polkadotponie

new "flats"

2012-02-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

Flat Oolie has new friends!

Can you guess who they are?

of course, there will be more along the way,

but somehow it seemed appropriate to add these two at this time

Love to all

Happy February!

ps. we missed Katie, Di and Taylor in January.

Mike will be on Feb 19th...

Happy Happy to All!

miniatures

2012-01-30T20:44:00.000-08:00

I was in Las Vegas last week to go to

a Miniatures Show.

This is just one of the teeny, tiny things

that we squealed about!

We met the most delightful woman from Stuttgart.

She is the "mother lode"

It is so exciting, I can hardly contain myself.

.......more later......

from my history

2012-01-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

In the garage at our old house I found a box tucked away in a corner that was filled with treasures from my dad and his dad.......

I was especially enchanted by these little goodies - tiny wooden shoes in two sizes, a wooden spoon with a beautiful little heart painted on it and a box painted the way I would like to paint. These are the kinds of treasures that I would like to make for future generations to find in an old box someday when they are cleaning things out of the garage.....delightful.

It was another exhausting trip to Austin, but we did make progress - packed up lots of things in boxes and loaded them into a storage unit not far away. I think that things will be easier for Mom once all of this is taken care of and she can just "be" at her new place and her full new life.

I think I'll enjoy going to Austin more when I can relax and visit again rather than always having a million things to take care of.

HUGO

2012-01-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this movie yet, or read the book - you must. It is magical and exhilarating!

The story is so complete and perfect........absolutely delightful!

.... a tribute to the early filmmaker, Georges Melies....

The book is filled with pencil illustrations, much less text than most books. But, the story in incredible and so easy to "read" in the pictures.

The movie follows the book to the "T"...... and so very well.

Hope the New Year has started well for all of you....all the best to you! xo

Grayson's Stamps

2011-12-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Grayson was having trouble

thinking about what to give to his friends

Addison and Keifer

for Christmas

I suggested carving rubber stamps for them

He knew immediately that the stamp for Keif HAD to be Snoopy

So, he sketched Snoopy on the doghouse

and carved it in about 10 minutes (!!!!)

Addi is a fairy girl so she got this

beautiful fairy stamp

I am really in awe of Grayson's ability to just pick something up and DO IT..

....beautifully......

what a gift

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-24T21:55:00.000-08:00

Happiest of Holidays!

I hope that your wishes come true and there is peace in your home, if not throughout the world. Things have calmed down here. We walked Canyon Road, bundled in our winter warmth, heard some spontaneous caroling along the way, paused by the fires burning in front of many of the houses... and had some hot chai at the Teahouse before coming home. It was a beautiful night, even though quite cold. We met friends along the way and it felt so nice.

Thinking of you all on this day........ with much love..... xo

bluebird of happiness

2011-12-24T07:27:00.000-08:00

Thought it was time to bring a little smile back into the blog

Here's a little bluebird on a heart.....ready to start the day singing

Lots to be grateful for and no time for "poor me"

What is it about the holidays?

Happy Holidays....

2011-12-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

change......challenges....

As the year ends - holidays upon us - I am feeling very sad.

I don't really think of myself as being a sad person, but there is something inside that does not feel quite right - something is missing. A lack of spontaneous joy? Days feel duty-driven and I find that I tear up at odd moments with thoughts of times past.

In the last two weeks, I have moved my mom out of the house I grew up in where she has lived for the past 51 years. I was making the effort to just see it as something that must be done and try not to dwell on the fact that we will no longer be staying at 2615 Bridle Path when we visit Austin. All the familiar rooms and things in the rooms that need to find new homes. So many memories - both happy and not-so happy - strong emotions swirling around.

Mom's new place is beautiful (see it here) and I know that she will be extremely happy being there...but.......when I stop to think about it, it does make me sad. Memories of being kids, the tree in the back yard when it was soooo small (and now HUGE), the oak leaves that fell from the trees and filled the front yard in the fall (we used to "build" leaf houses and play for hours)....the white horse on the shelf in the living room....Dad's drawings filling the wall above the couch, the windows in the breakfast room.........

I don't do well with change. But, change is inevitable.

Decisions that will "change" something in a moment - soooo hard to make!

On Sunday, while standing by the window in Mom's new place, I received a call from our cousin Darrell. He informed me that Cullen's uncle, Doyle, had died that morning. Becky, Darrell's wife, Doyle's oldest daughter and Cullen's first cousin (one of my favorite people), could not find a flight to Amarillo to get there that night. I told him that I was in Austin and flying home to arrive in ABQ at 6:30 and if Becky could get a flight to ABQ, I would drive her to Dalhart (up in the NW corner of the Texas panhandle) Then, I realized my car was not at the airport 'cause Cullen had, unusually, dropped me off. I called him and he said he would pick me/us up. Becky caught a flight to arrive at 7:30. It worked out, as things do sometimes.

It was a really nice drive (4 1/2 hours) with clear weather and good conversation. I was exhausted, as I am sure both Cullen and Becky were, too, but we got there in one piece and were at the house the next morning. Cullen and I left in the early afternoon to get back (Grayson was home alone - got himself to school and everything!) Cullen turned around the next day, Tuesday afternoon, to go back for the funeral. I'd thought we would both go Wednesday morning, but the weather looked challenging, so he took off and got there without a problem.

School was cancelled in Santa Fe on Wed due to the ice and snow.

Life is so tentative. We do not think so when we are in our teen years - and don't even know what it is in our early childhood. I guess it is part of the wisdom we gain with age....and experience.

This year, I lost three uncles - my Uncle Gene (cousins Marian and Tom's dad on my dad's side), my Uncle Don - Mom's brother, and Doyle, who was my uncle by marriage - and my dear cat Miss Marble Fat Cat.

Death is hard. I have found that over the years I have been able to get through most days in a fairly normal way - laughing, smiling, happily waking up and doing things I love to do, having the random "bad day"...but getting through it....until something happens to someone I care about. I begin to feel myself shut down and find it difficult, on occasion, to give comfort to those effected. It brings it all back - the sadness, the bleak feeling of loss, complete despair.

I wish I could move through the feelings and be of comfort to those I love. There is a certain amount of inadequacy in wishing to comfort someone who has lost an important someone. There is always the question, "What do you say?"

Cullen has reminded me that all one need do is give a hug and let someone know that you are there and you care. You really don't have to say much of anything. It helps more than you know just to feel that someone is thinking about you.

It is late. There is a melancholia in my heart. I am tired and sad and not sure how to find that bit of joy to smile with. I know that tomorrow is a fresh, new day and that does always make a difference. I am looking forward to waking up tomorrow morning.....

As my aunt Barb said, "...remember the "cliches" of each day" -

"Life goes by too fast, don't waste a moment"

"Tell the ones you love how you feel"

"Show affection every chance you get..."

I will add "Find one thing to smile about each day" and

"Do the things that make you happy"

2012 is around the corner. I am thinking about my resolutions.... I'll let you know what they are when I decide.

Happy Birthday to Stephanie!

2011-12-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

Here's the card I made for my friend Stephanie for her birthday today - #60!

Happy Happy Happy Happy Day to YOU!!!!!

xoxo

Mom's BIG Move

2011-12-10T18:26:00.001-08:00

Kiki, my mom, had a BIG move yesterday. The moving van came and sat out on the street in front of the house my brothers and I grew up in. I watched as they took each box and piece of furniture and rolled it out to the huge vehicle. A little emotionally challenging for me.... and certainly for Mom. It has been tough to downsize from a very large house filled with memories and love to a two room apartment in an five story, sprawling building.

I do think she likes it and will be having the time of her life with friends and so much to do she won't have a minute to think about anything but all the fun she is having.

Do you love the tiny footed bath she found? She loves how deep these tubs are and was thrilled to find such a little one that fit perfectly in her new bathroom.

This is the mishmash that we found after the boxes and furniture had been delivered - aaaurghh!

And this is the moment of calm once we realized it was going to be just right and all would fit - and what didn't could go back to the house - no problem.

You are going to love your new digs, Keek - I know it! Happy Trails to you and all of the adventures and inspiration you will discover in this new chapter.

I love you.......

Fireside Embroidery

2011-12-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

Just got home from a really nice class at LP - Fireside Embroidery

It started last night with some stitching review, and dinner (yum)

This morning, we awoke to a dusting of snow on the ground which set us up perfectly for our cozy day in the library in front of a roaring (and sometimes a little "too warm") fire.

Sipping tea and stitching... and talking to new friends.... what could be better?

a sampler from Friday night

Maria's "Circle of Life"

my beginning

(see the progress here)

the table in the midst of the creative process

Susan's hands working on her "ring"

Susan's little bluebird

we ALL fell in love with!

Janelle and Nova

what a character, that one!

today was another reinforcement that

we all need time with like-minded women

throughout the creative process

thanks, ladies, for everything

I wish I was a better photographer.

The rest of the photos I took were blurry and bad

I apologize to the other lovely ladies who were also present

Revolution Bakery

2011-11-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

My friend, Dionne, who has the Teahouse that I frequent, has opened a new bakery in town...

and I did the menus on the wall:

The Anatomy of a Cupcake has lots of different types of cupcakes written in the cake paper. It was fun to look through the cookbook to find all the fab recipes!

Here is Dionne on the roof with the electricians (above)

Inside the bakery, before it is finished

Everything is stacked on the shelves - ready to go

They are doing lots of gluten-free baked goods, too

The bakers - Kate (left) and Lisa

Dionne waving from the back

This is the main menu of possibilities

Don't you love the raspberry background?

Nancy, a "Seasonal Delight"

"Anatomy of a Cupcake" listing all kinds of goodies

and

"In The Raw" which is "take & bake" dough

for breads, pizza, dinner rolls, etc.

It is going to be great once they are all open

and ready for business....

Happy Holidays!

wonderful inspiration

2011-11-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

I have been cutting out lots of little felt flowers that will sit

atop a tiny jar filled with lavender from Los Poblanos

I hope to teach this class down there this spring.

I think the colorful blossoms look so lovely in the little jars with the sun shining through.

These little Jar Gardens were inspired by the one

that Oolie made for me a couple of years ago

(see below)

To see more of these, check Pantry Violets

You can also scroll down a couple of posts

to see the first one I finished last week.

David Walker

2011-11-09T13:59:00.001-08:00

At Quilt Market, I was walking around and there

in the Westminster Fabrics booth

was a fabulous quilt made from fabric

AbsoLUTely LOVE the bears, don't you?!

And around the corner was this delightfully colorful quilt with more fabric by Dave. Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled to see both quilts...... felt a little closer to my friend I haven't seen in a long time. Shout out to Dave!!!!

...love you....... miss you.......

It's HERE!

2011-11-07T20:44:00.001-08:00

The Holiday Issue of Inspired Ideas has arrived!

It is available to you (for a mere $3.99) by clicking right HERE

I hope you enjoy it - filled with lots of yummy projects!

(including my felt, leaf-pocket Advent Wreath)

ENJOY!

Inspired by Oolie

2011-11-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a little something I whipped up (!!)

last night and this morning.

The little garden is atop a mini Bonne Maman jar

filled with lavender.

The gorgeous felt is some that Oolie had given me after one of her trips across the pond. She made me a jar like this once ( ) and I have wanted to make one since then.

I am happy to say that I am pleased with the result.

(It was stitched 1/2 in the dark while watching a fantastic British spy show on PBS)

A New Home

2011-11-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

My friend Julie (Oolie) arrived on Tuesday evening and we wasted no time jumping into the creative process!

Toadstools seem to be the theme - in a BIG way! Here is one of mine:

My Friend Charlotte

2011-11-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here she is - Charlotte Lyons!

We met so long ago that I hardly remember

when and where we were.

Charlotte debuted her new collection with BLEND

Walnut Hill Farm

Isn't this house lovely?

Her collage design is so intricate and yummy!

Check out the "tuffet" pillow below:

I can't wait to get some of it to play with.

Charlotte does incredible embroidery, too

Check out her talent right here.

CONGRATULATIONS, Charlotte!

ta da!!

2011-10-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

What a delightful, inspiring and energetic weekend it was.

"BELIEVE"

blend fabrics

International Quilt Market

Houston, Texas 2011

Here it is! My name on the wall and everything.

Charlotte Lyons, Kathy Mack and me

Gosh, I am so darn lucky to call these amazing ladies my friends

The celebration was GREAT!

(pink champagne and all!)

Anna was so generous with her compliments for everyone.

(Anna Griffin herself, that is)

I don't usually share photos of myself, but Kathy took these and I think they are pretty fun. They really capture the celebration in the air at the Friday night preview.

And, then there is Kate, who, with Anna, made the entire collection - ALL of the blend collections - come to life.

It was pretty cool to be a part of this launch

The booth was beautiful and the people were fantastic.

It was the perfect opportunity to meet some incredibly talented designers without the old feelings of insecurity.

Gosh, maybe I am finally growing up?

oh Boy! oh Boy!!

2011-10-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Qulit Market is just a week away and I just got a few samples of my fabric and ....

....wow....

The name of the collection is "Believe" because

I DO believe in fairies

I need to sit and do a little sewing this weekend so that I can make a few fun things from this fabric. I washed it all and am ready with scissors in hand to cut it up....oh boy!

I know that there are a couple of "Believe" quilts that will be on display in the booth, as well as lots of other wonderful things that are inspired by the collections of several talented artist pals of mine who are also a part of blend fabrics.

I have to pinch myself sometimes just to "believe" I am lucky enough to be a part of this group of talented, creative visionaries with Anna Griffin and Joe Spiegelberg at the helm.

If you are on your way to Houston next weekend for market, come by the booth (#1600-1606)

and meet all the amazing folks involved.....and grab a hug!

We'd LOVE to see you......

::::::::

by the way, you can contact Joe Spiegelberg by email: joe@blendfabrics.com

He'd be glad to talk to you about blend fabrics!

bird domes

2011-10-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, before doing the "paint out" on Canyon Road, I made these four little "birdie" things for Curiosa. Good thing I got photos.....two of them sold - one the day of the paint-out and the other the day before.

"And love's path is really complicated"

"INSTINCT"

"There are no great mysteries to tell"

There was one other one, but the photo is not so great:

"Silence, a very curious sensation"

I am on a roll, I think, if I can find the time to do the things I am thinking about.....

PAINT OUT

2011-10-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

On Canyon Road in Santa Fe, there are LOTS of galleries. It is amazing the amount of art in this city. Today was the Annual Paint Out where artists make art "live" outside, in front of the galleries where they show their work. I was invited by my friend, Shawna, who has CURIOSA, to sit out front and make my art.....so I did.

So odd to see photos of myself since I am usually the one behind the camera.
This is one of the new items I worked on today. I have started to cut up beautiful beer cans that we find at Trader Joe's.....the colors and patterns are FAB! (see the little green leaves around the nest)

Here is my very messy table, though you can see the blue & white harlequin designed cans for Oktoberfest Beer....yummy! Below are the little discs that I have cut from them that will eventually become flowers on the wire skirt of papier-mache figure...can't wait to how they turn out.

fun, aren't they?

advent reinvented

2011-10-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my next project for Inspired Ideas for the Holiday Issue

It is a felt advent calender with leaves that "open up" to reveal a little pocket to hide little goodies in. I like the concept and design, but I am not sure if it will actually work. I guess that time will tell....oh, and finishing the wreath itself.

Best get to work!

class at Los Poblanos - stamps

2011-10-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Oolie was there with some lilies and a cup of tea - Happy Birthday!!!

Isabelle (below left) and her mom, Emily took the class. Isabelle blew us ALL away by carving 8 or 9 stamps in record time (!!!) Her first two are shown above - positive/negative

Look! Oolie joined us for dinner, too.

Nancy carved a couple of beautiful stamps

including the above "tag" stamp

Then, she had a chat with Oolie...

My new friend, Haila, came and brought her sisters,

Sara and Goose (below)

Goose was right up there with Isabelle

She made some beautiful stamps:

Goose's initials carved, above, and stamped, below

I am sorry to say that my other photos were pitiful - blurry and dark.

I have no photos of Haila's "triple "H" tower and Sara's signature. I do not have even one photo of Ashley (!) who did the cutest owl, as well as a cute acorn and "A".

Nancy did the absolute cutest "Ant N" for her aunt and after class was over, she and I did a goat and a little dachsie, in honor of her pup, Rusty.

It was a great class! Thanks to all you ladies who came and played with us.

Hope you had as much fun as I did!

yummmmmmy

2011-10-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Grayson cooked dinner last night from the Arabian Cookbook that Cullen loves.

When I got home, Grayson was cutting up the chicken and the onions and everything...and this is the result of his labor. I'm so proud of him! It tasted fantastic and, as you can see, it looked magnificent. I can't wait for his next masterpiece..

Three Houses

2011-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Once Upon a Time......

I made three little houses.

They aren't finished yet, but I still like 'em a lot.

Inspired by Julie Arkell, I stitched on the paper before papier-mache-ing it to the house.

I love the color it adds.

This one is just cute - front (above) and back (below)
This one is pretty subtle, but has some nice patterns in the paper cut-outs.
I don't know where my mind is these days. I have been too distracted to finish any project. It is terribly frustrating, but I do seem to continue to have ideas, so maybe all is not lost.

JACK

2011-10-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

I opened the car door the other day and there was Jack (!) holding his "baby" (aka. the white tiger cub stuffed animal) I was glad that my camera was right there so I could snap the shot.

pretty hilarious

He always has to have something in his mouth to "greet" you.

He will pick up the tiniest thing, if he can't find one of his

"regulars"

And, here is the latest in my series of boxes......

These little wire domes will have small papier-mache birds in and around them atop papier-mache boxes of different sizes. I am looking forward to having finished products to show you.........

simple, but sweet

2011-10-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

or, salty!

My friends, Jodi and Dehlia brought me this potato chip the other day.

Jodi felt sure that I would save it somewhere - forever.

Dehlia bet that I would eat it.

....which I did.......after taking a couple of photos of it.

My Girls!

2011-09-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Sue was here last week........

She flew to Austin so she could drive back to Santa Fe with me.

When we got back to Santa Fe, we had to go to the Teahouse and say HEY to Nancy!!!!

Aren't these girls cute? They have met before and were so happy to see one another.

Gotta love 'em......xo

Cleaning Day

2011-09-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

Another post today.....

This morning, I went to Trader Joe's and picked up these fantastic dahlias and lilies to give me a boost. Aren't these colors rich and luscious? .......wow.....

They must have worked, because I got right down to business!

I opened up my craft closet - OMG!!! I began to pull things out - more and more and more - it kept multiplying! These photos (above and below) show all the open boxes and bags I spread out to begin to make sense of my recent creative madness. whew!
Seriously, how many buttons does one person need? gosh, though, I sure do love them...

Maybe the best part of the day so far, though, is that I found these little earrings. For my Christmas vacation in 1984, I travelled to Europe to audition for several ballet companies in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. My boyfriend at the time joined me in Munich to celebrate Christmas. We stayed in a cozy, little flat with two rooms (his sister was with us, too) The landlady was charming and brought us cookies and spiced wine on Christmas Night.

We walked to the Marionplatz and stood like sardines in the most beautiful cathedral. The trees were all lit with candles and even though there were (maybe)1000's of people standing so closely together, it was the quietest, most peaceful time. The singing was angelic and the entire experience was magic.

On Christmas morning, Paul handed me a little box that he had brought from home. Inside, I found a small, metal (old) cigarette box. I opened it to find a handwritten note from my daddy. After reading it, I lifted it up to find these tiny silver armadillo earrings. Apparently, he had them made without the bands around the middle because he knew how I loved simple, silver earrings. I have wondered for years where these earrings had gotten to.

I am so happy that they have re-appeared.

Now, I want to finish up and go on to clean out EVERYTHING! Who knows what lost treasures await?

breakfast

2011-09-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

a double egg...

cracked it open and

there they were!

isn't it fun?

...and look at this cup of chai!

isn't the swirl beautiful?

hope you're enjoying your Saturday!

Interesting Things

2011-09-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

My brother, Bill, brought home these items yesterday:

two skulls -

goat, on the left and deer on the right

a roadrunner's head

(he had been hit by a car on the road)

and a little fox

his head is so beautiful,

but the rest of his body was a mess

please don't be disgusted by this - it is amazing.

Cullen is tying flies these days

and that is what the fur and feathers are for.

Adornments

2011-09-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I drove up to my friend Oolie's house in Colorado Springs to spend the night.

I got there in time for dinner - perfect!

On Saturday, after a wonderful breakfast, I hopped in the car and drove up to Denver to my friend Helen's beautiful shop - Adornments.

Here are the fruits of my day of labor......

a little hard to see in this photo,

but we thought it would be nice to have

golden aspens to ring in the fall.

(and frame the beautiful clothes)

the windows from the inside looking out

I think that they are pretty effective - framing the beautiful cloths in each of the windows at the front of the shop - simple, but strong.

There is a chill in the air and it promises a beautiful fall around here....can't wait!

Good Morning!

2011-08-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Just thinking about all of you today. It is a beautiful day and I am making slow progress in the cleaning and organizing of my kitchen. Gotta go to work this afternoon, but that is always fun.

Hope your day is good and that you get one thing done that you have been putting off for awhile

2011-08-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the comments about the "new" header

I like it, too.

I am, of course, working on another one....

......never satisfied......

2011-08-25T23:29:00.000-07:00

Here is another installment for the "header".......

I like it, I think.

It is on a card I did to describe what I do..

It goes with items that I have made so the person who

buys the item can know a little bit about me.

Comments?

Thanks to Charlotte

2011-08-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have to say a quick "thanks" to Charlotte

http://housewrenstudio.typepad.com/charlotte/

for the new header on my blog. She recommended that I design a new header that showed more of "me" and what I do rather than my collection of ponies that was a little on the dark side (tee hee)

I sent her a couple of photos of paper cuts and drawings and such and she put these two together to make this very sophisticated green, gray and white design.

I have a feeling that things will "eb and flow" into my next phase of inspiration, so bear with me as I try a few different things out. I would love to hear your thoughts on the different looks, if you don't mind. I appreciate any (and all) comments. xo

the WORKSHOP

2011-08-21T16:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday was the day and the workshop went off without a hitch, except that two of the women did not show up for it....

BUT.......

.......we had a wonderful time!

Oolie working hard and happily

beads and buttons we used to decorate with

Here is Kat (aka: Katharine)

and below, her three (THREE!)

bracelets!

......wow......

Kat and Kerry showing off their beautiful bracelets

here's a close-up of Kerry's

with her beautiful silver

And, some of the buttons that I picked out to use for my own bracelet. We had a day of talking and creating and color and laughter - sooooo much fun.

Kat is off to MICA on Tuesday as a Freshman! She is so excited and I know that it will be such an amazing place for her. I hope that this year will open her eyes to the world of possibility.

Congratulations, Kat, on the First Day of the Rest of Your Life!

Class at Los Poblanos

2011-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

The next class at Los Poblanos will be held on Saturday, August 20th from 1 to 5 pm

We will be making fabric bangles similar to the ones you see in these photos.

They are quite colorful and fun to make.

If you would like to join us, please contact Nancy at Los Poblanos

or use the link below to reserve your place

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e4cv3hiqa0b9d412

knotted hearts

2011-08-03T23:23:00.000-07:00

20 years ago, we sold these hearts at Doodlet's.

Oolie and I have been talking about them lately, both of us having the image fuzzy, but definitely stuck in our memories.

When she was here a couple of weeks ago, we were in my studio and I SCREAMED!

There they were - sitting in a frame along with several other little treasures I had collected.

She was looking at things and I was showing her something in particular and THERE THEY WERE!!!!!!

Oh, Happy Day....

close-ups

above and below

What you do NOT see is that they are smaller than a dime (!!) Each would sit on my thumbnail quite easily and barely cover it.

So luscious and so inspiring to me......and to Oolie.

Inspired Ideas latest issue

2011-08-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

It is here and it is WONDERFUL!

The latest issue of Inspired Ideas (brainchild of Amy Powers) is available here:

www.amy-powers.com/mag/summer2011subscribe.html

This issue is filled with colorful, imaginative projects that will make you smile, first, and then pull out your crafting supplies to get to work...

My little Doll in a Matchbox is one of the projects.:

Hope the summer has been filled with fun and laughter and lots of splashing (to stay cool)

BLEND fabrics

2011-07-30T20:41:00.001-07:00

Well, everyone, here is my latest collection of fabric that will be available the end of September. It is called "BELIEVE" and I am happy to say that I signed a contract with a brand new company called "Blend" out of Atlanta. It is the inspired brainstorm of my friend, Anna Griffin, who has the most magnificent taste and is an extraordinary businesswoman.

Joe Spiegelberg is the president of the company and is a DOLL! Also, Kate Murray keeps us all "in line" as the Art Director, thank goodness.

They ALL (plus a few of us artists, including two of my pals - Melody Ross and Charlotte Lyons) create the magic that is Blend and I can hardly wait for Quilt Market in Houston the end of October when we will all be together to introduce it to everyone!

Here, now, is "Believe".......enjoy!

Blend Fabrics . 99 Armour Drive NE . Atlanta GA . 30324 - 3914

404-817-0604

almost done...

2011-07-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here It Is!

It still has a few little details to be filled in...

But soooo close to being finished.

Cullen and Grayson are NOT going to El Paso this weekend,

so my mother-in-law will not be receiving it.

I guess I'll have the time to really finish it up the way I want to

so I can give it to her in a couple of weeks

when I see her myself.

The other day, my friend Charlotte showed the "backside" of one of her stitched pieces....

What an INSPIRATION! I am learning to not "knot" each piece of thread when I am done with it......and wind the thread through on the back instead. Aren't the colors happy?

I really like looking at the back.

for Ann

2011-07-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

I started a project a couple of weeks ago...

It is for my mother-in-law.

Next Monday, August 1st, her husband of 56 years will be entering a home. His dementia has reached a point that makes it difficult for her to care for him, so she has found a sort of foster home for him. It is a smaller place than one of those large Nursing Home-type places and is close to the house where they have lived for the past 20 years.

Only three people will be living in this home at one time. It will be confusing for Bruce, I imagine, at first and a little lonely for Ann to be home alone for the first time in so many years.

Ann's birthday is on the Summer Solstice - June 21st. I did not do anything for her this year since I was off "at camp" in Colorado. I hope that this will make her smile. I wanted to do something special for her to know how much I love her and think about her.

It still has quite a bit that is unfinished and Cullen is driving down this weekend to be with her after she delivers Bruce to the home. I hope that he will be able to take this with him to give to her when she might just need a little "something"

My Creative Friends

2011-07-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it was just last Sunday that Oolie was here and we had our Creative Lady Group at my friend Stephanie's house. The ladies got to meet Oolie and she got to meet them....

We ate like king's and then sat down to work on some papier-mache, inspired by Miss Arkell.

Oolie really wanted to test out the stitching on paper before applying it to the box, so that is what we all did - FUN!

Here is Oolie's first attempt at stitching on paper and I think it came out fantasticallY!!!!!

This is the lid of a small box and I love that the word "heart" was found and applied...

And here are Oolie's felt flowers. She could not quite recall the ones she had done last fall, so we looked at the photo of the little garden jar that she made for me and reconstructed the tiny blooms.....aren't they sweet?

It is Saturday and I plan to stitch off and on all day long! What a luxury...

Hope you are doing something luxurious, too....

Los Poblanos

2011-07-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of our day at LP today.

Oolie and Stephen were walking around, talking about distilling lavender to get the essential oil out so it can be used in products like shampoo, lotion and lavender salve.

It is a very long process, but sooooo cool!

We dropped in to see the animals and

this chicken was making a LOT of noise.

It hopped out of the pail and had left this lovely egg behind -

such an announcement!

This is Eeyore. He is a tiny donkey (tiny miniature donkey) who was rescued after his mom died. He is very young and small enough to pick up in your arms - smaller than many dogs (!)

He is precious and weak, but in the perfect place to heal and grow strong....

Here are the three "kids" that were born yesterday

sooooooo cute!

zinnias in the garden

Oolie posing while smelling the zinnias

(don't you love her turquoise shorts?)

goats eating up extra zucchinis

(or "courgette" for some of you out there)

Check out these squash!

The cow got a few, too

yummmm

More photos tomorrow....

BUGS!

2011-07-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for the positive feedback on the BUGS!

This is actually the original image that started the whole thing.

I have always loved bugs and the images of them and sent this off to Spoonflower a while back and LOVED how it turned out. When I showed it to my fabric company, they really liked it and asked me to develop a collection from it. The ladybugs I shared in the previous post is part of the group. As I get the other images "tightened up" I will share them with you for your comments. Sure is helpful to get a fresh perspective - thanks!!!

By the way - this image is BIG! The "purple FLY" has 4" long wings (!)

ladybugs

2011-07-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the possibilities for my next fabric collection....

Whadya think?

Good colors and a little fun thrown in.

just a glimpse

2011-07-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have been slow at getting photos together to show from camp last week.....

Here are two to just give you an idea.......

the house

the lake

I promise to make time to get more up in the next couple of days.....

hmmmmm, makes me smile to look at these....

the FIRE

2011-06-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

There is a huge fire up near Los Alamos........

It went from 0 to 4000 acres in one night and the next night was up to 40,000 acres (!!!!!)

It is now up to almost 70,000 acres and threatening the nuclear labs and waste areas near the National Lab. It is less than an hour driving from here, but much closer as the crow flies.

There is a mandatory evacuation, at this time, for Los Alamos and surrounding areas. The National Forest and Monuments have been closed, as has the Lab.

This photo is beautiful, in a terrifying way.

From our driveway last night, this is the sunset as seen through the fire..

Pray for Rain.....really........

Almost Ready for CAMP!

2011-06-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here are the badges (iron-ons) for the

girls coming to the camp next week!!!!

From the top left we have:

ART, ARCHERY, DRAMA,

SWIMMING, FASHION DESIGN,

ORIENTEERING,

HIKING, SEWING, CANOEING,

STAR-GAZING, COOKING,

and YOGA

Can't decide which of the yoga images to use - I like the buddha

What ever they choose, I think the t-shirts will be fabulous!

We leave tomorrow morning at 7 am to drive up to Colorado.

The camp is rather south and east of Aspen, if you look at a map.

I am really looking forward to it.

EmBrOiDaBLeS

2011-06-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

My friend Jami just sent these images of the new Fairy

embroidery patterns that will be available from

www.embroidables.com

pretty soon!

If you have the kind of sewing machine that can load discs

that will stitch all kinds of patterns,

then these will be available to you very soon!!

It is always fun when things I've designed actually come to fruition!

(aren't the phrases really FUN?!)

Have a great day!

New Gate

2011-06-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Cullen built a new gate last weekend so that people can park their car in the drive and come in the gate instead of waiting for us to open the big gate across the drive.

But first, here is my first attempt at painting the new mailbox that Cullen also built.

I do NOT like what I have done here - yuk!'Guess I will have to re-paint it this coming weekend.

And, here is the GATE!

He did a very nice job - but I have to paint it, too.

Why is it that a "blank slate" is so tough?

Maybe I will wait til after Grayson and I get back from Colorado on the 27th.....

Lookin' for inspiration!

the tiny boat

2011-06-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

I walked into Curiosa the other day....

.......and walked out with this:

I fell madly in love ( guess I do that a lot, don't I?)

Isn't this tiny boat the most delightful, charming HaPpY little boat you ever saw?

I am fascinated by how it rolls along the waves as you turn the little crank....

....simple pleasures......

JOY

2011-06-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Finally found myself back in the studio this morning.

I had a great workout this morning and came home to finish up things that I have been thinking about for at least a week now......not quite knowing what to do with them.

It all came together and here are the results!

Shawna and I have a thing for stars...

*MaGiC*

(front and back)

made this little bouquet....I like how "real" it is

...and these "bird's eye view" shots are fun!

makes them look so different...

...and much bigger than they really are...

Hope you are inspired today, too...

xoxo

Bryce #18

2011-06-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

Eighteen years ago today, I gave birth to Bryce Carlson Hallmark.

Actually, he was Hunter Carlson first.....but he really didn't look like "Hunter"...

.....so we changed it.

This was his first (and only) birthday cake with ONE candle on it.....which he did blow out,

with the help of his brother, Forrest (age 3 1/2)

moments after birth

(I looked pretty good!)

it was just one and 1/2 hours of labor (!!!!!)

11 months old

climbing under "the table" at Nora's

(all three boys climbed under that table...)

This was Brycie's first taste of birthday cake - he really liked it!

He also made a HUGE mess - on the table and on his face!

Guess that is what first birthdays are supposed to be.

Looking through the photos this morning wasn't so easy, though they did make me smile a LOT! It has gone so quickly

....and now Grayson is 16, as of three days ago.

And Brycie would be 18 (!!!) and Forrest - 21!

Hard to believe it all.....

I'm In Love - again

2011-06-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I received a little box in the mail.

When I opened it, this lovely toadstool hopped right out onto the table!

Imagine my surprise!

...and inside this delightful little group of gnomes!

I am spoiled rotten by such loving and generous friends.

Charlotte, what a wonderful and perfect surprise!

Thank you so very much for this little treasure.

It (they?) has/have already moved to the mantel (sp?) and seems quite happy there.

What a treat......

Strike-Offs

2011-06-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

They arrived this morning!

These are the first images of my new fabric line that is going to be available in September (!)

The name of it is "Believe" and it is with "blend" fabrics out of Atlanta, GA.

There are 9 patterns in each color-way and I can hardly wait!!!!!

PINK

GREEN

YELLOW

There are a few little "tweeks" on the colors, but for the most part, the line will look a lot like it does here - yippee!!!!

Last Sunday....

2011-05-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, we packed up some lunch and the 14' raft and Grayson's kayak, hopped in the truck (and my car, for the shuttle) and drove up to the Chama River.

It was an absolutely beautiful day.

This is Georgia O'Keefe country.

Just past Abiquiu, where she lived in the latter part of her life,

THIS is what it looks like -

wide open spaces, huge skies and red rock layered with yellow and white,

polkadotted with green pinon trees.

This is the gate that is the entrance to Ghost Ranch,

where she also had a house.

Once we turned off the hiway to the road down to the river,

Grayson took over the driver's seat.

Above, our friend Eric, Grayson and Cullen loaded the raft.

Grayson was in his kayak.

Jack, our "almost 3 year old" lab came with us

for the very first time!

He loved it....

Here was our lunch spot.

Not bad, hunh?

Can you see Grayson walking along the right side of the trunk?

This tree, above and below, was magnificent.

Somehow the branch of one grafted itself to the trunk of the other.

Cullen

These people were standing on the bridge to

watch Grayson go through

Skull Rapid

Grayson ran Gauging Station, too - wow!

Check out these swallows' nests under the overhangs.

They are made of mud and the birds swoop in and out.

(close-up below)

Eric at the "take-out"

This stand of cottonwoods is on the road to the "put-in"

Eric and I ran the shuttle to pick up Cullen's truck.

There were cows along the road as we drove trough the river valley.

It was so green.

It was a beautiful day.

2011-05-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to improve my photography - really!

These aren't very representative of what they look like in person....

But, I am back in the studio and it does feel pretty good....

Going on the Rio Chama today - part of the Memorial Day celebration, I guess....

Have a wonderful day.

t-shirt sketches

2011-05-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

Working on a t-shirt design for Los Poblanos...

The images are based on the "loteria" cards from Mexico, though will be line drawings instead of brightly colored images.

There will be 9 images lined up "3-3-3"...and I am doing several for them to choose from

hmmmmmm, I will show more later, as the design tightens up.....

Back to Basics

2011-05-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

It has been ages since I was out in the studio working on papier-mache......so today I actually finished four things that I started quite a while ago.

front (above)

and back (below)

and a bird box with

cherry blossom-inspired branches

another little birdie heart

"understanding"

and another birdie box with tiny "cherry blossoms"

another day......

butterflies

2011-05-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

I am teaching a "butterfly" class in a couple of weeks and one of the projects will use these black line drawings that I did. I will share the other projects as I get them done.

Mom's Studio Move

2011-05-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos of the "studio move" that I did with my mom last weekend in Austin.

It went quite smoothly, but will take some time to get all the bits and pieces she needs moved into the new space.

Still, Mom, I hope you enjoy being "downstairs" to do your creating.... xo

This was my bedroom many, many years ago. It was turned into a library when the house was redone several years ago. I think this new identity will be good for it... and for Mom.

from the living room, looking in

the sofa on the south wall, under the mirror

(note: bags and boxes of "get rid of" stuff - all of it!)

fresh look for the bookshelves - filled with calligraphy books,

books of quotations, inspiration

and other journals and sketchbooks

the BIG clock came downstairs, too

here it is

cozy, but spacious

....and upstairs......

where the desk used to be!

much more open space in what will become the guest suite

Mom's old bed will move up here and be the perfect place to chill

The shelves are empty, but there is a bunch of great paper and "stuff" in those drawers in the "island" - flat files abound! It will take some time, but also has started the whole process so each time I visit, we will do just a little bit more until it is what it needs to be.

Hope you enjoy it, Mom. We will transform the room upstairs next time I visit, okay?

Paper Flowers

2011-05-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Paper Flowers class at Los Poblanos.

We had 6 attendees and they were so enthusiastic and extremely talented ladies (!)

The packets for the class were filled with papers of all sorts and a bag of buttons and beads.

The first flowers we made were from old phone book pages. They are simple and, honestly, the paper is great to work with - newsprint. It is a great weight and rather non-threatening.... and the yellow pages make from some mighty-fine flower petals.

Here are some of those first ones that we made.....aren't they great? They are wrapped around real twigs to help them look more realistic.

Once the first set of flowers was done, I showed several other blossom ideas and construction.

Everyone was concentrating so hard on getting the blossoms "built"

.......... I hope they were having fun at the same time.

I think that the results (below) are representative of the creative minds at work and how they were able to take the information I gave them and run with it.... just beautiful.....

Aren't these lovely?! The assortment of flowers is so fun and the whimsical styles add so much to the charm of each bouquet.

I think they look pretty elegant against the black tablecover, too.

All in all, a great day.

Despite the chilly temperature, wind and drizzle going on outside, we added some sunshine to the world with our cheerful bouquets.

May Day "Flower" class

2011-04-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

My class this Sunday at Los Poblanos is making paper flowers.

We will make a bouquet from white, lavender and pink cardstock - cut and curled and wired, taped and collected together with ribbon and leaves ............

We will also make these lovelies, from pages in an old phone book. They are simply scallop-cut paper strips wound around the end of a branch and wrapped tight with wire. It is nice to add a bit of color on the inside of each "petal" so there is a subtle color to the blossom.

I think they look so realistic, don't you?

Helps to put them on the branch.....and not be too concerned about how "carefully" you twist the paper around. I hope to make a bunch and fill a vase for the center of the table.

a tiny golden bird

2011-04-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sweet nest, isn't it? If you look closely, though, it is not about the nest, but the tiny little golden bird perched on a silver ring tucked into the nest.....

....and here is a close-up - do you see it?
It was a surprise - a tiny HUGE surprise - from my friend, Greta, and her sweet mom, my new pal, Frieda......what a treat! I can hardly take it off my finger, it is so delightful. I feel like I have a little secret that I am carrying around with me.......

And, of course, I have to keep it "out of reach" from the cats:

Here's Miss Pearl sitting on the table guarding my eggs and all the other Easter stuff sitting there unattended.....somebody just might sneak in and grab something, you know....

...and there might be a tiny, golden bird around somewhere......

a few more magical eggs

2011-04-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have found the formula for the delicate, magical worlds that glisten inside eggs.

As a child, I loved peeking into that tiny world inside a sugar egg......and I am delighted to have created something that gives me that same feeling I had once upon a time.

Though these photos do not show that the eggs have the soft glimmer that the sugar eggs have, both inside and out, maybe you can see that there are some pretty cool things going on in those eggs!

Easter is almost upon us....hippity, hoppity, Happy Easter Day!

Beautiful Eggs

2011-04-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

What a day!

The class was great -

new ladies, returning ladies

and LOTS of laughter!

Here are the creations:

NICE JOB!

Becky, Ali, Nancy, Kerry, Kat and Penny!

Kaffe Fassett - wow!

2011-04-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

I couldn't pass it up.

It leapt off the shelf and grabbed me.

The colors and the patterns....

I was breathless from the beginning (!)

Don't yet know what to do with it...

napkins? tablecloth?

Sew them a little "tighter" and make a full skirt?

I am in love.

EggS!

2011-04-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

So, I actually got some eggs painted

and delivered to the shop for sale

Hope to get a LOT more done,

esp since we are only two weeks out!

Happy Easter everyone!

EGGS!

2011-03-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here they are - some of the eggs that we put together yesterday.

Hope you enjoy our creative ingenuity:

Laura brought this one by this morning and I was blown away by her darling details:

blue & white polkadot ribbon around the opening and

(below) little cut-out images lining the seam -

soooooo cute! I just love it!

Here is Laura's egg in a nest with Cheryl's egg,

which I picked up last night.

I think the robin's egg blue with the tiny brown dots is perfect......

...and the little tinsel around the opening with little paper roses

is so old-fashioned.

...and a few of my eggs that I ended up working on today.

The one above is my first attempt, which I am not very pleased with.........

These, however, I like soooo much - great colors!

The next two photos are close-ups of these two in their eggs

with a little glitter added:

Last, but not least, is the little bluebird in a nest.

I attached the "bird in flight" to the top of the egg

and I think it is pretty effective....

...worth trying again.

Creative Ladies!

2011-03-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

My Creative Group of Ladies was at my house yesterday and it was GREAT!

I "used" them as guinea pigs to help me work out the kinks for the class that I will be teaching in a couple of weeks. They rose to the occasion and made the most extraordinary EGGS!

Here is their process:

The cutting, placing, gluing, embellishing......EVERYTHING throughout the morning was FUN!

The last photo is Anika's egg - absolutely delightful! The other ladies finished theirs up later that afternoon and dropped them off for me this morning. I will show them as samples to the class and I will share them with YOU in my next post....

I think you will really enjoy seeing how everyone chose a different way to finish their egg and each is unique and special and I am a happy, HAPPY lady that the girls had so much fun and are as pleased as I am with the results!! Yay!

....and thanks to Laura, Stephanie, Anika, Cheryl, Beth - the "regulars" and Susan, who joined us yesterday for fun.

the "INSIDES"

2011-03-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last night, I drew and painted the "insides" for the eggs we will "fill" at the workshop I am teaching at Los Poblanos in a couple of weeks. This Sunday, I will introduce it to my Creative Group to see what they think and figure out the best way to teach the process.

This photo is the original (on top) and a color copy (on bottom)

The color of the copy really isn't too bad....and should serve the purpose just fine.....

Below is a "close-up" of the original (hmmmm, same size, really)

I am looking forward to seeing how these images work around other people's imaginations.

the window - updated!

2011-03-21T16:33:00.001-07:00

I was at the shop today, so I took another photo - updated - so the little lamb doesn't look so lonely... HaPpY SpRiNg!

Easter EGG!!

2011-03-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

So, last week I made a large EGG to go in the window at Doodlet's and I finally got a photo of it to share with you....

Of course, by now there is a lot more stuff in the window with it, but I wanted you to see the EGG....with the little lambie sitting inside.

Cute, hunh?

Check out pantryviolets.blogspot.com to see what else I have been up to this weekend....

"Not Just for Grandmothers"

2011-03-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

.....that is the name of our workshop series at Los Poblanos!

Here is the flier of classes through July....and more are already planned for August and the fall:

Sure would be fun to have any of you come take a class and stay at the Inn - it is fantastic!

.....and beautiful! xo

My Little Vignettes

2011-03-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

I got excited about cleaning up the "red" from Valentine's Day and pulling out some Spring colors. It was fun to pull out treasures that I haven't seen in awhile.

Happy Spring Everyone........xo

Our Embroidery Class

2011-03-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Oolie came down from Colorado and joined me at Los Poblanos where I taught a beginning embroidery class. Below is the piece that I did for everyone to use to "begin" and it was so cool to see how everyone approached it in a different way.

We first did a little sampler on a piece of felt to get the hang of each stitch. Everyone in the class told me that they learned so much from our little exercises and they were so ready to get started on the project.

Everybody got assorted colors of floss wrapped on these little paper spools. I just love how they look all laid out together.

Here are Oolie and Penny, working on their embroidery - BIG concentration!

Here is Penny's piece close-up.

She surprised us the next morning at breakfast with a finished product!

I think she was the only one to get it completely done.

Sweet Joy is a cross-stitch lady who had not done any other embroidery.

She was amazing in her meticulous stitches and did such a beautiful job.

This is the other side of Joy's pillow.

We all did our names on the back" of the pillow.

Joy chose lavender to illuminate her name and it is lovely.

Sarah has perfectly wonderful stitches, too.

I was so pleased for these ladies that they did such beautiful work.

We had a wonderful time laughing and talking and stitching...

After that, Oolie and I met with Nancy to lay out the next 6 months of classes.

Nancy grabbed some wine for us and toasted the day.

Oolie walked around the Inn finding some pretty special treasures.

Her we are saying good night to Nancy.

Wish you could see more of our room!

After hot bubble baths, we sat by the fire and soaked up the whole day.

So glad that Oolie made it down for this one...and my birthday!

It was a great weekend......

painting

2011-03-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

The other day I took my paints into Doodlet's and went a little bit silly.....

Once upon a time, I designed the logo for the shop. It has been used for lots of things, but I thought it might be nice to paint it on the cabinet under the register - so I did.

I love the colors, though it makes the entire cabinet look a little dingier than it did previously.

Maybe I''ll need to brighten it all up....

I'll take more photos of the other little tidbits that are sprinkled around the shop....fun stuff.

Los Poblanos stitching

2011-03-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I was invited to teach a beginning embroidery class to 4 ladies who were staying at the Inn. We met around 3 pm and between sips of hot chocolate and yummy biscotti, they managed to make some wonderful little birds filled with lavender from the farm.

We did some samplers of individual stitches before jumping in to the birds. The ladies did a GREAT job - very creative and imaginative and diligent. I think it was fun for everyone!

I had dyed some wool felt pieces so that there were some choices to make when it came to decorating the birds. Everyone did a beautiful job - and kept smiling throughout!

After stitching up the sides, it came time to

fill the birds with lavender.

The final products! A full nest of birds - each with its own little personality.

We had so much fun.....can't wait to do it again!

thanks Lael, Susanna, Elizabeth and Sammi

I just loved meeting and playing with you.

What a Day!

2011-02-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

We talked about what to call ourselves. It made me think about when we were discussing the name Pantry Violets.......

I think it was Stephanie who suggested Red Shoes......

....hmmmmm.......

When we walked in, the table looked beautiful. We ate yummy food and talked and very soon, the table looked like this:
Stephanie got busy. Laura had done so much research and brought out stacks of books filled with inspiration....so we all did sketches and pulled out the scissors.
Cheryl worked on some lettering inside of her heart...
A couple of mine - above and below. I could really spend HOURS doing this!
Here is Cheryl's finished product - Didn't she do a great job on the lettering?
And, Stephanie's scissors cut out some amazing love birds surrounded by branches and hearts.

And, then there is Beth. She was truly in her element with paper and scissors. I love the faces above, with the tree atop. Below, the hand is so fantastic! The entire page is perfect....
This table is filled with all the amazing pieces that Beth did and I love them all.

It was a great day!

Thanks to Laura for hosting it - yummy food and a fabulous project.

See you next month.......xo

embroidery sampler

2011-02-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

well, I am supposed to teach a Beginning Embroidery class next Saturday at Los Poblanos in ABQ. I get nervous preparing to teach something I have not taught before, but, I figure that since I do it for myself all the time, why not share with others what I have learned......so.....

Below is the "sampler" that I have put together for the class - what do you think?

I have tried to incorporate many of the stitches that I always use and show that it is so much easier to do some pretty complicated things than it might look. Most of the detail comes from putting together some very simple stitches in repeats and bunches.....

There is space to cross-stitch an initial in the center of the lavender square......and on the back, we will stitch our names and the date. I hope that the class is fun for everyone. If you are close to ABQ, just email nancy@lospoblanos.com and she can give you all the info.

Love to all of you....

Happy Heart Day!

2011-02-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

Wishing all of you and very Happy Valentine's Day!

xo jone

Romance in Rio

2011-02-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Last night, I went with my friend, Kathie, to the Annual Fundraiser for Grayson's school.

It had a Brazilian theme, so I decided to get all decked out.

What a Rat's Nest! Actually, it was pretty fun to curl all the ribbon to put in my hair. Kathie took these photos from behind so that I could actually see what I had made!

Isn't the boa great?!

Here we are - Kathie and me! (I got her a boa, too) Hard to see, but I have on some very flashy silver eyelashes, which looked pretty ridiculous when I looked in the mirror(!) Oh well, it was a fun evening with great food, even though I was "alone" in the flashy dress....

Tiles in Porcess

2011-02-09T21:41:00.000-08:00

Here they are - the tiles are under way.

Penny saw them the other day and told me that she really likes them.

I am so happy!

The buildings are not painted yet....but you can kinda get the idea......

These are details of the lavender plants. They might be the part I like the best. I know that Penny was the most excited about the lavender - it was her top priority for this scene.

inspired ideas

2011-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

The latest issue of Inspired Ideas is ready to read!

There are some incredibly "inspiring" projects

(including a couple of mine)

and I think you will really enjoy checking it out.

Click on the link below and you should be able to get to it.

Grab a cup of tea (or coffee, for you caffeine drinkers)

and relax as you "flip" through the pages.

Enjoy!

http://www.amy-powers.com/spring2011/subscribe.html

Stephanie's House

2011-02-04T21:50:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago, my Creative Group of Friends (we don't have a name for ourselves - yet) were at Stephanie's house for our monthly Creative Session. We decided at our most recent Christmas Session (you may remember seeing posts from December 2009 and 2010) that we needed to have one once a month as something special for ourselves. Stephanie hosted the first January one and it was fantastic!

Of course, this vase reminded me of so many of you - truly! Isn't it wonderful?

Now Oolie, really! Both above AND below - check it out! Tiny tin teapots, cups and plates and wonderful pails and tins - I had to close my mouth so my tongue didn't hit the floor!

And houses! Stephanie's collections are spectacular. They are displayed throughout the house with such love and care and are simply a part of her everyday life. I am in LOVE!

As we entered the dining area for our "eats," the hanging on the wall caught my eye. See the detail below:
Each section attached to the larger piece of cloth has a name and date on it and we surmised that it must have been an exercise in stitching at a school, or something. Each panel is different and equally as charming as the one next to it. The best part, though, was that after we ate, Stephanie brought out a huge bowl of assorted buttons and 12x12" pieces of cloth - one for each of us. We sat and sewed buttons to our squares and had the most wonderful time! Our friend, Cheryl, who is part of our group, was celebrating her 50th birthday that day, so did not attend because she spent it with her family. I thought it would be nice to make a little something for her - so she would know that she was with us even if not there in person....so I did.

This is Beth's snowflake-like image out of mostly pearl buttons. I took a photo for her since she wanted to be sure of the pattern she had laid out to be certain she stitched them on right.

And this is the blackbird that I stitched for Cheryl. She is a collector of blackbirds and I used exactly 50 black buttons in this design.....plus one shiny red one to create the cherry in his mouth....and the "One to Grow On". I hope she will make a pillow out of it and enjoy that she was really there with us.

200th Post

2011-02-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that it has been 200 times that I have posted goodies on this blog!

For inspiration, here are some knitted fishies that were hanging in a glass case in LAX.

I thought that you would all LOVE these!

They were so bright and cheerful, silly and delightful!

Happy February!

Haiden Flies!

2011-01-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

Today my brother John and Wendy (his wife) and one of their twins, Haiden went to a place called "iFLY Hollywood" and they did a little "flying"....

This is my niece Haiden (age 5 1/2) up in the air in the wind tunnel that is set up so that people can experience "flying" without having to muster up the courage to jump from a plane. It is AMAZING! She volunteered to be the first one in the group of adults to give it a try. According to John, she gave everyone a "high five" when she came down from her flight.

AWESOME!

Los Angeles

2011-01-29T23:46:00.000-08:00

Friday morning breakfast...with blueberries. Isn't it cool that the little "flowers" show up when the milk is poured in?

This is a little bit of embroidery that I have been working on as a possibility for teaching in March. I am not satisfied with the design yet, though.....needs a little more work.

Here is a doll that my niece Haiden and I made a couple of years ago. She drew the face and I stitched it up. I made one for her sister, Cece, too, but could not find it to take a picture. They certainly have special personalities! (the dolls and the girls)

yummy book!

2011-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

do you know this book?

I really find it to be such a great inspiration.

thought I'd share a couple of the photos with you.....

I adore this red on white.....(above)

and the horse (below)

lovely collar - thinking of YOU, Sam, and your girls..

I think that these pillow cases are very Scandinavian, don't you ladies in Sweden?

Cutting Paper

2011-01-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last night I picked up the scissors and this is what I did:

Pretty exciting when it comes out like I see it in my head....

Guess I have said that before, but it still amazes me and makes me smile...

.....and that is worth it....

One more smile was when I realized that as I took the photo of the actual cut-out, the shadow on the floor was right there lookin' pretty good, too.

I love surprises like that!

NaNcY!!!

2011-01-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

Got a call this afternoon from my pal, Nancy, who has a broken back window in her car.

She remembered that when I had a broken window, I covered it with a decorated panel that she LOVED! So, she came over after work and we made a great panel for her back window.

Here's Nancy in her little car with a BIG "owie"

And here is the panel that we wrote all over, using words that inspire and motivate us... and hopefully everyone who reads them! Drive carefully, Nance!

Spread "the word" and spread the LOVE!

It will never be too much - ever!

Valentine Pop-Up

2011-01-16T21:15:00.001-08:00

One of the classes that I will be teaching at Los Poblanos in early February (the 6th) is a combination of three Valentines. The first two are little Paper Pockets, though I haven't done samples of them yet.

The third project is a Pop-Up Valentine Card and today I made a couple of samples.

First I punched out some flowers from paper that I had stamped randomly all over with some of my heart stamps. I think they make great patterns for the little blossoms.

The first heart is cut from another randomly stamped piece of paper. There is a little "pocket" cut into the heart and then (below) you add a few stems with blossoms that will "pop" out when you open the card.

stamped the word "LOVE" with a few stamps

The second sample heart card is cut from "plaid" cardstock......... Fun, isn't it?

It would be a blast to have you ALL here to play with.... maybe one of these days...

Hope you are finding time to do some creating yourselves!

Valentine Decor

2011-01-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

hmmmmm, pretty small photo, but it gets larger if you click on it...

This is my mantel for the next few weeks...

Took down the Christmas and added some hearts and hands and RED stuff.

I know that it will continue to evolve over the next three or four weeks...

.....just can't sit still...

Penny's Kitchen

2011-01-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

This morning, I drove down to ABQ to show Penny the drawings for the tiles that she would like to have behind her stovetop. I painted them to scale and cut them out to see what they would look like with a little grout line.

We taped it up above the stove and stood back to check it out.

I took a photo:

I was so happy that Penny liked what she saw.

Below is a close-up of the drawing/painting....I think it will be pretty cool on tile:

A good day - talking about changes to the tiles, meeting with Nancy about upcoming workshops at Los Poblanos (stay tuned) and lunch with Penny - yum! ...all good.......

2011-01-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Last night Cullen and I witnessed something that I have never had the chance to see before.

For the last three weeks, Tibetan monks have been in Santa Fe creating this extraordinary sand mandala. I was able to see them last year as they carefully (painstakingly) and slowly "tapped" the colored sand into these amazing designs. I did not see them this year, but last night we went to the closing ceremony for the mandala.

After much chanting and music (45 minutes, about) the monks "brushed away" this beauty they had created. It was surely a lesson in "letting go" the material things in life.

This is the mandala before the ceremony.

You can't imagine the detail these monks get with grains of sand.

I think that this photo captures the detail better than the other photos I took.

I felt a little conspicuous taking photos, though I was not alone.

More detail of one small corner.

If you click on this photo, you can see the "topography" of the sand.

The monks carefully tap out the sand, over and over, to create tiny mounds of sand.

It is incredibly effective.

The image in this photo was one of four - each opposing the other.

The background color behind the orange "figure" in the middle was different in each.

The scale of this is difficult to describe to you....

The orange figure with green dotted scallops was approx 4" square

Truly incredible...

Above, is the center of the mandala.

To each of four directions from the center, the design extended to the edge of the circle.

Putting together all of my photos, you can get an idea of the pattern.

These are the Tibetan monks who produced the breathtaking mandala. Here they are making music and chanting during the ceremony. The low guttural sounds they are capable of making is almost in-human. The monk just two over from the drum seemed to be the leader of the chanting. He had muscles on the sides of his neck that worked so hard as he chanted and sang. It was fascinating to watch them milk the sound from his being. The horns and trumpet-like instruments sounded so unusual that one might think them annoying if taken out of context.

The drum was painted beautifully and had an odd sort of drumstick - curved in a way that reminded me of Dr Seuss. I guess the hats had a bit of that, too. Still, the entire celebration was an experience I am glad I was able to have.

As they finished the chanting and music, one monk came forward and walked around the table several times, ringing a bell (representing female) in his left hand and a dorje (small barbell-looking "thunderbolt" representing the male) in his right. He then dropped a flower in the center of the mandala and began to pick up small grains of sand from four directions and drop them on the flower. From there, he used his pinkie finger to run from the edge of the mandala to the center, wiping away the pattern in four directions. Then, he repeated that motion in-between each of the four directions to the center. After that, he walked back to the other monks. Another monk walked to the center with brush and very methodically brushed away the sand - four directions first, then in-between each of those and between those til the entire mandala was brushed clean.

I was interested in the motions each monk made to "clear" the sand..... very meticulous and definite. The entire celebration was moving and thoughtful.

I hope I can take what I saw and utilize it in my own life. Learning to "let go" and move forward is a good thing. It can be hard to become attached to things and watch them just ... disappear.

I need to learn to not be attached to everything I come in contact with. (maybe I should start to by cleaning out my closet!) I think it will take some thought and planning to get this under my skin, but I need to make the effort..... something fresh.

A "Quick Fix"

2010-12-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

At Doodlet's, we had a few little trees left over from the Christmas stuff - they had candy canes on them. Yesterday, I brought one home and played with some hearts to take the place of the candy canes, so they would not have to go on the SALE shelf.....

What do you think?

We chose the bottom one with the larger hearts on top of the glittery stars...instead of the little circle with heart. I like both of them, actually, but I didn't care which went out on the floor.

Gosh, I love my job! I work with such fab people and we all have such a great time together! Everyone who walks in is pretty happy, or needs a "pick me up" and we are more than happy to oblige. I know you would all love it.

Guess we'll have to get together in Santa Fe sometime!

xoxo

Looking for the Spirit

2010-12-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

I was trying to find the spirit of the season in my home....

I pulled out boxes and shuffled through ornaments, and such, and ended up putting out just a few of the things that I really love.......many of which are new to me this year.

For example, the red and white plate below was $2 at Hidden Treasures - how could I not bring it home?

This precious bear is by my friend, Patience Brewster (of Krinkles fame) This woman IS magic!

Everything that she does is an extension of herself - delightful and unique. I am lucky to have several of her extraordinary pieces and I treasure them....

Above is the top of the cabinet in the living room...and below, next to the cabinet, is my mushroom shelf, with a few additions of late. I imagine I will have to move them all if I add too many more....
I try to change some of the art on the wall to Christmas goodies during this season.... I find them pretty inspiring, but can't seem to find the time to pursue that inspiration.

A couple of years ago, our stockings got left in DC when we "Christmassed" there with Cullen's brother and family. I decided to make new ones this year. I must admit that the quilted ones are oldies that I got 15 years ago and I just added our names to them. Grayson's, however, is one I made start to finish. well, it is not quite done, but close! It is hard to "replace" a stocking that someone grew up with. He would like to have his original back someday, but he told me that he does like this one, too......

the TREES - two smaller ones instead of the much LARGER one that we usually have. Years ago, we decided to buy one that we can use year after year. I miss the smell of the cut trees, though. It is a dilemma - buy a cut one that is grown just for this purpose? Or try to be "green" and have a tree that you can use year after year?

I don't know the answer to that......I guess that all I really want is the little, sparkly, white lights. They are what say "magic" to me and I almost don't care where they are hanging as long as I can turn them on at night and feel sure that things are good and safe and cozy........

polkadotponie

new "flats"

miniatures

from my history

HUGO

Grayson's Stamps

Merry Christmas to All

bluebird of happiness

Happy Birthday to Stephanie!

Mom's BIG Move

Fireside Embroidery

Revolution Bakery

wonderful inspiration

David Walker

It's HERE!

Inspired by Oolie

A New Home

My Friend Charlotte

ta da!!

oh Boy! oh Boy!!

bird domes

PAINT OUT

advent reinvented

class at Los Poblanos - stamps

yummmmmmy

Three Houses

JACK

simple, but sweet

My Girls!

Cleaning Day

breakfast

Interesting Things

Adornments

Good Morning!

Thanks to Charlotte

the WORKSHOP

Class at Los Poblanos

knotted hearts

Inspired Ideas latest issue

BLEND fabrics

almost done...

for Ann

My Creative Friends

Los Poblanos

BUGS!

ladybugs

just a glimpse

the FIRE

Almost Ready for CAMP!

EmBrOiDaBLeS

New Gate

the tiny boat

J*O*Y

Bryce #18

I'm In Love - again

Strike-Offs

Last Sunday....

t-shirt sketches

Back to Basics

butterflies

Mom's Studio Move

Paper Flowers

May Day "Flower" class

a tiny golden bird

a few more magical eggs

Beautiful Eggs

Kaffe Fassett - wow!

EggS!

EGGS!

Creative Ladies!

the "INSIDES"

the window - updated!

Easter EGG!!

"Not Just for Grandmothers"

My Little Vignettes

Our Embroidery Class

painting

Los Poblanos stitching

What a Day!

embroidery sampler

JOY