Got on a sewing jag

I love sewing as much as I love digital art. The idea of being able to sew things and create them to wear or use is a wonderful achievement! I started a small project this past Mothers Day, a pin cushion. I have love them since I was a little girl. They seem to fascinate me. While browsing at the local book store I cam across this mag. with some ideas in them that did not take a lot of time and for you beginners (not a lot of skill). What I mean by that is you don't have to be a seasoned veteran to sew something nice enough to give. The more skill you have with a needle the more you can embellish it and... well you get it. Take a small idea and make it what ever you want.
I took this simple idea of a pin cushion and added some favorite materials such as felt for the top. It holds the pens in it just great!!! (Not to mention that is is my favorite material to do needle point. ) I love the color black it seems to make colors just pop. For the bottom I went with some cotton print. Some of which I had in my stash. I simply stuffed it with poly-fiber and then added a yo-yo circle and secured it with a small pewter button. I love it. And my Mother was surprised too. To add that special little touch I put several drops of lavender oil but you can also stuff it with lavender (just make sure you cram it full of what ever you want to stuff it with!)
Now you say "well not all of the folks that I know sew" Oh my goodness then I suggest that you get some friends and folks that do! However you can use this as a sachet for your drawers (that clothing drawers not your drawers as in under wear) It will make all of your clothing (under ware or other things) smell just great! I hope that you enjoy this and thanks for stopping by!

Getting Your Game On.

With all the art work I do and all the sewing, knitting, quilting etc.  exercise is one of those things that keep being put off.  Not a good thing to do!  I would so love to just exercise my mind and leave the thought of exercising my bod for tomorrow.  That however will not do in this world and to go into all the reasons that I have for NOT exercising would just encourage, well the NOT exercising part.  So there you have it.  Lately I have taken to walking and walking long and hard.  Here in the mountains there is always a hill or steep incline to make your way up.  And with the Dogs they are always eager to get a walk on.  How ever sometimes you need to shake things up a bit.  Do something different!  Oh I opted for the audio books and boy they are great but still I felt as if something was miss.  Something just was not.... hummm how should I say it?  STIMULATING ENOUGH.  Tread mills are just that going no place and staring at the same point day after day.  Even weight training, my mind was always some where else.  Wanting to get back to doing or creating in the studio.  Then  like a pot at the end of the rainbow I discovered... RACKET BALL.  Like a dog that discovers when his master tosses the ball they can chase it, I became turned on by this great game.  You don't even need another player.  You can just go and hit that little rubber delight back and forth and back and forth.  All you energy and aggression can be taken in about an hour.  The sweat you work up is just great and the aerobics that come naturally with the game is such and added plus.  Now I have become a regular down at my Community Center.  I feel better and best yet it is so fast pass that my mind does not have time to wish that it was doing something else.  The more I do it the better I get.  The benefits of one hour a day are great!  You are not in the hot sun you are in an air conditioned room with a fan to boot.  To spice things up I take my 15yr old and we have a ball.  (She does not move as fast but she is still fun to take ) After our work out it is back to the house and the studio to catch up on homeschooling and studio work.  The energy that is flowing is wonderful.  New ideas and direction come a bit more easily it is like re-booting your brain giving it that new serge of creativity.  Actually I find those days that I don't go I am wishing I was there!  I guess I know what the dogs are thinking now..... ball, ball, ball, ball, ........

Finishing up

A note

 on Quilting

As you know, I quilt and I am working on finishing up a hand quilted peace that I have put together taken from a magazi

ne that is several years old  McCalls's Quilting October 2000. In that issue they featured a Calico cat quilt filled with... well, just cats.  If you can get your hands on this pattern you won't be disappointed.  Robert Callaham's the creator of this charming charm quilt.  It is an easy one and you can give it your own twist and turns. 

 I have used some calico prints that are generally the same value in color but with pattern variances.  In the 

pattern that they use they have used different

 colors for a wonderful bright and lively look.  I might want to add now that I have gotten you all lathered up to hunt down those back issues of McCall's Quilting Mag. that this was purchased in Ireland and they may  slightly differ in their American counterparts.  I am not sure as to how much.  Being an hand quilter enthusiast ( this type of enthusiasm sometimes develops out of love and sometimes because you don't have room in your studio and you will have to build a whole new one t

o accommodate a long arm quilting mach.)  What every my motivation is I just love hand quilting.  Oh man do I see a correlation between racket ball and hand quilting.  Ball, Ball, .... Needle, needle,  Lol now my personality is coming through.  Well you have to have some of that personality (obsessive I believe) to help wit

h doing what it is I do.  Anyway I give this pattern a thumbs up for ease and all round great pattern.  It is great to use up some of that stash that we all accumulate. 

Cool New Books for Art!

Package from Dover Arrives in the Studio

Oh, I am like a kid.  The mail just came and after hiding from the postal worker (cause I was in my PJ's still and my hair resembles that of a porcupine in a pissed off mood) I collected the package from my door step.  My Dover art books just arrived.  As you have seen by my work I am trying some new things with clip art and using them in a collage effort to produce a new line of work! 

I am careful to use the permission-free designs or royalty fee.  Here are some of my new libary!  I might point out that these books are on sale at Dover regularly 19.95 - 22.95 I ordered 6 of them on sale and saved 85.59 total.  Bringing my order to only 50.$ and when 50$ they ship free!  Great way to save! 

3 Versions

Ok here goes after a morning playing racket ball

with my 15 yr old daughter (who prefers to remain nameless as well as faceless these days) I came back home full of energy। Now that the afternoon comes creeping in I feel that I could fall face first in the bed and not wake up until tomorrow morning. Unfortunately I have to remain in the upright position until later on this evening. However during my more perky aspects of the day I did manage to produce a rather unique collage So I am putting it out here for you to vote and which one you think it the better of all three. As you are doing this think of me more than likely outside cutting grass!!! In the dog pen no less!! Hope the 9 yr. old remembered to pick up poop or that will be another art work in the making. Enjoy! My favorite is the first one the one with the music notes. Keep in mind these are backgrounds and the images are dulled to allow what ever sits on them to stand out more.

Finally today I did another bit of work and produced this card from the image that is above. I guess that is what happens when you can't get the lawn mower to crank after mowing the dog pen. Well at least I was productive. I did bring up the colors more and used the rose from the birds feet down below to add color and interest I also put a few more bits of clip art around on the left side to pull the eye there also.

Cat and Bird Collage by Jeweledfrog
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