A Hot Air Balloon Festival and an Online Class...

We got to see hot air balloons up close and personal last weekend...

What is it about a big blue sky and a brilliantly colored hot air balloon that is so amazing to look at?

We had absolutely perfect weather last weekend to watch the hot air balloons that were taking of from the campground where my parents' camper is permanently parked. It was a little warm but the sky was clear, and blue, and the balloons were incredible! This was the closest I had ever been to them- they are MASSIVE when you are this close...

The people who were setting up, and filling the balloons with hot air really had to work hard! When the burners went off to fill the balloon, three or four people had to hold the basket down so it wouldn't float away (although the balloons themselves were tethered to the ground until take off). The girls had a blast - I was thankful though that neither of them wanted to go for a ride! They had fun just watching all of the excitement from the ground...

Speaking of excitement, I have decided to take an online class from Alisa Burke on color. The class is called "Color Your World", you can sign up at http://alisaburke.blogspot.com/ . I also bought a Moleskine journal a couple of weeks back. I have always kept a written journal, but lately have been trying out a little bit of art journaling. It's a bit odd for me, I have all of these ideas in my head all day long at work, yet when I get home and open up that journal, I just stair at the blank pages. I plan on using the journal for my color class - this way, I will have some assignments and some inspiration to get me started! I have always created things for as long as I can remember, but I have always made "things": gifts for people, something that is useful, or has a purpose. It has only been within the last year, that I have really thought about creating just for the sole purpose of creation and expression. Sometimes (and I know this is just mommy-guilt) I feel like if I am creating just to play and create, I should be doing something more constructive. I know this is a ridiculous thought so I'm hoping this class and the art journal will help me break that destructive thought process! Have a wonderful week!

This is some embroidery of a set of pears. They are embroidered on a painted dryer sheet than cut out and sewed to a piece of coffee stained muslin. I let the edges of the muslin fray and then stamped them with a little bit of color to complement the pears. I am in the process of making a paper cloth bag, the pears will eventually be attached to the bag...

This is a partially completed embroidered hydrangea, also on a painted dryer sheet. I have also added some beads for embellishments. I'm not completely sure what I'm going to do with it when it is complete. Over the winter, I had been experimenting with dying some quilt batting (there was a tutorial in the winter '10 issue, I believe, of Quilting Arts magazine, by Judy Coats Perez- easy and fun), and some muslin. l. I would like to try to do something using the hydrangea, the batting and the mulin, but I'm just not quite sure what, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I get a lot of my color inspiration from the art work my girls complete. Without even giving it a thought, they can paint something and the colors are just beautiful...

There is no real process to their creativity, they don't think about what colors would look best grouped together etc, they just create with pure abandonment...

Think of how wonderful and beautiful the whole world would be if we all colored like we were five again! I hope everyone has a wonderfully colorful week (and cool for those of us still feeling the affects of a major heat wave).

Summer Time and Fairies...

There is just something about little girls, summer time, and fairies...

A couple of weeks ago the girls and I went to Days of Yore Herb and Flower Farm in Wellington for their annual Fairy Festival...

There were lots of little Fairy homes to see, things to make, and stories to hear. There were also lots of flowers and herbs to smell, touch, and even taste. We also got to make our own Fairy Garden and enjoyed a tea party too...

The best part though was seeing my own Summer time Fairies looking like they were mysteriously up to something! Happy and Blessed Fourth of July!

And the winner of the Coffee Cozy is...

First, thank you to everyone that left a comment and gave me some great tips on making more time for my art!

As you can see, this was done very scientifically. I feel a drum roll playing in my head right now...

Suzanne, "Painter of the Past" has won the Coffee Cozy! Suzanne is an outstanding painter, you can check out all of her work on her blog at www.peartreeprimitives.blogspot.com Congratulations Suzanne! I will be sending you an email as well. This was fun, I may have to do this again. As for my whispers, I have started to cut out patterns for several coffee cozies. Fiona's art teacher at school, is a wonderful artist and makes and sells art dolls at some of the local wineries (Northwest Ohio has a thriving winery industry) and she told me the thing that works best for her is to do everything in steps; work on one "step" a night. So, right now I am cutting out patterns. Have a wonderful week!

A day at the Rose Garden...

My sister, Gretchen, lives in Lorain, right across the street from Lakeview Beach. I took the girls over there last weekend and we all walked over to the rose garden. It was a beautiful day, sunny, cool, just enough clouds for some occasional shade and about 1,500 roses...
Lakeview Beach has been around since the turn of the 20th century. About five years ago, Lorain County Metroparks took over the care of the beach and the park from the city of Lorain. They have done massive amounts of improvements, including, restoring this vintage rose garden...
The rose garden was originally built and planted in 1934 by a city garden club. During the 70's and 80's it of course fell into disrepair. With the help of a group of very dedicated volunteers, the Lorain County Metroparks started renovating and restoring it almost three years ago...
There are dozens and dozens of antique varieties of roses, including some that are quite rare. And it smells wonderful!! Newer varieties of roses don't have as much scent as the old ones. When the wind blows right, my sister says that sometimes she can smell the roses on her front steps...

It was an absolutely beautiful way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon in the summer. Have a wonderfully Blessed week!

A cozy to warm my coffee or yours...

I made a coffee cozy for myself about three years ago. I have made several more since than as gifts for friends and family. I started this one about a month ago for myself and I finally finished it this evening. It is made from hand dyed wool, both the felt and the roving. I use a coffee sleeve as a template and cut out the felted wool, I then needle felt and embroider the design.

Once the design is finished I sew a cotton backing to it and blanket stitch a border. They are fairly simple to make and are useful and sustainable. To quote Kelly Rae Roberts from her book "Taking Flight; Inspiration & Techniques to give your Creative Spirit Wings" I've been hearing gentle whispers lately. I have had several people tell me that I should be selling these in local independent coffee shops. There are three in my area within a 25 mile radius. My biggest hurdle is finding the time to make them. I would LOVE to hear how all of you creative, crazy busy, artsy women make the time to listen to your whispers. Post a comment and next Sunday, June 19th, I will randomly draw a winner and this coffee cozy will be yours.

A bookmark in progress...

Honoring my Aunt Judy, I am trying really, really hard to be creative every day and to do what I love to do - create beauty. This is the current bookmark that I am working on for my bookmark challenge; to create one new bookmark every week. These are simple to make, and will force me to create a little bit out of my comfort zone as I have only about a 2 inch by 6 inch canvas to work with!

I am making my bookmarks out of paper cloth, so this is also allowing me the opportunity to create a new sheet of paper cloth every week as well. I am one day behind on that because of being up at the farm in Michigan this weekend. I will post pictures of the completed bookmark and the new piece of paper cloth on Friday.

I have done a lot of soul searching the last month and a half. The last several years have been all good, but a good many dreams and aspirations that I seek, have really been put on hold the last several years. I'm quite positive I am not the only mother to experience this, we do it all the time. I don't want to look back and be bitter and resentful because I never got to do what I dreamed of. The truth is, there is no reason I can't do what I dream of, it is just a matter of sometimes putting myself first. On that note, I wish everyone a Blessed, dream filled week!

A Book about Dolls...

I found this book at the local Antique Mall (great place right on Main street, and open all the time). The title is "Dolls to Make for Fun and Profit" by Edith Flack Ackley. It was printed in 1938. It's a wonderful book, and it is in near perfect condition. I have had the book since May but only within the last month have I actually used one of the patterns.

What makes this book so great is that it is written in simple language, in a simple time in history. The patterns are just hand drawn patterns and the instructions are clear and to the point. I love it. The book reminds me that less is, alot of time, much, much more. It also made me realize that I could make a doll, with a little bit of patience...

Cloth Paper Scissors magazine is challenging it's readers to create an art doll. I have never made a doll before and I've had the book for awhile so I thought I would give it a go. However, this is as far as I have gotten when it comes to creating "Sadie". (I figured if I gave her a name I would be more inclined to finish her) The deadline for the challenge is December 18th so I don't think I'm going to make it. (I still have a couple of Christmas presents to make!) I will finish her after the holidays; she will be completely hand stitched and I think I'm going to put some floral wire inside her so she can be posed. I traced the pattern on a plain piece of muslin and then painted it. She's going to be a fairy and will have "paper-cloth" wings.