Creative Blessings of JOY

Will be back real soon...promise.

2011-08-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Goodness, time does fly doesn't it. I can't believe it has been so long since I was able to blog with you. My Mom, who is 86 had surgery and I have been helping with her care, along with some other nondescript "life" events which have kept me quite busy. I am working hard at getting things back on track, organized, hired help, etc. and promise I will return really soon; and, jump into creating, creating, creating once again - and sharing my exploits with you. I have just signed up for some fun classes coming up at the Houston International Quilt Show in late October, early November - you know how I love my classes! Till then, may God Bless your footsteps!

Fixed The Text and I Am Definitely A Happier Camper...

2011-06-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted my two canvasses I had done with techniques I am learning in Christy Tomlinson's SheArt Workshop. I also mentioned that I was not happy with the text layer I had added at the very end of working on the second canvas. Well, it bothered me all night. The first thing I did when I got up this morning, was to take a look at it and contemplate what I might do to improve the situation. I knew I wanted the text bigger, but if I used paper, the text already laid down would probably show through when I added the medium. So, I ran a piece of beige cardstock through my printer with larger text, cut it up and added that on top of the text already on the canvas. Yeah, it worked! I then outlined the text blocks with the black pen and added my last layer of medium. I love that there are ways to "save" or modify your image in mid-stream, so-to-speak. I have watched Christy do it so spontaneously and without any anxiety whatsoever - I love that! I guess that takes practice too. I have been using my baby wipes a lot! If I lay down something I find I don't particularly like, I use a baby wipe to get it up quickly. Either that or these techniques are pretty forgiving about adding additional layers to cover up areas which might not be your favorite. Pretty cool.
Here is the fixed version of the second canvas:

I dove into the photoshop workshop today and OMG, my brain is scrambled eggs! It is such a powerful software package with so many layers and tools. It will be fun in time, when these tools become second nature to me, but right now I am taking notes like a crazy woman.

My studio (and where my computer is) is the third (sectioned off) part of a three-car garage so I have to come out my back door into the garage and a few steps to enter my studio. Just a few minutes ago when I going into the house for something, , three mid-sized racoons looked up at me in surprise and then as I opened the door and scurried under my DH's workbench. We are experiencing such a terrible drought here in southern Texas that we have seen tons of animals coming out to get food and water any way they can. We are licensed wildlife rehabilitators (semi-retired now), but we still do what they call "hack out" of animals since we live in the country on some acreage. There are specific ways to get the animals acclimated and used to foraging for themselves before releasing them back into the wild. Often they are brought in for rehabilitation when they are babies - many of them orphaned or injured who never had the opportunity for their mom to teach them these skills. We get them once they are almost ready to be released and go through a hack-out procedure to get them ready to go out on their own. The reason I am telling you this is because we have a large cage full of squirrels right now and in the garage is a very large sack of "rodent chow" which is used to feed the squirrels. This is what the racoons found and were having quite a feast outside my studio door. We can't get too upset with them, since they are so in need right now, but eventually we do have to chase them out of the garage and shut the door - the dogs eventually get a good whiff and the barking begins! We have four dogs, two inside and two outside(fenced) - so you can imagine the noise until the racoons have moved on or the dogs get hoarse! Here are a couple pics of our outside dogs - the bassets - Bailey, the darker one and Beasley, the more white one. They are brother and sister and such a delightful pair!

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Sunday today! God is so good - let us thank Him with a joyful heart!

Till next time,

I Want To Do Everything!

2011-06-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

What a title huh? Are you like me, are you one of those people who want to do just about everything? I see so many ways to be creative and learn dreamy things that sometimes I don't know which way to turn. I guess you have seen this with my "addiction" to classes; online, as well as, workshops around the country. I want to dabble in everything I see - it all fascinates me. I just don't know how to narrow down my interests. You can just imagine the challenge I have in organizing my studio work space! Paint in one spot, sewing in another, jewelry making over there, and yes, the computer in the middle of it all. What's a girl to do? Have fun, play and be thankful for the opportunity to explore, dabble and learn!

I have finished two canvasses with the techniques I am learning in Christy Tomlinson's, SheArt Workshop. OMG - it is so much fun - you just keep going and going - embellishment is the name of the game - texture, texture, texture. I showed you the beginnings of the first canvas "Tickled Pink" and here it is finished. Can you see that the dress is 3-dimensional? It was fun to experiment and I hope I become more accomplished as I practice making more of these and find my own subject of expression.

The earth laughs in flowers which tickles me pink!

You can see here the depth and texture of using modeling paste.

The second canvas (in the blue/brown tones) is called "Most Extraordinary". I still have things to learn - I am a mess with the rub-ons! It seems that if you press unconsciously with the heal of your hand while rubbing the item you want on your image, you get little rubbed surprise tidbits and these are not always easy to get off. I am also learning when I can and can NOT us my Faber Castell black pens - they don't seem to like surfaces that have been treated with some mediums - so trial and error there. I also have a heck of a time getting all my little words lined up - they want to fly away on my pudgy little fingers. And, I am learning when to stop and give the piece a coat of medium so that the next layer will lay down properly and not mix into what I have done when I am happy with a layer. Like, if I put down some blue paint for example and I want it to stay blue, I need to put down a coat of medium before I begin to paint with another color so the colors won't mix, but just lay upon one another or next to each other independently. It is hard to be happy with the piece most of the way through and then do something at the very end that you are not thrilled with - like the black outlining on my text in this one...not the best, and I should have done the text a bit bigger...next time... I am learning and these are just my first pieces. Trying to be patient with myself.

It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.

I have begun my class in Photoshop Essentials and am really enjoying it a lot - lots to learn there. I have already gotten some valuable tips and techniques to apply to my images. I recently purchased a Nikon D300s camera with a fairly standard 18-200mm lens to practice my photography. I am definitely a "beginner" there as well. Next I will need a macro lens (DH, are you listening :-) to get up close and personal with things and lots of interesting little details. Kim Klassen suggested I download a field guide on the Nikon to refer to as I go out and begin to take more "artsy" photos. I downloaded the guide to my Kindle so that I can tuck it in my purse and have it on hand when out and about.

Week 1 of Boho Bliss with Deryn Mentock just began as well. This is a class on how to make some delicious earrings. I have taken online jewelry classes with Deryn before and she is an excellent teacher; she explains all the steps involved in detail and shows them well in her videos. The first thing we will learn to make are our own custom ear wires - how cool is that?

One of the beautiful blogs I visit almost daily is "The Feathered Nest" by Dawn.. As her blog name would indicate, her art includes all things related to birds and nests with a lovely vintage touch. I purchased the most adorable framed nest with quail eggs from her - its background is done completely in vintage text and it just eludes a peaceful feeling when you look at it. Stop by her blog and enjoy all her beautiful work. She also put me onto some great seam binding ribbon. I just got my first order in and am so happy with it, I have placed another order. It is rayon ribbon, comes in a ton of luscious colors and the price is excellent. Check it out here: Zipper Stop. Here is a sample of what I got. From top to bottom: amber brown, cream, aquarelle, black, and leadville. It will be useful in so many different projects from mixed media to ribbon embroidery.

Thought you might enjoy seeing these two who you were introduced to last post; Bleu and Quincy. They have become the best of friends - it is so fun to watch them together. Quincy (the Yorkie) loves to sleep curled up in Bleu's big fluffy tail.

Buddies

I like to snuggle here.

It also makes a great chew toy.

Then a nap...

What's an Ewok?

Glimmers of Faith-

Complaining; do you have a positive or a negative attitude? I have to say that I am feeling very convicted lately on this one. I am doing a Bible study on complaining/grumbling and what God has to say about it. Do you have that person in your life, who when you see them coming down the aisle in Wal-Mart, you want to turn and run away because you know all you will hear is complaints or negativity? I believe we have all been in that circumstance. But, are we THAT person sometimes? Do people ever want to run away from us? What about the Lord? What does he feel about our complaining or negative attitude. OMG, I am learning how my complaining affects everything in my life - it hurts me, it hurts God and it hurts the people around me. What if the Israelites had had a grateful attitude even as they began their journey in the desert, after being delivered from Egyptian slavery, instead of grumbling all the time, would history have been different for them? God got so tired of hearing their complaints that he had them wander in the desert until all those who were over 20 years of age had died before allowing them to enter the promised land. I know I can really relate to the Israelites, especially when I am facing, what to me, are difficult circumstances. It is easy for me to grumble about things. But, if we will stand in faith, on the promises of God, knowing that He is in control, He is working all for our best interest - then we don't have a thing to complain about do we? I hope through this study to change my attitude with God's help. There are so many scriptures in the Bible that teach us to continually thank God for everything, what He provides, His lovingkindness, for all those things which we take for granted; and, ultimately the sacrifice of His son for our salvation. Gratitude is to show that a kindness received is valued and appreciated. God wants our gratitude and He, more than anyone in all of creation, deserves it. Gratitude can be a spontaneous response to a kindness received, but I am learning that gratitude can also be a disciplined way of living. We can learn to make a conscious effort to show gratitude and sincere thankfulness to our Lord - I hope to. I hope to make it a habit that before my feet hit the floor in the morning, I am thanking Him. I know this will take practice and determination, but I know He will be there with me all the way! Join me in learning to leave complaining behind and changing our attitude to one of thankfulness in all things.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

May God bless your attitude of gratefulness,

More Online Classes and Creating a Little Bit at a Time...

2011-06-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

You all no doubt know the story of the tortoise and the hare - well, I am definitely more like the tortoise than the hare - slow, but steady. I have so enjoyed the SheArt Workshop by Christy Tomlinson, that I have now signed up for her She Had 3 Hearts Workshop which begins on July 25th. I love watching Christy work in her videos - she is a whirlwind - not a lot of pre-planning, just lots of creative energy and it all comes out wonderful in the end. On the other hand, there is me, a definite planner - I guess that is the main thing that slows me down. I am going to try to be a little more spontaneous, like Christy, and work with whatever happens. It has amazed me to actually watch her work and run into problems and challenges and just change direction with ease; always able to make what seemed to be a mistake turn into a beautiful little rainbow.

I have slowly starting working on some canvas to try some of Christy's techniques. I put down a layer of pattern paper, sheet music and old vintage text on my first canvas and then began to play. Oh my, how much fun - stenciling, painting, stamping - using sprays, inks, watercolor crayons, paint; and playing with objects to put down interesting textures, like bubble wrap, etc.

Here is my first background before I started working on my girl. I can't tell you how much fun I had. I may back off a little the next time - it is a little bit busy for me, but I followed Christy's lead. Lots of color!

I then started to cut out the girl's head, shoulders, legs, and an idea for a dress. This is a picture with some of the paper laid down to audition things a bit.

I thought it would be fun to experiment with the dress so I decided to use modeling paste with a little Adirondack spray (cranberry) added and mold some cheesecloth into a strapless couture piece....interesting to play with. It is hard to see in the photo that it is 3-dimensional. In fact there is a lot of dimension to this piece - I let the first layer of the tissue pattern paper crease and overlap in places to provide interesting texture.

So my girl in in place, her hair painted, dress on. I added some paper flowers, some rub-ons. I haven't decided on the text I will add yet. Sorry the pic has so much glare - the mod podge isn't dry. I can't do much in the way of outlining and doodling because I don't have my Faber Pitt pen yet from Dick Blick - still waiting! Regular pens, even extra fine Sharpies don't like to doodle on mod podge or paint I have found. I have also ordered some "smooch" paint, india ink pens, and Liquitex inks that Christy uses - they all look like fun. Definitely had fun with my first canvas and will begin some more. This was really an experiment with color for me - I tend to be a pretty "neutral" girl.

In the background I am also adding a little here and there to my fabric book pages. I have added a few more embellishments, lace, etc. I am also working on my background piece for the Towers and Turrets class I took....told you I was slow! I am just cutting up my painted stenciled pieces and laying them out to make the towers on the background - there are lots more steps to this project! And, I am watching the videos for another small online class from Sharon Tomlinson doing faces on fabric (muslin) using Inktense pencils. My Inktense pencils should be here in a couple of days and I think I will really like them! You can see Sharon's work here: All Norah's Art If you do visit Sharon's blog, be sure to click on the Morning Art tab at the top and watch a video or two - very neat!

Oh, and another online class I have enrolled in starts on June 21 and I am so excited. It is a Photoshop Essentials class with Kim Klassen at her Kim Klassen Cafe. I happened onto her site and watched some of her freebie tutorials and they were fabulous! So...I know I will learn a ton in her class. I told you, I love, love, love online classes. To continue to learn really nurtures me a lot and keeps me happy!

I wanted to share a few photos with you of Bleu and Quincy. Bleu is our Great Pyr - he is a year old and such a sweetie. In these photos you can see he has had his summer cut because it is soooo hot here in Texas. He broke his knee and leg when he was about 4 months old (went out a car window by accidentally hitting the electric window button - unbelievably traumatic event for our family). He had to have a knee replacement (which cost more than mine!) and rods put in one of his back legs. During that time we had to keep him really still and quiet as much as possible to heal after the surgeries - not an easy do! Sometimes my DH and I would have to lie down on the floor with him, next to his crate, to get him to settle down and rest. Once better, he refuses to be put into a crate of any kind (even though his is the biggest they make) - he is quite the Houdini and can bust out easily. So...we thought we would get Bleu his own "pet" to snuggle with and be kenneled with - hence Quincy. Quincy is about 4 months old, a little Yorkie pup. He won't get over about 5 pounds. My DH and I have never had a really small dog before so this is quite an adventure. It didn't take Bleu and Quincy long at all to become good buddies so we are very optimistic about them being together when boarded, so we may get to actually take a vacation once in a while. Oh - and Bleu - he is doing splendidly - he gets around really well and just has a bit of a limp because that back leg is a hair shorter than the rest.

For fun, here are a couple of vintage images for you to use in your artwork. I just love the lady making bread. The little girl is a photo from an old photo album I purchased - her name is Margaret and she has such a sweet face.

Glimmers of Faith

This Sunday is Father's Day as we all know. A time to let our earthly fathers know how much we love them, or be thankful for cherished memories of fathers who have gone on to glory. Of course, the most important father of all is our Heavenly Father. He has asked us to put Sundays aside as a holy day of rest and worship to remember Him. Seems like such a simple request doesn't it? But we tend to overlook it and tend to our own selfish needs and wants instead. Look at all we have - everything we see around us; even the very air we breath. He loves us so much and asks for very little. Although there are similarities in our relationship with our earthly father and our Heavenly Father; love, support, guidance, etc.; our Heavenly Father has characteristics that no one else has. He is Holy - without sin. He is all powerful, merciful and wise beyond our comprehension. And, because His love for us is so great, He provided for our eternal life - the ultimate sacrifice given for our salvation. This Sunday while we are honoring our earthly fathers, let us open our hearts, give thanks and honor our Heavenly Father above all and continue to do so day after day so that it becomes as natural to us as the air we breathe.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

May God bless you!
Till next time,

I Love, Love, Love Online Classes

2011-06-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, I have said it many times, I just love taking classes and online classes are no exception. I have just started one called The She Art Workshop and talk about interesting and fun techniques. I am just watching the videos right now, but hope to get my fingers into paper and paint real soon. Christy Tomlinson's enthusiasm for her art and each piece as she is creating is definitely motivating. I love how she builds layer after layer of interest and texture with fun applications. Check out Christy's blog and preview a couple of her videos and I think you will be hooked too! There is also a link button to the right regarding her class. If you are in to journaling, Christy has a class for that as well.

Here is a quick snap of the tree I am working on in my BOM (Block of the Month) CQ for March. The trunk and branches were beaded with kind of a bead soup of various beads and bugles. Spaces have been left for silk ribbon flowers to be added. I believe it will be a dogwood tree. Crazy Quilt and SRE are a bit hard to blog about on a regular basis as they do take a bit of time to complete so I thought I would just show you my progress and, of course, the finished tree, hopefully in the very near future.

I also have a pic here of my first signature I am working on for my fabric journal I started. The page is not finished, but at least it is started. For some reason, this has been a more difficult process for me than I thought it would be - I think because I am not sure at all where the journal is headed - I am just winging it. Usually I have a specific design in mind when I start a project, but this is more abstract - I am pulling from a pile of fabric, lace, pictures, paper, etc. as I go so a lot depends on what I have on hand. I also want the words I include with the picture to be appropriate - I was thinking of something like..."she felt God's embrace in the beauty around her"...what do you think? The colors are showing a little crazy here - there are more brown tones - I tend to use browns a lot - I am trying really hard with this project to bring in some color.

I thought I would end today with posting a picture from my angel collection - perhaps you can use this in your art creations.

Glimmers of Faith

I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Spirit. Ephesians 3:16

"The saints are the sinners who keep on trying." Robert Louis Stevenson

My prayer for "us" today is that we will keep our communication with God ongoing and that we will keep ourselves open to His divine will.

May you be richly blessed!

Till next time,

Green Paper Challenge and Starting a New Project

2011-06-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hi - have been trying my best to get back to the "blog"! Don't know about you, but OMG, life has thrown some interesting curves lately and it is hard to be in my creative space.

I did run through my blog favs this morning and noticed that Green Paper was having a little challenge so I thought I would try it. I decided to work digitally. The challenge was to create anything using all or pieces of all three of the images in this set...

I blended the flowered post card with the picture of the mother and children in the background with some additional layered background colors and opacities. I then cropped out the perfume bottle, changed its colors a bit and put it in amongst the flowers at the lower left with some of the flowers wrapping around the bottle or giving the illusion the bottle is in amongst the flowers. I then added the text, " For that baby fresh scent! " giving it an advertising scenario. I lessened the opacity of the perfume bottle so that the flower would show through on its label - thought that was interesting. It will be fun to see what other people do with these images digital or otherwise. So here is the image I created below. Now I can print this out to make a tag, use in a collage, print on fabric to make a small pillow or lots of other options.

As you may remember I have a dear friend who is creating a BOM (Block of the Month) crazy quilt that I have joined. My Bee group is kind of testing her patterns and designs and having fun doing it! I have officially pronounced my January and February blocks finished and am beginning on my March block. Here is a little snippit from the February block. (Can't show you the entire block as these are her designs and she may be sharing them at a later date.) The hearts are filled with makuba flowers, rolled ribbon silk roses, hydranga, etc. all hand done; the heart was then outlined with a makuba trim and some vintage tatting. Some beads were added to various flowers inside the hearts as well for a little sparkle. The hearts are about 3x4 in. each.

I decided I wanted a vintage image on each of my blocks. I wanted a unique image to represent March, but still vintage (we are allowed :-) to add or subtract as we would like). So, I found a cute vintage-looking picture of a little girl flying a kite. It took a bit digital magic, but I am happy with this image and will place it somewhere on my March CQ block. I changed up her colors to give her a vintage look, added a background, some grasses, swirls, some clouds, and the little bees. The bees are representative of my CrazyQuilt Bee with whom I stitch each week. The kite is fairly plain and has no tail because once I add it to my quilt block, I will embellish it with stitches and beads and bows - you know cqer's just have to embellish, embellish, embellish!

As for another project I have started (or restarted I should say), here is a picture of the fabric/paper/collage type journal/book I am beginning. I took Nellie Wortman's Fabric Journal online class with Creative Workshops at Shabby Cottage Studios and really want to dive into creating one of my own. I again took a digital image that I created from some of the art I have, framed it with a vintage grunge frame, printed it out and glued it to a vintage cabinet card. It will then be layered on to a couple of old book covers and fabric and lace pieces to be my journal/book cover. I am sure that I will add some final elements/embellishments to it once I complete the inside pages and see where I am going. The inside pages will take a while, but I will share them as I struggle through the process.

I spent today playing a lot with digital images - it is magical stress reliever for me :-) Thought I would post this one I worked on. You are welcome to use her in your art if you like her. (oops, forgot to add her on the first post, but here ya go)

Glimmers of Faith

"When thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words than thy words be without heart." John Bunyan

The power of prayer lies not in what words are spoken, but in the conviction of heart behind the words, no matter how clumsy or awkward the expression.

A prayer is nothing more than a person-to-person call to God, and God always answers on the first ring. He answers. We may not see the big picture as He does, so we may not understand or feel the answer in the time and way we expect, but know He answers!

We often hear people say that "all I can do is pray for you". But, prayer is the most powerful and loving thing we can do in any circumstance. Let us stop in our busy days more and give prayers of thanks, prayers for healing, prayers for peace for our loved ones, our country and our world - wouldn't that put a smile on the face of God; for Him to see Heaven's switchboard totally light up!

Be blessed, till next time!

Back in the Saddle Again!

2011-05-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to say I commend all those ladies who blog often - it is so rewarding and I thoroughly enjoy sitting down at my computer in the morning while I have my breakfast and scrolling through the RSS feeds of my favorites. It is like visiting friends. I keep trying to get back to blogging on a regular basis and life keeps throwing a few curves into the mix, but I am determined - soooo, here I go again.

As some of you know, I had been involved with a charitable Foundation for the last 7 years where I was making "artbras". These artbras were used in venues around the country to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. Photo calendars of the bras were sold each year as well. And, much to my delight, the "artbras" were exhibited at the Houston International Quilt Show last November - what an honor!
It provided a platform to meet the most wonderful women, hear their stories regarding breast cancer and how it had affected them and their loved ones.

Well long story short - that Foundation has closed. Not knowing what the founder's plans were for the pieces I had done since 2004, I requested that any or all of my "artbras" be returned. I was hoping to still do something positive with them. I was able to recover 3 of my bras; Positively Pretty in Pink, Now is the Time for a Cure, and Morning Has Broken. Determined to use them to make a difference, I spiffied them up a bit and contacted a friend (Jennifer) in the San Antonio area very involved in charitable activities. She is a team member of the website, Character Cafe, a website dedicated to telling stories of unsung heroes, “Good Samaritans,” volunteers and other positive members of society who might normally go unnoticed. They have a mission to promote and push forth society’s better natures and publish and praise humanitarian efforts undertaken by people every day.   With Jennifer's connections, I was able to donate these three artbras to be auctioned off at the 7th Annual, Women in Medicine and Law for the Cure's ( http://www.wmlc.org ) auction/event in San Antonio benefitting Susan G. Koman. I am delighted to report that my bras raised $800 for Susan G. Koman - woohoo! These dedicated women raised an awesome total of $159,000. I was not able to attend as I do not live near San Antonio, but I was told that it was Tony Parker's (of the San Antonio Spurs and former husband of Eva Longoria) Mom who purchased the artbra, "Now is the Time the Cure" - how cool is that!

Positively Pretty in Pink

Morning Has Broken

Now is the Time for the Cure

Since I really enjoy being involved in charitable activities with my artwork, I have made a quilt block for the "Hearts and Hands for Sendai" project. These quilt blocks will be made into quilts that will go to Japan and encourage them as well as raise money to help with rebuilding and helping the people of Sendai. Here is a snap of my first block. I am hoping to get a second one done in the next couple of weeks. I combined both crazy quilting and traditional quilting into this piece. The Japanese kanji in the upper right says "hope" - the one on the bottom says "pray for Japan". It is always difficult to decide when a crazy quilting piece is finished - CQers like to embellish and I am no exception. What do you think? Finished or does it need a little more embellishment?

I want to encourage you to take a look at the current issue of CQMagOnline if you haven't already. I have an article this issue on the most beautiful crazy quilt I have ever seen and there are lots of pictures with lots of amazing details. It is called The Mighty Oak by Mary Huntington. Here is a small snapshot of the entire quilt. It provides wonderful inspiration for crazy quilters...there are so many techniques used in this masterpiece.

Glimmers of Faith

I read a small book recently that was totally amazing, encouraging and thought provoking. It is called Heaven is Real by Todd Burpo about his son, Colton. Heaven Is for Real is the true story of his then four-year old son, who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.

Colton's recollections are so wonderful and there are so many biblical details he innocently outlines that a child of four would not have known. Todd Burpo, his father and the author of this book, is also a minister. He was very careful in receiving Colton's statements and recollections - Todd did not want to lead or color Colton's memories- he wanted to receive the information with an open heart and just as Colton

Til next time,

Collage Retreat Fun

2011-04-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I hope you are having a very blessed day with your family.

Well, I finally have a few minutes to jump on here and blog. I don't know about you, but I always have good intentions to blog often, and life just jumps in the way!

I want to share with you a little bit about my fun weekend at the Clark Mansion in Taylor, Texas collaging with KC Willis two weeks ago. First of all, Taylor, Texas is a very unique, historical town. The owner of the Mansion and hostess of the weekend, Sherry, had marvelous stories to tell us of famous people who had visited and what the area used to be like - it was so much fun listening to the history that enveloped the house we were staying in. I have provided a few pictures of the amazingly beautiful Clark Mansion that was built in 1879. The wallpaper, the furniture, the woodwork - simply AMAZING! To enlarge any of the pictures to see better details, just click on them.

The Clark Mansion (click to see website)

Front hallway entrance


Living room complete with 2 sofas and a upholstered chaise lounge


Forgive the mess, the girls were packing - two twin beds on the right - huge room!

Another bedroom, also had a twin bed to the left. One of these doors leads to the maids quarters - another bedroom...there were separate stairs that went to the maids quarters from the kitchen as well.

This is a Victorian Era architectural item - a "keyhole" window. Victorian ladies would peek out of the window unbeknownst to suitors at the front door. The stained glass in the top represents the Sunset Ranch. The Clark Mansion was the main home on the Sunset Ranch in times past.

We ate our meals in a beautifully appointed dining room and the room we worked in was the ballroom, complete with baby grand piano. In the evenings we sat on the porch and listened to birds and felt the cool breezes - time definitely slowed down and we were able to really relax. There were 10 of us including the Mansion's owner, Sherry and it was really nice getting acquainted with everyone. Other than KC, who came in from Colorado, I drove the furthest for the retreat. Most of the ladies were from the surrounding area - Wimberly, Austin, Taylor, etc.


Here we are toasting our hostesses, KC and Sherry.


The ballroom and the ladies hard at work.


A favorite for everyone was using the Wagner heat gun to age the fabric and paper and add texture!

KC showing us a gorgeous fabric collaged journal! How to create this? She has a great set of CD's available on her website Lipstick Ranch.

We enjoyed creating and working hard "playing" with paper, fabric, lace, glue, thread, ribbon, etc. each day. We actually finished three pieces; one main one and then two quick exercises in creating without so much thinking - a difficult do for me for sure! I have been fortunate to visit KC in Colorado a couple of times in the past, so I know how much fun her workshops can be and this was no exception. She helps spark the "inner child" in everyone. This is the last year KC will be teaching. She is going to change her direction a bit so if you want to catch one of her "latest and greatest" workshops, check out her website and register now. KC on the road in 2011.

Here are pictures of each of the ladies with their main collage piece. There was a story behind each piece which made it so meaningful and fun! KC actually had a writing exercise for us to help us determine what our pieces were saying to us.

Candy -"Wish I could fly"

Dixie - "Just take in one deep breath"

Marji - "I don't believe in the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, I believe in pajama parties!"

Susan - "How are you Dad"

Pat - "All things are possible"

Karen - "Fearless"

Terry - "As a matter of fact, I am a star"

Here is a snap of the entire group on the beautiful grand staircase.

Yep - it's windy in central Texas! L to R, Susan, Marji, Terry, Pat, me, KC, Candy, and Karen. Dixie was taking the picture.

When we first arrived in Taylor, we visited the gallery where KC's work was on display. It had been a bank in older days and was an architectural dream. Here is a picture of KC among her work and giving us an insightful tour of each piece before we left for the Clark Mansion.

The second night we were in town, we were invited to go downtown in Taylor and visit another gallery where local artists spend lots of time teaching and learning and selling their work. Two of the ladies in our group actually had items in the gallery so it was great fun to see that! Very inspiring! The lady that owned the gallery was sweet enough to open up her other shop which had all kinds of goodies and I found two tops! woo-hoo! Taylor was very gracious to us indeed.

Ok, ok, now that you have seen all of the other ladies beautiful work, I will share mine. I tend to over think things and it took me a while to relax and get my creative juices flowing to just enjoy "playing and creating".

KC said, grab some pieces of paper and stitch them together - then grab a couple of pieces of fabric and add that. Then we glued and stitched little fabric scraps into the shape of a heart and added that. I added the silk flower and some hand-stamped muslin ribbon for fun. We did this piece in a VERY short time to see if we could just let our creative juices flow without letting the brain rule!

An exercise in building a collage without a one piece foundation - going outside the box. This one is called Tea Time and has little teabag paper rolled roses and some teabag paper behind the left bottom corner.


This is my main collage. Butterfly dreams. The caption says: "A good day for catching dreams". The piece has fabric, lace, paper, a silk cocoon, a piece of driftwood, etc. Lots of fun textures. Three butterfly charms flutter off and up from the photo. I enjoyed using the vintage net fringe on the bottom that I got from Flights of Fancy Boutique.

When I left the Clark Mansion, I went to visit my twin sons and DIL - spent the night, had a great dinner with them, got some hugs and took off the next day for home. On the drive home I happened upon a "gaggle" of zebras - yes, zebras. Well, I just had to get out and talk to them and take some pictures. They were so beautiful and so cute.

Glimpses of Faith
On this Easter Day let us give thanks to God for His son, a savior who was obedient unto death to save those who would believe and bring us back into the presence of God. What an awesome love God has for us - incomprehensible, but real.

May the joy of the Lord fill your days!

Till next time,

Retreating Again - KC Willis Collage Camp in Taylor, Texas

2011-04-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hey! Yep! I am on the road again. Tomorrow I leave for Taylor, Texas and the Clarke Mansion. I have never been there before so I know I am in for a treat. I am hoping to see lots of beautiful blue bonnets (the Texas state flower) on the way. I will have my new camera in tow and will takes lots of fun pictures. We will be making two projects this weekend and hearing some fabulous stories and strategies from KC. I have spent the entire day printing pictures that I "may" use and pulling together items from my studio for the trip. Another great part of this trip is that my two sons live in Austin, which is very close to Taylor, Texas so I will trek over there after the retreat and collect some much needed hugs.

I did have a little time to play this week (not a whole lot, but a little) and I got one background done for the Towers and Turrets class. I will probably try my hand at a second one or a third :-) They are supposed to be fairly dark because we will be adding bright collage papers to the top. Most of this was done with a "scraper" (old credit card) or a pallette knife instead of a paint brush - it was a fun technique. Then, stencils were used to add and remove paint on top.

I recently found some really cool cotton/muslin stamped ribbon on the web at, Creations by Minda. Here is a snap of what I got (top pic). I tried my hand at making some with muslin that I coffee stained, then ironed and stamped. I hope to use some of it in my collage work this weekend. Minda has refined her technique and her ribbons are beautiful - it will take me a while for mine to look as lovely as hers! I didn't have a lot of time for experimentation so just did mine in black ink this time, but am anxious to give it a try with some colors in the future and some different types of fabric. I think it will be fun to use in wrapping gifts, collage, journals; all kinds of things.

I also wanted to show you my "new" Hearts and Hands for Sendai, Japan block. The first one had some issues and I started over. This is my pieced block and I will begin with the embellishment next week. I am thinking about possibly a second block and have a theme in mind - will share that later!

You guys will notice that I have a new button on the upper right; it is for Kelly Rae Roberts new E-book series, Flying Lessons. I have my copy and have only begun to dig in. It is filled with tons of information. It is a treasure trove of information on selling your art and just plain developing a confidence and joy in creating it! Check it out!

Glimmers of Faith
As Easter approaches, it is a time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ. God's thoughts and ways are far above ours and often it is really hard to truly understand His plans, His actions, His words. He is such a Holy God that He can not even look on sin, but He still loves us so much - each and every one of us. His plan of salvation was put forth to restore us with a blood covenant that would pay for our sins. Man can not change himself, so God offered His son as the necessary "pure" blood sacrifice. That is a love that is hard to grasp, isn't it? All we need do is believe - "amazing grace!" His generosity and ways are incomprehensible. I am so thankful that I am a child of the covenant and that He has forgiven my sins. Now and forever, God's unfailing love for His children will not be shaken. To reconcile with God, because we have been separated from Him by our sin, it requires His righteousness be established. How? Through faith in Jesus Christ, God declares His people righteous. With a humble and contrite heart, if we will call on the Lord, He is listening. All we need do is confess our sins and ask Him into our hearts. He will answer our call and bring unimaginable joy. "The Lord will become in you a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

Till next time, happy trails!

Prep Work for Towers and Turrets Class and Give-Away at Art & Images by Kim

2011-04-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hi friends. I hope you are doing well today. It has been a bleek, overcast day here today...so a good day to get some household chores done and then squeeze a few moments in for some art. Keeps you sane you know! I played with paint most of the afternoon yesterday. Today was time to cut some home-made stencils and make some home-made rubber word stamps for our project. It was a bit tricky and some letters are downright difficult, like "e's" for example, but here is a sampling of what I have accomplished. I found that if I got a good flow and cut the first time through, I would have an acceptable outcome. If I wasn't happy with something and tried to go back and fix it, I usually messed it up and had to start over - so, yes, a few stamps were tossed in garbage. It's a bit addictive once you get started.

I also wanted to mention that Kim at Art & Images by Kim is having a wonderful give-away. This giveaway is a big box full of altered art supplies. Anything from collage sheets, vintage papers, scrap-booking papers, fibres, dangles, beads, rusty stuff, fabric, braid, trim, lace, game pieces, new used, art items, and unfinished art items, new and used tools, gadgets, rubber stamps, die-cuts, vintage and retro items, and what ever else she can cram into the box. All you need do is visit her blog and leave a comment. She outlines the other ways to increase your entries into the give-away there on her blog as well. I am a regular follower of Kim's blog; she has lots of mixed media eye candy from paper to jewelry and an offering of collage sheets. I also recently joined Paper Digital Art & Images by Kim which is a wonderful community of artists to get to know and art challenges in which to participate. I encourage you to visit both sites and join in the fun.

Glimmers of Faith
Do you have a prayer/faith journal or notebook? I have a journal that I put sermon seeds, favorite devotions and scriptures in. Things that will encourage and support me spiritually. Things that will help me to continually fellowship with God. I also love to use a Promise Bible - this is a small Bible (often pocket size) that lists all of God's promises (scripture verses) in order of subject; for example, Encouragement, Mercy, Healing. Under the subject Encouragement is a list of verses such as: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Ps 55:22, "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11, etc.

I would like to encourage you to keep a prayer/faith journal or notebook filled with the things that touch your life, your spirit. Take the truths that God gives you and highlights for you every day and write them down, use them - personalize them, yes, even pray with them. As certain situations arise, good or bad, speak the truths you are learning into those circumstances - watch and see how God works and uses your verses and the promises He has given you. Journal what you are learning, experiencing, and how you are responding. As you continue to journal and speak God's truths and promises; His blessings will become more and more evident in your life and you will find a peace that "will surpass all understanding". In this stressful and troubled world - what a wonderful gift to have - "peace in your heart".

Till next time, hugs and blessings!

Paint From Head to Toe and Japan Quilt Block Begun

2011-04-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

Howdy! This will just be a short post today - I have been soooo busy - having fun! I started the Towers and Turrets class yesterday and began working on stenciling collage papers today with paint; and, boy I have paint from head to toe. These will be cut up to be used, but I was so into this, omg it is like being back in kindergarten. Next step will be painting a background. I gesso'd some paper today to get ready for that. I also am going to try my hand at carving a word stamp or two for the project and the little windows that are needed - can you say, "what are you thinking?" But Sharon Tomlinson shows how she does it in the videos and it doesn't look too bad, so I am going to give it a try. Here is a shot of the papers I created this afternoon.

Then I started my quilt block for the Heart and Hands for Sendai, Japan project. I thought I would try a CQ/traditional combination kind of thing - thus the blocked shaped instead of the usual cq piecing. I will add SRE and embroidery, lace, etc. I have some pieces of paper laid out on it right now auditioning some ideas. The Japanese kanji on the bottom says - 'we pray for Japan'; the one on the right says 'hope' (I did these in Photoshop) and I have a little vintage oriental print I may use of a bird in a persimmon tree. I hope to add a branch or tree of cherry blossoms in the green block with embroidery and SRE. I have been known to change my mind from time to time - we'll see how things come together.

BTW - remember that CQMagOnline will be coming out at the end of the month. I have included an article with LOTS pictures of an awesome, awarding winning crazy quilt.

I hope you are having a wonderfully creative and blessed day!

Heart and Hands for Sendai, Japan

2011-03-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post regarding this important project. The hostesses of CQI (Crazy Quilting International) have started a this project dedicated and benefiting those affected the the earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan. It involves making a quilt block; either traditional or crazy quilted and is open to the quilting community at large. All quilts that result will be part of an exhibit in Japan to raise money and ultimately, they may be auctioned with the proceeds going to a chairty to help those affected in Japan.
You may track details on the Crazy Quilting International blog,
http://crazyquiltinginternational.blogspot.com or the ICQA Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/4h3x28a. You can also find more information on Leslie Ehrlich's blog, Pinyon Creek Stitchin.

Here are the Guidelines for the Project:

Theme: Friendship and re-building of a country
Finished block size: 8 inches
Colors: Jewel Tones
Style: traditional or crazy quilt blocks will be accepted
For traditional quilt blocks, there are no pattern restrictions. The only
requirements are the size and the colors. Finished size is to be 8 inches (20.32
cm). Please allow a half inch seam allowance. Colors are jewel tones. No
restrictions to the type of fabric used.
For crazy quilt blocks:
_ Cut foundation at 9 inches (22.86 cm), piece the entire foundation.
_ Baste a line at 8 inches (20.32 cm) to stop embroidering
_ Do not add beads or charms past 7 ½ inches (19.05 cm)
_ Zig zag edges to prevent edges from fraying.
_ Add your name and address on the back of the block.
_ Mark the block with “UP” to show which side is the top
_ Prefer all fabrics used be “fancies” (ie: silk, satin, taffeta, velvet) but if you have
some kimono fabrics or other oriental themed fabrics in your stash you are
welcome to use them.
_ All beading MUST be double stitched and knotted with BEADING THREAD!!!
NO exceptions!!! These items will be handled a great deal and beads, buttons,
charms are among the first to begin to loosen. Embellishments – may be done
by machine or by hand.
_ Lace and other motifs are acceptable and must be securely attached
_ Trims are acceptable and must be securely attached
_ SRE is acceptable
_ Tatting and crocheted butterflies and dragonflys, etc are acceptable and must
be securely attached
_ Please sign the back of your block

If you have any questions, please email Leslie (pinyoncreekq@q.com). Also please contact Leslie for her mailing address as all finished projects are due to her by June 30, 2011. An entry fee of $10.00 for each block is required. This fee will be accrued and forwarded to our Japanese hostess, Hideko Ishida to help will administrative costs and/or be given directly to a charity there in Japan. This entry fee can be sent as a check or money order (payable to ICAQ) or by Paypal at icqa4u@yahoo.com. Please check gift for the donation if using paypal.

I hope you will consider getting involved and using your creative talent to give the people of Japan the gift of hope. Thank you in advance!

I will be posting my block in the next few days as I get it pieced together and ready to embellish.

I couldn't resist showing you my new purchase. You have seen some of my recent sketches that I have been working on. I have enjoyed this sketching class immensely - sitting and sketching seems to be a stress reliever for me. So, when Dick Blick had this 120 Prisma pencil set on sale, I had to jump on it. Isn't it dreamy?

Sorry, no real eye candy today as I spent the entire day mowing the acreage - it was a beautiful day outside and I just had to be outdoors in the fresh air. Just dropped in a few photos here that I took while outside today - practicing with my new camera.


Here is a blue bird couple who are nesting by our tomato plants.

Glimmers of Faith:
A question in my Bible study today that popped out at me was: Do you know Christ, or do you just know about Christ? Boy, that is a meaty question isn't it. I have been studying the Bible for a long time, but knowledge doesn't necessarily mean that you have the relationship with Christ that you should, that you need, that you desire. Time with Christ is essential to establishing a faithful relationship with Him. We need to devote time to be with Christ every single day - talk to Him, listen to Him, learn from Him, be obedient to Him. I know how hard that is in this busy world, but you can't imagine the blessings that will come from it; it will help you to face each day with joy in your heart. He is our Redeemer and gave His all for us, for our salvation - let's bring joy to His heart and ours and spend time with Him today and every day!

Hugs and blessings till next time,

Stitching, Shopping and Snakes?

2011-03-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Good to be back. And, yes, I have changed the look of my blog. I am still searching for my niche and trying to learn more about the blogging world and templates so there may even be more changes in the future as I try to find what feels most comfortable to me. The choices are overwhelming! I hope you will be patient if there are changes - most of them will just be visual background changes.

Well, my friends and I had a wonderful time in Canyon Lake, stitching and shopping, enjoying the quiet. A few of us actually got in the hot tub as the picture will attest to and we had some excitement one evening when my brother killed a rattlesnake that was slithering into his yard. It was wonderful to just be lazy and have fun. We hit bead shops and quilt shops in Kerrville and Fredericksburg, but most of all just stayed in and stitched. A big thanks to my SIL and brother for having us! They have a beautiful home overlooking Canyon Lake and are so gracious to share their home and all its wonderful amenities.

Hot tub fun - nice view eh! I mean the lake!

Lynnis and I resting outside Rughooking shop.

Mr. rattlesnake (dead)

rattlesnake skin - pretty isn't it?

Rattlesnake rattle (removed)

My dogphew (nephew dog), Gumbo was a lot of fun for us as well. An Austrailian Labradoodle, he is unbelievably smart and quite entertaining. He even came and slept with me two nights which was so sweet (as his momma was out of town part of the week while we were there, otherwise that wouldn't have happened!). I do believe he loves his Aunt Julie though.


Barbara playing with Gumbo

Gumbo!

I have included here a couple of pics of WIP; the hearts on the February block of the BOM I am working on - whew - it took a while to get all those flowers done. And, a few more sketches I am working on to practice laying down layers of graphite and color. I have really enjoyed SuziBlu's videos and what is even more awesome is that they are downloadble so that I will have them to go back to over and over as necessary. Her classes are quite reasonable and lots of good stuff on the videos. The only thing I haven't done too much of is design some pieces of jewelry which I do need to do. I did make a couple of wrapped links which came out pretty good.


another drawing for practice

two more drawings for practice

Hearts on my CQ Feb. BOM


my first wire-wrapped bead links

Once I got back from the visit to my brother's, I had to help my Mom. She has had additional surgery - long story. She is doing pretty well all in all, but the surgical wounds don't want to heal due to her rheumatoid arthritis and we spent 7 hours in the ER friday night for her to get a round of iv antibiotics. We see a new orthopedic surgeon in Houston tomorrow and I am hopeful that will result in a more positive outcome.

I am scheduled to attend KC Willis' Collage Camp at the Clarke Mansion outside of Austin the weekend of April 8th and am really looking forward to pulling together a nice fabric collage while there and enjoying the company of other collage artists. And, my online class, Of Towers and Turrets, starts on April 1 so I will be playing with metals and ice resin - woohoo! I know, I know, I must be ADD, but it is just hard to see all the wonderful new techniques out in the art community and not want to just jump in head first, right?!!!!

On the personal front , I am so glad that God gives believers power to change. I am sorry to say that I often let the stress get to me when faced with the seeming overwhelming obstacles of even daily life. It seems to happen before I know it and I can feel so beaten down and zapped of my strength. Some days it seems all we hear is bad news, sad news; and challenges seem to pop up one after the other. Fortunately, I turned to Ephesians today and I was reminded and encouraged that all I need do is turn to Christ, stay in His word, and He will provide for and strengthen me. If I will stay in His truth - I have no need to be anxious for anything. His plan is unfolding and He is in control. He has provided us with the Holy Spirit so we do not fight alone. What a blessing of grace we have. In these times of struggle, I pray that the Lord will wake me each morning with a song of God in my heart. Eph 1:18 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance..."

Have a very blessed day!

Classes and Retreats!

2011-03-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

Classes and Retreats are two of my all time favorite things, you know, aside from my faith, family and friends. I have been really indulging and deluging myself with classes! Online classes are really great since you can stay in your jammies or whatever and watch the videos at any hour. I am continuing my class with Deryn Mentock called The Build Zone, which has been fantastic. Her instructions and videos are great! I am in the final stages of the class and now need to practice techniques with different types of wire and beads. I also need to "flirt" with design at this stage which is a bit tricky since my "stash" is modest at this point.

I also recently signed up for Suzi Blu's Portrait class. She creates beautiful, whimsical faces and journal pages. She emphasizes kind of sexy, pout-y lips and eyes.

graphite pencil only

graphite, colored pencil, etc

Here is my first try at sketching a face to learn about shading in layers and then my try at adding color and finishing a journal page. This is a lot of fun and very relaxing. Suzi Blu is delightful and playful as a teacher and an artist and her art and teaching videos reflect that.

Once I got into Deryn's Build Zone, I realized it would be fun to make my own focal pieces and she has a class designed just for that in which she collaborates with Sharon Tomilinson called Of Towers and Turrets; so, yep - I am signed up and ready to go. It starts on the 25th of this month. I have been wanting to spend more time in my studio and these classes have afforded me that opportunity more than normal. If any of you have purchased the new and really cool book Art at the Speed of Life, you will the art of Sharon Tominlinson and Suzi Blu in there!

I did go to the local quilt show and took some shots of some of the quilts on display to share with you.

sorry for the shadow at the bottom, still learning

interesting 3-d textures

hand felted desert landscape

They had my friend, Mary's, (who recently passed away), quilt on display and again just amazed the crowds. It was fun to be there and share stories about Mary and the fun we had together with our Crazy Quilt Bee as she was creating that incredible masterpiece. She tatted her own pieces to add, dyed her fabrics and silk ribbon herself, and created adornments that are just breathtaking along with SRE, applique, painting, embroidery; you name it and it is on that quilt. Here are some snaps of her beautiful quilt. I can't share each and every detail, there are just too many, but these will give you an idea of her incredible talent and the "awesomeness" of this quilt.

The Mighty Oak full quilt

center block depicting Texas

note hummingbird done all in silk ribbon!

Mary did her own tatting, sunflower in silk ribbon

Last year I was fortunate to become a mother-in-law for the first time! One of my twin boys married a beautiful Japanese girl named, Kakiko. She has beena pure delight to have in our family. Most of her family still reside in Japan. In fact, her father and mother came for a visit this month - her father returning to work last week when the earthquakes hit. His plane was in the air and rerouted to a US base. Trains and other transportation were halted, etc. There were some anxious moments as you can imagine. I am glad to report that so far, all the family has been accounted for and are doing well even though some were right at the epicenter of the earthquake. The devastation is heartbreaking and will take the Lord's strength to enable recovery. Kakiko and her family are Christians and can draw on their faith in challenging times such as this, but many in Japan are not. I would humbly ask that you lift them all up in prayer at this time - that the Lord will comfort them, lead them, and heal them as individuals and as a nation in crisis. And, if the Lord leads you to do so, find a way to help through the many agencies in our country who will reach out to them in this time of need to provide food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention.

Happy 1st. Anniversary!

I will be absent for a week as I am going on yet another retreat with my "stitching sisters". We have been invited to my brother's home in Canyon Lake (near San Antonio) over spring break. We plan to stitch and tour the area (Wimberly, Fredericksburg, etc.) relax and revel in spontaneity and laughter. I am sure I will have lots of pictures when I return to share. Hot tub here we come!

Till next time, may God bless you and keep you!

A little of this and that...

2011-03-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

Let me start with a lovely collage I received this week that I won in an auction from Tahnya at Dreaming of Everpretty, with the proceeds going to help two children in Australia affected by tropical cyclone Yasi. This is a beautiful piece and I will keep it in my studio where it will encourage me and make me smile. It is around 8.5 x 11, filled with wonderful vibrant colors and has the word "imagine" on it. Thank you Tahnya, I will treasure it!

I received a wonderful package today - a lot of jewelry I got off of Ebay; over 55 pieces in all. Lots of sparkle; isn't it fun! I can't wait to see what I can do with each piece. Jewelry, collage, tags...hmmmm.

I finally received some of my supplies for the online class I am taking, The Build Zone, with Deryn Mentock, so I was able to get started with the lessons. Here is a couple of pix of my first ever wire wraps with beads and "S" links. I decided to try my hand using steel wire. I first put a patina on the wire with Novacan Black patina (that was so much fun that I wound up patina'ing everything in site for a couple of hours - I will show you some of that another day - charms, findings, wire, etc.). I like the look of the patina'd steel, especially for vintage mixed media pieces. Well, I have learned that steel is really strong. I used 20 gauge steel for the wire wraps and 18 gauge for the "S" links. The steel can be a little rough, but I figured if I learned on the rough stuff first - the rest would be a piece of cake, right? I used some 8mm Adventurine beads I have to make the wire wraps and practiced linking them together. I then made quite a few of the "S" links trying to get them uniform - that took a little while. Tomorrow is twisting wire together for an interesting texture and jump rings so stay tuned!


upper angle view

side view

I have included two pictures here because these are the first pictures I have taken with my new camera - a Nikon SLR D300S and so far it is a dream! I have a lot to learn, but it should be a lot of fun.

The week got away from me quickly so I didn't get an entry done for the Art Creations Friday last week, so I put something together for this week's challenge. Here is the picture given us and then what I created digitally. There are seven layers including the background. This was my first try at skewing a layer - the musical score is skewed to kind of float across the back of the picture.

Hope it makes you smile!

Tomorrow is also our local quilt show and I will be attending with my new camera so I hope I will have lots of eye candy to show you.

Today, the Devotion that Lysa Terkhurst had on Encouragement for Today really hit me between the eyes and I would imagine it will hit home with you too. I encourage you to check out Proverbs 31 Ministries and sign up to receive their emails from Encouragement for Today. I hope Lysa's Devotion will bless you.

Devotion:
Life is good. Life is hard. Life is full of amazing moments. Life is dotted with things that bump into my happy. Up and down and up and down… do you ever feel this way?

I can wake up cheerful and determined to keep a good attitude today and then someone makes a hurtful comment. Someone makes a mess without bothering to stop and clean it up. An unexpected bill makes my pulse race. I get an ugly email that starts off, "Shame on you." Lovely.

These things crash down on me like a wave I didn't see coming. I go under. My heart gets snagged. My emotions well up. My attitude heads south.

I suspect you understand.

Yesterday, after the "shame on you" email, I lifted up a little prayer to Jesus. It was honest. It was simple:

"What is the deal Jesus? Why do I always seem to have little pieces of brokenness in my life every day? It's so frustrating. I need your perspective on the brokenness or I need a break from it."

There was no answer. No instant verse. Nothing.

Until this morning.

With a tired heart I sat at my kitchen table and opened up my tattered and worn Bible. I read, "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord…" Hosea 10:12 (NIV).

Sow for yourselves righteousness…
In other words, I must sow righteousness into my life - right choices that honor God. I have to remember I always have a choice in every situation. I can choose to honor Jesus in the midst of it all. Even when I am dishonored, I can choose to honor Him.

Reap the fruit of unfailing love…
There will be fruit in the midst of every choice that honors God. It will be the fruit of being able to remember God's unfailing love. Romans chapter 8 teaches me nothing shall separate me from the love of God. Yet, that is Satan's great tactic to get me entangled in little things, making me forget or doubt God's unfailing love.

I must resist the distracting entanglements by honoring God in this choice I am faced with right now.

Break up your unplowed ground…
The blessing in these broken circumstances can be found in the way it tills the ground of my heart. Breaking up the unplowed soil of my heart will make it ready for new life, new growth, new maturity.

For it is time to seek the Lord…
It's time for me to seek God like never before. And part of seeking Him is allowing for grace space in my life. When the circumstances of life leak me dry, I can see this emptiness as an opportunity. Instead of reacting out of emptiness, I can choose to see that this emptiness is the perfect spot for grace to grow deeper and more widespread in my life.

As I give grace to those who don't deserve it, the mercy jars of heaven will lavish it back on me. And, oh how I desperately need a lavish dose of heaven's grace.

"… for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you," Hosea 10:12.

The showers…
Then the growth comes. As I make right choices that honor Him, I start to look at life and people, and annoying circumstances differently. I change. I become more complete. I sense a new closeness with God. I don't go under quite as easily when the waves of life rush at me and over me.

And I even dare to whisper thank you when the need for grace spaces comes again and again.

Dear Lord, show me how to seek You more and more in the midst of everyday life. Please help me to see my emptiness as an opportunity. As space for grace in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Till next time - may the Lord bless you and keep you.

Cowboys, rings and things...

2011-02-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

OMG, so sorry that a week has passed since my last post. This week was one of those busy, busy ones. I try to delve into my art as much as possible, but I also take care of an elderly parent, and try to fit in some of those domestic duties that are a must; you know, laundry, paying bills (yuk), etc.

First, I wanted to share a picture of our booth at the chili cook-off I talked about in my last post. Here is my DH, ready to serve. He had a sirloin/pork chili that tied for first place and a vegetarian chili for those who didn't want to partake of meat. It was a really fun night. Here is a shot of our pastor in his chili cook-off garb (he's a Pittsburg Steelers fan - can you tell?) - everyone had a really good time.

I sure appreciate the comments on my first try at a digital challenge. If I have time, I will try it again this week and post my creation. Your comments are very encouraging - thank you!

I thought I would show you guys a couple of pix of a trail ride that always passes down the small highway close to my house this time of year. There are many trail riders that make their way to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from outlying areas and towns here in south Texas; including all the way from the Rio Grande Valley. This is the Southwest Trail Ride and they represent the black cowboy. It was established in 1972, but the oldest Trail Ride (The SaltGrass) was established in 1952. Whatever the weather, they always make the ride in to the rodeo, eating and sleeping as the cowboys did in the old west. I believe the only modern convenience are port-o-potties that accompany them now days.

Two days this week I was in a Silvermithing Class with Don Norris, a master silversmither. We worked from 9 AM until 7PM for those two straight days without a break - even eating lunch at the table - it was pretty intense. I learned to overcome my fear of the "torch" , how to handle solders of different kinds and created a beautiful ring; that I must say, amazes even me. Of course, he was right there every step of the way, but it is SOOO cool that I made a silver ring! Here is a pic of my creation. From what I understand the stone I picked out to use is some type of African Jasper. The leaves on the top left and the squash blossom were wax cast silver findings he provided for us to solder into our design, but the rest I made. I even learned how to create the bezel and set the stone and solder all the elements together on silver sheet metal, create the bands and solder them into place. We applied a chemical to add a bit of oxidation (the black color you see) that would add some depth to the piece and then polished the rest.

side view

front view

I guess I really like to stay busy because I also signed up this week (a week late) for the online jewelry class that Deryn Mentock has started called The Build Zone. From what I have seen so far, it is an excellent instructional video class on the basics of jewelry making. I just ordered my supplies and will have a bit of catching up to do when they arrive. I want to be able to make some jewelry, but also want to learn to make 3-d elements to add to collage and other projects. Below is a snap of the only other jewelry I have made. This is a silver charm bracelet and boy was it fun to put together; wire wraps, charms, beads, broken jewelry pieces, etc. I couldn't stop so that is why it is so loaded!

And, I have been working on my altered fabric book at little bit in the background and have changed things up (of course)...that is what we do right? Anyway, here is a look at the cover and a couple of signatures in progress as I audition fabrics and elements. I tried my hand at making some small quilted elements - the heart, bird and cross and then free-motion stitched the word holy on the heart. Kind of fun...just playing and learning. When I was a bit tired one evening, I sat making some gathered fabric flowers to be used in either this project or some collage that is in my future. They are in the front of the tray. I used cotton, silk, and even cheesecloth (which I really liked). BTW - I ordered some hard plastic meal trays from a cafeteria supplier online and I just love them. I keep little projects or parts of projects on them so I can carry them or move them easily when needed. I also keep supplies on some on my work table (jars of buttons, beads, etc.) it kind of organizes them and again, I can easily clear a space when needed by just moving the tray. They are really useful as a work surface for painting and other messy jobs as well. One other studio tip I have found helps me, especially when doing fabric collaging or fabric journalling is to use a laundry bin. You know those cloth laundry bins that are on a rolling frame and have three separate compartments. I have put laces and fabrics in one and I can roll it to either the work table or the sewing machine as needed and dig through it. Saves quite a bit of time and space.

I hope you have all had time to nurture your soul with your creativity and enjoy your playful side. I want to leave you with the following video and song by Lighthouse. The words are so touching and real. We can all relate to them. In times of stormy challenges, if we can just fix our eyes on God, we can make it through.

Till next time - may God keep you in His tender mercies.

To Sleep Perchance to Dream...

2011-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well I tried my hand for the first time at doing the Art Creations Friday challenge. I am just a beginner with photoshop and all that it entails, but it just mesmerizes me. Here is the photo given to use for the challenge...

and here is what I created...

what do you think?

Ok, for today I must put away my toys and help my DH. He has enterred us in a local chili cookoff and I am "the help". The cookoff is at our church - there are about 13 teams. I made a quick table cloth by buying some fabric at Hobby Lobby and slapping a ruffle on it with red crepe paper (small expense), I then made a sign for our table by taking a canvass, decoupaging pieces of newspaper on it, grunging it a bit with coffee and white paint, then adding letters and embellishments from my Cricut (which I have to admit is being used for the first time - I have had it for 2 years and never touched it - shame on me - it is a wonderful little gadget!). I put together a quick floral arrangement and there you have it - the chili table for "The Roadkill Cookers".

Remember on my last post I talked about impatiently waiting at the microwave and that my time management needed to improve? Namely, I needed to slow down and I needed to bring God to the forefront of my life. Well, this morning when I was getting ready for church - in a hurry as usual - and a bit tired because of a late night, I did the most ridiculous thing. Ok, this is a "woman thing"....sometimes we can get dressed in odd ways, if we forget a layer, the lazy way is to back out of the first article of clothing just to the neck and then put on the under article and then pull the first article back down over the top. Well this was my method this morning. I put on a skirt and top and then decided I wanted to wear a slip (I know - how old fashioned is that!) so I pulled my top up, took my arms out of it, but left it around my neck - then I put the slip over my head and put my arms through it and then proceeded to put my arms back through the top and pull it down - everything good, right? Well, when I got home from church and was undressing to get into my comfy clothes, I realized that the slip had been put on backwards under my clothes with the bra or boob area to the back! I hope no one noticed the extra padding from the bra area of my slip across my back! Yet another lesson in slowing down (and using a mirror before leaving the house).

May God bless you today and give you some quiet time and rest to abide in Him.

A Mixture of Blessings

2011-02-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

1. Giveaway by Counting My Blessings Be sure to visit Sonya, you will be happy you did. Her work is beautiful and filled with inspiration. Thank you Sonya for a chance to win such wonderful treasures.

2. Receiving such wonderful inspiration from new blog friends met through OWOH! I have the start of another book I will be working on for some time. It is an anothology book (kind of family historical) that I will be putting together with LOTS of embellishments and items of specific meaning and unusual techniques. I was fortunate to take a class with Judy Wilkenfeld when she came to the US last year from Australia and soak up everything she had show us. I am actually taking a silversmithing class later this week in order to perhaps build/make some unique items to add to this special book that will mostly honor my parents.
Here are some pictures of the book in its beginning stages. As you can see, Judy teaches how to make the book extremely strong with bookboard, book linen, etc. It has only two signatures of two each, but it will be filled to the max when finished with lots of symbolism and wonderful memories. Judy's family unfortunately experienced the holocost and so many were lost in her family. She has been doing lots of research and digging to find pictures and information regarding family members. Her Anthology book was actually a way to pull together some of those special memories, pictures and trinkets so that if her family ever had to flee quickly from their home (as in the past) it could be easily carried along. It is kept by her front door.

Brown embossed velvet cover

about a 3-1/2" spine

inside signatures started

lots of room for adding pictures and embellishments


See how sturdy it is!

I will be posting my progress on this book and the altered fabric book as I go. I have already made changes to the cover of the altered fabric book - that is what I do!

3. Bittersweet good-bye. This week my beautiful stitching sisters group "Bee Crazy" lost a favored member. We lovingly referred to her as Queen Mary. Mary is seated in this picture in the front with some of the group behind her positioned in front of her award winning quilt "The Mighty Oak". Mary was a master at whatever she did whether it was stitching, cooking, playing the piano, gardening, painting, and the list goes on. The taught us so much. Her talent was beyond words. The quilt pictured is a piecemakers quilt that Mary did adding her own special touches like the oak tree, a longhorn, etc. since she was a Texas girl. She would go outside and study flowers, insects, trees, etc. and then bring them to life on her quilts. This quilt won EVERY award that our town's Quilt Show had to offer. We were not surprised.

I have to tell you this little story as example of the amazing wit our Mary had. We as a group take lots of road trips and go on retreats to other towns and states. On one such trip, coming home exhausted, piled into the van with all our "stash", Mary and a friend were sitting behind me and the friend said she just had to undo her bra and get comfortable. Once unhooked she let out a sigh of relief and Mary quipped - "did you see all the wrinkles fall out of her face!" That was our Mary. Mary passed away this week, but will always be remembered by those who were fortunate to have known her and been blessed by her friendship.


Me, Jan, Lynnis, Maureen with Fred the cat, Barbara and center front, Mary.

God has "highlighted" a couple of things for me this week. First and foremost is to "abide in Him". Now that sounds pretty easy doesn't it, but to actually abide in Him means spending time with Him and meditating on His word. Well, I don't know about you, but I am one of those who even gets impatient waiting for the few seconds to pass while I am heating something up in the microwave! So, God is asking me to slow down, be still, be quiet and know that He is God, my God; ever present with me, if I will just allow Him to come to the forefront of my life. This will take the aweful "P" word - practice, practice, practice. The other is how we can so simply impact the lives of others without even knowing it. So, I pray that I can "practice" and become more proficient at portraying the loving character of God and a joyful attitude so that that is what is remembered by others after I am gone.

May God enrich your life today - thanks for stopping by, it is so encouraging.

OWOH And the Winners Are....

2011-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, today is the day! I thoroughly enjoyed this event, but I have to admit I am exhausted - it takes a lot to visit so many blogs - your eyes get blurry, your butt gets tired and I just about have carpal tunnel from extensive mouse use! However, it was well worth it. I learned soooo much and saw sooooo much. There are so many blessed and talented people out there! It was indeed a pleasure to go on this adventure. I want to thank all those who visited my blog and took the time to look around and get acquainted - it is so appreciated and has truly encouraged me to continue in my blogland adventure. I have added so many "rss/follow feeds" that it may take hours each day to visit everyone! Thanks to Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian for hosting this event, I know with so many people joining in, it had to be a tremendous amount of work. I am looking forward to learning more about next year's event: Our World Our Art.

Ok, now to the important part. The winners of my three give aways are:

Bumble Bee Lane (won the wool needlecase kit)
It's All Good (won the vintage baby shoe pincushion)
She Dreams Big (won the altered/collaged cigar/ Project Box with goodies)

I have emailed each of you and look forward to hearing from you so that I may get these items in the mail to you. I hope you will enjoy them.

Till next time - keep smiling, the Lord does when he looks at you!
Jules

The beginning of a new creative journey...

2011-02-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

If you are here visiting for the OWOH, please scroll down to the next post. I am so sorry, but I don't know how to keep the OWOH post at the top once I put on a new one. I am so glad you came to visit!

This is my first year to do the OWOH event and I am really enjoying it, although it is a bit time consuming. I promised to visit every blogger (at minimum) who visited my blog and I am working hard at keeping my promise. I have seen some amazing works of art, photos, stories, places; it is truly a wonderful adventure. Whether I win a door prize or not, I have truly already been blessed by all my visitors - I have learned something from each and every one of them/you and I thank you!

After catching up today with my list of visitors, I decided I needed to get busy on my altered fabric book. I am taking this workshop through Shabby Cottage Studio with Nellie Wortman. I have now watched the video lessons and techniques presented (sometimes two or more times) and am slowly getting started. I am defintiely not a fast artisan! It took me a while to decide what the title or subject of my book would be, but I have finally decided on "Echoes of The Spirit". I love old photographs and family photographs and do plan on doing a book on my family, especially my parents in the near future, but I was drawn to this venue and I know it will be a wonderful journey to create this book and delve into the echoes of The spirit within me. So here goes - the beginning...


old book cover glued to spine fabric for front inside

I found a piece of tapestry I like for the spine/base of the book and then grabbed a couple more fabrics to add to the cover area - I then sewed them into place - with no rhyme or reason - just crazy stitching and letting the fabrics go where they wanted to. Oh, just to let you know, I am attaching this to an old book cover, see pic. I then went to my computer and pulled a bunch of photos and things that I thought I might use in the book and printed quite a few on silk, cotton, photographic paper, transparency, etc. I don't know about you, but I always need to have lots of choices around me when I create - I pull from every nook and cranny, but I hate to have to stop and do something, like print, when I am in a creating frenzy (I get impatient). Then I chose a photo I thought would work well for the cover. This is an image I purchased from Imagine Studio and I just love the textures and her expression. I added a bit of mica to the top of the image in a couple of places and then matted the image - added a little stitching so far...
Here is how it will layer onto the cover of the book. I am certainly not finished yet - there will be some text or other 3-d embellishments added to the cover, but I put that aside to begin work on my signatures.

I cut 3 sets of 5 sheets of vellum paper and watercolor paper for my signatures. (This is the part I hate!) I am always ready to get started embellishing - don't like the cutting part! Here is the beginning of the first page of the first signature. I used (Golden fluid acrylics) white paint, mixed some white, carbon black and phthalo blue for the blue/gray color, and coffee wash. I found the word God in a 1965 Life magazine. After putting on the colors the way I wanted in the background, I added the word, outlined it in white paint and then stood the page upright to dribble some of the paints and coffee down from the text. I kinda like how that worked - don't you?

I am now starting to audition some fabrics to insert behind the signatures (so to speak). The fabrics will invite the person looking at the book to look further...when they flip them open....more is revealed. I love textures and want the book to be filled with them. When finished the book will probably be about 3" wide at the spine because of all the textures and embellishment that will be added. So you can see why I stated, this is just the beginning :-) of quite an adventure; pulling from deep down inside my creative spirit and a bit of my personal spiritual journey, and seeing what unfolds.

It would be great if those who are already taking Nelle's class or those who are interested in putting together an altered fabric book would join me - I would love to hear from you and we can compare and encourage each other, share techniques, and enjoy the journey together!

Now, here a few pictures for use in your creative projects. I found these in an old photo album I purchased at an antique shop.


Margaret R. Ford, 3 yrs. Philadelphia

Elizabeth and Margaret Ford


Mary A. Weaver, Belt Studio, Coatesville, PA

I have not edited these photos, I will leave that up to you to do in whatever way you would like to use it. Don't you just love Mary's smile?

My Bible study this year is Isaiah and boy I have to tell you, I am glad I am past all the woes in Chapters 1-40. I know God must discipline His children for their own good and His purposes, but it sure stings a bit to know we are still a stubborn children. The really great part is that starting at Chapter 41 is God's encouragement and greatness and His assurance of His presence with us in every situation. He is with us! This is so comforting, but it also reminds us that we must watch our deeds and attitude since we are always in the presence of God....I know this is something that I need to remind myself as often as possible as I "twirl" through my busy days. Until next time, may God grant you His tender mercies...
Jules

One World One Heart 2011

2011-02-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I have decided at the last minute to participate in "One World One Heart", which is the brain child of Lisa Swifka at The Whimiscal Bohemian. It is a wonderful way to reach out to bloggers internationally.

First, I want to thank you for visiting my blog. My name is Julie, but I am also known affectionately in the crazy quilt community as Jules. I live on the Texas Gulf Coast with my DH and beloved animals. My interests are a bit eclectic - I am a "crazy" quilter, but I also love to dabble in mixed media and digital art. I am a Christian and feel that the talents we have are special gifts given to us by God and they are meant to be shared. So, I especially enjoy being involved in charitable projects and projects that will bring encouragement to others. I am also a staff writer for CQMagOnline.com, a free quaterly online publication for crazy quilters.

I have three items for the OWOH give-away. The first is a wool strawberry needle case kit. The finished needlecase is approximately 5-6" long Picture, wool and instructions are all included to make this delightful and quite useful needlecase.

My second item to be given away is a vintage baby-shoe pincushion which I recently made. You can see the tutorial in the current issue of CQMagOnline. This is a baby shoe that has been painted, distressed, and decorated with lace, silk roses, buttons, and music fabric. The pincushion itself is filled with emery shavings to help keep needles sharp and protected.

My third item is a project box. Something like this is nice to carry a small project or a piece of a project along with you when you are out and about; doctor's office waiting, etc. This is a vintage cigar box onto which I have put a quilted collage of items including fabric, lace, buttons, jewelry findings, and a picture of a lady doing hand sewing on the top. The inside of the box is lined with wool which is convenient when working with beads. The text on the box reads: "happiness is fingers at play..." to which I fully subscribe. There are also three vintage typewriter keys which spell the word JOY. Just for a little extra fun, I have filled the box with a few bits and pieces of lace, trim, silk ribbon, a bag of buttons, etc. A little something to get a new project started.

Now - how do you enter? Just leave a comment on this post, being sure to note how you can be contacted.
The drawings will be held on February 17th. and I will notify the two winners by email and also post your names on my blog. Then the items will be mailed to you.

I plan to visit all those who leave a comment so that I can enjoy your blogs as well and I know I will be blessed by doing so. I hope that in some way you receive a blessing from your visit here.

Best of luck and enjoy your OWOH travels...
Jules

Retreating again!

2011-02-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, once again, I have been on a retreat - have I mentioned I just love retreating? This was my church's women's retreat which was held at The Lodge at Danbury (Danbury, Texas). (If you have never been to The Lodge at Danbury, you are really missing out on a wonderful treat.)

Although it was VERY cold the first couple of nights, the retreat was wonderful and we were so blessed by our inspirational speaker, Shannon Perry and her "If The Shoe Fits" conference with topics including: Goody Two Shoes, Lacing Up the Tongue, Is There a Hole In Your Sole, and Walk a Mile in My Shoes. Shannon is a national recording artist and conference speaker. She has many accomplishments to her credit, including author of a new book coming out in March, called Grace in High Heels. Shannan's stories were heartwarming, fun and filled the the holy spirit. We were doubly blessed to have her sing throughout her presentations over the weekend. Check out Shannon's website; there are some inspirational video clips and lots of other great information regarding her ministry.

Here are some pictures that highlight some of our weekend...


Standing on the Rock!

Listening to "Lacing Up the Tongue"

Here we are!


The beautiful, talented, Shannon Perry!


This is Marcel, a friend's smart car - isn't it adorable!

This was the kind of weekend everyone needs once in a while. We laughed and we cried and we felt so refreshed to have our spirits refilled. If you have the opportunity to join a spirit-filled retreat; I hardily recommend it. I know it has helped me in so many ways. One of the main things I received from this retreat was to ask God for what His purpose is for me in this season of my life and to be open to it. I have to admit that often I am reluctant to ask God such a question because it could mean leaving my cozy little comfort zone, but if I do that, I will miss out on so many of the special blessings He has in store for me. Well, till next time, may God tenderly bless you,

Jules

Chilly days for everyone - so let's stay inside and play!

2011-02-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

Howdy! It looks like everyone is having snow and/or really chilly days around the entire country. It may even snow here in my neck of the woods - south Texas! A good time to stay indoors and read your favorite book or stay busy in your creative space. Unfortunately in our area, we have had rolling blackouts and you never know if you are going to have electricity for your reading, cooking, computer or OMG showering! It does remind one of how fortunate and blessed we are.

First of all I thought I would share a few pics of the stitching retreat I was on last week. My little Bee group rented a house at Surfside Beach, TX and as usual we had so much fun. Here is a snap of our group - all smiles! I am second in from the right.

Here is the view from our balcony. We could go out and feed the gulls and other birds and just drink in the beauty.

Often we stitched until late into the night and stayed in our jammies during the day - just pure relaxation - how wonderful.

This snapshot shows us up at dawn all waiting to see the sunrise and we were not disappointed - the sunrises were spectacular to behold as the following shots prove.

I definitely recommend putting together a retreat of friends to do something like this. It is pure comfort for the soul. We just googled our area to see what was available as far as retreat houses or rentals and came up with this 5 bedroom beach house that when shared was quite reasonable. I dare not show you the picture of the kitchen with all the food we brought! We always tend to have too much. We had such goodies as venison chili, taco soup, mexican cornbread, baked sweet potataoes, honey-baked ham and potato salad and one "what I consider deranged person, because I don't like to cook" got up and made fresh homemade bisquits every morning!

How can anyone look at this sight and not see the majesty of Our Heavenly Father!

Now - I need to show you that I have done some stitching. A dear friend is doing a Block of the Month for us and I have finished (I think) the January block. I can't show you the entire block because it is her design and I am not sure what her plans are for the future for the BOM she is creating. What is extremely wonderful is that she is doing all the hard work for us by giving us a design - a jumping off place. We can follow it to the "T" or we can experient and add touches our creative spirit leads us to do. I just wanted to share with you the tree I did. Many of the group did more full fiber trees, some did ribbon work trees; mine is done with dyed cheesecloth. Since it is January it has a pretty bleek look with a few berries and ice crystals spaced around. There are a few leaves (small) which I did by burning some hand-dyed silk and stiching down with metallic thread. I really enjoyed playing with the cheesecloth - it was pretty easy to form - just took a while to stitch down into those small branches.

I have been taking an online (video) class through Shabby Cottage Studios with Nellie Wortman on a fabric book. I have gone through the video class and taken notes watching it intently - her work is just fascinating. So now it is time for me to actually get started with my book and creating my signatures. I will be posting my journey and hope it will inspire you to give it a try.

Off this weekend to another retreat - yes, I know, I have confessed before that I love classes and retreats!
This retreat is a Women's Church Retreat at a local Lodge and it will be so spiritually uplifting :-)

A couple more things I like that I wanted to share: first is this wonderful "green" fruit smoothie. I am trying to get myself as healthy as possible and one of the things I am doing is drinking smoothies. This one has grapes, orange, apple, banana, pineapple, carrots, and spinach....and when combined is actually quite good, really (I saw you scrunch your nose up and go ewewew) - who knew healthy could actually taste good?

The other is this book, DVD and workbook by Lysa Terkeurst called Made to Crave. It is designed to help us learn to satify our deepest desires with God, not food. I don't know about you, but I crave different kinds of food all the time, especially chocolate, and I want to learn to release myself from that. I have just begun the book and am really enjoying it and the scriptures she is citing. There is also an online Bible Study on prayer called Cultivating a Heart of Prayer starting Monday, the 7th which I am going to do - come on along with me!

Now for a funny (although not at the time). My iphone (which is one of my BFF's) must have fallen out of my purse one evening and I couldn't find it when I went to put it on charge before bed as I always do. So...my DH called the phone and we heard it ringing at the car - I thought it must be in the front seat. Well, much to my dismay, it was actually under the car and had been run over! Oh no! What I find amazing is that despite the shattered glass there is not a scratch on it and it still works. In comparing costs to fix my original phone or upgrade, it was more feasible to upgrade, but I remain impressed with the quality and durability of my sweet BFF iphone original.

May God richly bless you - till next time!
Jules

Amazing Encouragement

2011-01-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

No stitching today. I had to have lithotripsy for a few kidney stones I have so am a bit under the weather and have been resting; which I will continue to do when finished here. But, I wanted to share this video with you. It is so encouraging as to looking past our challenges to God's strength and to understand that our responses to our challenges can actually exalt and glorify God. He is always there ready to lift us up - amazing grace. I hope you will find as much encouragement in Nick's words as I did.

Here are another couple of vintage pictures for you to use in your art projects. I found these in an old vintage album I purchased. (just click on the picture to get the full size and save as to your computer)

And, I want to invite you to join me in an extraordinary class I am taking with Shabby Cottage Studio's, Creative Workshops Online. I am really enjoying the Altered Fabric Book class with Nellie Wortman and highly recommend it. She uses various techniques and wonderful textures to make fabric journals or anthology books that really inspire the imagination and capture special memories. Take a peek and come join me - I will begin posting my ongoing journey into this wonderful realm of creativity as I begin to explore her techniques and build signatures for my book. They also offer a number of other great workshops. I have taken quite a few including how to use Photoshop and how to create Digital Grounds for printing images. It is a wonderful way to learn from home and practice as you go in your own studio space.

Ok, back to bed for me, but will see ya soon.

Hear the sweet whisper today. Grasp the truth and rub it deep. Let it sink in quickly and resist the drain of the day’s pull......if we know our identity before we jump into activity, we don’t have to guess how to handle the vicious lies of the enemy. ...Lysa TerKeurst

Hugs,
Jules

Getting Back in the Groove!

2011-01-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hi there. Yes, I feel I am getting back in the groove again. Filling my time with creative efforts, as well as, all those other somewhat pertinent things like washing clothes, making beds, etc. But, halleluia, I am once again trying to make sure I have a little creative nuturing of my soul in my studio each day if only for a few moments.

First I wanted to share the website for The Sketchbook Challenge. I first saw info on this on Sue Bleiweiss' blog. It looked interesting and I thought I would give it a try to get my creative juices flowing again. I have had no formal training in drawing, painting, etc., but find it relaxing and really nice when I get into a flow. I have just done some quick pencil sketches and added a bit of watercolor. The theme for January is "highly prized". Check out the website and see if it is something you might want to try. You don't have to be a sketch artist by any means - it is just supposed to be whatever you would put in your sketchbook to help you creatively and it can be fabric, photos, drawings; whatever. A person will be picked from "many" entries each month to receive some nice prizes, but just participating feels great! Here are three of the "really quick" pencil sketches I have done on the theme of highly prized so far:

The first morning I tried my hand at sketching - I was in my studio studying my Bible - it was early, a dreary-looking winter day, and very quiet except for a lone bird singing outside my window. That is what prompted this quick sketch. The word and encouragement of God (not to mention the freedom indulge to indulge in such) and a bird singing a beautiful song (not to mention the ability to hear that song) are both things I highly prize.

This is sketch of me in my studio space, locked away from the hustle and bustle of the busy world for a while to creatively nurture my soul. Another thing that I highly prize...I love grabbing those moments.

As I get older, this is something I have really begun to highly prize; a good night's sleep. It is not as easy as it used to be and it makes such a difference in my energy, attitude, strength and mental sharpness. Yeah for a soft place to land each night and drift off to dream land.

I hope to be able to continue along with this Sketchbook Challenge and then take a look back at what I have done and felt as I traverse the challenge month to month. It is also very interesting to see the other entries on their Flickr site - very inspiring and also has a nice feel of a connected community.

Another activity I have resumed is stitching for Johnathan's Ministry. This is a Ministry through my local church that is about giving comfort and hope to families who have suffered the loss of a baby. Their mission is to provide memory boxes to southeast Texas area hospitals. These boxes include a tiny bag for hair clippings, a plaster kit for hand and foot prints, a disposable camera, a GUND teddy bear, and a handmade layette that includes two gowns, caps and receiving blankets. Nothing can really comfort the broken heart of someone who has lost an infant, but healing can happen, and joy can be found again...in Christ. Here are a couple of gowns I stitched up this week.

It is such a wonderful feeling to know you may be touching the hearts of bereaved parents with something that will help in their moment of loss, as well as, help in their healing process.
If this is something you feel like you may be interested in, I urge you to contact your local hospital and see if their is a local ministry or a need you can help with your area.

Besides doing some sewing at home, a group of us got together this week to cut out gowns and begin stitching...

Now then, in my last post, I promised I would be posting some vintage pictures to share and here are a couple (just click to enlarge and then "save as" to your computer)...

Below is just a fun picture of my seven month old Great Pyr puppy, Bleu. Today was a miserable rainy winter day, but he wanted to go out and play with our two bassett hounds and my DH gave in. Within minutes he was no longer a nice fluffy white dog.....needless to say, he got a bath this evening :-)

With the beginning of this new year, I hope it is a new beginning for you to refresh your spirit as well. Remember that God has already "redeemed" us if we are willing to accept His gift, His grace. He will walk with you daily if you will seek Him. May the Holy Spirit open your heart to His call and may He deeply bless you!

Till next time,

Jules

New Year, New Goals

2011-01-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. I hope this post f ind you well and your new year already filled with God's blessings. I sure don't know how people post on their blogs everyday, I always have good intentions, but...you know how busy life can be. Anyway, I wanted to pop in and say that I am still here and I hope to be in my studio a lot more this year. I have been tiding up, painting, and trying to organize some ufo's to dive into. Yes, I organize a lot - although I am not sure I really "get organized". I also wanted to remind you that the first 2011 issue of CQMagOnline will be out soon. I have an article in it about these vintage baby-shoe pincushions I made for my "stitching sisters" of Bee Crazy. Bee Crazy is a stitching Bee I have belonged to for some 10 years now and we stitch every Tuesday - ALL DAY! It is wonderful! And, we have become such wonderful friends. If you have the opportunity to join a stitching or art group, I definitely recommend it. OK, back to the baby shoes...here are some pictures of a few I did. In my web surfing, I found The Feathered Nest, an absolutely beautiful blog where she has tutorials on what she does with vintage baby shoes and many more fun projects. I know she would love for you to visit. How can anyone resist baby shoes!

I love making just about anything into a pincushion. They make wonderful gifts and are fun just to decorate your sewing room. Here are a few I have...

The Victorian shoe is actually my wedding shoe from 15 years ago, the little velvet tuffet is in a decorated altoid tin, the snail shell was a gift to me from Victoria Adams Brown of RibbonSmith, the walnut I purchased and want to try my hand at making one, the little brown velvet piece is a crystal salt cellar, the one behind it is a silver (yes, kept it tarnished) miniature goblet, and the large one is actually done with an old cd as the base for the cushion and then I put it on a crystal candle holder. Recently I came by some large acorn tops and plan to made a pincushion with them - stay tuned!

As for UFO's, this is one of many I am trying to finish up. This is a pin-weaving I started a while back and am just now adding some textural elements and such and hope to pronounce it finished very soon. My husband says I never pronounce anything finished unless I just give it away - otherwise, I keep on adding and playing...

This year I hope to open many new doors of creativity. I have already scheduled to attend a retreat outside of Austin, Texas with KC Willis, an online class from Shabby Cottage Studios, and a silversmithing class locally; not to mention, that my CQ Bee has scheduled a beach retreat later this month for a whole week. Talk about fun and relaxation! I can't wait.

So many nice people out in "blog-land" share wonderful images so I thought I would try to do the same occasionally. Here is a picture that is free for you to use in your artistic endeavors - copyright free for sure as it is a picture of my dear Aunt Julie and dated 1919. She was a nurse and a caregiver and blessed the lives of many, many people.

Well, till next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you in His tender care.

Love,

Jules

To blog or not to blog...

2010-11-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Well friends, it has been quite some time since I have been here. The good Lord had other things in store for me the past year; family, church, health, etc. But, things may be settling down a bit and I am contemplating returning to my blog. I can't really say what drives a person to want to blog - somehow it is like reaching out and touching people and hoping some good can come from it, and I must admit, I do miss it, although it can be a bit time consuming.

The Houston International Quilt Show was held in Houston recently and I, along with several friends, were front and center. We were so honored to have a project near and dear to our hearts be on exhibit this year - WOW!


Here is a shot of the front of our exhibit, artbras circled around the back of the display as well.

Here are Lynnis, Jan, Barbara and me (the blonde) ready for the Hall to open.

The Way ToWomen's Wellness Artbras had a beautiful exhibit. We had many new artbras, several of our wall-hangings, and a table set up for Artbra Calendar sales (the funds of which go to breast cancer research and awareness education). We so enjoyed speaking to the many, many people who came to see our exhibit - we laughed, we cried, we hugged - it was amazing. We heard so many stories of survival and yes, even grief, by those who have been touched in some way by breast cancer; mothers, daughters, aunts, friends, wives - seems we all know someone who has been affected in some way by this disease. One of the joys was having groups of young children come through on tours and talking with them about why we create these artbras and the stories that accompany each them. We were fortunate to sell almost eight cases of Calendars!


Here I am with my dear friend Jan, a one-year survivor, and whose Artbra made the cover of the 2011 WTWW Calendar, and Helen Gibb, a noted ribbon designer.

Here is my Positively Pretty in Pink artbra on display along with the beautiful "Roses" CQ Wallhanging behind it. This wallhanging is being donated to the Methodist Hospital Women's Center in Houston in honor of our friend, Jan.


Here is my "Morning Has Broken" arbra on display. It is kind of hard to see the little bird in his nest on the left who has his mouth wide open to sing as the new day breaks.

Here is the third artbra that was in the exhibit and the one that is in the 2011 Calendar, October entitled, "Now is the Time for A Cure"

If you would like more information on the Artbras and WTWW, please follow this link: www.artbra.org

Every year the Houston International Quilt Festival has an array of diverse and wonderfully talented teachers teaching classes from beginning quilting to the ultimate mixed media project. My greatest joy other than seeing the beautiful quilts on display and the opportunity to shop in the 100's of vendor booths is taking classes. I LOVE the classes.

Here is the wonderfully talented Lesley Riley teaching a class on her TAP product (Transfer Artist Paper). I love taking classes at the Houston Quilt Show each year and this year was no exception. Lesley is a really gifted artist.

You can visit Lesley's blog here: Lesley Riley

Well, I just wanted to give you a little insight into another great year at the Houston International Quilt Festival. Check out Quilts Inc. for further information on the Houston International Quilt Festival and others that may be close to where you live.

I plan to continue to blog and share special events, projects and ideas. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you will come back again.
Blessings,
Jules

It has been a busy month!

2009-10-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Wow - I am always surprised at how time can fly. It has been a month since I posted and a lot has been going on. I took at trip to Pennsylvania, a trip to Houston to the International Quilt Show, and am now in Colorado on vacation.

I will devote this post to my trip to Pennsylvania. And the next posts will be the Houston Quilt Show and our Colorado trip (where I went to a KC Willis workshop and made a beautiful fabric collage piece using her techniques).

What a wonderful time we had in Pennsylvania! My friend, Barbara, and I flew to Philadelphia to attend a breast cancer event at Byer's Choice and the James Michener Museum which Victoria Adams Brown, the founder of The Way to Women's Wellness Foundation had set up. Byer's Choice makes Christmas and other holiday dolls about 15 inches tall or so - some smaller. They have a lovely set up where you stroll down what appears to be an old English cobblestone street and each window is decorated in a different theme. Their campus is unbelievably beautiful and manicured. Here is a picture of the statue of children at play that greets you as you enter their campus.

They had a lovely open house event with food and wine called "Think Pink" where our artbras and several of our crazyquilt wallhangings were exhibited. The room where they had the artbras and quilts was just stunning and each artbra was behind a glass window.

Six of the artbra designers were able to come in for the event. We autographed and sold our calendars. We were fortunate to meet and talk with survivors and listen to their amazing stories. (in the picture left to right: Laurel, me, Stephanie, Barbara, Leone, Brenda, Victoria)

After the Byer's Choice event, we went to Skippack - a beautiful little community where they were having a street fair which was fun and we visited a great shop called The Wooden Duck (we had met the owners the night before at the Byer's event) and had a great time shopping! We then went to the James Michener Museum where one of Vic's bras was on display and one of Barbara's bra's "Grape Expectations" will soon be auctioned. While there, we also shopped (imagine that!) because their gift shop had fabulous things ( the muppets were there) and a wonderful metalsmith artist, Sherry Tinsman, was too.

Here is a photo of me with Sherry.
Sherry had wonderful silver designs and I have to admit, I left with a couple of pieces and I believe most of our group did as well. The majority of her designs focus on dogwood flowers. It was a wonderful, busy, whirlwind of a trip. Vickie was a great hostess to us and it was wonderful for us all to meet and get acquainted. We chat online often, but many of us had never met face-to-face and that was really special. One shop I really enjoyed visiting was "Ten Thousand Villages". It had hand-made items from all over the world and the sales of these items benefit people who would otherwise have no means of support in their country/village. I discovered that we have one back home in Houston as well and plan to visit it when I need that special gift for someone. We all bought some beautiful jewelry there at very reasonable prices. I also got a really neat scarf and hat. The most challenging thing about our trip to Pennsylvania was the driving....they don't have their streets laid out perpendicular at all and intersections often had six or more streets converging so even GPS directions were hard to follow, but we made it!
One of the greatest things that happened is that our first print run of the calendars sold out! A second printing was ordered and has come in so I hope you will order yours: artbra calendars

Here are a couple more fun photos:
Byer's Choice had a costume room
and I had fun trying on different
clothes and hats of the Victorian Era.

Here is a picture of a real covered bridge.
Vic found this for me - I have always
wanted to see one in person.

And, of course, here is my artbra on display at the exhibit. Mine is the one on the right. The one on the left is an artbra by Stephanie Novatski.

God Bless till next time!
Jules

Leaves are falling, are falling, are falling....

2009-09-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well, finally here in Texas, we have experienced our first little "cool" snap. Leaves are falling like rain, but it feels so nice. We had such a dry, hot summer - it is so refreshing to walk outside and feel comfortable instead of like you are walking into a steam bath. I have really missed working in the gardens and now will be my opportunity to get out there and play in the dirt a little bit. That is when I am home any this coming month. October is going to be very busy, I have trips to Pennsylvania, Houston, Arkansas and Colorado planned - whew! It will be tiring, but loads of fun.

Today, I thought I would talk to you about something I have been involved with that is so satisfying - good for the soul, and helpful to others. I met an extraordinary lady at my church who some years ago lost an infant after childbirth. The experience led her to start a ministry to help others who are affected by the same loss. The ministry is called Johnathan's Ministry, after the son they lost. It is about giving comfort and hope to families who have suffered the loss of their babies and to show Christ's love as the only true comfort.

Their mission is to provide memory boxes to southeast Texas area hospitals. With the support and cooperation of the nursing staff and health care professionals, the items reach families who have suffered the loss of a baby. The boxes include a tiny bag for hair clippings, a plaster kit for hand and foot prints, a disposable camera, a GUND teddy bear, and a handmade layette that includes two gowns, caps, and receiving blankets. Nothing can really comfort a broken heart in the loss of a child, but healing can happen, and joy can be found again.....in Christ and that is what this ministry is all about. Here is their website: Johnathan's Ministry. Even though you may not live in our area of the world, perhaps you can find or start a similar ministry in you area.

Here are a couple of photos of little bereavement gowns and caps I have made for Johnathan's Ministry. There is such a need out there - hospitals are always contacting them for more of their "bereavement boxes". If you like to sew and/or do silk ribbon embroidery or other embellishment, please give it some thought. White cotton batiste is used to construct the dresses and hats; and lace, decorative machine stitching and even silk ribbon embroidery is added for a special touch.

I have also spent some time lately going through some family photos. One of the reasons I am going to Colorado is to stop in and take a workshop in fabric collage with K.C. Willis in Longmont at the beginning of our Colorado vacation. She has some really fun techniques. You can check out KC retreats here. So, I thought I would share with you some of the lovely old photos I have found of family members.

Aren't these fun? The little girl putting on her shoe - my Aunt Julie, the year 1919. All the other pictures are prior to that except for the young boy in knickers - that's my dad about 1930. That is my great grandmother and grandfather sitting in the rockers in their store - my grandmother made hats for ladies. They are also pictured in the oval print with the three children - the little girl in my great-grandmother's lap is my grandmother. The picture of the girls on either side of the chair are my dad's mother on the left and her sister. The photo of the young lady in the buggy with the horse is my great Aunt Juliette "Tot" - she won this horse and buggy in a contest, but was deathly afraid of horses so did not keep it. I just love going through old pictures. The main frustration is that I wish I knew more background information on each one of them. Most of these old family pictures have no notations on them which is really sad. So...I have a decision to make as to which photos I want to use in my fabric collage workshop...what do you think?

-----------------

This year in my Bible Study Fellowship, we are studying the Apostle John. Although we have just started the study, I can clearly see that it will be a favorite. He had such a personal relationship with Christ. He waited many years after Christ's death before writing the book, reflecting on what he had seen and heard and allowing the Holy Spirit to move within him. The Book of John, therefore, reveals the meaning behind the words and events of Christ's ministry and is a much more intimate accounting than the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John's goal: to provide evidence that Jesus is the true son of God and our salvation. I look forward to sharing with you the lessons it holds for me.

Blessings till next time -

Jules

A Quick Note - Busy Days - Calendar Done!

2009-09-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hi! I just wanted to drop in for a quick moment to let you know that the website for the sale of our "ArtBra" Calendars is up and running. I will be leaving for Pennsylvania soon to attend the Byer's Choice ArtBra Exhibit and Gala and I am so excited. It will be great to see old friends, meet new ones and see every piece in the exhibit up close and personal!

Dear N/A,

Please be our guest... to view the new collection of

the Way to Women's Wellness ArtBras at

www.artbra.org

The 2010 WTWW ArtBra Calendar will feature ArtBras, complete with stories,

and

three crazy quilts. Net proceeds from the sale of the calendars will be

donated to two cancer centers in Pennsylvania. A portion will be donated to the Fox Chase Women's Cancer Center

mobile Mammography van, which will

provide free mammograms to Philadelphia, PA neighborhoods. Proceeds will also be donated to the Lehigh Valley Breast Health Center in Allentown, PA for

Survivor Services.

We expect this year's calendar to sell-out! Over 50% of the calendar printing has been sold.

Calendars are $14, printed with heavy-laminated covers and gorgeous photography.

Sincerely,

Victoria Brown
A Way to Women's Wellness

Cover Design "Day of Wine and Roses and you..." by Barbara Blankenship

We are pleased to present the 2010 WTWW ArtBra Calendar!

Meet the Designers at the WTWW ArtBra opening

exhibition at

Byers Choice, October 2, 2009

in Chalfont, PA

All proceeds from the Exhibition Opening Cocktail Party will be donated to Fox Chase Women's Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA for breast cancer research. The WTWW ArtBras and

Crazy Quilt Exhibition will be open through October 31, 2009.

Event Info

October 2, 2009 Cocktail Party

7 - 9 PM
Byers Choice, County Line Road, Chalfont, PA

Exhibition will be open from Oct 2-31, 2009

October 3, 2009

Calendar signing at the James A. Michener Art Museum

Doylestown, PA

October 4th

Calendar signing at Byers Choice, Chalfont, PA

Designers attending ~ Barbara Blankenship, Victoria Brown, Leonie Hartley-Hoover, Laurel Mazziott, Stephanie Novatski, Brenda Wilson, and Julie Yonge.

Start your holiday shopping early and have the designers sign a calendar for you!

A Way to Women's Wellness, Inc

www.artbra.org

info@artbra.org

I am also busy putting together a couple of articles for the upcoming issue of Crazy Quilt Magazine (CQMagOnline.com) which will be out the end of October. And, the moment I return from Pennsylvania, I am off to the Houston Quilt Market and Show to attend workshops, meet vendors, and see what's new in the textile world.

Sorry this is such a short post, I will try to post again soon and have some pictures of some things I have been working on.

Have a blessed day! Till next time,
Jules

Woohoo We Are At It Again!

2009-09-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted. I surely apologize and will try to do better indeed. One reason that I have not been on the computer, is that I have been in the midst of creating another artbra. We had a short deadline and I had to really dig in and get busy. An artbra - what is that, you ask? Well, over the past few years, I have been involved with an incredibly talented lady of great vision, Victoria Adams Brown. Vic is the proprietor of an online business called RibbonSmyth which sells silk ribbons, laces, buttons, and all kinds of embellishments. She is also an author of ribbon embroidery books, a teacher, an amazing artist, and the founder of A Way to Women's Wellness, a charitable foundation to benefit breast cancer awareness and research. Vic is also the original creator of the artbras concept. Artbras are just that - we take a simple 36C bra and create a piece of art to inspire and encourage all women, but especially those who have in some way, been affected by breast cancer. A group of us began making artbras several years ago, a interesting undertaking indeed. The bras have travelled the country to many venues the past few years raising breast cancer awareness and funds for research. An artbra calendar with amazing artbra creations was published in 2005, 2006, and 2007 proceeds of which went to benefit breast cancer research. Here are a couple of snapshots of the event held in Lubbock, Texas I attended where a sizable check was donated to the Joe Arrington Breast Cancer Research Center there.
This is just half the bras that were exhibited at the banquet at the cancer center. Then, a picture of several "designers", me in the middle, as we autographed calendars ....what a hoot! And, finally a picture of Vic (in the middle) as she presents the check to the Surgical Doctor and Head of the Joe Arrington Breast Cancer Research Center.

Then.... since we are all lover's of ribbon embroidery and stitching, we began making themed silk ribbon embroidery quilts which are donated to breast cancer hospitals with the goal of encouraging and supporting those women who are facing this challenge every day. Here is the wall-hanging quilt done for 2009. The theme was roses.

A decision was made recently to do a 2010 calendar and many new artbras will adorn its pages along with pictures of three of our breast cancer wall-hanging quilts. The blocks which comprise our quilts are made by fabric and silk ribbon artists from all over the world - New Zealand, Turkey, Canada, the USA, to name a few. Vic is just amazing at pulling together sponsors and other interested parties to work in partnership to benefit breast cancer research. It is a tremendous undertaking - she is just a dynamo! Here is one of the ads announcing the October Gala in Pennsylvania.
The bras will be featured at the Byer's Choice Gala. They will be professionally photographed to appear in the 2010 calendar; and along with each bra, a fun story about the bra and its possible wearer, has been created by its designer. The techniques and supplies used in its creation is also provided. This calendar will be available online for $14 each plus postage and will begin to ship the last week of September. The proceeds will go directly to breast cancer research. Byer's will be donating the monies received at the October 2nd. Gala to the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania and Vic has other breast health centers lined up as well. More information on those health centers receiving the proceeds will be in the calendar. Please visit this Flickr site "ArtBra" to see some of the gorgeous creations which will appear at the Gala Event October 2 in Pennsylvania and the new 2010 Calendar. I am so honored to be among the designers. I will be travelling to Pennsylvania with my friend and fellow artbra designer, Barbara Blankenship, to attend the Gala and the designer signing event at the James Michener Museum. I am so excited to be able to see all the wonderful creations up close and personal. Although the professional pictures are gorgeous, you just can't fully appreciate the amazing details and workmanship that goes into each individual piece until you put your nose about 8 inches in front of it :-) What a thrill!

Here are pictures of my three earlier bras and then a picture of the bra I just designed. My first bra is "Fowl Play", composed of genuine peacock feathers, silk velvets, rolled ribbon roses, beading (the sides of the bra have beaded peacock feather motifs). My second bra is "Sweet Seduction", composed of various fabrics for the chocolates, hand-dyed silk rolled ribbon roses and lace motifs, beaded straps and motifs on the side of the bra and some broken bits of jewelry to adorn the chocolates. My third bra - I don't know what I was thinking - thought I would try a bit of fantasy and came up with "Be Lifted Up, But Don't Touch My Honey". It is composed of various fabrics, flowers, beaded fabric leaves, wired organza wings, and the honey combs are made of form core, painted, sealed with a glossy glaze and covered with a honey-combed netting for affect. That is what is fun about these creations; you don't really know where they will take you - it is an adventure - a creative journey.
Lastly, here is my latest creation. This bra is "Morning Has Broken", one of my favorite songs. And, because of this, the inside lining of the bra is done in musical note fabric. The outside background of the bra is done in purple dupioni fabric with hand-dyed silk for the leaves and branches which extend to both sides and the straps of the bra. Fabric motif butterflies were cut out, painted front and back and stiffened - then I gold leafed their edges and added sworovski crystals to their wings and scattered them over the bra. The bird nests are made from an armature of foil covered with clay and then baked. Dried grasses, twigs, feathers, glitter were then added and sealed. The eggs are painted silk cocoons. The baby bird is also formed of clay, painted and sealed.
The flowers are silk millinery flowers from a vintage hat. The feathers were generously donated from my Quaker parrot, JJ.

Please check back for the website and specific details for purchasing these calendars. I will post it as soon as I have this information.

___________

I usually like to leave you with a bit of inspiration - a few words or a video. This short clip speaks to God's mystery. We can't imagine why some things happen, but we should never give up. God provides hope and courage deep within us...it is there in all of us, just ask Him - He will provide. Click here to see....Inspirational video.

Blessings till next time!
Jules

Do You Have Gremlins?

2009-07-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Boy, I don't know about you, but I am sure I have gremlins in my sewing studio-ette. Yes, studio-ette, because it is not quite big enough to be a full fledged studio ....it is a studio want-to-be, but it is cozy and well used. My online friend, Willa, came up with this most appropriate term for those cozy sewing spaces we all create. Now, back to the problem at hand. Each time I turn around the place is a bigger mess than the minute before! I am sure it is gremlins...I just can't make that big of a mess so quickly can I? Anyway, I have spent the entire day cleaning, organizing, and straightening my studio-ette. I still have a bit to go, but I feel I can breath in there again. When it reaches "maximum clutter stage", I just can't get my creative juices to flow....they feel all squeezed in, so I am forced to "stop!, step away from the stitching and clean up the mess". And, no! I am not crazy enough to put such an incriminating picture online, but, I will show you my work table.

My darling DH put this together for me and it is wonderful. We took two inexpensive six-drawer dressers and put them back to back on a platform with a small space between the two. The platform is a firm foundation for the two dressers and it is on rollers so I can move the whole thing as needed. We left the space in between the two dressers for further storage of big, long items, so it has two shelves in there. We also extended one end a little bit and started the inside shelves about a foot or so in so that I could sit there and have my knees up under it if I was seated working on a project. The table measures about 4.5 x 5.5 feet. It is really great to lay things out on, but like my counter space, it is easy to fill up fast. What is about empty counter space....we just walk in and lay down whatever we have in our hands! It is also amazing how once we feel we have put things in an appropriate place and are organized....we can never find them again!

I want to share this adorable charm
I received from Stephanie Novatski.
If you are not familiar with Stephanie and her work, please check out her blog, Novablossoms (link on the left). She is an award winning artist. Right now, she is specializing in dolls. And, by looking at this beautiful fabric and beaded charm, you can see her talent in creating amazing faces. Each side of this fabric charm (which is about 1" in diameter) has been hand-drawn and painted by Stephanie. This was a fantastic surprise for me and I just love it. Stephanie also did "my face" I use for my profile picture here on my blog. She is amazingly gifted. You can read more about Stephanie in the upcoming issue of CQMagOnline (link on left). My sewing group has decided to make a charm bracelet soon and each of us will be creating a charm to exchange out of found objects and such so this charm will be a wonderful addition to my bracelet.

I have finished my "breast cancer block" (remember, I took some of it apart and re-worked it) and I will take a picture of it tomorrow to post. Barbara B. of our group is putting the breast cancer quilt together this year. Jan, Barbara and I went to Houston on a little shopping trip last week and found a beautiful light green brocade dupioni for the quilt backing. The theme for the quilt this year is "roses" and with all the varied pinks in the 20 blocks, the green will be a beautiful addition. Of course, with all the talented ladies that participate in this project each year, how could these quilts not be gorgeous. The hospitals and foundations that receive them are beyond pleased.

I have begun to stitch again on the lapel for my black kimono jacket which I hope to finish by Houston Quilt Festival....picture to come. I have signed up for some classes that are really out of my box at the Houston Quilt Festival...should be fun.
Oh, and look what I found on Ebay. Can't you just imagine an adorable little lady wearing this on Easter Sunday? Well.....I bought it to use the flowers on projects I am starting with KC Willis so each flower will have a new life :-)

The puppies are growing and real trouble-makers! I will certainly be glad when we get past this stage. They are too cute to toss, so I guess I will grin and bear it :-) It took a lot to get them this tired.

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This past Sunday, we discussed "authority" and how God places people in positions of authority. We had the kids each pretend to be the king or queen of their own country and let them make up the rules for their country. It was quite interesting to see that the majority of them wanted God to be revered and worshiped in their country, but at the same time, they each wanted extra special privileges for themselves. The ol' want the cake and eat it too. Many of them didn't want money to exist, they just wanted to be able to "have" what was needed. Interesting that they see at an early age the power of money. What I did enjoy thinking about was the fact that God does have control over everything so....shouldn't that make it easier for us to respect authority? God is our savior, redeemer, friend, protector - He knows exactly what's going on no matter the way things appear. I guess it's all about faith, practicing faith. If everything was perfect - there would be no need for faith or hope. Let's pray for those in authority to discern God's will and follow His direction - let's practice FAITH.

May God shower you with blessings, till next time...Jules

I Love Classes!

2009-07-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

OK, I have said it before...I love to take classes! I love to learn new things. In today's world of computer technology - learning new things is easier than ever! I found a really neat site, via a friend's (Judith) blog where you can get some online classes. It is Creative Workshops at Shabby Cottage Studio. At least they are in my genre! I signed up for my first digital collage class using Photoshop 7. I have tried to use Photoshop on my own, but it is not the most intuitive software. I have a VERY early version (like 1) of Adobe Photoshop and can use that quite well, but boy has it evolved! Well, I am so pleased with this online class. The teacher, Gail Schmidt, does a great job explaining and taking you through each step. And, she is readily available to answer questions by email. Let me share some of my digi-collages with you.... this is my very first digital collage. It has only three layers; fairly simple, but we learned some nifty techniques right off the bat....like how to create the little stars in an overlay and how to apply different effects to each layer. This is supposed to look a little ghostly.

Here is a practice collage I did using the same techniques I learned from lesson one. It still has only three elements or layers; sheet music, a lady and a rose.

Here is lesson two. We added more elements and more techniques. This one has at least six elements or layers including the text; a book cover about Venice, sheet music, a rose, a lady, and the grand canal. We learned how to soften edges and even make a background of an image transparent or "cut it out" to use in our collage and again change colors and effects, rotate the images, and more. This is the third lesson in the beginning series. Boy, it was a doosy, but my favorite to do. It has so many elements and techniques, I can't even count them. We learned how to change colors in different ways, how to add shadow effects, play with opacity, how to add color to the overall image with layers, brushes, and other adjustment tools such as hue, saturation and brightness. In the class this lesson used a picture of a french lady, but I removed her and added a sepia picture I had of my grandmother, Margarite.
The only draw back I can see at all this is that, like most other artistic endeavors, takes time and practice. But I have really enjoyed it and plan to continue to "play". Perhaps a logo, perhaps a new blog banner?

Oh, I mentioned in my last blog that I had also signed up for online video classes from KC Willis. Those were fun too! I am still pulling together my supplies, such a ticking fabric I found on ebay, and I have coffee stained everything I can get my hands on (including my hands).

I should be starting a fabric collage soon using KC's techniques (have to get my house and my studio straightened up first!)

I even signed up for a two-day retreat with KC in Colorado in October. You can check our her Collage Camp and her retreats here. Her location in Colorado is outstanding - we are planning to make a little family vacation out of it.

I also changed my mind about the Breast Cancer block I had pronounced finished. Decided I didn't care much for some of the elements in it so I have taken some of them out and am working on it again until I get to a happy place with it. I will post it when I am finished so you can see if you think I did the right thing :-)

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Can God use You? You know, lots of times when I stop to have a conversation with God, I think...boy, I am not really doing much in the way of helping you Lord. But, being the gracious Lord that He is, He assures me that He is using me all the time, in ways I don't even consciously know about - that makes me feel so much better. There are big ways He may choose to call on people (like missionary work, or teaching sunday school) and smaller, everyday ways He may call upon His people. Have you ever gotten the urge to contact someone out of the blue - that little voice coaxing you to call or write them note.....that is God using you. The person you call or write really needed that contact at that very moment for some reason or another. Let's not take for granted all the little things every day that can touch someone in the name of God :-)

Have a blessed and creative day! Til next time - Jules

Happy Fourth Everyone!

2009-07-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have a wonderful fourth of July - spending time with family and friends and staying cool! Or, getting a much deserved rest if needed. Here in Texas, we have had a terrible heat wave, no rain and temps in the low 100's. Keeps me from working in the yard, but I do get time in my sewing room.

To celebrate the fourth, my DH, Mom and I went to a concert on the local college campus. They have a beautiful theater called, The Clarion, built with wonderful acoustics and comfortable chairs! A fairly large jazz group played lots of really fun songs; many from the 40's like, In the Mood, Tuxedo Junction, Bugle Call Rag, and then ended the program with patriotic songs - oh how I love those and it reminded me so much of Dad. Songs like Anchors Away and Stars and Stripes Forever. It was so nice to have people from our community all together clapping hands and tapping their feet to the beat of great music, big smiles on their faces. Warm fuzzies :-) After the show, their was an ice cream social. I just love small town life.

Even with this Texas heat, I do get outside walks several times each day .....because we have two new puppies. A brother and sister pair of basset hounds we purchased from a breeder in Dallas. Bailey (the girl, black and brown) and Beasley (the boy, white and red) Cute! Cute! Cute! yes, but, bad, bad, bad. We are definitely in the potty training and chewing phase. Our older dog, Emma (a very large great pyr) is still not quite sure about these two interlopers! They spend time with me in my studio running around my
cutting table and wrestling with each other, which is OK until they find something they shouldn't to chew on like the cord to the iron; then it's back to their pen.

Well, I have done a bit of stitching. I have been working on a crazy quilt block for this year's Breast Cancer project. The theme this year is "roses" and had to include shades of pink. I took a digital picture of a Madonna image I really like, changed the background to pink, changed the graphic lines to a deeper maroon color, printed her on silk and used her for the focal point of my block. As you can see, I have given her a large bouquet of rolled silk ribbon roses and then spread other embellishments around the block. One of the hardest things about crazy quilting is deciding when something is actually done - my DH teases me about this all the time. But I think I will declare this one finished so I can go one to new projects and/or some UFO's that have been patiently waiting for me.

Speaking of new things, I just signed up online for KC Willis' Collage Camp. For some reason I am a bit intimidated by collage, but I plan on giving it a try with the help of her online videos. Check out her site if you like collage and combining lots of different textures in making wall hangings, journals, shrines, altered books, etc. http://collagecamp.ning.com/ I also want to try my hand at collaged pillows and put together a bedspread with coffee-stained fabrics to give it an old vintage look. If you would like to see the work of KC Willis, you can visit her at www.lipstickranch.com. So, hopefully, in the near future you will see some examples of my delving into fabric and paper collage fun. Right now I am waiting on the arrival on some supplies that I found on good old ebay, then I will jump in!

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As I strolled around outside today (with the puppies), I took notice of some simple things around me, things that are so easily taken for granted: the green of the leaves rustling in a soft breeze, an ant mustering through the dirt, cicadas singing their song in the afternoon heat. I love when I slow down and God gets my attention and opens my mind's eye to wonders of His creation. So why don't I do it habitually, continually? Pretty lame on my part not to make myself available to Him, huh? I can plan on having time with God every single day and before you know it, when I look back on the week that has passed, did I? Most oft times, not. Unfortunately for me, I do not discipline myself enough to include God in everything I do. Oh, I want to and I have good intentions, but I plod ahead each day, busy, busy, busy and fail to put Him first. Oh what a wonderful God, that He waits for me each day, patiently, until I slow down and call His name....it is like coming home, a wonderful calm, a wonderful joy. I am so blessed to know about God, and even more blessed because I know God. I know personally about His grace, mercy and love, yet I still feign to take control of my days. I have the desire to know Him more deeply, to commune with Him, but I am so selfish with my time. With the joy and blessings of time with Him, why is it so hard to give Him the time He deserves from me? After all, He has given me everything, even the gift of artistically creating for my personal pleasure. What an awesome God, thankfully a forgiving God. He opens my eyes and allows me to try again and again, and again to fill my life with the character of His son.

Blessings! Jules

Projects While Seated

2009-06-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Yep, I am really back.

This is my finger puppet friend, Schmoozie. He gives me lots of encouragement and always has a smile for me which is also a very good example to me....to keep on smiling! He is helping me get back on track with my creative processes. So here goes!

I thought I would share with you a couple of jewelry projects I worked on while I was down recently with a fractured foot.

The first one is a silver charm bracelet. I really enjoyed this project more than I thought I would. When it comes to making jewelry, many of my friends do such wonderful bead work, but my fingers are 'super CLUMSY' when it comes to beads. I drop beads everywhere, so I decided to give wire work a try. I made this bracelet by making "S" links which were cut, shaped and hammered from silver wire. Hammering is such fun! Talk about letting out some stress! I used a fairly large gauge of silver wire for plenty of strength in the links. The jump rings (which link the S pieces together) were also made with the large gauge of silver wire - there is a terrific tool that helps with that (see picture of tool at right). Then comes the REALLY fun part. With a somewhat smaller gauge silver wire, I began to play with beads, jewelry finds, wrapping, etc. I took parts of earings and necklaces, charms, beads and the silver wire and simply "played". I wrapped beads, made coils, hammered coils, etc. and came up with what you see here. Fun, fun, fun! My next bracelet will be with more unusual found objects: scrabble tiles, beetle wings, miniature bottles, etc. My close group of lady friends that comprise my Crazy Quilt Bee have decided to do a found-object charm exchange much like what was outlined in the book, A Charming Exchange. You can read more about the book and its authors here: http://acharmingexchange.blogspot.com/

The next project I worked on is a crocheted-button necklace. Now, I have to be honest here and admit that I don't know much about crochet except the basic chain stitch. Luckily, my dear friend, Barbara, is a master at crocheting and took pity on me enough to make the crocheted part of the necklace. She also showed me how to use the chain stitch to add each of the buttons and charms that comprise the necklace - boy, that takes some time! But, I am really delighted with the outcome. Thanks a mil Barbara! The center of the necklace is an ivory piece given to me some years ago by another dear friend, Jane. She was travelling the world at the time and brought this lovely piece home to me. It was a pin, but I decided it would really fit well as the focal piece on this necklace. What would we do without dear, dear friends in our lives!

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I am sure you have all heard about the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. So much sadness in the news lately. I watched Farrah's Story on TV tonight and it was very poignant. She videoed her journey of living with cancer and fighting to survive. I guess what struck me right off was her immediate response, to connect with God - asking for a miracle of healing. Recently, my husband had a phone conversation with a cousin who has cancer and he relayed a story of meeting a woman who confided in him that she was dying with cancer...he looked at her and replied, "I am living with cancer". God calls on us in many ways to build Christ's character within us.

It really hit me how easy it is to go on with our lives, day in and day out, maybe thinking about God a bit, maybe not, but when things get difficult, when things get scarey... all of a sudden, we can find our way directly to Him in a second, when WE need something, even with all the junk we have piled up in the path to His presence. Just like kids, huh? All about ME, ME, ME. In today's world, now more than ever, prayer warriors are needed, not just for ourselves, but for our world...for others.... those who are hungry, those who are homeless, those who are confused and scared, those who are making decisions that affect so many of us... What a beautiful sight it would be for Christ to see us on our knees sending up prayers for others and thanking Him for every breath we take! How fortunate we are that God is always there, waiting for us no matter what circumstances bring us into His presence. He is just glad to see us, glad to hear from us - He loves us no matter what.

Bittersweet times...

2009-06-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well, yes, again it has been a while since I have posted. Sometimes life takes control and we just have to go along with the flow, asking for God's strength and guidance as we forge ahead each day. Today, I am just going to post a bit about my recent challenges. Challenges that have kept me from my creative play, but after this cathartic post, I will be sharing some new things I have begun to work on as I get my creative juices flowing again. I hope you will bear with me and visit again in the next couple of days to see some fun stuff :-) like found-object charms and a silver bracelet.

Just after the death of my Aunt Julie in March, I moved my my mother here to Texas to an independent living facility so she could be close to Dad (actually right next door) and me. As you can imagine my days have been filled to the brim...basically taking care of four households; Dad's, Mom's, my Aunt's and mine. Many hours were spent with doctors and in the hospital once Dad's health began to fail. Sadly, he passed away on May 14th. I count myself blessed to have spent special time with Dad these past months, even though it was a challenging time. We had a lovely memorial service for Dad here at my church in Lake Jackson, Texas and even though only a few people here had even met my father, so much love was poured forth for me, my mom and my family - it was amazing, so awesome, definitely a "God thing"!

Often when we are going through life's challenges, we just put our nose to the grindstone and do what we have to do, then when we have the time to reflect later, we can see how all the pieces of our life fit together in such a miraculous fashion ultimately for our good. It is truly amazing and mystical how God works in our lives. We have read so many stories about this very thing in the Bible, but somehow it is hard to realize that it is happening every single day in our own lives. How patient God is with us - isn't He?

I am going to put my Dad's obit here so that you can see what a unique powerhouse he was. It was fortunate for Dad that he did not sit and waste away month after month and year after year because that just wasn't my Dad and I am so grateful for that - he was not one to just idle away the hours. Alzheimers is such a strange disease - you never know what to expect and it changes the personality and ability of your loved one so much. Dad couldn't watch TV or even read a book anymore. So, although it has been one of the most difficult times in my life to watch him slip away, I know that it was a blessing for my Dad to go quickly. To view a video of Dad and his life: http://www.mem.com/movie/MovingMemories.asp?ID=3012692

I miss him so much and still can't believe he is not close by so that I could pick up the phone and hear his voice, or go get a sweet hug. It is such a bittersweet time - happy for him to have gone on to meet Christ, but sad for me to be without his smile, the mischievous twinkle in his eye, his parental concern for me and continual instruction. I know many of my friends have already experienced this loss and they say, that like anything else, it will take time, time to adjust, time to heal the wounded heart; and I know with God's help that will happen. So, I look to God each day for the strength to continue on - to make my Dad proud of the life I am leading as he and Christ look down on me from above.

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Gayle A. Oglesby, age 84, passed away Thursday, May 14, 2009 in Lake Jackson,Texas. Mr. Oglesby was born in McGehee, Arkansas,March 11, 1925, but spent his formative years in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where his favorite activity was as a drummer in the high school band. He graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 1942 and immediately enlisted in the United States Navy where he served as a first class signalman in the 5th Amphibious Force attached to the 2nd and 4th Division Marines in the South Pacific. He was involved in five assault landings in the Marshal and Marianas Islands. Upon returning to the states after WWII, Mr. Oglesby married his high school sweetheart and then focused on his education. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated with a BS and an MS in Geology from the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha and the honors geology fraternity, Sigma Gamma Epsilon. Mr. Oglesby’s career spanned over 36 years in the geologic and oil and gas industry. He began his career with the Arkansas State Geological Survey in 1953. His work experience also included time with the Ohio Oil Company in Midland, Texas, the Reynolds Mining Corporation in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Petrobras Exploracao in Bahia, Brazil. Mr. Oglesby then joined the United States Geological Survey in 1958 where he worked for over 20 years. His career with the USGS began as Supervisory Investigator-In-Charge of the East and Southeast Texas Oil Fields per the Connally “Hot Oil” Compliance Act and ended as Chief of the Branch of Marine Evaluation at the USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Upon leaving the USGS, Mr. Oglesby joined the General Accounting Office as a supervisory geologist working on many environmental issues facing our country. In this position, he wrote environmental speeches for President Carter and other key government personnel. Mr. Oglesby retired from the government in 1981 and moved into the private sector working with Superior Oil Company in the Woodlands, Texas, Mobil Oil Company, and finally retiring from Exxon/Mobil in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1989. During his career, Mr. Oglesby was recognized and published in “Who’s Who In the South and Southwest”, “Who’s Who in Technology”, and “American Men And Women of Science”. He was a registered Professional Geologist, a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the American Institute of Professional Geologists, the American Geological Institute and the New Orleans Geological Society.

Upon retiring in 1989, Mr. Oglesby and his wife moved to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas where he built two custom homes in the mountains that he loved. He was a member of the HSV Lawn Bowlers, loved to write editorials in the local paper, and served on the Board of the Property Owner’s Association in Hot Springs Village for six years, as a board member and one term as President.Mr. Oglesby was a voracious reader. He loved etymology and had quite an interesting library. Travelling the world was also a joy for Mr. Oglesby and he and his wife traveled extensively over the years, with Austria being his favorite location. Mr. Oglesby was a long-time ordained deacon in the Presbyterian Church and was at the time of his death, a member of the Kirk of the Pines Presbyterian Church in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.

Mr. Oglesby was preceded in death by his parents, Meryl Sims and Fay Oglesby, and a sister, Mary Edna Finley. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Edwina Carnahan Oglesby of Lake Jackson, Texas; his daughter Julie Yonge and husband John of Angleton,Texas; son, Gayle A. Oglesby, Jr. and wife Ita of Spring Branch, Texas; twin grandsons, Jeremy and Jason Klahorst of Austin,Texas; and sister Billie Faye Gailey of Pine Bluff Arkansas.

Well, thank you for letting me share my Dad and a bit of my recent life with you. As a Christian, I can rejoice in the gift of eternal life even after the sting of the earthly death of my father. I know I will see Dad again. God is my strength and I am so thankful that God continues to do His work in and with me, chiseling me in His image, forgives me my weaknesses and sins, and that I am His masterpiece! There would be no joy, no hope without Christ. Check out the video clip below to further understand how you are God's masterpiece too!

Inch by Inch

2009-03-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

Well, again it has been a while since I have posted. I have not had the opportunity to sew and boy do I miss my creative play days - when you have that creative gene - it is almost necessary for you to play and create in order to stay healthy! Soon, I hope, I will be back to playing in my stash, caressing fibers, embellishing anything in sight.

The place where I originally placed my Dad turned out not to be the best fit due to his medical challenges so I have recently moved him again - even closer to me and try to visit him as much as possible. It seems to help his agitation to see a family member. Alzheimers is such an unusual disease and many of the symptoms come on quickly, such as extreme agitation, for seemingly no reason at all. Dad actually kicked out some windows at the previous facility while in an agitated state. I am hopeful that we can get past this particular stage of the disease soon. I am moving my mother in about 10 days from Arkansas nearby to Lake Jackson, Texas and she will be in an independent living facility next to Dad's, in the hopes that she can see him often.

Unfortunately, in the midst of all this, my dear Aunt Julie became gravely ill. I made it to her home in New Orleans to visit with her a day or so and had the honor of being with her, holding her hand as she passed into Paradise. She was an amazing lady and I already dearly miss her! Now, as her Executrix, I have had the duties of planning her funerals (yes, funerals, plural) - Aunt Julie was born in Arkansas, but lived most of her life in New Orleans - so she had funerals in both places. Although being 91 years of age, she still had many friends come pay their respects. Aunt Julie had been Dr. Alton Ochsner's personal assistant and surgical nurse for over 40 years in New Orleans at Ochsner Hospital. She was a champion golfer at the Colonial Country Club, an avid bridge player and member of the Louisiana Women's Bridge Association, enjoyed fishing and hunting in her younger days and took every dance class that Arthur Murray had to offer in her 50's and 60's. She never married, but always had a beau on her arm and a twinkle in her eye. At the age of 90 she even took a quick dip in my brother's hot tub wearing a hot pink haltered-top bathing suit (the only thing we could find that fit her) because she had never done it before! You gotta love it! A remarkable woman who lived a wonderful, fulfilled life. I am also charged with finalizing her debts, assets, taxes, emptying her home, etc. and because of this have been making round trips (7 hours) from here to New Orleans for the past few weeks. So this along with getting Mom and Dad moved and settled in has taken me away from sewing at the moment.

I was; however, fortunate to visit our local Guild's Quilt Show today. It was very enjoyable and encouraged me to be ready to stitch when the time presents itself. Such wonderful eye candy! And, I saw many friends that I hadn't seen in quite a while. Lots of hugs all around.

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I have learned so much in the last few weeks - about life, about myself, and about the Lord's grace. It has been amazing to feel the strength God has given me as I walk through these challenges. He is teaching me to lean on Him and trust Him with each step I take. My BSF (Bible Study Fellowship International) group has been studying Moses this year which has also been lifting me up through this situation. Isn't it interesting how the right thing, word, person, just pops in when you need it? Those "God" things. The other night the stress of this situation caused quite a blow up between my husband and myself (which is truly quite rare) - we were just stressed and exhausted. This happened right before I went to my Monday night BSF class. Well, while studying about the Israelites and how they leaned so much on Moses and grumbled to each other instead of talking directly to God, - it dawned on me that I was doing the same thing. I was leaning way too much on my husband and grumbling to him when I needed to let off steam, instead of going directly to God. This was creating even more stress for us. Boy, I don't know why we forget so easily that God is always there, waiting patiently for us - ready to help. While driving on one of these recent trips, I saw a billboard that said..."Please talk to me today - I love you ... Jesus". Whoa! Such a simple request, but how often do we put it off and let the busyness of each day get in the way of our relationship with Christ? I am so guilty of that. God has been so good to me during this time - He has given me such loving and encouraging friends, a wonderful church family, the prayers of BSF members, etc. So, I think He deserves for me to answer His simple request and talk to Him each and every day. Well, I am really trying - after all He is the best friend anyone could ever have.

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May you be graced with joy today and every day..... till next time ..... Jules

Coming Back Slowly...

2009-01-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

OMG - This actually feels a bit weird because it has been so long. I am just popping in to write a short note to say that I will be blogging again soon. My family situation has had some major challenges that have needed a lot of my attention.

My folks retired to the mountains in Arkansas which is about 9 or 10 hours from me. They have happily lived there for quite some time, but when problems arose, it all seemed to come at one time and come crashing down. My father has Alzheimers and and after a recent surgery, the disease escalated quite a bit so I moved him nearer to me to be able to help with his care. This was a difficult decision and situation (removing him from home), but he is now in a specialized Alzheimer's facility about an hour away and doing well. He has very brittle diabetes requiring several shots of insulin a day and neuropathy in his legs and feet so he requires very individualized care. I have also arranged for my mother to be moved nearer to me as soon as a vacancy comes available in an independent living facility here ...then to clean out their house in the mountains and sell it. My mother's 90-year-old sister who lives in New Orleans, is also having many challenges as well. I am the only daughter, the only niece, soooo.... This picture is one of me and Dad during a recent visit. And, yes, I have been stress eating unfortunately, but am back on the diet wagon and doing my best to slough off those pounds.

Now, I have simply stated that all this has been going on, but for those of you who have faced caring for their parents and other family members, you know it is one of the most challenging experiences one can ever face (especially when our country's economy has been tanking!). It involves hours and hours of research, talking to social workers and attorneys, all kinds of paperwork, lots of time and money; and is extremely stressful to all involved. It can zap you physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc. before you know it. For those of you out there who are also facing similar circumstances - God bless you and be with you! I am so thankful that God is my rock and seeing me through each day along with the support and encouragement of wonderful friends. That is not to say that every day is peachy. I do have those weepy days when I just need a good, cleansing cry, (like when Dad waves good-bye when I leave him with tears rolling down his adorable pink cheeks), but God is there and helping me through it all. So, things are improving little by little - praise the Lord! And, in a strange, miraculous way, these relationships are even more special and precious - so there are blessings in every circumstance.

I certainly miss blogging and visiting with all my online friends and do hope to return to it soon. I haven't done much sewing, but do have a little to share and hope to get all the creative juices flowing again and get into a happy state of production. For now, I just want to say that I have missed you, belated Happy New Year, and see ya soon! BTW, the new issue of CQMagOnline will be out very soon and I have a few articles in it - one of them being an update on my visit to the November Houston International Quilt Market and Festival - so don't forget to check it out!

Happy Stitching!

Yeah - rain!

2008-08-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, tropical storm, Eduoard, came ashore and fortunately, he was a pretty friendly guy. There has been minimal damage where he came inland and we have received some much needed rain here on the Texas coast.

I want to thank friends, old and new, who have left comments on my blog saying that it is good to have me back and giving me encouragement...thank you, thank you! Touching the lives of others gives such light to our souls and it is a pleasure to share with you and learn from you.

Today, as you can see, I have added a video clip from God Tube here and hope you will take a moment to view it. I find it quite profound and it really touches the heart. This video is my word of inspiration to you today....Christ lives, Christ loves, Christ saves!

I don't have any pictures today of anything I am working on, but I do have some good information to share. I recently found out that Carole Samples, a crazy quilter and teacher extraordinaire, has started a blog - you can find her here...Carole's Blog. I am fortunate to be taking a class later in the year in Wichita, Kansas at The Pink Bunny Quilt Shop from Carole, where I will be learning all about her templates and how to use them in crazy quilt stitch designs. Carole has a wonderful book of stitches, A Treasury of Crazy Quilt Stitches which goes hand in hand with her templates that I have had for quite some time. It will be such a treat to meet her and get tips and techniques from her on how she creates these wonderful stitch designs.

Here is a blog by Victoria Adams Brown of RibbonSmyth where she shares lots of tips and techniques for SRE, dying, etc. This is a must for crazy quilters and those who love silk ribbon!

For those of you who have an interest in mixed media and collage (and other art), I found a wonderful site (Creative Catalyst Productions) that offers instructional videos of great artists like Leslie Riley, Traci Bautista and Lisa Engelbrecht to name just a few. I am familiar with these particular artists because they often teach at the upcoming Houston International Quilt Show and I have been lucky enough to have taken classes from them. I have ordered several videos and just can't wait to receive and view them. What a wonderful tool to have with me at home to refer to over and over while working in my studio.

I have been dabbling a bit with silk screening and I will share that with you next time!

2008-07-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well - where do I begin? Life has had some challenges lately on several fronts and has taken me away from my daily routine. But - here I am - and glad to be back.

Today, I am going to share a couple of projects with you that I have worked on recently.
The first one is a CD pin cushion. Yes, you take an old cd and use it as the base for a pin cushion. Actually I used two cds. One for the base of the cushion as you form it and one to cover with fabric and use as the finished base. Basically, you make about a 9" circle that you piece and embellish for a regularly sized cd. When you have finished your embellishing, take a running stitch around the circle (with some very strong thread) and gather the fabric loosely to start forming the cushion. Begin to fill with polyfil until you have a nice domed shape - then add the first cd to the bottom and gather the fabric more snugly - just so you have about 1/2" of fabric gathered around the entire bottom edge of the cd. You then begin to push polyfill in through the hole in the cd until you are happy with the firmness and the shape (you will be surprised how much you can get in there!). I stitched across the bottom of the cd to keep the fabric where I wanted it and to help hold the circular shape. Cover the second cd with felt or whatever you would like and glue it to the bottom of the cushion. To secure, blanket stitch around the entire edge where the felt covered cd meets the upper cushion as you can see in the picture on the right. You may want to add a nice trim over the stitching. Instead of stopping there (which you definitely can do for a nice pin cushion), I decided to add mine to a glass base I found at a resale shop and add lace around the edges as you can see below. I felt it gave it a more Victorian look.

Now, I will tell you a secret. Because I didn't want to lose needles by them going too far into the pin cushion - I made a small bag out of muslin, filled it with emery powder and put a small piece of round plastic in the bottom of it. I then put that small bag up in the very top center of the cd pin cushion before I started filling it with polyfill. Now, when I put needles in the top of the pin cushion, they are sharpened with the emery and they stop at the plastic base of the smaller bag inside the cushion. With the miniature cds you wouldn't have to do this because you could actually fill the whole cushion with emery, sawdust, crushed walnuts, or sand. It just wasn't feasible to do that with the larger cd. I have a picture here of two different friend's cushions so you can see the size difference between the larger cd and the miniature ones.

The next project is a small needlecase tuffet made from an Altoid tin. This was fun too! I purchased the kit from RibbonSmyth. It has a little tomato of velvet inside the tin with two leaves and the inside lid has some pieces of felt to hold pins and needles. The outside of the tin was finished with trims and the top with an embellished silk photo on some peach dupioni silk and the legs are little spools that I embellished with trim.

I don't know if you can see the little swarovski stones that I have added to both of these projects, but I just love them and think they add so much. But then I love sparkle! Anyway, here is the link to the site where you can find these loose stones. Jan's Jewels I get the tiny stones because that is my preference, but they have all different sizes and shapes. They do have to be glued into place, not stitched, but using E6000 glue works very well.

Just for fun:
As I age, I have found that I don't like heights as much as I used to, especially unsafe ones. However, a sweet friend sent this link to me to watch a most interesting hike high on a part of El Chorro in southern Spain known as Caminito del Rey (The King's little path). As you will see it is a very dangerous path and official access was removed in 2000 after a tourist died trying to cross it. It is best viewed full screen - when you get to the link site, just put your cursor in the video and right click, you can then choose full screen. Watching this video is the ONLY way I would take this hike.

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Solemn Assembly

Recently our church pastor called for a Solemn Assembly. I wasn't real sure what this meant exactly, but as I participated, I found it a true heartwarming and spiritual experience. It definitely renewed our spirits and strengthened us.

I. Purposes of the Assembly
a. to humble ourselves before God with prayer and fasting;
b. to seek God’s presence;
c. to listen to God’s Word;
d. to turn away from things that displease God;
e. to confess spiritual apathy and seek renewal;
f. to pledge a new commitment to our Covenant with God;
g. to dedicate ourselves to being God’s vessels in the world.

This service was separate from our regular church service and other activities. We gathered together solemnly and with contrite hearts, we felt the spirit of the Lord with us as we asked for the Holy Spirit to come - confessing our sins and reliance on Christ, and solemnly praying for the concerns of the church, individuals, our country, and our world. God says that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He is with us. So imagine the strength in an assembly of many who gather in His name to confess and solemnly pray together! With so many challenges facing our churches, our country and our world right now - prayer and fellowship with Christ needs to most definitely be a priority.
If we take a good look at ourselves as Christians - are we indistinquishable from those around us or have we taken God for granted, adopted customs and actions of surrounding cultures, compromised instead of following God's commands. For me, I know I am guilty. I often take the easier path. I definitely have good intentions each and every day, but I am human and fail. However:

Joel 2:12-13

12 'Even now,' declares the Lord,
'return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.'

13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

God encourages us to always return to Him with all our hearts. To do this, we must reject our self-centeredness, our arrogance, our stubborness, our apathy and choose to be attentive and obedient to God. Let us encourage each other, our brothers and sisters in Christ, to always return to Him with all our hearts, each and every day.

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Coming Back

2008-07-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, as you have no doubt noticed, I have been absent for a while. Life and some of its circumstances just swept me away. I want to thank those of you who have continued to check in and have posted comments to let me know that I was missed - what a wonderful hug to my spirit!
Today will be a very short post, but I hope to be back in full force very soon. I just wanted you to know that CQMagOnline has just gone live today so please check it out! I have several articles in this issue. We are already getting ready for the Houston International Quilt Market and Festival coming up in October/November as well. I have done some stitching while away from posting and will get pictures uploaded very soon. Just wanted to say thanks - I will be back very soon and I hope all of you are having very blessed days and are finding the joy that is tucked inside each one of them. See ya soon!

Who is in charge?

2008-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

I apologize for being tardy here on my blog lately. Have you ever had a time in your life where your days are directing you instead of you directing your days? Well, my life has kind of been like that lately. So many chores, lists, projects, studies, etc. that I have been burning the candle at both ends. I am a person who has many diverse interests and I am afraid I have surpassed my quota for being able to serenely balance all of them. As I mentioned in my last blogging, I am getting a handle on things and slowing down and checking things off my list in dramatic style :-) I have worked in my gardens, mowed the acreage, shampooed carpets, worked on my studies and am making an effort at re-organizing my studio/sewing work space (yet again!!!). This past week I did begin doing some crazy piecing for several projects I am starting - a CD pin cushion, a crazy lap chicken, a mini-cq quilt, etc. And, I will gladly show you progress in a couple of days when I have begun to embellish said pieces - seeing my piecing right now would just be slightly more exciting than watching the grass grow, so bear with me until I have added some lovely googah to them.

One of the projects I worked on this week was redecorating the sunday school classroom where my DH and I teach the 7th, 8th and 9th grades. These are such cool kids! One of the girls had a really cute necklace on one day that had all these vivid fun colors and we used that as our inspiration for our room makeover. They chose all the colors and the new name for the room...."The Studio" (since we are all works in progress). Above are the before pictures. The old room was basically done with blue and mauve rag rolled walls above cream beaded board. To spice that up a bit our students decided on a bright turquoise for the upper wall color and white for the woodwork in the room for a cleaner crisp look. We found the bright colored chairs for the students at Wal-Mart, the pink fuzzy rug at Target, and the throw pillows at Pier 1. They wanted curtain beads to hang in our window instead of fabric curtains and I was finally able to find those online and have them ordered - they are hot pink! I am still shopping for the teacher's chairs - as those student's chairs are a bit difficult for this ol' woman to get out of!

The one wall in our room that is brick, we have painted entirely white and then we are adding the student's hand prints in the coordinating colors they picked, along with their signatures. We have had one paint day with the kids and got 90% of it painted - I will just have to go back and finish up the trim work. Doesn't it look great? The door has hand prints as well and will have the name of the class put on it too. The kids are really having fun with it and really have ownership in its wonderful outcome. The high school kids have been caught peering in with envious faces!

So, you can see that I am not always able to get to my sewing projects, but I am always up to something! I will show you pix when I get the curtain beads up and everything finished up :-)

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I want to share with you something I received from a new acquaintance. This is a sweet, simple story, but has such a powerful message.

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said. 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.

They went to the next room and opened the door.. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, 'I don't understand.

It is simple,' said the Lord. 'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

Wow, huh? Did you figure it out before reading the last line? I didn't. It kind of hit me like a wet washcloth in the face - so simple, yet so easy to look past the Godly solution. God created us to fellowship with Him and each other. For love, encouragement, support. It is part of the greatest commandment - after love for God, the Father - to love our neighbor as ourselves. In this busy paced world it is so easy to get frustrated, disillusioned and angry with those around us. It seems people are so focused on their tasks at hand, and themselves, - have you noticed? People stand in the middle of the grocery isle seemingly lost in thought forgetting there are people who need to get by; as they drive to and fro, they are in such a hurry they cut you off in traffic or won't let you merge in front of them; they look tired and as if they lack joy in their lives as they struggle to get through each day. Do you notice them? People who just need a little love? Have you just simply said "hello" or given them an encouraging smile? Have you helped a person reach that box of cereal off the top shelf at the grocery store; let someone with fewer items go ahead of you; simply thank those you come in contact with who are standing on their feet all day behind cashier counters? Or, hold a simple conversation with a lonely person, or just listen? Hold a door open? Make a caring phone call? There are so many simple things we can do each and every day to show Christian love to our neighbors. And, the more we practice, the more a part of our daily life it becomes - joyfully. Yes, I guess it is sort of taking a risk, you might be ignored or even ridiculed some time, but that is OK because we are not responsible for the heart of others - just spreading God's love which we are growing in our own hearts....God will do the rest, be confident in that and find the joy that is waiting in His love and the strength to reach out to others.

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Taking time to smell the roses...

2008-05-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

Well, it is so nice to be back home and in my little space - very comforting :-) I have slowed my pace and comprised my "to do" list, but plan to take time to smell the roses. My last few months have been quite hectic so slowing down a bit is definitely a good plan - my body is thanking me already. Since I am still cleaning and shuffling things around after my recent trip and have not sewn for a few days, I thought I would just show you some of the beautiful things (eye candy) done by new friends I met at my recent Tomball, Texas Retreat. BTW - we are already planning another one in September. You just can't stop a good thing! Oh, and I am going with my local group to a retreat in Wallis, Texas in about a week and half. I know, I know..... my brother teases me that I retreat more than the "France". (just a historical reference, no insult intended)

So, here is some lovely eye candy to inspire you. I hope the ladies will forgive me if their work or picture doesn't appear, but I don't have project pictures for everyone that was at retreat. However, I assure you that each and every talented lady in attendance had wonderful inspiring pieces, each representing their personality and spirit of creativity. We were definitely on sensory overload trying so hard to soak up everything we saw!

First of all is this absolutely stunning crazy quilt by Janet - it appeared in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo earlier this year and rightfully so, won an award. It has really fun black fringe all the way around it.
Below is a beautiful mini-crazy quilt by Karen. I so enjoyed just perusing this piece to find the subtle yet amazing details done in miniature! This quilt is comprised of 2 inch by 2 inch embellished crazy quilt blocks and is truly a work of art. The entire quilt is about 14 inches by 12 inches. I can't wait to get started on my own - I just love the idea of creating in miniature !
Here is Karen, the beautiful lady who created the mini cq quilt and a close-up of one of the small blocks to show the sweet details. See that little swing on the tree branch? Cute, cute, cute!

Here is a portion of a block started by Donna - don't you just love the origami folded kimono! What a lovely accent. And then a pin cushion Donna made with CD's as its base. That is another one of my next projects and I will probably write up an article for our next issue of CQMagOnline on how to do that. Barbara B. and I discussed at length how we could develop and inner core of emery powder for this pin cushion and provide a stop for the pins and needles so they would not get lost. While I was out of town, Barbara developed a proto-type of what we discussed and it worked beautifully so I will now put one together myself. Great job Barbara!
Here above, is an absolutely stunning quilt wall hanging made by Connie as a birthday gift for her friend, Debra. She has hand-painted the background, then silk screened the sea dragons, added SRE, embroidery and embellishments and some beautifully appointed quilting. The quilting gives the sense of movement in the water and even adds the hint of a translucent jellyfish hovering above.
The pictures, of course, don't show the beauty of this piece, but do click on them to see the details in full resolution - it is worth it! Connie is an extremely talented teacher and artist in her community and some of the ladies at our retreat were taking Brazilian Embroidery classes from her. Here is a small example of Suzie's work on her BE piece in said class.

Several of the ladies had visited Attic Heirlooms, Julie Craig's shop in Wichita, Kansas and had works in progress from their visit there. Julie Craig's shop is like a fantasy wonderland come true for the crazy quilter. It is filled with lace, fabrics, buttons, beads, trims; embellishments galore! Women have been known to actually drool outside her shop window...kind of like that Mervyn's commercial they used to play..."open, open, open". Here is a sweatshirt jacket that Pat was working on... aren't the laces scrumptious! Then here is Pat holding one of her finished crazy quilts.

And, one of my favorites, (which is now another project on my list) is Pat's crazy quilted rooster. Isn't he adorable? Don't you just love the ring on his toe and his beaded waddle and crest? I thought he would make a really cute door stop at one of my bedrooms and cheerfully greet all who enter....he has such personality!

Now then, can you see why I love retreats so much? Besides meeting some really inspiring, kind and remarkable people - you get to see their creations up close and personal :-) I have truly been so blessed to be able to go on several retreats and classes each year. I learn so much from every person I meet and hopefully share and inspire others as we pass it on.

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Well, as you can see above, God has given each and every one of us talents beyond measure. It is up to us to be willing to exercise those talents and use them to His glory. I try to remember also, that God is not always seeking to find the most qualified or most talented, but a heart ready for spiritual cultivation; those who are willing to follow Him, obey Him, be faithful to Him. It is God who will bring the seed to fruition. So we must not get too overzealous in thinking that it is our responsibility to produce results - God will do that. That is a hard one for me, I have to admit, but as the Bible shows us many times, God often accomplishes great and powerful things through weak or ordinary people. In that way He is glorified and we are humbled. The victories won can only be credited to His power and guidance.

We may think we don't have much to offer, but God can use us if we will yield ourselves to His will and to His Spirit. That in itself requires the strength of the Holy Spirit in us - I know I don't have the strength on my own, but through prayer and supplication, communing with God each day, I am learning, practicing, exercising and maturing my faith and God is showing me His faithfulness. Let's not be discouraged or question our humble position or talents. We must try to remember, mighty things are done by those who depend on God's power and joyfully commit ourselves to His will.

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Catching Up!

2008-05-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

My oh my, how time flies in our busy lives. Not long after returning from my sewing retreat in Tomball, Texas and getting my computer provider situation straightened out - I left for a week in New Orleans. I was so lucky to be able to go as just before I departed, I spent a night in the emergency room with kidney stones in both kidneys. No fun I assure you. But God blessed me and away I went a few days later, driving myself the 6-7 hour trip to New Orleans. You see, it was quite important - I was coordinating a surprise 90th birthday party for my mother's only sister, my Aunt Julie. I am happy to say that it was a complete surprise and enjoyed by all. I did just fine taking a few pain pills once in a while, but nothing severe. She had a wonderful time as did all the guests wanting to honor her on this occasion. I was a tearful mess at our parting, but I have a beautiful, tender memory in my heart.

In the picture above, you can see her cake - a half lemon, half chocolate, six layer doberge cake from Gambino's bakery in New Orleans (the layers are a type of dessert pudding, then a butter cream icing with a fondant layer over all). When I lived in New Orleans as a youngster and a teen, we always had this cake for all birthday celebrations and it was just as good as I remembered.

I stayed with "my sister, Pat" (on right above) on what is termed the north shore from New Orleans (that is across Lake Pontchartrain). In the pic upper left, I am starting across what they call the "causeway" to New Orleans - it is a 24 mile bridge between New Orleans and the north shore.

Pat is officially my X-SIL, but she is my sister in my heart. We have been close for some 38 years. We had such a good week, visiting with her family (who adopted me long ago), my X-MIL (yes, I am still close), my dear Aunt Julie, my brother, his wife and their new puppy, Gumbo. We really ran the roads as they say!

Here is the luncheon we had with my SIL's sisters and here is a pic of my X-MIL at the lovely assisted living center where she lives.
Then here are my younger brother, Gayle, my dear Aunt Julie, me and my brother's wife, Ita on the left; and Gumbo, my brother's 4 month old labradoodle on the right...all cuties! I also got to visit with my dear niece, PJ, and her daughter, Carrey via computer video, as they are stationed in Germany. My niece is about to deliver her new baby, Jacob Henry, and I was able to see her belly profile and the room they have decorated for him. This high-tech world is something else! It was a very busy week, but one filled with blessings of all sorts.

I did get my needle book finished for my online yahoo group swap and in the mail to my swap partner, Freda, just before I left. Here are pics of the front, back, side view and inside.

I had a lovely needle book waiting for me from Freda when I returned home last night. Here are some pics of the one she made for me, front and back. She also included an absolutely stunning hankie - what treasures to enjoy!

I am just beginning to shovel out the house, do laundry, etc. (you know how it is - left my DH for a whole week here alone with the dog - oh my! much worse than...lions and tigers and bears, oh my!) Plenty to fill my time. And, I long to get back into my studio and begin some new projects and continue some already in progress. I am behind in my journal making class and am already looking into another class that Sue Bleiweiss has coming up online.... I can never have enough when it comes to learning and classes :-) Tomorrow is my wonderful sewing Bee group and I can't wait to catch up with them and hear what they were up to while I was gone..... and, of course, get some hugs.

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God is so amazing! I was delayed a day coming home due to bad weather. I drove to New Orleans and did not want to return in heavy thunderstorms. So, that last day I rested a bit and then Pat and I went to the local Christian Book Store where I purchased the audio New Testament - Word of Promise. It is 20 audio cds of the New Testament narrated and read by various actors. The actor who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ is Jesus in these cds and co-produced this project. The music and the way they make every word come alive is just awesome. I found that the scripture just flowed like a beautiful story as I listened to these cds and things I found difficult to understand if I read them, were really opened up to me as I listened to the spoken word. I listened to all of Matthew and Mark on the way home from New Orleans and it was so wonderful to just immerse myself in scripture as I drove. My BSF study of Matthew is currently on the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I listened to the scripture in these audio cds it really struck me how passionately Jesus tried to deepen the faith of his disciples and touch the hearts of all those to whom he preached. He utterly longed for everyone to be saved. He warned so many times that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in times to come if people do not repent and come to Him for salvation. Also, have you noticed how many amazing details came together to fulfill old testament prophecies in the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ....what an amazing plan God put together to reconcile us with Him and give us personal and direct access to Him. Jesus- the NEW covenant - I just love that! Take a look at Psalms 22 and notice all the parallels to the crucifixion of Christ that exist in David's poem - 14 generations before it was to happen and before crucifixion was even done. So many things that always point to a just and true God, who always fulfills His promises and that Jesus is the true Son of God.

Another thing that I have noticed is how sad man can be - trying to manipulate the things of God-always to no avail. Remember that folk song in the 60's? When will he ever learn? I had forgotten or never really paid attention to the fact there were soldiers that saw all the divine things that happened at the tomb of Jesus at His resurrection; the angel that appeared at the rolled away stone, the many saints who had died before coming up out of their tombs after the earth quaked going into the holy city, and they reported these events to the chief priests. But those chief priests hearts were so hardened that instead of seeing the miracles that were there for the salvation of all - they chose to bribe those soldiers to be quiet about what they had seen and continued to defy God. There were so many political events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ (the plotting of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the trial of Jesus, Pilot washing his hands of the whole affair knowing Christ was innocent, and on and on) - how sad to know that the politics of man could be counted on most assuredly to bring about the death of the innocent Christ. When will man realize that he can not manipulate the will of God, but man can be blessed immensely if he is in God's will. Matthew 27 and 28 Psalms 22