Long time, No Blog!

Things have absolutely been crazy here and I mean Crazy! Here is a brief rundown......July second... get oldest daughter and grandson from bus station...Stacie has surgery and spends twenty four days in the hospital while I keep Daniel and work at my new job.....We have weekend company twice, Stacie finally gets out and then I get the phone call from my youngest daughter Lisa...."mom, the reason Mark and I are having marriage problems is because we both have drug problems and you better come to Portland tonight and get the kids because we cant take care of them.....I have now had Olivia, age six and Andrew eighteen months, since the twenty sixth of July. Lisa and Mark are getting a divorce and Lisa just entered and inpatient rehab....I also have gone from working part time to working full time...Do I make art? Hah! What is that? Actually I do, just have to squeeze it in when I have the energy...I am trying to get things running smoothly and that is a job in itself! Daniel and Liv start school soon and Stacie got a job and is doing well..She helps me a lot with the two little ones. I am going through all the legal custody things and arranging school and counseling and trying to do laundry, groceries, clean and all that too...I finally told Stacie that I have to sew or make something for at least a half hour a day or I will go bonkers!!!!I have finished a charity quilt for a girls club..They pieced it and I put it together and quilted it. I also made an embellished outfit for our stores fashion show and an auction that we are part of to benefit hospice.....It is a vest with paint sticked fabric and an art purse...The picture is of it hanging in the store...I also was published as an inchies artist in Quilting Arts magazine! Woo hoo! Can you find my inchies? and I am posting a picture of Liv that I took for the fun of it...We were playing at being fairies for an altered book spread for Color me Silly" My altered book group.....One day soon, I will get caught up and more organized! Until then, it is one day at a time or I will lose my marbles for good!!!!!Thanks for hanging with me!!!!

Altered photos for an altered book and quilt tops!

I did another altered book spread for my "Color me silly" group...The theme was altered photos and the color preferred is orange. This was pretty fun to do, but I had to think about it a lot before I started. I used a picture of an orange tulip in my garden in full bloom and then a picture of Andrew, my grandson, from the same time frame and called it "in a child's eyes." I like the picture of him a lot. He is looking out the window at a flower and the light and shadow are playing across his face. On the tulip side, I used two of my fabric charms. I thought they added a nice touch. Things have been crazy around here! I am working more and I now have my daughter, (who is doing great by the way...) Daniel, Olivia age 6 and Andrew, 18 months here....It has been fun, just challenging...and boy, do they eat. It seems like I am either feeding them, or doing dishes and it is nonstop! Andrew is the most work but he is so darn cute that I don't mind. He is my little shadow. I had to clean the sliding doors today, his hands are all over them. You could tell how tall he is by the handprints. I know how fast they grow up though, so I am just enjoying the moment........and finally, the debut of my One block Wonder quilt....I have talked about it a lot and I put it on a piece of fabric today to get the layout right. Now I have to sew the rows together, fill in a few more spots and then do borders...So far, the way you see it it is about a queen. There are a 135 blocks in what you see and more to come. I also have three dimensional cubes to put on the border. This is by far the hardest and most intricate quilt I have ever done. For one thing, I hate to pin anything and that is all you do! Pins, pins and more pins...It has been a lesson in patience but the kaleidoscope effect is stunning. Mine is the green and orange, blue and pink and my friend Laura's is the black with orange , brown and green. She made hers from one Asian fabric...Ok, all you artists! We need feedback...Does anything stick out...How is the blend? Let me know what you think before we start sewing these babies together!!!!!!!

All caught up on my projects!!!!!

It has been crazy, but it has finally settled down around here and I have been able to sew and play more in my art room and MAN, it feels good. It sure does make me feel better mentally to have some time to make things and not feel guilty. Stacie is getting better every day and it has really been fun to have her company around the house. She sits in a garden chair and we talk while I putter around outside or we'll watch something on tv while I sew. She still sleeps a lot and doesn't eat much but that just takes time. Cooper loves having her here. A captive audience for him! Dog heaven. When I leave to work, he runs in and gets in bed with her. It makes me laugh! I have been doing a zillion projects at work too so it has been a pretty creative week. I have been making "go green " shopping bags, silk scarves with beaded fringe and I re-decorated the bathroom. My boss says everyone comments on how beautiful our bathroom is and since we have a home dec dept. she thought it was time to revamp. It was Mary Englebreit now it is French country looking....It cracks me up, but hey, it is my job! Stacie and I made her a tote bag last night. I will share a picture. It didn't take much time with her ironing and reading me the directions. She loves blue and yellow, that girl...She was all happy because her bag matches her quilt.....Not the same fabric, but the colors. I also got caught up on my postcards for "Arts in the Mail"....The Asian swap was harder than I thought...I had to make things out of the fabric I have but I ended up pretty happy with them. I also am still working on my One block wonder quilt....It is starting to look incredible...the blocks are anyway...I am almost done with them and Tuesday I am going to put them up on a board and take pictures and then I will post them. I think this is going to be my Fair entry quilt....I am posting pictures of the fabric...It really is beautiful. I am making it just to make it and learn a new technique. Don't know who will end up with it! My hydrangeas are incredible.....There are these hot pink beauties that I have got to go cut and dry.....I want to hang a ladder from the ceiling in the kitchen and use it to dry stuff...I need to find a ladder first because it needs to be kinda ugly and made out of wood.......and I still haven't painted the kitchen or made curtains....I did recover dining room chairs though...I make myself crazy with all these things I want to do!

Postcards and good news!

First for the good news....My daughter is home and doing better!!!!!YAY and a huge sigh of relief....Thank you to everyone for being so supportive...She has got cards from people she doesn't even know which she has been so surprised and pleased by..This whole thing has been a HUGE ordeal for her and our family..She was in the hospital soooo long that yesterday when I went to get her and we started down the hall, all the Dr's. and Nurses and aides and general hospital people came out and clapped and cheered for her and told her, "don't come back! ".......(meaning, take care of yourself and get well Stacie..) I have been on cloud nine....Now to establish some kind of normal routine again. Things just were crazy! She is thrilled to death to be out of room twenty too....We have giggled and watched bad TV and I have been trying to entice her to eat with any kind of food that sounds good...I spent some time today showing her all the art I get from trades and she is amazed....I put her in the guest room and she had me hang postcards all over so she could look at them while she gets well...That and she is all tucked under some comfy quilts, of course......I got her some herbal mint, ginger and fennel tea that a herbalist recommended for nausea, and she says it is helping. Some of the medication makes her sick but she has to take it anyway.....There is a really cool chinese herbalist in the Seattle area. He looks at you, your tongue and takes your pulse then mixes up all these mysterious looking barks and fungus looking things and then you drink a bowl of it for ten days straight. I have done it the last couple of springs and it really does help...The problem is getting the stuff down.

I made a couple of postcards for swaps on Arts in The Mail.......The first is Mae West for a "Hollywood Icons" Swap and the second is a kimono for an Asian themed swap...They didn't photograph very well, but I thought I would share anyway.....I also have been working on my " one block wonder quilt"...Wasn't sure I would like it but I think it may turn out to be really beautiful.......I cant really post a photo until it is done because it doesn't make sense until then...I am steadily working on it though...So many things to do!!!!!!!!

New pillow, quilting class and daughter update....

Stacie may just be a few days from coming home. They are waiting on one more surgical opinion, but so far, two surgeons are saying a couple more days on IV antibiotics and she can come home. My dad is coming from Oregon to get Daniel for a couple weeks so he is all excited over that! He loves his grandpa..Dad will probably stay a couple days and visit the hospital. I know Stacie will be glad to have the company too. As crazy as things are, they are starting to seem almost normal...It doesn't make sense I know, but in a weird, kinda way......You know what I mean. I finished my felted pillow and I just love it! It is a store sample and the owner really loves it too...It is the first pillow I have ever made. I kind of guessed how to make an envelope back and then I put a button and button hole so you can close it...I look forward to making more of these...There is something fun about stabbing fabric with a sharp needle!!!! Haha....Therapy! I also got a break from Daniel tonight and went to that "one block wonder" class....Now this was some cool stuff....It makes blocks that look incredible...I am still in the cutting phase but will post pictures later...Everyone teased me because you have to pin a lot to match the patterns as you cut and I never pin...ANYTHING! Blasphemy you say?....but true......It felt so good to just talk and relax......

Running on Empty!!!!

Stacie is still in the hospital! Hard to believe, even for me and I am here! She has seen little eighty year old ladies have open heart surgery and come and go in four days so she is getting discouraged...Me too, actually. It is starting to get harder to juggle everything and I look back at raising three kids by myself, running a home and working full time and I don't know how I did it. Today, my patience was very short with Daniel. He got it in his head that mama was coming home today and I think he was acting out instead of saying he was upset. I took him to a friends house and we ate lunch and he played with her grandaughter...kinda....she is a year older and more mature and I could tell she was tolerating him more than anything....I rowed them in a rowboat clear across the lake and I know my arms are going to be killing me tomorrow...good exercise though...Then we swam and he was just obnoxious out there, but boys will be boys and part of it is I am tired. I realized on the way home that I work all day tomorrow and I didn't even think of a babysitter.......luckily, I have a friend who is going to take him to see Stacie and watch him....I just am not used to having a child 24/7.....He even sleeps with me...(and the dog and the cat in a double bed.) I know he has been thru a lot too and needs the extra nurturing. I did make him go to bed early and alone tonight though so I could wind down. After I am done here I am going to go fold laundry, make him a lunch and load the dishwasher...then bed!!!!!!!

Daniel wanted to make his mom something so we got some lavender we picked last week and dried and embroidered on muslin, then he sewed and filled a sachet for her all by himself. I have a singer that I am going to get out of the closet for him and let him have it....He wants to make a pirate quilt to replace the train quilt that is gone now...(so sad) the pictures of him are sewing and showing off what he made. I also took a picture of the most OUTRAGEOUS and WONDERFUL pillow book I have ever seen!!!!!! I am making one of the pillows and you see part of the top with it....it is done by felting silks and fibers and angelina into cotton duck and then it gets even more beautiful...I am making it as a sample for work...It is so cool at work because you can use what you need and do it at work...the sample stays for three months and then you can have it...I forsee magnificent pillows in my future! I will post it when I finish. I also painted my daughter a card and posted a picture...It is my wishes for her...Thank you all for your support, thoughts, wishes and prayers....It has meant a lot to the three of us!!!!!!

gourds and watch faces

My daughter, Stacie is still in the hospital. I am getting pretty depressed about the whole thing and of course she is really down! I guess she had one whopper of an infection, and it keeps trying to come back even after the surgery. I don't know..but I am upset just like she is eight years old all over again. I feel bad that I cant make it go away. Daniel is doing pretty well. he is just lonely for his mom and kids. I don't know any moms with kids on the island...They are here, I just have to figure out a way to meet some for him. Maybe at the sewing store. We went to the hospital today and kept Stacie company again.....She is trying to get back to eating again but having a hard time keeping food down.

Off and on I have been working at the fabric store. I enjoy it , my feet don't! ha ha...I stand all day and the floors are cement so I am trying to get used to it..It is fun to see all the new stuff that comes in. I have to look at all the fabric and books and drool over what I am going to buy. Next week, I am going to take a "one block wonder" class and I bought six yards of this beautiful fabric....It is a quilt that uses one fabric and then you make hexagons and octagons and you get a kaleidoscope effect. By the end, you cant even tell what kind of fabric you used....It is based on

a book by the same name...Cool stuff! We have a yard full of tents this weekend. I have some family camping in the yard...Daniel is enjoying it a lot....There are two little kids to play with. I am not stressing about it..just go to work, go to the hospital and hang out..There is so much to do on the island right now that they are on their own! As far as art goes. I have made some "G is for gourd" postcards for arts in the mail and some "time" atc's for a lottery on fabric atc's...time flies and time to fly....that is about it for now!

Wow, it has been a while, but life happens! This is the longest I have ever gone without posting, but for good reason...I have been having blog anxiety about it! Ha-ha...On the second of July, My daughter Stacie and my grandson came from Redding Ca. by bus so I drove into Seattle to pick them up...Stacie has been a juvenile diabetic since age five. She had been sick with some kind of infection so I really wanted her home. I took one look at her, and took her to the hospital where she still is. She had abdominal surgery on Friday evening and is still in intensive care but now on the mend. She had a huge infection that probably started in an ovary and went everywhere. My grandson, Daniel, who I talk about all the time is here and I have been taking care of him and then my youngest daughter and her two kids came on the night of the fourth. It has been crazy, but hopefully will settle down some. I spent all my time at work, the hospital or doing things with the three little kids. We did have a great time, but yesterday the stress and worry hit me belatedly and I wanted to crawl in bed and sleep all day! Lisa and her kids went home two days ago and I am still picking up toys in the house and the yard. They are so darn cute though it is worth it. I have a huge appreciation for mothers who can create anything now! Daniel is right there every time I walk in my art room..."what are we making" "Can I paint something" can I run the sewing machine pedal? "what about making this or that?'......you get the idea.....haha....I love that he wants to do it with me, but sometimes I miss the quiet! A LOT!

Then where he goes the dog and cat are too so I end up with a full room and a big mess. I did make a set of bird and nest atc's for a swap for some group...Not sure which one. Susan Burgess needed a few more players and asked me, she who cant say no.....Anyway, they were fun to make and Daniel and I had made some paper fabric and we used that. It is the green background that you see on each one. I treated them like fabric atc's so they have timtex in the middle and a fabric back. I really had to think, I got rusty in this short time....Now to go clean up the mess........

Olivia's big girl quilt and a couple more geese......

I realized I actually didn't sign up for the "red white and blue" postcard swap so I made a couple more geese cards and worked on my little angels quilt! I think she will just love it. It is pink and has kitties, two of her favorite things. I have the top all pieced together, it is a twin size. I am going to add one more big border all around of the fabric in the background with the flowers and then the cat fabric is going to be a pillow sham. I will probably quilt it Sunday evening after work. I saved some fabric so when she comes up she can make a doll quilt to match. She loves her baby dolls, and especially her stuffed animals. She is going to be six tomorrow! It is hard for me to believe..Seems like my baby (her mom ) was just six....She and Daniel, my grandson have been scrapbooking, painting, sewing and making collages with me since they each were two. Olivia actually is an artistic little thing. She sits on a stool at my cutting table and works away. She also doesn't lose interest until her project is done. Last time they were here. she was working on a painting and her mom called in to see what she was doing... she hollered back,"just a minute mama I am creating art."! I thought that was so cute. Now on to my cats antics, which aren't so cute ...Straight out I'll give it to you...He is a cold blooded killer! I just recently started letting him outside because my kitty before him got killed by coyotes, but this was before we moved to a better place with out the coyotes...Well, Thomas has decided to bring me live things, in the house and kill them in front of me....so far there has been a bird, a huge mouse and today a snake which I didn't find amusing. Cooper the wonder dog, full of courage hides behind me and shakes. All 130 lbs of him! What is this need to kill things in front of me.?...I decided from now on, the screen is shut on the slider...He puts one thing in my bed, the cat is gone! I swear! Anyway, I work the next few days and then hopefully my daughters and the kids will be here for the Fourth of July....It is one of our favorite holidays so I am crossing my fingers!!!!!!!!

Green things and geese

I have had a couple of days off and I actually have been a bit on the lazy side! I have gone outside and leisurely plucked a few weeds, read a book, threw the ball a few times for the dog...you get the idea. Oh yeah and the naps! Why can a nap cure everything?....If not cure, make me feel better about it...I realized today that I have several projects due and I better get busy! i have red, white and blue postcards to make and my granddaughters quilt to finish...I have a few blocks put together but that is about it! the postcards I haven't even started! And then there were the fabric charms, oh yeah, more charms.......I finished them tonight and I decided I don't want to make any more. Been there, done that about 80 times. They are pretty though and nice and green. I tried to really go for different textures of fabrics. Like velvet and felt and organza. So they go in the mail tomorrow to my partners at "Fiber art Traders" and then I am done with charms! WOOHOO! A couple of days ago on "Fabric atc's one to one" we were talking about birds and I told the story of my crazed goose. My daughter bought two baby geese for pets and they loved her...You would hear their little feet following her everywhere. Well, one of them was brain damaged and had seizures, so I had a neighbor put the poor thing down. Well, the other goose, Named Petunia saw Lisa (my daughter ) out there and decided to hate her with a passion. This goose would stalk her all day long, running from window to window seeing where she was. All you would see was a white neck and a beady eye. I would have to distract him so she could go out the door safely...It actually was hysterical until he claimed part of the yard as his and then no ONE could go back there including me to feed or fill his swimming pool....He loved me like crazy till I touched the gate and all hell broke loose....I spent most of my time warding him off with a push broom. Anyway, we found him a good home where he was no longer the top goose and he is leading a happy life. My daughter was scarred for life of course, because she loved the stupid thing! haha! (This is sarcasm talking)....So anyway, I told this story and all of a sudden people want goose cards which cracked me up! So now I am making four of them for four different people in exchange for their versions. The fun part is I got to use my big playing cards I got at the Estate Sale where I got the hand! How fun is junk anyway? I just love it!!!! So up above all this writing is a picture of the charms and two of the goose cards....Want to trade for a goose? Let me know! Melinda

What a busy few days!!!!!!

I have been working at the sewing store here on the island and the last few days, we have had the Western Washington shop hop.....Sixty stores participate and each store gives away a quilt block representing somehow the state. Then when you put them all together, you have a beautiful quilt....I went to the Shop hop last year. I have shown a few of the blocks on this blog before, I am hoping to put the whole quilt together soon. We made fifteen hundred blocks ahead of time, and went thru every one of them...I cut enough fabric for people buying it that right now I could go in to a quilt store and not be tempted!!!!! I made tote bags today at work using a serger which was pretty cool....all those threads intimidate me, but being able to make a really cute bag in fifteen minutes is awesome!

I have made some things...I painted and atc for the fine arts group. It is called "sunhat"....I saw a picture of this little girl in a book and she looked so sweet, I tried to capture her face. Not sure I did, but I like how it came out.

I also made a fabric flower pin which I have been wanting to for awhile. It didn't turn out quite how I wanted it too but on the other hand it took me five minutes to make. I want the material to have some body and cotton doesn't. Eventually I want to make some bags with these on them that you can take off and wear as a pin or leave it on the bag....

Today, on my way home from work there was an estate sale at a house I absolutely love and I thought "what a perfect excuse to see it!'" It is made out of stone and looks like the perfect English cottage looking out over the water. The whole yard is so beautiful too...These people have really worked to make it perfect. Perennials and lavender and roses everywhere....I went in the house and just fell in love....I COVET this house....If I built one from scratch, according to my dreams, it couldn't be more perfect...The problem would be getting me out of it...I would write, and take pictures and make things and never leave....I asked the lady why she was selling....She said she and her husband are moving into a condo in a nearby town!!!!!! GASP! I wanted to say "what are you crazy??????" she told me that in twenty years when my knees hurt, I would understand...I doubt it but I humored her. Anyway, as far as the estate sale went, I found treasures!!!!!!!! First of all, the HAND' sculpture...She laughed when I said I had to have it! I got it for five bucks and it is the coolest. It is a very old, old kidskin glove with pearl buttons stuffed then put on a brass stand with old costume jewelry and a dyed ostrich feather. Why do I like it? I have no clue, it spoke to me....I also found and old deck of cards, probably from the sixties that are the size of cabinet cards and she gave them to me...I know I can make cool things with them. I love the elephant on the back...I am becoming more of a pack rat which is scary....I come from a long line of them. The furniture in the house was all incredible too.....all antiques which of course I love....I ended my little venture by telling her that the house wanted me as much as I wanted it and if she should have trouble finding a buyer to look me up....she laughed. So did I...I could see she really enjoyed how much I loved it though...The character of it and the charm were amazing ! So I have a few days off and now it is back to things like weeding, and vacuuming and being grateful for what I have!

Another bird atc and a little yellow birdie...

I made these both for Judy Spencer. She is the one that made me the little blue birdie that I love. Mine wont hang straight no matter how many beads I put on it so I left it plain....I figure she can make it into a magnet or a pin....The atc is another one using the fabric/paper she made and sent me....I hope she likes it!

Today on the island the weather was very strange...It was pouring and cold then steamy and hot and now it is cold and the wind is blowing...I have changed clothes about four times....My flowers are growing gangbusters now though so I love that.

I have also been working on finishing the quilt that I posted a while back with the green and white and Asian fabrics....I bought some beautiful gold that has paper lanterns on it for the final border. It is getting there. I am going to do some fancy feathery quilting on it too I think. It may end up being entered in the fair too, I am not sure yet....So many projects and now my job at the sewing store! It is nice to be busy though...plus at the store I get to see all the things people are making and see all the new fabrics....coolness....

Under the stars........

This quilt went together so fast I am kind of surprised....I just quilted the heck out of it because I used stuffing not batting and it was pretty lumpy but I really like the end result...the flowers and the girl really have a 3d look which I like. The silver blanket is a piece of leftover something that I thought was really cool....A blanket of stars! I might actually enter this piece in the county fair....the quilt guild are the judges and it would be interesting to see their comments...If you enter a quilt, one of the coolest things is you get a written critique. My grandma entered the first quilt I ever made and gave to her in the county fair and I still have the critique from it....and the ribbon! It won second place, much to my shock and her delight. It wasn't based on technical skills, it was just so darn cute! I used some embroideries of the "three little pigs" that she had made in the 50's and used 40's retro fabrics in primary colors and pink to build a quilt around them....It is such a good memory for me as my grandma passed in October. I have pictures of her and I holding up the quilt and she was moved to tears by it...She kept saying how beautiful it was...Sweetness! I sure miss her!

Happy Fathers day Dad!!!!!

I know my dad reads my blog so first of all, I just want to say "Happy faathers day dad, I love you and I am so glad that you are in my life! I couldnt have picked any one better!!!!xoxox

Now on to my project for today...I have been working on the pink kitty quilt and it is really cute. I think Liv is going to love it..I am trying to use different patterns of pink and black which is right up my alley, so it is fun to make...

Then tonight I started another art quilt called Under the Stars.....I saw something similar in a magazine and thought, "I could never do that." and just started playing to see if I could...It actually isn't half bad. the hands are very sad, but when I do them with the sewing machine I think I can fix them . Every time I draw hands, they look like crab claws....I didn't have any batting and I wanted to start quilting it so I pulled stuffing from a bag and started putting it in between the front and a back...it is very puffy so it is going to take some extreme quilting but I kind of like the puffiness too...since she is sleeping it is like she is on a mattress of sunflowers....I am going to put red buttons all over the bottom and quilt the sunflower with little tiny circles...there are so many things I want to do! I lie in bed at night and think about what I could be making....I really need to be finishing big quilts that I have started, but I get sidetracked! Although I am not so bad as some people I know...I am sitting on five quilts right now...and they really just need a border and then to be quilted. I have a quilting machine so I have no excuse other than I like to make the instant gratification projects too....

A pink kitty quilt and the real kitty....

It never fails...I start to work on a quilt and Thomas, the orange monster is right there rolling on it, sleeping on it, sitting on it..just being a pest and he does it Every time. I always lay blocks on the floor to look at the placement and he comes from nowhere, and plop....so much for that....I am making this kitty quilt for my little grand daughter who is six the end of this month. Olivia informed me that she outgrew her "little kid quilt"....She loves pink and cats and I saw this fabric by Lorelei and I knew it would be perfect...Now if I can just get the cat off it! haha........

Birds, postcard and an atc.......

Judy Spencer sent me the most wonderful little birdie! With beads even! I have to show it off and I am going to make her one in return. I have to make it up as I go, so it will be interesting. I also am not that great with beading. Not like her anyway. She also sent me some fabric paper that she had made in Artist Trading Card size...It is stiff, but cool and I still was able to make an atc with it and sew thru it. I am posting a picture of the card. It is the tanager card that says bird. She sent me that too, printed on a piece of vellum...It is funny how everyone who makes these little pieces of art, looks for stuff everywhere to put on them. I think she copied the picture from a newspaper...I love it and it was fun to use. I also made a postcard all in pink for a trade with Annelie in Sweden, who also loves pink. It didn't photograph very well, the color is off, but you get the idea. I call it pink petals. She makes beautiful postcards and I don't have one from her yet...Anyway, that is it for now! Enjoy.....

flowers!

There are new flowers popping up in my garden almost daily so I took a couple pictures. Someone who lived here before me planted a lot of perennials and it has been fun seeing what pops up....One kind of plant was in one spot of the front yard and it looked like lettuce....I wasn't sure what it was, but left it...Then more little lettuces popped up all around and then the big pods came out...They reminded me of "the little shop of Horrors" plant.....(feed me, Seymour!) It turns out that it is some kind of Oriental poppy and it is purple...i haven't been able to find it in any of the garden books.....I was calling it the mystery plant. Now it is the mystery poppy......I am posting a picture of the flower and the foliage and then a red rhododendron....If you have seen a poppy like this with lettuce looking leaves, just for my own curiosity, Leave a comment!

charms, sisters and fish

I had kind of a lazy weekend. I watched most of season four of the Sopranos on dvd and when I got Soprano'ed out, I made a few things.

I made more fabric charms, I think the grand total is like 65 now. These little buggers are time consuming...I wont post a photo, but they are more of the green ones. I ended up signing up for two swaps and then the quilting arts submission. That is why I have made so many. What the heck I am going to do with them I don't yet know!

I also worked on an altered book for Saundra in my "Color me Silly" altered book group. Her theme is sisters so I painted a spread with watercolors, acrylics and details in a roller ball pen. I have already shown it to Saundra and she wanted to know if it was my sister and I....nope.....I saw a picture in a book and tried to make it look like the girls in the picture...It really doesn't, but I like how it turned out anyway. I actually did a layout that isn't purple or pink too! I am not much of a blue person but I have been trying to think outside of my own color box a little more.....

Then I made three "something beginning with F'" postcards for a swap.....F is for fish in this case....I tired to make them really secure because all three of these are going out of the USA...One to Lithuania.....I like to just send them as is and not put them in envelopes. That way they get the postmark, which I think is cool........