Artist Reborne

An introduction and a give away

A few weeks ago I received an email from the great ladies at Stampington & Co. asking me if I would be interested in previewing the newest member of their art magazines, Mingle.  Well...yeah!  Who turns down the chance to get a sneak peak at one of their lovely magazines?  Well, not I, especially after having the privilege of being featured in several of their publications.  So, they sent me a couple of copies of the magazine.  Mingle is all about creating unique and fun gatherings...tea parties, birthday parties, friendship parties and "just-because-I-feel-like-it" parties.  First, let me say, as always the photography in this magazine is stunning and totally worth the cover price.  Yes, most of the parties are decorated far beyond my time and budget, but oh the dreaming!  And there is something that can be taken away from every one of the themes that can be modified to my time and budget.  My favorites are the "Friendship" party on pg. 44 (the rustic, outdoor setting totally had me) and the very fun "25th anniversary" party on pg. 78.  Seriously, renting a "kissing booth" (AKA photo booth) and a trough full of CrackerJacks...yeah, that is my kind of party.

 

There are also some cute and quick food ideas, like the shot glass of ranch dressing and veggie sticks.  Or the individually wrapped bundles of licorice sticks.  I will definitely be keeping my eye on this publication...who knows, maybe I will find the time and budget to throw me a fun ol' gathering next year, just for the heck of it!  Until then, I can dream...a lot.

Now for the give away...Mingledoesn't hit the newstands for another couple of days, but the good folks at Stampington gave me an extra copy to give away to one of my blog readers.  Poor people, they don't realize I only have about 5 readers, most family, but hey, I am happy to play along *grin*.  So all you need to do to get into the drawing is this:

*Leave a comment ON THIS POST telling me about either

    -the best gathering you have ever attended or thrown and what made it so special  OR

    -your ideal gathering...what would be the theme, how would it stand out from any ordinary gathering?

*do so by Sunday October 16th at 6pm EST

I will draw one lucky winner and post their name next week.  Good luck and make sure you take time this weekend to enjoy this BEAUTIFUL fall!

A little fiber lovin'

I have been meaning to post this for awhile now, but the foot surgery got in the way and I am just now getting to it.  At the beginning of the summer we had a change over of pastors at our church.  The out-going pastor had been there for 5 years and we were very fond of him and his family.  Richard had a strong desire to raise chickens in his suburban backyard and had been fighting the city for a bit.  So I thought it woud be cute to use this rooster I had embroidered and fabric collaged to make him a going away gift.  The rooster is from an engraving in an 1860s Harper's Monthly article.  I had stitched him eons ago, but never knew just what to do with him.  So I added some scraps of material, a little imitation chicken wire (embroidered), and a vintage button and voila!  Richard and his family thought it a fun and unique parting gift.  And I have to admit...I miss that darn rooster!

 

And these are my latest endeavors...mug rugs.  Bigger than a coaster but smaller than a placement...the perfect size for, as Pooh would say, "a little smackeral of something."  I had picked up the newest edition of Simple Quilts & Sewing magazine and there was a small article on these mats (p.68).  Got me thinking...perfect for teacher gifts!  What teacher doesn't have a cup of coffee or a can of pop and a little something sitting on a boring napkin on their desk?  So why not jazz it up a bit?  This rug here will go to one of Clay's teachers...he helped picked the fabric out himself.  They come together so easily, it will be nice to be able to gift something lovely AND useful, yet not take a ton of time to repeat 4 times.   Plus I am thinking of making a matching coffee cozy to go with it, add a gift card to Starbucks and we are good! 

And it feels SO GOOD knowing I am ahead of the game this year...I have grand dreams of actually enjoying my December this year!

 

More Quilting Goodness

 

Here are the pictures I promised of the quilt projects I made for my Mom.  This one is a "signature" quilt pillow with the signatures of her 5 grandkids embroidered on the quilt block.  I just traced the kids' signatures and embroidered them with brown thread.  I like how it turned out, and it is an example of my first attempt at hand-quilting.  Up til now, I have only hand pieced and machine quilted.  I had fun with this, and will probably try hand-quilting again on another project.  This pillow is from a pattern in the book American Doll Quilts by Kathleen Tracy.  I LOVE this book!  Such darling little quilts.  I can't wait to make more, especially the "Shoo-Fly" on page 32 and the "Star Medallion" on 60...oh, wait!  also the "Forties Pinwheel" on 71. *grin*

 
And here is the quilt I started 6 years ago from a JoAnn Fabrics "quilt of the month" kit.  Very proud of how it turned out (just not of how long it took!) and can't believe, looking at the finished project, that I did this.  Again, I hand and machine pieced the top, then gave it to a professional quilter to put together for me.  Oh, and my Mom actually pieced two of the squares as well.  It is only a full size, but my mom is short, so it works for her...sorry, Mom, but that's the truth!

I was glad to finally be able to give them both to her this weekend.  Now I need to find fabric for my son's quilt...his birthday is late August, so I better get cracking!  It is just so HARD finding decent fabric for little boys that will grow with them so he doesn't outgrow it too soon.  My daughter will get a quilt in December from actual and reproduction feed sack fabric...very "Walton's" looking.  I have already gotten most of the fabric for that one.  Again, girls are so much easier to buy for.  Then I need to find some fishing fabric for my November nephew, but something not so terribly manly or overly juvenile...argh!  But despite the difficulties, I love knowing each one is going to have their very own Momma/Auntie Dawn made quilt this year.

A New Adventure

 
I have wanted to learn to quilt for a very long time.  As a child, I remember visiting my hillbilly relations in southern Ohio.  One great aunt in particular was a master quilter.  She had all these gorgeous quilts in an array of colors all over her house.  I remember following this dainty, silver haired woman down the hallway to her bedroom where she proceded to lay out quilt after quilt for us to enjoy.  We would run our hands gently over the stitching and suck our breath in a little deeper for each one she shared.  One was a gorgeous, huge star and another was a LARGE brown horse on an orange background.  I am not fond of orange, but just the power of the sihouette has permanently etched the memory of that one on my mind.

My mom and I both wished we could have learned to quilt from Aunt Susie.  But alas, years, decades went by and neither of us ever learned.  Then about eight years ago I decided to give it a go.  I bought a book that taught hand-piecing and worked on a table runner that I gifted to my mother-in-law.  Now I should mention, although I pieced it, I farmed the actual quilting out to a local woman.  Coming off the success of my first project, my passion got ahead of my head and I endeavored to make my mom a quilt for her bed.  I got a kit from JoAnn's and went about hand-piecing the many blocks required for that quilt.  But somewhere along the way, I got waylaid and the project sat dormant for about 6 years.  Then my mom mentioned it again recently and, feeling guilty (it was supposed to be a gift, after all), I got it back out and finished piecing the top.  Then I called another local quilter I met at an estate sale last year (kismet!) and voila! we have a completed quilt.  It is NOT the one pictured above.  Don't want to ruin the surprise *grin*

The one above is the latest in what will be a string of small quilts made for my kids and my niece and nephews.  Each one will receive one for their birthday.  First up, my darling niece who is turning 5 next month.  I wanted to try my hand at a "start to finish" quilt...no farming it out.  Well....the piecing, which I chose to do on the machine, turned out pretty good.  It was with the quilting that things started to go south (puckering, mostly).  Not all the way, mind you, but out of the realm of PERFECT, which loyal readers know drives me nuts.  But in the end, it is a project made with love that hopefully will be worn threadbare by years of use.  And I will take the lessons learned into the next project (which will be for my son's late summer birthday) and hopefully it will turn out just a bit better.

When it's all said and done, I hope to make one for my bed as well.  But that quilt job will again be farmed out to my local master quilter.  She does such a good job.  So after mom gets her quilt, I will post pictures of it here as well.

Enjoy the sunshine, and the heat!

Keeping the Faith

It seems like everywhere we turn these days, disaster is among us.  Tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis....yet more tornadoes.  One may find themselves wondering, are the doomsday predictions correct, is this the end of the world?  Some days it is really hard to stay positive, to not dwell on all the sadness and destruction.  But not today.  Today we were blessed to take the final step in a yearly miracle process.  Today we released the last of our Painted Lady butterflies.  It is something we do each year as a family...raise 4-5 caterpillars, watch the transformation and then release them out into the world to spread beauty and joy.

 

Tonight, as I held the last one in my hand, it seemed in no hurry to depart.  Instead, it turned to me, stared me square in the eye and spread open its wings in a glorious display, the golden browns turning bronze in the waning rays of evening sun.  If I moved, it followed me so that it once again could stare me in the face.  I think maybe God was trying to remind me just to keep the faith, not to dwell so much on the negative.  Find something positive that can be done to help those in need, then give it up to Him.  So with a whisper of thanks, I told the little butterfly it was free to go, and with one last look, she took off into the sunset.

Sometimes it is really hard to keep the faith...but not today.

In Honor of Earth Day

Pictures taken from a recent zoo trip in celebration of Earth Day (this Friday).  Can't wait to see the new DisneyNature movie African Cats.  I have really enjoyed that new venture, including Earth and Oceans.

 

 

 

I have a real soft spot for elephants, and I am not sure why.  Maybe it is the mass of adorable wrinkles.  Or that almost human look in their eyes.  Either way, this mom and her son are a favorite must-see at each zoo visit.

 

 
Isn't this little guy ADORABLE?!  Born in the last few months, this was our first time to see him (I think it was a "he").  Grandchild to Colo, the first lowland gorilla born in captivitiy in the US.  Again, that almost human quality in their eyes makes them a magnetic draw for us.

Remember to be kind to Mother Earth this week and get outside to enjoy her many gifts.  And Happy Easter!

Random Bits on a Wet Tuesday Afternoon

 

These lovely ladies hitched a ride in my shopping cart the other day and have found themselves hanging out in my newly opened Florida Room.  This time of year is soooo hard for me.  We have this great Florida Room that is only useable about 2/3 of the year.  When March rolls around and that first warm spring day hits, so does the itch to open her up and clean her out!  Well, it isn't completely free of its winter storage stash, but we have carved out enough places to hang and play for now.  My new favorite spot is this wood card table I bought at Target so that we could have a place to eat, play and hang-out.  The kids are already in love with it,too, and have eaten several meals there.

While taking this photo I was treated to the coo-OO-oo of the mourning doves outside the window.  Am I the only one who hears this sound and immediately thinks of the intro to the Christy television series of the 1990s?  My little Appalachian-ancestry-heart just loves that show.  And listening to the rain falling all around, thunder rolling, makes me wish I could just walk into one of those episodes and never walk out.

 

This is a quick little yummy I whipped up after lunch today.  On occassion I pick up the Food Network TV magazine at the grocerer's.  The current issue is to-DINE-for and the recipe (though that is really a loose term in this case) for Sopaipillas with Chocolate sauce is featured on page 152, if you are interested.  I substituted a bottle of sugar free hot fudge sauce for their chocolate sauce.  Oh-my-gosh!  Yum.

Surrounded by green everywhere I look, the creative juices are starting to loosen up and flow again.  Currently I am planning another cutter quilt pillow like the one here, this time for my bedroom.  Hoping to update it with a little more color and cuddly goodness.  So it is back to the inspiration board for me while I allow Mother Nature to serenade me a little longer.

'Tis the season to go to tag sales....

 

And I am READY!  Over the last couple of years I have begun compiling a list of those "wants" that I hope to find.  Sadly, Central Ohio is a wasteland when it comes to good tag sales.  People are too transient here, so it is really hard to find sales held by old-timers who have been around for decades.  They are the ones with all the good stuff.  Most of what is found around here is junk and still readily available in big box stores.

But when I visit my sister in Illinois, I get lucky, because she is in a neighborhood full of old-timers and oh the treasures to be found there!  Last year I found this lovely old wood frame and brought it home with the intent that I would eventually stitch something to replace the old sepia photo held in place with some rusty brad nails and a piece of water-stained cardboard. 

 

This is what eventually ended up inside.  Wool is my current, and probably most favorite ever, medium of choice.  So these primitive sunflowers and the hen are done in wool and embroidery.  The background is a piece of muslin stained with tea and I love how it adds patina to the piece in conjunction with the frame.   The pattern for the hen came from a tin cookie cutter handmade in the late 1800s or early 1900s by my great-great grandfather, thus the S. H. Flory and the date.  During the last family reunion I asked my grandmother and her sister to bring their cookie cutters, three in all, for me to trace so that I could use them as motifs in my work.  I love being able to tie my past into my present craft and decorating work.  And the books on the shelf below the piece are all heirlooms from members of the Flory family or branches that married into the family.  Most date to the early 1800s or the mid-late 1800s.

I have several other frames picked up from various sales that need an excuse to again see the light of day.  So I guess it is time to break out the new sketchbook I bought this week and come up with some new designs.  And it is also time to start scouring the paper looking for just the right area of town to list the first of the spring sales.  Then maybe I will find that little table I want for the Fl. Room or the vintage silverware and linens I want in order to pack the perfect picnic basket.  Oh, yes!  I can hardly wait.

Taking it one square at a time

 

Ah...can you smell it?  Dark rich soil, hungry for those little veggie seedlings....cool, crisp, and oh-so-green grass covered in little droplets of rain, begging for you to free your long-captive feet and go for a romp on Nature's carpet..the faint whiff of daffodil and tulip, swaying to and fro to the sound of Nature's song.  Yes, this is a good time of year!  Winter was long for us here in Ohio (more than normal) and even I, a hard-core Ohioan, am ready for Winter to relinquish her hold and drift into the realm of memory.

 

I picked up the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew a couple of years ago and really had intended to read it sooner.  However, after yet another heartbreakingly pathetic year of backyard gardening, I decided this would be the year I not only read it, but put it into practice.  It seems deceptively simple, especially to someone who has grown up in the shadow of many generations of farmers and backyard gardeners...but simple, simple is GOOD!  So the hubby and I, with a little "help" from the kids, put together the first square foot box this weekend.  The jewel of my backyard is the strawberry patch that has been housed in one of those pyramid planters for the last 8 years or so.  The kids and I anxiously await that first sign of red each season.  And as any good berry picker will tell you, it's "one for the basket, three for me!"  Over the last year or so, the berries have grown tired and in need of refreshing, so we decided this would be our first leap into SFG.  Oh, I have high hopes for this little 4x4 plot which, by the way, will hold a whopping 64 strawberry plants.  I have ordered 50 replacements and found about 16 of the old plants that might still have some life left in them.  Now we just wait, and dream, of berries soon to come.

Next we'll replace the other four smaller plots and see how the season fares before deciding on the large back plot.  The key to SFG is the soil mix you make...not using native or even augmented backyard soil.  It makes lots of sense on paper, I just hope it pans out in the flesh.  Only time will tell.

 

Finding my way home

 

 

A new pillow for my couch.  Wool felt, both recycled and new, on the backside of a cutter quilt having belonged to my husband's grandmother.  The front of the quilt was, in its day, very nice, but the years have been so unkind that only the backing was useable.  But it sure does make for a soft pillow!

It has been quite some time since I have found myself pulled to return to my little home here on the web.  Life slowly creaped in and has been allowed to wrap its killing tenticles around my heart and soul in the last 12 months or so--it is only now that am I beginning to find the "fight" that will bring me back from the edge of losing myself.  Priorities are changing (which is GOOD and much NEEDED); goals and needs are changing, too.  So, I have given my home a little face-lift, and have dusted off the keyboard.  I have removed all restrictive "rules" (mostly stupid and self imposed) in regards to this little space and plan to refocus my journey.  To begin again fresh, like the buds on the trees and the flowers in the yard--with hope and an element of adventure.

If you are an old friend, thank you for coming back just one more time and giving me a second chance.  If you have just found your way to my door, welcome, and I hope something here will light a spark in your creative world.  May God bless you this day and always.