Play time at last!

I had an unscheduled weekend for the first time in a long time, and spent most of it playing.


First, I had my weekly date with Jonathan.  He's a ham, since his mom and I have taken so many pictures of him being adorable.   As soon as we take pictures, he says, "Can I see?"  Today he made funny faces.  I tried to make faces, but couldn't see to push the button on the phone. 













At the February ArtCGirlz meeting, we played with fabric collage and made faces, using a technique from the book by Melissa Averinos. Personally, I want to take her cat collage class!!


This is the face I drew, and where my collage ended that night.  Some of the ones in her book have no more than this, and are then enhanced with the quilting.  I didn't leave enough background on mine, so was thinking of how to add the face to another project, when I saw an image of a painting by Gustav Klimt. And just like that, I knew!




I added collaged hair, using flowers , a rabbit and a cat.  Then I dug through the stash to find fabrics I knew I had that I bought because they reminded me of Klimt's work.   Here's where I left her- masked with batting to create the margins of the piece. 

 And this is what the floor of the studio looked like while I was working.

At the most recent ArtCGirlz meeting, Lori shared some techniques for making landscapes.  I was working from a photo I thought was near Sedona, AZ, but was really taken somewhere in Utah.

 I had tacked it up on the design wall when I got home, so spent a few minutes adding some foliage to the scrub pine. It's only pinned, so I have to get the glue stick out next time I'm up there.   I'm taking a class in thread painting on landscapes in April, so may take this with me to work on in class!

 I also got the beast back under the machine to try and finish it before the old quilt disintegrates completely.  I had been fighting the bulk of the quilt and a friend suggested that might have been some of the trouble I had with the quilting.  I remembered a post I saw years ago on Leah Day's blog, and decided to try some "sky hooks".  It's not as fancy as hers because I don't want to drill holes in the ceiling, but it seems to be helping me. 

The days are getting longer, and it won't be long until gardening season begins.  I stopped and picked up a few dead stalks yesterday after I took a walk.   I'm going to shrink my gardens again this year.  I just can't keep up with it all.  I fall further behind every year.  So the big garden will be mostly "wildflowers" and some punkins and zucchini.  I'd till it under.but there are some nice trees and shrubs out there I'd have to kill in the process.  I may try to encourage some native species to help the butterflies.  We lease the field to a guy who grows corn and soybeans (probably GMO), so I need to do a little bit to make up for the damage the farmers do. 

I am grateful for:
Aches and pains that remind me I am lucky enough to be growing older.
My grand babies.
My talented and generous friends.
A new series of books to enjoy in the car.
Time to exercise my artistic "muscles".

Still Winter

Winter isn't going to let us loose one second sooner than it has to this year by the look of things.  But being trapped inside works for me at the moment. If only every Wednesday, when I have to drive somewhere, the weather would stop being really crappy!

Week before last was the annual retreat with members of my quilt guild. 

 We spend three or four days with Silver Lake right across the street, and get to enjoy views like this!



Julie always brings a fun project for us all to play with, if we're so inclined.  Her work station is very popular because she makes the most wonderful things!!















This year, the favorite was these fun angels.  She provided the faces, pre-printed on fabric, along with a wealth of beads and yarns for embellishing!




This is mine before I painted some color on her cheeks and around her eyes.











Her wings were made from some kaleidoscopes Julie had printed on fabric and was generous enough to share.  Julie owns a business where she can print your image on fabric.  It's how I made my naughty tulip last year.






My goal for retreat this year was to get the top pieced for a wedding gift.  I can share it here because I'm fairly certain there's more than 6 degrees between me and the bride when it comes to our online presence. 

Kiara had been sick, so I went over to spend some time with her.  We tried weaving on cardboard. She seemed to enjoy it.  

And I have finally gotten to enjoy seeing Everett smiling and "talking" to me!  

 Oh, no!  I don't have a new picture of Jon to share.  The last two times I've been there he has kept me so busy being superheroes or robots that I don't get a chance to take pictures.  I love being his favorite playmate!

I finally finished these socks, which I thing I started in September last year!!  They are made from a Red Heart yarn, Boutique Unforgettable.  It's DK or worsted weight (?) acrylic.  Easy care but not easy for knitting because it splits and it's fuzzy so if you have to tear out, it grabs itself and gets stuck. I haven't worn them yet.  I hope they're warm.

I can't find it now, but I saw a post on Facebook earlier today that told about a kid who asked 50 people if they would sign his petition to ban dihydrogen monoxide.  He showed them a fact sheet similar to this.  Something like 43 of the 50 signed, six weren't sure.  One person knew that dihydrogen monoxide is water.  One!  This is how the world works now.  You show people something that sounds official and they just believe it without even bothering to check if it's true.  That's why it's so important to do your research, verify the facts and stay informed.  As the Washington Post has recently said, "Democracy dies in darkness".  Be the light!!

I am grateful for:
Being with my quilting buddies for a few days!
Getting up every morning, aches, pains and all.
My grandchildren!
A husband who doesn't mind leftovers.
Knowing the answers to the question.