Lady Sebastian is moving on!

Lady Sebastian has been living here with me for the past while and I must admit I'm going to be very sad to see her leave and head out on her travels again.

She is on a quest through Egypt in hopes of finding her

missing father.

My additions included painting her dress, adding the beaded fringe to her apron and on the bottom of her dress, and the spear.  There is also an arm band (an old tarnished ring) and a cat charm on her apron.

Closeups...

I did four pages in her travel journal.... here's page one....

The background for this page was a piece of painted textured wallpaper.  I painted and heated some Tyvek for the 'blobs' on either side.  The bug appeared out of my stash and fit the theme because scarabs were an Egyptian relic.

Page two...

This page was a piece of watercolour paper I painted.  Additions included the sun (an applique), a cat button which I antiqued and a string of trim that looks suspiciously like 'real' gold.  If you embiggen the picture I think you can read the words.

and page 3 & 4...

The background for this is a piece of my rusted fabric with a feather trim added on the side.  Behind the cat image is a piece of 'snakeskin' fabric.  The relics on the right were blobs of hot glue that were rubber stamped to add the images - painted and antiqued. 

Busy, busy, busy....messy, messy, messy!

Above is my worktable at the moment...

and below is my cutting table....

I won't show you the floor!

I'm still here, just buried in a couple of projects I need to get done this week.  If you don't hear from me soon, please send a cleaning crew.

AND COFFEE!!

Beautiousness!!

Just lookit this!!!

and here's a closeup.....

This is eco dyeing at its best and it's
mine, mine, all mine!!!!!!

Handmade, and more like it for sale in Arlee's shop!  

I'm baaaacccckkkkkkk!!!

I'm a happy camper!!

Some of you noticed that I was somewhat AWOL last night and part of today and I want to thank you so much for the concerned emails and phone calls I received.  It's nice to know I was missed!!

My blog, my email, and my RSS feed all disappeared from the internet and I was told that my 'access was denied'.  Denied?  What on earth did I do???  After the initial panic subsided, I emailed Google to ask what had happened.  This morning I visited their forum and discovered that this was a world-wide issue, but not for everyone.  We were told that Google was working on it and by mid-afternoon I was up and running again.  Yay!!!

I was so afraid my blog was gone forever and, like an idiot, I don't have a paper copy of all my favourite blogs and email addresses...I was panicked, thinking that I had lost all my contacts.  Needless to say that particular issue will be taken care of!  

I'm so glad to be back among the land of the living, and thank you all once again for your concern and cheering up!

more on the downsizing....

Today I have three items that I'm
getting rid of,

and  I thought maybe one of you
might like them.

I will send to

the first one to leave a comment about each item here
(be sure to tell me WHICH of
the items you want!!)

Here's # 1.....

This is a 28 page booklet of patterns for crochet, tat, and knitted edgings.  c 2001   GONE, thank you!!

Item # 2....

A copy of GreenCraft magazine published by Somerset Studios.  Winter 2010 issue. ALSO GONE!!

And finally......

I don't know how many of you remember these little tins!  I have had them in my stash for years and never have managed to find an adequate use for them, so they're up for grabs.  TINS ARE SPOKEN FOR!

So, leave a comment if you're interested
and be sure to tell me which item

you like!!

Hearts and zentangles

The mail yesterday brought the heart I received in the heart swap I was in....

 Isn't it gorgeous?

The image in the centre is lovely and DeeDee has
highlighted it with a beautiful vintage crystal button
and also a pearl necklace with matching earrings.

Here's a close-up of the flowers....

Thank you so much DeeDee - I love it.
And a huge thanks must go to
Debbie Hembree for organizing the swap!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yesterday was our monthly CQTeers meeting and
our theme 

(beyond eating chocolate, of course)

was zentangles...

The top two atcs were done by
Irene (our resident zentangle guru).
Sue did the one on the lower left

and mine is on the lower right.  

Another fun day!

And the winner is........

Congratulations

to the winner

of the 'Wild Color' giveaway!!

Drum roll, please.....

Connie Eyberg

come on dowwnnnnnn!!!!!

Connie, if you would send me your snail mail addy  (marmic1954 at gmail dot com) I will send your book out later this week.  Hope you enjoy it!!

Another good mail day!

Look what arrived today!!

I preordered this book the minute I heard it was on the horizon and I'm so glad I did!  127 pages of drool-worthy crazy quilting done by one of my favourite artists...Allison Aller.  There are seven projects and some of the techniques include stenciling, photo-transfer and Angelina fibre effects.  Allison is a master at creating dimensional embellishments for her work and there are some excellent pointers in the book, along with tons of eye candy.  Allison definitely has a modern twist on crazy quilting but still shows the influence of the more traditional types too.  Great job Allie - love it!!  You can visit Allie at her blog alliesinstitches.blogspot.com

Specs:  'Allie Aller's Crazy Quilting' by Allison Aller, published by C & T Publishing, c 2011,  ISBN 978-1-60705-173-2

A bookish post....

It's been a good mail week because I've received some pretty nice books.  

Specs:  'Wild Color -  The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes'  Revised and Updated Edition.  Author is Jenny Dean. 

---------------------------------------------------------

The mail brought my copy of 'Embellishing Crazy Quilts' by Kathy Seaman Shaw (known as Shawkl).  

Kathy has done an outstanding job on her book.  It includes four pages of stitch template patterns, 150 charts of combination stitches in multiple scales; 104 monogram motifs; and over 60 other motif designs.  I know this book would be an excellent addition to your library, particularly if you enjoy crazy quilting. 

------------------------------------------------

The mail also brought my copy of Karen Ruane's 'Embroidery' book....

If you follow my blog you will already know how much I admire Karen's work, so this book is a little treasure to have in my hands to drool over any time I feel the urge.  I'm lucky enough to own a pincushion from Karen too and it's exquisite (and, I might add, it will NEVER be poked with horrible needles!!).  

I wonder what might come in tomorrow's mail?

Fifteen more!!

Yes, you read that right - there are fifteen more.....

 

You think maybe I might be a 

teeeeeeny bit

obsessed???

If you scroll down a couple of entries you will see one of the needlecases opened up.  The needlecases, when opened, measure approximately 10 x 8 inches.

EDITED TO ADD;  Original pattern comes from HERE.

More denim reduction!

Today I began working on these  needleholders which will ultimately be little surprises for some friends.

This is the outside - made from recycled denim,
of course!!

And here's the inside...

The centre is felt.

EDITED TO ADD:  The original pattern for this comes from
HERE.

Denim bags

As promised,
here are photos of

what I've created
over the past couple of days...

Both of these are made of recycled denim.  It's hard to see in the photos but each bag has a recycled jean pocket on the sides for extra storage (keys, sunglasses?).  The flowers were made of circles of denim that I (at great peril to the house) burned around the edges.  Of course the smoke alarms took great exception to that and screamed mightily, scaring the wits out of the cats...oops. I used a commercial pattern by Simplicity (#2597).

I will leave you with another of my favourite quotes...  " The human mind, once expanded to take in a new idea never goes back to its original size".  - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Eye candy and anxiously waiting....

There's no eye candy for me to show you today, although I have spent much of the day at the sewing machine.  Hopefully I will finish what I'm working on tomorrow and will be able to show you then. 

In the meantime, here's another quote...  "The question is not what you look at, but what you see."  - Thoreau.

Mumbles....

Sorry folks, no pictures today, unless you really wanted to see the pile of jeans I managed to get hacked up...No?....

Finally, here's another quote - "Use your mind and your hands simply for joy".  (Author unknown)

New book review + journal class

For Christmas I was given a gift certificate to order myself something I wanted from Amazon - oh the decisions (only because my wish list is so long!!).  I finally decided to get these....

From the strength of the title alone I probably wouldn't have picked this book had I not been able to drool over a copy I borrowed from the library.  To say I love this book is probably a vast understatement!  The author has created modern-day interpretations of the old embroideries and the details are extraordinary.  There is a limited amount of actual instruction in this book, but the eye candy alone is worth every penny.  I know this book will be read and re-read many times over if only for the inspiration it gives.  (Specs:  "Celtic, Viking & Anglo-Saxon Eembroidery" by Jan Messent.  c 2010.  Published by Search Press.  ISBN : 978-84448-409-6).

(I did crop these pictures but for some reason they didn't save).  Anyway, my second choice was this one.  With the current interest in bird making I thought this book would be fun and besides, there's a small blurb in there about one of my favourite bird artists (Ann Wood) who makes the most incredible owls.  There is an owl pattern in this book and I'm eyeing my denim stash wondering what I can use from there to create one to live in my studio.  There are 16 projects in the book (including wrens, a gull, crows, a flamingo and many more).  (Specs:  "The Artful Bird" by Abigail Patner Glassenberg.  c 2010, published by Interweave Press.  ISBN: 978-1-59668-238-2).

I'm thrilled with the new additions to my library and must extend a huge thank you to my SIS who certainly didn't need to treat me so royally (but, truthfully?  I'm so glad she did!!).

Updated to add:

Nanook of the North

just in from blowing the
driveway - twice.

And the snow continues to fall...

Serenity - Art Doll for Coolaberation 2010

When Serenity ( a most gorgeous seahorse centaur) arrived she knew precisely what I needed to create for her (and never let it be said that I don't listen to dolls!).  She wanted a stand so she could be upright and able to see the world.  A search commenced for a large seashell with which to create something suitable.  It took weeks of intense searching, but one finally surfaced and she was happy.

There was another stumbling block though - how to attach her to the seashell so she would be removable.  After a couple of false starts (and a remake) Jack and I figured it out.  She now has an (ouch!!) metal rod up her backside and a thinner one mounted into the seashell which end up fitting together.

Now she's happy!!
See??

Next she wanted a beautiful necklace to adorn her long lovely neck and you can see it in the photo above.  Then she told me she was COLD (here in Canada it's winter and I should have realized). 

She wanted a crocheted
shawl
which she does admit is
difficult to wear when you
have no arms!

There's even some 'seaweed' in her hair and on her shawl!

Then came the journal...

Pgs. 1 & 2

two of the inserts in the fold on page 1

pg. 3

pg. 4

I think if you embiggen the pictures you should be able to read the text I used.  The symbols on the tags are different fonts for the Japanese word 'Serenity'.  "Ataraxis' means the absence of stress or anxiety, peace of mind, peace, heartsease, quietude, tranquility - some of which are listed on the back of the tags.

She was fun to work on and I hope Amy likes her.  Now she's heading off on her further adventures - this time to Calgary!!

Oh oh - MESS!!!

More on the ongoing
quest to
downsize
the stash...

Some of you might know that I'm an organization book junkie - I read every one I can get my hands on (plus visit a number of blogs on organization too).  Now before you go and get all envious about how organized I must be because of all this reading, you have to understand that I haven't implemented much of what I've learned!

I did read a good hint awhile ago about putting your rubber stamps (unmounted) into a binder and decided that would be a good way to both keep track of them and also reduce the area they take up for storage.  At the CQTeers meeting on Wednesday I happened to mention this and Sue said she keeps hers in those plastic sheets the kids use for trading cards (or that we use for atc's).  She also suggested that using photo sleeves would be good for the larger stamps.  Brilliant!!

See?  It works!!

I happily stamped each one onto pieces of paper so I could find them easily and was thrilled with my prowess.     

UNTIL......

I tried to wash the stamp ink off my hands and realized that I'd grabbed the PERMANENT stamp pad and now my fingers are black and it WON'T come off, despite my best efforts (using all sorts of probably-hazardous-to-my-health potions).

oops       

Two A's!!!...sort of

ATC's!

Today we had our little CQTeers meeting and, because we didn't meet in December, it was Christmas too.  Irene has been experimenting with zentangles and created the two examples on the upper right.  Sue (our queen of paper) made the ones on the lower left.  I almost forgot about not having done any for Christmas and whipped up the imitation wrapped package on the lower right and also did the one on the upper left (using rub on transfers).  

Our meeting/program included two fun things today.  First we learned the basics of making zentangles from Irene and then Sue (our hostess) showed us how to make felted birds....

This photo shows the blue bird that Sue made for me and the white bird I made during the meeting.  So much fun, and very cute.  Irene made each of us a  little Santa ornament (see his zentangle body?).  On the lower left you can see my first effort at making a zentangle.  Needless to say I need LOTS more practice!!

on awards and passing it on

Over the weekend my friend Anne Marie 

presented me with an award!!

This award is bestowed on blogs that could use a boost in followers (ie. should have less than 300...300??  Who would ever DREAM I'd have 69 people reading my drivel, much less three HUNDRED!!).  Anyway, the deal is that I, in turn, should nominate 3-5 others that I feel are deserving of more recognition.

Finally, I leave you with another quote for today - 

You can't waste time trying to get approval from the people who you assume hold your fate in their hands.
       - Anna Deavere Smith.

A new CQ book!

I haven't been doing anything creative the past couple of days, so again I have no pictures to show.

However,

I would like to point you to a new book
that's soon becoming available!!

Shawkl (Kathy) is currently taking orders for autographed copies of her new book and if you're interested in crazy quilting you should check it out.  I've followed her blog for awhile and have been awed by the number of seam treatments she has posted. Now she has compiled them into a book (and there looks to be all sorts of other goodies in there too)  and you can find out about it HERE.    My copy is on order already and I can't wait!

Mumblings today

Sorry folks, no pictures for you today.  I spent most of the afternoon making something to go along with the latest in the art dolls for the collaboration but it's not quite finished and I don't want to show you until it is.

SO....

I shall mumble!!

- First of all - I must complain about the cold.  I don't like winter.  I don't like cold and it's darned cold out there.  Hibernation in my studio is all I want to do (and partake of a continuous stream of coffee and tea to warm me up).

- For those of you who are wondering (and you are?  Right?) I did finish the great paper shuffle of 2011...two very large bags of shredded paper, 3 bins of recycled paper, and a grand total of three empty file drawers!  

- I'm sure, too, that you will be SO interested to know that I actually cleaned out another big plastic tote today and got rid of 3/4's of it. 

 Obviously, I can't find anything
worth mumbling about,

so
how about some more sites to visit?

And finally I leave you with this quote:  "To dream of the person you would like to be is a waste of the person that you are" (Unknown author).

Completed heart

Here is my completed
crazy quilt heart!

It will be heading out in the
mail for swap the first of the

week.

Please click on the photo 

for more detail.

Don't forget to give some consideration
to creating some quilt blocks for
donation to those affected by the
flooding in Australia.
Again, click on the button on the left
for more info!! 

More heart progress

I accomplished quite a bit on my heart today but tomorrow I plan to tear part of it out because I'm not happy with it.  See that section just above the spider web?  The silk ribbon I used is just too dark for the rest of the piece and needs to be lightened up.  So....I shall frog it and replace it with something I like better.

------------------------------

CQ heart progress

 here is the latest progress on my crazy quilt heart....

One more block for Australia

One more block ready to send
to Australia for flood relief.

Further details are on the post below this one.
Please consider making a few and sending
them!

Unfortunately my stash of both lightweight quilt 'bat' and suitable cotton fabrics is very lacking, but  I think four blocks are certainly better than none.  They'll be heading for Australia tomorrow.

Quilt blocks for Australia

Many of you will have heard about the terrible floods that have hit Australia and of the many people who have lost everything.  Some kind individuals there have decided to create quilts to donate to these families so I've decided that I will further reduce my stash and try to make a few to send over.  The pattern is very simple (and great for using up 'stuff') and don't take long to make.

I've made three this afternoon...

These blocks finish at 10 1/2".  

Two days in a row????

I know, what's this world coming to?  I'm talking about crazy quilting two days in a row??  Be still my beating 'heart' (hah, get it??).

Anyway....I'm taking part in a CQ heart swap later this month and thought I'd better be getting started on mine.  The size restriction is about 8 x 5", so this isn't too big.  I liked this little transfer so decided to built my piece using it as my inspiration.  Perhaps if you 'embiggen' the picture you'll be able to see the details a little better. 

Now it's on to stitching!

Crazy quilt content?

And just so you don't feel totally uninformed about my latest paper riddance - the drawers have been gone through, a pile has been made for a yard sale, an even larger pile has been recycled, and another pile is awaiting the ministrations of the shredder. 

More evidence of progress

3 bundles,
each about 2" thick,
of assorted craft
patterns!!

These are destined for a massive yard sale in the spring.  I always find it amazing what people will buy and I'm pretty sure somebody will be more than willing to part with a couple of bucks for each bundle.  If they don't, THEN I'll put them in the recycle box!

Speaking of which, I've filled another recycle box with paper that's going out, out, out AND I have another big box of 'stuff' ready to go through the shredder before I send it out.  One more file drawer to go.....

Buried?

Yes, I feel like I'm buried -

under stacks and stacks and stacks of paper!!!

I decided, in a moment of complete idiocy, that it was time to go through all my files of craft patterns, instructions, and 'stuff' and sort out same - hopefully managing to turf a great deal of my accumulation.  What a job!!  Not only am I sorting through it all, but I'm also trying to compact what I want to keep into less space and get it into some sort of system whereby I might stand a chance of actually finding something.  Tall order, I know.  

Two trips to Staples for new

MATCHING

3-ring binders

and now I have

this....

I know, it's an awful picture, but you can get the general idea of how my new organization looks.  I've even invested in new labels (far prettier than the ghastly pink ones I had previously).  If you're really curious, I think you can click on it to see the categories. 

Back to Staples tomorrow
for one more binder!!

Pays to ask questions!

I've been searching for a wrought-iron looking piece of 'art' to finish up the wall decoration in our renovated bathroom and have been to several thrift stores to no avail.  A local store (Giant Tiger) had this piece on their shelf a week or so ago at a price of $14.95, which was too expensive for a simple decorative element for a bathroom that is rarely used.  I refused to even consider it.

However, as time went on and my search was coming up empty, I began to rethink this one.  I doubted it would still be there because it was the only one they had and it was minus the box.  Well, it was still there and still minus the box AND the glass candle holders that went along with it.  On the off-chance that they might reduce the price I trundled it up to the check out and simply asked if there could be any kind of discount.  The supervisor was called and she disappeared (I thought to ask someone higher in the pecking order), but back she came bearing the candle holders and gave me the whole thing for $2!!!!!!!!  Yes, you read that right!  I was blown away.  Jack has nipped off the candle holder rings and I'm left with a perfect piece of 'art' for the wall...for the grand sum of two dollars!!  

Yeah!!

THE luckiest girl in the world right now??

IS ME!!!!!!!!!

Just look what was waiting for me
when we got home from getting
groceries today!!....

I know it's not a great picture, 

but it's very hard to get a decent shot of
such a gorgeous hand knitted
sweater!!

Here's a closeup...

And,

here I am modeling my
beautiful new sweater!

 

 

I know, it's very hard to see it in all it's wondrous glory, but hopefully you can get a good idea.  Some of you might remember that over a year ago I won the yarn to make a sweater and it's been languishing in my to-do box ever since waiting for me to muster courage to even begin a project I knew would take at least a couple of years for me to knit.  Enter my friend Ginette, who is a knitter extraordinaire, who offered to knit it for me, and then did so in mind-numbingly record time!!  I simply can't believe how fast she knits and how she is undaunted by the difficulty of any pattern (AND changes it to fit better too!!).  She is utterly amazing!!  THANK YOU GINETTE - you are one in a million, my friend!  

The pattern is the 'Lacy Vee Cardigan #405', by Cabin Fever  and the yarn is 'Linarte' by Lana Grossa.