Blissful Artist

orders!!

2009-11-24T10:54:00.003-06:00

I've had two orders for my soaps already (thanks Marcia and Jan!) which I'm excited about. I should say that you need to tell me what kind of soap you want on the paypal page in the comments/instructions section. You will have to scroll down to the bottom of the page as it isn't immediately obvious where that section is.

I learned the hard way that I wasn't charging enough for postage, so I've adjusted it. If you're only ordering 1-2 bars I will refund part of the shipping but most people are ordering enough to warrant the higher rate. Also, I've had enquiries from people in the UK wanting to know about shipping. Unfortunately it is steep, about $10 for 3-4 bars of soap. The good thing is, the soap itself is very affordable so you may feel it's worth it.

Thanks to all of you who have been an encouragement to me in this endeavor.

soap galore

2009-11-21T21:12:00.008-06:00

I've made an awful lot of soap lately and have been asked to post photos online so I am obliging. I have other kinds and can make just about any scent, so don't be shy about asking.

pomegranate, red rose & thyme, and cedarwood/thyme

peppermint refreshment soap in a loofah, oatmeal & calendula, and magic mint

green tea and lemongrass, honey/almond, and citrus/pomegranate

mango mint shampoo bar, sandalwood/cinnamon, citrus/chamomile

These are available for $2 per bar, plus shipping if I have to send it to you. The paypal button has a US shipping amount of $3.95. If you live in another country I'm happy to ship to you but the shipping amount will be more. Please contact me if you have any questions.

and now for something completely different

2009-10-16T08:52:00.003-05:00

Or maybe not so different, when you think about it.

I am adding a line of hand milled soaps and other bath items to my usual for-sale repertoire. This new range will include bath and beauty soaps as well as scented bath salts and "fizzies". I plan to put a link to PayPal on this site so that items can be purchased directly from me. I've got lots of Facebook friends interested in these products, some who do not live near me, so hopefully this will facilitate their shopping.

Hope you are all well.

September 30 already.

2009-09-30T08:24:00.003-05:00

My parents and siblings and I at Mom & Dad's 50th anniversary party in July

Hello, dear blogfriends.

I got a message from Liz wishing me well so I thought I'd better check in. As predicted in my last post I have had a frenetically busy summer and now into autumn as well. I have arts festivals every other weekend and sometimes successive weekends from now through November so I am scrambling to keep enough stock on hand to see me through. It's a good thing though!

My dh turns 50 in a few days and I'm planning a surprise party for him--don't worry, he never reads my blog.

The kids are fine, Chris enjoying just working and saving up money for future education and Dylan a happy 4th grader. Can't believe he'll be 10 soon.

I need to think about getting out the dye supplies again as silk scarves are always a hit at fall/winter shows.

I hope you are all doing well. I'll try to check in on your blogs.

update

2009-07-02T08:31:00.003-05:00

Hello all--Gone a long time again, things are just very busy. But I thought I'd give a little update even though, as usual, I have no photos to back up my story.

Let's see...son Chris graduated from high school at the end of May and turned 19 the next day, so there was a lot of celebrating going on. He now has blue hair. Don't ask. He also won a 2nd prize ribbon for a really nice reduction print at the county student art show, we're very proud of him.

Dylan is enjoying the summer. He's had tennis lessons for a month, goes to the water park, and is participating in the library's summer reading plan.

Our married kids, Adam & Emily, are doing fine. They seem to have adjusted well to being wed.

David and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary in May. My parents observed 50 years just last month and all my siblings and their families will be here in a couple of weeks for a reception and family dinner in their honor.

I have a busy summer and fall planned art wise, with several shows and artist-in-residence opportunities. I recently had the honor of being asked to exhibit my jewelry in the gallery of a noted sculptor, Dr. Richard Bergen, whose statue "Ad Astra" is atop the dome of the Kansas State Capitol building. The reception/gallery walk for that is actually this evening. Here's Dr. Bergen's website http://www.bergensculpture.com/index.htm

We have decided to convert more of our basement area to studio space, more for my son and husband (both into glass) than for me, although I will set up my 2 kilns in that room. David enjoys stained glass and we're all anxious to explore fused and slumped glass, plus Chris can have his torch permenantly set up.

So life is busy but good. I will make a valiant effort to take and post more photos. Especially of Chris's hair.

Oh, I forgot to mention I have lost a total of 37 lb. to date, with the help and support of my nutritionist Suzanne. I'm doing Pilates, walking, and gardening for exercise.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying summer or winter, whichever hemisphere you're in.

this and that

2009-05-13T10:46:00.003-05:00

Surprise!! Two posts in two days.

I don't know why this is, but whenever I am of necessity pushing one medium exclusively I get a near overwhelming urge to do another. In this case I've been making a lot of jewelry for my upcoming shows in various places, and I'm DYING to make mixed media. Aaargh! Maybe I'll check out doing some mixed media jewelry and take care of both things at once. It's an idea, anyway.

I wanted to share this photo of our new library stained glass windows, part of the much-needed library renovation and expansion finished recently. Since it isn't my photo I'm posting a link to where it is on twitter http://twitpic.com/53b0l These are in the adult section. The children's section at the other end of the building has its own three wonderful kid-related windows including one of a reading dragon. They're gorgeous.

a wonderful surprise

2009-05-12T15:25:00.006-05:00

I have just had a most embarrassing and yet gratifying experience.

It all started on Saturday evening at a reception held at the VAAM Gallery for the guest artists involved in the new mixed media exhibit there. The place was packed, and everyone was having fun eating the marvelous chocolate goodies provided by the VAAM board and conversing as much as they could amidst the din of that crowded space. I noticed an older man looking at my necklace display, so I made my way over and chatted with him for awhile. He identified himself as an artist from Salina, a larger town about 30 miles north of McPherson. He said he had his own studio and participates in the monthly open studios tour in the art district up there, and asked if I'd be interested in exhibiting my jewelry in his gallery. Of course, I jumped at the chance. He ended up buying the necklace and asked me to hold it until he could get me the money. I took it home with me and waited to hear from him.

On Monday morning he called and asked if he could drive down and pick up the necklace. We arranged for him to come to my office. He did, and brought his son who is also an artist. Since there was much better opportunity to chat in my office than there had been in the noisy gallery I asked him about his history, etc. He is a painter and bronze sculptor, and as a young man came to the midwest to study Birger Sandzen, Kansas' answer to the French impressionist movement.

It wasn't until after he left and I looked up his studio website that I discovered to my utter shock that he is Dr. Richard Bergen, the sculptor whose work is atop the Kansas state capitol building (see below), part of memorials, and in many private collections. In other words, he's rather a celebrity in these parts. Obviously an unassuming man since he mentioned not one word to me. My embarrassment was mitigated somewhat in that, although I hadn't recognized his name, I definitely recognized his work.

You can read more about the history of this sculpture here and see Dr. Bergen's website here. And this lovely man wants to exhibit my jewelry in his gallery. My goodness.

you know it's been a long time since your last post when...

2009-05-07T14:13:00.003-05:00

...you have trouble remembering your password.

I am here and all is well. There's a lot going on in our family right now, and life is just very busy. Our second boy, Christopher, will graduate from high school in a little more than a week, so we've been doing graduation parties and receptions for him and other graduates. Also, this week is our city (actually county) celebration of All Schools Day, the 96th annual event. It is a HUGE deal here. Nothing gets done the last 2-3 days of the week except one fun thing after another, including a parade, a carnival with actual big rides and games, concerts, art shows (I'm in 2) and other assorted hilarity.

My brother and his wife from Kansas City will be down for the hoo

pla, and we'll all have dinner together Friday evening. Saturday my mother and I are going on a walking tour of stained glass in the downtown area, including old and new installations. The new library expansion includes 6 huge and wonderful stained glass windows. By the way, for those of you who remember that my mom has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer, she's feeling good and only has 2 more weekly treatments before she's done, hopefully forever. She does appreciate your well wishes.

I have four, count 'em, FOUR art shows lined up for this summer/fall, including one next month at the Flint Hills Symphony in southeast Kansas, one in September at the Fair on the Square in Lyons, then two in October, the Halstead Fine Arts and Crafts show, and my all-time favorite event, Artful Taste of Autumn. So I'm going to be even more busy. Not to mention, I currently have several mixed media/fibers pieces on exhibit at a local coffee house. Not bad for someone who only makes art in her (precious) spare time.

Since I still do not know what's up with my camera and couldn't even find it last time I went to look for it, I have no pictures of anything I've mentioned in this post. However, I have stolen a photo of the shoes I have on today, which I thought might tickle your fancy. Mine are like these, only lime green.

dylan can see!!

2009-04-17T13:52:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Dylan came home complaining he couldn't read the writing on the overhead projector. So it was off to the optometrist, and this is the result. He's doing well with them although he's left them on the floor a couple of times. He's holding Paul Revere as he was interpreted for a biographical report Dylan gave at school.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

joyous easter

2009-04-12T07:34:00.001-05:00

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Matthew 28:1-9

Wishing everyone a blessed and peaceful Easter Sunday.

behold the man

2009-04-09T16:11:00.003-05:00

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished.

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything-

No gifts, no power, no wisdom;

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,

His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer;

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom.

at last, a couple of photos

2009-04-05T18:42:00.004-05:00

Courtesy of my mother, who let me borrow her little uploading gizmo, I finally have a couple of recent jewelry photos to post. Even then, the color isn't very good but you'll get the idea. The first is a series of three necklaces, kind of all on a theme, five short strands of mixed pearls and crystals, finished with bead cones and chain to the back of the neck, then closed with lobster clasps. I thought they turned out rather well.

This (or something similar) is what I will send to be juried to the Flinthills Symphony art show soon. The silver pendant was made with PMC impressed with Kansas prairie grass for the texture, then set with a champagne CZ.

Since our big snowfall last weekend we had two smaller ones, including this morning. Yesterday it was 75 degrees, today 40 with snow. Argh.

a wonderful gift

2009-04-03T09:24:00.002-05:00

We have some dear friends who have just purchased a new home and found something in the basement they weren't entirely sure about. He thought it might be some kind of dishwasher or other appliance. Hmmm. Well guess what--it's a big electric KILN and they're GIVING IT TO ME!! I'm fainting from the hyperventilating. I truly cannot believe it. We may have to rewire the house for it, but by golly, whatever it takes I think we'll do. Thankfully I have a husband who is handy at that sort of thing.

In other news, we may be getting another 6" of snow this weekend. Grrr.

a new/old photo

2009-04-02T09:43:00.003-05:00

I came across this old photo of my husband (before he was my husband) and I in our college days. We were young.

I am feeling much better, thanks for all your good wishes.

snowed in and tummy travails

2009-03-29T15:21:00.003-05:00

I must say it's just as well we couldn't go anywhere this weekend because we've been visited with a stomach virus. I won't go into any details; suffice it to say a little of that goes a long way. I may indulge myself and take a day off work tomorrow. I surely won't be much good in my present state.

I hope the rest of you are in fighting form.

we only thought it was spring--blizzard ahead

2009-03-27T10:10:00.003-05:00

I'm getting rather sick of winter weather, especially since we've had such a nice bit of spring in between. We're forecast for up to 15" of snow here today (blizzard warning) and no one is thrilled. Except for the kids, of course.

I had nice daffodils and crocus blooming. This should put paid to that. However, starting on Sunday we will be in another warm up so at least the white stuff won't stay around long. And we really do need the moisture.

It has been announced that Art in the Garden will not be held this year. It went on for eight years running, so it's not surprising that in this small community they were running out of willing gardeners. Maybe it can turn into an every-other-year event. I hope it doesn't go away altogether. So I have (hopefully) three art shows this year. That's still plenty.

I hope it's more clement weather where you are!

don't give up on me

2009-03-19T10:04:00.002-05:00

Oh dear, awol again.

I can only plead extreme busy-ness and a camera that suddenly won't let me plug it in to the computer to upload photos. And maybe I'm kind of distracted and unmotivated. No excuse, really, but that's the story.

I will post enough to say that I'm fine, my family is fine, and things are actually going well. Also, for anyone who is interested, I have lost about 20 lb. by now, so I'm pleased with that.

I have a couple of exciting opportunities coming up this summer. One is a chance to exhibit (if my work gets past the jury process) at an event called the Flinthills Symphony, featuring the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra giving a concert in a pasture in eastern Kansas. Should be fun. There's a similar but smaller show in a small town near here that I'm also planning to participate in, plus the annual Art in the Garden and Artful Taste of Autumn events. I think four shows seems like enough, especially since I'm still exhibiting at the VAAM Gallery and there is such a thing as spreading yourself too thin.

The newlyweds are getting along fine. The usual adjustment phase I think, learning how to live together. It's a good thing they'd dated for three years before they married. At least they had maybe an inkling of how life would be.

I am now going to check in on all the blogs I've been neglecting these few weeks. I hope to do better in the future, and especially to work on getting my camera to cooperate so I don't have to post without photos.

kyrie eleison

2009-02-25T09:05:00.004-06:00

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are proved right when you speak

and justified when you judge.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

from Psalm 51, New International Version

fat tuesday (mardi gras)

2009-02-24T16:42:00.004-06:00

I don't usually pay too much attention to the day before Ash Wednesday, but circumstances alter cases sometimes. In the next couple of days I look forward to taking delivery of the following:

I saw this jacket on ebay and had to have it. $7.99 brand new.

This is my little kiln. The firebox is only 6" square, but that should be fine for PMC and warm glass projects.

In other news, I am currently working with our local hospital's nutritionist to get my weight under control. I see her for a weigh in every other week. She keeps me honest and is a darling person with whom I enjoy talking. I've lost 9 lb. so far.

Fat Tuesday, indeed.

congratulations to dylan

2009-02-19T19:23:00.002-06:00

On the very day of Adam and Emily's reception Dylan participated in his boy scout troop's pinewood derby and came in SECOND!! He was so excited and proud. So we had lots to celebrate on that day.

We're gradually getting back to normal around here post wedding. I've been able to spend some time in my studio creating things, and have taken the plunge and purchased a small electric kiln to fire my PMC pieces and maybe try some warm glass techniques. I'm very excited to get it, and so is Christopher who has been wanting a kiln for his own glass projects. Should be fun.

I've been enjoying getting more or less caught up on people's blogs. If anyone is on facebook, I'm there too as of a few weeks ago. We can be buddies!

mission accomplished

2009-02-16T10:51:00.005-06:00

I'm happy to say everyone survived the wedding and related festivities. It was really a lovely ceremony, performed by my brother which added so much to the meaningfulness of the day.

This is one of two alter bouquets, made by me. Actually I did all the flowers but the mothers' corsages.

Ring pillow--I made this.

Guest book--I made this. (I'm detecting a theme here.)

Cutting the wedding cake, which I did not make. Did the flowers, though. Aren't they sweet kids?

I love the look on Emily's face in this shot.

So now I have a daughter-in-law. They are very happy. Life is good.

We will now commence regular programming.

a photo for Chris

2009-02-12T22:18:00.003-06:00

no time to talk

2009-02-07T11:07:00.002-06:00

As you might imagine I have been rather busy with work and wedding plans. The event is this coming Thursday evening, with a reception the following Saturday. After the wedding itself there will be a dinner for everyone attending the private ceremony.

Adam and Emily have asked me to create their wedding guest book, so I've been busy with that among many other things. I will definitely photograph it, and will post the photo along with wedding candids.

I hope you are all well. Thank you for the kind comments recently. I will leave you with a snap of the happy couple.
Adam and Emily Shepard, 2/12/09

brain storm

2009-01-26T13:05:00.005-06:00

I was thinking over the weekend (surprise!) and am mulling over a couple of things. First, I'm thinking of marketing handmade books for wedding albums and guest books, baby books, keepsake books, etc. You may remember the guest book I made for my brother Brad and his new wife last summer:

I would have some in stock but would be able to do custom work as well.

Also, I'm considering setting up shop on the 'net selling accessories for larger ladies (of which I am one). It is often difficult to find jewelry, especially, sized for larger wrists, and tiny delicate things can get lost on generous bosoms. I'd probably limit this to jewelry and scarves at first. I'm also trying to figure out the best venue for marketing these things.

Tell me what you think.

coming up for air

2009-01-23T19:08:00.002-06:00

Between working, wedding preparations, and studio work I haven't had much time to blog lately. However, I did manage to take a few photos of some of my recent jewelry. I always forget it's hard to shoot a good photo in my very pink studio--somehow everything has a rosy cast. Anyway, here they are:

Strands of mixed size and color pearls, with a fine silver and CZ pendant made by me.

This is odds and ends of various green beads with a large fine silver pendant bead I made. Whenever I can string a pendant I made myself along with the beads it makes the finished piece feel more like my own.

A nice dichroic pendant with strands of carnelian, pineapple quartz, and jasper.

This is the necklace I made to wear at Adam & Emily's wedding. Cultured biwa and button pearls in a glowing off-white with tiny crystals strung between.

Tomorrow is my day to work at the VAAM Gallery downtown. I always enjoy a studio day but I've been so busy I haven't any idea what I'll take to work on. Better get to it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

boring

2009-01-19T09:01:00.002-06:00

I've actually accomplished quite a bit lately but haven't photographed anything. I made some rather nice jewelry over the weekend, plus finalized some wedding plans and sent out more invitations/announcements. Since we've had a short time frame to get all this accomplished, it has seemed that everything has happened in kind of a rush. However, it is all getting done, which is the main thing.

I hope you are all well. I will return soon with photos.

happy birthday to adam

2009-01-17T10:20:00.004-06:00

Today is my oldest son's birthday--22 years. I always thought it was funny when older people would say, "It seems like only yesterday" that something had happened, but now I know what they meant. It surely can't have been all that long ago, but it was.

This is Adam in my husband's arms, just a few minutes old. I was in no shape to be photographed. What must be going through a newborn's mind at this point, I wonder?

This is Adam in the 4th grade, age 9. Wasn't he handsome!

And here he is now, with his fiancee Emily. They make a very nice looking couple.

Happy birthday, Adam. We love you, we're proud of you, and we pray God's blessing on you always.

bridal jewelry

2009-01-08T22:00:00.002-06:00

Just a brief post before bed to show off the wedding jewelry I made for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law Emily. Tiny cream button pearls, champagne colored crystals, and 2mm sterling beads. I think it will be lovely with her gown. She's going to be a beautiful bride.

cyberfyber

2009-01-05T14:07:00.004-06:00

Do visit the long-awaited cyberfyber exhibit at

http://cyberfyberexhibitjournal.blogspot.com/

This was an incredible amount of work for Susan Lenz, whose brainchild the exhibit is. If you click on the "postcards" link on the right and scroll down to #123, you'll see my contribution!

resume programming

2009-01-05T10:34:00.006-06:00

Life resumes today after a couple of weeks off after the Christmas and New Year's holidays. In many ways it is a relief to get back to a normal schedule, especially as regards the kids going back to school.

I finished and delivered the long-awaited commissioned piece over the weekend. The couple who had requested it were very happy with it, I'm pleased with the outcome and frankly glad it is finished. It was a challenge, in a good way, but as with a lot of large projects was not without it's panicky moments. Of course I have no photographs of the finished projects (I just never remember that step, for some reason) but have been invited to take photos of it in situ any time I want, so I probably will. Even with the project finished, I feel that there are a couple of "spinoff" pieces still in my head that will need to come out fairly soon. Probably have to cook awhile yet though.

In the meantime, I'm going to clear the decks--clean up my studio, in other words--and get down to some serious jewelry making. I'm seeing ads for this cropping up:

I've done quite a bit of work with silver PMC, but hadn't seen the bronze version. Main plus: it's much less expensive than silver. Main drawback: an actual kiln is required for firing. Rats. I cannot afford that expense at the moment. However, I do have some silver PMC on hand so I can get on with making silver jewelry. Here are a couple of previous pieces:

I kept this one for myself.

This one I sold. Actually I also sold a couple of similar pieces, so maybe I'll make some more since they seem popular.

I certainly hope 2009 is off to a good start for all of you.

a new year's birthday (almost)

2009-01-02T10:28:00.005-06:00

Happy birthday today to my brother Brad. Here he is with my niece Brooke. He is a loving, thoughtful, and gentle man.

And here are a few photos of the commissioned work in progress. It's coming along and I'm pretty OK with it so far, although I feel I have a ways to go as far as finishing touches. This started with a base of fabric paper a la Beryl Taylor (my hero) and is actually three 20" x 20" panels. This one is the final panel. The little door opens, too, to show a little vignette within.

This is the first panel in the series, not finished obviously. I've enjoyed adding 3-D and interactive bits to these pieces.

This is a gothic arch made for this project by my very talented uncle out of wood and embellished by moi. The name of the piece in toto is "Through Open Doors", hence all the references to doors and door-related things. The panels will be mounted on artist boards for ease in hanging.

And since it is Friday, and since I haven't posted a cat photo lately, here is Romeo in a box that originally held a shipment of Christmas packages.

Have a great day, everyone.

resolutions

2008-12-31T10:21:00.000-06:00

I'm not a person who makes resolutions at the new year, chiefly because I tend to forget all about them pretty quickly, either that or try and fail (dieting), making me feel terrible. But there are two things I'm going to really work on this year. One is using what I already have instead of buying more. This includes art materials, clothing, food in the pantry/refrigerator, etc. The other is, instead of worrying about people and situations or complaining to those people or about those situations (neither of which does any good) I'm going to take God at his word and bring those things to him in prayer. If I say I trust God but can't do that, my faith isn't worth much.

I worked at the VAAM Gallery yesterday in place of a woman who needed the day off, so I made it a studio day as usual. I'm getting quite a lot done on my commissioned piece and will return soon with photos.

I hope you all have fun tonight however you choose to celebrate, and best wishes for a very happy, healthy, and peaceful new year.

that "after christmas" feeling

2008-12-28T21:22:00.000-06:00

We had a really nice Christmas. On Christmas Eve, after a lovely service at church, my parents came over for supper (beef burgundy, salad, hot bread) and we enjoyed the evening. Afterward, I stuffed the stockings early when no one was looking and turned the lights out so nobody bothered about them, then I went to bed. Didn't open my eyes until 8 a.m. I was amazed! I got this little gem from my hubby:

I never wanted an MP3 player until I figured out you can download audiobooks to them. I haven't done it yet but I will, never fear. I also got a couple of wonderful art books, one on mixed media and one on PMC, plus lovely bath stuff from one son, a kitchen gadget I'd been wanting from another, and my little one wrapped up an ornament he'd gotten from my mother, that we had hung on the tree when I was a child. It was quite sweet.

I'm using the week's vacation time I have between now and January 5 to finish up the commissioned piece for my good friend. I believe I have mentioned it on this blog before but I've been very behind times in completing it. I figured since I have some extended time free (or relatively, since the kids are off school) I'll be able to get it finished and delivered.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

2008-12-23T09:09:00.000-06:00

1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Luke's Gospel, Chapter 2, Verses 1-20, King James Version

frozen toes

2008-12-22T09:26:00.000-06:00

It's cold here. Single digits. Brrr.

There are only three days to Christmas and I can't remember when I've felt less prepared for the holiday. I'm not done shopping, let alone wrapping, and I still don't know what all I'm contributing to Christmas dinner. Could it be that those things aren't as important as I've always thought them? There are 24 hours in each day, but they don't seem to go as far as they used to.

Tomorrow is our company's Christmas potluck and then our plant closes down from 12/24-1/5. I am so looking forward to it, although it is mostly an unpaid time period except for the actual holidays of Christmas and New Year's Day. I don't know if it's the short days or the extreme cold but I've been mightily disinclined to get out of bed with the alarm in the mornings lately.

We did some shopping on Saturday morning (I bought more hollow glass ornaments--I love them although I need another ornament like I need a hole in the head), then attended the wedding of the son of close friends that afternoon/evening. Yesterday was the Christmas brunch at church (lots of fun), then our new pastor and her husband hosted an open house at their new home for the congregation. Add to that continuing wedding plans, and I guess I've been busier than I realized.

I hope you all can take the time during this busy season to slow down and appreciate the beauty of Christmas, and to remember what it's really all about.

looong silence

2008-12-17T08:14:00.000-06:00

Hello all.

I really am here despite the lapse in posting. We're busy with Christmas preparations, extra church goings-on, and school programs.

Our oldest son Adam and his fiancee Emily, who had not yet set a date, came to us recently and said that February 12 will be the big day. Ever since we've been rather awash in wedding preparations. Although they want a very small private wedding it still requires a certain amount of forethought. They've asked for my help in planning this event, which pleases me, but I'm trying to go softly and not impose my will on them. So far we've accomplished the following:

One bridal gown, to be accented with a thin red silk ribbon around the lower edge of the bodice

One tuxedo, except with this vest:

Invitations/announcements

Wedding cake.

And a partridge in a pear tree. They've obviously chosen red as their wedding color so Emily's thinking about possibly red lilies for her bouquet. Although the wedding will be just for family and close friends they will have a reception a day or two later and invite a wider group of people. I must say, small weddings and a couple who doesn't have a lot of high-falutin' ideas certainly make for a less expensive proposition. And they're getting just what they want, besides.

Hope all is well with my readers.

good news

2008-12-03T08:23:00.000-06:00

My mother went for her oncologist visit yesterday and found out a couple of pretty important things. First, she is BRCA 1 & 2 negative, which means she does NOT have the kind of cancer that arises from a genetic mutation, so none of her kids/grandkids can have inherited that mutant gene. Second, she does not have to begin her chemotherapy until after Christmas, which is rather important to her and to the family as a whole. She wasn't looking forward to feeling horrible with the family around at the holiday. When she does start chemo, she'll have it once every two weeks for four months. We are all rejoicing with Mom in this good news. It makes this season of Thanksgiving and Advent even more meaningful.

Since I don't like to post without photos, here are some previously posted pieces. This is a postcard I made for a swap. It is much like a piece by Beryl Taylor, whose work I admire a lot.

This piece and the next one were part of the show that traveled to Lincoln, KS and are currently on exhibit at the VAAM Gallery. This is made of paper, fabric, and metal.

This is one of my personal favorite pieces. It's probably 3 x 2 feet and is essentially comprised of artist's postcards stitched to a quilted black background.

I hope you are all having a great Wednesday.

more knifty knitting

2008-12-02T08:17:00.000-06:00

In between all the cooking and visiting this last Thanksgiving weekend I did some knitting. These are for my four-year-old niece's Christmas gift. I didn't use a pattern, just modified my usual roll-brim hat for a child's head and knitted a simple rectangle and crocheted strap for the bag. The bag also has a little heart shaped button closure which you can just about see at the top. Did I mention she likes pink?

This is something I finished a few days ago, knit from Icelandic wool, then felted. I found the rose and leaf patterns here.

I've lined it with quilting cotton and it has a snap closure. I think it's cute. The bag is again just a simple made-up pattern, and I crocheted the straps and attached them and did the side seams before felting the bag.

It has gotten quite cold here lately, and the cats want to be in the house overnight. I nearly tripped over one of them on my way to turn lights on in the living room this morning. He just looked at me and yawned. No sympathy there.

Hope you're all having a good week.

wedding congratulations

2008-11-26T10:08:00.000-06:00

microsoft.com

Hearty congratulations to my youngest brother Eric and his bride Kelly, who were married last night and who will spend Thanksgiving with us tomorrow. Kelly brings three sweet boys to our family. I couldn't be more pleased to welcome them all, and I pray many, many years of happiness for Eric & Kelly.

thanksgiving blessings

2008-11-26T08:54:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S.A. We're having the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings (and 23 relatives) at my Mom & Dad's house as we usually do. I have already made my famous sweet potato souffle and creamed onions and tonight/tomorrow will put together some peach and berry crostata (recipe here) plus sauteed green beans (yum) and this fresh green salad (minus the turkey). We've also got a bake sale fundraiser for Relay for Life here at work which I made ginger bread and pumpkin bread for, plus an office snack potluck for which I made spinach/artichoke dip in a bread bowl. I do believe I've done my share of cooking for the time being.

That being said, I want to make a list of some things I have to be thankful for:

faith in God who sustains my life
living in a free country
a wonderful husband and three healthy boys
my loving extended family
my mother's successful surgery and recovery
two new sisters-in-law, 4 new nephews and a new niece
a job I enjoy
friends who love me and put up with my foibles
my art, which is better than therapy
this blog and all the wonderful new friends it has put me in touch with

Whether you're in the US and celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow or in another part of the world that doesn't observe that particular holiday, I urge you to be mindful of your blessings. Thankfulness is always appropriate.

weekend doings

2008-11-24T09:45:00.000-06:00

It was my Saturday to work at the VAAM Gallery, so I took things with me as usual. I finished the felted bag I'd been working on. It turned out to be a clutch. My sister helped me choose the funky button decoration. It closes with a large snap.

This is a felted bucket bag I knitted to my own pattern. I'm really impressed with how well Lion brand 100% wool yarn felts. Every bit as good as spendy wool yarn and I can get it at Wal Mart or Hobby Lobby. The color of this is "cadet blue", with a plain black handle. Can't remember what the fuzzy stuff is.

Here are some cotton and bamboo silk socks I've dyed and have for sale at the Gallery. I took a bunch in weekend before last and they were almost gone by midweek, so I had to do more. I sold a couple of pairs on Saturday, too, so they seem to be popular. The bamboo silk kind of piques people's interest because they're a very nice sock, soft and very warm, plus people like the idea that bamboo silk is a sustainable resource. It takes the dye extremely well, too.

This isn't a good photo but it shows one of my handknit acrylic scarves. This was taken in 100% natural, brilliant sunlight streaming through the window of the Gallery, which shows what kind of weather we've been having. Gorgeous, in other words.

I'm busily knitting up the sari strips into a scarf for a certain sister-in-law's Christmas gift. I'll photograph it but maybe not post until after Christmas because if she's reading this I don't want to spoil the surprise too much.

Have a great week, all.

knitting up a storm

2008-11-20T09:28:00.000-06:00

I've made a few yarn purchases lately, on e-bay. This is a wool/silk blend. I love the colors.

This one is Icelandic wool. It's on my needles now, going to be a felted purse. It had to be pink, of course.

I was intrigued by this. It is strips of silk fabric, torn and tied together at the ends, for knitting. It is apparently waste silk that ends up on the floor in the process of making garments, etc. I like the idea of taking something left over and making something beautiful out of it. This will probably become a scarf.

I've knitted my mother a couple of chemo caps. She doesn't need them yet, her chemotherapy doesn't begin for another month. She continues to do marvelously, by the way, healing quickly and basically she's back to her routine. We will be having Thanksgiving next week at her house as usual, with about 23 people coming for dinner! I'm helping cook, so that will be fun.

Hope you're all having a wonderful week.

and now for something completely different

2008-11-15T10:21:00.000-06:00

I don't usually post cookery items on my blog but this was too good not to share. We had a church supper the other evening and I was casting about for something unusual with an autumn flavor. Since we were encouraged to bring recipes originating in other countries, I decided this Argentine stew in a pumpkin tureen about filled the bill in all directions. The recipe called for the stew to be made in a pot on top of the stove, then put into a hollowed out and buttered pumpkin shell (which my kind hubby did a bang up job on). The whole thing was then put in a slow oven and baked. It got a lot of attention at the dinner, I can tell you that! It was also delicious. The idea was to scoop bits of the baked pumpkin into the stew as it was being ladled out. I would definitely make this again.

Now for some craftiness. This is some luscious yarn I've been working with, 75% wool and 25% silk. I decided to try and make a felted handbag, so I knitted a rectangle....

...and then I got clever and decided to decrease at each end of each row until the knitting came to a point at the end for the bag flap. I think it worked rather well. This is the knitting after felting in a washer full of hot water with a couple pairs of slacks to agitate against the wool and help the felting process along. I will finish it with a large button closure, a felted strap, and maybe lining.

My mother, bless her heart, has done absolutely beautifully since the surgery. She's been up and around really since she came home on Tuesday, feeling a lot better than she had expected too. It has been a great blessing to have my sister around to look after Mom; the rest of us have been able to be easy in our minds knowing Mom was in very capable and loving hands. We've been out to lunch a couple of times and Mom and Sarah have been shopping--Mom looks really good, certainly not like someone who just had surgery last Monday! Again, thank you all for your kind thoughts, prayers, and concern. It really does make a difference to know you all care.

mom update/drawing

2008-11-11T09:21:00.000-06:00

Thank you all so much for your concern and kind words about my mother. She had her surgery yesterday, everything went very well, the initial report on the lymph nodes is that they were clear of cancer cells. She will be home later today (!) and my sister will be staying with her to help her for the first few days. We're very grateful that #1 the surgery is finished, #2 everything went well and looks good, #3 Mom gets to come home where she'll be very ably looked after by my sister (an R.N.--did I mention that part?), #4 Mom's pain seems quite manageable and she's in good spirits, eating, reading, generally taking an interest, #5 we've had so much love and support from our friends and family. My youngest brother and his girlfriend are here from KC and were able to be with Dad and my sis at the hospital as they waited through the surgery. I was planning on being at work as usual yesterday but Dylan got sick over the weekend--the first time this school year, which is remarkable for him--so I was at home yesterday.

That all being said, I completely forgot to do the drawing until today. I didn't want to wait until Dylan got home from school so I used this cool randomizer here and came up with the following result:

List Randomizer
There were 8 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
1. maureen
2. jules
3. viv
4. kate
5. bethel
6. julie m.
7. genie
8. robin
Timestamp: 2008-11-11 16:03:31 UTC

That means Maureen wins the bag, Jules wins the scarf, and Viv wins the embellished silk pillow. Congrats to you all and I'll pop them in the mail very soon. Thanks to everyone who entered. Hope you're having a good week so far.

happy friday

2008-11-07T09:41:00.000-06:00

Nothing to report today really, but I wanted to remind you to post a comment if you want to be involved in my giveaway I talked about here.

Since I hate to post with no photos, here's one of the campus of the University of Kansas in the autumn. It's from the world of stock website, obviously.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

kansas sunrise

2008-11-05T10:07:00.000-06:00

I had a wild idea this morning--get up early and run to McDonalds to pick up some sausage biscuits for breakfast (trust me, that's about as wild as my ideas get, but we like McDonalds breakfasts occasionally), and on the way home I was enjoying the sunrise so much I stopped and photographed it. That's a Kansas farmstead in the background, along with the ubiquitous telephone poles and an oncoming car with lights on. Oh well, you can still see the glorious colors of the sky and clouds.

I forgot to mention that this past weekend I participated in our town's Main Street holiday shopping kickoff. The Opera House and VAAM Gallery cooperated in a "Festive Holiday Market" featuring several artists' booths in the Opera House annexe and theatre lobby area plus a display of beautiful holiday table settings and other gorgeous decorations in the Opera House ballroom. It was quite well attended and as my booth was right next to the elevator I had a lot of traffic and good sales. One thing I sold was this hat which you may remember from a previous post. The young lady who bought it asked if I could make a scarf in the yarn I used for the stripes, so that's what's currently on my needles. Her sister wants a similar hat with a turquoise stripe so that will be next, followed by some chemo caps for my mother who will be needing them fairly soon. I've got some yummy yarns ordered especially for those caps.

I'm also planning to knit some wool purses to felt. More on that later.

Hope you're having a good Wednesday.

BTW, don't forget to go to yesterday's post which talks about my latest giveaway and send me a comment saying you'd like to be included in the drawing.

bag giveaway

2008-11-04T08:19:00.000-06:00

I've been feeling awfully thankful lately, for a lot of reasons. We've been blessed, so blessed, in our family and our friends, our church, our neighborhood, the kids' schools and work situations...I could go on at length. Anyway, I want to pass on the thankful theme by giving away a few things, among them the bag I made for the fiber workshop.

This is the photo I posted when I blogged about the workshop. The bag as pictured is not completed. The finished product has a tidier strap and more embellishment, including beads and other goodies. It's not large, probably 10 inches up and down and 8 across or so. It is lined and there's a little pocket inside, and it snaps closed with one big snap.

I'm also going to give away a hand dyed silk scarf in fuchsia red and tangerine, and one of my little silk velvet painted/stamped art pillows which can be used for a pincushion I suppose, or just for a cute decoration.

All of this giveaway will occur one week from today, Tuesday November 11, Veteran's Day here in the US, which reminds me of another thing I'm grateful for--my cousin who was fighting house-to-house in Baghdad not too long ago has returned safely home and was recently married.

If you want your name included in the drawing, please leave me a blog post specifically saying so and I'll put your name in the hat.

On a more somber note, my mother has had a recurrence of breast cancer and must undergo a mastectomy in a few days, followed by 4 months of chemotherapy. The earlier cancer was 10 years ago so this was a bit of a jolt. She's doing well though and just wants to get the treatment behind her. My sister, a nurse, will be here to care for Mom post-op, which is another thing to be really, really grateful for, as is the excellent medical facility and physicians involved in the treatment. We'd all appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts in our direction.

Hope you're all doing well today.

witchie-poo

2008-11-03T08:12:00.001-06:00

Ta-daaaaa!
As promised, Halloween pictures. I was certainly colorful, that's for sure.

This was my favorite part of the costume, although they were NOT comfortable. I took my crocs along because I knew I'd want to change. I was right.

My fellow costumed ghoul here is my workmate, Rob, who is dressed as the Grim Reaper. I actually made his costume, out of a black bedsheet. Looked good, though.

We had lots of little goblins at our door on Halloween night. My oldest son took my youngest and his little friend out trick-or-treating while my second son manned the candy bowl and answered the door. Both of my older boys still like to dress up--Adam went in full military kit (he's a big WWII history buff) and Chris put on a black t-shirt with fake tattoo sleeves up and down his arms. By that time I had changed into real clothes and was nursing my poor fingernails from their assault by the long purple glue on nails I'd worn all day.

All in all, quite a fun day.

happy halloween

2008-10-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun little seasonal time waster. Don't blame me if you can't quit.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

thanks, genie

2008-10-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

Genie has graciously given me the above blog award, which carries with it the following stipulations:

Pass this award to five people, four dedicated followers plus one new follower to your blog who lives in another part of the world. Please link back to the person who gave you this award.

I've linked back to Genie already, which is the easy part.

Here are my four dedicated followers:

As for an new follower from a different part of the world, I'm choosing Jennifer who lives in Texas. Technically not from a different part of the world, but Texans are usually the first to admit that their state is a world apart.

Thanks, Genie, for the honor. I am flattered and pleased.

autumn in the country

2008-10-29T08:37:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday evening, after a wonderful day teaching fiber arts, my family joined several other families we're friends with on a hay ride and cookout potluck at the farm belonging to one of the families. It was a lovely evening, especially for this late in October--not too cool, no wind, clear skies. Here are some folks gathering around the fire with their camp chairs.

Doug had made a great fire pit, lined with rocks (slate, I think) from the nearby river. He had previously cut down some dying trees on his place, ash and oak, which made a wonderful fire.

This is really rustic, al fresco dining! I think that's part of a painting scaffold serving as a buffet table.

The sun about to go down behind the rock wall facing the fire pit area.

The kids played hide-and-seek in the dusk, we could hear coyotes and owls in the (not too far off) distance, and the grownups sat around the fire chatting and laughing until long after dark. It was a wonderful evening.

Hope you're all having a super Wednesday.

fiber arts workshop

2008-10-28T08:50:00.001-05:00

The fiber arts workshop I taught was held last Saturday. It was a lot of fun, and EXHAUSTING! Here are my students and their sewing machines.

I brought along a significant portion of my fiber stash and invited the ladies to use anything they wanted for their projects. They had fun choosing their own colorways and just playing with the different elements.

We learned several techniques, including making cords, working with solvy, hot fix angelina, layering, burning/distressing, and needlefelting by hand and with an embellisher. This is Donna getting with the needlefelting tool.

I suggested using their newly-learned techniques to either make a small bag or a piece of hanging art. This is the front of Ann's little bag, showing her needlefelting.

Donna made a larger bag with the help of the embellisher. You may remember that I retooled my old sewing machine to become an embellisher because I'm too cheap to spring for a "real" embellisher, although I must say it works really well.

This is Lizzie's piece. She was the youngest participant and kept things fresh and lively. I like her color choices, shapes, and composition here.

This is my version of the small bag we made. It's not quite finished (note the pins at the top of the bag where I have yet to stitch it closed) but it's a cute pattern that I modified from here. It has a gussetted bottom that makes it seem roomier.

Teaching this workshop was a very good experience for me. The class size (5 students) seemed about right to present all the techniques I wanted the participants to learn. It was a lot of stuff packed into the five hour time frame, but everything I wanted to do got done. All of the ladies really seemed to enjoy themselves and were able to work with materials and methods they had never seen or tried before. I was asked by a couple of the women if I would be teaching another workshop at some point, which made me feel good. And the answer to that question is YES!!

Believe it or not, after this wonderful but very tiring day, I went with my family on a hay ride and cookout at a friend's farm. But that's the post for tomorrow!

Hope you are all having a great week.

overboard again

2008-10-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

I just can't help it. I love to dress up. When I came across an old black crushed velour dress in my closet that sealed the deal on my Halloween costume. We are allowed to dress up at work, and since Halloween is on a Friday this year I decided to go all out. In addition to the aforementioned dress I will be clad in the following:

This will be festooned with purple and black netting.

I'm obviously not this dishy.

Took me a long time to find these.

Wow.

And finally, the coup de grace:

Are these cool or what?!?!

And yes, I will take pictures.

colors of autumn

2008-10-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

I love autumn, my favorite season, not least for the bright gorgeous colors. These French or Cinderella pumpkins were irresistable at my favorite garden center. Those are Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins behind.

This rose obviously didn't get the memo that fall is here. Note the little friend on the top petals.

Hope you're all having a good week.

paved with good intentions, etc.

2008-10-20T08:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back. I had a "lost weekend", which for me means one of my multi-day headaches arising from knotted muscles in my back. I'm still feeling this one this morning but it is much better and will probably be gone by lunchtime (fingers firmly crossed).

As promised, here are some photos from Artful Taste of Autumn. We were poolside this year, which made for a very nice setting.

John and Chris have absolutely fantastic plantings around their place.

Here's my hubby helping with the set up of my booth. It was bigger this year than last because I had more stuff.

We had a little visitor under one of our tables. This is a katydid.

There are a lot of interesting architectural elements around John & Chris' place. I like the gargoyle light fixtures.

Another interesting piece, made after an ancient Greek mask or somesuch.

Here's the pool after nightfall. It was a nice evening and everyone

seemed to really have a wonderful time as usual.

off the radar

2008-10-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

I've been really busy, so there's been no posting this week. However I thought I'd check in and tell you that a) my knee is feeling so much better after the cortisone injection, and b) we did have a lovely time at Artful Taste of Autumn this past weekend. Photos will follow.

Sorry for the uninteresting stuff, but I'll follow up soon.

Hope you're all OK.

good news, bad news, good news

2008-10-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

The news from the orthopedic surgeon was not uniformly bad. The good news: I don't need surgery for the foreseeable future. The bad news: When I do have surgery it will be a total knee replacement because, friends, I have as good as no cartilage in my knee (no wonder it hurts!). However, it will be awhile before I get a replacement because the prevailing wisdom is to put it off until the joint is quite deteriorated. In the meantime I will have periodic cortisone injections to keep the swelling down (I got one today--not as awful as it sounds), keep taking my anti-inflammatories, get a good glucosamine/chondroitin supplement because that does lubricate the joints, and try to take enough exercise to maintain muscle tone. In other words I can't just sit around. Wonder if I can knit on my exercise bike?

The other good news is that I did go to Hobby Lobby, not for knitting needles but for yarn. I bought 5 skeins and some circular needles with a shorter cable than the one I've been using. So it was not a trip without side benefits.

These are all yarns I bought, and in the proper colors, from the Hobby Lobby website. I got a skein of plain black wool, too, but you can use your imaginations there. It's the same stuff I knit that first hat with a couple of days ago. All in all not an unfruitful trip. I have much more knowledge, at any rate, and understand better what I'm up against.

One more bit of good news: The weather for Artful Taste of Autumn this Saturday is supposed to be PERFECT. Sunny, blue skies, and temps in the upper 70s. I will, in fact, take photos.

i'm so clever

2008-10-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

Well, I got a bit of a brainstorm yesterday regarding those double pointed needles I couldn't find at Wal-Mart. I was in that store on my lunch hour yesterday to pick up a prescription refill and went into the yarn aisle to see if there was something I hadn't seen before. I noticed that in the clearance section there were several pairs of bamboo knitting needles and I got to wondering what might happen if I cut the ends off those needles and sharpened them--would that make them into useable double pointed needles? Answer: YES! I bought 2 pair very inexpensively and brought them back to work, asked our very kind maintenance manager if he'd cut the ends off (which he graciously did with hardly any snickering), then I used the electric pencil sharpener in my office to put points on the cut ends, smoothed them up a little with my emery board and I had my double pointed needles. I was a bit concerned that even Hobby Lobby wouldn't have dpn's in the diameter I wanted anyway, so I was doubly happy. I finished my hat from yesterday and started another right away.

On the subject of yarns and knitting, has anyone seen this:

It's felting yarn, wool yarn apparently made especially for felting. Something tells me I'll be checking into this fairly soon.

Hope you're all having a fantastic Wednesday.

tuesday happenings

2008-10-07T10:17:00.000-05:00

I call this "orange cat on red car". This is Rusty who isn't bothered that he clashes with the paint job.

Of course he wouldn't sit still when he figured out I might be doing something interesting or involving food. That's Tiger in the background.

Here's the knitted roll-brim hat I mentioned earlier. It was easy once I figured out how to keep it from getting all twisty on the circular needles. Hard to wear a mobius strip, after all. This will remain unfinished until I find some double pointed needles because it's been decreased to the point that I can't knit it anymore on the circular ones. Can't find any in town, so when I go to Hutchinson on Thursday for my orthopedic surgeon appointment I'll stop at Hobby Lobby.

warning: surgery ahead

2008-10-06T11:47:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official. The knee pain I've been experiencing does indeed have organic roots, as opposed to being a figment of my fevered imagination. Went to my general practice doctor and had an x-ray which showed three (!) bone spurs and thin cartilage on the medial (inner) side of my knee joint. There is a lot of popping going on in the outer side as well, which probably means either a meniscus tear or another cartilage issue. I have been referred to an orthopedic surgeon who will do an MRI later this week to have a view on the soft tissue stuff. Then I will be facing either a) surgery to remove the bone spurs and torn cartilage, or b) total knee replacement. I probably don't need to tell you which I hope it is. I'm also hoping to stave off whichever surgery I need until the beginning of the year to make the most of my insurance and time off for healing options. I will, of course, keep you posted.

I have been madly knitting scarves and will have several for sale at Artful Taste of Autumn coming up this weekend. I'm also rather tentatively trying the little knitted roll-brim hat pattern I found on this rather amusing blog. If it turns out I'll post a photo. If not...

Hope everyone is having a fine Monday.

wednesday update

2008-10-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

I'm back, with a little progress report. Here are the knitted scarves I've produced recently. At the left is the one knit with the recycled silk fiber yarn and the other two are an eyelash acrylic and variegated yarn with a little angelina-looking stuff in it. I think they've come out rather well. Since they're only 8 to 10 stitches wide each, they knitted up very quickly which is always a plus.

Here are some photos from the VAAM exhibit at the Lincoln Art Center in Lincoln, KS. The art center is located in an old building downtown, which has the original pressed tin ceiling common to buildings from the mid part of the 19th century, including some houses. I thought it would be interesting to include a photo of it here.

Here's a photo of the gallery at large. You can see the ceiling here, too.

A photo including the work of some VAAM Gallery member artists. We really have a nice variety of mediums represented.

This is work by my friend Michaela, whom I've blogged about before. She's a very interesting and talented lady.

And here's my little contribution. I can't think why I didn't photograph this from the opposite direction too, but there are a couple more pieces on the other side. You'll just have to take my word for it, I guess!

This is the only new piece I put in the show. It's called "l'or du roi" or "the king's gold". The little pillows are made of silk fabric, painted, stitched, stamped and other wise embellished. It was very tactile and fun to do. The bowl is a piece I did earlier out of papier mache but seemed perfect to display the pillows.

Outside the Lincoln Art Center was parked this interesting vehicle which I was urged to photograph and include on my blog. As you can see it is an art car, apparently making a statement about our use of fossil fuels. I'm not sure if it was a positive or negative statement, however.

Another view of the art car.

This angle includes a shot of Michaela, mentioned above.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I hope everyone is having a good week.

awol again

2008-09-29T09:29:00.000-05:00

In spite of good intentions I have not blogged all weekend. It was the weekend of the annual McPherson Scottish Festival, however, so maybe that's a good reason. I do help some with the festival, primarily on Sunday when I host the dance exhibition tent. I've become friends with the Irish dance instructor who brings her talented and agile students each year. She and I have been talking about me designing and producing a silver brooch for her dancers based on the school's insignia below, which would be a fun thing to do. I'd be working with the bit in the middle.

Could be a challenge.

David and Dylan went to the festival, which has a lot of fun kids activities including a miniature highland games. All in all a fun weekend.

I dusted off my knitting needles and tried my hand at making narrow scarves that seem to be all the rage with young girls these days. I used a skein of recycled silk fibers in variegated colors and a skein of space dyed eyelash yarn. Because they're only 8-10 stitches wide they knit up very fast. I use fairly large needles to keep the scarves airy and loosely knit. For as long as it has been since I've knitted anything at all (I actually used to make socks at one point in my career) I didn't do too bad, although I had to be reminded how to bind off my work when I was done! I will post photos of the scarves.

Have a great Monday everyone.

here i am

2008-09-25T10:25:00.000-05:00

photo from here

I haven't posted for awhile. Nothing's wrong, just busy and preoccupied. I'll try to do better over the next couple of days, including posting photos of the trip to the Lincoln gallery and some pics of my latest scarf and other dying projects.

Happy autumn, everyone. The photo above is of French pumpkins, my favorite. Some people call them Cinderella pumpkins, after her coach.

off to lincoln

2008-09-19T08:48:00.001-05:00

First of all, thanks to those of you who contacted me with birthday wishes. I did have a very nice birthday, finishing up with my mother's scratch chocolate cake and homemade peach ice cream. I got to celebrate with my youngest brother whose birthday is just one day after mine. I was 9 when he was born and practiced my mothering skills on him. He's still a joy to our family. In case you're interested, I received a wonderful pumpkin spice candle and mocha chocolates from my husband and kids, an antique "brown betty" teapot (made in England!) and new kitchen towel from my parents, my oldest son Adam is making me a very cool wooden sign for my studio, saying the name of the place, Blue Moon Studio, and my workmates bought me a cute coffee mug. So I felt well feted. I'm also getting something drastic done to my hair tomorrow--photos to follow. I've said for awhile now that I don't mind so much getting older as long as I can trade my youth for wisdom. Hopefully I'm getting there.

This afternoon I am driving a van load of artists to Lincoln, Kansas to attend a reception and gallery walk in connection with the VAAM Gallery exhibit on display at the gallery there. It is a 2 hour drive one way, so we won't be back until rather late (for me). We're all looking forward to it. If you're interested in seeing the gallery's website it is here. I will take photos to post later.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

happy birthday to ME!

2008-09-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! 29 and holding, for the 19th time!

another one down

2008-09-17T08:07:00.000-05:00

Last night I delivered six pieces to the VAAM Gallery to be transported today to the gallery in Lincoln, KS for the exchange exhibit between our gallery and theirs. Of those six pieces only two hadn't been displayed before, which isn't a big deal but I always like to put newer work in a new exhibit. Several of the pieces have been pictured on this blog in the past.

This is "Dreamgirl". I really need to make more dolls, especially since Ethel & Edna have been showing off their lovely fabric cuties lately.

This piece is one I did using some painting resist techniques a la Maggie Grey, who is such an inspiration I can't even describe. I've used corrugated copper shim at the centers of the colorful fabric pieces.

This piece is called "Postcards" and was made by embellishing, painting, cutting, burning, beading, couching, and stamping (and probably a few more things I can't remember) a piece of fabric, then cutting it into roughly equal sized pieces and stitching them to a large piece of quilted black fabric. I did use quite a bit of copper shim stitched into this piece. It gets a lot of positive comments.

I really feel a sense of accomplishment at having readied these 13 total pieces for the two exhibits. Now I will be focusing on making beaucoup pieces for Artful Taste of Autumn coming up October 11. This has historically been a good moneymaker for me, so I'm concentrating on what sells at this show, namely jewelry and hand dyed silk scarves. Actually I've expanded my hand dyed repertoire (how about that--two French words in the same paragraph!) to include silk hair scrunchies and ladies' cotton undies and bamboo silk socks. We'll see how that goes. They may end up on etsy!

Thank you all for your comments on my fiber hanging at the VAAM Gallery, and for your sympathetic thoughts for my workmate and her family on the loss of their daughter. We're doing what we can here to support and love them through this terrible time.

fiber art invitational exhibit

2008-09-16T11:48:00.001-05:00

The VAAM Gallery is currently featuring an exhibit of member and guest fiber artists. I have several pieces in the show. This one, called "Fragments of the Dream" might look familiar to those of you who follow my blog. I'm happy this looks so good actually hung up. I was a bit concerned there for awhile. It looks particularly well with the woven pieces displayed below it, made by fellow VAAM artist, weaver Ann Haritatos.

This piece, actually two separate pieces, are called "Strange Magic I & II". Don't ask where I come up with the names of my pieces. Sometimes they just occur to me while I'm working them.
This is actually a leftover bit from an earlier piece, hence its name "Remnants". Reflection off the glass is one reason I don't like to frame my art. Also, I think it feels confining.

This is as close to traditional quilting as I'm likely to get. This piece has cast water soluble paper pieces at the centers of the squares. It is called "B", because the top cast paper piece was made over a rubber stamp of the letter B. Lame, I know.

Here's a closeup showing the cast paper bit better.

This is actually a set of ATCs I made some time ago and mounted on a painted canvas for this exhibition. The piece is called "Spring Green".

This one is called "Lunar Quilt" and is made from dyed and stitched handmade paper mounted on a painted canvas.

In spite of this beautiful show I am feeling sad today because of the death of the daughter of a co-worker and former classmate of mine. The girl was just 8 years old and her passing was quite unexpected. I just don't know what to say or do for this family, except to ask for prayers and thoughts.

blogging friends forever

2008-09-15T09:16:00.000-05:00

Debbi Baker has graciously given me this award, for which I thank her very much. The rules for passing it along are:

1) Only five people allowed.

2) Four of them have to be dedicated followers of your blog and one has to be new and live in another part of the world.

3) You have to link back to who gave you the award.

I've linked back to Debbi.

The four dedicated followers I've chosen are Jules, Kate, Julie, and Ethel/Edna. Thank you, ladies, for reading and commenting on my blog. The new blogger in another part of the world is Jane, because I've fallen in love with the photos on her blog.

I took lots of photos of the new fiber hanging at VAAM Gallery but don't have them ready to post yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

goodies

2008-09-12T08:26:00.001-05:00

Did I mention that blog friends are just the best? A while ago I sent Debbi some little bits and bobs including a couple of Egyptian-themed playing cards because I knew she sometimes uses Egyptian elements in her art. Well just look what I received in the mail yesterday as a thank you from Debbi:

What a treasure trove! Debbi knows I really love "hot" colors and there are lots of them here as well as bunches of other goodies. Look at that green netting with the silver dots. I'm glad it's the weekend so I can have time to play!

Debbi also included a piece of her artwork in the parcel. Isn't it wonderful? I'll hang it on my studio bulletin board where I display work by my artist blog friends. Thanks so much, Debbi!

The VAAM Gallery's fiber invitational exhibit, of which I am a part, has been hung and will be in place through October. I will try to get in there and take some photos to post this weekend.

Hope you're all having a great Friday.

one (slightly used) necklace for sale soon

2008-09-10T10:19:00.000-05:00

Just FYI, when I get this piece back from the fair it will be going up for sale on etsy, unless one of you would care to purchase it first. If you'd like to inquire as to the specifics of the necklace (size, composition, price, etc.) please contact me via blog post and I'll send you my work e-mail address. I can tell you that the price will be higher on etsy than it would be in a pre-sale here. Also, the other necklace (blue ribbon winner pictured here) is available as well. This is strictly on a first come, first served basis, and of course there is absolutely no obligation to anyone. I just wanted to give you all an opportunity.

six inch square club

2008-09-09T10:34:00.000-05:00

This was just made for me. Go to Agnes the Red to get in on the club if you consistently find your work area reduced to six inches square. As you can see from the photo above (admitedly taken before my studio re-do, but I will testify that my table ALWAYS looks like an incipient avalanche) I qualify all over the place. Besides, there's a present at stake here, so get with it.

wonderful weekend--warning: lots of photos follow

2008-09-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who posted with good wishes and encouragement re: my necklace at the fair. I'm happy to report that I WON FIRST PRIZE!! As you can see from the photo below, I did not win for my carefully planned and executed necklace made specifically for the fair, but for the other piece sent down at the last minute. Judges--go figure! I'm pleased nonetheless.

This is an entry in the pleine aire painting division. I love all the colors and the feeling of the fair midway.

And here's the midway itself, showing some of the rides my kids were eager to try out.

One ride they took was on the sky ride.

The entire family went on "Ye Old Mill", a haunted house type attraction that has been part of the fair for decades. My mother remembers riding this when she was a teenager.

While Dave took the kids around the rides I hung out in the Domestic Arts building, seeing gorgeousness like the following:

The quilts were just stunning, ranging from simple, old fashioned patterns like this nine-patch...

...to stunning modern patterns.

This piece was just unbelievably gorgeous, embellished with lace, beads, silk embroidery, and a variety of fancy hand stitching. It won a purple ribbon (Best of Show) and deserved it. Wow.

Love these colors and this pattern. Very cool.

An interesting category in the Domestic Arts division was "duct tape". This purse is made entirely from duct tape.

And so is this prom dress!! Yes, the young lady who made it actually wore it to the prom, and made a matching hat for her date.

There was quite a bit of felting going on, mainly of things knitted out of wool yarn, then hot water felted in a washing machine. This is one of the really nice bags on display.

Warning: gratuitous chicken photos follow. Lesley, I thought of you throughout the poultry building.

You cannot go to a state fair in the middle of the USA without encountering some of the following feathered citizens.

Isn't he an interesting fellow?

Dylan said this one looked like a rock star.

This was a handsome big guy, and seemed to be curious about what I was doing.

Another beautiful specimin of chickenhood.

Isn't this a lovely fellow? His label said he was some kind of traditional English barnyard fowl. I thought he was beautiful. And very cooperative, too, I must say.

The chickens were in the same building as the rabbits, of which this little guy was by far the cutest.

Dylan and Dave explored the livestock building. This is Dylan atop the mountain of hay it takes to feed all the critters. He was very impressed.

This is what happens when you give an 8 year old the camera--you get a photo of a cow's butt.

By day's end we were exhausted (and my knee hurt, but I did well over all), and some of us had very sticky faces from cotton candy (see below) but we had a great time at the fair.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, too.

going to the fair

2008-09-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

This Sunday my family and I are heading to the Kansas State Fair, just a few miles away in Hutchinson. Above is a photograph of the fair's midway, although the fair is supposed to be about more than carnival rides. We will give the kids some money to spend on rides but we will concentrate more on the exhibits in various buildings, of which my necklaces are a small part. The weather is forecast to be really quite nice for the weekend, with some possible showers but with temperatures under 80 F. Beautiful for early September here.

The judging for the professional arts category took place yesterday but I don't know yet if I took any prizes. I will, of course, let you know. I plan to take my camera. I hope my knee holds up--there's a lot of walking involved and I have a knee which undoubtedly needs some professional orthopedic attention, probably surgery. Some days it does better than others but by the end of the fair experience I'll probably be in a lot of pain. Erg.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

necklace(s) at the fair and an award

2008-09-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

Monday we took my "mermaid's treasure" necklace to the state fair. Since there are barely any entries in the professional arts-jewelry category it may actually win a prize. Also since there are barely any entries in this category the person in charge asked if I would submit another piece. I sent it to the fair yesterday with my co-worker who was taking a bronze sculpture. The pendant is pictured above but you'll have to use your imagination for the rest of the piece, which consists of three strands of pewter freshwater pearls, garnet beads of various sizes, crystals, and silver. It is a pretty piece but not as impressive as "mermaid's treasure".

I have been given a lovely award by Bethel.

I appreciate being recognized and I'm glad people enjoy reading my blog. It's hard for me to limit myself to just a few blogs to pass this award on to, so if you'd like to claim this award for yourself please feel free.

saturday morning

2008-08-30T08:22:00.001-05:00

So sorry about the delay in getting this posted. Last night's events didn't lend themselves to getting this little job done. However, bright and early (for a holiday weekend Saturday) we got cracking and here are the results. Dylan begs your pardon for not appearing in the photos, but he was still in his undies & t-shirt from sleeping and he's much too dignified to appear thus on my blog.

The names entered into the drawing for my carnelian/agate/pearl necklace were written down on slips of paper and put into this decorative enameled bowl (Dylan's choice). Another bowl was inverted over it and the contents given a few good shakes, also by Dylan, after which he drew...

Debbi Baker's name!!

Congratulations, Debbi. The necklace will be winging its way to you later today. And thank you all, blog friends, not only for entering the drawing but mostly for enriching my life so wonderfully over the past year. I look forward to continuing our ether friendships.

Have a great weekend!

last chance

2008-08-29T08:48:00.000-05:00

Later today I will conduct the drawing for the carnelian/agate/pearl necklace pictured in yesterday's post. Actually, I will let Dylan do the actual draw. He gets a kick out of that! However, you have from now until I arrive home from work (around 5:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time USA) to post a comment here and thereby put your name in the running.

The upcoming weekend is a federal holiday weekend so we have Monday off. Good thing, because I must take my "Mermaid's Treasure" necklace to the Kansas State Fair, which runs September 5-14. If you don't know what necklace I mean, look at my blog header. I will be spending the balance of the weekend working on my last pieces for the fiber show being hung Sept. 10, and also organizing pieces I want to send to a gallery in Lincoln, KS which is hosting VAAM Gallery members in a special exhibit. Fortunately I can send older pieces to Lincoln so I'm not having to come up with all new pieces for both shows. That would be absolute murder.

I hate posting with no photos, so I'm including one of a huge Kansas thunderhead, kyped from here. We could sure use what this cloud promises--lots of rain.

Hope your weekend is fabulous.

some results

2008-08-28T09:05:00.001-05:00

I decided to try jazzing up my hand dyed silk scarves a bit by stamping them with different motifs, using inks made for stamping on fabric and also Lumiere paint. These scarves are very vivid and the colors are hard to photograph accurately. I stamped just on the ends of the scarves and used the same 3 motifs on each end in approximately the same configuration.

Here's a sun stamped with Lumiere paint in 3 colors. I looked up a tutorial on joggles.com to make sure I was doing things correctly. I'm fairly happy with how these have turned out.

Here is a better photo of the necklace for my 1st blog anniversary giveaway. In addition to being on a more pleasing background, this photo includes the clasp and the PMC ring charm on one of the bead strands. The pearls in this photo appear peach colored but they are really a creamy white.

Speaking of my 1st blog anniversary, the drawing for the necklace will take place tomorrow, so if you want your name in the hat, please go here and follow directions.

Hope you're all having a fabulous Thursday.

odd shot

2008-08-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

***UPDATE***I forgot to mention again that I will be drawing a winning name for my necklace (see below) on Friday, August 29. If you'd like your name to be in the running, please leave a comment on this post before that fateful day.

If you're familiar with Mrs. Nesbitt you know about her odd shots. I don't usually participate in posting odd photos, but this is too good not to share. My niece Katie took it with her waterproof camera, Dylan in the motel pool while we were in Iowa for my brother's wedding to the lovely and charming (and I'm not exaggerating, she is both) Lisa.

I guess this could be classified as an odd shot, too. I will attempt to take a better photo but for now this is it. This is the necklace I've chosen to do the drawing for in observance of my first blogging anniversary. It is composed of glass pearls, freshwater pearls, fire crab agate, and carnelian chips. It has a small PMC ring charm strung on one of the bead strands, which this photo doesn't show. It really is a pretty necklace in spite of the horrid photo.

It is about 18" long and sits comfortably at the base of the neck. I took the photo against a red cloth--obviously not the best choice.

Hope you are all having a good Wednesday.

what's blooming in my so-called garden

2008-08-26T09:46:00.000-05:00

So-called because it is so overgrown I don't want to claim it. However, when I looked out my deck door off the bedroom this morning, I couldn't resist photographing these morning glories. My dear grandmother called these "heavenly blue".

Not to be outdone, the trumpet vine is in full flower. Note the honey bee visitor in the right hand blossom.

And finally, this is a variety of clematis given to us by the mother of our next door neighbor. It is in its second flowering for the season! It has been a really good year for some types of plants.

If you have not entered my first blogging anniversary drawing for a piece of my handmade jewelry, go here.

my dyeing day

2008-08-23T11:56:00.000-05:00

I'm dyeing today--cloth, paper, and my hair. I got my hair cut earlier today so I decided to use the box of hair dye (burgundy) I've had in the bathroom cupboard for weeks. In addition, I'm dyeing some heavy handmade paper from off-white to orange, plus space dyeing some silk ribbon and cords for use in scarves and probably in the fiber workshop I plan to teach in October. Needless to say my hands will be a sight--I can't stand gloves.

I use Procion and Jacquard dyes for cloth, and I decided to try them on the paper as well. It really soaked up that pure color! I love the fact that the dyes come in so many great colors and are easy to use. It's probably also good that I have flexible expectations because I'm so fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants when it comes to things like this.

If you have not entered my one year anniversary jewelry drawing, please read about it here.

one year anniversary

2008-08-21T09:21:00.000-05:00

clipart from microsoft.com

As of August 29 I will have been blogging for a whole year. It has certainly passed quickly and I'm happy to have made the acquaintance of so many friendly and talented people.

To commemorate the occasion I am planning to give away a piece of my handmade jewelry, not sure what yet but probably a necklace. If you are interested in putting your name in the hat for the jewelry drawing, please post a comment ON THIS BLOGPOST. I will draw a name on the anniversary date itself. I will also issue reminders about the drawing between now and then.

Thank you, readers and posters (and lurkers--I know you're out there!) for enriching my life so much over the past year. I hope we're able to stay in contact for a long time to come.

blog friends are the best

2008-08-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

I love my blog friends. A couple of weeks ago Kate put out a request on her blog for a stateside blogger to purchase a toy her little girl mightily wanted that is much more reasonably priced in the US than it is in Britain. She offered to trade goods for goods, so I, being the craven little so-and-so I am, and always with an eye to the main chance (sounds terrible, doesn't it?) leapt at the opportunity. Several months ago Kate had pictured on her blog some darling cups from Green Gate which simply aren't available here (believe me, I looked) so I asked her to get me a couple. Well, just look what arrived in the mail yesterday--not only these wonderful cups but a Green Gate tea towel, which is just adorable on its own, plus some Cath Kidston bath melts, another line of items not available in the US. Kate is also into mixed media and knows I am, too, so there was a spattering of hot pink sequins included in the parcel as well. Thank you soooo much, Kate!!

I've got another fiber piece started but it's not too far along so no photos yet. Hopefully it will look like something later this week.

playing with fiber

2008-08-18T15:07:00.000-05:00

I worked my day at the VAAM Gallery on Saturday. As usual I schlepped all my equipment and materials down there (more than I actually needed, which is also par for the course) and had a studio day. Customers cooperated by keeping themselves to a bare minimum--not so good for the gallery but my time was pretty uninterrupted. I managed to complete something for the upcoming fiber show, involving trapping fibers between layers of solvy and stitching all over, then rinsing the solvy out to leave a lacy fiber effect.

This is a terrible picture but it gives you an idea of what the piece will look like draped over the tree branch I have in mind as part of the exhibit piece. Please note our decorative laundry room door--yes, it was used to hang a dartboard on by the house's previous owners.

If you're a fiber-y type and haven't experimented with solvy, by all means give it a try. The effects one can achieve are just wonderful.

i can't wait

2008-08-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

I was so pleased to receive an invitation to be an artist participant in this year's rendition of "Artful Taste of Autumn" This is a wonderful event that comprises an evening of wine tasting, delicious tapas, and original art in many different mediums, all set in the beautiful rural gardens of Chris and John who graciously allow the use of their property and indeed work very hard to make this event the success it always is. One of my first blog posts talks about last year's event. If you're interested in seeing it, go here. Otherwise, here is a photo of one of the gardens in this lovely Tuscan-style venue.

OK, so I couldn't stop at one photo. But it is such a lovely setting and a wonderful, fun event. I'm thrilled to be included again this year.

Dylan is off to school this morning. I walked him into the building, not for his sake but for mine, so I could meet his teacher and see his classroom. He was absolutely rarin' to go. He is so not shy at all, which I hope will stand him in good stead later in life. Even as a kindergartener, everyone knew who he was because he'd make himself known. Extroverted, yessiree.

Hope you're all having a good Thursday.

monarch migration

2008-08-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

Brazenly abstracted from here.

It's a little early, but I think the annual monarch migration may be starting. At least I've seen what seems like more than the usual number of these orange and black beauties around lately. Since the weather has modulated so much, cooler and drier than it was even last week, the weather forecasters are calling for an earlier autumn, so maybe the monarchs got the word. Anyway, it's a beautiful sight. I've seen several butterflies "playing" in the lawn sprinkler! That's quite something.

lookie what i got

2008-08-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

The mailman was very generous today, delivering this gorgeous silk velvet fabric I purchased on e-bay as well as the two books I ordered last week from amazon.com. Red letter day at my house! Now all I have to do is decide how to use the fabric, it being one of those things I fell in love with and bought without having any clear idea of what to do with it. It's about 2/3 yard of gorgeousness.

My kids go back to school later this week. This summer has absolutely flown past, faster than any I remember. I'm not sure why, maybe we just had more going on this year than usual, getting Dave's new office set up and our little trips here and there. Anyway, it's nearly over. Fees have been paid, supplies have been purchased, and we're just about ready. This is Christopher's senior year in high school, so we need to get him on the docket for senior pictures, something he cares absolutely nothing about. Oh well, at least he won't be one of those kids (mostly girls) who have to have 15 changes of clothing and a bunch of exotic backgrounds. We'll be doing good to get two shots, one formal, one casual. The family will have to be satisfied with that. The upside is it won't be as expensive without a bunch of fancy stuff thrown in.

Hope you're all having a good start to the week.

fairy mints

2008-08-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

Has anyone seen these before? I found them in Des Moines when we were there for my brother's wedding. I bought them because I thought the tin was so fabulous. The mints, unfortunately, taste like bad rose perfume, but I didn't care about that.

I've been having some luck selling clothing items on e-bay, so this weekend I'm going to go through my closet, cull those things I no longer wear and post them online. I'm a plus-size gal and I've noticed that it's very difficult to find nice plus size clothing in second hand stores, so others like me tend to grab things when they can get them on e-bay. Now I just have to decide what to do with all my money! (Maybe buy more clothes? Nah!)

It absolutely feels like a Louisiana swamp here today--so humid the moisture is literally dripping from the trees. At least it isn't as hot.

I hope you are all having a good day.

relief from the heat

2008-08-06T08:12:00.000-05:00

I was awakened early this morning by the sound of thunder rumbling across the area. Although we didn't get any actual rain here in town it is significantly cooler. Humidity continues to be quite high, but at least we'll be out of triple digit temperatures today and hopefully for the remainder of the week.

This is a little something I made for myself (as opposed to selling). I had a new top I wanted to wear to the reunion and needed a necklace to go with it. The pearl colors are hard to define in this photo, but one strand is a deep olive green and the other is kind of bronzy brown. There's also a strand of little oval shaped wood beads. It's quite short, not a choker (can't do that) but the pendant sits right at the base of my throat. The pendant is PMC which I impressed with a rubber stamp that includes a rose which you can make out just off center.

I've subscribed to the back issue of Maggie Grey's Workshop on the Web that contains instructions for the fairy shoes so I shall hopefully produce some shortly. That is, if I can wrench myself away from making jewelry. It is quite habit forming!

new fridge?

2008-08-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

We may be shopping for a new refrigerator in the near future. Our current model we've had for 11+ years and it's showing signs of age, i.e. the shelves in the door cracking and the little slats designed for keeping salad dressing and mayo bottles/jars in place keep coming off when the door is opened, causing everything to cascade to the floor with a crash which is becoming more than my nerves can take. The photo above is representational only. I have no idea what kind of fridge we'll eventually get. The old fridge still chills well and runs fine, so we'll probably clean it up and give it to a local charity that provides needy folks with decent used appliances.

Although I'm still in the jewelry making mode, I'm looking at future fiber/mixed media projects. Robin's blog shows a darling pair of fairy shoes which I'm very tempted to try. I'd seen other examples of these elsewhere and wanted to make some, so perhaps it's getting to be time. They're teeny--only about 3 inches long. If you google "fairy (or faery) shoes" you can find more photos from other sites. I could make several pairs for the upcoming fiber exhibit. They'd be different, anyway.

It continues very hot and humid here, but we're supposed to be getting some relief tomorrow and through the rest of the week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

i've been awarded!

2008-08-04T11:38:00.000-05:00

Darling Kate has given me this beautiful award, which I do appreciate so much. I'm going to pass it along to a couple of bloggers on whose sites I have heretofore only been a lurker:

Scarlet Papernel

Judy Scott

Check out their sites if you haven't already.

a wonderful but exhausting weekend

2008-08-04T09:23:00.000-05:00

My 30 year high school class reunion was just great. I don't know if it's age or what, but we were all just so glad to see everyone and had a great time visiting. Most of us still look pretty good for our age (snicker) and I didn't see any evidence of plastic surgery or botox usage. We'll see if that changes by the 35th year reunion!

I was so exhausted after two days of reunion activities (plus I had a bad headache) that we didn't go to church on Sunday but just stayed at home and tried to catch up, including grocery shopping and about six tons of laundry. I'm happy to say we made a lot of progress.

In the course of the house clean up I was sorting through a bunch of papers and found an unused gift certificate for amazon.com. Nearly overcome with giddiness, I went online and ordered the following:

These both look like great books and the total actual cost to me was $6.33. Not bad at all, I'd say.

It has been so hot here and apparently will continue into the middle of this week when we're supposed to get some rain, and hopefully some relief from the heat. Ah well, it is Kansas in August so I guess it's only to be expected. Hope it's cooler where you are.

I hope you are all having a great Monday.

mermaid's treasure

2008-08-01T08:18:00.001-05:00

My state fair entry necklace is finished except for a mermaid charm which I still haven't decided on, and which will be hung next to the clasp at the back of the necklace. It's called "mermaid's treasure" for rather obvious reasons.

Here's the pendant. It strung very well and hangs beautifully. It's quite heavy.

And the clasp, which I also made, along with the shell shaped bead cones. I'm pretty happy with this as a first attempt at molded PMC pieces.

I haven't done a Friday cat blog for awhile, so here's Dylan mimicing Romeo, asleep as usual.

This weekend my highschool classmates and I are gathering for our 30 year reunion. Yikes. I have gone to reunions in the past and always enjoy them a lot, but have trepidation beforehand. This evening a group of my old girlfriends from the dim past are getting together for dinner. Some still live here, others have traveled significant distances. It will be good to see everyone, and it will be just like sitting at the school lunch table except that the food will be better!

Have a great Friday everyone.

more wedding pics

2008-07-31T10:36:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of my mother, here are a few more wedding photos. This is Brad & Lisa just after having been pronounced husband and wife.

And here they are cutting the cake.

My handsome little brother (that's me in the background).

And my other handsome brother in the dark shirt. I wanted to show the pew bow, one of 8 I made that decorated the sanctuary.

That's all, folks.

back in the saddle

2008-07-30T08:09:00.001-05:00

I am back from Iowa, which was gorgeously green because of all the rain. I assume you may have heard of the extreme flooding this summer on the Missouri river. Well, one upside of all that precipitation is that the countryside was absolutely exuberantly verdant.

My brother's wedding was lovely, simple, personal, and very touching and sweet. This is the second time around for both him and his bride, so we're all a little older and wiser in the marriage department. I'm collecting photos from various family members to post here but in the meantime, here's a link to their wedding photographer's blog which features a few photos of Brad & Lisa and the tiny historical church where they were married. http://www.kds.typepad.com/

I have been working away on my necklace for the state fair. It is nearly finished, only one strand to go out of six. I ended up creating my own clasp because I couldn't find one I thought was suitable. I made this one in the mold of a limpet shell with a sterling silver hook fired into the underside for the fastener. It really turned out quite well. I'm also pleased to say I've found a great source for the fuel I use in my little flowerpot kiln. I get twice as much fuel for half the price, and it's local so I don't have to pay shipping.

Since I'm finishing my necklace sooner than I had anticipated I'm considering making another entry into the fair, perhaps a PMC bracelet. We'll see.

Hope you're all having a fabulous week.

one last post before leaving

2008-07-24T08:07:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning we leave for Des Moines to attend my brother Brad's wedding. He and his fiancee, Lisa, asked me to make their wedding guest book, and I finished it last night. I may add beads and/or lovers' knots to the ribbons, but otherwise it's finished. The cover is my own painted and stamped paper, covered with sheer purple chiffon and the edges are finished with the same ribbon I used to bind in the pages. The scripture verse is printed on paper and stitched to a padded rectangle covered with hand-dyed (by me) silk habotai. I used little purple paper fasteners to ornament the rectangle. Inside are two signatures of five hand-torn pages each, folded in half to make twenty pages. It's really a simple pamphlet binding but looks nice.

Here is a new pendant I'm rather proud of. It's 1.5" square and is backed with a similar silver square. The squares are set together with balls of silver in each corner, smooshed together like a sandwich. I should have taken a photo of it from the side so you can see what I mean. The stone is a pale blue cz, and the whole thing was patinated in liver of sulphur. The texture was achieved using a rubber stamp in a paisley pattern, one of my favorites.

And here is the long-awaited silver shell pendant for my "mermaid's treasure" necklace I plan to enter into the Kansas state fair. I ended up firing it on my little flowerpot kiln instead of using my friend's electric one and it worked out just fine. I did fire it three times because the pendant is rather substantial--I used nearly 50 grams of silver in it. It has a nice heft and will sit well in the necklace, I think.

I will be out of the loop until we get back from Iowa, I will take photos of the trip, and I hope you all have a great weekend.

busy weekend with no photos

2008-07-21T08:08:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, and really the week itself, has been so busy. My younger sister and her two youngest children arrived from Washington state for a visit. We hadn't seen them since Christmas so it's great to catch up. Her visit has the added purpose of attending our brother's wedding, too.

I worked at the VAAM Gallery on Saturday, a very welcome day for me. I take whatever I happen to be working on and use the day as studio time. This time it was jewelry, which is nice and portable. I have been known to haul my sewing and embellishing machines into the Gallery, plus assorted fabrics and fibers, which is a lot of hefting around but still fun, and generates interest in Gallery visitors.

My brother and his fiancee have asked me to make their wedding guestbook so I got busy on that this weekend, painting and stamping a large sheet of paper for the cover and basically getting the cover pretty much finished up. Hopefully I'll get the inside cover glued in tonight, then I can start on the pages. The wedding colors are pastel blues and purples, so the book is in the same colors. I promise to photograph the end results. The wedding is this coming Saturday, so on Friday we will all be driving to Des Moines, Iowa for the festivities, traveling by way of Kansas City to pick up my youngest brother, and stopping in Clarinda, Iowa, where my father grew up so he can show us around.

One other thing I accomplished this weekend was to make the mold for my silver seashell pendant. I got some molding compound and worked it up, impressed the shell, and presto! Worked just like it was supposed to. Now if I can only get up the courage to put the precious metal clay into the mold. It's a fair sized shell for a pendant, over 2" long and over an inch wide, plus it's 3D so it requires a lot of silver which translates into a bit of a $$ outlay, so I really don't want to screw it up. As an aside I found, or rather my husband did, a local source for the gelled alcohol fuel I use to fire my precious metal clay pieces. It is less expensive locally, plus I don't have to pay to have that heavy stuff shipped. It's all good.

Hope you're having a good Monday.

state fair bound

2008-07-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

I have the opportunity to enter a piece of jewelry in the newly-created "jewelry" category in the sculpture division. Actually, a gentleman I work with who is a wonderful bronze sculptor when he's not being our sales manager told me about this and encouraged me to make an entry. I've decided to create a necklace around the theme "mermaid's treasure". It will involve sea glass, large freshwater pearls, seashell-shaped glass beads, and a handmade silver pendant made with PMC and my own mold made from a real seashell similar to the ones above. I'm excited about this! The most challenging part will be getting the seashell pendant made as it will require me doing things I've not had any experience with, and firing the pendant in a friend's kiln. I'm hoping for the best and will, of course, photograph the results.

an award

2008-07-09T08:10:00.000-05:00

Last week while I was sick and feeling sorry for myself I received a lovely award from Viv. I'm flattered and gratified that she thinks so highly of my blog. The rules specify that I'm to post the award and link back to the awarder, which I have done, and to nominate 7 more blogs to receive the award. So here goes:

These bloggers are very inspiring to me. I know they're also very busy ladies so if this award doesn't get passed along I entirely understand.

I am completely finished being sick, hopefully for a long time to come. I am rarely as flat out ill as I was and all I have to say is thank heaven for antibiotics. I really appreciate all the sympathy and good wishes while I was sick and also your kind words about our poor kitty Fuzzy. We miss his little gray self. All the rest of our cats are orange.

Hope you all have a fantastic Wednesday.

remember me?

2008-07-08T09:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been AWOL. What with being sick and the holiday weekend including company (my two brothers and two nephews) things got kinda busy.

Here is the darling piece Kate made me for the garden swap. I love it! The photo is sub par so maybe you can't see, but the green fabric on top has been cut to reveal the collage underneath. It is so cool! Thanks again, Kate.

Now for some new jewelry. The above earrings are totally handmade, including the hand formed earwire. The gemstone is peridot. I made several pairs of these in different gemstones.

This necklace includes irregular chunks of wood and silver coated ceramic beads as the off-center focal. Kinda cool for summer.

Another summery necklace, this one of red coral chunks and bali silver.

And finally this chunky triple strand bracelet, aka what to do with little leftover bits from other projects. Pink and purple, yessirree!

On a sad note, our cat Fuzzy died yesterday. He was only two years old but from a very inbred litter and was genetically not strong. Nonetheless, he was a friendly and affectionate cat and we will miss him very much.

I hope you are all well in blogland.

poor me

2008-07-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

This lovely clipart is from clipartof.com

I have strep throat. I cannot believe it. Haven't had it in at least 15 years. I'm on antibiotics and off work at least for today. You may commence sympathy now.