An Award!

I have been awarded the Marie Antoinette, A Real Person, A Real Award! The rules are as follows:

1. Place the logo on your blog.

2. Link to the person who gave you the award... you can visit Nicki at http://nickisnook.net/

3. Nominate 7 more blogs

4. Link to their blogs

Sarah at http://littlepaperbird.blogspot.com/

Melentine at http://www.melentine.com/

Neki at http://amoveablefeast.blogspot.com/

Ruth at http://ruthsfiberphotos.blogspot.com/

Papercracker at http://papercracker.blogspot.com/

Cally at http://callybooker.wordpress.com/

Vale at http://artjournalgypsies.blogspot.com/

5. Leave a post on their blogs to notify them!

Thank you one and all for providing so much inspiration and joy!

A New Adventure...

So today I did no art, but roasted my first coffee beans ever! A friend gave them to me, green beans from Ethiopia. I hope I haven't ruined them. Tomorrow I will make coffee, and see how they turned out. I didn't think to take a pic before roasting, but here are a few during roasting. I started with the heat rather high, then when the pan was heated turned it down to the hotter side of low. I had no idea there was a skin on them that would come off when heated! I spent some time doing laundry today, but made it more fun by doing some felting in the washer too... stay tuned for pics of that!

Karen at Crafty Goings On is having a terrific give away... visit her and check it out! Karen always has great blog posts... she does the best cards!

Altered Book In Progress

Some time ago I saw purse made by someone that had fabric added to a picture to pop it out in 3D. I really liked it, but wanted to put my own twist on it. I have added both paint and colored pencils as well as fabric to these. It is just a start, but I like it. I will add some more to them, and do more as well. I am doing a book for a friend of mine that loved the mermaid book I made for a friend last fall. The book has a middle east and African slant, (she is Ethiopian and loves dancing) but she loves preRaphaelite art, so some of those will be added too. I have also added pearls and gold, and have a wonderful pic to add goldleaf to around her halo. I am having alot of fun! You know, that is what art should be...fun!

Sashiko Quilting

I love this medium. I am far from exceptional at it, I am still very much learning, but I love it. For those who do not know of it, sashiko is an ancient Japanese form of quilting, originally used to layer older perhaps thin or ripped fabrics to make a warmer or more complete garment. It has become an amazing artform, with firemen and fishermen certainly at the apex. Some of the stitching is tiny, very dense. I am not there yet. I am making another sample for my classes, this one is to teach the basics of the technique, and ends with a small cosmetics pouch or evening bag at the end, depending on the closure. This needn't be dense, just pleasing. I like this pattern, especially in the traditional indigo blue with white stitching. I do some of mine on silk (thank you Nancy Shriber) using a piece of flannel beneath, but this is simply cotton with a little cotton batting to pad the sides of the purse. I think I will use a wild color as the lining... to feed my inner wild child! I am not having as much time to play with fiber and paint as I would like, but then, I would like to spend all day. A little too greedy I guess.

It's been awhile...

But I have been both sick and busy, though not at the same time. I took my flu shot and 3 days later, got sick. I swear, they give you the shot so they know when you'll have the flu. I work in retail... when I get sick, I lose my voice... tough to sell things when you can't talk. Tougher when you can't stand up! Grumble grumble.

Today I forgot to video my sister, so I am a cad too. I have no brain cells left.

So after all that, here is what I have been busy doing since I recovered from the crud. The collage is the root of a swap offering for a Christmas deck, I still have to cut the size down to 3 x 5. The two purses are wool felt, embroidered with cotton floss. Fun stuff, though I never do things just like the pictures. I made the little cell phone holder deeper than the pattern intended, it really wasn't deep enough to hold a phone without it popping out . I really didn't like the handles suggested for the larger purse either. The instructions said to use doubled over suede strips... too messy and too flimsy. So I added loops and plastic handles... I like the purse better now. It is still too little for my daily use, but would be good for a special date or some such. I also knitted a sock (half a pair so far) and a pair of wristers, and discovered I can make wristers out of polyfleece! Lots quicker than knitting, though not so nice. I will still knit some, but now I can make several pairs in the time I take to knit one. I will put up picks of them tomorrow, AFTER I video my sis!