Monday, April 30, 2012

A Beautiful Day

Saturday was a gorgeous, sunny day, and my husband and I went to a sheep 
shearing festival at the Gore Estate in Waltham, Massachusetts.  

                                       

On the grounds stands a federal period historic mansion, in front of which 
"Col. Bailey's Regiment" assembled,


with the ladies looking on.


We really enjoyed the beautiful animals




a border collie herding demonstration,



 beautiful wools and wool roving for sale,


my own personal splurge on wool roving,


spinning demonstrations,


morris dancers,



and a wonderful craft fair!


Somehow, we were never in the right place at the right time 
to see any actual sheep shearing! 
But we walked, ate, toured the mansion and thoroughly enjoyed the day!

Hope your week is off to a great start!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Exhibiting at Kidcasso

Hello friends,

Well, it has been a very busy week so far! After my ramblings yesterday, I spent the day gathering up artwork, hunting down frames, and polishing up some pieces I had created over the years. Here is the result:


This gallery wall is in one of my favorite places in town - an art studio devoted mainly to children, called Kidcasso. The owner, Laura-Marie Small, opened this wonderful space five years ago, after starting the business in her apartment! The studio is a bright, colorful  hubbub of creative activity, where kids come for classes, learn about the masters and translate what they've learned into bright, colorful artwork! In the off-hours, the space is used for Pilates classes, adult painting classes, and our own Arts Collaborative meetings once a month.

Outside, a bright sign bids a creative welcome,


and here is the OPEN flag I was commissioned to make.


The front window indicates that there is creativity inside,


and this warm painting by the owner in the entryway exemplifies the caring, nurturing spirit of the place.

If you love art and kids, take a look at this website and you'll see some wonderful photos!

I love having my work on display here, and I'm grateful for the opportunity! 

Hope you are having a creative day!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Monday Ramblings


Hello friends!

I bought these flowers at the market right after Easter, and they are still blooming! Just had to share them!

Well, I had a recent spurt of creativity, but this week I'm attending to some more practical creations! Yesterday I finished up two hand made, double-sided OPEN flags for a local business. I used duck cloth, which is hard to manipulate, especially when appliquéing small letters on large surfaces, and they took all of my attention for a couple of days. But they were well worth the effort, since the owner was delighted and they are pretty cute! In my rush to deliver them, I forgot to take pictures, but will do so soon and you'll see what a marvelous business this is!!

I have a few custom orders I've been lagging on, including a cut paper picture for a good friend. (I haven't forgotten, Julie, promise!) Meanwhile, I urge my readers to go over to her blog, where you'll see some of Julie's very beautiful and inspiring paintings.


Also, I'm preparing for a couple of small exhibit opportunities. One is a wall in a children's art studio (fun!), the other is part of an event where a few artists from our collaborative will be showing and selling their work.

Now, here's an opportunity for me to say something as to how I feel about showing my work.
Frankly, I'm a coward.
Putting what I do on my blog seems like a private thing to me, even though it is the internet!! But here I feel like I'm sharing what I do with friends, and always receive very kind and positive comments.
But when I put my fabric and cut paper artwork in an exhibit with oil paintings, pastels and hand crafted jewelry, I always feel a bit less than. That is to say, I question my worth as a real artist. Does anyone else feel this way?

I have to say, I love doing what I do, and get a real kick out of bringing a tiny bit of joy to the world with my creations. I have drawn and painted in the past, but working with fabric, paper and other media really resonates with me. I have ideas for new directions I'd like to explore, but never seem to give myself time to develop them. I'm so inspired by people who try out all sorts of new art techniques and want to do that myself. I guess I'm giving myself a call to action here!

Thanks for reading my ramblings. I'd love to hear what you think!


Have a wonderful week!!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A Midweek Visit

Just popping in to say hello ~
Hope you are having a very good week!


This is an older ATC I made a while ago.
Have you been creative lately?


I've been feeling stalled - just a bit,
but daffodils definitely are inspiring!

Time to take out some paper, scissors, pens and glue.
Hope to have something new to post soon!

Happy Creating!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Joyful


I'm wishing everyone who reads this
a very joyful Easter,
a very happy Passover
and a very beautiful spring!!

Have a lovely day!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Gifts for a Friend

A good friend celebrated her birthday recently and I sent 
her this hand made card...


and a pillow with an appliqué of her cat, Tweenie!


Just finishing up some other projects which I'll show soon.

Hope everyone is doing well and that your week is off to a good start!