The Shelf

I've had this unpainted shelf for about 2 years now, not quite knowing what I wanted to do with it. Finally, I decided that I needed it in the kitchen and that it should be barn red. I started painting it a few days ago and just couldn't decide what kind of a detail or design I should paint on it. I started with a brown vine and white berries...but that looked so boring. I needed inspiration, so I headed here (which I tend to do often) to wander through Anahata Katkin's art. I remembered something I saw on her blog back a while ago that I loved and hit her flickr page to track it down.

This is it - I just loved it, stared at it and wondered, "Can I paint something this colorful and funky and actually make it look good? No patterns, no real design, just making it up as I go?"

Obviously it looks nothing like Anahata's work, but she was my inspiration. Her work screams "Be not afraid of bright colors that you wouldn't ordinarily think go together" and "Don't be afraid to get messy!" I was sideloading and overloading colors so that orange showed through turquoise and pink and by the end of it, every color on my palette had every other color mixed into it.

It was creative abandon!

Checking Things Off That List Left and Right

Yesterday, I felt like I accomplished so much! I did the ragging of Maddie’s quilt while watching TV. I sandwiched, stitched and turned John’s quilt (no pictures yet, sorry!).

I wrapped some gifts I even took some left over bits from the tree skirt and made a throw pillow slip cover for one of the pillows on the couch!

Oh, I finished the swag for the office mantle, too! Every year, we spend waaaay too much money to have my boss' office decorated for the holiday season (I didn't realize just how much until this morning - lets just say I could pay rent for a month!). A florist comes in, hangs wreaths, does a mantle swag, brings in about 8 poinsettias and a vase of fresh flowers. Last year they went rather skimpy on the decorating. I mean it looked nice, it smelled very Christmasy, but for what they were paid...there wasn't much. So this year, in the spirit of cutting unnecessary expenses from our budget, a few of us decided to pitch in and decorate the office ourselves. I made the swag from greenery cut from my sister's house, pine cones from my neighbor's, cinnamon sticks and red ball ornaments that I had on hand and ribbon that I spent all of $2 on (and it's waaaay better than the one from last year, if I do say so myself). Marcia will be getting poinsettias and Lisa said she'd make us a wreath. If I get ambitious this weekend, I may make up some small wreaths or something to hang on the windows.

You can see in the side by side, last year's Christmas decor and this year's mantle swag. Click on the picture to enlarge it some (and look at the mantle on the left, you'll probably have to squint - skimpy I tell ya!). Wait...that doesn't work - click here.

My office is celebrating Hanukkah at Deb's tonight (I love multicultural holiday celebrations - Hanukkah with Deb, Christmas with my family, Yule on my own!).

Enjoy your Thursday!

One Down, Three To Go

I am happy to say that Juli's computer quilt is DONE (and as you can see, the camera is back in business)! I have to say that I did cheat. I didn't bind it; I did the Eleanor Burns sandwich, stitch and pull right side out method (so much faster). I just really despise binding!

When I started the computer quilt, my idea was to fold up the bottom of the quilt to create a pocket that your feet go into. Yeah...that didn't work and looked very dorky! So I revamped the idea and came up with a better way to create a place for your feet. The bottom corners of the quilt have button holes (you can see two buttons on the back of the quilt in the next picture. Just more of those wonderful buttons from Paula - I have used those on so many things!). You button the right corner to the right button, the left corner to the left button and the bottom of your quilt forms a point. On either side of that point on the back of the quilt, 2 pockets are created. You slide your feet into those pockets, wrap the quilt around you and sit down. Now you're toasty warm!

Here is the back - you can just see the free motion butterflies. I was very nervous about free motion quilting a design. I'm a good one for squiggles, stippling and spirals, but nothing else. I did use a pattern and made several practice butterflies to get the tensions just right. Here's an up close of the b'fly on the quilt topAnd this is the start of Fran's computer quilt. I've got to cut out 4 more silhouettes, but half the size of this and with different images to block off this center image. I'm so in love with this fabric (it's a Nancy Crow - her stuff rocks. I used her fabric in this)! I wish I bought another couple yards of it !

I have a few more projects in the works (Christmas presents for family) that I need to photograph and share. My fascination with miniatures has lead me to create a room box for my mother and my aunt of a quilt shop. I've painted 2 little hutches, created mini bolts of fabric, mini fat quarters, mini spools of thread and a mini magazine spinner complete with quilt books so far. I have several more ideas that need creating and thankfully, Mum fixed the scroll saw yesterday so I can start playing this weekend.

So for those of you who get Columbus Day (Canadian Thanksgiving) off, I wish you a happy three day weekend! For everyone else, I wish you a happy regular weekend!

Home Sweet Home

Forever and ever ago (ok, it was only last September), I happened across a very sweet craft blog called Bella Dia (via, I believe, Little Birds Handmade) and a post the author had written in February of last year about a little wool felt house that she made.

I fell in love with this little house, all felty and embroidered and I vowed that I would make one. So I bookmarked page and periodically came back to it to ogle the little house...vowing to keep my vow to some day make one.

Finally, last Thursday evening, with the threat of a snow storm looming and the anticipation of a snow day off from work, I broke out the graph paper and set to work making the pattern I would use to create my very own little house. Now I didn't have any wool floating around my home (which is surprising), but I did have craft felt. I dug out my embroidery floss and set to work. This is what I came up with (the pictures are a little blurry)...

It's a little fat, the door and window are crooked, but how darn cute is this? My thought is to make a bunch of them, along with some soft trees (you can find the pattern at Little Birds Handmade) and make a village o' softies!

Just had to share.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

aspiring artist with a day job

so i've never wanted to be a starving artist; i've been a starving college student...it wasn't fun. i've also been a waitress, a substitute teacher and worked in retail - all jobs i've experience, gained insight from and moved on from with no wishes to return. i want to be a financially stable artist and if that means working a day job to afford my creative endeavors, i'll do it...but only if i enjoy said job.

that said...i love my job, but it's pretty well the opposite end of the spectrum from my creative endeavors...it's politics oriented. i don't consider myself politically motivated...at all! but i pretend (obviously very well to do be able to do my job :^) and unlike many i work with, it does not consume my life. i have no interest in fund raisers, calling people for support, or going door to door bothering people with political information, but my job gives me the opportunity to help advocate for maine's creative economy, for the environment and for research, development and innovation! it also allows me to write. this makes me happy. growing up i wanted to be an artist or a writer (there was also that short stint when i wanted to be a marine biologist and study sharks, then i realized that science wasn't my strong point). my job lets me write, my life outside of work lets me create. it is a very nice compromise. and this is what i create (mostly), among other things:













i'm happy with my creations and will be putting them on etsy soon as they don't seem to have a market on ebay (my guess is that there is just so much on there that they get overlooked), besides i like etsy better, it's all homemade creations.

so anyhoo, aspiring artist with a day job...which, this week, seems to be a night job too! a late night job.