Now she beads

This is what I'm working on now. It is about 7 1/2" x 6". Stitched on a lovely piece of cotton velvet. I'm really enjoying working on this, the velvet is very firm and I need nothing else behind it for adding any firmness. Below is a close up. Does anyone recognize what the thing is I have in the center that I am beading around?

Listening to a new live Greg Brown concert I got in the mail. Anyone want a copy? I'll share it for free.  It's great.  There is a song on it, Broken Angel, that Jeff Bridges performs in his recent movie, Crazy Heart.  Evidently Jeff is a big fan of Greg's and based some of his character in the movie on Greg, or Greg's music.

Bead well.

green food

Have you ever eaten nettles?  Some parts are edible you know.  Above is what nettles look like growing in the spring.  Don't pick them without gloves on.  They aren't called Stinging Nettles for nothing!  Below is what they look like after picking and washing.  These have a note on them because my BF came in and looked at them and I could tell by the look on his face that he was getting ready to put his hands in there and fluff them up.  Just a little reminder.  I cook them just like spinach, kinda steam them with some garlic and olive oil and then a bit of balsamic vinegar.  Very nutritious and free!

Above you can see our new crop of tomato and chard plants.  We have since planted them out, the chard is planted all over the yard because it is such a beautiful plant.  The tomatoes are in the little makeshift greenhouse.  I'll show you more of those later in the season.

Be well.

Heading to Mary's

Last week the creativity group I am in, Stitch 'n Bitch or S&B as we politely call ourselves, met at Mary's house which is across the Columbia River in Washington state.  The bridge is very long as the river is very wide at this point near where it meets the Pacific ocean.  I believe the bridge is 4 miles long.  The photo above shows heading towards the Washington side.  Gray pavement, gray water and gray sky with the misty mountains away off in the distance.  The sea gulls like to fly along the slip stream beside the bridge.  I will always think of them as "glorious birds" since watching Harold and Maude.

I always get a kick out of this sign announcing Dismal Nitch coming up on the right. 

Mary lives on the Long Beach peninsula, where they grow cranberries.  Have you ever seen a cranberry bog?  Above is a photo of one.  They are pretty, with the red plants against the spring greens.

Below is the return trip to the Oregon side.  That is Astoria showing on the hill.  It is a small town but has most everything anyone would need including a pretty good art supply store, Dots 'n Doodles.  Also has a JoAnn's and there are one or two other fabric stores.  What else would anyone need?

Be well. 

Flag book spine

Sorry my photos yesterday didn't show how the flags are attached. There is a piece of card stock that is accordion folded and attached to the front and back covers and the flags are glued to the folds.

I first learned of this project from a Diana Trout you tube video, you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmHpPmWLMyU&playnext_from=TL&videos=m16BSuVnUxo
Then after mentioning it to my creativity group one of the members sent me this link she found: http://www.making-mini-scrapbooks.com/BasicFlagBook.html I mostly followed the instructions in that basic flag book tutorial except I didn't use her dimensions. It is very simple and I didn't have to buy anything. If any of you decide to make one, send me a link if you post on your blog about it.  Here is a link to my creativity groups blog, which shows further pictures of the process: http://foxontherunarts.blogspot.com/2010/04/more-picture-of-flag-book-making.html  It is a fun project to do as a group.

Flag book

This is one way to play.  Make a flag book.  I used a hard cover I took off an old Readers Digest condensed book.  Finally, a use for those books!  I covered it with fabric, then, using a stencil and paint sticks I put this bamboo design on it.

I have 20 flags/cards inside.  Each one measures  about 5 1/2 x 4 inches and is decorated on both sides.  It was fun just playing around, decorating the cards.  Rather like making ATC's.  As you can see, sometimes I didn't pay enough attention to the direction of each side of the cards and had to choose which side to be wrong side up.  If I make another one it will have more of a theme..  Or my friend April made hers with little clear sleeves that will hold ATC's.  Or you could put photos in it.  Lots of things could be done with it.  I'm done with this one for now.

Be well. 

Hummingbirds and Humane award

 Thanks to Anne of http://elmilagrostudio.blogspot.com/ I have been awarded this Humane Award.  I can think of no one more deserving to pass this on to than Bernie Berlin of http://aplacetobark.blogspot.com/ and her art blog http://bernieberlin.blogspot.com/  for her heroic work in saving dogs and cats and running that shelter in Tennessee.  I don't know if she has time for art work any more and I'm sure she won't have time to respond to this award but if you have time, check out her blog and maybe even consider a donation to a good cause.  I do feel honored by Anne to have passed this award on to me, maybe because of all the critters I help keep alive by feeding them.  Thanks again, Anne.

On a different note, I frequently find the hummingbirds stuck in the back porch window and I have to rescue them. Sometimes they are in a bit of a shock, or, I like to say "in tharn", a term from the book Watership Down. In that book Tharn describes the freezing of an animal in headlights, too scared to move. Well, as you can see in the second photo, it doesn't last long for a hummer.

Be well.

Thanks Ces!!

I am honored to receive this Deborah award from Ces at http://cesandherdishes.blogspot.com/.  Ces is the one who created this award so I feel doubly honored to have her bestow it upon me even though we have only just met in this blogging community.   She writes of this award: "I have more trees to plant but rest assured those who have virtual trees and acorns planted and distributed in their honor have one common virtue, they are loyal friends regardless of race, creed, political affiliations and geography. Here, I honor womanhood and friendship and there is nothing more wondrous a blessing for anyone than for a friend who came and never left your side. You have enriched my life in such a short period of time. You inspire me and encourage me."  Thank you Ces!  I hope I can help inspire and encourage you and be your friend, as you do/are to me.  Hello Ces!

I received this award once before from Anne at http://elmilagrostudio.blogspot.com/   She has obviously already received this award before but I am going to award it to her yet again because she has been such a good support to me through the years.  Anne, you don't need to post about this on your blog, just accept it in the manner it is meant, as a thank you for your continued friendship, which means a great deal to me.

Another friend of mine who totally deserves this award is my best friend April.  She doesn't have a blog but I'm going to award it to her anyway because she has been a steadfast true friend for many years and I want to honor her with this.  April, thanks for always being there for me and always being supportive and for making me laugh!  She is such a good sport as this photo demonstrates.  She once confessed to our creativity group that she hates sock monkeys so now, of course, she gets sock monkeys, sock monkey greeting cards, sock monkey fabric, sock monkey this, sock monkey that.  She accepts these joke gifts with a smile and a thank you.  I hope she will accept this award with the same grace.

There are many more people I could give this to but I believe I shall award it to just one more.  I would like to send it to Audrey at http://magicmiraclesjoy.blogspot.com/.  We have gotten to know each other a bit through our blogs, she was my very first follower.  Thanks Audrey (can I call you aud baud?) We are becoming friends and are inspiring each other to exercise more.  I know she is a very busy gal, so Audrey, you don't need to post on your blog about this but please accept the award in the spirit of friendship and encouragement. 

I read that the name Ces and her Dishes came about because Ces was a fan of Fiesta Ware dishes.  I know the other gals in our creativity group are also fans of Fiesta.  I hope you all find some wonderful new Fiesta ware at some unexpected place, and it is in perfect condition and way underpriced.

Be well.