, and am not sure I'm going to make any more. Would it be cheating to photocopy the five I have, cut them out and paste them onto cardstock? Probably... ;~( Since New Year's Day is two weeks past, the theme isn't very inspiring to me, either - such is life.....

nothing new under the sun...

2011-01-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

While watching an episode of "The Quilt Show" online this afternoon, I saw a sort-of Zentangle© image that just floored me.

The episode guest was Susan Carlson, who makes fabulous fabric collage quilty creations. One of her most stunning pieces is a pink rhinoceros. When asked what her inspiration was for this piece, she showed a drawing made by Albert Durer. The drawing is dated 1515! Google "Durer rhinoceros" and you will see it - the link was too long and complicated to post here - not exactly a tangle, but the detail is so similar to some of the patterns in use now.

January Challenge

2011-01-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

Please click on image to enlarge

I'm new to Mary's monthly challenge, and after viewing some of the other lovely art, I'm honored to be in such creative company. I used a favorite bit of cranberry print scrapbbook paper for the background, Mary's three vintage images, a bit of gold stamping, and some wonderful white vinyl embellishments that I've had for several years and never knew what to do with. I enhanced them with a rub-on metallic finish, then added a few vintage postage stamps. Lettering is not my strongest talent and don't have just the right stamp to add a caption of some sort, so this little collage will just have to speak for itself!

I did not make my bed today.....

2011-01-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

Love those red sheets!!!
Instead I decided to try my hand at dying bleached muslin (washed but not ironed) with tea bags.

Big pot, lots of family-sized tea bags

Tea bags cooking - regular ones in the big pot, chamomile and Celestial Seasonings mandarin orange spice in each of the two little pots.

Ah, the steam is rising!

Color beginning to develop.....

tea bags laid out in a sort of brickwork pattern

Tea bags removed and fabric hung up to dry

The poor woman's shibori wrap (no silk, just the muslin....)

Only subtle color gradations using tea.

Partly finished little quilt I made with the tea bag tinted fabric - will add some beads, buttons and hand stitching this evening.

Zentangle Challenge Week 3

2011-01-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

Here's my week three tangle - the theme is "Eyes Wide Shut" (drawing one's string with eyes closed.)
For those who missed an earlier post, you can read about this challenge here.

Altered Book - Day 8

2011-01-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

Hope you all realize that these days aren't actual ones chronologically, but just a way to give each page project a header. Also, as I flip through what used to be a pre-printed journal for get-healthy enthusiasts, many of the quotes at the top of the text page have lots to do with sit-ups (ugh!) or being sure to drink lots of water (yes, this is a good idea, but has nothing to do with my art!) and nothing to do with creativity, so I just keep flipping until I find a page with a quote I can use to inspire me.

Day 8 Text

I've been playing with waxed paper mono-prints and made the background flower in the lower right corner, and then I had a waxed butcher paper stencil ........

.......that was a left-over from an art quilt project. I really loved the gold stamped paint, so fixed it to a piece of pink paper, then did some highlighting with a trusty Micron pen. Dug into my stash of pink paper odd and ends (I have done some serious scrapbooking using photos of my lovely daughter) for the subtle stripe and the misty floral.

Some stamps, a kissy lips sticker and a few wonderful sparkly stars, with a nice coat of glazing medium and I felt about as self-nurtured as a girl can feel!!

And here's another photo with the flash off....

2011 Art Calendar Challenge for January

2011-01-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

Read about this challenge and view some amazing art!!

Here's my January offering, and in lieu of a word for the year, am going to use the January calendar to meditate on a word a day and see what beams in from the greater universe to inspire me.

Please click to enlarge

Sniglets revisited

2011-01-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

Those little computer-generated nonsense words we have to decipher and copy to confirm post comments and other online activities, got me to remembering Sniglets. For a couple of days now, I have been keeping track of the "words" and when I collect enough of them, may start a new sidebar. Some of them are just such amusing combinations of letters, and some really should be words!!! (hence, Sniglets!) And when you read about Sniglets, another great language trick presents itself - Portmanteau word.

Worked a bit on doing a major tidy in my sewing and crafts space, took a long walk on the beach and then flopped on the couch for some serious napping.

Here's the chaos and my toes on the couch, but no beach photos because sometimes I just want to walk and smell the wind.

BEFORE

Am about half finished with the organizing project, but it's too soon to take an AFTER photo. Maybe tomorrow......

Can this year be over already?

2010-12-31T06:20:00.000-08:00

Up and out early this morning to search for the perfect blip foto (click on the blipfoto widget in the righthand column) for this last day of the year. Always have a stash of stale bread (mostly bread crusts the grandkids simply won't eat...) so took that stash along. I was delighted by the magnificent Wood Stork who appeared. He disdained the taste of the bread after one tiny peck, but continued to linger close by and 'pose' for a few photos while he fished for a breakfast more to his liking. These were taken looking down from the second floor balcony just outside my apartment. He's a beauty! As is the one Glossy Ibis..... As always, click on a photo to get a larger view.

Love the texture of these feathers highlighted by a rising sun!

Please don't miss the lovely coppery sheen on my wing......

just NOT enough time!!!

2010-12-30T18:28:00.000-08:00

Between creating art, blogging about it, reading your comments plus reading the arty blogs of the folks I'm following and now....Blipfoto (boy, can you ever get wonderfully lost in that space!!!) The days just fly by. I've always considered myself to be a reader, often zipping through a novel in little more than a day. This is the first time since I learned to read as a kid, that books have taken a back seat to other interests.

Grandkids are always high on my list, and we had a Nana afternoon and evening - made some cookies...

Had hot dogs and mac-n-cheese for supper and watched a silly old Disney flick, "The Ugly Dachshund" with Suzanne Pleshette and Dean Jones. The dogs are so cute! Some pretty crazy scenes of the pups chasing around and getting into major mischief.
Anyway, I'm ready for the end/beginning of a year. Our arbitrary beginnings and endings related to the calendar often have little to do with our own rhythms, beginning new projects, or putting aside something we have loved in the past. The calendar does serve as a reminder, however, that nothing lasts forever, and that fresh adventures lie just down the road!

Altered book - day 7

2010-12-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

This project has certainly taken a back seat these past few busy holiday weeks, but here's an entry for today. Whether I will continue this project remains very much up-in-the-air. The book itself isn't as ideal for altering as I had first thought; also, without a theme of sorts, it seems too scattered. On a plus side, however, I am discovering what I do and don't like to create - colors, techniques, styles. The book is a way to experiment without much commitment. On the other hand.....I feel better when I create a real something (bookmark, card, ATC or tangle) instead of just trying to make something that fits the idea of this altered book. Will see how it goes - am doing a new swap from Creative Swaps, (see photos below also), a weekly Zentangle© challenge and a calendar challenge, plus working, working, working on the Hoffmann Challenge quilt!

Day 7 Text (click to enlarge)

Day 7 Art (click to enlarge)

Here are the four vintage notecards I've made for Lenna's swap (see link above) using some of the images that Lenna sent to be downloaded by participants. Vintage just isn't my style, not in quilts, clothing or interior decorating, but there is a nostalgic softness to these cards which appeals to me in spite of myself! If I have time, I may make another set in the 50's/60's style - bright colors, simpler shapes, more angles - more my style.......

Please click to enlarge

Blipfoto newbie

2010-12-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Well, what's (almost, excluding the obvious) the most fun you can have on a cold winter day? Creating a blipfoto journal! See it here (blipfoto home). You can see MY journal at Life Naturally. Will be adding a quick access gadget soon as the tech work is done by my computer-whiz friend, Lenna. Will the wonders of the internet never cease??

Heard an interesting NPR story yesterday about the advances in technology just since 2000. Several young people were interviewed - 20-somethings who were just 10+ in 2000. Young people who have nooooo memory of life before tiny cell phones, life when AOL was king, and who remembers carbon paper??? Haven't we just leaped with gusto into this new-ish century of ours?

This said, I do believe adamantly that technology is far from the answer to everything. We are very much removed from our biologic roots and our connection to the earth and it's many wonders. Who knows how to bake a loaf of bread, milk a cow, till a field, grow some green beans - many of us just have no clue, and would be quite helpless without the packaged goods in our super markets, ready-made clothing, and no electricity. We can kid around about or scoff at old fashioned homemaking/farming skills, but as 2011 approaches, let us all hope against hope that we can continue to enjoy these pursuits as voluntary enthusiasts, and not because the world as we know it has fallen apart and we must learn them in a hurry or perish. I'm a boomer with my feet in two centuries, fortunate to see the best of both worlds past and future. Where are you?

Zentangle Challenge

2010-12-28T10:09:00.000-08:00

Can't resist a challenge! See this BLOG for information about a weekly challenge if you are 'into' Zentangle! Snow and cold tend to keep a body inside more than usual so what better way to while away a couple of hours than creating art?

Please click to enlarge

Brrrrrrr! Winter is NOW!

2010-12-27T04:33:00.000-08:00

Looking at weather news from other places, I know Florida must seem warm and wonderful to some of you, but for those of us who are natives, this cold snap is miserable. And the wind!!! So unlike our usual semi-tropical haven. Another recent chill turned many leaves to red...... a gorgeous bonus this far south!

With two very active grandchildren and a slew of family pets running around, Christmas was fairly hilarious. I'm so fortunate to live close to my wonderful family and all their excitement!!

Calvin and Reggie taking a break...

"Princes" Ruby posing (and DD's toes)

How long do I have to wear this silly bow?

D S-I-L with his Storm Trooper alarm clock.

Received a generous gift certificate from my DD - see toes in photo above ;-) - for our local art supply shop, so am heading out soon to spend it! Will bundle up and brave the weather. Lumiere paint? A couple of new stamps? A new Moleskine? Hmmmmmmm.......

12 Gifts of a Florida Christmas...lakeside style!

2010-12-24T05:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Sunrise

On the first day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -a Kingfisher in an oak tree.
On the second day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -two Green-backed Herons, and.... etc.
On the third day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -three Glossy ibis, two..... etc.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -four basking turtles, three.... etc.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -five Great Blue Herons, four.... etc.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -six Anhingas swimming, five.... etc.
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -seven Osprey's hunting, six.... etc.
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -eight Cormorants diving, seven.... etc.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -nine Flamingoes fishing, eight.... etc.
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -ten Fish Crows calling, nine.... etc.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -eleven Mallards paddling, ten.... etc
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love showed to me
   -twelve Wood Storks wading, eleven.... etc.

My Norfolk Island Pine drooping under the weight of the ornaments!!

Merry Christmas to ALL!! And Best Wishes for everything wonderful in 2011.....

~Susan

Adorable Santa

2010-12-22T04:47:00.000-08:00

So simple, but soooo effective! My friend, Lois, brought this cute ATC along with a gorgeous origami ornament she made (this is one clever gal!) for our Wednesday sewing get-together with a third friend, Audrey. We so enjoy our time together, though we don't always sew..... Yesterday, Audrey addressed Christmas cards, I wrapped gifts, and Lois told us more about a recent trip she had taken. We practically inhaled the Yule Log cake, and had a nice mug of hot tea to go with.....chatting all the while!

Santa and his frosty blue background glitters and has two tiny seed beads for his eyes.

This beauty is a pyramid, but with a cone-shaped instead of a flat base. Lois uses the most beautiful origami papers to make these stunning ornaments

a little philosophy and sometimes a food blog ;-)

2010-12-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

This first photo is of the rising moon last evening - the moon that would become a rare full moon on the day of the Winter Solstice, and even more rare, a moon which would soon be in total eclipse. Went outside at about 3:20 AM 12/21 to see the shadow of our Earth on the surface of the moon. The air was winter crisp and dry, the sky black, the stars (and Jupiter) twinkling. Could see my breath, and heard an owl hooting. A time of cosmic mystery and magic - explained in some ways perhaps by modern science, but the secret thrill can't be so glibly parsed. Sometimes an accurate description of a fact doesn't really explain it on an inner and personal level.

To celebrate the Winter Solstice, I have of late been making a Buche de Noel, or Yule log cake. (See photos which follow) It is a chocolate confection composed of sponge cake rolled around chocolate whipped cream and iced with a chocolate buttercream. This year's meringue 'mushrooms' weren't quite as pretty as they sometimes turn out, but they taste just as yummy as ever! The dessert is quite a bit of work and involves many bowls, pans, beaters, sticky counter tops and probably uses more electrical energy than is green, but making this cake connects me in yet another way to the mystery of the seasonal patterns, and to the ancients who must have awaited the return of longer days with great relief. Lacking a fireplace in which to burn a real Yule log, making the cake serves as a reminder to appreciate each season of the year as it passes, and also to celebrate each season of my life - past, present and future.

Wishing all who visit here a joyful holiday and Blessings in 2011.

inside day....

2010-12-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

Too windy and damp to be out unless necessary, and since I have plenty of projects (and some housework - I simply MUST run the vacuum!!!) to keep me occupied, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of staying home today.

The house smells yummy because I put a nice pot roast on to cook.....seldom eat such a heavy meal, but the season and weather call for it.

Took a photo of a little holiday tablescape I have done for my dining table ------

And here's a photo of a stamp I've just finished carving (waiting for the roast to get totally tender...)

And these next two photos are yesterday and today's ATC projects. You'll see how the new fish stamp looks. The beaded ATC is my impression of the wildflower fields I saw in the Hill Country part of Texas this past Spring - the Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush bloom with generous abandon - masses of color splashed with sunshine in undulating waves across the pastures and along every roadside. The ATC's are stamped and painted on Kelli Perkins' cloth paper. I'm not sure yet if I like this surface, but it is versatile.....

As always, click on photos for a larger view.

Whenever I think of Texas, I think of stars, so had to put this glimmery little cobalt blue star bead up in the sky.

Warm again.....

2010-12-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

After the frigid temps of earlier in the week, yesterday and today have been blissfully warm, with ample sun and no wind to speak of. On a long beach walk yesterday I picked up the items in the photo which follows. It has been my experience through 60+ years of shore walks to note that different days produce different "runs" of one sort or another of fauna. One might go for weeks seeing not one sea pen, but yesterday the beach was littered with them. Likewise, there was a substantial number of living Venus Clams with their clam bodies inside (these are a lovely salmon pink, by-the-way). I was also fortunate to pick up two pieces of coral, which isn't usual on my Gulf beach. I also saw a very long Parchment Tube Worm (of course, I didn't have my camera, so see the photo http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RY1oSE6YY7M/TH9FF4_jJyI/AAAAAAAATug/jR2ZqToYDPk/s1600/DSCN2215.JPG

Going clockwise (in my photo below), starting with the large pointed shell at the bottom left this is what I picked up:

1. Half Naked Pen Shell - this one is a whole specimen with wonderful barnacles on both halves.

going up,

2. Two more pen shells - one with it's pearly nacre glowing, and another smaller one with both halves intact. Pen shells are incredibly thin (and are translucent) and are often found only as broken fragments.

3. The feather is a glossy gray and might be from a sea gull.

Click on photo for a larger view.....

4. Just above it, and resting on the feather are two of the zillions of spiral fragments I am fascinated by. If you came to my house, you would see these spiral fragments by the basket- and bowl-ful. The colors are always so varied depending on the species of critter they are, the degree of damage done by sun, sand and sea. Why these spiral intrigue me so I cannot say.

5. At the tip of the feather is a hollow bone. The book I use to identify beach finds, Florida's Living Beaches, says that this has a high probability of being a pigs knuckle. They are used as bait in crab traps. Since this bone is hollow, however, I wonder ........

6. The two tube-like fragments are pieces of coral - the smaller piece is definitely Tube
coral - the other piece is so worn that this amateur can't classify it accurately.

7. The little brown nub is an Australian Pine cone. Australian Pines are a non-native species which were planted in the early to mid-20th Century as windbreaks all over Florida. They are considered an invasive species and some folks would like to see every one cut down. They really don't invade much, however (certainly nothing like Kudzu!!), and are useful as windbreaks and to provide some shade when the sun is low in the sky.

Should have laid a ruler down so as to give an indication of size, but the little still-life is about 8 inches square.

post office reactions

2010-12-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

Never made it to the PO yesterday(I was a willing victim of Sloth!), but when I went this morning, the USPS staff behind the counter loved the envelopes I'd made (see yesterday's post please). They shared them with the folks waiting in line (which extended their wait time, of course, but nobody seemed to mind!). Felt like a celeb for about fourteen seconds!!! Don't you just love it when people ask, "You really made this yourself?" I'll admit it, creating little snippets of beauty for others to enjoy is a kind of high unlike any other. Well cooked meals, a lovely bit of landscaping made by the sweat of one's brow, or the perfect home made pie, cause the same kind of thrill (for me, anyway.) Not huge or expensive pleasures, but so real, so real.....

mail art swap

2010-12-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

My new friend, Lenna Andrews, http://creativeswaps.blogspot.com has just finished the nuts-and bolts part of mailing out to each of the participants the envelopes that were created for the mail art swap. The three I received the day before yesterday came from The Netherlands, Scotland and South Carolina. It was soooo exciting to see the art that others had done, plus, two of the swapped envelopes had an extra treat inside - stamped gift tags in a lovely pale blue, and a gorgeous mixed media collage postcard. This swap was my first, and it is an extremely gratifying way to share one's art. It is very windy and chilly here ( not typical Florida weather, even for December) so I've spent the day creating thank you notes and envelopes to send to the artists who made the envelopes I received.

Don't know what other swaps are like, but Lenna is very organized and this one has been a delight. I can liken it to ripples spreading in a pond - one little piece of art turns into not only the exchange, but connecting with other artists and sharing in their creativity and energy. See the link to Lenna's swap blog above for news of the next swap - for sure, I will participate!!

The first photo (below) is of the three mail art pieces I received, and the second photo are my thank-you envelopes. The notes are inside along with a tiny treat. As soon as I hit the "publish post" button, I'm off to the PO to get them in the mail........

Manatee viewing

2010-12-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

Took a break from art making yesterday and had another outing with the grandkids. We went to see the Manatees www.savethemanatee.org who gather in the warm effluent of the Apollo Beach (Florida) power station. Despite the fog, we saw several dozen of these basking giants, and a few babies. On the way home, a Bald Eagle swooped down out of nowhere into the field at the side of the road and clutched a critter in his talons. He took off just a few feet from the car, then flew across the road and up into the air no more than 30 feet from us. No one was behind us on the road in this rural part of Florida, so I was able to slow down so we could take a good look. Amazing!!

mixed media or pig's breakfast???

2010-12-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

With all the SNOW photos on several of the blogs I follow, thought I might see if I could create a wintery scene. This is certainly a mixed media piece - watercolor (background), stamping, paper lace, hand lettering, rub-on snowflakes, and later, I enhanced the snowman with a bit of micron pen. The paper lace was a good idea, but didn't seem to translate well onto paper. Something that ought to have worked, but didn't. What I don't know, is this because of a correctible mistake I made, or was this element just a bad choice? I do like the sparkly paper behind the doily, and the barely-there star stamps. I keep forgetting that I am new to all this and need not be so judgmental!! Discovering one's particular talents and style allows for experiment.....

Day 6 text

Day 6 art

Day 6 detail

new paints!

2010-12-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

No work on the altered book to report, but do have two new paint boxes - one is a 10-shade MicaColor watercolor palette in "Metallic." Included are colors such as misty lavender, spring green, macro pearl, and super russet. The paint absolutely GLOWS against either light or dark surfaces and I am hooked!! Unfortunately, an ordinary photo just doesn't do justice to the shimmering effects produced. The other goodie in my tool box is a panel of 7 metallic rub-ons. These are a creamy paste product applied with a finger-tip, that adds an opaque gleam to both porous and non-porous surfaces. Wonderful for highlights on polymer clay or art foam, and works on paper, too. I'm crazy for clear, bright colors and mostly, I believe in SPARKLE! Some say it is the gypsy in me.... The rage for collage and ATC's seems to be the vintage look, but when I saw these glam glimmer products, I knew I had to have them! Eager to play, I made a few ATC's and here they are. The little landscape was painted on paper-cloth (a la Kelli Perkins) using only the metallic watercolors plus a dab here and there of the new rub-on metallic blue. I drew the scene using a Micron 005 pen. The dragonfly is a piece of embossed art foam and was buffed with both gold and green rub-on paste. The poinsettia is a piece of a cocktail napkin used to make paper-cloth. It's rubbed with a bit of gold and has fabric paint dots. The aster looks a little blah here, but the blues are very vibrant and the shimmery center looks like early morning dew.

Outdoor day two...

2010-12-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

A sleep-over with the grandkids.... and after a sumptuous pancakes-and-bacon breakfast (the heck with cholesterol!!) we headed to Emerson Point Preserve, which is the body of land we could see from the shore of The DeSoto Memorial where we were yesterday afternoon. Highlights of this morning's trek - a Roseate Spoonbill, a snake we can't quite identify (maybe a Peninsula Ribbon snake?), three Horseshoe Crab shells of varying size, a juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron fishing, a Black and White Warbler, with spectacular views of the river, sky, and dense mangrove swamps. The kids are intrepid walkers and notice every tiny detail of the natural world. In their imagination, they are adventurers equal to the explorers of old. We've made some amazing finds together, and every curve in the trail brings new delights.

Badge from yesterday

Outdoor day

2010-12-05T04:33:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous weather yesterday - much too nice to stay inside! Crispy cool in the morning with warming sun beaming down by noon. With all the bad weather in other places, it is a guilty pleasure to live in Florida. Being a native (a 'real' Flordian) takes most of the edge off the guilt, however. My great grandfather settled in Daytona Beach early in the 20th Century.

Had an exciting visit to the home studio of Jennifer Wiles http://jenniferwiles.com to see her outstandingly beautiful jewelry and weaving. Jennifer makes polymer beads and cabochons, does extravagant beading in great detail and has such an eye for color! Her studio is a work of art in itself. All the beads she uses are arranged on narrow shelves by color so it is like walking right next to a rainbow. The yarns she uses for weaving are on high shelves around the perimeter of the room up near the ceiling and are also arranged by color. A visual feast!!

I then picked up my grandkids and we had an outdoor adventure at the DeSoto National Memorial. There is so much to see at this historically interesting spot. The kids completed the National Park Service workbook to become junior rangers and were sworn in by the park superintendent. Much of the park is away from the sight of human 'improvement', and it is very easy to imagine the native population moving through the mangroves, fishing in the Manatee River, and watching the same scenery that modern-day visitors see. The park staff has done an excellent job of helping to bring this important part of Florida and U.S. history come alive!

Finished off the day with our own homemade pizza (flour all over my kitchen floor!!!!!) and ice cream. Then baths, a couple of stories and sleep for this weary Nana....the boys are all action and I get pooped in the best possible way.

A little digression.....

2010-12-04T05:07:00.000-08:00

With several books about collage (see the "What I'm Reading" sidebar) from my local library, I was eager to create a project not confined to the journal.

Here's what I did:

-gessoed a piece of heavy card stock cut into the arch shape
-mixed a nice brown with acrylic paint thinned with matte gel medium, then painted the arch with a large, very cheap natural bristle brush
-selected and discarded the elements several times (we all know how that goes!)
-put it all together with more matte gel medium, leaf printed tissue paper, coffee-stained green bias tape, 20 lb. hemp cording, a snippet of upholstery fabric, chalked edges, hand stitching, a little vellum, a handmade heat embossed art foam medallion, stamping, a few dangly beads..... Maybe this layering thing won't be so difficult after all!

And voila! Une femme, tres jolie.....

Another experiment!

2010-12-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

For several years recently, I worked as a catalog librarian in a small seminary, using two fancy-schmancy software programs. For anyone in the know, this means frequent upgrades and 'improvements', hidden layers of mostly unused capabilities, and then there's the cataloging itself. Lots of rules (and their updates) and other tricky bits to navigate/negotiate to make a catalog record fit both the international standard as well as the local needs of our library users. I truly miss all this picky stuff (catalog librarians are usually considered to be STRANGE!!) Anyway, playing with the capabilities of Blogspot fills a need to learn, to understand the system, to be creative, and to work both within and outside the rules.

The Flickr Photostream is a work-in-progress, so forgive its bare bones appearance until I've had time to play with it a bit more. In the meantime, enjoy the Florida sky! I've been receiving gorgeous snow scene photos from other bloggers who live in the UK, so thought I'd counter with a bit from the semi-tropics.

Thursday morning is the day for my quilting cottage group to meet - sharing, sewing, snacking..... it doesn't get much better than that!

Successes and failures.....

2010-11-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

....are all in the perception.

Day 4 seems not so special, but I do like the journaling and the torn pages which are shaded with chalk.

Day 5 feels better - more effort went into the creation of these two pages and they are purple (what's not to love about purple??)

Altered Book Day 3

2010-11-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Following an entirely serendipitous art adventure At Keeton's Office/Art Supply here in Bradenton yesterday (a FREE mixed media techniques demo by artist, Joanna Coke, www.joannacoke.com), I came home with the idea for a third AB page. I really know very little about Frida Kahlo, but at Keeton's, in a room full mostly of women who aspire in some way or other to art, I am convinced that there is an element of WomanPower in artistic creation. Though it can't always be trusted, the Wikipedia entry for Frida seems well-documented and I learned that she drew and painted in, around and through her physical pain. Wherever we find ourselves, making art (or music, or poetry) and living a life can't really be separated. I grew up learning about the lives of the "great" artists (mostly men who were not busy coping with periods and pregnancies, meal preparation, housekeeping, second class social and educational status, and so much more!) As interesting as these men's lives are to read about, I have come to the conclusion that WomanPower has been subjugated in ways more subtle even than Women's Lib led us to believe. Like ripples in a pond which spread endlessly so long as they do not meet obstacles, or icebergs, whose bulk is 90% hidden, each of us has the treasure of the self to share. Whether we do this or not is entirely up to us....no harm, no foul either way, but who wants to collapse against an obstacle or to be an ice berg?

Day 3 Text

Day 3 Art

Publish Post

too much food!!!

2010-11-27T03:36:00.000-08:00

..... but lots of fun this Thanksgiving - spent a good part of the day with old friends. Cooking, joking around, remembering good times past, washing a veritable mountain of dishes....... Plenty of home made goodies, warm, 'connected' feelings, a heartfelt prayer of real gratitude for our blessings, and more joking around! From one who lives on green vegetables, whole grains, fish and fruit, the overload of rich, sweet, and cholesterol-laden foods was a shock to my system but well worth it on this occasion. Went for a bouncy workout at the gym yesterday and felt virtuous!

No playing with paper art these past few days, as I am working on a quilt for the annual Hoffman challenge www.hoffmanchallenge.com. This will be a first for me - have made small art quilts for a couple of local guild challenges, but nothing for this level of competition. Not being a very competitive person to begin with, the real challenge for me won't be winning in any of the categories or even to have my quilt accepted for the trunk shows. My goal is to follow through and complete the quilt and actually send it off in the mail for strangers to look at and judge.

Altered Book Experiment

2010-11-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

So much seems new in my world - art techniques and greatly expanded ways of looking at paper, glue, scissors and paint! Lenna http://creativelenna.blogspot.com has kindly and generously shared a few of her altered books with me, and in the spirit of adventure have decided to try this out. As good fortune would have it, I found two wonderful books to alter at my local library book sale. Have created scrapbook pages for several years, (mostly photos of grandkids, so lots of bright, primary colors, and handy, pre-printed 12x12 theme papers) and you know I am a quilter, but mixed-media collage feels totally different. The best discovery I've made is the use of gel medium to smooth, to adhere, to add translucency..... Here are a few photos of this first work-in-progress.

Original cover

Inside pages

Altered cover in progress

Finished cover

Frontispiece

Verso title page

Day 1 text

Day 1 art

Day 2 text

Day 2 art

more art, fewer words!!

2010-11-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

Too much about ideas, and not enough about the art I do - I'm more shy with that kind of sharing - words are much easier.....and as one of my best friends says, "Susan, you always have an opinion about everything!"

little toss pillows for my summer bed
machine pieced, hand appliqued and quilted

This was a color challenge (split complementary)
machine pieced and quilted

And a few Zentangles©, three ATC's and the backs of two mail swap envelopes that I am doing with Lenna Young Andrews You can see more of the mail art at www.creativeswaps.blogspot.com

Art all around

2010-11-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

Having spent a delightful lunch time with artist, Lenna Young Andrews www.creativelenna.blogspot.com yesterday I am fired up about learning even more about integrating life and art. I have always surrounded myself with art and decoration, but now, a glorious retirement has gifted me with quality time to devote to going deeper. The world seems to have burst open with new colors, sounds, and opportunities!

The internet helps, of course, with artists' blogs, online shopping for supplies, free tutorials (you artists are soooooo generous!!) and inspiration at every click of the mouse!

One of my dear friends thinks I am in denial about the state of the world - famine, war, pestilence and a baaaad economy, but haven't these human situations always been with us in some iteration or other? So I'm ignoring her, and will continue to read the wonderful word art of poets and novelists, play with new art techniques, design & make my quilts, and just BE in the world as it is.

Just watching the tropical bird life where I live, the various species of lake turtles basking, the near-full moon rising last night, and knowing that these are a delicious reality apart from chaos and human mayhem, gives hope.

Ego, introversion and Pepto-Bismol

2010-11-16T05:49:00.000-08:00

The Friendship Knot Quilt Guild (in Sarasota, FL) is a group of extremely talented people. From large traditional quilts to small art quilts (and vice versa) I am always uplifted by the show-and-tell portion of our meetings. In addition, we usually have a guest speaker. Last evening our guest was Sharon Schamber, www.sharonschamber.com who is the 2010 best of show winner at the Houston Quilt Fest. Her quilts are intricate in the extreme. Certainly NOT quilts to cozy under with greasy popcorn and a shedding pet while watching TV! All the processes of quilt construction, including the hand dying of fabric, are done by Sharon herself. She can applique the tiniest circles imaginable, and her designs are both dynamic and precise. For us normal quilters, no matter our level of talent, seeing her quilts is an exercise in humility. For me, it was also an opportunity to examine a bit about what it is I want from my art. Anyone who creates gives of him or herself to the chosen medium. But the medium also gives back. Dollars for items sold, prizes and awards, or simply being in the midst of the process. For each of us, the reward needs are different.

If you are wondering about the Pepto-Bismol........., in her talk last evening, Ms Schamber made a comment about there being a fine line between Pepto-Bismol and pink (her award winning quilt is pink, btw. There are many such 'fine lines' in our lives. Lines between self-expression and ego, shyness and introversion, cost vs. reward, insecurity and confidence, etc. It is all about balance - an over-used concept in today's parlance - but nonetheless necessary. I will continue to examine what I give to my art and what my art gives back and see what happens.

Stress-free day ahead?

2010-11-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

Can hardly believe a whole day stretches out in front of me and my ICal is blank!! No appointments, meetings, babysitting grandkids..... this is so rare, even in my world of retirement status. It is also a beautiful late-Fall day on the southwest coast of Florida, so the beach beckons. Ahead lies an entire uninterrupted day to begin a new quilt project, tweak the elements of this blog, or just to do something unexpected! Maybe I'll just make another cup of tea and sit on the porch, watching the world and doing not much of anything.

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-11T05:06:00.000-08:00

What I'm thankful for today...

This whole world of ART we live in, and the opportunity to travel far and wide to see it just by clicking on this or that icon on our computers!!!

The Sarasota [Florida] Surface Design Guild - such an enthusiastic group of people!! Artsy + practical-when-necessary + warm and welcoming = a place where I feel encouraged to make the most of whatever talent I am blessed with, and to appreciate the many and talents of others.

My mom, who was never a financially wealthy person, always told me that there is no excuse for living in a drab world. White paper napkins? or PINK!! A beige blouse? or a flowered one with RUFFLES!!
You get the idea.....
And seldom being able to afford florist's flowers, she used to make what she called 'green bouquets.' Going around our yard with a pair of scissors, she would clip bits and pieces of foliage from various shrubs, the ferns, a neighbor's hedge (they didn't mind!) even an occasional weedy stem. Then into the kitchen to select a vase or bowl in which to arrange her treasures. The result was always fresh, bringing the vibrancy and vigor of green growth into our home. Whatever our personal style, we can train ourselves to look for beauty, and to choose it, to make it a part of our entire attitude.

Today, in Jenny Hoople's blog www.jennyhoople.blogspot.com, there is a gorgeous photo of dried okra seed pods - the pods themselves are interesting with their curvy shapes and hints of a secret interior. The wood surface against which they are placed is intricate with it's grain and the subtle play of weathered colors. Jenny's words have an intellectual beauty which pleased me greatly. Beauty.......

A few quilt photos

2010-11-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

After spending energy making other people's designs/patterns (not that they aren't wonderful), I have discovered my own inner designer!

This is a butterfly I designed, using a technique perfected by fabric artist, Susan Carlson.
www.susancarlson.com

And here's a work-in-progress using the same thechnique...

Here's a silly 'portrait' of my canine friend, Riley!

My first attempt at English paper piecing hexagons plus a few vintage buttons and a bit of hand quilting...

Some fancy free-motion quilting.....

Marvelous Monday

2010-11-08T04:28:00.000-08:00

A while back, after the film "The Bucket List" (Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman) was released, I realized that we are being steadily (and stealthily) encouraged to think of the lack in our lives; things we haven't bought, places we haven been, events we must attend, and on and on.....

So, I took a whole page out of my daily journal and began to write down all the places I have been, interesting foods I've eaten, artists whose work I've seen in museums, famous people in whose company I have been, etc. The lists were impressive, and I'm just a fairly untraveled and ordinary woman in late mid-life.

And where are you right now?? Have I been there? One day many years ago, I was standing in a forest glade next to a burbling stream with the springtime sun beaming down through fresh green leaves (almost heaven!!). This enchanted place was just a few minutes by car from where I lived..... Suddenly I realized that it was a major destination spot for tourists and here I was, a local, free to visit whenever the spirit moved me with the tourists considering me so fortunate to live close by. Like the old story goes - how many Manhattan-ites have never been to the top of the Empire State Building?

So get out a piece of paper and start writing - people, events, and places will come to mind that you had forgotten. Then, when you've enriched your life by noting the many pluses (and ignored the lacks) go out and look at the sky, smell the breeze, pick up a fall leaf, and know that it is a wondrous and unique experience - full of promise.

Walking with grandsons

2010-11-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Took my two wonderful grandsons out for some Nana time this afternoon. We have several favorite haunts around town - DeSoto National Memorial and G.T. Bray among others. Lots of sunshine and very breezy - leaves and bugs and bright blue sky to admire! The guys are my favorite nature hike buddies - each everyday element of the out-of-doors is new and exciting to them, and my old world becomes new again also!

Art Play

2010-11-07T04:31:00.000-08:00

Having been a librarian (LOTS of "rules" to follow about cataloging, procedures for check-out/check-in, etc.) and a traditional quilter for many years, I am suddenly finding that there is an element of play in me that has been missing for a very long time. Just getting this blog to look the way I imagine it could to represent me is an exercise in creativity, even though at the moment, I am thoroughly frustrated!

Don't look for consistency! What you see today may not be what you get tomorrow..... But isn't this true of so many things?

First post!!

2010-11-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

A new friend, Lenna, has several blogs, and I've been following a variety of quilting blogs for many months now. Florida is having its first cold snap, so it is a good day to be inside with hot tea and my computer instead of outside with iced tea and the beach. Whether anyone will look at these words, ideas and art, is beside the point. This is a creative venture for me, and that's what counts!!!