2010

In about 30 minutes, 2010 will be gone and it will be 2011.   While I wish I had blogged some in 2010, at least I don't have regrets about all of the fun I had in my studio this past year.

In the next few days I will look back at 2010 and blog about some of the new things I learned.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

NEW YEAR -- NEW RESOLVE

Happy Holidays!  I think that was Christmas that just zipped past, wasn't it?  Actually, it was one of our best family Christmases ever.  Here in Western North Carolina, it came with a BIG snow, which was cozy and picturesque until yesterday, when our two sons had to get off our icy hill and onto the Interstate to return to their homes in Maryland. It doesn't matter that they are middle aged and very good drivers...I don't ever quite exhale until they get there safely.  Once a Mom, always a Mom, I guess. ( P..S., they made it home just fine.)

And now the New Year is only four days away.  Wow, 2011.  A clean new slate to make marks on.  And speaking of making marks----ever since I heard about The Sketchbook  Challenge (clickable link to right), I am all fired up to have some sketchbook fun in the coming months .  Some of the challenge participants are longtime fiber art IDOLS and icons of mine and I am sure that the ones I don't recognize will be idols, too, as soon as I get to 'know' them.  I just can't wait to peek into all of their sketchbooks. I am planning to follow the project and use the energy and inspiration to work on my own creativity in my own sketchbook. And can you believe it?  they are even having a place on Flickr for us 'followers' to show our pages and put our names into drawings for gifts!  Could it sound any more attractive?  
I'm going to stay tuned and see where 2011 will take me.
 

Another Chance?

I like to think that life is filled with second chances...and third chances......maybe.fourths?. The reason I like to think that is because I need a lot of them, myself. So here I am, reviving my blog AGAIN after months of neglect. Is there anything sadder than a neglected blog? Well, yeah, OK, there are PLENTY of things that are MUCH more sad in the real world! But In the electronic neverland of the internet, a neglected blog always seems to me like a sad abandoned vehicle, rusting beside the road. I want to restart this one and see if it and I have a few more miles left in us.

Weaving Fabric Strips

Last month's Uncommon Threads hands-on program was woven fabric strips. Here's mine. I haven't decided what to do with it yet, but I have some fun 'what ifs' percolating around in my head.

And here's more

Still more fabric paper. I haven't decided what I will do with these yet. It is like eating peanuts---a little addictive and hard to stop. I keep thinking: "Okay, so, what if I tried embedding some Angelina.........or a piece of that old chiffon scarf .............or...........???
[Wow, I'm so truly thankful that I have finally regained my energy for this kind of play!]

I'm going to lead a short program on Fabric Paper at our Art Bee meeting on May 30. It will be fun to see what the Uncommon Threads will do with fabric paper. Each of us is so different from the others. I will try to get some pix for my blog. Stay tuned.

More Fabric Paper

Here are two more little books. The pansies on the blue cover came from a torn paper napkin.

Fabric Paper Fun

I've been getting back in touch with the joy of creativity by playing with making FABRIC PAPER. I am using diluted PVA glue (Elmer's) to layer craft tissue and other papers onto a fabric base. The fun is adding color, patterns

and texture during the process and embellishing the piece after it is dry. Fun.
The piece on the right is about 13 by 15 inches and it folds into a 6 page booklet that will be sewn and embellished some more. Upper left is a view of pages 1 & 2.