Art Quilt

I finally had got the doily tea dyed and dry to apply it and the rest of the goodies to the art quilt so here it is. Hope it will inspire you, these are so easy to make. I think it maybe about 12" x 18". The quilt back is black felt, then a layer of quilt batting, the next layer is a off white piece of fabric, layered w/vintage cottons, button, photo transfers, doily, ribbon and held together w/hand stitches. Not everyone used hand work but I enjoy it although the fingers are alittle sore from all the pushing and pulling to get through the layers. Of course I had many layers, we can't just have one or two!! This is Little Audrey, photo transfer is of my mom. Things are hectic here, DH has gone to Tucson to the VA Low Vision Center for 4-8 weeks, he sounds like a child at summer camp, home sick. I am getting ready for a week in Ohio w/the DD and the grands. Trying to clean, pack, do laundry and find a little time to create!!

Art Quilt Class

Today I ventured into Art Quilts at Creative Quest in Glendale. This class was taught by Olivia and was a wonderful learning experience. We learned to make photo transfers with gel medium and toner copies!! I am in heaven!! I loved it and can't wait to do more!! My art quilt will be previewed tomorrow as I have not finished the details yet, mouthy little thing demanded a crocheted doily and I didn't have one with me....so she has to wait. I have used a picture of my mother when she was a child plus some surprising details.. LOL
Youngest granddaughter Bella called from Ohio today to tell me she wants to go to the "Garden" the bestest place to eat, she is 3 1/2 and talking about Olive Garden. Do you think the sweet little child wants me to take her there when I arrive this week?? I do. She doesn't know I already have plans for a morning out just her and I. Can't wait to get there and see my babies!!

Doll Class Bliss

Yesterday was one of the best classes I have taken ever!! Julie Haymaker Thompson of http://www.juliehaymaker.blogspot.com/ taught a class called Enchanted at my friend Terri's house. We had a relaxing but very educational class. It was super and I learned lots of new techniques. Plus the dolls are so sweet.Mine is front row 2nd from the left. Julie is a wonderful and funny person plus a great teacher. If you get a chance take a class from her!! Today I am off to take an art quilt class at Creative Quest in Glendale. Should be another great day!!

What a day!! Is it over yet???

Been up since 3:30 AM w/DH who has pertonitis related to dialysis, so he feels really rough. I am exhausted since I had to take stuff to the dialysis center for him and then started to clean his bed and bath (his job but he wasn't doing it...LOL) Then my bed had to be changed as Sophie the cat decided to cough up a fur ball on it...yes a great day!! You can imagine no art work for me today but I just grabbed a couple pics to share. First is the "art" I completed a beautiful teal baby sweater, no one is expecting just wanted to do something different. Then there is the tank top I made 2 weeks ago in a class, it fits now!! Last but not art is our new cat: Chanel, She is a senior foster cat from the local rescue. She had been fostered out to an elderly lady who had to return her due to moving into an assisted living apartment who wanted to charge her $1000/to have Chanel. She is 10 yrs old and the most beautiful silver colored tabby.I have never seen one before, have you??. She matches the other cats all are gray/white or white!! How funny is that? The dog of course doesn't fit the color scheme...such nonsense!! She is not too happy yet and is hiding in my bedroom in a corner so her picture is lousy. I hope she will feel safer and come out tomorrow.

Teddy Bears

Good Morning!! A couple of bears to share with you. I finished them yesterday. The green and black one is Olivia, made for youngest DD who is in the Army in MO. She will have to wait until June to meet her. The pink velveteen bear is Victoria, a very girly bear she is!! I also wanted to share a WIP. Cupcake tins w/a coat of white paint. I plain to finish them off w/pink paint and then use them for storage of embellishments. Won't they be cute??

Oldest grandon Trent turned 11 yo yesterday, where does the time go??

Picture of him with his mama, who is my oldest child. She is a beauty, don't ya think??? Weight lose is up to 48#. Loving every minute of it and the

extra energy that I have now. Moving around more is helping the

pounds drop more quickly. I leave in 10 days for a trip to Ohio to see

the grands and daughters, can't wait!!!

Happy Easter

A busy weekend here so I didn't get to post like I planned!! Sat afternoon the rain held and we spent 2 glorious hours at the Botanical Gardens. I took pictures until the battery was dead!! Such beauty both the glass and the plants!! It was definiately overload for the senses! A couple of the better pictures.

Sunday the phone woke me early as DD had a pass at boot camp and called at 7:15, forgetting the time difference but who cares!! We got to talk 3 times and I was thrilled, she will have phone privileges every day the end of this week and boot camp is over on Wed, after a 15 mile march today!! Thank God she has gotten this far. Then off to church and lunch out. At home I worked on the dreaded house work and some fun things. Both projects were inspired by Kelly Rae Roberts book Taking Flight. I am sure to have that book worn out soon. Both need to be completed. My book needs wings, picture of my dad there, wasn't he cute. The mirror has a honeymoon picture in it and needs some finishing touches. I was so glad to find something to do with the mirror, as it was lovely but the mirror was gone when I got it. Today I may get these projects completed while the laundry gets done!

Create

Here is the beautiful hydrangea I bought on Thurs. I am so glad I took this as the heat wilted this real bad on Fri, I just can't keep up w/the flowers here.

Since I am up at the crack of dawn, too bad it is not Easter!! I dececided to share this amazing YouTube that I found on Stephanie Lee's blog. It is so perfect and well worth viewing. (maybe over and over)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k

Today we have rain, a great thing since we haven't had rain here in 52 days, but a not so nice thing when we are scheduled to go to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see Chihuly: The Nature of Glass exhibit. I was so looking forward to going and taking some really special pictures. I will hope that the rain stops and the sun comes out before noon. The pictures I have seen of the exhibit are wonderous!! I need to get the camera and work the raindrops..a new experience for me. Today's list is long of things I would like to get done, the hours will fly and I will have accomplished only part of it!! There is always tomorrow. On any other day it would be a great day to snuggle in with a book!!

Good Fri Morning

Odd for me to be posting so early in the day but I am off to a good start and have a great afternoon planned. Finally have pictures of the memo board I made from the antique picture frame that held my grandfather and his twin sister's baby photo. I have added pin/gold brocade fabric from a thrift store jacket that was too small but gorgeous. I have pinned on a few of my favorite things to make me smile and hung a doll that was from a swap several years ago on the bottom. I am also including a photo today of a WIP (work in progress), a vintage purse that I am recyling. It has been in my thoughts for sometime, waiting for an inspiration, it came in the new Haute Handbags by Stampington. I was so excited that I went in and started to slap things on it, now I am at the stage where I need to make more roses and find more goodies to add to it. I am not sure what I will do with the handles but I think they have to go..... I have covered this paper machie cone w/paint (white and pink) then added pink laces, gift from a dear friend on the CQ4N list Ruby (thanks so much), plus a little glitter and an earring that I picked up yesterday at an estate sale. I love the way it turned out. I still want to add a tassel at the bottom and maybe a row of trim around the top and ? handle. When is it ever enough?

Easter egg and SRE pillow

I thought I would post an Easter egg made of felt and then embroidered w/youngest DD's initial. I can't send much to her in boot camp but wanted her to have alittle something. I hope she doesn't have to throw it out!!

I also added a doily to the front of this pillow after I did some silk ribbon embroidery on it. I also added vintage lace around the edge of the pillow. Alittle hard to see in the picture.

Finally a picture of one of the cactus I found in bloom today!! I love these flowers, guess they need to be printed and worked w/in some type of paper media project.

SW Flowers

It seems I am traveling a new direction in my artwork. I am taking many photos of things that I normally wouldn't. I have spent the last couple days looking at flowers and taking some pictures. I have some that are beautiful but my friend Agnes has the best flowers!! They don't look real they are so beautiful.

I adore pansies so here is one of my pansy, this poor thing gets nibbled on by Max the cat (of previous posts). Then I thought you might enjoy one or two of Agnes's beauties. I had never seen a brown Iris before so this one is new to me. Tomorrow I will share photos of flowers on the cactus!! I have lived here three years and only this year am I truely enjoying the spring flowers. I have been missing spring in Ohio and my flowers there instead of appreciating what I have around me. Time to wake up and enjoy!! I am trying to live in the here and now and not be caught up in the things that I am missing in other places in the world. My world is in AZ and what a beautiful piece of the country it is.

Taking Flight

This is a wonderful book By Kelly Rae Roberts that I just got. I love it I love it. It really has my creative juices churning. I am not sure a book has ever done this for me before. I have even tried some picture making...scarey. Spreading my wings. Yesterday was our first spring training game ever. What fun we have been missing. Third row seats behind the Indians dugout!! Lots of sun and warm weather, even got some sun on the arms and one knee...got love it.

Picture of them during warmup!! I am so sorry we just went now that the season is over, next year!! Tonight I am off to the sewing class I take at Bernina Connection, making a tunic/tank top style top. Hope it turns out as I bought beautiful black fabric w/pink flowers. I want to make more if this one fits decent. We will see. 42# is the latest weight lose total. I am really excited by this and feeling so much better. Today the day was spent cleaning my room, sorting papers and filing, paying bills. I would rather have been busy sewing or creating as you can guess. Tomorrow the other bedroom gets it!! Boring but it must be done.