Web

I'm working on several crocheted "spider webs" for an artistic prayer installation that will coincide with Holy Week. I can't wait to post pictures of the actual installation. These prayer installations have really been a stepping off point for me, spiritually and artistically, over the past couple of years.

New Stetson Fedora

A new thrift store opened this weekend right around the corner from us, and I just couldn't resist having the kids model this fedora we found at the beginning of the week. I'm pretty sure this needs to be Judah's! (if only I could get him to quit wearing his bike helmet everywhere we go...)

amazing weekend

I had an incredible weekend away with some friends in the mountains of north georgia. We took our crafty things, some good movies, fun games and never left the house the entire weekend. We sewed, crocheted, painted, made photo albums, watched elizabeth and les miserables, and played banagrams for four days straight. what more could some mamas ask for??

I worked on sewing some details into these pretty, vintage childrens' book illustrations... not sure what i'm going to do with them yet, but i really like them...

New Landscape

I was able to take a picture tonight of my newest landscape painting in progress. This one was commissioned by a friend of mine! It's still much too hazy - I want to find the balance of adding in more detail while keeping the peaceful feeling of the painting. I'm really liking the colors... I've always known this, but I realized again while painting this that I love, love to mix colors.

It feels really good to paint in oils again. They are so very different from encaustics. I love the way you can move oils around the canvas and work into them while they are still wet. I've actually found some acrylics this week that work much the same way - more on that soon for anyone who's interested...

Ughh!!

Ok, so consistency is not my greatest attribute!

It's been several months since I've last posted, but I have plans... My hope for this year is to post here at least once a week (hopefully more). I'm realizing that I have to learn to set achieveable goals. I usually go all out with something for about a week (if I last that long) and then because I can't keep up the "all" aspect, I end up doing nothing again...





Doing the Couch to 5K app has been a good lesson in this for me. (If any of you haven't heard about this, it's an awesome way to get up off your butt and get moving.) My main goal is just to complete the app - all 9 weeks. I bought new running shoes in December (Why do running shoes have to be soooo ugly?) and have been "running" since then - but I just completed week 4. The moral of the story is that because my goal has been to finish, I can achieve that, even if it takes me 6 months to do the 9 week app. I've seen myself getting a little more consistent lately, so hopefully, I'm making progress.


I feel like I'm seeing the same progress with my artwork and other creative endeavors. We had quite the setback in January with a round of the chicken pox and no school for a month, but now that I am back in my little studio, it's been great. I've started a commissioned painting, found a new medium that I LOVE, and have taken the first plunge into a new art installation that i have been dreaming about through the past few months. I'll be posting pictures of all of this in the coming weeks!

so here they are...

The beginnings of a pocket advent calendar.

my second bag... not quite put together yet

detail from the bag

machine embroidered zipper pouch

and more zipper pouches...

Pictures of a few of the things I'm working on for the Moss Rock Festival. I keep hearing such good things about this festival and can't wait to check it out and participate!

Oh my!

It's been over a week since my last post - I'm still getting the hang of blogging - figuring out the timing of taking pictures, editing the pictures, and then posting. Any advice?? I'd love to figure out how to utilize flickr better...
Beau has been gone all week, and needless to say, life is always more hectic as a single mom. I was thinking that, without him here, I would have extra time at night to get some sewing done, but most of the nights he's been gone, I've fallen into bed with the little ones at their bedtime! I did start working on some fun things last night for the Moss Rock festival, and I will hopefully be able to post some pictures later tonight of the things in progress...

i love a good deal!

i know so many people who have found great deals on ebay, but i have always hated the way ebay makes me feel - all jittery inside, ready to pounce to get what i want! but, alas, i stumbled upon the above adorable jumper along with two others and couldn't resist bidding. i bid 99 cents for all three jumpers and then didn't go back to check until the auction was over - and i won! it was finally cool enough today for z. to wear the first one with a long sleeve shirt underneath, and i just wanted to eat her up all day long she looked so cute in it... (okay maybe not when she was swatting at my face and yelling for me to get her some crackers this morning at the thrift store!) i love to get a good deal! and i'd say 33 cents for this cute jumper was a good deal!

Two new little landscapes

I finished a couple of new little landscapes. I have never painted this small before, but I'm enjoying it. Each of these paintings is about 8" x 8". It's funny... I have so many ideas for mixed media work, combining stitching and fabric, collage and words, along with the encaustics, even doing some installation type pieces, but something is blocking my way from letting them out just yet. I don't know if it's fear or if they still need some time to develop in my head first. So for now, I'm enjoying making these little landscapes.

family heart and amanda soule's new book

i received a copy of Amanda Soule's newest book, Handmade Home, in the mail a few week ago and read through all of the projects right away. i am so inspired by all of her great ideas! a few days later, as i was working on some other projects at the sewing machine and thinking about my oldest going off to school full time, an idea came to mind from Amanda's book. one of the projects in Handmade Home is a family heart that any member of the family can take with them if they will be away from the family, especially overnight. her heart is made from scraps of fabric cut into the shape of a heart- sewn together and stuffed... so as i thought of c. being away from us all day, i decided to make him one of these hearts. i found his old blankie that i had put away in a keepsake box and cut it into a heart, sandwiched some flannel between the two layers and sewed a pocket to the outside for little notes. he loved it! and i love that he can carry it in the pocket of his backpack while he's away!

2009 Vintage Swap

I'm going to be a part of my first swap! Thanks to Heather at Shivaya Naturals for hosting such a fun swap... I have recently begun to frequent the thrift stores around me again, looking for interesting fabrics or clothing that can be repurposed, and I can't wait to pass some of these along to someone else and see what they make of them. These are a few of my recent finds... a set of 1960's floral sheets (which i think would make some very cute little girls' dresses or skirts) and some yardage of a great olive green and orange fabric along with a nubby green tablecloth.

New Purse

So I had some extra time this weekend since my oldest and his papa were backpacking. I stayed up late one night and finished a bag I had had in mind for quite some time. I used an old wool skirt and some herringbone tweed that I had found at the thrift store, and I like how it turned out. I really want to keep this one, but I'm trying to get some extra things ready for the Moss Rock Festival that I will be vending at November 7th and 8th. I keep hearing great things about this festival, so I'm excited to be a part of it! We'll see if this bag ends up there or not!

Improvisational Quilting??

I have absolutely fallen in love with the blogging world and all of the inspiration it offers me. I recently found the AlewivesGirl blog and this inspiring post about a Denyse Schmidt quilting workshop and fell in love with Denyse's work and the idea of improvisational quilting. What, might you ask, is improvisational quilting? I'm still not sure what the official answer to that question is, but I've made up my own version and am having a lot of fun with it. I just took several leftover pieces of fabric and began cutting them into odd size scraps and then assembling them into (almost) rectangles. And then I'm using this blue map fabric to finish out the squares.
I decided this is going to be my son J's Christmas present because both of the other kids have special blankets, and he has been requesting one lately as well. I'm really liking the process of just putting the fabrics together haphazardly and seeing what comes of it... Only 13 more squares to go! I've never finished a quilt before, started several but never finished a single one... maybe this will be the one!

A beautiful day

A week ago, I had the opportunity to spend the day with my son and his classmates at his school's outdoor classroom. We all caravaned from school to a friend's property south of town and once there spent the morning on a hike, enjoying the unusually brisk September air and searching for mushrooms. I had no idea Alabama was home to such a variety of beautiful mushrooms. Here are a few that we saw on our hike. Thank you Ivey for sharing your woods, and thank you to all the incredible women at Red Mountain who are giving my son an irreplaceable education!

Finished Backpacks!

So, all of my kids have started school for the year. and i actually finished backpacks for two of them before school started. i did a little tweaking of the pattern when i made the second of these backpacks, because i wanted the straps to be more appropriate for a youngster. the day in the park backpack/tote pattern is a great pattern, but i realized once i had it made, it's not really proportioned for kids. i think for my littlest's backpack, i might try this pattern. (actually, there are several of rae's patterns that i'd like to try!) but my two boys have enjoyed using their homemade backpacks, although i do wonder if at some point (if i continue this craze of homemade madness) if they will begin to resent me for not having the store bought things!

this girl knows what i like...

i received a wonderful gift a few weeks ago... a friend of mine handed me a bag full of vintage buttons, knowing that i've been making some fabric wrist cuffs and that buttons can make or break the whole cuff. i can't wait to figure out which ones i want to use first... maybe the ivory one with the carved flower, or the crocheted brown one, but the greyish blue one is really great too... thank you lisa!

so sorry...

... i have been away so long. the past few weeks have gotten the best of me, and i've been busy with our end of the summer vacation, the beginning of school and our new routine, and some new projects. i have also been doing some thrifting and collecting. it's so much fun to find things discarded by others and give a new life to them. i had great success a few weeks ago finding some new winter duds, and this past week i found the fabric above that i'm so excited about. i had no idea how much was in the bag when i purchased these, but there are over 3 yards of each, and i've got plans in my head already for both.

i am also very excited about the possibility of a new studio space. i tried it out yesterday for a few hours while my little ones were in school, and it was so nice to be all alone with my paints again - and i can tell i've grown a great deal in the past few years. the pressure of making something "worthwhile" was gone, and i was able to just enjoy the process. i think that's a small taste of victory for me! soon i'll post some pics of what i'm working on...

So I made a little progress

At the expense of some much needed sleep last night, I made some progress on the first of three backpacks. The pattern has been very easy to follow so far - lots of steps but not difficult. Next up is the lining, which includes a zippered pocket, so we'll see how well I pull that off. J's not too excited so far, but I think once he can put it on, he'll be hooked. He loves to have a bag to put all of his things in to. And there are all kinds of pockets and hiding places in this backpack to carry his beloved treasures.

Earthborn Pottery

Through a random coarse of events, I ended up being introduced to an incredible Birmingham artist a couple of weeks ago. I had noticed Cahaba Clayworks on a recent drive through Leeds, and then I was able to meet Tena Payne of Earthborn Pottery who owns part of the Cahaba Clayworks studio. It is a massive building out in Leeds, Al where several potters have studio space. I fell in love with Tena's work after seeing her website and then getting to see some of her work in person. It is so, well, earthy... I love the heavy feel of it and the rough edges... Tena was very generous and gave me a small plate that I have been using as my utensil holder on my stovetop. It's a welcome addition to my kitchen. If you have a chance, check out the earthborn pottery website or better yet check out the studio. They offer pottery classes periodically - I think a new one is starting this week. I always love finding local artists whose work I admire.

Call me crazy....

Our school year is going to look a lot different this year than it did last year. Last year, I homeschooled my second grader, had both of my little ones at home, and taught two art classes during the week... This year, my oldest is going to school and the two little ones will be at preschool two days a week. I'm excited for them and for myself but also a little anxious about what the year will feel like. Anyways.... as a going off to school present, I decided to make each of the kids a new backpack. Yes, I do think I'm crazy. But I found this very cute pattern, and couldn't resist when it went on sale for half off. The kids and I picked out fabric for each of their backpacks, and I've gotten it all washed and ironed - ready to go. I began cutting out fabric last night, and I definitely think I'm in for a few weeks of hard work, but I think it will be worth it in the end. I'll keep you up to date on my progress.