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Okay, a heady title for a blog post about making a quilt! I do think that quilting digs beneath the surface and taps into our inner soul. This week I was tested. I needed a small item as a give-away at my upcoming book signing. I am hard-pressed for time and needed to keep it simple. At first I was going to give my recent project using the tea bags I made in Libby Williamson‘s class at Craft Napa. But there was a lot of work in that piece and those bags were precious to me – I don’t…
This was my fourth year at Craft Napa -what a thrill! Craft Napa is The Most Fun venue. I finally figured out what makes CN unique: the students it attracts are so engaged, so creative, so open to learning. It IS a different experience at Craft Napa! I wish I had taken more photos to capture the moment. It was intense for me as on Thursday I taught from 9AM – 9:30PM with breaks for lunch and dinner. I was thrilled that my energy did not flag, not once. I was so pumped by what was happening in the class,…
I’ve spent my week prepping for Craft Napa. After losing a week to an annoying rash, I had some catching up to do. I am so excited to be teaching at Craft Napa again! It is an experience like non-other and I have added many new friends from my time with Craft Napa. I pinch myself that I’ll be there again; could it possibly be my fourth year? This year I won’t be taking any classes because the ones I wanted were either on the same day as I am teaching or were already filled. I will be vending for…
Craft Napa is coming up next week and I can’t wait! Among the preparations were creating donation piece(s) for Pokey Bolton’s fundraiser, Stay Pawsitive which this year is raising funds for Wags and Whispers, an organization that is helping the pets from the Camp Fire in Northern California. Pokey had asked for postcards, which I fully intended to make. But when it came time to make my pieces, I was not feeling it, so I dug into my stash for some inspiration. I stumbled upon this gorgeous wool hand-dyed by Linda Waddle and decided to start there. I wanted to…
It was time for some downtime, maybe even a bit of lounging around. Shocking, I know! Hubby and I went to Tucson to visit Youngest Son and just to enjoy the city. I actually did do a little of this, the relaxing thing. We chose the El Conquistador, a golf-centered resort. When it comes to vacations, I just want to go and I’m not too picky about where I go. I just want to be active and have fun. Hubby loves the golfing in Tucson and wanted to try this property and its surrounding courses. I am struck by the…
I get together with my friend Lynn on occasion for some sort of outdoor adventure. I’m pretty fit but Lynn is the real deal-she bikes and hikes and climbs both rocks and ice. I just do my weights, walk and swim. We decided to meet halfway between us, in Las Vegas, but not THAT Vegas. We were there for the outdoor playground that surrounds Vegas. We didn’t even get close to the strip and did not play any slots. We only had 3 full days so we didn’t make it to the Hoover Dam nor did we see any…
I want to write about judging…again. Keep reading to the end and I’ll reveal the winner of my book! I’ve written about judging previously, but I have new thoughts to share based on my latest experience with Houston. My very first experience being judged was traumatic and it’s a bit of a chuckle to read. I’ll be inserting photos of my landscape because I know you need pretty pictures to keep you reading:-)) The photos have nothing to do with the text, just pretty pictures! If you know me or have read my previous posts on judging, you know I…
I am at a crossroads of sorts. Writing my book was a lot of work. My creative juices were thrown into the book, not my art. As a result, I’ve been in a bit of an artistic dry spell. I feel mentally exhausted between the book launch and the rigors of teaching at Houston. I recognize all these are Very Good ProbIems! But it has created a feeling of “meh” in the studio. I needed to get myself revved up. Coincidentally, Lyric Kinard recently released her Start Your Art cards so I had to try them. Start Your Art is a…
UPDATE NOTE: Comments are now closed on this post. Wahoo! Welcome to my very first blog hop! I have convinced nine of my incredibly talented friends to join me and each of us will be giving away a free, signed copy of my book. Here’s how it works: Every day from now through Dec 10, each blogger will post an article about my book on their day. They will be sharing their tips, tricks and even a project or two. I actually don’t know what they will be posting so I’m excited to see what happens! If you visit their…
I had to edit like crazy to get this down to 54 photos! And then I ran into an entire group of photos I hadn’t reviewed, but I’m sticking with what I’ve got. Here we go: Wild Things, Marianne Williamson, capturing the wild flowers that grow along the highway. I love the controlled chaos, lines and beauty of the color. Hole Cloth, Birgit Schueller, Germany. It’s hard to tell from the photo but there are literal holes in the quilt. It was done so well and hangs beautifully. The quilting really adds to the design. Playing in the Waterfall, Valeria…