Almost Christmas!

As Christmas approaches, I'm finding myself caught up in the usual preparations and enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday season. This week I made a floral arrangement for my sister,

with a final touch of battery operated lights! She loves bling, so it was a big success.

Our first snowfall coated tree branches, utility wires and rooftops with a heavy white frosting - really quite beautiful to see. Our snow thrower was in the shop for repairs at the time, and my husband gallantly shoveled everything by himself. 

 Rosie is missing her brother Angus, sometimes wandering around the house meowing, but she is also enjoying her new stature as queen of the house. She seems to enjoy all of our extra attention. Although they didn't seem to get along that well, Angus and Rosie were together with us since they were kittens, so I'm sure she is wondering where he is. Really miss our little boy.

On the creative side, I made this cut paper picture for the feast of St. Lucy on December 13. Her face is drawn and shaded with colored pencils and a bit of acrylic paint. It feels so good to create something, I have to ask myself why I don't do it every day. It seems to be a constant question for me, with an obvious solution - just do it!! Hmmm...New Year's resolution?

In any case, in a few days we'll be heading off for Toronto to spend Christmas with our daughter - the perfect Christmas gift for us! Can't wait!

Meanwhile, whatever holiday you are celebrating, even if it is just the beauty of the winter season,

may you have a wonderful week, filled with joy.

xo Judy

Angus

 Feeling a bit heartbroken...

Rest in Peace, little Angus. xo

Grateful...

Thanksgiving is over, but I've been thinking a lot lately

about the many things I have to be grateful for.

I have an amazing husband and daughter,

Two mischievous little kitties,

who love to help me sew,

a house with a favorite little light-filled porch,

friends who gather around a table to chat and stitch,

and, once again, these two sweet people who make my life meaningful.

I have a terrific extended family, and many creative and loving friends,

including those who read my blog.

And to you I give this wish...

May you have a wonderful day.

Art Every Day Month?

Now, who was that imposter who said that I was doing Art Every Day Month? I had the best of intentions, honestly, but never really got it off the ground. Life seems to be a bit too much lately and I've been having mixed feelings about what I really want to make. That has led to a real feeling of sluggishness - does anyone else have this problem at times?

Meanwhile, it's getting very cold here in New England and Angus and Rosie are hunkering down.

Rosie loves her new catnip toy,

but also buries herself in a fluffy throw when the weather is cold.

Angus always seems to be deep in thought,

and hides on a dining room chair, under the table, where he sleeps away the day.

My little Christmas cactus is starting to bloom, reminding me of my mom.

I have to confess that a feeling of sadness has settled around my shoulders lately.

My older sister is in a nursing home with dementia, and  I'm witnessing her losing more 

and more of her grasp on reality, and any desire to take care of herself.

Her type of dementia has made her hostile and angry, but fortunately the hostility

is lessening. She has no interest in doing anything, and I do what I can when I visit

to make her laugh and bring her some joy. It's very difficult to see her this way, and I

can't help feeling a bit helpless 

So, I have to listen to my heart and not put pressure on myself right now.

I'll be creating, but at my own pace.

Hopefully I'll be more "up" for AEDM next year!

Thanks, dear friends, for reading -

Hope you're having a good week!

xo Judy

AEDM Day 4

 We are moving into true November weather now, with cooler days and leaves tumbling down. I'll have to move our little space heater from the garage to our enclosed porch, where I love to work.
I found this sweet poem on Pinterest, which brings some whimsy to the leaves we'll soon be raking!

I've been working on my fabric weaving and I'm declaring it done for the moment. I may tweak a thing or two, but I'm happy with it. Something totally different for me! I can see myself doing more!

So, on to a new project! I have something definite in mind. Can't wait to get started tomorrow!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Art Every Day Month and Happy November!

I love November. The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are falling, and the holidays are right around the corner. My favorite thing is when it rains and tree trunks look black, contrasting with the beautiful colored leaves. I once did this fabric picture inspired by Autumn rain.

And today begins Art Every Day Month, a traditional challenge hosted by Leah Piken Kolidas.

You can get information about it by clicking the AEDM button on the right.

I'm starting the month off with this fiber weaving, which incorporates yarn, fabric and ribbon. I'm going to work on it a bit more, but this is a start. My theme for AEDM is to do whatever strikes my fancy. I've participated 6 times in this challenge and have always enjoyed it. I'm planning to post once or twice a week, hopefully with creative work I've been working on. It feels good this year not to have any shows or sales to plan for during the holidays, so I have time to play!

I hope that you are enjoying your week. Thanks for visiting and please stop by again!

Cacti and Stitches

Hello Friends,

My husband and I went to an Antiques Marketplace in New Hampshire recently, and I came home with this sweet dish garden of succulents. The elderly couple who sold it to us seemed really delighted with the sale, which made it seem all the sweeter.

Honestly,  I've been feeling a bit down in the dumps lately. I try to stay "up",  realizing that others have far worse problems than I have, but the constant negativity in politics, plus the strain of dealing with a family member with dementia has been taking its toll on me. Also, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my artwork, as I skip around from one medium to another, trying different things. I'm often influenced by what I see on Pinterest or Instagram and get too engrossed in the work of other creatives, admiring and praising their work, while being unsure about my own. I'd like to find one medium I love (I'm pretty sure it's fabric!) and stick with it.

What keep me going are my classes with Amy, and my Thursday morning stitch group - creative women working and laughing together. A few friends and I meet at Amy's house on Tuesday nights, taking a continuous stream of classes. There are usually little dogs under our feet, cats making rare appearances, and a parrot or two talking (or singing) in the background. In our last class, Amy made a digital copy on fabric of a photo chosen by each of us. I chose a print of Matisse's "Goldfish Bowl". I stitched the goldfish with some slightly metallic thread, which gave them a little shimmer. I'm still working on the leaves and will post the finished piece when it's done. Our next class, which begins this week, is an introduction to weaving.

And finally, that Thursday morning stitch group I mentioned has moved from our friend Susie's dining room, to a cottage she had built in her back yard. She named it "Freedom Cottage", filled it with a large table and chairs, sewing and ironing tables and two comfy armchairs. I made her this fabric picture as a "cottage warming" gift. Such a charming place for our meetings!

We're moving into cooler weather, although warmer days keep popping up. Soon enough the snow will come, so I'm planning to get out and enjoy these fall days as much as possible!

Here's wishing you a wonderful week to come!

Welcome Autumn!

I love Autumn.

The changing leaves always seem like a miracle to me, even though I've been a New Englander most of my life. I think, somewhere in my subconscious, that I associate Fall with starting a new school year, and I remember vividly shuffling through orange and gold and red leaves on my way to the bus stop. I was one of those kids who loved going to school!

Today I drove around my town, looking for the first signs of Autumn. It has been fairly warm around here lately, so the seasonal leaf change is just beginning. 

This row of Maple trees in front of a local school

always transitions into a blaze of color as the weeks go on.

A couple of early leaf changers..

 Next, I went to a local nursery and loved the

 decorations and display of mums.

I settled on a coral colored mum for the front stairs.

but will definitely go back for more.

I picked what I think are the last of my hydrangeas - but you never know!

I love all the shades of green, blue, lavender and burgundy

that appear as the summer winds down.

Since I last blogged, I've been doing some projects that were very enjoyable.

For my friend Amy's birthday, I made this necklace - just for fun.

It has all of her pets in a row - yes, it is amazing how many pets she has!

And I started doing a few paper collages, inspired by a post I read on the Ihanna's blog.

I made a cut-out on the cover of a sketchbook and inserted some artwork, something 

like what she did on her sketchbook. I'll share some collages in a later post.

This is a little embroidery I did on a car trip with my husband...

And these are some fabrics I dyed in a shibori class over the summer.

This was something I had never thought of doing, but I'm so glad I took the class!

I hope everyone who stops by here to visit 

is enjoying the beginning of fall.

Hope to see you again soon!!

100 Day Challenge Completed!

I'm so happy to have done the 100 Day Challenge. It taught me some valuable lessons about perseverance and how much I love being creative. I'll have a longer post about it soon, along with pictures I haven't posted, but meanwhile, here's a little lady I embroidered last week. She'll be part of a fabric book I'll tell you about later.

I haven't decided on a name for her yet, but I know it will be "Mrs." Something!

So glad you stopped by -

Have a wonderful week!

Added later - my friend Simone suggested the perfect name for her,

while elevating her position in society:

"Lady Rose Fortescue - Hartley"

Love it!!

Catching Up

I'm still doing the 100 Day Challenge -

for me, 100 days of faces!

I've been filling in my sketchbook, putting compatible

people side by side. This will make it amusing when 

I flip through it in the future.

This is Molly.

She is opposite her sister Sandy who,

she suspects, is something of a drama queen.

Here is Kevin and his dog Max...

They should get along well with Megan and her kitten.

Maureen is a proud mom,

who looks over and smiles fondly at her sweet daughter, Susie.

This is a little sketch of a lady named Jillian.

And this is James, who is glancing mischievously

across the way at his older sister, Maggie.

He will always be her kid brother!

Brenda is a nature lover

who loves to go hiking with her niece, May.

They are like sisters!

John doesn't quite know what to make of

Erika's advances!

They are residing next to a much younger couple,

Jenny and Bobby.

Peter seems to be totally captivated

by his neighbor, Amelia.

And Jacques wears a rose behind his ear

to tease his niece, Celeste.

He is her favorite uncle!

And finally, since I've missed a few days of the challenge here and there,

I did this drawing in celebration of women! I'll be putting it on the 

inside cover of my sketchbook.

I have to say, I've loved this challenge!

Just a couple of weeks to go!

Thank you for stopping by!