Getting Ready

Getting ready for Christmas. The tree is now up. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. The wreath is getting lights today, then it will be hung up on the front door. Also I am getting ready for the anticipated Christmas visit of my nephew, Merlin and his new bride, Jennifer, so I am doing a major clear out of "stuff". Also, my Da should be joining us. Thus far there are four big blue Ikea shopping bags of stuff and not nearly done. Le Sigh Enorme. Too, I am getting ready for a new round of an art exchange in a Moleskine with my International Moleskine Exchange group from Ravelry.com. I am really excited for this new round. We took a hiatus for 2012 and I missed my Moley mail. I ordered something special for the ladies in the group, which I won't share here as yet, since more than a few of the participants read this blog. This Moley has been on travels before. It is a themed one. It was started the year of the 200th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday and the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birthday, so the theme is Ravens and Roses. This will be it's third go ~ round and hopefully it will be filled up completely this g-round. As well, as getting ready to re-read an Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon for the Ravelry book themed swap to begin in 2013.

Pinterest Make it Monday ~ Because I Did

By now most of you have heard of Pinterest. Pinterest is made up of virtual "pin boards" of various topics. I enjoy looking through them for inspiration and ideas. My girlfriend, Katte uses it like Google to search for things (and regularly pins the most amazing tatting and costuming). I always find it interesting to see what amuses, interests or makes nostalgic my many friends who are also on Pinterest. As most of you know, I am a arty/crafty person. I like making things with my own hands. It fills my heart. I have a personal board on Pinterest called "Pinterest Make it Monday". I have been pinning and pinning and not doing anything with the ideas I have been collecting. I decided a few months ago to dedicate a day to making something based on something I had pinned. So far, I have made a smashed penny charm bracelet, a up~cycled denim and cotton maxi~skirt and today I made firestarters. I thought that with Fall rapidly approaching that would be a good one for this day as soon we'll be having fires in the fireplace. As luck would have it, I had all the ingredients to hand to make them. I used old newspaper, pine cones, string, herbs and spices. Just rolled 'em up like a Christmas cracker and wallah!

Leap Day

I have been making art, but I haven't gotten it photographed. Too much else is going on in my life of course.

Altered Art Journal project is going well. Three two page spreads, got done. One was for Ash Wednesday, not sure if I will share it publicly, as it's verra sad.

I made a wee shawl for a friend to give to his wife for her birthday. Made from a lovely hand dyed alpaca. I need to get more of it and make something for myself.

I have also made 10 hats for charity. I also figured out what lace pattern I wanted to use for Angelique's sweater and am now merrily knitting along.

2012 Art Journal Project

Here are the two page spreads I have done for the month of January from my personal year long art journal project. I also have done some single pages for the month, but thought I would just share two of my favourites thus far.

To those that know me, YES, I am using all those bits and bobs that have been gathering dust all the while. Except for certain print outs, I am using the enormous collection of found objects, ephemera and such to create the pages for this project.

Sarah and Wendy's Lost Quilts

PLEASE help get these quilts home! This past summer, Anne Copeland of the Fiberarts Connection curated the exhibit “Then and Now” that was on display at the Mancuso shows in New Hampshire (World Quilt Competition) and California (Pacific International Quilt Festival, PIQF, Santa Clara). The Mancuso show folks returned all the quilts to Annie, who in turn packed them up to return to their owners. All but four have made it home; alas, it appears that two of Sarah Ann Smith's quilts and two of Wendy L. Starn’s quilts are currently lost and unaccounted for since about October 11th. That's over a month. If you see these quilts for sale anywhere, PLEASE let me know!!!!!!!

As far as can be figured, Annie shipped out most of the boxes on October 11th at an Office Depot near her home in Lomita, California; they are a postal acceptance facility. Those quilts were packed in Flat-Rate Medium USPS (US Postal Service) boxes; all of those for which she has a receipt and tracking numbers were delivered. Several days later Annie made two trips to the US Post Office in Lomita. One trip was for the international shipments (to Canada and the Netherlands) and another was for domestic mail. Annie had tracking numbers for six of seven boxes known to ship that day, and all are marked as delivered according to the USPS Tracking and the seventh box the recipient has said she received her quilts. Of those who answered my e-mail, everyone had opened their boxes and received only their own quilts (and with the size of the box it would be pretty hard to fit in extras).

That leaves the four quilts – as shown in these small images above that have gone missing.

5 June - (I am a) Fan

I am a fan of:

Art - it feeds my Spirit.

Renoir, Manet, Manet, Picasso, Anne Huskey-Lockard, Rebecca Halley, the Celts, the Egyptians

Music - it feeds my Soul.

Classical, Opera, Rock and Roll, Celtic, World, Liturgical

Literature - it feeds my Mind.

History, classics, romances, childrens, fiction, non-fiction

#101 of 365 - Watch Tower or A Day Spent Rallying Around the Town.

The first thing we did this morning was to head south to pick up Rebecca and the BOM pattern for guild. Then far out to the east of town for the guild meeting. Met our Cheryl's lovely mother, Violet whilst there. Then after, a quick trip back to Rebecca's for some packages she needed to mail. Then we headed back to the west and downtown Colorado Springs for a sushi lunch at Yoo Mae and then a wander along Cascade heading north to look at the sculptures all along the streets as we went. We saw 34 thousand plus Helios, a snowman with rocks in it's head, giant metal koosh balls scattered across a lawn next to the giant Spanish dancers on the lawn by the Money Museum.

Also there were stone plinths, metal and glass figures, stone carvings, bronze sculptures and Patrick Dougherty's woven wood sculpture on the Colorado College campus.

During the wander, we saw bulbs about to spring into bloom, checked out an herb garden behind the McAllister House and found out that I qualify as a senior citizen at the Money Museum. Le sigh... I showed Rebecca the climbing roses we, the Grace Gardeners planted yesterday along the ugly chain link fence on the south side of the church. Then it was back down Tejon to Poor Richard's Book Emporium to meet up with Erin again. We also noodled through the goodies in the front part of the store. Rebecca and I felt up some kewl journals, no, really we did. We talked yarn with one of the clerks after she admired my Summer with Ishbel. I also saw the coolest pair of half chaps that would so work as part of a Steampunk outfit.

We walked east back to the parking garage which is over the bus depot. Which is when we got a closer look at the Watch Tower, which I am looking through in the above photo. There were black Suburbans and dark sunglasses abounding when we got there. The exit to the depot was blocked off by a bus and there were ARMED TSA agents littering the sidewalks. We still don't know what was up with that. Erin could only say, Mother, you would leave a baggie of bay leaves on the front seat of the car, hah, hah, hah...


In the end, Rebecca and I had a loverly day of art for art's sake...and by the way, Rebecca, I was right, it was a hawthorn.

Erin and I hit the Sunflower and saw a red fox just chillin' on a neighbor's lawn on the way there. Spooked the USPS guy right out...

#57 of 365 - Art Today

Today was primarily devoted to doing the art that I bought some of the supplies whilst doing yesterday's errands. Deborah came over and kept me company while I played in the 3 Moleskines I have in hand from the Ravelry International Moleskine Exchange. I gnerally do a theme of art in the books that come my way. Today's turned out to be a Spring themed poem with steampunked fleurs. Don't ask me why, just the mood I was in I suppose, as I am SO ready for Spring to arrive.

The ingredients for these pages are patterned paper, green flower shapes, gears, and rhinestones, with tags, ribbons and yarn. Sorta of Shabby Chic meets the Industrial Revolution. The bit of poetry is from "A Celtic Miscellany" by Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson. It is from the chapter on Nature. What I used is as follows: May-time, fair season, perfect in its aspect then; blackbirds sing in full song, if there be a scanty beam of day. Waxing philosophical to boot...

#26 of 365 - Olio

This Moleskine spread says a lot about me. I haven't had a round robin Moleskine to work on in QUITE some time. I miss the incentive to make art when I don't have a deadline to create to.
Now for a completely different subject, this is the yarn that Erin dyed for me to knit my Bellatrix from. These stockings when finished will be a welcome addition to the "Kewl Sox" collection.

Anne has Done it Again.

My friend, Anne has an amazing ability to make me laugh, think, stretch, grow and now, cry. Received in humbleness, she has sent along this award to me, by way of our dear friend, Ces. Many thanks to you, dear friend Anne for this honour. You continue to awe and inspire me and I am grateful to have you in my life.

Thanks for the laughter, art, commiseration and most of all your spirit of "joie de vie" in all things that you face in your life.




In no particular order I send this along to you:
Rebecca
Diana
Delilah
Margi
Lini

To borrow Anne's line; In spiritu humilitatis, Pax.

Moley Madness - Round Three

As you all are likely aware by now, I love my Moleskines. I also love the Ravelry Round Robins I have been doing with them since last Fall. Here are the opening pages of book three which left on it's travels yesterday.




My first book had no theme, per se. My second book has a theme of Ravens and Roses. This book's theme will hopefully be a travelogue of it's journey. I have asked the participants to tell me something about where they live. Can't wait to see it when it comes home. I started with a view of Pike's Peak from the Garden of the Gods as a guide for them to know what I want for this round. I really am lucky to have such a treasure in my own backyard as it were. All but one (yeah for Kimi, taking that leap of faith again) of the participants in this round are totally new to me, so I am really excited to see what they will do..




Of course, the photos are craptastic and in no way do justice to the process, but I am doing the best I can. Thanks for your patience...

Coming Home Soon

This incredible piece of art is by my friend Anne. She has followed the saga of Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church here on my blog. A while back, she had a contest on her blog here, Anne's Blog and I won a piece of her art. Instead of sending one she had already done, she created a brand new piece for me. I was incredibly touch and overwhelmed by her thoughtful comments along the way and and the care which she used to make this piece for me. Here's the funny part and it also goes to show how clueless I am at times. I sent her or gave her access to some of the images she used for this piece and I had absolutely NO clue... Many grateful thanks, Anne. I am so glad we found each other.

Saint Thomas Denver Art Show and Sale

I will be at the show and sale with some of my small art quilts. Do stop by and visit with us. 30 artists will be represented in many medias. Then, stay for the catered Italian Dinner and Music.

More Moleskine Madness from Ravelry

Now that I have had time to process my joy at the return of my Moleskine (pronounced Molskina), I will go into more detail about the Ravelry International Moleskine Exchange Round Robin and where this all started. My friend, Karen asked for more information. Moleskines have been a part of my life for over 10 years and I keep all necessary information in them along with anything else I need or might need in the way of sketches of knitwear, sizes and measurements for the Highland shirts I make, ideas for quilts, a hand-fast ceremony and so much more. Here is a picture of my current Moley, it has a knitting charm attached to the place mark ribbon.




Back in the fall, I signed up for a Journal Exchange on Ravelry. The rules for that were simple. Send in a questionnaire, get matched with a swap partner then put together a wee giftie of a Journal, writing prompt and some other goodies and send off to your swap partner. I got a lovely package back along with a Celtic journal in my exchange which I blogged about last year as well.

Whilst talking amongst ourselves in the journal exchange group, we realized that some of us would like to go further, than just sending a blank book. We also discovered that quite a few of us were fans of the Moleskine brand of notebook. Thus, the International Moleskine Exchange round robin group was born. Many of us immediately signed up to be involved in the long term art project. Some logistics needed to be ironed out, then we got our Moleys, wrote our introductions and off we were to the P.O.

I have just finished one exchange with a small book (3.5 x 5.5) that had no theme other than for each participant to tell me a little about themselves and add art in their particular media. There are 10-12 people in each group. We had some fall out due to life's circumstances and a VERY few Naughty Swappers, but for the most part this has been a very successful round robin. I have always enjoyed working with others on art, be it a quilt, a knitting project, a Headless Corpse or the books. Everyone is creative in some way. One of our members is more of a wordsmith, than an artist (so she claims, but I love her little sketch of a turnip in my book). Words done well is a talent I wish I was better at.

I also have another larger one, loose in the world right now. That one is a 5.5 x 13 inch one with quadrille (graph paper) pages. It does have a theme. It's theme is Ravens and Roses in honour of Poe's and Burns' 200th and 250th natal anniversaries. They are two of my favorite poets, so that theme seemed most appropriate for the round robin that started in 2009. I also blogged about it with pictures of the cover earlier this year.



The sketch is one of the many views of Pike's Peak that I get to enjoy except on those days when the clouds are lower than the mountain. This is the first bit of art in my Creative Collaborating Chicklets Group of IME Moley. We started out as Group C but ran away with it, thus the 3rd group became the 3Cs.





This is the last bit of art in my returned book. I had thought to send it back out in round 3, but my lovely and creative partners left only six blank pages in this wee book. So, I have an idea to finish it up with my thoughts about the IME experience and one or two more sketches and then enjoy it til the end of days.




Heartfelt thank yous again to Frewen, Baby, Loops, DMXOX, SleepyEyes, Kwesty, Grenouille, Celty and Stucky for enlivening my world and sharing part of yours. It has been a joy, privilege and incredible learning experience for me getting to know the marvelously talented, funny, irreverent, curmudgeonly, humorous, GIFTED women from Canada, the UK and the good ole US of A during this art experience. I would do it ALL OVER again in a heartbeat. In fact, I have signed on to do it again in a 3rd round starting next month, LOL.

Moleskine Happiness

Today after a eight month sojourn, my 3.5 x 5.5 inch Moleskine returned. I am overjoyed and overwhelmed at the talent, humour and thought that came home with it.


Here below is my very first impression...

Oh my, everyone! My Chicklet Moley is perfectly perfect in every way. I type this with tears running down my face.

I love the funny bits, the serious bits, the open heart bits, the art bits, my turnips with tatties, Grenoiulle, the knowing more about each of you, the pirate bag made by Kimi in my favorite shade of green that my Moleys will live in, I’m thinking. The wee blue bear (who from, BTW?), the wee quilt sketch from our Gina, the Celtic stickers from Heather, the drawings, yes, even yours, Frewen and someday we’ll share a glass of yer hand crafted wine together. The bit of music from Anna, Lini was feeling Japanese, somebody actually found and use E.A. Poe stamps and passed them along to me. The menus and wee watercolours from Deborah, and no, Hope it isn’t too cute.

One Hundred Things for the 100th Post

Today's post is the 100th post of this blog. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to see if I could come up with 100 favourite or at least, interesting things to me.

I have really enjoyed keeping this blog. It helps to get my thoughts in order on a regular basis. I also have a commitment to something on going, that answers to no one. It leads me to explore other blogs and check out who, what, where, why and when. I find laughter, thought provocation, sadness and just life in general. I have discovered more about the quirks and foibles of my friends and their families. I have witness the children growing. I have also come to understand that my friends really are somewhat interested in what I might have to say on any given topic or occasion.

1. My family (Dad, Erin and my sister's kids, Merlin, Etienne and Lelani, Auntie Mags and all of her family)
2. Our cat, Pan

3. Ravelry and the really awesome people I have come to know through it.
3. Knitting (got 3 pair of sock, the Shawl from Hell and a ribbon tee shirt on the needles)
4. Quilting (just finish two new pieces and working on a 10 YO UFO)
5. Reading (Diana Gabaldon, Joshilyn Jackson and Dorothy L. Sayers are on the night stand)
6. Working in my garden (LOL, okay, so everything is in pots, but I still have to tend it)
7. This blog and the people I have come to know through it.


8. Moleskines Notebooks Moleskine
9. My new spinning wheel (now, if I could just learn to use it) Louet North America
10. Coming up with new recipes to use for the supper.
11. Our Library aka East Branch and all the folks that work there. They are amazing and they always want to see my socks. Pike Peak Library District East Branch Library

12. Garden of the Gods

13. Having a awesome new grocery store nearby. Sunflower Farmer's Market
14. Going to the camp in Michigan

Art Gallery on Main Street in Michigamme, MI

15. Revisiting crafts I haven't done for a while.
16. The El Paso County Crafters group from Ravelry
17. Columbines, Colorado State Flower

18. Highland Games and my Scottish heritage
19. Trader Joe's Markets
20. Philadelphia Soft Pretzels (Miss them more than Tastykakes)








21. Great Yarns and Great Fabrics
22. Being Creative
23. Ravens, Pine Martens and Owls
24. Historical Re-Enactment
25. My 1981 Toyota Pick Up Truck
26. Dancing
27. Listening to the music of Great Big Sea, The Young Dubliners, The Indulgers, Il Divo, Sarah Brightman, Andre Bocelli, Seven Nations, Albannach, The Elders, Van Morrison, Orff's Carmina Burana, Gob's O'Phun, Hadrian's Wall, Isla St, Clair, Natalie Masters, Ashley McIsaacs and Alex Beaton
28. The art of Milton Avery, Anne Huskey-Lockard, Vincent Van Gogh, Pamela Allen, Vimala McClure, Leonardo DaVinci, Caravaggio, Mary Stephenson Cassatt, Paul Klee, John Singer Sargent, Amy Brown, Tristan Blakeman, Ces, Leah Piken Kolidas, Kay Koeper Sorensen,






29. The poems of Veronica Franco, Robert Frost, e.e. cummings
30. Dr. Who and Torchwood
31. Thunderstorms
32. Bond, James Bond, the Movies
33. Carnations, Thistles, Roses and Peonies
34. Fabric as gifts
35. My Country, right or wrong
36. A new Sketchbook or Journal
37. The way the mountains change from hour to hour
38. Cloth, Paper, Scissors, Interweave Knits and Quilting Arts Magazines
39. Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds and Candied Ginger, well anything dark chocolate
40. London Broil with a baked potato and green beans
41. Border Terriers
42. Tartan
43.Gourmet Camping
44. The Ocean (I miss it I do)
45. Sailing
46. Fire in the Fireplace
47. My Quilt Maverick Lovey
48. Having a Ball Winder and Swift from Knitpicks


49. Being the Block of the Month coordinator for Piecing Partners Quilt Guild
50. Amber Jewelry and a good strand of pearls
51. Finding a new use for something old
52. My Blazing Saddles Chair
53. Cooking and Baking
54. Finishing Something!
56. The Closer and Saving Grace on TNT
57. History
58. Bodice Rippers
59. Using the words "Event Horizon" in a sentence
60. Learning something new every day
61. Rescue Me and Sons of Anarchy on F/X
62. First Responders
63. Learning the difference between American English and British English
64. Celtic Knot Work

65. Crossword Puzzles
67. A Game of Nasty (Canasta)
68.Playing at the Renaissance Faire
69. Researching period clothing and reproducing it to wear
70. Creating Wearable Art
72. My New Wellies
73. Discovering a new to me art technique
74. A new box of Crayons
75. Odwalla Strawberry Banana Smoothies
76. Trombones
77. Being Cack-handed (Left Handed)
78. Old church buildings
79. Found Objects
80. Seashells
81. Rocks and Stones
82. Burn Notice on USA
83. Men in Kilts
84. Bagpipe Music
85. Starry nights with clouds moving across the Moon
86. Dogwood Trees
87. Ginkgo Leaves
89. Silk and Wool yarn
90. Samhain (All Hallow's Eve)
91. Little White Dogs
92. Making my own greeting cards
93. Making the morning biscuts with theme cookie cutters
94. How much my friends love my shortbread cookies
95. You, my friends
96. My daughter's quirky sense of humour
97. Needle felting
98. Woolly Shawls on Chilly Nights
99. Sleeping through an entire night
100. The Old 100th

Dave Lowe's Latest Knitting Toon

I love Dave Lowe's toons. I want this as a tee shirt. I REALLY think that all of Dave's Knittar and knitting related art should be tee shirt designs. HE SO GETS US! Here is the linky to Dave's Website: Dave Lowe's ParaAbnormal

On an unrelated topic, I am about to hit one hundred posts, so forgie (Scots English for forgive, BTW) me now for nattering on...

Surprise! I Really am Working on Some New Quilts

Many of you readers may not know that I have actually been a quilter far longer than I have been a knitter. How so ever, knitting has been a force of nature and pretty much taken up all my attention for the last two years.

Since I finally felt I was missing something in my life, I volunteered to be the Block of the Month (BOM) coordinator for the Piecing Partners Quilt Guild. This was as an incentive to get some quilting back into the rotation of things I enjoy doing. Keeping my hand in quilting is also the reason that I have been participating in the sorta annual Baggo Challenges and the Slice Quilt with my Fiber Pirates friends.


Last month, I designed a Columbine Applique Block for the BOM we turned in this month. Here's a picture of one of them.






This month, I picked a Simple New York Beauty type block from 101 Full Sized Quilt Blocks and Borders for the BOM. The guild block is going to be Red, White and Blue. Here's a photo of one of the R, W & Bs that I did for the sample board. The guild members each will make a quarter block with red, white and blue fabrics and then bring them back for a drawing and winner take all and they'll get a scrappy top and hopefully they learned something new in the process.



I have been a fan of this block for a while, so I really enjoyed revisiting it again. To that end, this is what I did today. I made eight quarters to make two circles. This may end up either as a wall hanging or a table runner. I do have enough of some of the fabrics to make some matching napkins. Most of the fabrics were sold to me as fat quarters which are 18 x 22 inches.


This one is an analogous colour run starting with yellow green and ending at blue red. This is now the second time I have made these blocks in an analogous colourway. Since I was having so much fun, I made a third analogous colour run starting with blue green and ending at red purple, this one used two fewer fabrics than the first one did.






Here too, is a photograph of the first one I did, complete with the quilting and binding. I made this as a class exercise for Heather Thomas' Infamous Colour Class back in 2003. It is in the collection of a friend of mine from the Quilt Mavericks as we did a trade for a piece of each other's art.






More to be revealed, so stay tuned, dear readers.

Here's Another Blog to Check Out!

Brittany over at http://www.papermoonies.blogspot.com is having a contest for a lovely Dia de Las Muertos inspired stick pin. She also does really neat art work.



This photo is of the piece that Brittany is giving away on her blog.

My First Award

I just got a message from Mixed Media Artiste and Extraordinary Friend, Anne of the El Milagro Studio blog and she was awarded one of these and choose to honour me as well. In reading her blog post about the award, I realized how small is this cyber world we inhabit. This award was to sent to her by a friend we have in common, Quilt Artist Extraordinaire, Tristan and she also passed the award onto another friend we have in common, our dear Mixed Media Artiest Extraordinaire Marion across the pond.



The accompanying text with the award is as follows:

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

So, here is the list of bloggers I choose to honour with the Proximity Award, in no particular order and for no particular reasons.

Lini - http://essexhooker.blogspot.com
Rebecca - http://danceswithpitbulls.blogspot.com
Nic - http://nicknits.blogspot.com
Tala - http://corvustristis.livejournal.com
Camilla - http://soulshamans.blogspot.com
Hope - http://loopy-love.blogspot.com
Gina - http://sleepyeyesknitting.blogspot.com
Erin - http://bewitchingwickedsway.blogspot.com