New work, finally

Hello there!  It has been months since my last blog post but I have been busy making things. Above you can see a Dooleybobber, I lose track of their numbers so I titled this one All Wired Up.  Because I used a lot of wire bits on it.  There is a bit of copper screening and some wire I found on the road.

 

I made the little fabric bead after seeing the ones on Victoria Gertenbach's blog, The Silly BooDilly.  Her's are so gorgeous and she is selling a tutorial, in case you are interested.

I've had the little toothpick doll for years and finally found a use for it.

I took part in an art challenge/trade and this is what I created for it.  It is only 6"x6" not counting the rusty barb wire hanger.

It was a fun departure from my usual style.

This is my first attempt at something akin to encaustic.  I used color crayons after heating up the 6" clayboard.  I also attached a copy of an earlier work I did, the birds and poem.

I used a crackle medium for the initial base painting.  I like the way it looks in spots.

Here is another dooleybobber, what shall I call it? 

These are all small pieces.

another dooleybobber, close up.

 

I created the base fabric with scrim, silk and the needle felting machine.

I'm still making bed/lap quilts too.  I love this one, where I used some Laurel Burch fabrics and lots of my favorite colors.

The Horse Quilt.

I love the Indian maiden fabrics too.  These were the last little bits of this fabric.  I wish I had bought more of that years ago when I purchased it.

Sadie and Windy look all tuckered out!  It is snowing like crazy outside, we have nearly a foot of snow but it is so beautiful!  My birds are flocking in, I'm feeding out about twice as much bird seed as normal.

Come on over, sit yourself down take your shoes off, friend!

Hope you are all keeping safe and warm.  or cool, if you are in the southern hemisphere.

Be well.

Blues

I've been working in my journals a lot this month.  I joined the Roses on my Table group Journal Journey and also the Strathmore online workshop with Traci Bautista.  It is fun, something I have always wanted to be better at.  Not sure if I am getting better at it but I'm having fun with it.

The January journal prompt was New In My Life.  Above are my first couple of pages in my new Strathmore Mixed Media journal.

I also made another quilt top out of mostly plaids and striped fabrics from my stash.  Now I need to sandwich it up and quilt it.

I did a trade with another group of online friends.  We all made prayer flags for each other and these are mine, hanging in my messy studio.  Thanks friends!  I love them!  (the friends and the flags)

Remember last summer when I posted this photo of my house and yard?

  This is what it looked like last week when we had about a foot of snow.  It isn't a black and white mode photo although it does seem to be.  Note the tree that came down, narrowly missing the house and deck.  The birds are enjoying having it so close to their suet feeder on the deck.  They feel safer coming in for feeding.

Sorry I haven't been visiting blogs much lately, let alone posting on my own.  Been trying to spend more time in the studio and less time online.

Hope you all are enjoying your winter.  Or summer, for those friends from Australia and other parts South.

Be well.

Nasturtiums in the snow

We haven't even had a hard frost here in NW Oregon but now we have snow. I still have nasturtiums growing and so went out and picked some this morning. By afternoon it began to snow, as the forecasters have been predicting for several days now.

It's barely cold enough for the snow to stick, so it is melting pretty quickly, but everything is covered, including my bamboo. It is always so pretty, to see the branches bend down with the weight of the snow. They always bounce back.

Hope you all are snug in your homes.  I just came in from feeding the llamas and playing with the dogs in the snow.  Sadie definitely loves the snow!  She played and played, biting the snow, chasing snowballs, making snowdogangels, and generally having a good time.  Rocky just dug in a spot, I think he could hear a mouse under the snow.  The llamas watched us, wondering what the big deal was. I think I shall throw another log on the fire.  I'm sticking close to the stove today, doing hand stitching on some fabric hearts as I listen to the radio.

The sheer heart above I created from a vintage napkin I picked up at a garage sale.  I will embellish it next.  The one below is the first one I have made.  These could be fun Christmas gifts.  Maybe not this orange one, but it's a start.

 Be well.