Gifts for Nonnie

Finally Starting My New Year!

2012-01-20T11:38:00.003-05:00

I'm so sorry I've neglected everyone! We had a busy start to the year here in Norwalk. My daughter, Fiona had eye surgery on the 16th and now that she is recovering beautifully I feel like I can finally start my New Year. Amazing how a relatively routine outpatient procedure can consume your whole world when it's someone you love.

Now for a little bit of exciting news. On Thursday January 26th I will be teaching a class in making this "Remember You Are" collage at Gabby Road Studios. This is the new art gallery/studio that opened up right before Christmas and have sold several picture frames there. The owner, Sharon, asked me if I would be interested in teaching a class in collage - I told her that I did not consider myself a master craftsman but I would be more than happy to show other people how much fun, and

how inspiring collage can be.

I have also been busy making more coffee cozies. I thought hearts with reds and pinks was a pretty good idea being that Valentine"s Day is coming up soon. I forget how therapeutic it is to embroider, there is just something about pulling a needle and thread...

I wrote this Haiku sometime last year but was reminded of it yesterday - enjoy and have a great weekend.

"Calmly, quietly,

Steadiness in pulling thread

Peace in Needlework"

A Joyful Christmas and a Blessed New Year...

2011-12-27T13:19:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all! I decided just to post some pictures of the holiday tidings around our house. Life has been so busy here - I am sure most of you can relate...

We did not have a white Christmas here this year - just lots of rain. So the girls took it upon themselves to cover the wall going upstairs in homemade snowflakes...

Most of the ornaments on our tree are either hand made or very old. They range from home made Girl Scout ornaments (circa 1981) to embroidered ones that I made a few years ago, to bulbs that the girls helped out with just last year.

Finally I would like to introduce you to Red Girl, the newest member of our family (she was a little embarrassed about the sweater, so we only make her wear it once in a while). She is a five month old half German Short Haired Pointer and half English Setter. She is VERY energetic and is already pointing birds. You can just imagine how crazy our Christmas has been! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and a Blessed New Year!

Putting Myself Out There...

2011-12-07T10:05:00.001-05:00

Talk about a sign from above, the day before Thanksgiving my husband showed me an article in our local paper (The Norwalk Reflector) about an art gallery/retail shop opening up just off Main Street...

Gabby Road Studios is an eclectic little shop that promotes and sells hand crafted items made by local artists. Here is the link to their website http://www.gabbyroadstudio.com/index.html

So on Thanksgiving Day I took the plunge and emailed the owners about my interest in selling some of my picture frames.

The owners responded right away and within a few days I had some picture frames for sale in the shop. Gabby Road Studios has been wonderful to work with and they graciously allowed me to photograph their wonderful space.

I believe this is a sign from God that this is what I was meant to do. Friends and family (blogger friends included!) have been telling me for a couple of years to put myself out there and take a chance. Gabby Road Studios was the Lord's way of saying "here I am now doing everything but selling it for you take the chance!" On that note I will say this - for all of you out there thinking about doing what you love - take the chance! I hope everyone has a Blessed week:)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-25T15:34:00.001-05:00

A very Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'm so sorry for having neglected my blog - the season has just gotten so busy. I'm trying to find the time to fit it all in...

I completed my first craft/art show last Saturday. I did okay for my first time ever trying anything like this. I sold two picture frames, several slate magnets, and one custom order 12 x12 frame. I would have liked the show to have been a little bigger with a little more traffic but I had a really good time and I met some great people.

More importantly, I finally did something that I had wanted to do for a long time but always found an excuse not to do. I am the type of person that thinks about things for a very long time but is very slow to act, partly because of a HUGE fear of failure. So now I have jumped in with both feet and feel a bit more comfortable. I am very fortunate on this Thanksgiving for my twin sister, Gretchen, who is my consummate cheerleader. She was my assistant at the show and was a huge support - both physically (in helping me set up) and morally! My cousin Colleen also stopped by and then was kind enough to take my sister and I out for dinner. Of course too, I am thankful for my parents, who, even though I am 40 years old, came out to the show and brought me coffee:) Gotta love family! I hope everyone is having a Blessed Thanksgiving and if you are venturing out to shop remember to buy local!

Trying to live in the moment...

2011-10-27T10:48:00.001-04:00

Life here in northern Ohio continues to be very busy. I always feel, around this time of year, like I'm on a wheel. As the end of the year draws closer, that wheel just seems to go faster and faster. Time is such an elusive thing!

I've been quite busy with the girls and school and all the extras - like ballet and Girl Scouts. Kudos to those moms who have several kids all in different activities at the same time! So far I only have one night a week where I truly feel like a limo driver. I am continuing to work on my picture frames, my deadline date is fast approaching. My attitude is "whatever I get finished, is what I am going with". No sense in getting myself stressed out,

I want to enjoy this first experience.

I have been very conscience lately of trying to slow down and enjoy just being in the moment. Like watching the fall leaves change colors - it only happens once a year! The tree in our backyard turns a brilliant shade of yellow...

Before we know it the holidays will be upon us and another year will have gone by. As the girls are starting to grow up I am realizing that I don't want to miss any part of it. Making sure that I'm actually engaged in the moment is the only way I can think of to not miss something. What sort of things do you do to "be in the moment"?

More frames and a little Halloween...

2011-10-13T11:32:00.001-04:00

I have been busy making frames! I now know why those of you who do the craft show circuit spend months and months making stuff before your shows...

I do like very much having a deadline though, it keeps me motivated. Last week the weather here in Ohio was just beautiful - this week it's back to cloudy and rainy. This is a good thing as I did not get as much finished when it was so nice outside.

I have been trying very hard to stay balanced through all of this. It's been going pretty well - I even took a little time to make some Halloween decorations. These are mason jar Jack-o-lanterns.
Very easy and fun to make:)

The girl's Halloween costumes are finished - with the whole idea of finding balance their costumes this year are "semi-homemade". A little bit crafted by me and a little bit store bought. They are happy with them and I have maintained my sanity - I will post pics soon.
Have a wonderfully Blessed week.

Inspiration...

2011-10-05T20:58:00.003-04:00

Wow! Has it really been two weeks since my last post? How dare life get in the way of my blogging. I think whoever said that things get easier as your children get older was not being entirely honest. Life in general is easier (everyone sleeps through the night without needing a bottle or a diaper change) but boy are we busier. During the quiet moments I like to look for inspiration, and I always seem to find it right in front of me...

Partially finished picture frames drying on the dining room table...

A pretend campfire made of paper streamers

(thanks to one of Fiona's Girl Scout projects)...

My never ending stash of tissue paper; I can't help myself, the colors are so varied and rich and it's so inexpensive!

During our fast paced lives, what inspires you during the quiet moments?

Committing to an Art/Craft Show...

2011-09-21T10:02:00.001-04:00

Well I have finally made a commitment. A friend of mine asked if I would sell my picture frames at a craft show/fundraiser that her daughter's school is hosting. I took the plunge and signed a vendor agreement form. Now I just have to start making lots of frames by November 19th...

I have three frames completed - looks like I have my work cut out for me! I am still not as familiar with copyright laws as I would like to be, so for this show I am sticking to biblical quotes and my own verses. (Not sure but would quoting someone like Henry David Thoreau violate copyright law?)

It is very wet and rainy here in Ohio this week, so it's a good time for me to just kind of hibernate at home and start creating. I just have to remember to keep a balance and I'll be okay. How do all of you creative types keep balance in your lives?

Getting ready for the cooler wheather...

2011-09-17T11:44:00.004-04:00

Now that the weather is getting cooler (it got down to 48 degrees last night), the cats have decided to stay inside more often. This also means I have more studio assistants trying to help with my projects! This is Brother, here he has decided to plop himself down right in the middle of my tissue
paper mess.

One last picture of summer, this is Alexa at a friends cottage in early August. The sun was starting to set and was so bright on the water I couldn't resist getting a picture of her in the shadows.

For me the fall season means a couple of things; setting some serious goals regarding my art making (the Etsy shop is almost ready), and getting ready to make a couple of Halloween costumes. This year it's going to be a ballerina bear (not sure how I'm going to pull this one off yet) and a Halloween Sparkle Fairy. What does fall mean to you?

Trying To Get Into a Creating Groove...

2011-09-12T10:36:00.002-04:00

Wow! I really don't know where the time is going. I thought that once school started I would fall right into a schedule...ha! I have started to put together my Etsy shop, however, learning the technology is going to take me a few days. It's not that it's really hard to put the shop online -it's just learning the most efficient ways to do things, remembering to tag this, link to that, and I really don't have a good grasp on HTML. But I'm getting there:)

I have been playing around with some broken slate pieces and collage. They are the perfect size for magnets and I have an almost unlimited access to them. They are fun to do and I enjoy making them, now if I can just get a handle on creating the Etsy page.

I do have a question though for all of you successful, prolific creators; how do you set aside the time for your art and stick with it? For example, when the girls started back to school this year I decided that Tuesdays and Thursdays would be my art making days. This worked well for the first week, but by week two I had school stuff to do on both Tuesday and Thursday. Also - how do I not feel guilty for working on my art when I have to pass the dirty clothes pile several times a day? I know - I shouldn't feel guilty but I do. So that is my question for the week - how do you make time for your art and not feel guilty about it? I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

A Girly Day Making Artist Trading Cards

2011-08-28T18:20:00.005-04:00

On Saturday the girls had a few friends over to play. Five little girls running around my house for three hours, what was I going to do with them...

I decided to put together some kits for the girls to make Artist Trading Cards. Thank goodness for my overstuffed craft room! I had all the supplies needed and even had the little totes left over from a birthday party.

Thanks to Strathmore ATC card packs too! Artist Trading Cards were first introduced by an artist named M. Vanci Stirnemann, a Swiss artist in 1997. He created 1200 cards as part of an exhibit. On the last day of the exhibit he invited others to create their own cards and trade with him during the closing reception. After that - an art movement was born.

The girls had a lot of fun creating their cards and were excited to trade with each other. I always find children's art so inspiring - they have no hesitations! Have a Blessed week:)

A couple of finished frames

2011-08-23T19:02:00.005-04:00

I have three frames finished for my friend Krista. She requested four and I am working on the last one momentarily...

These are colors that I normally do not work with. I like the colors (in fact my bedroom is olive green), I had just never tried to use this type of color scheme before. Like I have said before, my muses are two little girls, I tend to get very compfortable with the purples and pinks. I really like the way this turned out though, so much so, that I am going to start working with earth tone colors more often.

This frame is more along the lines of what I am used to working with from a color stand point. Lots of victorian pink and reds with some contrasting hunter green...

It feels really good to create something that gives so much joy to someone else. I have one more to finish - look for pictures soon. Both girls are in school tomorrow so I will have the whole house to myself for six hours! Granted I do need to get some house work finished but just the thought of the whole house to myself makes me feel like tomorrow is Christmas:) Have a great week.

Photographic Friday...

2011-08-19T15:15:00.003-04:00

Bonnie Brae Farms in Wellington, Ohio, hosted their annual Ohio Outdoor Quilt Festival a couple of weeks ago. The girls and I love going to this event. It's relaxing, beautiful, and relatively inexpensive...

I can't find the words to adequately describe how beautiful everything is.

I believe there were around 350 quilts entered in to this year's show. Some were hand stitched, some were machine stitched, some were new, and some were very old. But they were all beautiful!

What makes this show so nice is that you can walk right up to a lot of the quilts and get close and personal. It's amazing to see all of the fine detail and really hard work that go into these works of art.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as the girls and I did:)

Enjoying the last week of summer.

2011-08-17T09:24:00.009-04:00

The girls and I visited the Ohio Outdoor Quilt Festival last weekend. What a beautiful experience! The event is held every year at Bonnie Brae Farms in Wellington, Ohio. They are a registered Elk farm. Hundreds of quilts are displayed outdoors on the sides of the farm's outbuildings. I will have more pictures to post on Friday. In the mean time, I thought I would give you a sneak peek at some of the frames I am making for my friend...

Lots of layering, painting, inking and stamping...

And even a little bit of water color pencil...

Lots of texturing, and stenciling...

And even some homemade paper hearts! I hope everyone enjoys this last week of summer:) At least it's the last week of summer here in northeast Ohio - most of the schools in this area start next week. Enjoy.

Experimenting with color...

2011-08-12T14:25:00.005-04:00

I have a Facebook friend who has asked me to create several collaged picture frames for her. One of the frames I am making is for a 40 year old man. This has caused me to think outside of my box when it comes to color; my muses are five and seven year old girls! I have completed the frame (I will show pictures of all those frames after I have given them to my friend) but I realized that I really enjoyed working outside my normal color schemes...

I created a frame that used some of my go to colors (pinks and purples) but also experimented with colors that I don't normally use...

I consulted my color wheel a bit and then just started to experiment. Here is what I came up with.

What was so wonderful about making this piece was that once I started - I was too excited to stop. I completed this in about two days! The quote helped as well - it just speaks to me. What sparks your muse?

Photographic Friday...

2011-08-05T11:38:00.005-04:00

The past few weeks here in Ohio have been nothing but hot and humid. We had a break yesterday with a high of only 82 (still humid but at least it wasn't 90). The girls and I took the opportunity to go to the park...

Black-eyed Susan's are one of my favorite flowers, I just love their vibrant yellow/orange color.

The girls both enjoyed the day too. It's been so hot and humid - they haven't been outside much. Unless it has been to go swimming or to play in the sprinkler, they haven't wanted to be out the last couple of weeks.

We are almost ready for school to start here; the girls wish summer would never end, I on the other hand am looking forward to the start of a more structured routine again! Blessings:)

Some watercolor playing...

2011-07-31T19:56:00.006-04:00

I put together this little journal before we left for the farm in early July. It's just a simple construction of whater color pages, (cut pages were 6" wide by 12" long, put together the book measures about 6" by 6") sewn together with some embroidery floss. I wanted something small and portable that I could work on at the farm.

I am still working on my drawing skills - but this is my rendition of the farm house. I did not draw the back addition, I couldn't see it from where I was sitting when I was drawing anyway. The front porch and columns are field stone. (I have yet to figure out how to paint depth.)

My favorite summer flowers are cornflowers and black eyed susans. I love there vibrancy and I find them very easy to draw and paint!

Both Fiona and Alexa were painting when I painted this. This explains the purple bow (Alexa's favorite color) and the light pink background (Fiona's favorite color). I'm still trying my hand at drawing outside of my comfort zone (anything besides flowers!). So tonight I am going to raid my neighbor's front lawn; they have a bunch of huge white mushrooms growing in there lawn -picture perfect mushrooms. They aren't real happy about them but I think they make interesting still lifes for me to practice drawing! Have a Blessed week:)

Needing more time in my day...

2011-07-28T14:11:00.003-04:00

Fiona had her friend Rachel over to play - the girls took off as soon as Rachel stepped through the door. This gave me some extra time to finish the embroidered collage I've been working on all summer...

My girls, Fiona 7 and Alexa 5, are my universe. There are times when I look at them and I think "how did life exist before them?" This collage is my little tribute to them. Along with my niece Giada.

Now that school will be starting soon (less than four weeks!) my life will have a rythm and a routine again. I'm looking forward to having some uninterrupted time to clean the house and create art. I'm going to be very busy creating in August as I have a high school friend who has commissioned me to make her six collaged photo frames. I am flattered and gracious all at the same time. I will be posting pictures of the frames as I complete them. I really hope everyone's summer is going well, I know I am looking forward to the cooler wheather of fall:)

Staying very busy...

2011-07-25T15:48:00.008-04:00

It seems like the month of July has literally flown by. Please forgive my late blog posts - there just has not been enough time in the day this month to keep up with everything...

I have several projects on the table; this embroidered photo is finally complete and I have just about completed the collaged background for it.

I start my collages with a base coat of acrylic paint and usually some old book pages.

Then I move on to adding lots of layers; wrapping paper, ledger paper, tissue paper, sometimes even my girl's school works gets added in.

Once the collaged papers are all dry I start layering with paint and ink; a little paint, some stenciling, stamping, or both, then usually some distressing and inking. My process is not exact and it varies depending on things like size, subject matter, and color. Once this layer dries I will add the embroidered photo and any other embelishments I find. I'll post the completed project on Friday. In the mean time I really hope everyone is staying cool and hydrated during these nasty heat waves. Blessings:)

Off to the Farm!

2011-07-13T12:21:00.002-04:00

We are off to the Farm in Michigan for a long weekend of bug hunting, deer spotting, long lazy walks, and lots of frolicking in the sunshine! I'll be back next week to post pictures of my little water color journal that I'm starting while we are up there:) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Photographic Friday...

2011-07-08T09:09:00.007-04:00

Andrew and I took the girls up to Sheldon's Marsh last week. The marshland ends at Lake Erie so the wildlife is pretty abundant. This white crane was trying to catch a fish...

This gaggle of geese was having a nice early afternoon stroll. Guess we weren't the only family enjoying the afternoon together!...

This picture of Fiona, Alexa, and my niece Giada was not taken at Sheldon Marsh but I liked it just the same. Getting pictures of the kids "being kids" is something that I really love. I hope everyone has a great weekend - I hope to get some serious creating done before Monday.

Getting Caught Up...

2011-07-08T08:31:00.003-04:00

I completed this embroidered photo of my grandparents (on the right) back in February. I haven't really known what I have wanted to do with it. I have had lots of ideas but none that have really sparked my motivation. I received some lace and antique white buttons recently and now I am ready to move forward. Isn't it funny how sometimes the simplest of things are what inspires us? What inspires you?

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T16:19:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone has a save and happy Fourth of July! Summer-time business has gotten a little out of control the last couple of weeks around here but things are starting to calm down. I will be back to posting more projects and Photographic Friday this week. Blessings:)

An Engagement Frame...

2011-06-30T08:38:00.006-04:00

My cousin Annie got engaged this past winter. She and her fiance, Ron, are coming to visit my parents this weekend. I made this collaged picture frame for them. Annie's engagement ring is a blue saphire surrounded by diamonds, so I wanted to do the frame in hues of blues and purples.

A high school aquaintance had posted this verse on Facebook a couple of weeks ago and I just fell in love with it. It had been a very long time since I had read anything from the Old Testament but this verse really says it all...

I painted the frame black then collaged old book pages on to it. I layered colored tissue paper for the majority of the intense color and then used acrylic paint thinned out with water to wash over it. Then of course I had to glitter, stamp, ink and embellish. The fabric flowers were given to me by my sister. She had gotten them from her husband's grandfather's house. I thought they added a nice contrast to all of the blues. I hope everyone has a great day!

It's Photographic Friday - but a little late...

2011-06-27T09:41:00.004-04:00

We had an extremely busy weekend so I'm sorry this is late! Just a couple of lovely photos to remind everyone of why we love summer:)

Hope you are all having a happy and safe summer! Blessings.

The Joy of Summer Colors.

2011-06-23T11:02:00.007-04:00

One of my girls favorite things to do in the summer is to paint rocks. Where ever we go - they collect rocks, bring them home then paint them all kinds of glorious colors.

Some of the rocks find their way to different craft projects around the house, or they might decorate the patio, or become jewels in secret treasure boxes...

They also end up as fairy furniture in the fairy garden down at my parent's camper. With their unabashed use of color in mind, I started to work on another collaged picture frame. This one is in shades of blue and purple.

I will post more pictures as this gets finished. In the mean time, what are your favorite colors of summer?

Being Inspired- Journal Frames

2011-06-18T08:05:00.009-04:00

Last week the girls and I spent a day in Chagrin Falls, Ohio visiting my cousin Colleen.

Chagrin Falls is a unique east side town (east of Cleveland) with a beautiful waterfall running right through it. We had a lot of fun seeing the waterfalls, feeding the geese, and exploring the many gift shops that line the streets of the downtown area.

One of the shops had a number of hand painted wooden picture frames for sale. The colors were splendid and very inspiring. For days after our visit I thought about those frames. Finally I decided I needed to try my hand at making my own...

Here is my completed version of a collaged picture frame. I used a wooden frame and painted it black. Then I got down to the fun stuff of collaging; old ledger paper, tissue paper, paint, inks, stamps, etc. I then drew the flowers on watercolor paper, cut them out and adhered them to the frame. I have to say I am quite pleased with the way it turned out and I have already started work on another one. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend:)

Photographic Friday...

2011-06-17T08:41:00.009-04:00

My sister lives about a half hour drive from me, and she lives across the street from Lake Erie. The girls and I spent an evening with her and my neice one night last week...

The sand was warm, the lake was calm, and many people were out enjoying the end of the day. It was a perfect picture taking opportunity...

We all enjoyed splashing on the shore looking for beach glass. Not much glass was found so we headed up to the rose garden...

Lakeview Beach has a long history; about five years ago the Lorain County Metro Parks took it over and started massive renovations. One of those renovations included the saving of an English rose garden that had been around since 1936. The garden encompasses about two acres and hundreds of varieties of heirloom roses, all carefully tended to by dedicated volunteers. It's a beautiful place.

Finally - I have actually been creating these last couple of weeks. I have a cousin in the hospital in Cleveland so we have been back and fourth a lot recently. Here is a peek at something I am almost finished with. I am very excited about it and will post pictures of the completed project tomorrow. Have a Blessed weekend!

Photographic Friday...

2011-06-10T09:37:00.012-04:00

With Andrew being out of town I have not gotten as much creating finished as I would have liked. I have however, had the opportunity to play with my watercolor pencils. They are very fun - I created this little flower grouping for a mason jar lid. I filled the jar with some home made granola and gave it to my cousin as a gift.

Summer has finally arrived! Around here that means hot humid days where we spend a lot of time outside. The girls love to be out in nature exploring all that it has to offer.

Summer also means that it is ballet recital time. They have worked hard all year to put on their best performances. Hope you are having a wonderful summer too!

Photographic Friday...

2011-06-03T11:07:00.006-04:00

Because Andrew was out of town, the girls and I didn't have any big plans for Memorial Day. We did however, visit a new conservatory/greenhouse at the Lorain County Metroparks. Lots of rare orchids and dessert plants. I saw this urn of flowers resting near an exit door and I really loved it's look.

Of course we had to find species of plants and flowers that were purple for Alexa, as this stunning orchid above.

I'm not sure what the name of this plant is, but for obvious reasons Fiona fell in love with it, pink is after all her favorite color. I am always so amazed at the extroidinary artistry of Mother Nature.

Isn't it great how the best things are found right in your own backyard? Or in this case looking out our front window! This was the sun trying to squeeze itself into our living room at the end of the day, before it settled in for its' evening sleep. What wonderful things have you seen today?

Squeezing in the time...

2011-05-31T20:51:00.003-04:00

My hubby is out of town for the next two weeks. I'm not complaining, as he only travels about once a year, sometimes once every two years. When he is gone, however, it means that I have very little time for myself...

I've been fortunate the last couple of days and have been able to squeeze in some time after the girls go to bed. This is a picture of Fiona, Alexa, and my niece Giada. My mother loves this picture so once I am finished embroidering it I'm going to give it to her:)

I was also able to squeeze in a little bit of time for some doodling. I have a set of watercolor pencils that I have been wanting to experiment with...

Hopefully I will have some time to color this in and paint it before the week is over! Isn't it amazing how much we appreciate time when we have so little of it? Have a Blessed and cool week. It reached 95 here in northern Ohio today! Nothing like going right from winter to summer:)

Photographic Friday...Lots of Bubbles!

2011-05-27T09:23:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday, we were getting ready to go to my parent's camper when the girls broke out the bubble machine. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and lots of bubbles...

What is it about bubbles that makes everyone giggle and laugh? There must have been hundreds of bubbles floating around the back yard, even the neighbor and his father stopped working on their roof to watch them float by.

Sometimes the simplest of things give us the most joy. Have a Blessed weekend:)

Procrastinating and then catching up!

2011-05-25T12:45:00.003-04:00

Like many other busy artsy craftsy people, I have projects that I start but don't quite get finished. This is one of those projects...

I had completed a digital collage of the girls last fall, I had even printed it out on a fabric sheet and started to embroider it. Well last week I finally collaged it! I painted my canvas board a bright blue than collaged it with old book pages, school papers from the girls, and of course lots of tissue paper...

I wanted it to convey a northern Ohio mid-summer feel to it. I think I am going to end up giving this to my mom and dad for their camper, it has a camper kind of feel to it:) What projects are you finishing up?

Photographic Friday...

2011-05-20T15:51:00.012-04:00

Whew! What a busy week! Lot's going on up at the girl's school now that summer is almost here. The good thing about taking pictures is that is forces you so slow down and look at the world around you.

There is so much beauty in our "every days" that sometimes it can take my breath away...

What have you seen that is beautiful this week?

Paper Beads...

2011-05-15T09:35:00.008-04:00

In her book "Stitch Alchemy" Kelli Nina Perkins gives a tutorial on paper beads. I've had the book for three years and I still love it. I finally gave this a try...

They were so easy and fun to make! I used magazine pages; a few from a Stampington magazine I had - I normally don't like to tear those up but the colors were so great. Then I just added a little bit of a paint wash to them and of course a little bit of glitter...

I collaged some tiny words on them as well. I'm going to call them my "affirmation beads". I hope everyone has, once again, a dry week! We had a few nice days last week and over the weekend but as of today we are back to lots of rain and highs only into the low fifties all week.

Photographic Friday...

2011-05-13T12:41:00.003-04:00

April showers do bring May flowers! Whew - busy week and then some problems with Blogger make this post more pictures than words but sometimes that's okay...

Now that we have had a few days in a row with sunshine and no rain, flowers of all kinds are starting to bloom...

I can get really inspired by all of this natural vibrant color - what about you? What kind of things inpire you?

I hope everyone has a wonderfully colorful weekend. Blessings.

Photographic Friday...

2011-05-06T07:09:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, we had a rare (rare for this spring season anyway), clear, dark blue sky, nothing but sunshine kind of day. It was a little cooler but that didn't stop me and Alexa from playing outside while waiting for Fiona to come home from school...

I got out my Macro lens and started taking some pictures. I LOVE my Macro lens, it allows me to capture a view of the world that is not often seen. It's also an extremely versitile lense...

The sky was soooo blue and looked so wonderful peering through this blooming tree. I must have taken ten pictures of it. It's moments like this that cause us to really appreciate what we have; like a beautiful sunny day during a spring that has seen more rain than any other in Ohio history! What are you grateful for today?

Doodling, doodling, doodling...

2011-05-02T11:42:00.003-04:00

I have a 5 x 7 Moleskin journal that I have had for quite awhile. I also have a new set of Sharpie markers...

I had to do some doodling. This may sound really easy to a lot of people, but it's hard for me. I'm very critical of my drawing and tend to get stuck in that "blank page" syndrome...

Fortunately, I have a Facebook friend who is a wonderful illustrator and posts pictures of her doodling all the time. I find it VERY inpiring.

I don't know why I am so intimidated about drawing, but I am. The other burst of inspiration for me to start doodling was a school bag that my sister bought for Fiona for her birthday. It's a messenger bag with a big front flap. The flap is printed with all kinds of flowers, hearts, and doodles and she got to color it in. It was a lot of fun to help her!

I hope everyone enjoys their first week in May:) It is still very cloudy and rainy here in Ohio but I am not giving up hope that the sun will eventually come out to stay. Blessings.

Photographic Friday...

2011-04-29T08:11:00.003-04:00

Yay! Signs of spring:) The Saturday before Easter we were at an Easter egg hunt and I spotted this little pink flower braving the cold, cloudy weather. It's like he was shouting "hey! spring is here!".

I love being able to catch soft colors, hazy light, and early morning dew. It's as quiet outside, as my house is inside, during the wee hours of the morning. Before children and birds wake...

I also love it when you cannot tell how old a picture is. Was it taken yesterday? Or a hundred years ago?

Finally - I caught this the other day; Alexa having a tender moment with Simon. This is rare with him as she usually chases him around all day and he runs from her. He is very good about putting up with all of her hugs and cradling once she catches him. However, if he can avoid her he will! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I have a birthday party to get ready for tomorrow - Fiona will be seven:)

Playing with Mixed Media...

2011-04-26T20:37:00.003-04:00

I did a little decluttering of my studio space last week and came across several of these small 4x4 mini canvases. I just knew I had to play around with them.

I did some collaging on them with tissue paper, book papers, some of the girls' old school papers, even some leftover fabric scraps...

I was in the mood to create something that could be displayed just about anywhere for just about any reason...

I really resisted the urge to add some embroidery because I wanted to broaden my horizons a little bit. Not to mention the fact that I wanted this project to be relatively quick and easy. As much as I do not find embroidery difficult - it does take time.

I hope you enjoy this little bit of a departure from the stitching! I also hope this week finds you dry; it has been raining non-stop here in northeast Ohio for several days. My backyard can now be called Lake Shella:) Have a wonderful week.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T08:50:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter! I wish everyone lots of Blessings for this wonderful spring season:) JOY!

Photographic Friday...

2011-04-22T09:15:00.004-04:00

It has been a VERY rainy spring here in Ohio. As much as I want the sun to come out and shine, there is a real beauty in the rain. I find it very calming most of the time. However, being that the girls are on spring break this week a little sunshine would be nice!

On Tuesday we baked Easter sugar cookies, the girls went to town decorating them. I love to take pictures of their baking experiments, it's a lot like their artwork - they do it with complete abandon.

Here's some sunshine! When the sun did decide to peek out this week, I made sure I got a picture of it. There is nothing more beautiful than the natural way the sunlight makes everything sparkle. Hope you have a Blessed and sunny Easter!

Giada's Collage

2011-04-19T16:49:00.003-04:00

My sister has been after me for a long time to make her a collage using a picture of my niece, Giada...

Well I finally made one for her and gave it to her this past weekend at Giada's third birthday party...

The poem was written by my sister a few days after Giada was born. I thought it appropriate to include it in the collage. My sister has written poetry since we were in junior high. I keep telling her to start a poetry blog; but she keeps coming up with excuses not to. (I write this as I am shaking my head.)

I'm hoping she will see her poem here posted on my blog and that will motivate her to start her own:) I hope everyone is enjoying the week, my girls are on spring break right now, unfortunately, it's been cold and rainy. But we have managed to make Easter cut out cookies, and are working on dying eggs later in the week. Thursday - we are taking a trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art - we can't wait! Blessings.

Photographic Friday...

2011-04-15T06:22:00.005-04:00

Well here it is, my first Photographic Friday. I really Love taking pictures of the everyday mundane. Those little moments in time, that throughout the day, give me a sweet chuckle or cause me to stop and think a moment...

I caught Big Boy taking a nap in the basket of recycled newspapers. If you look at his mouth you can see he is smiling in his sleep:) This is one cat that is overjoyed with finding a family to love him, how peaceful...

With life as crazy as it is today, sometimes we have to remember that it's important to take time to stop and "smell the roses". Not only is it important to us, but it's important to our world as well. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, go take some pictures!

Fiona's Art!

2011-04-13T09:49:00.003-04:00

Fiona came home from school yesterday with a bunch of art projects that she had completed throughout the school year. (The one above is an embellished letter "F".)

The second one is her version of "Starry Night". They had learned about Vincent Van Gogh and used a marbling technique to create the night sky...

This is a monster they created with "squishy paint". I am SO INSPIRED by the girl's art work. Complete serendipity; look at those colors! Do you think she sat there beforehand and said "now what colors do I need to use for the best look?" NO! She just created with utter abandon and the wonderful color combination just appeared- straight from her heart:) I already told her I'm going to scan her artwork and use portions of it for my collages -I can't wait. What are you inspired by?

Photographic Fridays...

2011-04-13T09:42:00.003-04:00

I really want to blog more often, I enjoy it, it's therapeutic, and it makes me happy:) So I am starting Photographic Fridays...

With the start of the warmer weather, I plan to do a lot more picture taking. I love photographing simple, basic things and making them look pretty. Makes me grateful for all that I have. I can't wait to get started, have a wonderful week!

Finishing an Embroidered Collage...

2011-04-02T10:10:00.007-04:00

I finished a collage this week for a friend. I always start off with paint and old papers. I got this book from Lee at http://www.webersworld1.blogspot.com/ I love the papers in this book. I'm thinking about just framing some of the pages. Once I get the first layer going - then I layer with some paint, more papers - usually tissue and wrapping paper (some of the wrapping paper out there is fantastic!)...

Once the collage part is finished, I add the embroidered piece, buttons, and usually a quote...

This one is going to friends of ours that had a baby girl in January. And yes, God's work is definately beautiful! Hope you all have a Blessed week:)

A Gift For Some Friends...

2011-03-28T18:42:00.004-04:00

Our friends, Josh and Dee, had a baby girl in January. Her name is Zada Marie Elieen Miranda. I scanned the birth announcement and printed it out on a sheet of printable fabric and went to work embellishing...

I LOVE doing stuff like this - especially when it's for two people as nice and as down to earth as Josh and Dee are...

The embroidery part is complete, I'm going to finish the collaging part tonight. I will post the completed pictures by the end of the week. We will be seeing them soon so it has to get done! Sometimes I work really well when there is a deadline looming. Why is that? Have a Blessed week:)

Treat Bags For A Special Evening...

2011-03-18T18:11:00.002-04:00

I finally finished the treat bags for Saturday evening. I love doing stuff like this - to me it's just so much fun!

I played around in Photoshop and designed the iron on transfer, this was a challenge because I wanted to keep it gender neutral. I'm used to creating sparkly, girly things for Fiona and Alexa...

And of course these were REALLY fun to make:) They are Oreo cookies dipped in white chocolate and covered with rainbow sprinkles. Nothing like sugar on top of sugar! I hope the kids enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Here is my new studio assistant, he seems to have attached himself to my hip lately. Where ever I go - he's right there, poking his big 'ol head in to see what I'm doing. Have a Blessed weekend.

Journey...

2011-03-16T18:57:00.003-04:00

My family and I are going to a benefit on Saturday for my husband's cousin. She is a thirty-four year old single mother of two small children and she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. I've been thinking a lot lately about how lucky we are to just have the opportunity to to journey through this life...

It's really not about the destination, but how we journeyed through it...

I'm keeping this short and sweet this week as I have been a very busy person (and that's okay - I'm not going to complain at all about it). My contribution to this benefit is small treat bags for the kids that will be in attendance, about twenty of them. I have them almost finished and will post pics before the week is out. Blessings...

My life long facination with paper dolls...

2011-03-07T22:20:00.005-05:00

I have loved paper dolls for as long as I can remember. I loved them as a child and to this day I get giddy with excitement when I pull my old ones out...

Now that the girls are a little bit older, I will let them play with "mommy's paperdolls". These reproduction Dolly Dingle Paper Dolls are my favorite...

Dolly Dingle made her initial appearance in 1913. She was created by Grace Drayton, the artist responsible for the famous Campbell Soup Kids. The paper dolls I have are reproductions from the series that came out in 1913 and from the around the world series that came out in 1917.

I think it is time that I scan them into my computer so I can use them in some creations. Have a Blessed week:)

Treasured Times...

2011-02-27T20:07:00.004-05:00

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...

2011-02-27T20:05:00.006-05:00

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...

2011-02-18T22:01:00.004-05:00

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...

2011-02-18T21:51:00.003-05:00

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"...

2011-02-13T10:04:00.005-05:00

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...

2011-02-08T09:46:00.002-05:00

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...

2011-02-06T14:52:00.004-05:00

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:)

A Collage Finally Finished!

2011-01-25T19:28:00.002-05:00

The one good thing about needing a distraction from a house that is too quiet is that it allowed me to finally finish this ice cream collage...

I had started the embroidered ice cream cone before Christmas. Then came the teacher gifts, and other Christmas presents for family that I was making. Before I knew it we were half way through January!

I made this collage on an 8 x10 streched canvas frame. I used acrylic paints, tissue paper, old ledger paper, wrapping paper and some old sewing pattern paper. I layered everything up, then incorporated my embroidery, my words, and my old buttons...

The purple is a little darker in this picture than what it actually is. I was having a very hard time with lighting while trying to take a good photograph! I can't wait for the long lightfilled days of the summer - there is nothing better then natural lighting. I hope everyone has a very Blessed week.

She Will Be Greatly Missed...

2011-01-24T18:11:00.003-05:00

We lost our beloved Hailey this past weekend. Words cannot describe how my family feels. I knew this day would eventually come, she was ten years old and had health problems. But you are never quite prepared to say good-bye...

She was our faithful guardian, confidante, and surrogate mother to Fiona and Alexa...

She was stoic and kind until the very end. We loved her and will miss her tremendously...

She is now a giant furry angel that I know will be forever looking out for us. My father posted a beautiful sentiment on facebook about her: "Chase the squirrels and birds in your long sleep Hailey. Roll in the warmth of the summer grass. And be there for us when we too must pass."

I'm Such A Proud Mommy!

2011-01-20T19:47:00.004-05:00

Fiona and Alexa each got an embroidery kit for Christmas from Santa Claus. Yesterday, due to freezing rain and a lot of ice, the schools were closed. The girls decided they wanted to try out their embroidery kits...

Alexa did not want me to take her picture, but Fiona was more than happy to let mommy click away with her camera! Notice that Fiona is embroidering the leaves purple; when I started to prepare the green thread for her she said that she didn't want to make the leaves green. So I asked her "what do you mean?" and she replied "mommy, you never follow the directions on your projects - you just use the colors you want to use". So - she decided that she wanted to make her leaves purple...

I think she's doing very well - and such concentration! They both sat at the dining room table for over a half an hour (pretty good, especially for the five year old) and worked on their embroidery. It made me so proud to see the two of them creating, I can't wait until they are finished. Now that the ice is over we are getting lots of snow, maybe even another snow day tomorrow, have a Blessed week everyone!

Some petit Woolen Embroidery...

2011-01-13T21:19:00.007-05:00

I have been busy the last week embroidering for several coffee cozies that I am making. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to sell some of my art...

One might wonder what coffee cozies have to do with art?

Well, I find the coffee cozy a perfect sized pallet for experimenting with embroidery, wool, and beads. This also goes for color too - as I pick out wool color, thread and bead color, and what kind of cotton I'm going to use to line the cozy with...

The best part about making coffee cozies is that each one is a pint sized, portable, unique piece of art...

As the new year is well on it's way (being that January is almost half over!) What kind of pallet do you like to work on? I prefer smaller scaled things, sometimes looking at something blank and big scares me. Maybe that should be another resolution; make at least one piece of big art?

My First Art Journal Page of 2011!

2011-01-06T22:32:00.005-05:00

Well I started working in my art journal. The first page was for the class I am taking through the free online class at Strathmore.com. The instructor, Pam Carriker, had us take copies of other pieces of art we had made and use them in our journal page. I am not a big drawer or doodler, and this is my first art journal so I asked myself, what do I have that I could use in an art journal?

Two things came to mind; first I have my girl's school papers - first graders and preschoolers bring home more paper than a paper factory. I save them in a large bin (important ones get filed away) and I use them for collage. The second thing I had was lots of digital pictures...

I took a picture that I had taken a couple of years ago of some sunflowers in our front yard. A yellow warbler was enjoying the seeds. I took the picture and manipulated it in Photoshop to look like a rough painting. I then cut different parts of the picture out and used them in my journal. The whole process was very stress free! I also found it very enjoyable to play around in Photoshop with no real pre-set ideas of what I wanted to do with my picture. I can't wait for week two of this class:) I hope everyone stays warm, dry, and safe this week. Happy Winter! It is snowing and is 19 degrees here in Norwalk tonight...

The Start of a Fresh New Year...

2011-01-02T18:35:00.006-05:00

It's like a fresh clean sheet of paper... A brand new year. I actually made some resolutions this year...

I'm going to burn more candles just because I like the smell of them (I used to burn them all the time before the girls were born). I'm going go on more dates with my hubby, because we really, really, don't do that enough. And I think this is the year I'm going to sell some of my art (yes I actually said that one out loud)...

Oh - and I'm going to keep an art journal. I'm taking a free online class through Strathmore.com (the people that make lots of journals and sketch pads). I'm very excited because I originally did this just because it was free - something to spark my creativity and keep me doing different things. Well when I signed into the e-classroom, the instructor for the first workshop is Pam Carriker, a mixed media artist I am very fond of. I kind of feel like a teenager that gets to meet their favorite rock star. Well - tomorrow starts back to the daily grind; girls off to school, hubby back to work, me back to work... But before reality comes back, what are your New Year's resolutions?

Bead Journal Project for January...

2011-01-02T18:25:00.003-05:00

I have joined the Bead Journal project for 2011 http://beadjournalproject.blogspot.com I have decided to keep my journal small, 4 x 6 and to just play around with it. I transfered a bunch of small photos (2x2) using a transparency technique and will be using those photos in my bead journal. The idea is to do one bead project a month and then post it on the blog. I've always loved beading but the extent of my beading has always been just to embellish embroidery. I plan to practice different beading techniques in my different journal projects. On a side note, the transparency transfer technique (I got from the winter 2011 issue of Sew Somerset) is very fun! I can't wait to try more...

Some Christmas Tidings...

2010-12-21T19:15:00.003-05:00

I thought since this will probably be my last post before Christmas I would spread a little festive tidings from my home. My friend Leah at www.manyslices.typepad.com had mentioned one day how she loved to put up all of her pretty decorations but sometimes little hands came along and un-prettied the arrangements. This is sooo my house! So the pictures that you will see are all of the Christmas tree...

For whatever reason (thank goodness) the girls, dog, and cats, have all left the tree alone. Other than sitting on the couch admiring it, not one ornament has fallen off the tree! Of course now that I have said that - the cats will probably be climbing the tree tomorrow...

The reality, however, is not all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the holidays, but being grateful for the Blessings that we have and celebrating the coming of the Savior...

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas - I hope your season is filled with love, joy, gratefulness and many, many, Blessings...

One more embroidered Christmas Gift...

2010-12-21T19:03:00.003-05:00

My sister's in-laws, Jean and Don, are really wonderful people. They treat my girls as if they were their own grandchildren and I feel blessed to know them. Jean loves to go to garage sales and all I need to do is tell her what I'm looking for and she finds it, buttons, embroidery thread, old books, you name it and she tracks it down. I embroidered this picture of my niece Giada for them...

I plan to mat the picture with a coordinating fabric. They bought a small summer cottage on the river in Tiffin Ohio and they plan to call the place "the river house". I think this will go well with a lot of Jean's country wicker furnishings.

Coffee Cozies for Teachers...

2010-12-13T19:17:00.003-05:00

A good snowy weekend and a snow day today were just what I needed to get moving on the girls teacher's gifts! I have always made teacher gifts; usually a long with a gift card to the local independent coffee shop and a gift card to the teacher store in Sandusky. This year I decided to make them festive coffee cozies...

Not only do these celebrate the season, but they are eco friendly as well; the wool came from a 40 year old air force blanket. My father was in the air force and my parents have several of these. This one happend to get recycled because the last time I washed it the blanket came out of the dryer in two pieces! It's a wonderful worn cream color that goes very well with the season's reds and greens...

I love making Christmas gifts. I wish I had the time to make more than I do. There is something to be said about taking the time to make something for someone. I don't receive too many hand made gifts anymore. When my Aunt Tracy was younger, she would make gifts all of the time. I still have a beautiful blue and white patchwork throw that she made for my bed when I went off to college. I will never part with it. The same goes for the crocheted blanket from my Aunt Diane...

This is just a simple coffee cozy but heart felt just the same. Being a teacher takes an incredible amount of dedication and patience, and their gift should reflect my gratitude as a parent.

When I was growing up my mother did ceramics and she always made my teachers their Christmas presents. Being that I went to a Catholic school, she usually made something spiritual and faith inspired. I like to think that some of my teachers still have what my mother made them. On a side note: my mother did ceramics for years and was an absolute master at fine details like doll eyelashes and finger nail polish. It always amazed me that she was so uncoordinated when it came to things like riding a bicycle but put a paint brush in her hand and she was genious with it. I hope that if you are making hand made gifts this season, you get plenty of time to make them:)

Simpler Times...

2010-12-08T20:08:00.004-05:00

Why is it that as I get older life seems to get faster? Or should I say as the world in general gets older life seems to get faster? When I think back to my grandmother's time (I won't say my mother's time because she worked full time outside the home, as did most of my friend's moms.), when most women stayed at home full time, things seemed so much simpler. ( I know that "the grass is always greener" rule applies here, I realize that if I were to ask my grandmother, or some of her friends, that life wasn't all that simple then either.)...

There are days that I feel like I move at the speed of light from the time I wake up (at 5:30am) to the time I go to bed (usually 11:30pm) I don't stop, sit, or even take the proper time to breath right. And it's not that I'm not managing my time, it's just that there is literally not enough of it! Between school and work, and house work, and homework, and playing taxi service, and vet visits, and helping out with aging parents, to managing my husband's schedule. I haven't even mentioned the fact that I need to squeeze some creative time in there. How do we do it? I don't mean to complain - that is not what this post is about, but really? Is it me, or as the world has progressed into the 21st century our duties as wife, mother, etc just keep piling up?

When my grandmother was home (although she actually did work outside the home for a doctor), the era of the GI bill and affordable track housing, you stayed at home and took care of two things; the house, and the family. Even when I was growing up, my mother worked, but I wasn't involved in a lot of activities until junior high school and even then, all of the parents took turns taking us to and from. And before junior high I ran around the neighborhood and played with my friends for hours. I really don't remember my mother running around like a chicken with her head cut off all the time (and trust me, if she was, the whole family would have definately heard about it). I sometimes feel like I am responsible for everything; the house, the job, the kids, the pets, the calenders (and that is plural because there is always more than one, there is the husband's work calender, the kid's activities calender, there is the school work calender etc etc), the bills, all the way down to "mom have you seen my favorite shoes?" How do we, as women, make sure we get it all done, give ourselves some time to just be, and not feel guilty about just being? Let me know your thoughts please!

I really shouldn't be complaining - this is a photo of my great, great, Aunt Jen (my Nonnie's Aunt). This photo was taken about 1909, don't know who the little boy is but the St. Bernard was hers. During this time period women did it all as well, and there was no microwave, no food network, and no blogging to vent to the world their frustrations!! I hope everyone has a restful week as we continue to prepare for Christmas this Advent season.

An Embellished Photo For Christmas...

2010-12-01T19:06:00.005-05:00

I want to give both my mother and my mother-n-law a picture of the girls this year for Christmas. But I didn't want to just wrap up a picture in a frame, I wanted to do something a little different...

Way back in July I had created a collage about fairies and used an embroidered picture of the girls. I loved the way it turned out, and I loved the combination of something as old as handwork combined with something as new as digital photography, and the ability to print those pictures on just about anything...

So I took this photo of the girls and printed it on an ink jet fabric sheet (made by June Tailor, Inc.). Once it was printed, and I had set the ink, I dyed it in a cup of tea for an aged look. I ironed it onto a piece of fusable interfacing for some added strength.

I had thought of collaging this piece but I think both my mother and mother-n-law would like their pictures just nicely framed. I'm still not sure what kind of matting or framing I'm going to do yet - but I will keep you posted. Now on to make another one! Have a Blessed week:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T21:58:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a very wonderful and Blessed Thanksgiving. Let's remember to slow down this holiday season and take time to see the gifts we are truly thankful for; our faith, family, friends, health, wellness, and simplicity.

Bountiful Living

Blessings to be Thankful for

Gratitude is Beauty.

A Beautiful Fall Day...

2010-11-15T21:37:00.003-05:00

As I get older, I seem to want the warm pleasant weather of the fall season to last as long as it can. The girls and I went to our favorite park on Saturday and it couldn't of been more beautiful...

The late fall sunlight made for wonderful picture taking. They were both so tired at the end of the day that they went to bed early and I got to play with Photoshop. . .

One thing my dad always told me about taking pictures (and still does) is juxtaposition; pictures don't have to all be vertical or horizontal. Let your camera show people a different kind of view of the world.

A Papercloth Purse...

2010-11-10T21:31:00.003-05:00

I bought Kelli Nina Perkin's book "Stitch alchemy" over a year ago. I love it, I go back to it time and time again for inspiration. In the book, she gives instructions for making papercloth. Not only do I love to make papercloth, the technique has become the basis for my embroidered collages. Layers of tissue paper, decorative paper, old paper...

One of the projects in Kelli's book is a papercloth bag. I decided six month ago that I wanted to make one. I designed the pears and embroidered them, then I started to procrastinate; I am not a seamstress and I will admit to being a little afraid of my sewing machine...

Well Monday I finally decided that I needed to complete this bag. I had to alter the original design (the one in the book) a bit mainly because I chose to put some quilt batting inbetween the papercloth and the cotton lining. This created alot of bulk so I improvised with some gross grain ribbon (I also forgot to put some kind of closure on the purse - I originally was going to use a magnetic clasp -oh well!).

This was an experiment, I'm hoping that I constructed the papercloth strong enough to withstand the abuse that I put my purses through. I did find this project very fun though and I'm considering making another one - although this time I think I will remember to put some kind of clasp or flap on it to close it up. I'm no Vera Bradley but I have to admit I really like the way it turned out! Have a Blessed week:)

Playing with Photoshop...

2010-11-07T17:36:00.003-05:00

Now that I have a new computer, I can actually play with Photoshop a bit and not have to worry about the system crashing...

My dad has been a photographer for over 40 years. When I was a little girl, he had a dark room set up in the basement. Complete with enlarger, pans of chemicals, and this cool infer-red light bulb. He would quietly listen to Judy Collins while he developed his photos and my sister and I would delight in just sitting down there with him for hours. Even though he was trying to develop film, he never minded that we would sit down there and ask endless questions...

I love some of the filters in photoshop that allow my pictures to look like photos he would have taken and developed. There is great solace in remembering those quiet special times with a parent. Taking pictures of my family and the things I love takes me back to those special times over and over again. Have a Blessed week!

Life Has Many Layers...

2010-11-02T21:52:00.004-04:00

I am so excited! For two reasons; first, I finished this Layer Cake Collage, and two, because I now have a new computer, it did not take me three hours to download these pictures from my camera, edit them in Photoshop and upload them to my blog. Normally this is a two day process, I would do all of the downloading and uploading one night, and actually post the second night. Not any more!...

The inspiration for this collage came from the fact that my daughter Alexa just had a birthday. It was during all of the birthday festivities that I drew the cake and started to embroider it. As I finished the cake I realized that our lives are alot like the layers of a cake. I think we just have to dive into those layers and love them all...

The cake is embroidered on a painted dryer sheet. It was embellished with old ledger paper (thanks to the wonderful paper I bought from Lee Weber!) and beads. I collaged the canvas with birthday wrapping paper (go figure!), tissue paper, old sheet music, and some of Alexa's school papers. I added some buttons for embellishement...

It's getting colder here in Ohio so we are getting ready for the long winter. My wish for everyone this week is that you love all of the different layers of your life!

That Time Of Year Is Approaching Fast...

2010-10-31T21:49:00.002-04:00

Now that Halloween is over, the whole Holiday Season is quickly approaching. I am trying to get motivated to start the whole hustle and bustle of creating gifts, decorations, and baked goods. I know this post is short and sweet today but we have been without a computer for the last three days. I am going to spend the next couple of days catching up on emails, Facebook, and a few other things that I use the computer for. Boy though, did I feel out of the loop not having the computer (and the internet) readily available. The first twenty four hours were liberating; as I didn't feel the need to go check my email because I couldn't access it anyway. But by day number two I was starting to feel anxious. We now have a new computer, (much much faster too!) and my hubby also bought Photo Shop Elements 8.0 I can't wait to play and experiment with it!! I hope everyone has a great Monday and I will be posting again soon. I am just about finished with my layer cake collage...

A Button Tells A Story...

2010-10-21T13:15:00.004-04:00

About a year ago my dad had given me a CD with a bunch of scanned old family photos on it. I had been thinking about using them in a project but I just wasn't sure what I should do. Then about two weeks ago I was looking around on clothpaperscissors.com (They have a member site that is fabulous!). They had posted a reader challenge involving buttons...

I knew almost immediately that I wanted to somehow utilize one of those old family photos into a project for this challenge. I didn't want to just do a collage - I wanted it to be something that would be more like a treasured family object. I came up with a button picture frame.

Buttons truly do tell a story. When you see a button in a jar, you are seeing only the button, but what about the coat that it came from? Or the cuff link that it was turned into? What if it made it's way from a wedding dress to the eye of a favorite doll? The next time you look at an old button, stop and think about where it has been...

A Very Girly Birthday

2010-10-15T22:42:00.002-04:00

Isn't it amazing how good a cupcake looks when you take an extreme close up of it? I had seven little girls and one little boy for Alexa's birthday yesterday...

There was no set theme to this party, just "girly", with purple cupcakes of course. Purple is Alexa's favorite color...

I'm grateful for the fact that Friday was a teacher in-service day at school. I was able to have the party right around lunch time. They all had a good time playing dress up and having fashion shows. Everyone was quite tired by the time the party was over. Something as simple as purple cupcakes left them with such great memories!

A peek at a layer cake...

2010-10-15T22:37:00.003-04:00

After the birthday party I had some time to work on my latest embroidery project. Here is a peek...

It's going to be used in a collage. I'm still working the color scheme in my head. When I do a collage I usually get an idea in my head for the embroidery first...

As I work on the embroidery, colors, patterns, ideas and even words and phrases pop in to my head. I usually have a small notebook or journal next to me when I embroider - that way I can write the ideas down as the come in to my head. If I don't write them down - they will be gone with the next fleeting thought! As you might have guessed, the birthday cake was inspired by Alexa's birthday. I hope everyone has a week worth celebrating!!

And to think a simple charm inspired all this...

2010-10-06T22:28:00.006-04:00

As I had posted earlier, this piece was inspired by a one dollar charm I had bought Alexa at Jamie's Flea Market. I would take a picture and show it to you, however, she wears it all the time! She takes it off when it is time for bed, but by then, I have no more good lighting...

I wanted this collage to be a bit whimsical but to still send an important message; the simple things in life are what's really important: cuddles on the couch on a cold rainy day, a good family meal, quiet time early in the morning, and whatever other simple things that bring you joy.
This was a very busy week for me, a lot of work, a lot of activities, and just a lot of running. It was nice to finish this and be reminded that it's okay if the dishes don't get finished, that it's okay if I get a little bit behind on the laundry. Although - the laundry I really do need to catch up on! The point is, what is important; those simple moments in life that we only get one chance at...
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys all of those simple things that our children get so much pleasure from. Who knows - maybe that is the secret to all of the never ending energy they seem to have!

Keeping very busy...

2010-10-02T21:20:00.006-04:00

I've been keeping very busy lately with Christmas Ornaments and Halloween stuff. But I have found the time to create a collage that popped into my brain one afternoon when I was watching my daughter Alexa play dress up. A few weeks ago I was at a flea market and picked up a few charms. One of them was a turtle that Fiona wanted to make into a necklace, and another one was an ice cream soda that Alexa decided she wanted to wear...

She was so excited about that little charm that she wore it every day for a week. It inspired me to make a collage around the theme of an ice cream soda. We get so caught up in "important adult" stuff sometimes that we forget to see things like our children do. She was the happiest kid in the world because of a one dollar charm!

Here is a peek at the first two layers; paint as a base, then a layer of tissue paper, wrapping paper, old book paper, and old music paper. Next comes a couple more layers of paint, then some stamping or writing, then some inks. Once the layers are finished I can add the embroidery and embelishments. Take some time this week to look at things the way a four year old looks at them!

Embroidering the beautiful fall season...

2010-09-25T21:23:00.006-04:00

I decided at the start of the fall season that I was going to make sure to look around and take in all of the beauty of the changing leaves and the cooler weather...

Then I decided to make a collage and write a Haiku to honor all of the beauty that I was taking the time to see...

I think it is so important to take just a few moments (even if it's just a few seconds) to look around and be thankful for what we have. One of our parents at the school that I work at passed away suddenly last week in her sleep. It made us all stop and really think about what is important in our lives, and what are the stupid things we worry about that really, really, just don't matter.

With Halloween just around the corner, it means that the holiday season is sneaking up fast. Take the time before the year is out - to stop, look around, and really be thankful...

Beads, beads, and more beads...

2010-09-20T15:47:00.003-04:00

Well I am FINALLY almost finished with my latest collage! I have been working on the embroidery and beading for over a week. For some reason, this collage took longer than my other two. I'm not sure, maybe it was just balancing work, school, or fall activities but I am glad that I am almost ready to take some photos of it and share it...

The collaging part took me a little longer as well. I would do a layer, then leave it lay on the dining room table for a couple of days so I could look at it. (This, I know drove my husband nuts - as the cats were fascinated with the beads. They normally are not interested in getting up on the table but for some reason, they really wanted to get into those beads.) I am completing the last touches on it this evening and hopefully can post some pictures of it by the end of the week. Blessings to all...

Cute little Cheeky Monkeys...

2010-09-20T15:43:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago the girls and I went to the Yankee Peddler Festival in Canal Fulton. My cousins were in town from Buffalo, NY and were meeting us there. My family has been going to Yankee Peddler for years and I wanted the girls to experience it as well. While I was a little disappointed at what appeared to be a decrease in vendors, we did find Carol Beuhner's place "Rose Creek Cottage" and her adorable "Cheeky Monkeys". . .

For this I was SO GRATEFUL as I had promised the girls that they could get something while we were there. Most of the vendors had beautiful things but not a lot that a couple of little girls could play with and really love. We were almost getting ready to leave for the day when Fiona spotted this monkey. Are they not just precious? Fiona picked out the pink one and Alexa the purple one. I am not that good at html but Carol does have a blog if you look at my "places I like to visit" scroll down to Rose Creek Cottage and click on the link. She is the creator of Ragamuffin dolls and also makes beautiful jewelry perfect for preteen girls. Have a great week!

Beauty in an Old Growth Forest marks the end of summer

2010-09-15T18:39:00.006-04:00

Earlier today I was organizing the last of the pictures that I had taken of different things this past summer. I had almost forgotten about the trip the girls, my nephew, and I had taken up to Hartwick Pines State Park when we were at the farm in Michigan...

Hartwick Pines is a 300 year old + forest in Northern Michigan. The park is run by the state with lots of hiking/walking trails, a visitor and education center. This park also has a living history museum on the logging industry in the area. Lots of chipmunks and birds...

I was able to convince the kids to take the longer trail that led to a chapel in the woods. This was no easy task as it was almost 90 degrees that day and very humid. Even with the shade and nice breeze it was still very hot. But the hike was well worth it...

The chapel had no lights in it. The alter was a beautiful wooden alter - simple but peaceful. The cross was a simple cut out in the building and this picture really does not do it justice. I tried taking one with my flash and it lit the chapel up very well but then you could not see the cross. I love how the trees color it against the darkness of the building...

I have no idea what kind of mushroom this is but I have never seen anything like it before. It looked quite striking up against the tree. I hope you can take some fond summer memories (and pictures help too) and keep them with you all winter long. Have a Blessed weekend!

Getting some work done...

2010-09-10T21:17:00.003-04:00

I was finally able this week to get some more dryer sheets painted. You will have to excuse the quality of these photos - the lighting in my dining room is not the best and I was too impatient to wait until morning when I would have had better lighting. I painted two dryer sheets with the colors of fall in mind...

The other two I painted pink and blue/purple. Pink is Fiona's favorite color and Purple is Alexa's favorite color. I have an embroidery design in mind for the blue/purple one already. But for right now I have to work on finishing my fall leaves...

I would like to do an embroidered collage using leaves as my focal point. I wrote a Haiku about the season recently and I would like to use it in the collage. Here is a peek at the leaves...

I hope everyone has a wonderful fall -type weekend. Full of crisp nights and beautiful color. The girls and I are meeting family at the Yankee Peddler Festival in Canal Fulton Ohio tomorrow. We are excited; perfect weather for arts and crafts, colonial traditions, good music, and really great food!

Letting Wonder Settle In...

2010-09-07T18:56:00.004-04:00

I love flowers: I love to draw them, I love to pick them, I love to try to grow them. But most of all I love to embroider them...

There is something so wonderful about a flower; the many colors, their daintiness, or the boldness of them. I love how lots of vintage things can resemble a flower too...

But most of all, I love that flowers remind me of how wonderful the world is we live in. There is nothing better than a vase full of fresh flowers sitting on the kitchen table. Or having the girls bring me a handful of flowers picked from the field. It amazes me that God created something so beautiful for our enjoyment.

Lately, usually when I am driving somewhere, these inspirational verses have been popping into my head. I've actually started carrying a small notebook with me so I can write them down as I think of them. I have been visiting Grace a lot at My Year in Haiku (I have to learn html so I can insert the link but for now if you look at the places I like to visit on the left you will see her link). Her blog is a wealth of inspiration! I've been doing a lot of combining collage, embroidery, and poetry lately and I'm really enjoying it...

I hope everyone has a great week, and remember to look at the flowers (or the sunrise, or the fall leaves...) and see the wonder in all that is around us.

A Collage for Baby...

2010-09-02T21:29:00.002-04:00

My friend Amy had a baby girl, Julia, earlier this summer. She lives in New York so I didn't get to see her until last weekend when she and Julia were in town visiting with family. Julia's room has an "under the sea" theme...

I wanted to make her something that she could use for Julia's room, but I also wanted the gift to be able to grow with her. I wanted it to be something that she could look at forever...

I've been trying to look at everything with new eyes lately. I'm trying to see the beauty and wonder in all of the plain everyday things that we take for granted. I wanted to let Julia know that as she grows she must remember to look around at all the wonder in the world; the sunrise, the dew on the morning grass, the dog curled up on his favorite chair...

If we all took a little time to see the wonder in our own lives, we would be a lot happier and a lot more grateful for everything that we have. Even during tight financial times we should be thankful. I'm trying to be more thankful...

I hope everyone has a truly Blessed holiday weekend. The leaves have just started to change colors here - a couple more chilly nights like tonight and the oranges and reds will soon be popping out!

Seeing Beauty Everywhere...

2010-08-29T23:01:00.004-04:00

For me, the start of the new school year is kind of like January; time to decide how I'm going to make this year (in my case this school year) the best it can possibly be. One thing that I can do, is to see the beauty in this wonderful universe everyday. . .

So many times we rush around daily schedules, meetings, activities for the kids, and a to do list a mile long that we forget to just look around and see the beauty. . .

Fall is my favorite time of year. I think God shows off his remarkable talent for color during this season. Everything is bursting with a last moment of splendor before we all settle down for winter. Last year, I woke up one morning and fall had come and gone. I realized that I had been so busy I had forgotten to look!

I'm not going to do that this year! Get ready to see lots of pictures of this remarkable fall season. My wish for everyone this week is that you remember to take the time to look!

We survived the first week back to school...

2010-08-29T22:55:00.003-04:00

Yes we survived the first week of school! Fiona is officially a first grader and Alexa is officially a four year old pre-schooler. I'm always amazed at how fast time seems to go by. Sometimes I think that it's just no possible that I am the mother of an elementary school student! I hope everyone else out there who has young (or older) kids starting school has a wonderful start to the new school year!

A long weekend at the farm...

2010-08-19T21:21:00.004-04:00

For some reason, the farm is like this magical place. We don't look at our watches, or worry about keeping a schedule, and we certainly don't stay connected (cell phone service is spotty and there is no internet connection). All this being said, we truly feel like we are away from reality when we are up there...

Lots of flower picking goes on...

And lots of apple picking too! The trees in the orchard weren't quite ready to give up their fruit but the tree on the south east corner of the property was more than ready to let us take its' fruit. There was plenty of proof that the deer had been bedding there, enjoying the apples too. We brought home enough apples to last all year, I have already made one batch of apple butter and will be making more before this week is over. I love the smell of the house when the apples and spices are cooking on the stove...

It's okay if the kids get dirty (plenty of hot water for baths!) and we are so far north that it's almost ten o'clock at night before it really gets dark. When they finally do get to bed, they sleep like logs, comfortably asleep in old farm quilts and blankets...

I'm already counting down the days until we can go up there again...

A Fairy Collage...

2010-08-11T13:50:00.008-04:00

"We might live with the Angels

that visit us on every sunbeam,

and sit with the fairies

who wait on every flower"

Samuel Smiles

I was finally able to take some time this week and finish the fairy collage. I used an 8 x 10 stretched canvas board, painted, stamped, and glued lots of layers. I used all things that I already had around the house; tissue paper, old sheet music, an old sewing pattern, and other pieces of left over ephemera. The paper flowers were from a wedding invitation that we attended last spring, the butterfly is actually part of a hair clip of Alexa's that had broken. It's definitely nice to know I did not end up spending any extra money...

I really wanted it to look whimsical and light hearted. The girls had so much fun the day this picture was taken that I wanted the collage to reflect that. They are only little once, and I wanted to create something that will remind me of the absolute joy they have had this summer with all of this fairy magic! I hope everyone enjoys the last little bit of summer.

I'm trying some complimentary colors...

2010-08-11T13:47:00.006-04:00

In the color class that I am taking we are now learning about complimentary colors. These are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. I normally don't use complimentary colors, at least I didn't think I did...
If you look closely at these orange flowers, you will notice that the muslin they are embroidered on is painted teal/turquoise blue. Blue is the complimentary color of orange. When I selected the color orange for the flowers, I wasn't even aware at the time that I was selecting complimentary colors, I just liked the way they looked together. I guess I know a little bit more about color theory than I thought! (At least subconsciously.)

Almost finished...

2010-08-09T23:16:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, my girls were on the biggest fairy kick ever. Because of that, I was inspired to create something that would remind me of this special time in their lives- when everything is wonderful and new...

I created a collage using a picture I had taken of them at a Fairy Festival. It's not quite finished yet but here are a couple of sneak peeks...

I will post pictures of the completed collage as soon as the glue is completely dry! But for now I hope everyone has a wonderfully Blessed week!