After the Rain

After it rains and the sun comes out,

nature sparkles and looks freshly washed.

That is the look I was going for in this landscape,

using snips of fabric and beads for the leaves

and intense colors for the sky and grass.

Here's hoping everyone is having a great week

and enjoying some nice summer weather!!

What I've Been Up to

      I was going through my bead collection recently and thought to myself that I really needed to edit my stash. Even tubes of beads take up space when there are enough of them!

Serendipitously, on the same day I read a post on the Craft Hope blog about an Orphan Outreach program looking for handmade bracelets for children in Russia. You can read about it here. I was immediately inspired by the idea of making bracelets to bring smiles to abandoned children's faces, so I've been beading away while watching tv at night. If you're interested, the deadline for this project is June 15.

And, as it is a new month, I'm declaring June to be "Landscape Month" on my blog. I've talked about this before, the fact that I had begun some fabric landscapes, and this whole month will be dedicated to finishing them, and creating others in mixed media!

So, stay tuned........and, by the way, Happy June!!!

A Day of Remembrance

Giveaway Winner!

Fourteen readers left comments on the post about

Rosie and Angus' giveaway!

I put all the names on some foam flowers I had left over

from a children's workshop I did a few years ago

and put a tiny bit of catnip on the back of each flower.

Rosie went right to it and chose an orange flower...

which had Mika's name on it,

so congratulations to Mika from Mika Art!!

Mika does sweet mixed media paintings which often include adorable cats

and other animals. I hope you'll take a moment to visit her blog!

I'll send the cushion and toy on to you, Mika, as soon as I get your address!

I've made a variety of posy cat toys for everyone else who participated.

If you left a comment on my last post, just drop me an email at

judyeh(at)comcast(dot)net 

and I'd love to send you a toy for your kitty!!

Thanks so much for joining in!!

Rosie and Angus' Big Giveaway!

To celebrate my 500th post, Rosie and Angus decided that we should have a giveaway!

Lately I have been experimenting with some new ideas for cat toys. With two 1-year-old kitties in the house, my floor is usually strewn with a variety of dead looking mice toys, elastic ponytail holders (their favorite thing) and other strange little creatures. I thought "How about a pretty flower toy?"

So I made one, stuffed with a little organic catnip and a stem that curls up a bit,

 creating a "handle" for carrying it around! 

Angus likes to carry his,

while Rosie just looks pretty posing beside hers!

Once in awhile there's a "face-off" over it!

I also found the prettiest daisy fleece, and made a kitty cushion with it.

It's loosely stuffed so that Angus can sink down into it and sleep to his heart's content!

So, for our giveaway, Angus, Rosie and I are offering a daisy kitty cushion and a posy cat toy

to the person who wins the drawing!

And, if you don't have a cat, (although many of my readers do), 

you could use the cushion as a pillow and give away the posy cat toy to a friend!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post, or send me an email, (tell me whether you have a cat!) and we'll draw a name 

this Sunday, May 22. By then I may have a few more cat toys made for some runners-up!!

I will send the cushion and toy to any country, so no worries about that!!

Thanks so much for joining in!!

My 500th Post!!!

On New Year's Day of 2007, I started a little blog called Fabric Art and Crafts.

Knowing nothing about blogging, and very little about using a computer,

 I sought advice from my daughter Kate, who helped me get started.

Our cat Kristy made frequent  appearances,

and I wrote about the work I was doing with fused fabric,

needle felting,

cut paper,

and hand stitching!

I started a second blog, Paper Perks,

and changed the name of this blog.

Through it all, Coach Irma urged me on,

and when our Kristy sadly passed away last year,

we later adopted two kittens who have brought us great joy.

I'm grateful to be part of the blogging community,

I love the friends and connections I've made,

and I'm promising myself to post more often from now on!

And as part of my 500th post celebration, I'll be announcing 

a giveaway tomorrow!!

Here's wishing everyone who reads this a very lovely day!

Check back tomorrow to see what I'll

be sharing!!

Happy, Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing all the mothers who read this the happiest of  days!

I have a lot to celebrate  -

being mom to a wonderful daughter,

the memory of my own lovely Mom,

My Mom with baby Kate, 30 years ago.

(The afghan, the white baby blanket, the baby sweater and the needlepoint pillow were made by Mom.)

and the knowledge that being a mother

is one of the most important jobs on earth.

May your day be joyful and your heart be full.

Happy Mother's Day!