February Page Done!

I have it done! February is finally finished after stops and starts and what-have-you!

Winter cold can be a bit of a shock for a transplant from southern California. Back in December of 1974 my husband, I, our son (16mos.) and our daughter (two weeks old) left California for Great Lakes Naval Base by Chicago, Illinois.

Driving ahead of a severe winter storm all the way we first went to Bennington, Vermont to spend Christmas with my husband's parents as he hadn't been with them in several years. Then we backtracked to Illinois and set ourselves up in a motel. It was 60 below wind chill in that area at the time. I remember walking to the car from our room and saw our son walking forward but going backwards due to the severe wind. A few days of looking at rentals and the waiting list for base housing had us looking at the base mobile home park where we could buy a home and not have to wait long to move in. Then we got the phone call.

My husband's father died of a heart attack in the beginning of January so he had to get us out of the motel and drive us to Pennsylvania where my sister lived so he could go home for the funeral. We were running low on money so he tried to get help from the Navy Relief Society but they said they had no money to give or lend to us. That was alright going to my sister's but when all his business was taken care of and we got back to Illinois it was tough going. We had applied for a loan for the mobile home and hadn't heard anything. We got down to the bottom of our money.

We were so low in money we didn't have any for a motel for one more night. We were looking at sleeping in our car that night with our two babies in that super cold winter. We were really kind of scared but didn't know what else to do. My husband was on duty and when you are in the military you can't just come and go when you want. They had already let my husband have emergency leave for his dad; they weren't going to give him time off to take his family back to his sister-in-law's. Well, he called me from work. The loan from the credit union came through that day and we got to sleep (albeit on the floor) in our new old home that night. We were so happy. I took our electric skillet we'd been cooking with and made us some tacos we ate picnic style on our floor. We were warm, safe, and very, very happy people!

This is as close as I could come to how our home looked. As Janet of The Lavender Loft said this home is now retro! It was a 12'x60' two bedroom home which worked out great for our small family. The homes were placed like the spokes of a wheel with the playground at the hub. It was a great first home.

I beaded it with springtime flowers and butterflies instead of the cold winter snows as once we moved in I felt like all the troubles and cold were left behind. We were on a new start and that means spring, not winter! I really don't remember the cold after we moved in. I guess life was at a real dividing point there.

Can't Help Doing These

These things just cry out to me, " Do this one, do this one". So I do!

You Were a Whale

You see the unseen and connect on the deepest level. You help others find their soul's song.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

Blog Thingy

I saw another blog thing on The Lavender Loft blog. Seeing how creative I am supposed to be sounded like fun so here is how I turned out:

Now how do you come out on this?

You Are 82% Creative

You are an incredibly creative person. For you, there are no bounds or limits to your creativity. Your next creation could be something very great... Or at least very cool!

How Creative Are You?

BJP Progress-Really!

This is my February page for the Bead Journal Project - at least, what I have so far. I am almost done with the mobile home and then will do a few flowers before saying it's done. But I am close. I just thought I would remind everyone I am a real, live, beading, behinder-but-working-on-it member of the project. I haven't given up even though it looks like I gave it up for inchies.

Remember, you get the story when I post the finished page! Check back later!

Inchies

This is my inchie for this week. The theme was "incorporate a word" into your inchie. The old inchie group site is gone but Fionna of Magick Diva has started up a new inchie blog called InchiebyInch so inchies can keep marching along. Thank you Fionna!

There isn't anything to explain on this one. It's simple but I like it. I try to sing through my art since I can't through my voice!

Why don't you join us? Have a "little" bit of fun!

Inchies

The theme for this week's inchie is Dots. What better way to express that than using a dotee doll! This is the smallest one I have made so far.

I glued a batik fabric with dots on it to a piece of card instead of making a stuffed body for the doll. Otherwise I feel like I've stuck pretty closely to the heart of these dolls. This was fun to make and now I am off to post it on The Inching Artists.

I am still working on catching up on my bead journal pages. I finally gave up on the TIF challenge. I just can't keep up with everything I want to. It was stressing me out till I wasn't able to work on anything. Someday I hope to try that one again.

Coming Up Roses

The theme for this week's inchies was lace. It sounded easy enough. And when I checked on the blog for the group I checked the comments to see if anyone had theirs done. Two people did and when I went to see their pictures here and here I found some great inchies. But they didn't help me with what I had on hand to create with so...

I used some gift wrap and a piece of a shopping bag from Italy to make my backgrounds. I had a piece of tatted lace I'd made years ago so that was put on one and a piece of paper doily on the other. Then I added a ribbon rose to each and some gold krylon ink to the edges. I am happy enough with these.

I guess I should get some rubber stamps that would work with such a small sized surface. It would give me more to choose from for making them into little pieces of art. Right now I just feel like I am decorating a square tile!

Actually I started with four bases: one of the others had pink giftwrap and the first piece of honiton lace I made added to it but then I got stuck as to where to go so it sits while I ponder it. The other had the same striped giftwrap as the top picture but red paper doily attached before I once again, got stuck. If anyone has any ideas I sure wouldn't mind hearing them! Do you make some and get stuck halfway through? Do you end up just tossing some? Or do you make them work for you?

March TIF Done

I finally finished my March challenge as a fiber ATC. I even used the colors, at least as close to them as I could come. That meant using a metallic thread for the tree which worked out fine but when I tried zigzagging around the edge it just bound up on me and made a mess. I ripped it out and tried adding a binding but my new (and cheap) sewing machine didn't have a 1/4 " division even using the edge of the foot for guidance and I couldn't get any of the feet around the tree-base rocks. You can see the stitching where I tried and had to remove the stitching. (I have now wet it thoroughly and left it to dry. Hopefully this will remove the needle holes).

My moment in time comes from posting a picture of our tree just breaking into buds with a few green tips of leaves barely showing. I figure spring always happens in a blink of an eye. Sure enough, what was barely breaking out on March 1st is in full leaf as of March 31st!

I machine appliqued the layers together for our desert landscape. I machine embroidered the tree and then added brown and green #18 seed beads for the buds and opening leaves. I used OO nymo thread and a size 15 beading needle. I finally got to use some of my vintage teeny tiny beads. That was the highlight of this challenge! I also added cat's eye chips for my quartz rocks which are around the real tree. I finished it off with blanket stitch. After all the false starts and changes, I find I like the end result. It definitely took me further than I intended and was a big challenge too!

Pink Artist Doll Is Done

The Pink Artist doll is done. Her name is Love Squared. I have a few pictures but there are many more on Girl Gone Thread Wild's blog . Be sure you go check her out. So many people contributed squares.

It's amazing how many want to help others. Some do it by joining in on walks or runs for cancer cures. Some help by making money to contribute through bake sales. There are just so many ways but this call for two inch artist squares was right up my alley. Obviously is was a call many answered.

But the one who started the whole thing off and actually made the doll is Monica Magness of the above mentioned blog. She did such a super job. Her ears must be hurting from all the applause she is getting. I don't think anyone could guess how the doll would come out but she is so perfect. Monica used needle felting for the hair and face. Oh, I can't beging to describe how she did it. Just go over to her blog where she tells all.

The crown for the doll was made be another artist Grace Beading who is also a member of the Bead Journal Project. She did a wonderful job as did the artist who made the box and well, like I said, just go on over and see it all.

The first picture shows one of the squares I made for the doll. It's the second from the right on the top row. Monica (actually her husband Jeff) took lots of pictures so everyone could find their square on the doll. The other pictures show front and back but they don't show her base which is beautiful too. Go and see.

Inchies

This weeks Inchie theme was "wire" so I made an inchie I call Embedded. I used ulra thick embossing powder to imbed a piece of wire mesh over a tissue paper covered piece of card. I added some Beadazzles before the resin hardened. Then I attached a dragonfly with thin brass wire before gluing a backing card to the back to hide and hold all the wire. I am quite happy with it.

Pay It Forward

Look what I got from Sue in western WA! This is for joining in her Pay It Forward on her blog. It is a postcard she made for me.

I love the colors and look at the sequins and beads that make it sparkle. She even included a bird since I am Freebird. And notice the little heart. This makes me feel like I am in a steamy, colorful rainforest with it's heart thump, thump, thumping to the tune of all the life in it.

Thankyou so much Sue! I treasure it.

Now, I haven't had any takers on my second Pay It Forward. Who knows you might get something like this if you sign up. Then again, it might be something really different. You won't know unless you sign up here .

Baby Quilts

I thought I would share pictures of the quilts I
made for my grandchildren when they were born. The green one is the first one. It was made for my grandson. This picture was taken last summer when the quilt was 13 years old and I can say the quilt has been in constant use all these years.


Next comes the big-star quilt. It was made 11 years ago for my first granddaughter.

The small-star quilt was made next but the squares were made by hand as a portable project I had started a couple of years before. I pieced the blocks together by machine though.


And last comes the 7 year old quilt for the baby of the family. Good ol' Attic Windows. The kids are all pretty attached to these quilts.


My daughter, thank goodness, didn't relegate these to the awful status of "family heirloom" meaning no touching, no attaching to, but instead felt the kids should use them even if they wear them out. I sooo agreed with her on this but we lucked out and the quilts have held up very well.

Another of Those Blog Things

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

Pay It Forward #2

I signed up for another Pay It Forward a few weeks ago. I waited to post it so there would be a little time between the last one and this one to see if some newcomers to my blog would like to jump in and play (and then I kept forgetting to post). I hope I can find three people willing to leave a comment saying they will join in on the paying it forward.


Pay it forward rules: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a Comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange, and who make the same pledge on their own blogs . I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward meaning you will do the same for three people who comment on your posting on your blog.


Anyone???

Easter

Happy Easter everyone. We have a tree in leaf and a couple of wild flowers blooming. Living in the desert with a well means no lawn so we enjoy the wild flowers while they are here. When they turn into stickers I don't find them so attractive but for now, so early in spring we are happy to see as much green as we are.

The other picture is my Pandora sitting in an open window. It's only the second chance so far this year for her to enjoy the fresh air and she is enjoying it.

Anyhow, we are having a wonderful spring day to celebrate this holiest of holidays. New life is in evidence in nature to remind us of our spiritual possibilities. Isn't is wonderful?