A Little Break

I just put my springtime wreath on the front door  and have been busy doing a little spring cleaning! 


Kristy is wondering, 'when will this woman get around to moving my chair into the sunshine?'

I'm going to take a little blogging break until the end of the week.

Hope everyone has a great week! I hope to return with some new artwork!

A Visit With An Artist Friend

Last week I had a wonderful visit with my friend Elaine. Her cat, Honeybee gave me a friendly greeting!

Elaine is an artist who creates very realistic and detailed works with cut paper. She made the daffodil card which I showed last week, and this piece hangs in her studio. (I took the photo through glass which explains the slight glare.)
On the wall in Elaine's kitchen there is a cabinet which houses a wonderful miniature dollhouse. The cabinet was built years ago by her husband Alan, and carefully furnished by Elaine. Since the first time I saw this house I have felt like a small child, peering into a little world, every time I visit. Many items in the house were purchased and many details made by Elaine herself.

Here's a view of the entire interior.

And, of course, there must be a sewing room...

and an artist's studio!

A little clothespin doll, made by Elaine, which hangs from a shelf in her studio.

Every wall in Elaine's home showcases the varied artworks of the talented members of her family - paintings, serigraphs, pastels, art quilts... too many to name. We shared our recent work, talked about common interests in paper and fabric art, laughed and ate out!

 All in all, a creative visit with a dear friend!

Blue and Yellow

Yesterday I bought some miniature daffodils to remind myself that Spring is indeed emerging. My dedham pottery cat seems indifferent to the beautiful blooms!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

W.O.W. Wednesday

Otherwise known as 'Use It or Lose It' this is another favorite phrase from my mom's repertoire! Here was a lady who took senior exercise into her 80's, even after two hip replacements! She believed in moving and, even though she slowed down in later years, she still did stretching and 'chair' exercises as often as she could!

I can't say I'm as dedicated to exercise as my mom was, but lately I've become more aware of the benefits and I'm going to put this little picture up in my sewing room to remind me to Get Moving!

I'm having fun with these little characters, but having trouble keeping up every week, so I'm going to do this less often, maybe with a different title. I'd love some feedback ~ any ideas for a title or any favorite short sayings?

Meanwhile, I have a fabric picture to work on and hope to have it done by the weekend!

Daffodil Time!

My dear friend Elaine, who does beautiful paper cutting, made this card for me several years ago when I was going through a difficult time. I can remember how delighted I was when I opened the envelope and unfolded this sunny frieze of daffodils! It really cheered me up! 

Now I love to take it out in the springtime. It's a lovely piece of art and it reminds me how very fortunate I am to have such a wonderful friend!  

Words of Wisdom Wednesday (on Thursday!)

Probably my favorite saying ~ 'Carpe Diem' or 'Seize the Day'. 

I was trying to envision actually grabbing hold of a new day ~ so many possibilities!!

Hope everyone is having a terrific week!

Remembering...

This beautiful photo of my dad was taken and developed by my daughter Kate when she was in high school. Today is his birthday - he would have been 92. He passed away less than two years ago. I love having this wonderful, strong image of him framed and hanging in our home as a remembrance. He loved his family, his home, his yard, and his garden.

We remember him with love.

Time for a Change

I spent part of this weekend making a banner for my blog and changing the color scheme. Blog redecorating, anyone? Not being a techie, I spent the longest time implementing these changes, wrestling with Blogger and struggling with each element. But making the banner was a pleasure and reminded me of Spring, which I know we all look forward to welcoming soon!! 

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

A Splash of Color

This is the first in a series of fabric pictures I'm working on, using the fabric I hand painted a few weeks ago. This floral is fused, machine appliqued and stitched, and hand beaded. 

I love the colors that can be obtained from Setacolor transparent fabric paint. In this piece, I loosely painted flowers and leaves on white cotton, heat set the fabric, then cut out blossoms and arranged them in the painted vase. 

Maybe I was inspired by thoughts of the colorful flowers that will soon be blooming in our gardens!

Kreativ Blogging!

I recently received this award from Judy at Seriously Amused.

First, I must say that I love her blog. The smart combination of photo and quotation usually gives me either a laugh or a reason to reflect.

I guess I'm just in tune with her thought process. You should check it out and see what you think.

This award asks me to list six things that make me happy. I could name many more than that but here are my six:

What makes me happiest is my family - my husband, daughter and little Kristy the cat. I love being creative and 'making things'. I love being with my friends and sharing a good laugh, but I also enjoy being by myself sometimes and just being quiet. I enjoy working with children - I used to be a classroom teacher and now tutor. Nothing can compare with witnessing that 'aha!' moment when a child understands something new for the first time. And finally, it makes me very happy to write this blog and link up with others and enjoy the talent I witness every day!

Some people don't care for these awards and I myself feel a bit funny about them. But I'll offer this one to some new blogging friends: Karen at Sew and Sow Life, Janice at Reyn's Nest, Nancy at Furry and Feathered Friends and Chrissie Grace. Others I enjoy have already received this award and they are: Quiltcat's Mewsings and Seriously Amused.

It's always nice to be appreciated!

Thank you, J!

Still Winter

What a weather adventure we are on here in New England! Yesterday was sunny and relatively warm. "Light jacket weather" I call it, although there were many people out walking wearing shorts and tee shirts! Everyone seems ready to call it quits with winter. Recently I've seen photos of new shoots in gardens everywhere on blogs, and then, this morning, a new snowfall, tree branches frosted with white icing, roads a mushy mess. Oh well, another winterscape

to appreciate, beautiful to look at, and probably short-lived.

It's a good day to be creative with a Spring colored palette: rose, peach, saffron, apple green - soon these hues will be all around us.

 It will be worth the wait. 

Coach Irma

This is Irma, my creativity coach, telling me to get going on some of the projects I've been putting off. She came from The Dollar Store a few years ago and I just love her saucy stance. I feel like she should be shaking one of her fingers at me, urging me to finish up my fused fabric bouquet or the quilted and beaded flower picture that is stuck in a pile in my studio.

My problem is that I procrastinate when I'm afraid a project won't turn out as well as I want it to. I get stuck  and, instead of just working it out, I spend time just looking at the components and waiting for a push - be it a deadline or a sudden impulse to finish - to get the ball rolling again. 

Does anyone else have this problem?

Anyway, I love to change Irma's location once in a while, because the sight of her on a different table or windowsill makes me smile, and reminds me that it's time to get going and accomplish something!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

                                                           Self explanatory!

A New York Weekend

We returned last night from our trip to what my husband calls Kate's World - New York City and Brooklyn. It was wonderful to be with our daughter where she lives and works, to spend time with her and her friends, and to see the city through her eyes.

Among other things, we went on the Staten Island ferry, shopped, visited the Brooklyn Museum of Art, walked and viewed all the beautiful brownstones on Prospect Park inBrooklyn and had a lovely brunch (thank you, Rob) in Greenwich

Village before returning home.

Kate knows her mom only too well, so she walked us over from Penn Station to Mood Fabrics in the Garment District of Manhattan. Any Project Runway fans out there? This is where the contestants shop for fabric for their creations. Plenty of luscious textures, colors, embellishments and trims. I bought not a thing, but it was a dreamy experience to be surrounded by so much fabric!

Another great store which we nearly passed by, until the word Fiber caught my eye and dragged me toward it like a magnet, was Fibernotion on Union Street in Brooklyn. I don't think I've ever seen so many enticing needleart components in such a small space! I had fun buying hand painted wool roving, wool felt from Nepal, and a some nifty embellishments.

It's great to be back home, but we had an excellent time with our daughter. Today is her birthday and we send our dearest love to our wonderful Kate.