April 30, 2013

Affirmations - Thinking Positive

Week 18 of Life Book 2013 led by Dawn DeVries Sokol.  Make a page of Affirmations, including a photo of oneself.

The photo was taken of me sitting on top of my mother's sewing machine.  (I don't know how old I was.)   I never would have guessed that I would spend most of my time these days sitting at my own sewing machine.  Mom knew best!

I tried writing with various pens and markers, but had trouble getting them to show up.  I made the decision to "write" my affirmations in PSE using different fonts and adhere these to the page with gel medium.  Richard and I picked up a couple of fortune cookies with our dinner on Saturday.  I included these here as well.
It is important to think positive about ourselves!

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April 25, 2013

Small Quilt Made From Left Overs...

Beginning this fall, there is to be a three year tour of the featured SAQA artists in Lark Publications new book "Art Quilt Portfolio People and Portraits."  A binder filled with sample quilts will help the viewer understand the artists' process and also have an opportunity to touch the sample quilts.  (Touching the exhibition quilts is a no-no!)

This sweet little piece was made from leftovers.  I keep a basket of scraps under my sewing table.

My process:

1.  Draw simple face; transfer to fusible web
2.  Iron fusible web to selected fabrics
3.  Cut out pieces


4.  Assemble pieces
5.  Iron to background
6.  Stitch appliqué; free motion quilting


7.  Make binding
8.  Stitch on binding
9.  Embellish


Finished sample quilt
(8 x 8)

April 21, 2013

Exhibit at the Mattie Kelly Gallery...

It was a 10 hour drive from Naples to Niceville, FL.  As soon as we got onto Interstate 10, it started to rain.  (Why does it always rain when I'm the one driving?!)  The temperature had dropped to the 50s - we were totally unprepared for that.  As soon as we arrived in Niceville, we found the local Wal-Mart so Richard could buy a jacket.



 We headed toward the beach on Saturday morning.  We were blessed with a blue sky and plenty of cool gusty winds.  Not flattering to one's hair style...



We're in town for the opening of my solo exhibit at the Mattie Kelly Gallery.  The opening reception is Sunday afternoon at 2PM in the Holzhauer Gallery, Northwest Florida State College, 100 College Blvd., Niceville, FL  The exhibit runs April 21 - May 31, 2013.

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April 15, 2013

Taxes...

Life Book 2013 Week 16 is led by Aimee Myers Dolich whose specialty is creating lovely backgrounds using assorted ink pads.  I don't have many different colors in my stash.  I used what I had to make the background of this piece and added scrapbooking paper for the other elements.

This page shows what was on my mind this morning...



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April 8, 2013

Meditation...

Life Book 2013 Week 15 led by Erin Faith Allen is not an art lesson per se, but a meditation primer.  Since I had a mind set to create art this morning, I drew a Tree of Life (Erin said to think about a tree, picture it in one's mind).  I have a hard time keeping still and meditating.  My mind is always racing a gazillion miles a minute.

I drew/painted the tree in my fabric journal that I have been working on for quite some time and added one of my favorite quotes.



April 2, 2013

These Drawings Are For The Birds!

Life Book Week 14 led by Tamara LaPorte.

Accordion style pages made; background consists of layers of gesso, acrylic paints, inks - you get the idea.


Drawing whimsical birds is fun and easy.  They do not have to be realistic - combine the odd shapes, add a beak and a tail feather and that's it!

The addition of lyrics from a favorite song were to be added, but I chose to use some fortune cookie fortune papers instead.

The finished inside pages.  (Bottom right is the backside.)

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