drum roll please....

As many of you know, I have been waiting on pins and needles (no pun intended) to get news on my quilt which I sent off to backporchquilters via regular mail just 2 weeks ago. That is coast to coast...San Francisco, California to Murphy, North Carolina. As I understand it, the usual turnaround to have a quilt long arm stitched can be 3 - 6 months, so the fact that they were able to process my baby so quickly is a gift!

But the giving does not stop there. I had a nice chat with Rhonda today who shared some wonderful snippets from the adventure my quilt has been on. I am so grateful for the loving care Russ, Rhonda and even Dana from Old Red Barn provided to make sure my baby made it back to me in one piece (again -no pun intended).
Between my novice skills and my 1952 Singer, there were 16 un-sewn seams revealed when they stretched the quilt tight for the long arm. I had found a dozen or more while pressing the quilt prior to sending it off and repaired them, but when they stretch the material tight like a trampoline all the holes really become obvious. So Russ and Rhonda pulled the quilt back off the rack and stitched up all those spots for me. This was totally above and beyond the call of duty! Well then they start doing there beautiful long arm quilting (They gave me the Vertigo stitch shown on one of Dana's earlier quilts) and the needle gets stuck on another unraveled seam causing a tear on both the top and bottom layers. The mishap was totally my fault, but they took it upon themselves to fix it. Isn't that wonderful?!

They called up Dana who lives down the road and ask her if she has any Anna Marie Horner Good Folks fabric (photo above) they could use to repair my quilt. She sends her husband over with everything she has and they re-sew the square for me. Can you believe it??

Then there was the issue of the small (1/2 of a dime) sized hole on the underside. To be honest, I wouldn't have probably noticed it, and if I did I would have happily stitched it up with embroidery thread to give it a vintage look! Well they repaired it with a patch that says"Old Red Barn Quilt Along 2009." How cool is that??! They did all of this for me for $110 including the quilting thread and the cost to ship it back to me (mind you, its a King size quilt 90 x 100"ish and it has the coolest stitching design ever!).

I am absolutely tickled. I'm telling you, Russ and Rhonda are destined to be my life long friends. I'm just amazed at their kindness, generosity and craftsmanship.

I HOPE YOU ARE READING THIS RUSS AND RHONDA - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

So the cliff notes of this tale are as follows:

• I made a king size quilt in less then 2 months by participating in the Old Red Barn's Quilt Along (hostessed by Dana) with my fellow WASSIMAites- Cathy, Stella, Sooz, Cameron and Lori
• I sent out the top stitching to backporch quilters in NC per the recommendation of Dana who uses them all the time.
• Russ repaired a heap of bad stitching AND repaired 2 holes that occurred due to a unraveled seam.
• Dana, hostess of the Quilt Along, provided scraps of Good Folks from her own stash to make the repairs on my quilt.
• They covered the underside hole with a patch that reads "Old Red Barn Quilt Along 2009."
• They emailed me photos of my finished quilt to hold me over until it arrives.

HELLO! What an amazing quilt story from amazing quilters and my new BFF's. I can't wait to stitch on the trim and see the finished beauty on my bed! Wowza. I'm hooked! I love quilting! Now if you could all send special delivery prayers, vibes, ju ju, energy and white light my way so I can win that very special prize on Monday. I'm not saying what it is cuz I'm afraid to jinx it but if it was mine, I'd never miss another stitch.

I'm the boss, applesauce

I tell my kids this darling expression, but I'm not sure they are buying it. Being with the little ones Full Time is an adjustment and while know it is an honor and privilege, I still have not gotten my groove back.

"Because I said so" did not work when I was a kid and it ain't working now. In the big scheme of things, my kids are amazing, curious, eccentric little whipper snappers and deserve to be celebrated in every way but when I'm on the phone arguing about the bogus $9.99 charge on my cell phone bill, those qualities become a thorn in my paw and I'm forced to make "the mean face" to try to quiet them. I remember the "mean face" when I was little and it made me feel like crap. I don't want them to feel like crap!

The reality is that my kids are not going to stop being kids so it is my job to adjust and adapt. Thank goodness for my husband who has patience when I don't and a great sense of humor that puts the children at ease when I get wound up too tight. I do the same for him and most of the time it all seems to work out. But after the monkeys have gone to sleep and the house is quiet; while Tim watches his macho monster truck sniper think tank programming and eats his watermelon, I sit alone in our room flipping through Tivo while surfing facebook and I think "was I too hard on them?"

Sometimes I go into their room and gently kiss them so that the love will touch their unconscious mind. I forget how much "power" parents have over their children. At least mine did over me. But this "power" doesn't occur to me in the throws of our day when I have asked them 5 times to stop playing ball in the house and yet a pink object bounces past my feet. Confucius say "ask once while you take the ball" ...problem solved. Sometimes I forget that you have to be "smart" about parenting.

Today in the news...

First I'll start with me because its a little more upbeat...then we'll talk about the cultural event that will serve as a bookmark in time.

I finished my last painting today. Yah -hoo!

It was a real pickle of a project but I kept at it and it finally started to look like something. I'm pleased to say my professor was very happy with it and she gave me a "B" for my semester grade.

I am relieved because this has been a yoke around my neck for months now. First I was sick and couldn't paint so I was totally stressed; then I was gathering doctor's notes and writing appeals for an incomplete; then I was waiting for the 2 week window to open up so I could start on the huge amount of work I had to make up and now; (sigh,) its done and I did Ok. That is the last I am going to speak about it... Turn the page... NEXT!

So I spoke to Russ at backporchquilters today and I've decided I want him to be my new best friend. He is so stinkin nice and I can't get over how connected I feel to him because he has my "baby" (my quilt) in his hands right now. I know its his business but it feels as though he is doing this wonderful gesture of kindness for me. I guess that is why people are so into their family quilts. I never knew what a labor of love felt like until now. Anyway, we had a great chat and agreed that the vertigo stitch he did for Dana would look fabulous on my quilt with variegated thread. We also discussed my old sewing machine and the Old Red Barn drawing coming up - (I want that sewing machine!!!) It was a great conversation and I am thrilled to have yet another North Carolina pal!

Projects on the horizon - boy there are a bunch. I've got some ring blanks just waiting for Utee, some watch faces screaming for beaded bands, several carpet bags pinned with fabulous lace just waiting for permanent stitching and that gorgeous Wonderland fabric ready to be made into mom and daughter matching skirts. I also want to spend some time tinkering with my the aperture and ISO on my camera. What fun! This will be the first time in a long while I can play without feeling guilty because of school work. Now I just have to figure out a way to incorporate "kid fun" with these activities so its a win/win for everyone during the summer vacation. Any thoughts?

On a more somber note... I still remember where I was when I learned that Elvis Prestley died- in my mom's Volkswagen bug after school, and when John Lenon was killed- at my next door neighbors house sitting on her front porch. How interesting that I was on Facebook when I learned that Michael Jackson has passed. I feel ashamed because, at first I thought it said Michael Jordon died and I had the same response I felt when John Kennedy Jr's plane crashed - "oh no, one of the last of the good guys was gone." Then I realized it was MJ and for some reason I was detached from it. I guess all the rumors and hype over the years had caused me to write him off. But as I watched the news and saw the responses on Facebook, so much of my childhood came rushing in. Billy Jean, Thriller, Beat it... these were the songs on the soundtrack of my life. I decided to do a little research and read the very lengthy bio of MJ on Wikipedia. It turns out that a lot of what I thought about him was just tabloid gossip. I began to feel a sadness, not just for the loss of a huge talent, entertainer and musical genius, but a sadness for a man who, despite his great success, lived a very hard life of mental and physical abuse, health issues, addiction, accusations, legal battles, and undoubtedly, some mental illness as a result. I feel bad that I believed what I heard. I feel bad that he died with people thinking so many false bad things about him. Perhaps some of the things were true and now he'll have to answer to a higher authority about that. I know that hurt people hurt others and so I choose to feel compassion at this time. At the end of the day - he died and I'm so sorry he is gone but I truly hope that he finally KNOWS what a talent he was and has peace. we'll miss you Michael.

Painting Spree - almost there!

It has been really intense painting so much these last 10 days. Essentially, I started this run last Tuesday afternoon, took a 3 day break over the weekend due to various commitments and have been painting like crazy ever since. I finished the casual composition painting and got my grade back: a B-.

My work is improving but there is a part of me that feels frustrated that I was not able to put more time into the important details. Normally, I would have had a week to complete each painting - the suggested time dedicated was 12-20 hours per piece. Obviously, I did not invest that into my work which means I missed the end game. The part where you see what is there rather than what you know. The lock down vibe where it is just you and the canvas. Sometimes I love this but, to be honest, it also REALLY stresses me out because I had destroyed a good painting last April while in this zone.

It was a lot of wet on wet work and I went into an intuitive frenzy, painting what I "felt" rather than what I saw. Next thing I knew my perspective was demolished, my ellipses where cockeyed and there was no reconciliation. I'm eager to address that fear before closing this chapter because it will be at least 6 months before I pick up a brush for any kind of school work. I don't want that anxiety festering.

Hence, of my last 2 assignments, one was offered as extra credit - flowers. I really want to learn flowers so I am going to combine a high key with a floral set up so I have 2 days to work through it and learn everything the class has to offer. The last required painting was our choice - either a casual set up or High Key. I really like High Key but have mixed emotions about how my last piece came out.

High Key set Up (light values)

On one hand I love what I did here. There is a Renaissance feel to it that speaks to me. On the other hand, I know I could have push it so much further and I have issues with the bowl ellipses which I am sure everyone can see but I hate to draw attention to. (I would love it if ppl. thought it was intentional and brilliant - denial is a powerful thing).

Finished painting using only light colors to define objects and shadows

My low key painting was definitely harder. In the composition, the right side of the bowl disappeared into the shadows although the set up photo does not show this because I don't know how to photograph in that low of life light with my camera.

Every time I tried to take a picture with the light turned low, the camera would leave the shutter open for 5-10 seconds and the picture would come out blurry. There was just no room to pull out the tripod. The challenge was making the bowl disappear while communicating the depth between the foreground and background.. Also, in order to retain the lighting, I had to depend entirely on the otto light I have mounted to my easel. This light caused a lot of refection on the canvas so I could not always see the subtle changes in color. Blah, Blah, Blah... it came out as it came out. I was done- I ran out of patience and the clock was ticking.

Last night I posted a treasure trove of new items on my Esty shop. I've had these beauties for a few weeks now but did not have time to photograph nor post them. Last night, I needed the change in pace so I got busy. I have a lot more to add but first things first.

Tomorrow I'll turn in the last painting and then I have to prepare 20 tag album kits for camp on Tuesday which is a really nice creative transition. I am also looking forward to playing with my kiddos, cleaning this house and earning some moola. I'm working with a new client on Sunday which is going to be SUPER fun! I'm teacher her daughter how to scrapbook while creating an album for a friend...Teach a man to fish kind of thing.

I can't wait to hear from back porch quilters on the status of my quilt. I hope it has arrived in North Carolina! I'll check on that today. Busy, but loving that my todo's have nothing to do with dry cleaning nor spread sheets - just art, life, art!

Painting marathon - Day 2

I finished painting #2 - Replicating Patterns in still life set ups. I can see the areas I am improving and areas other that need improvement are becoming more obvious. This one was much more fun than I thought it would be partially because I watched the entire 1 hr 20 min. lecture before I tackled the second half. It is so hard to watch the lectures because I just want to jump in and start painting. Also, watching someone paint is not an action packed experience but this lecturer was pretty darn good. The way he hit the shapes with bits of color, maybe just a value higher then the previous spot and BAM!, the whole object became 3 dimensional. It was amazing and made a big difference when I started on this painting at the 50% mark.

Painting #2 Set Up

50% (ish) complete

I went in and layered some paint over the background and foreground to enhance the texture, then took to the details.

Painting #2 Completed

I really enjoyed breathing life into this one - sometimes it can be incredibly stressful - I think it boils down to the original sketch. If you can put down a good drawing and your perspective and proportions are accurate you only have to work on color and details. A bad sketch on the other hand, spirals into a bad painting and worse, a bad painting experience.

Painting #3 Set Up

My next project is on casual composition. It took me all afternoon to create a set up and I am not 100% pleased . Here is my painting at 50% complete. I've got my work cut out for me on this one.
I just don't have the time to get hung up on small details with just 12 days left and 5 more paintings to do. That includes the final which we had 3 weeks to complete. Stressed?! Maybe a little - but there's no time for that right now...

Good times...dare I say great times?

I'm sitting here looking into the yard laughing at my husband's attempt to catch every last plum without a bruise or squirrel bite. He wants to invent a gizmo for this - he's been talking about it for several years now - I better shut up about it though just in case it ends up being our golden goose.

I'm loving where we are in our life today. Its not perfect but its really good and the fact that I can take a moment to acknowledge that fact makes it great.

We have had the summer vacation "pick a card" plan in action for 3 days now and it is really been successful. On day one they pulled the SHOPPING card for the A.M. so they went to Home Depot and were allowed to get out of the cart and run freely - Woo Hoo! a big deal for our little guys and they went to the pool in the afternoon. On day two, they pulled the Wash the cars for AM and play with Aunt Pam for the afternoon. Today, they pulled Go for a hike and do a field guide scavenger hunt for the morning and in the afternoon they will be watering the garden with spoons, and other random objects. Since Tim is doing kid duty, he is loving it too. The kids are super enthusiastic and he has currency to get them to follow directions. "If you don't... you won't get to pick a card tomorrow."

I've been doing all kinds of fun things too. I finished assembling my quilt and sent in off to Back Porch Quilters to have it long arm quilted.

My old singer doesn't do quilting so I was happy to send it out. I feel so stinkin accomplished that I assembled this bad boy I can't stand it! It may very well be my most treasured creation. Its no masterpiece and I can see I'll have some seams to repair right out of the gate, but gosh darnit, I made a king size quilt! I am going to make drapes from the extra squares but first I have to get my remaining paintings completed for STILL LIFE.

I had to take an incomplete in this class due to some health issues - ended up being Trigeminal Neuralga which is now being treated and is MUCH IMPROVED! I was able to finish my photography class and pulled a B+ even with all the sick days but painting is a labor intensive activity that requires lots of time and concentration - something I could not do with my pain. Anyhow, I now have 2 weeks to complete 6 or 7 paintings. I jumped in yesterday feeling pretty darn good after sending off my quilt and I'm at the 1/2 way mark with a reflective silver assignment.

This is the set up

This is the painting at 50% complete

Today I go in and do my detail work, play with the color, texture, brush strokes and make adjustments to the layout. It's "a work in progress" but I'm trying to share the journey and check my ego at the door. It keeps getting in the way of learning which is the whole point. If I was an awesome painter I would not need the class.

Update: Here is the finished piece. I made a mistake using a lighter background which wants to come forward making the painting look flat. A super valuable error because after trying to fix the "flatness" with everything under the sun I was able to "see" the problem and now I "understand" creating depth a little better.

I'll also begin working on a new painting working with patterns. This is going to be a tedious project but I'm up for it. I'll be creating a set up including an object that has a pattern then replicating it as precisely as possible in my painting. The process requires both right and left brain activity. My bridge between the two hemispheres isn't a developed muscle/pathway so it will be a lot like doing sit-ups but the result is a more developed eye, a more responsive hand and the knowledge that I have completed it.

(This is not mine - this is done by an accomplished still life artist, Nancy Chaboun - AMAZING right!?)

I will also be preparing kits for camp which starts on June 30th. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE teaching art to these gals! This is my 3rd year with Camp Gen Israel and it is an honor to be on their faculty.

I want to share some of the great pictures from camping last weekend. We had such a great time! I cannot wait to go back - maybe mid-week so its less crowded and there is less partying. It didn't really bother us too much but they were pretty loud at night and we were woken up a couple times. I really can't complain because I was young once and acted the same way - maybe worse. For some reason you just don't know you are being loud when you have been drinking beer all day. Its weird like that.

We had a blast paddling down river but did not catch a single fish. It was one of those times where something always got in the way of focused fishing. Tim was pretty disappointed... which is hilarious but that is another story...

Everyone's To Do List's should look like this

So I'm trying to make sure I have lots to do for my munchkins during the summer break. I've been working on their "To-Do" list like I was trying to name all 50 states - I just can't seem to let up. The hard part is coming up with activities that are enticing for a boy and a girl and do-able for a 3 and 6 year old.

I've decided that we will have a general calendar and then each day that they don't have excursions, play dates or other coordinated activities, they EACH (one for morning, one for afternoon) will get to draw a card from the TO DO pile which we will then add to that day

Man -I wish my TO DO list looked like this:

1. backyard obstacle course
2. scavenger hunt using toy stickers from learning tree
3. Hide and seek (an oldy but goody)
4. water the plants with squirt guns
5. go to the club pool
6. build sculptures for the backyard with wood glue, nails, wire and assorted exterior suited materials
7. run through the sprinklers
8. sort toys to give to the shelter than if we come up with 20, go to toys r us to buy each a new toy
9. build a fort
10. silverware wind chimes (get silverware from good will)
11. hiking scavenger hunt with trail guide to find animals, plants, etc.
12. play in the blow up kiddie pool
13. play Faeries and elves (leave little notes and sweets for the kids from the faeries)
14. have kids each draw 3 pictures then make a story from it and write it for them - use the bind it all to make it a real book. Let them each decorate a chipboard cover
15. find the golden egg hidden in the backyard
16. Paint our wooden table and chairs which are totally thrashed from the winter
17. finger food picnic
18. go to the library
19. dress up in costumes and play in character
    
20. Make cards for the troops

Left to their own devices they do manage to have fun but you never know if someone (or something) will get hurt. This is last weekend - they woke up at 6:00 a.m.- WAY before mom and dad and they managed to find an interesting way to keep themselves busy:

The change from lazy summer to busy calendars - who authorized this?

4 days until school is out then life will get busy - how strange is that? Those days of unstructured, spontaneous living are no more. My kids need the structure, the routine or they get squirly. A schedule to a 3 and 6 year old is like swaddling to a new born baby. And truth be told, I'm pretty ineffective myself without the perimeters of deadlines and schedules. The good news is that a bunch of the events and commitments quickly approaching are creative opportunities, celebrations and family adventures. However, I have learned that one must be strategically prepared or these occasions can quickly turn into stressers and chores.

The first step was assembling our family calendar which is the real story of what life will look like. The next, and my task for today, is scheduling in time for preparations and cleanup as well highlighting days of flexibility and scheduling downtime. This summer I am making a conscious effort to stay ahead of the curve so that our family can enjoy all the activities and still experience the "lazy daze" I recall from my childhood.
To be totally honest, I have another motive. I love signing up for swaps, on-line artsy challenges and hostessing play dates with my friends but I rarely look at the calendar when signing up. I want to be more thoughtful of these activities so my world is slower, quieter, more fluid. I don't want to feel guilty during one activity because I "should" be doing another.


For example, the quilt-along is a absolute delight and I am thrilled I am doing it - not sure the King size quilt was very practical though. Its double the work and I am afraid if I fall behind, I won't finish so I've been devoting more time to it than I should - the guilt has started to set in... It is a pattern I want to break, an example I don't want to set, a life I no longer choose to live. Today, I want to be

M O R E A C C O U N T A B L E

If my husband took on things as I did and did not consult me before doing so, I would be so annoyed. Why do I think it is OK for me? I want to be a more considerate, less busy person. Of course this means that I need to sit still when there is time to sit still, not see an opportunity to "do something". Wow - this is not at all where I saw this blog entry going...this is going to be tough! But Eva gave up her binky so I can certainly do this. I'll need support and gentle reminders from my posse, OK? I think this kind of work is considered cognative behavior change. Maybe I need a carrot to stay on the path. Any ideas?

Great Scott - I've gone sewing mad!

I stumbled on to this adorable skirt pattern and I am now committed to making matching ones for Eva and me. I ordered my fabric and spent the evening goggling gathering stitches. Somebody call me a doctor, I've gone mad with sewing ambition. I'm turning into Holly flippin Hobby.

I picked out my fabric!

I am really excited about this sew along - I am thrilled to be making a quilt along side my pals across the country! I struggled with the fabric factor. I have no trouble with paper but when it comes to fabric it is a totally different thing. This is because esthetically, I am drawn to bold, lush prints but I am definitely an earth tones fashionista and interior decorator. I like blue jeans, khakis, layering tanks and t-shirts and my leather Born sandals or slip ons. My flash comes from hats, jewelry or a fun sweater/ jacket but even then its pretty muted. Our home is done in wood and green - the color comes from artwork and our kids creations. Long story, longer - this makes selecting fabric a challenge. It just isn't the same as scrapbook paper. it is a skill that one has to develop with "visual translation."

I must of filled my cart with various fabric selection a half a dozen times, then when it came time to checkout, I abandoned the site completely. Finally I found a pre-selected 1/2 yard set that works for me at fabricworm on Etsy. Cynthia was super helpful and even swapped out two of the prints I did not care for with two others that she suggested!

So here is the selection I ended up with. I substituted the two Cathedral prints (this is Cathedral Dusk below)

with Buttoned up sea and Small Gathering Sea (both are below).

She has a sample quilt on the webpage using these prints and it is gorgeous (at the top)! I am looking forward to having just as beautiful laying around in my house!

Old Red Barn Co. Sew Along

Just learned about this totally awesome challenge from my fellow Wassimanites... I'm SO, SO excited. I recently fell in love with sewing in a new in exciting way and am jazzed to be doing a challenge with my peeps. It has been a while since I was able to play for the sake of playing.

Fabulous Inspired Creations!!

Just a few projects I completed but still need photos. I am hoping to teach both of these at camp this summer! I am also looking forward to catching up with my own scrapbooking over the summer but I hate to jinx it by saying so. Just wait, come September I'll be saying - "I'll have time to finish up some projects now that summer's over..."

This is a project created by Shere Jamison, originally titled "It's a Wonderful Life" Decorative Wall Frame. I opted to go with a "My Family" and "home" theme since it is what I live and breath. I love that she encouraged stamping flourishes and mounting the paper flowers on the outside of the glass. The photo doesn't do it justice.

This project was inspired by Donna Downey's fabric scrapbooking projects as well as Susan Edmondson's casual, unfinished techniques. I love that you do not use scissors to cut the fabric, just rip and let the seems hang as they will. The stitching is not straight, the fabric buckles here and there, but this is all a part of the look.

When finished, there will be photos printed onto fabric, button, ribbon, flowers and yarn to dress up and tie together all the willy-nilly details. I love it so much that I'm almost ready to pull out my 1952 Singer and put in a fresh bobbin with really nice machine thread (I had to idea this was an important detail until last week). If I can't manage my machine, I'll just hand stitch.

These pages are so simple that you don't need a machine to make them hold up. If you don't have the pacience to securely stitch up the sides do a hybrid of glue and thread. Glue your pages and elements where you want them, then go back with a needle and colored thread to do the finishing touches and create the look of a sewn album.

Art Auction Assembly Line

I spent the entire day and evening working on the auction basket for my son's kindergarten class. About a month ago, I lead an art workshop with the kids. It was so much fun! Tim helped out along with Aidan's two teachers. The kids rotated between 4 stations to create incredible art pieces to be incorporated into a big basket of goodies. The basket will be auctioned off next week at St. Timothy's Art Show and fundraiser. I decided a stationary basket could be a lot of fun for the children, manageable for me and would be of use to the winning bidder.

At one of the tables, the kids created gift wrap on butcher paper using themed stamps, oil pastels, markers and stencils. Today, I trimmed off the edges with various border punches to give the sheets a finished look and wrapped each roll in big beautiful ribbon.

The next table decorated wooden frames, book covers and medium sized wooden pieces with glitter, confetti, foam shapes, feathers, pom poms and other tidbits. Today, I had to reattach a lot of the loose pieces that fell off and finish each piece with diamond glaze so the bits don't fall off when they get them home. I also assembled a mini album out of double sided card stock and the covers they decorated. I will title the book and stamp corner images and quotes on the pages tomorrow. With the small wood shapes, I attached magnets on the backs so that there are 6 or 8 very bright and beautiful creations to decorate the winner's refrigerator. They turned out SUPER CUTE!


The next table played with watercolors and glitter glue. I took these gorgeous works of art and cut them into sections to create greeting cards. They turned out so amazing. I would drop $5 for one of their cards without batting an eye and the basket has 12!






The last table painted on canvas paper with tempora paints. Each child was responsible for a month in the year. They were given index cards covered with stickers reflecting symbols for that month to help them decide what to paint (they are only 5 and 6 years old). I took these fabulous masterpieces and attached them to chipboard to create a large (12 x 24" calendar, It was a much bigger undertaking than I had anticipated but I think it will be the featured item in the basket. I'm including print outs for an additional year so they can glue them down over the months that have past to get more than one year from the calendar. I still need to figure out how I want it to hang and adhere the calendar pages tomorrow. It had been a 10 hour crafting session and I was know longer able to make simple decisions...


I am so excited for the kids to see their beautiful work when the basket is finally complete. I think they will all be so proud. Aidan certainly is. Hopefully it will bring in a nice contribution for the school and some lucky family will have a super fun momento of their child's kindergarten class!

My office is trashed. This is a tell tale sign of happiness!

"One Little Word" Art Journal is one little word: BEAUTIFUL

Wowza. I can not believe Inspired is in 2 weeks. To tell you the truth, I am panicked! I have been working on the art journal swap everyday so it felt like I was on the ball, but now that the books are almost ready to be shipped out, I realize I have not even looked at the class supply lists. I have decided that I am going to bring everything that I have on hand and either buy, barter or borrow when I get there. I know it will all work out.

Speaking of Art Journals - holy cow did these books turn out to be amazing or what?? I am waiting on 2 more sets of pages and then they will be ready to ship to North Carolina.

This is what I know...

Here is what I know at this moment and time...

- My kids are freaken adorable
- My life is nothing less than an example of Grace
- Oranges are delicious.
- Everything is going to be OK. In fact, it already is.
- Buddha was super smart.
- Color makes me smile.
- I have met the most incredible people along the way.
- I need to pay attention because this may very well be the best time of my life.
- Boys did not end up being all that important after all.
- Society is wrong
- People are a lot kinder than I realized and they have short memories.
- The voices in my head tell me lies.
- Worrying has no impact on the outcome.
- Being right is overrated.
- Chaos has a very important role in the nature of all things.
-When you look at this phase of American history within the context of the whole, things are pretty good.

And the winner is....

I used random.org to pick the number and the winner is my dear friend and fellow artisan - Cameron! Congratulations. Your treats will go out in today's mail! Yippee!!

I have to say that you all shared some incredible wisdom. I got a few entries that were emailed instead of posted. I'll share a couple of my favorites...

• "He" is neither the problem nor the solution
• Forgive people, they really don't know any better
• Just because they're playing your song doesn't mean you have to dance

Thanks again everyone. You are amazing!

Speaking of amazing, I received this email the other day and it could not have come at a better time. I don't usually forward that kind of stuff but I felt compelled. In turn I received several replies from others who also heard what they needed to hear at just the right moment. I love how that works. Feel free to copy and paste it and send it to someone you love. It just might turn their day around!

Dear God:

The lady reading this is beautiful, classy and strong, and I love her.

Help her live her life to the fullest. Please promote her and cause her to excel above her expectations. Help her shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to love. Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most, and let her know when she walks with you, She will always be safe.

Love you…

What I know now that I did not know then

Yesterday was my 40th birthday. It was such a fabulous day. I had many calls from friends and family singing me silly songs and telling me what a special person I am. I had 6 Etsy orders including one from my amazing friend Jen - thank you honey! I went to lunch with my Aunt Mary whom I only see once a year but have a special kinship with, my mother and my husband. We dressed up like civilized people and had the full meal at a upscale, swanky bistro. I savored a scrumptious mussel appetizer, a lobster and avocado BLT with a lovely salad, and french pressed decaf with fresh berries for dessert. It was such a wonderful meal that I'm still going over the details in my mind. Then Tim and I went to a late afternoon matinee to see Watch Men which was a bit violent for my taste, a little depressing too, but a REALLY cool comic movie if you are into that sort of thing which I am. (I watch Heroes and Star Trek too).

When we got home, my kids had been fed and were waiting with anticipation to give me the beautiful gifts they made for me. My mom also gave me a gorgeous purse that I had drooled over a few months back. Not because I do the whole fashion thing, but because I want to learn how to make these!!

I am hoping my pal Sooz will able to look at it more closely while we are at Inspired and tell me how to approach making my own version of this. She is such an AMAZING seamstress!

And to finish off a perfect day, I watched Damages and Lost - 2 of my favorite shows. I fell asleep peacefully. Just before I drifted off I thought about what I know now compared to when I was 20. Either it is a cruel joke or a built in checks and balances system, but isn't it ironic how when we look our best, have the most energy and "potential", we tend to have so many more insecurities, far less contentment and often very skewed goals? I spent most of my 20's feeling fat (even though I was 15 lbs. lighter than I am now), feeling unlovable (even though I was totally loved) and chasing aspirations that are so far from what I want for myself today. I thought I knew it all and that I was invincible.

So I decided to construct a list of "20 things I wish I had known when I was 20". I am also having a drawing for a vintage goodie pack including several pieces of beautiful jewelry and some amazing ephemera.

1. Wear sunscreen all the time
2. Boys are not a hobby - find a passion that is not tied to another person and let it fill you up
3. The best way to find happiness is to give to others
   
4. Develop the habit of exercising everyday so when your older it will already be ingrained in you
5. People are not thinking about you all the time. They do not care if your purse matches your shoes. They are too busy focusing on themselves.
6. It does not matter how many friends you have, what matters is how you treat people
7. Tell the truth.
   
8. You do not have to be the center of attention to be noticed and you are not invisible.
9. Be kind to your parents and grateful for the things they do for you. They are people just like you.
   
10. Compassion does not mean taking on others problems
11. Drama is not as attractive as you might think
12. Make a gratitude list every day
13. Dreading something does not make it easier to experience, it just prolongs the discomfort
14. Just because you do not feel like doing something, does not mean you do not have to. This is when you probably need to do it the most. Just put one front in front of the other - who knows, it may be fun.
15. Do not choose a major because you think it will allow you to make the most money. Do what you love and success will follow. Do what you hate and success does not matter.
16. "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Ghandi
17. Release negativity of any kind - it is poison. pursue forgiveness and kindness and you will be filled up with the power of love
18. Be yourself without apologizing nor adapting to your surroundings. If you can find a way to be authentic and let go of what others think of you people will see your strength and be drawn to it.
    
19. Trust that everything will be alright - it may not look the way you thought it would, but it will still be OK.
    
20. Hug yourself and thank your body EVERYDAY for all the things it does for you - protecting you from disease, healing wounds, cradling your soul so you can experience life.

OK friends - let's hear your thoughts. Tell me something you would tell your 20 year old self. A prize awaits you! I will announce the winner tomorrow AM.

Thinking about Never, Never Land

After 3 weeks of isolation from the real world, my perceptions were slightly skewed. Fortunately, lack of sleep and the recent memories of a violent bout of the stomach flu created a fog and listlessness that prevented me from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work I had missed, nor panicked because I was now 3 paintings behind in school, nor doomed because I had not addressed bills, laundry or grocery shopping in quite some time. In fact, by the time I really came to, I was so darn grateful that my family was healthy, the sun was shining and that I did not feel nauseous - nothing could rattle me.

Our kids were just wiped out by a relentless virus that would eventually hit mom and dad too and turn into pneumonia for my little 3 year old. Two and a half weeks into this high-fever-croup-like-coughing-body-aches-sore-throat-runny-nose-super-cold, the stomach flu stopped in for a quick visit. Over the course of 4 days the 4 members of our family took turns soiling linens, moaning from horrendous nausea and begging for relief. It was not pleasant. But once it passed we became very grateful for our returned health so at this point, I am considering the whole episode as a gift.

During this time, I was selling all the old inventory I had from Jilliene Designs on ebay to keep some $ coming in and so I could feel like I was doing something other than taking temperatures , tylenol and naps. I had the computer right at my bedside so I surfed around ebay for hours while Eva lay there. By complete accident, I stumbled into the world of vintage costume jewelry. First I just looked, then I started reading articles, and one night I impulsively bid on a huge lot - over 100 pieces and since the closing time was at such a late hour (1:00 AM pst), I won it for a very fair price. When my box of treasure arrived, I started posting items on my ETSY store so the ladies attending Inspired could pick up a piece of vintage jewelry as required for Jennifer Stewart's kicked up canvas class. I had so much and I wanted to share with my friends. I listed big brooches and gorgeous rhinestone pieces for $3, $5, $8 each, not having any idea what things were worth nor feeling inclined to figure it out. Soon, antique dealers where buying up my lisrings.


"Hmmmmmmmm. What is this about??" I wondered, so I did a little digging and soon discovered that I had sold several items worth a lot of money for next to nothing. "Oh well," I thought - I had the same luck when I won the original lot on ebay for such a good price.

Little did I know, I would stay in bed with sick children for another week and during that time I became educated in the fascinating world of costume jewelry collecting. I am now enthralled. I have fallen in love with the timeless glamor, various designer styles, wonderful materials, rich history and amazing craftsmanship.


I've now got about 30 different pieces listed on my Etsy store and I've sold 15 more. I'm having a wonderful time researching each and every piece. It is like solving mysteries. I tell you all of this because I expect I will be sharing more about his amazing new interest and I thought the story of how I stumbled into it to be a nice introduction.

This new interest has rejuvenated my little girl spirit. I look at all the gorgeous pieces and I think about playing dress up and pretending to be a fabulous woman dripping in in jewels and feeling beautiful and important. Life was nothing but possibility back then. Pirates and treasure, fairy god mothers and glass slippers, and genies and magic carpets tickled us inside with wonder, hope, dreams of splendor. I rarely drift into that train of thought as a grown up and I am perfectly fine with that. I don't need Royal Balls (I'm referring to the dances at the palace :oD), fancy clothes or wealth and clout to feel like a fabulous woman. But I do miss that wonder, that air of possibility and when I look at the big heap of gorgeous jewelry I acquired late one night, I regain my access to that paradigm of thinking and it makes me happy. As my WASSIMA girls say - swirls - sparkle - shine

Treats and treasures in the mail

When I was little I used to chase the UPS truck as it drove through our neighborhood yelling "do you have something for me?!!!" There is nothing better than getting a package in the mail. Well this week I received two!! It was so wonderful to be the recipient of my very first UGRA homer. Translated, that means a project was created for me by one of the incredibly talented members of UGRA (Under Ground Rail Art) which she sent out to another Ugra-ite to work on, and they forwarded it to another and so on.

In this case, one of my favorite artists, Loretta, started a "slam book" for me. She sent it to Bonnie who forwarded it to Corvus, who sent it to Sharen, who passed it on to Bonnie who shipped it off to Jennifer (all the way in North Carolina), who sent it "home" to me. The book is absolutely scrumptious and I am so honored that each of these talented women worked in it! It has hand sewn signatures, pop out pages, and pockets and pouches filled with treats. I will treasure it!

On this page, you push on the labeled spot to the right, and the fire flies light up!

I also received an incredible prize package from my dear friend Jen. I was randomly selected after leaving a comment on her sparkle/shine/ shrink blog-a-polooza. She sent me 3 of her most favorite scrapbooking supplies and I am so very stoked (I'm doing the wave in my chair). I received a BIG ol' BOTTLE of Glossy Accents, Tim Holtz Distress Ink and the most darling array of fibers wrapped around the waistband of an old pair of jeans -(the girl is a creative genius!) How fun is that!

I've also been having an absolutely fabulous time in my Still Life painting class. It appears, I may have some skill peeking out which would be really great since I feel that my artistic abilities to this point, have been completely learned - that a natural aptitude or innate talent has yet to reveal itself. I don't want to jinx it by getting all "look at me, I can paint" before I have flushed things out, but I had to share this suspicion because it is a wonderful experience to feel you may have potential in something that you love to do. Most everything I have accomplished in my life has come from hard work or dumb luck. There have only been a few times in my life where I actually "felt" ("felt" being a critical word here) I was blessed with talent. Even if it turns out to be a short lived experience, I want to document it so I can come back and say "oh yeah - that was awesome!"


Here is the painting I did last week - my second oil and Still Life ever... It has a variety of troubled areas which taught me A LOT. My professor said "Jillene, I am impressed with your willingness to tackle tough set ups! Good work." She doesn't usually say things like that - she sticks to the instruction and critique so a personal comment like that made me feel really good.

I'm working on two new paintings right now, one of which I had to submit at the 50% stage. My Prof said "Jilliene, Good job and good thinking on your changed comp. Very good work, be proud."

Happy weekend!

Swirly wirly twinkling toes

I've been doing so many different things these days that I feel like I am dancing - that is good right? Although sometimes I get dizzy and I feel like I'm going to accidentally spin out of the window or something.
The picture above is for a button blooms order I just filled to match the photos of the client's daughter's room decor.
I finished my very first still life / my very first oil painting today. What is really wacked is that we were only allowed to use Titanium White, Mars black, Terra Rosa (an earthy clay red) and yellow okra (like a dark Dijon mustard). My painting focal point was a blue teapot, so I had to blend blend blend to make a dull grey blue. Remember, blue is a primary color which I thought meant that it couldn't be "made" - well now I know otherwise.

There are a few structural issues with my teapot handle but for the most part, I feel like it came together. This was as much, if not more, an exercise about mixing colors as it was about painting a still life. There were a few times when I thought I was never going to make it work. Last night when I went to bed, I was REALLY discouraged! But today I just fell into the zone - I hate calling it "the zone" it sounds so 80's - But it definetely is a different state of consciousness. I had no sense of time, no fear of failure and my mind was completely focused on the task at hand. There was none of the mind chatter that makes me nuts sometimes. I'll have to work on another name for it though. Tomorrow, I have to do another still life but now I can use cadimin yellow.

I also have made 3 new charm braclets which I need to post on Etsy and a Charm Choker which is HOT! My husband wants me to keep it but I want to post it because I don't think anyone else is making something like this. I'm thinking this could be a fun trend if it catches on!

I also have a fabulous new client and we have been busy getting her work ready for the world to enjoy. More on that when we are ready to launch. Oh boy - I had better run - my husband is started to grumble that he hasn't seen me all day!

Blog Slacker returns with shame

I don't even know if the world noticed but for the sake of my 10 followers, I must apologize for not writing in a few weeks. Its not that I don't have things to share, I just haven't made the time to collect my thoughts and draft a few paragraphs. I have been pretty busy since I started back at school. I am taking Still Life painting and Digital Photography/ Photoshop. I'm loving both classes and am thrilled to be back to my schedule.

I have been playing with oils and I am in love. From the smell -to the blending -to that unique feeling as the brush spreads the creamy hues onto canvas. It is wonderfully fulfilling and pretty darn intimidating. I'm in the middle of a four color palette still life and I am delighted with what I've put together thus far but very nervous about the next layer. My coach and I are working on finding the space in between "perfection" and "just getting it over with." I will have to find that center before I can move forward.

This is my set up for the 4 color palette painting

Last week I was super busy working on my "who am I" pages for the WASSIMA fabric album page exchange. I just loved this project but it was super duper time consuming. My pages were an expression, a work of creative freedom, autobiographical and experimental. It was satisfying on so many levels. I cannot wait to see what everyone else did!

I used fabric from old clothes and other household items to create this "fabric of my life" flower

Aidan also turned 6 last week which just blows my mind. He is truly an extraordinary person and I am so blessed to be his mommy. We had a fun filled family celebration at Round Table. My sister had just celebrated her birthday also so I gave her the jewelry set I had made for her in sterling silver. It is a handmade chain maille bracelet with Swarovski crystals and a matching set of earrings. I think she really liked it :D

This picture does not do it justice but you can see the design...

Are we really parents of a (gulp) 6 year old??

We threw Aidan a surprise Pirate Party on Saturday with old school newspaper hats and treasure maps with real buried treasure. The party was such a hoot. Everyone had a GREAT time and Aidan was the happiest little boy in the world. Even his sister said " Mommy, can it be Aidan's birthday again tomorrow?"

They didn't have any pirate cake designs so I used the Hawaii cake and bought a treasure chest and pirates separately.


Ahoy Matey!

My husband picked up a Chinese paper for the hats to make them look more realistically exotic...

This is Auntie Shauna helping one group read their treasure map


Arghhhhhhhh! Where's me cupcake Lassey?

I'm 1/2 way done with my charms for the DDINSPIRED charm swap. It is such a different experience this year. Last year I was really new to charm making so it took a long time with lots of boo boo's. This year has been a piece of cake. I did not have to buy anything - I had it all in my stash and the design came to me really quickly. I completed 20 charms last night while watching TV. That is all for now. I have more to show and tell but I need to get some rest....

New Scrap Office

I am thrilled with my new space. Not only is it more efficient, practical and esthetically pleasing: I know where everything is!

Behind that door is a closet which I still haven't tackled. Currently all of my business suits, fancy dresses and my wedding gown live there plus several boxes I still have not unpacked from our move 2 1/2 years ago. Ugh!
I love these storage cubes. I got them last year when they were on clearance at Michael's and they had a "25% off your entire purchase including sale items" coupon.

I love having a permanent cutting station set up. My Graphic Design class last semester taught me so much about using the exacto knife and accurate measurement. I had always been hesitant to use this method of cutting because I was afraid I'd make a mistake. Now I have everything I need at arms length and lots of good lighting!

The big table (2 Ikea tables pushed together) allows me to work on multiple projects at once which was a really big hassle before. I often am juggling several clients and my own projects and I end up with piles, boxes and storage tubs under foot.

I organize my card stock by color in cropper hopper vertical storage containers . A lot of my paper is in pads so those are lined up on the same shelf. My favorite loose papers are stored inside of the blue QVC/ Creating Keepsakes storage unit. I pulled the drawer out to use separately and I stand the paper up in there. I also have 3 paper towers in my studio which hold a lot of the paper I use for my clients. Loose ribbon goes into one of the glass kitchen cookie jars I got from target for $5. They are separated by color to narrow down the search. Ribbon still on the roll or card is organized in trays, the cropper hopper ribbon storage boxes and in bins. I also have two, 2 drawer plastic units that give me four drawers of storage. In there I have a drawer for: blank cards and envelopes, blank mini albums, ephemera and vintage books, and Xyron cartridges and sizzix dies. On top of the drawer units, I have a box of "found items", a clear stamps binder and my polymer clay supplies.

This area has mostly fine art type supplies - all kinds of acrylic paint, watercolors and various mediums, Prismacolor pencils, verithins, markers and Caran d'Ache crayons. I also have all of my ink, punches, circle cutter, templates and everything Tim Holtz.

I loved the idea of having a garage like many kitchens do for small appliances, so I took apart my storage rack and put one of the bins on top of the desk. Here I store my favorite adhesives, sewing kit, sizzix machine, gel pens and other items I need frequently. Next to it I have all of my rulers and triangles plus a bin for bits and pieces storage.

The shelves are dedicated to embellishments. I have a different bin for my favorite 3 D stickers, flat stickers and rub-ons, a box of fabric squares, drawers for chipboard, jars for flowers, buttons, embroidery thread, and appliques and stackable jars for brads, eyelets, and other small items..
I also have a tub for bling and a bin for charcoal supplies plus a few stacks of chipboard letters.

Here is my knew space in the midst of activity, I am constructing my "fabric of my life" pages for the WASSIMA swap, and I have everything accessible for the 19 x 19 album I'm working on for a client. I LOVE IT! I do wish I had my sewing machine out in the open and a TV so I can listen to the history channel or some TV junk food on Bravo when I am doing late night projects.

Art Office Reorganized!

I have a studio where I do art with clients and friends but I rarely get creative in there on my own and I never do client work in there. I usually do my client work in our office/ my art room until recently when I set up a folding table in my room and moved the computer in there. I've been working with extremely delicate old photos and I did not want them to be at risk of being handled by anyone else in the family. Plus I needed to really spread out and my bed provides a lot of space. My husband has definitely been grumbling about not being able to use the computer and not being able to spend anytime in our bedroom so I surprised him while he was out of town by reorganizing the office into a more efficient art room and getting a bunch of my supplies and tools out of sight. It was such a massive undertaking that it took me 2 days but I finished tonight aand we are both REALLY happy with the new configuartion. Plus it will be a great set up for school next semester because I am taking a still life painting class. I am way to tired to take pictures tonight so I'll post tomorrow. I am going to celebrate by sleeping.

I REALLY have to mention that I have a terrible, shameful vice. I watch the Real Housewives on Bravo. Yes - it is true - it is rediculous, but I can't help myself. My husband is disgusted and makes fun of me. Anyhow, I just have to say "SHAME ON YOU Vicki and Tamera." A friend would have interveined not encouraged Gretchen. The woman is under a terrble amount of stress which will undoubtedly impact how alcohol will effect her. I do not condone Gretchen's behavior but I have compassion for it. Did you ever consider how the fallout would affect Jeff? Gretchen has to live with the guilt and Jeff will surely be heart broken. That was NOT NICE! Ok -I had to get that off my chest.

Scrapbooking as a job???

Yes, that is correct. One of the services I provide through Jilliene Designs is scrapbooking for others. I also do photo archiving, photo art on canvas, jewelry (and other fabulous creations found at my shop on etsy), custom designed scrapbooking and card making kits, arts and crafts instruction and party hostessing, hand made cards and invitations, classroom, at-home and in-studio instruction and I offer website/ marketing / personal creative services. My favorite, favorite thing out of this laundry list of services is scrapbooking. It is such a delight to put together a treasured keepsake for another and to be invited into their memories.

I just am wrapping up with one of my most treasured clients. We put together 2 outstanding albums chronicling her son's childhood achievements. We were just going to do 30 pages but it quickly bloomed into a 50+ page project. I have had wonderful material to work with because her son is beautiful ( iwish you could see him but I've blurred the photos to protect their privacy)! I am handing off the albums this weekend and I am feeling sad because I will miss his adorable photos and working with my lovely client.

I am also assembling an 18 x 18 heritage album for another client which has been a really big challenge. There are photos dated as far as 1913 and several that may have been from even earlier. I handle everything with gloves and have to have lots of space to spread out. It is sort of like detective work in that I am trying to create a visual family tree from the bits and pieces tat are writen on the backs of the photographs. I have almost everyone identified but I'm now struggling with the order to put them in the album and the overall design of each page. When working with old photos, the corners are often broken off and they come in so many different sizes. Estetically you want the page to look orderly but that makes putting photos in chronological order or by subject matter a challenge. If I want the pages to look sharp and visually pleasing I will end up compromising the visual story, but if I put the photos in precise order the pages tend to look cluttered and less than well-thought-out. I know there is a way to make it work with larger mats and adding captions - I just have to work it out.

I love my job!

New Year - New Way

I am jazzed about 2009. I can feel the tingle of a kind of emotional molting. There are times when I WANT TO LET GO of the toxic feelings and beliefs that I accumulate over time but just WANTING to do something does not make it so. Today, i feel the RELEASE. It is as if a giant bird swept down and took my load right off of my shoulders. Of course I still have my habitual worries, issues, denial but I can navigate that stuff much easier now that I am not weighted down with all the waste of yesterday. Today, I walk with just the clothes on my back (OK, I am probably carrying a big purse with a few bits of "blah" I picked up over the weekend). I'm not sure if my metaphors are serving my point but as I write this I can see in my mind's eye what I feel in my heart which is a great way to BE.

We have been purging our garage and closets getting rid of the "things" that take up space. Each time I find something and think "but I might need this someday" I remember that I always have everything I need and that the most important thing to be prepared for is now. In my opinion, too much stuff gets in the way of now. Each "thing" is just one more thing to think about.

We had a garage sale this last weekend. It was a fabulous family activity and the weather was beautiful - FREEZING, but beautiful. I did not realize how vitamin B and K deprived I was until I was outside all weekend. I felt the sunlight feed my body. It was fun chatting with our neighbors and giving people incredible bargains. We were practically giving this stuff away. I love a great deal so I feel it is my duty to give great deals too. It can light up a person's day.

The kids went back to school yesterday and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to get back to our routine. We all do better when we are on a schedule. Tim has Monday's off due to this crappy housing market so he and I spent the day taking care of the business of life and it was a delight. The beauty of marriage is that you share a life and just being together in the quiet tasks can be remarkably intimate and comforting. I love that the little things have become my greatest joys.

Wow - 2009. I hope my BE way of living stays with me. It is an open door, an open heart, acceptance, trust, love, truth, safety, now, and mine, if I allow it.

2009 word

So last night the WASSIMA gals were emailing back and forth about their "word"s for 2009. I remembered reading about this exercise on Ali Edwards blog last year and decided this year, I would participate too. But to my surprise, I had a really hard time coming up with my word. I was stumped. I decided to approach the problem like I would in a professional setting by breaking down the issues and then exploring various solutions. In the process, I got really clear about what hasn't been working in my internal world these last 12 months and what it would look like if I felt the way I wanted to. I realized that I had accumulated some pretty negative messages and feelings. Semi-unconsciously, I felt inadequate, hungry for security and acceptance, inconsistent, lazy and unrealized. I was disturbed that all this noise was playing in the back of my mind and I became determined to have some peace and quiet (for Pete's sake!)

I made a list of words that communicated what I wanted my new year to embody but oddly there isn't a single word to express, steadfast, renewal, health, contentment, generosity and abundance. I was leaning towards "Moxie" when I went to sleep last night (mostly because I liked the playfulness of the word) but when I awoke this morning, I had something completely different engraved in my mind. BE. My husband lovingly said - "I don't get it;" I replied, "That's OK, I do" and for the sake of this challenge, that is what matters. Without actually thinking about it, I realized that all I really want is to settle into my skin. Just saying that quiets so much of the negativity that set up camp in my unconscious mind. Yes, my word is definitely "Be".

Crochet Compulsion

I received a "Teach Yourself to Knit" kit for Christmas which caused me to pull down the 2 huge plastic tubs of yarn I was storing in the garage. They had been in storage for almost 6 years - since my pregnancy with Aidan. I was a crocheting fool during that last trimester - everyone got blankets for Christmas. Not small baby blankets but full size afghans in rich colors and elaborate patterns. I averaged about a blanket a week - it kept my mind off of my discomfort - Aidan was a 10 lb baby, 21.5 inches long. I'm 5'6 and was only 120 when my pregnancy started so I needed a big distraction.
But I digress... So out came the yarn- then my mom started tinkered with the knitting needles trying to remember how to drop a stitch so she could teach me. So I grabbed a crochet needle just for sh@!s and giggles - long story longer - I crocheted this scarf and hat in 2 days. I can barely bend my right index finger.

Oh and as I mentioned in my previous entry, I dyed my hair dark brown. It is a semi perm color so it will wash out in a few weeks but i may re-do it or try yet another color. When i was younger, I re-invented myself all the time. I tried a zillion looks - glam, hippy, J crew preppy, San Francisco eclectic - it was so fun to go to the recycled clothes store with a big bag of clothes and leave with another. Since I've been a mommy, I haven't done much of that because most of the time I don't really consider what I look like - I mean, I do what I do to look presentable but I don't put a lot of thought into it. Last weekend, I just felt like a change and I am so glad I actually did something about it. It was liberating. Not everyone likes the new doo - it takes a little time to get used to, but I think it is fun. It is different and I feel younger. It is such a great way to start the NEW YEAR. Ready for change, ready to change. Happy New Year!

Hand Made Christmas delights

I was so happy that the dollhouse came togther so nicely. I feel really good about giving Eva a gift that was straight from my heart. I also made abums for both mom and Aunt Pam which I forgot to photograph - I always do that.

It was a wonderful holiday - the pure joy, gratitude and wonder beaming from my children's eyes left an engraved imprint on my heart. They were so patient waiting all day long on Christmas eve to open some of their gifts. They even sat through a delicious prime rib meal with manners and all. Granma and Aunt pam were so impressed by their self control!


After dinner we gathered around the tree and exchanged family and friend's gifts. It was really low key and sweet. I mean the kids were super excited but we were all so relaxed and we weren't burdoned with expectations or time commitments as we've done in the past.

The kids were off to bed on schedule so Christmas morning could arrive without delay. Tim and I wrapped all of Santa's gifts in grocery bags, then stamped them with bright images. The packages were perfect.

When the kids came out early the next morning they were so excited to see the gifts and also delighted that Santa had thought they had been so good to leave so many treats. Eva was dazzled by her dollhouse. I beamed with pride.

The rest of the day included naps, reading by the fire, yatzee, a ride on our new scooters to the park and a lazy crafting whim - Grandma retaught herseld knitting and I sewed a little bed and pillow for the dollhouse. It was incredibly relaxing and utterly unfamiliar after the last few months.

We had cracked crab and raviolis in pesto sauce for dinner. It was a feast yet we finished almost everything. We tidied the house and went to bed early completely satisfied with the quiet.

Hand Made Christmas - Star Mobile

I made this 3-D star mobile for my 4 year old nephew for Christmas. The colors match his room perfectly. My camera is not functioning properly so the photos don't do it justice. Here is how to make one:
Tools and Materials:

Scotch Tape
2 Large sheets (18 X 18" or more) of bristol paper or cardstock
2 Large sheets of decorative print paper (wrapping paper or decopage sheets work well)
Several sheets of coordinating card stock for stars
Exacto knife and several fresh blades
Stylus/burnisher
Self Healing cutting mat
metal ruler or large C-thru triangle
Double sided tape
Spray mount adhesive
push pin
sring or wire
embellishments (optional)
pop dots (optional)

1. Click here to go to Lost Button Studios to download a template for the star. I opened the template in Photoshop and cropped off everything but the star, then saved it again as a PDF. The reason for doing this is because in Adobe Acrobat Professional, you can print in tiles. I don't know if regular Acrobat lets you do this. If not you can go to the Adobe site and download a free 30 day trial. To print tiles in acrobat, go to the file menu and select print.
   
2. On the Page Scaling drop down menu, select "tile all pages" and increase the size to 165 %, then hit print
3. The template will print on 4 sheets of paper. Line up the edges of the diagram and tape the pages together to make a large template.
   
4. Now draw flaps off of each edge of the star so that it looks like the diagram below (the blue sections are flaps). You will need the flaps to attach the front and back piece together. You will score on the lines that were the original boarders so that the flaps will fold in.:
5. Remove some of the adhesive off of strips of masking tape by sticking it to your clothes and peeling off, then use it to tape the template over 2 sheets of 18 x 24" Bristol paper or card stock (Martha Stewart sells large sheets of 18 x 18" by the page). Make sure your paper sandwich is stacked in this order and direction: Top- Template - drawing face up; 2nd sheet - card stock- Outside facing up; 3rd sheet- outside facing down, inside facing up. When stacked correctly, tape down all 4 sides of the template to the paper underneath by wrapping the tape.
6. Place your template/ paper "sandwich" onto a cutting mat and put a new blade into your exacto knife. Line an "exacto knife friendly" straight edge (metal ruler, large C-thru triangle) up with the edges of the star template with your hand drawn flaps and cut. DO NOT CUT ON THE STAR EDGES - CUT AROUND THE FLAP EDGES. You may need to do each cut 2 or three times to get through all of your layers.
7. Once the star is completely cut out, paper clip the sandwich together so that it is perfectly lined up. Then use a stylus and your straight edge to trace all the lines on the template including the original edges of the star. These are your fold lines.
   
8. Most likely, the stylus will not score through all the layers so use a push pin to poke a few holes along each score line. Then flip your sandwich over and use those small holes to line up your straight edge to score on the other side.
9. When done, fold each section forward and backward along the score lines.
10. Remove the template and excess paper and turn your star so that they are inside to inside. Make sure each edge matches perfectly.
11. If you decide to use a patterned paper, spray it with spray mount and attch it to the outside of each star. - Put in a fresh blade and cut around the edges to remove the excess paper. Fold each scored area so the the patterned paper creases.
    
12. Coat the top of each flap on both of your stars with double sided tape or strong adhesive.
13. Line the edges of the star up by folding the flaps in and brayer the section until the flaps attach to one another. Do this for all of the edges.
14. Puff your star by pushing the sides.
15. Use coordinating card stock to cut out small stars to dangle underneath. Mount photos and embellish.
16. Use a thumb tack or hole punch to put a hole at the top and several holes at the bottom for the small stars to hang from.
17. Poke holes at the top of each small star and string ribbon or wire through. Attach other end to a hole at the bottom of the large star. Repeat for each small star.
18. Attach string or wire to the top of the large star and you are done. Feel free to embellish to add extra pizazz.
    

Hand Made Christmas - Bean Bag Girrafe

My nephew is just 18 months old and I wanted to give him a Christmas gift that he could play with. I've made blankets in the past and they are not very exciting for the kids. I decided to convert a pair of dreadful socks into a keepsake he can play with and perhaps treasure as a lovey later in life.

I cut the socks up into sections - one for the head, one for the body, 4 for the legs, one for the neck and one for the tail.

I used the top elastic portion for my head. I turned it inside out and sewed the just behind the elastic to create the mouth. Then I sewed 1/3 in on both sides so that I had a 1/3 hole in the center so I could turn the sock right side out. I filled the head with rice and pinned the opening closed. I set this part aside for later.



Next, I turned the end of the sock piece inside out and sewed 1/3 of it closed on both sides so that there was a 1/3 size opening in the center. I turned it right side out, filled it with rice and pinned the center hole closed.

Next I sewed the neck, tail, and four legs. so that I had 6 tubes total. Once they were turned right side out, I filled them with rice.

Since the holes were quite small, I made a funnel from a piece of paper to pour the rice in.


Once all six of the tubes were filled and sew up, I attached them to the head and body. For the neck, I inserted one end into the head and sewed the hole closed. I also sewed around the entire hole and limb so that the animal could withstand tugging, swinging and dragging.

Next I sewed the other end to the body in the same manner.Because the body was larger than theneck, I sewed some of the gathering tightly around the neck so that the animal became one piece rather than several pieces stitched together.

To attach the legs and tail, I cut tiny incisions into the bosy, inserted the end of the tubes and sewed them up tightly just as I did for the neck.

To create the face, I cut two small circles from white felt and sewed black buttons on top, then sewed the the eyes to the face. I used black thread to sew "X"'s for the nostrils. To create the eyelashes, I sewed folded embroidery floss into 1 inch sections and sewed it on top of the eyes. I cut the sections at their folds to make lashes.
I used this same technique in attaching the mane hair and the hair and the end of the tail. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I'm excited to give it to him because it was made with love!