lynn-getting my feet wet

Cactus Monday and New Show Venue

2009-11-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Cactus Monday!

Photo taken on Saturday morning by the rock shop in town. Chris in WI is having a give away!

Hurry over to sign up for your chance(s)!!!

and not just fabric but lots of other pretties too...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What a week, what a weekend, and the show goes on.

I am writing this on Sunday night. Just let it be known that is just is not humanly possible to stay as far UP as I have been for weeks now and not come down again.

I crashed around six p.m. Sunday, Pacific Standard Time.

By crashing I mean that feeling when your blood sugar drops dramatically suddenly

and you feel like crying or hitting someone.

You'll be glad to know I did neither.

I felt like I knew what someone suffering from manic depression/bio polar disorder

must feel like when they shift moods quickly and dramatically.

But I didn't need medication. I needed food/dinner.

After dinner I feel balanced again.

The show ended well. There were no sales, however if you add up the kudos I received

you can see I am a very very very rich woman.

The gentleman from Mojo Flow Studio came by per our appointment

and we signed a contract for me to take my load of art

to his studio to hang there for two weeks starting next Friday.

I packed up my art and brought it home.

I will not make you listen as I slide boards onto the hanging sleeves on the backs of fabric pieces and add wire so they can be hung on picture hooks, one each, per his request.

I will not bore you with details of safety pinning ribbons hanging from the art holding the little quiltlets with descriptions, size, my name and prices. (so they don't have to be nailed to his walls.

Okay, I might remind you on Friday that I am indeed hanging it all again

in a new place.

I have to say

I now feel like

a

real live

really am a

honest to goodness

ARTISTE!

Life Just Keeps Getting Sweeter and Sweeter

2009-11-15T10:08:00.001-08:00

Saturday was a joyous day...First trying to get my feet on the ground after the extreme high of the previous day/evenings art show (see Saturday blog post if you missed it)...
Then we just hung out around town and I found myself eating and drinking treats through out the day...Starbucks eggnog latte in the morning...pumpkin pie at the bakery in the afternoon... between trips to the rock shop...thrift store...(where I saw an awesome vintage dress, got some wonderful Japanese art, and embellishments for my art work...) ...then coming home to pack up to go to see our kids and grand kids for babysitting.

I took new paint kits for the kids and they dove right in to painting (wearing the re purposed jean art aprons I made them (but forgot to photograph...they loved putting the paint brushes in the pockets. These are paintings done on small canvas'. Grand son's guy...Grand daughter's mushrooms...

Then Grandpa and Grand son made music on the guitar. Grandpa sang, Aaron strummed to the correct rhythm and grandpa just used his hand on the frets.

He'll have to have his own real guitar soon...we are thinking Chanukah!

My stunning daughter getting ready to go out for the evening with her handsome husband.

We did more crafts with husking dry corn, collages with corn kernels, wine corks, pennies, acorn shells and paper.

Then we used needles and thread to string water soaked kernels of corn (I'd soaked the night before and brought for this craft) and made beautiful jewelry.

and finally baths, hair washing, teeth brushing/flossing

and story time.

There is nothing sweeter than story time with my grand kids.

****************

Update on the art show. One of the guests who came through the show on Friday night

is meeting with me today to choose from the art to hang in his dance/exercise studio

for this coming Saturday night music program he is hosting there. Also in Davis, CA.

His studio is called Mojo Flow Studio and can be seen at Mojoflowstudio.com.

My art is making the rounds it seems.

I could not be more pleased.

See Lynn Smile...See Lynn Floating On A Cloud!

2009-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not even quite sure how to describe my feelings about my first solo art show. I was afraid to have any expectations. I had to keep fighting the thought about "Who do you think you are...to do this thing?" But fight it I did. I went feeling confident about my work. But I was not prepared for the deluge of reactions I got from the people who came to the show. Verbally and in writing in this little comment book...enough praise to last me the rest of my life here on earth. I kid you not. My dearest, oldest FRIEND Patty came with her husband Bob, early so we could go to dinner together before the show. My brother got there at five too and I was just finishing putting everything on the walls. The store hadn't even closed yet, so the store owner, Maia, set the three pieces up on these low table top easels and one large standing easel for me after we left.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner down the street, DH got there in time to eat with us too and then we all walked back to the art store.

Friends started arriving, and it was such a rush to watch them looking so closely at each wall hanging.

People had a hard time keeping their hands off the textured pieces here. And I invited them to please touch as the ribbons and velvet in so luscious. I wanted them to have the whole experience. It was strange and wonderful to see all my art quilts on a wall outside my own home. And not just one or two as when I've had some in a juried or non juried show at the local gallery, but to see 16 pieces all mine, all at once was amazing.
Terry Busse was one of the first to arrive. She gave each piece her full attention. It was so much fun to hear her reactions and to talk about the Seeds of Hope I & II with her, as I had used her wooly bits from her ETSY store, and her generous gift of fabric for the borders.

My dear friend, Diane, who you know as a quilter extraordinaire of many years experience, had many favorites. Here she is appreciating my families memory quilt depicting the times during WWII. Many visitors spent a lot of time looking at this one. I'm glad I decided to bring it to share.

And there were many, many people who I did not know at all. People who came to see one more artists works for the 2nd Friday Art About in town. And they were so effusive, had questions, listened while I explained things... and gave much appreciated kudos for it all.

The cookies were a big hit too.

And then there were the comments that filled several pages of my reactions book, written in English, Chinese, Hebrew and French!

Thanks to everyone who came and let me share my art with you.

Thanks to all of you in blogland who listened to me ad nausea prepare for this show and supported me so strongly and continue to be the spirit that inspires and moves me to create more.

Maia, the store owner, said that I had absolutely without a doubt drawn the biggest crowd

she's had at any of the artist showings till now.

That felt good to hear too.

Oh and one man wants to talk to me about possibly hanging my art at his

dance studio, and maybe commission me to do something for his walls.

We'll see.

Good night.

Lynn, finally getting sleepy

midnight after the show

First Journal Pages; Gift To Myself; & Sukipoet's ATCs

2009-11-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at making a journal page with art. I admit to wanting to someday be as good at this as Judy Wise is now. I am doing this on a children's hard cardboard page book, which I first lathered in Gesso, then painted. After the Gesso and paint dried I drew the faces and then I painted them. They went through several layers of paint and ink embellishments. And then I covered them in Mod Podge. I cut out fabric for clothes and Mod Podge glued them in place. (It's still wet on the purple shirt) And finished it with more Mod Podge on top. I think I can still write on them if I want to. I am definitely in an experimental stage!

Guess who!

Yesterday I got a bee in my bonnet about wanting some new jewelry to wear to the art show tonight. So I made a bee line to the bead store downtown, a place I walk by every lunch hour.
This time I went in. I found this ready made by artist Jessica Lindemar, necklace and I liked it. It's made with Ceramic Kazuri beads, carved wood, taqua nut, bone and horn with natural brass. The beads are the same ones I used on Soulbrushes commissioned art quilt wall hanging in 2008. These beads are hand made by Kenya women to support themselves. I find them quite beautiful.

I wanted some earrings to go with the necklace, so Dave, the man who owns the shop said he could make some up for me. He got busy looking for matching/blending beads and created these on the spot. I wanted long and dangly ones not too heavy and he did a wonderful job. He did not charge me for making them. Just for the materials used. How about that generosity!
I will feel very artsy at my art show tonight! He threw in the pretty India fabric bag for me to keep them in.

Last but not least here are two wonderful ATCs that arrived early in the week from Sukipoet!

I love her Home theme, as she has her heart set on finding the right home that will make her happy. Lets send lots of positive energy her way for this to happen!

Home Sweet Home

Come back tomorrow to see the ART SHOW!

Frenzied Day

2009-11-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. If you are not living in America this might be a phrase you are unfamiliar with. The link to its meaning is here.

Its amazing how much goes into setting up an art show. You must be so tired hearing about it by now, and will be so glad when it is behind me. But just to give you a bit of the last minute preparations:

I've been hunting for just the right pins to hang the fabric art and settled on gold round tipped extra long sewing pins. Got two packages for FREE at Joanne's Fabric store due to a 50% off sale they had yesterday. (I bought some sewing machine needles too/not sure how the sale worked but the $5+ packs of pins were then FREE.)

I woke up the night before last in a frenzy about how all the art was going to fit on the walls so got up extra early (hadn't slept much anyway) and moved furniture and measured out my floors in two rooms to the art stores wall measurements and laid out the wall hanging, then photographed them so I'd remember my final decisions!

Checked to see if I'd sewn/signed all my pieces and signed the ones yet needing signatures.

Sewed hanging sleeves and put wires where needed for hanging on all pieces.

Finished all the 4 x 6 inch cloth quiltlets with info about each piece and prices printed on.

I now have a total of sixteen pieces going in the show. One I borrowed from Patty that I'd given her, but wanted to show a second mixed media piece.

Bought foam board to hang three pieces on to put on easels at the store.

Bought picture hooks for the 2 framed and 4 canvas pieces.

Sewed fabric on a comments book for attendees to sign, write and/or draw in.

Packed colored pencils and pens and a cup for same to have available for this.

Made a note to remember my camera and batteries. I hate when I run out of battery power!

Need to remember to pack a hammer.

And in the meantime I got invited to join an international art exchange and have to produce a small piece of art by the end of the coming week! So of course I started that today already.

Thank G-d I did not have many clients at work yesterday. It gave me all morning and most of the afternoon to obsess about the art show!

I wonder if I've forgotten anything?

Gas for the car.

Get dressed.

Go.

Whew...

Next week I'm going to do something very restful.

Yeah, sure!

LOL

Thanks for listening.

Draw a picture of a chicken with its head cut off.

And name it Crazy Lynn!

PS I need to remember to take things out of my ETSY store before the show. Godforbid they should sell in two places at once! LOL

C = Cat or Who Wears The Pants In This Family? And My Tribute to Our Veteran

2009-11-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

It's quite obvious, I think, who wears the pants in this family! Why, Henry V of course!

Happy animal Wednesday

Have a wonderful day!

And a Veterans Day tribute to my dear beloved Uncle Harry, now 90, who served in

the South Pacific during WWII.

Getting Arboeal on Bloomin' Tuesday

2009-11-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Seth of The Altered Page is part a group doing

"Getting Arboreal"

I decided to do my bit here in regards to our big fig tree in our backyard showing the changes it goes through in a years time!

Spring leaves budding outSummer fruit coming inFigs ripening late summerBeginning of fallleaves all turn yellowlast leaf ready to fall leaving a bare tree with no leaves left until spring again
last dead leaf

winter

Happy Bloomin' Tuesday

Thanks Seth for the opportunity/idea to do this and invite
fall and winter into our lives in such a lovely way.

You want to see some AWESOME ART?
Go to Seths Blog. Use the link at the top of this post!

Happy Cactus Monday & Sketchbook Art

2009-11-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

A page from my evening sketchbook drawing...

This is cheating maybe? This is the back side of the sewn piece I shared last Cactus Monday. But I thought the back nice too. ;-) I hope your week is starting well. I had a busy busy Sunday finishing up loose ends for the art show which will be this coming Friday night:Putting wire on four canvas's for hanging; printing stories for backs of wall hanging art, sewing or gluing them in place; making a fabric cover for a Comments and Reactions Book!

Guesso-ing more pages in the journals I hope to make in the coming weeks.

Finishing the final stitches on a 8" X 12" piece for Quilts Around The World Challenge!

Talked on facebook Live Chat with Andrea, who is in Germany visiting her parents! Now that is fun. Talked to Cris in Oregon via on going emails.

Why do I suddenly feel tired? (Sunday evening)

HCM

Z = Zip-a-dee-doo-dah; Sketchbook page, Gesso, & Hint of new Projects

2009-11-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Time for "Z" the final letter in our ABC ATC Blog swap for the year. My Z= Zip-a-dee-doo-dah goes out to Lisa in Indiana. Two Z, zippy words in this song from my childhood. And a blue bird on her shoulder! Sketchbook page while recouping from my tooth ordeal that wasn't such an ordeal after all!
I found myself doing more sketchbook pages last night thinking of Patty wanting them, funny, that gave me more inspiration...spurred me on to drawing more.Starting two new projects:
1. Using Gesso to cover pages in a children's hard page books for turning into journal pages later

and 2. a hint of the quiltlet I made (it's about done) for the
Quilts Around The World Group
due to be posted end of December.
I'm using hand painted muslin, and velvet from Chris in Wisconsin's
Dyed Candy ETSY shop.
Today I did a ton of felting at the machine
and top sewing at my other machine.
I'm definitely back in the saddle again.

I also tried to upload unsuccessfully another Don Edwards video
a more recent one of his singing the Coyote Song.
He looks and sounds wonderful on this UTube video.
I couldn't do it here but I did get it up on Facebook so go there if interested.

Blessed Sunday to all and to all a good morning/night.

Flowers From Patty: The Day After

2009-11-07T07:31:00.000-08:00

First my apologies to all whom I grossed out yesterday with my photo of my bloody tooth!
Sorry if I offended any ones sensibilities or upset your tummies.

Today I am feeling fine. Well the upper right quadrant of my mouth ABOVE the area that was operated on hurts. But the area where they pulled the tooth does not, nearly as much. A tad sore is all.

I am ready to get back to my felting, and gessoing for my next art projects several of which I have in mind.

I wish you all a lovely weekend. And thank you very very much for your concern about my health!

These are some of the bouquet of flowers Patty came with yesterday. She always brings me flowers! And she came with other gifts as well. Wonderful Chanukah decorations and candles for me and my grand kids. We are ready! And a beautiful Jewish cookbook! Thanks Patty for your gifts and tender loving care. You really help me through these small hurdles in my life. ;-) What would I do without you?

I have to share too what Patty asked me for because it touched my heart in such a huge way. She asked me that if I predeceased her if she could have my sketchbooks. Can you believe that? What a compliment. I still can't believe anyone would want them.

It's OUT and I Survived!

2009-11-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

I just knew you'd all want to see the bloody stump of a tooth that came out today. Makes a great ATC don' t you think? LOL
I had a conversation with the sweet young doctor prior to the serum going in that was putting me to sleep. I told him about my upcoming art show and he let me know they needed new art in his offices. Was I interested in having mine hung there with my business card on it, etc.? I said sure so will send him my Textile Art Blog address to see what he likes. Fun to have a next place to hang my stuff.

Patty just left. I have gauze pads in my mouth soaking up blood. I just took an IBP 4 hrs after the ordeal started as the Novocaine is starting to wear off. I feel a little light headed, but can walk around my house just fine. From couch to computer. The important places.

I'd watched a movie last night about a doctor whose patient died from the anesthetic...obviously that was not prophetic for me. I'm HERE!

Thanks to all who sent their good wishes. From Lynn who is back in the saddle again!

Send Good Thoughts!

2009-11-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

While you are looking at this I am either getting ready for, being put to sleep for, having a tooth pulled. No big deal you say!
Well, .............. you are probably right. My dear friend, Patty, will take me there and bring me home and stay with me a bit to make sure I don't bleed to death! It's good to have a friend like this...someone who has been in my life since infancy...so when I am feeling a bit like a baby again, she can know what I need and how to tend to my tender needs.

I went to the store tonight (last night) and bought good things for our lunch for after the ORDEAL. Organic butternut squash soup, basil garlic tortellini, triple chocolate no sugar added ice cream and Moreno chocolate-orange cookies (with real sugar). I felt like Patty deserved a special treat for taking care of the likes of me.

See ya tomorrow.

Grateful Thursday!

2009-11-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

I wish you could touch this ATC. The red fabric is some sort of fleece that is heavenly soft, and lower down are some wonderfully soft fibers in turquoise and gray. The black tiny beads at the bottom add more texture and shine as do the shiny smooth white hearts. These are on top of stems from some sort of twigs adhered with black thread. The whole thing is a piece of wonderful art made by Mieke in The Netherlands. Thank you Mieke, I love it oh so much! I have been following Gunnels' blog for some time now taken as I was by her header that is full of buttons and her intricate hand embroidery. This is a post card she sent me just to thank me for leaving comments on her blog! Is that just the nicest thing? Thank you Gunnel. Do go see her blog and all her wonderful art work here.

These are the collection of stamps I gathered just this week and last, from The Netherlands and Ireland too.

Teri C. sent me this adorable card with her ATC for our ABC Blog swap for the letter X.

I love the cactus with the pumpkin over his arm! Thanks Teri.

And this is Teri's rendition of MY X-rayed BRAIN! See the sewing machine in the center and all the thinking of colors and all the colors inside there. I have to say she has captured me to the hilt! I love it Teri!

Mim sent me her art on a card too, she is our resident fish expert! And these are just wonderful examples of some of her best...

I'm posting her Z = Zebra for the ABC swap a few days early. Our last for this swap where we all drew ATCs of the ABCs for the past well 26 weeks! We will start up again at the first of the year.

Thanks Mim, I love both the card and the ATC very much. Z = Zebra!

So, once again I have much to be grateful for:

All this wonderful art that lands on my doorstep!

The fact that my DH seems to have survived his infection and is on the mend!

(No, Soul, it was NOT the swine flu, nothing contagious)

My best friend, Patty, will come on Friday to nurse me through my tooth ordeal!

My DH has a wonderful voice and I can hear him playing guitar and singing from the living room!

My daughter emailed to ask if we can babysit on the 14th!

I'm sure there is more

but that's enough for now.

Thanks to all of you who faithfully come to my blog

and pamper me with your friendship and affection.

Butterflies on Animal Wednesday & Late Bloomers

2009-11-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook pages...some flowers for yesterdays Bloomin' Tuesday, which I forgot...as had other things on my mind. DH is getting much better thank you all for your sweet concern. His fever is gone today! These flowers were done with colored in pens. I love drawing leaves. And I am busy with butterflies on my brain. These landed in my sketchbook sometime earlier in the week or was it last week? Done in colored pens and watercolor background.
And today I started on my mandala quiltlet...which also has a winged character in its center.

A felting I will go, a felting I will go, high ho a derry oh, a felting I will go!

ER...FULLMOON...More Art Show Prep

2009-11-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

Hospital visits are never fun. (Unless you are having a baby and then I'm not sure I'd call it fun, but you at least get a prize to take home at the end of your stay)...but Sunday, DH continued to not feel well so in we went. It was a long wait to be seen, the waiting room was packed with people, many wearing masks. They gave DH a mask to wear, but I was not offered one. I wasn't the patient.
So I could be exposed to all the germs. We were finally seen by the first doctor. Then there was the second and third doctors. And the lab techs and finally a nurse. It was boring waiting. And waiting for test results and the diagnosis. The doctor thought H1N1, but DH thought otherwise.
DH won. After three hours (I read three magazines I'd brought with me, and drew several pictures to pass the time)...we got the dx and got to go home. He had to leave the mask there.

He got some antibiotics to take and the written side effects are scarier than what he has wrong with him. Oy. He'll stay home from school again tomorrow as his fever is still too high and he still feels too awful. You need to understand that this man NEVER misses work. I cannot remember a time he called in sick before. This may be a first. Hopefully the pills will start taking effect soon and life can get back to normal. I captured this shot of the full moon on my way home from work tonight. (Monday)

Daylight savings time had us putting our clocks back one hour so it was dark

when I left work for the first time this year.

Lest you think you caught me not arting

These are some of the finished panels for the art show

that identify each piece of art work that will be hung.

And these are the cards I printed up on my computer to hand out that night.

I also wrote and framed a bio about myself,

and got a guest book for comments ready.

I also sewed hanging sleeves on all the wall quilts that did not have them.

And I need to print out a few more quilt stories for the backs of several to be printed on cotton fabric and then sewed on to the backs.

And finally to put wire on the backs of the four element canvas's and I think

I am ready for the show.

But before this I have to have that tooth pulled this Friday.

Never a dull moment!

Happy Cactus Monday and Arty SoulSisters Page for Soul Herself

2009-11-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

The first half of Sunday was fun and artfilled. I'd finished my sketchbook page for Marianne which I posted yesterday...her cat, Sjimmie coming to California to meet my cat Henry V.
Then I worked on Soulbrushes page which is lower down on this post. But first I'm starting off with what I did third. I've been promising to get back to being more creative on Cactus Monday and here it is.

I took one of my hand painted (with acrylic paints) fabrics as my background. Already stamped too...and free motion sewed some cacti and sun on it with gold metallic threads. The tension on my machine is loose and I liked how the loose black bobbin threads came to the top looking like spikes on the cacti.

I added some fabric crayolas to the mix and colored on top of the dried paint for more colors...

Then I sewed a strand of gold beads around the whole cloth sandwich for extra glitter and sparkle.

It shines, whatcha think?

Here starts Souls page for ArtySoulSisters traveling sketchbook....

Soul spent many years living in South Africa and loves giraffes and other wild beasties from there!

Click all photos to see brighter color and more details

Again I used a sheet of painted and stamped muslin

adding cut out fabric animals from a tea towel she sent me from her last visit

to South Africa to visit family!

I added beads she gave me too just because she can't send just an ATC to trade

but has to add extra embellishments she thinks I can use in my art making.

How right she is and so I did

for her!

Along with some other found beads (thrift stores)

and laid the whole piece on burlap

also found and reused as backing and frame.

We can only imagine what other animals are hiding in the jungle around these!

***********

And on Sunday late afternoon DH finally said he'd like to visit the ER

to find out why his fever was not going away...

So we went there and three hours later

left with some antibiotics for a bladder infection.

The doctor thought it was H1N1, but

it wasn't.

Whew!

Now he has to wait for the meds to take effect, the fever to go away

and then he can return to his hectic life at school.

I may have to sit on him to keep him home another day.

************

I'm so glad I had lots of time to create this weekend.

I need to make some hanging sleeves for the art show pieces.

Might do some tonight.

HCM

SoulSisters Sketchbook page for Marianne's Book

2009-11-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

Marianne is sending her black cat, Sjimmie, around the world and he has arrived here in California (at the top of the orange state). He will meet Henry V of course, and the two of them will romp off into the sunflower fields and then meet up with the burrowing owls. After that, who knows what adventures they will have? But I can promise they will have a sunny time of it.

The hand painted fabrics have been sewn down and sandwiched in batting and muslin, the whole piece is sewn free motion style. It includes photos by Lynn, cotton fabrics, paper and metallic threads.

And soon it will fly off to Suki and her page will be added and Sjimmie will have even more adventures this time on the East Coast!

This page is a mere six inches by six inches in size.

Y = Yarn on ABC Blog

2009-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

I am telling blogger to save this till Sunday but it insists on publishing it today. ???

I can't remember the last time I knit something...must be well over a year ago. This is the first year in five I did not knit sweaters for the little kids. They are still wearing the ones I knit last year.
But when I had to come up with a word starting with Y for the ABC blog ATC swap YARN came to mind so I drew this on the envelope to Laure... and this in watercolors and ink on the front of the ATC card. Yarn sometimes shows up in my multi media art quilts too.

Did I tell you that my five year old grand daughter is being taught to knit in her kindergarden class? I bought her some small Lion Brand knitting needles with little kitties on the ends.

Friday ON Saturday: Art Shows Galore & Sketchbook Reveals

2009-10-31T08:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I visited four art galleries with my friend in Davis...It was a lot of fun. I also put up more fliers for my show at each of the galleries. I came home and drew this zenish drawing in my sketchbook that was greatly influenced by seeing... the wonderful work of Hannah Hunter at the International House in Davis, CA. Hannah's work is in paper and fabric and paint collages, with a heavy Asian, Hindu and Hebrew influences. She showed a whole body of her work spanning several years. It was stunning. (For some reason I could not get this picture to flip right side up). A the John Natsoulas Gallery we saw this exhibit of Delandier Almeida's oil paintings that were mind blowing spectacular in their realism. (I forgot my camera yesterday if you can believe THAT so these pictures are taken off postcards I got at the galleries). The light in my kitchen turns them too orange unfortunately).

And one more circle sketch from me...I'm working on butterflies lately.

Cherryne and I enjoyed a nice lunch at her house, talked and she showed me some crocheted work of her great grandmothers and some knitting she had done herself.

Then we went downtown to see all the art. There were lots of little kids in costumes with parents picking up candy from local merchants. All very cute.

Later we picked up her very sweet 11 yr old daughter from her school with her cello and I took them home and said our goodbyes.

I came home to a sick husband, running 102 fever...so I think we'll be taking it easy today.

Day Off Friday = Art Gallery Date With Girlfriend

2009-10-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

I am off to day and have a date with my girlfriend, Cherryne, to visit an art show in Davis. We'll be seeing Hannah Hunter's paintings and collages. She is an artist and an art therapist.
The show is at the International House. I'll be having lunch at Cherrynes' house. I am bringing her some old copies of Cloth, Paper, Scissors to inspire her recent desire to create art herself. I am sure we'll have fun.

Today Mim's package containing two art books for me to add pages to arrived. So I see that I'll be creating this weekend. It is always amazing to see the art by my blogging friends in person. Such wonderful work.

She also sent me some delightful large cards of animal drawings and alphabet letters for our twin 5 year old grand kids. How sweet was that! Thank you Mim.

Enjoy your weekend~and a fun and safe Halloween to all who enjoy that holiday.

ATCs On Grateful Thursday

2009-10-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

These first ATCs came from my cousin Amy (my daughters age/born on the same month and year)...Amy is an art teacher in the school system in Colorado! She was sweet telling me I had inspired her to sew on her ATCs!!! This is her name for me (my family and closest friends use this nickname)

Lots of ribbons and layers of paper with sparkles!

Thanks Amy!

This wonderful ATC came all the way from Ireland and Gina (BT) for
our W = Wacky Wellingtons

on our ABC Blog.
Thanks Gina

Lots to be grateful for this week:

Three days of grand kid fun

Ten people have told me they will be coming to my art show reception

I don't have the flu

The weather is turning fall like in No. CA

We have reservations for a weekend get away in December

I'm almost done with all the art show prep work

I have many blog and in the flesh friends

I have an art date with a friend for Friday

My cat loves me

I have a cute DH

Life is good

Kids Say The Darnest Things

2009-10-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

Remember when Art Linkletter used to collect cute things kids said? Well this weekend was chock full of such funny or not so funny things:

Like when my grand daughter looked at me and very seriously announced: "You are old."
"You are going to die. Probably when I am thirteen."

Later while the two of them were playing together one said to the other: "Let's pretend you die and then I make you alive again."

On a lighter note my grand son announced in a very delighted voice that: "I like when we come here because we do lots of art projects!"
There was the to be expected large number of requests such as: "Grandma knit Mono (the monkey) a blanket with this yarn." Or "I want to sew a quilt. Or "I love your drum, I want it!" Or referring to my toys: "What can I take home?"

I was quite a bit disconcerted when my five year old grand daughter said while I was brushing her thick, rich, lovely long hair: "I wish I had straight hair!" (already at five???)

And my favorite of the day, while playing under the "!" mono print art quilt on the wall my grand daughter looked up at it and said pointing: "That is very very beautiful."

I know there were more and I will share them as I remember them.And just so you know I was there too:

Happy Animal Wednesday

Seeds Of Hope II on Bloomin' Tuesday

2009-10-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

My felted woolly bits flowers have made it onto a larger artsy wall hanging

31" X 31 1/2" in size. It is top sewn free motion style, hand embroidered and beaded

There are easily 1000 beads hand sewn to this piece!

She is ready for her debut at my Art Show in November!

Happy Bloomin' Tuesday to all

Day Three, No Blood, Lots of Fun, and We are Exhausted!

2009-10-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

Day three started really well. The kids and I slept beautifully well. Henry V has been too scared to enter the house with the kids here for some reason (they have a cat and pose no threat, but Henry does not know that)...so he woke Dad up at 2 a.m. to be let in and at five again to be let out.

The kids enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast, and toast and organic apricot jam.

The sweet place mats they are eating on have the names of my children imprinted on them.

Their mother and uncle. I had them write their names and tape them over the original names.

First they removed the names taped on of my older set of grand kids now 16 and 19 yrs old.

History in the making.A lot of music got played today. Grand son loved my drum so much

I told him I'd give it to him for Chanukah.

Grandpa sang and played and made up songs with the kids names in them.

In the afternoon lunch was served picnic style out of doors in the back yard.

The dolls had a sun bath.

Then grand daughter played a solo over her ice cream for dessert.

It was hard to keep them out in the sun today.

They came in after lunch and made art at the little table: stamping and drawing, writing

in English and Hebrew. They are learning Hebrew at school and their vocabulary is growing after only less than one month of school. Pretty soon they will know more than I do.

Grandpa and Grand son enjoyed a football game together.

DH just melts when A. cuddles up to him this way. And he does a lot.

He's very very fond of his grandpa.

And then of course they played more music together in the later part of the day.

The parents came to get them around four p.m.

I have to tell you we did not cry when they left.

Frankly we are exhausted.

We loved the time with them

but I won't crash and burn this time.

I will wait patiently until our next time together

but not hearing "grandma do this, grandma give me that" for a while

will be a much needed rest.

I need to rest up for next time.

And now Grandpa can finally get to his two boxes of student notebooks

to grade.

I think I'll go to bed early!

Happy Cactus Monday

I promise to get back to Cactus drawings soon.

Oh What A Day It's Been

2009-10-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

Day two with grand kids visiting us... The morning was sweet, with kids dressing up in costumes found in the trunk...he's a little devil (but really that's her) and she a princess, and then snow white... Playing with letter blocks and amazing us with the words they can already identify and spell themselves (at just five years of age)... then coloring and drawing; here painting on fabric...the pile of art they have to take home is measured in feet not inches...

And then we took off for the Pumpkin Patch in a town nearby...driving the back country roads, saying hi to cows, and sheep and llamas and even an ostrich!

Grand daughter suddenly got a bloody nose and it bled all over everything...especially her...we hadn't even a hankie in the car to help mop up. So we drove to a grocery store for wipes and towels, tissue and water. The bleeding stopped and we went on. It started again twice more. We stopped it again both times. And were able to enjoy the walk around the huge fields of pumpkins picking out the most unique ones we could find.

I liked that oblong bumpy orange one and Grand daughter chose the one shaped like a star. Grand son took a medium large normal shaped one and then pulled her and the pumpkins in the wagon. We stopped to see the scare crows and walk through the maze of corn.

Some of the pumpkins were so huge to seem like from another planet

And some seemed to be art paintings in the making...

The bleedy nose started again at home and I called the advice nurse at the local

hospital. Learned how to stop it by sitting the child upright, leaning forward, not back (as

we did when my kids were little), pinching her nose closed for ten minutes and having her

breathe through her mouth; blowing out the blood clots there too. And luckily so far it has not

started up again. Whew. Not the fun part of the day that is for sure.

That taken care of more art was made, drawings, sewings, music played on drum and guitar and toy piano; books read, dinner made and eaten; pjs on, teeth brushed, more stories read,

and finally both are in bed.

DH and I are ready for a month of sleep!

We are pooped!

But I'm glad we still have them for more time tomorrow before the parents arrive

in the afternoon.

Grandparent isn't for sissies...it's not always easy, but it sure is a blessing.