Treasured Times...

I took this picture of my girls and my niece last summer. This winter has been so long and cold that I had to embroider it and create something that screamed spring.

I used a lot of pinks and purples because those are the girl's favorite colors. I painted a blank canvas with some gesso and gold and then mixed in a little antiquing color. Then I layered it with school papers from the girls. I also used some tissue paper and some old book paper...

Then I just went ahead and played and embellished! Alexa and Fiona even helped out on this one. Letting me know where they thought buttons and sequins should go...

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of spring on a cold wintery day.

A Little Bit of Tea...

I have been trying to cut down a bit on the amount of coffee I consume. However, in the winter, I really like to have something warm to drink during the day. I have started trying different kinds of herbal teas...

It has inspired me to create a collage about tea and tea ephemera. My mind is full of ideas, Hope everyone has a wonderful week. We will be trying to stay warm and dry here in Ohio. No school today because of flooding - although my girls will be able to ice skate in the back yard once all of the water freezes later this afternoon. Thank God for sump pumps!

Meet Big Boy...

This is Big Boy, a ruffled up tabby that, literally, wormed his way into our home and our hearts this past fall...

As you can see - the name we gave him suits him well! He has always been very affectionate toward me, but after Hailey passed away, he has decided that the girls need his affection too...

We joke that he adopted us, but I'm beginning to think the Lord knew what he was doing when he brought this giant, lovable, feline into our lives.

Finding My Passions...

I have started another embroidered picture. This one is a picture of the girls and my niece I took late last summer. I want it to be whimsical and spring like...

I truely love photography, I think it's in my genetic bones. Some of my fondest memories as a child include adventures my sister, and my cousins and I would take with my dad, and in every memory he had his Nikon around his neck. I also truely love needlework, the slow, steady pace that is needed to accomplish a project is refreshing in this fast paced world. Combining the two just seems so natural and perfect, like it's suppose to be this way. Photographs are treasured by most people, adding handwork makes them a part of living history. Have a wonderful week.

Trying my hand at "Art At The Speed of Life"...

About a week and a half ago, I received a copy of Pam Carriker's "Art at the Speed of Life". It's a wonderful book. I have had a hard time putting it down -explains why I'm behind on laundry! One of her suggestions is to multi-task; when you are preparing one substrate for an art project - prepare three or four. Over this past weekend I guess you could say I multi-tasked; I painted a base coat on three canvases and I painted four dryer sheets for upcoming embroidered collages. Boy does it feel good to have accomplished so much!

I have also started another embroidered picture, this one of my girls and my niece. Something very warm and springy. We have a bit of a heat wave here in Norwalk this week, it's a balmy 43 degrees outside, and partly sunny. Have a Blessed week!

Taking My Time Was Worth It...

Sometimes, even when we are rushed, it is good to slow down, take our time, and think about what we want to do...

I started this embroidered picture of my grandparents a few weeks ago. I was frustrated because it was taking me longer than I had wanted to get it finished. It wasn't a "take it and go" kind of piece. There was a lot of beading and a lot of contemplating...

Now that it is finished, I'm glad I was patient and thought it through. I still have some more thinking to do; I would like to use it in a fabric collage but nothing too fancy or busy...

Right now I'm going to be patient and let the ideas come to life, I'm also thinking about some words to go with it. I'll post more when it's completely finished. In the mean time, have a Blessed week.

A Little Bit of Spring...

Maybe spring is almost here. We have a little wren that has taken up year round residence in the bird box on our front porch. It's been so cold that I haven't seen her (or him) in a couple of weeks. This morning, she was perched out there looking all fluffed up but she appeared to be enjoying the 33 degree weather (balmy compared to the 12 degree high of a few days ago!).

She took off when I started to get a little too intrusive for her comfort. What a busy couple of weeks around here; the snow days and really cold weather have thrown everything off, incuding myself. Hopefully this week will be back to normal, I have a couple of projects almost complete. I also received this past week "Art At The Speed Of Light" by Pam Carriker and boy do I LOVE it! I'll tell you all about it soon, for now stay warm:)