Christmas 2012

Now that Christmas is over and the gifts have been delivered, I can share what I was working on this last month. (There would have been more, but a nasty cold visited our household after Thanksgiving.)

There was the playmat for my grandson, who is very much "into" cars and trucks. His twin sister also enjoys playing with them, and they share amazingly well for their age. It is backed with a bright number fabric, since he also enjoys counting and can recognize some numbers. Additionally, it has a tie, so the playmat can be rolled up for storage or to carry along on adventures!

Then, there were the table runner and hot pads for my DIL, who is a marvelous cook. I made them with Insul~Bright batting (which you can find out about here: http://www.warmcompany.com/ibpage.html), so they should stand up to the heat. I also tried some new free motion quilting techniques on them, and was pleased with how the quilting turned out.

In each case, I used preprinted panels, which I knew as soon as I saw them were meant for the recipients.

I hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year) and that 2013 proves to be an awesome year! May you be blessed with peace and all good.

Hopes vs. Goals

I've been trying to figure out how to get motivated to start on the things I want to accomplish. Reading Mimi Kirchner's blog Doll finally gave me the method I needed. She talks, not about setting goals, but about making a list of "hopes for the new year." In that vein, I came up with the following:

Create prototypes for several products.

Finish and donate priority quilt to AAQI.

Learn to string dolls.

Learn new mixed-media techniques. As a start, I have begun the latest Strathmore Online Workshop, with Traci Bautista.

Set up an Etsy shop.

Clear out excess (both in my home and in my studio). One way I will be doing this is by using my stash as if it were a store, shopping there for supplies instead of going out for new things.

Finally, make progress on UFO's. Here, again, it is a way to clear out excess, and provide myself with the satisfaction of finishing projects already in process.

Additionally, I have finally begun to feel as if I am gaining control over my schedule, which has been one of the most difficult things I've encountered since I retired from the day job. My time is now divided by research, artwork, and volunteering. It feels as if 2012 is going to be a marvelous year!

I wish you the enjoyment of finding your path and learning to walk in it, and until next time, peace and all good.

Breaking the Silence

With Christmas over, and gifts distributed, I can share a little of what I have been up to during this quiet time. I had been so focused on getting ready for the holiday that I'm afraid I was neglecting the blog.

One thing I did was to get out my knitting needles to make this for my granddaughter. It is something she will have to grow into, since the pattern size is apparently larger than the sizes available in the store. The pattern is a Bernat Chevron Jumper from their Hooray for Stripes book.

Another thing that I have been able to do recently is get some splendid photos of birds that I'd like to share with you. We've had several visits from this bird of prey, which we are speculating may be a Northern Harrier, though it looks more like a Prairie Falcon.

Since we added a suet feeder, we have also had several Downy Woodpeckers visit. Here are a couple of shots of one of them.

I apologize for the fuzziness on the pictures. One thing I haven't gotten to is washing my windows.

I hope you have enjoyed your Christmas holiday and that 2012 proves to be a wonderful year for everyone.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

New Year - New Experiences

Happy New Year to everyone!

For me, today marks the beginning of the Sketchbook Challenge and an online Visual Journaling Workshop with Pam Carriker. Ideas are percolating and bubbling over! I expect it will be a fun learning experience and provide me with lots of new material for my artwork. I hope that your new year provides many happy new experiences and lots of joy!

I invite you to:

Treasure the Little Things!

Until next time, may you experience peace and all good.