Stitch doodle

Finished this piece last night. Finished? I suppose it is finished, at least for now. I used painted batting for the background, then needle felted some dyed scrim and roving and other little bits of stuff.

Then I set to work just doodle stitching on it. Didn't use any beads on this but the french knots look a lot like beads. It is only about seven inches square. I did sew on a few buttons that my friend Martha gave to me, thanks Martha.

I believe I like it. Yes, I do.

Before I forget, I want to welcome a couple new followers.  First there is Judi at http://approachable-art.blogspot.com/  She has been doing some beautiful fabric dyeing lately.  Also Robbie at http://robbiespawprints.blogspot.com/  Oh, her beadwork is so gorgeous!  Thanks for signing up to follow!  I'm edging up to 30!  Maybe I will jump on the bandwagon and have a giveaway after I hit 30.  Followers, that is.  I hit 30 years old a few years back.  Quite a few years back.

Be well.

Little Flame Guy

Here is another doodle that I finished the stitching and beading on. Now what to do with it? I drew and colored on fabric using a pen and caran d'ache watersoluble crayons.  I love those things!  They are so bright.  Also used some fabric paint for the gold areas.  I backed it with cotton batting and then stitched and beaded it.

I have this hand dyed old linen table cloth that is rather wild but the colors are similar. Maybe I will stitch this to a piece of that. I have several of these bits that for lack of a better name I call doodles. I put them up on my design wall when there is space so I can at least look at them. I have given a few away. What to do with them otherwise? What do you do with all of your art work, especially small practice pieces like this? I guess some people call these slow cloths. Is that right? Jude Hill at Spirit Cloth makes lots of bits and pieces. I wonder what she does with them all? Someone with her reputation probably sells them on etsy or some such place. Maybe I will have to have a giveaway on my blog!

Thanks to Marlene at http://marlenes-musings.blogspot.com/ for signing up as a follower. I see her smiling avatar everywhere, she is good at leaving comments which as everyone knows, everyone appreciates. I sure do!  Plus she does some lovely work, lots of originality from her.

I would especially like to hear what you others do with your finished work that you don't sell. There must be piles of it! I have donated pieces to worthy causes many times and will continue to do so but still, I have lots.

Now I need to make a little baby quilt, my niece is due next month.

Be well.

ATC trade

Inka Heaton of http://alteredartifacts.blogspot.com/ is trading ATC's with me. I received hers in the mail today. She titled it "Vision". Isn't it great? I love it, Inka, thanks so much. She also sent these extra goodies. See the black card letters? For my name, of course. cool. I'll add Vision to my ATC display.

I'm also excited about my new followers. Anna Rosa of http://annarosadesigns.blogspot.com/ and Mariann of http://mariann-johansen-ellis.blogspot.com/. Thanks for coming to my blog, I hope you will return often. I hope I can keep this interesting enough that you will want to.

I never would have guessed that blogging was so much fun and that it would open up such a new world for me. I live way out in the boonies and yet I feel a part of a world wide community. Anna Rosa is from Australia and Mariann seems to be from both Singapore and Spain. So many creative people from all corners of the world. Thanks for letting me be a part of it, making me feel welcome.

Be well.

New followers!

Welcome to two (count 'em, 2!!) new followers!  Thanks for coming over, you are so welcome here!

First is Bead Babe who lives down the coast from me.  She blogs at http://beadingatthebeach.blogspot.com/.  We've never met but I ♥ed her Etsy shop a long time ago.  She does some lovely bead work. Very inspiring.

Also Pam over at http://yoborobo.blogspot.com/ came by.  She makes the cutest creatures and has an all around entertaining blog.

I appreciate you both and hope you will check in frequently. I'll try to be interesting enough to make sure that happens.
Thanks, and welcome to my blog.

Be well.

Botanik

I found this old book in a thrift shop.  I can't read it but it had a lot of cool drawings in it.  So I bought it, thinking it would be inspiring in my artistic endeavors.  The photo below is the first drawing I chose from the book to develop.  The next, color photo is the drawing I made and next is the beading I am doing on top of my drawing.  I drew on a piece of muslin with pens.  I'm having trouble with this post because I can't figure out how to make my words show up where I want them.  Haven't been blogging for very long, I still have a lot to learn.  Thanks for bearing with me.

 

Spring flowers

Spring really is just around the corner. Actually, it is here already in my yard. I took these photos today. Not a lot of the daffodil varieties are blooming yet but these certainly are. Can't you just smell them?

These sweet little yellow wood violets are popping up all over in the forest, along with lots of foliage of more flowering plants, like miners lettuce and wild bleeding hearts.  If you click on the wood violet picture you will see the detail of the moss and the rain drops.

This is vinca minor, grows like crazy here. I used to have a white variety but haven't seen that one bloom yet.  Do you see that pod hanging on the left side of the flower?  That is from the Golden Chain tree.  It puts out lots of these pods and the mice collect the seeds.  I sometimes find big stashes of them.  Also they are sprouting up all over the yard.  Anyone want some?  The golden chain seeds I'm talking about.  Not the mice, although come to think of it, if you want some mice you can come and get them.

So all of you still in the snow zone, try to be patient a little longer. It's a big circle and it's coming around again.

Five For Fighting was what I last listened to today. Wonder where he came up with that name?

Be well.

Baba Marta

Today is the first day of March, and there are a number of holidays celebrated around the world today, many of which have to do with the coming of spring.
In Bulgaria, today is Baba Marta, or "Grandmother March Day." Baba Marta is a mythical figure, a temperamental old lady with big mood swings that correlate with the Bulgarian climate. When she's happy, she brings warm weather. When she's angry, the winter frost persists. So today, people in Bulgaria go around greeting each other "Chestita Baba Marta" — which means "Happy Grandmother March" — hoping that the old lady will be cheerful and bring warm weather and sunshine. And today in Bulgaria, people wear martenitsi. The martenitsa is a red and white brooch-like adornment made of yarn. It is supposed to make Baba Marta have mercy on the wearers and allow them be happy, so that they may all welcome the coming spring as soon as possible.

I copied these pictures off the web, and the story from today's Writer's Almanac. Since I have posted information about my Bulgarian heritage in past posts I thought this would be a suitable subject for today.

Be well.