Handy Dandy Journal Page

Remember this journal page 

from a couple posts back?

I'm calling it done!
It looks like this now.

I created it in my 11" x 17" journal.

I was not liking it so I tore it out of the journal and added glitter circles. Then, I sewed down ribbon and mizuhiki using a zigzag machine stitch. I like it much more now!

Tootles All and Have a Happy, Creative Day!

D~~~~

A First Art Quilt

My sister Sue has been visiting from Indiana with her 10-year old granddaughter Lexus. When Lexus saw my studio, she wanted to make something so I helped her make an art quilt.

We picked out fabrics, cut, and fused.

She has never done any sewing before 

so I showed her how to sew on my machine. 

She took off with it and did a great job!

She sewed all the zigzag stitches around the 

butterfly and to close the edges of the quilt!

She also did the orange trails below 

the butterfly using a decorative stitch.

She named it Colorful Donna 

because I helped her with it. 

How sweet!

I loved every minute of it, 

and she did too, especially the sewing.

Even my sister Sue enjoyed the process. Perhaps they'll take a likin' to it sometime in the future and pursue it. It sure would be nice to have some family interested in art quilting even if they do live all the way up in Indiana. 

Or interested in art journaling. 

Or mixed media. 

Or, or, or!

Tootles All,

D~~~~

Works in Progress

Rummaging around in my studio the other day, I stumbled on the top three canvases in the picture below.  I started them awhile back.  I'll work on them some more next week. 

The hands drawing is a journal page that I started a couple of weeks ago.  We're about to take a four day RV trip, and I'll take the journal with me.  Hopefully, I'll have some time to play.

Tootles All,

D~~~~

Picture Issues and a Blurb Book

I was trying to change my profile picture on my Smiles for Many Miles blog but it wouldn't let me.  George and I bought an RV recently and I want to change that blog to be our blog now and not just my blog since the name is perfect for journaling our RV travels in addition to the usual stuff.  With this in mind, I was trying to upload a picture of the two of us.  The message I received said that I reached the limit in Picasa Web where the photos are stored so I went to Picasa and saw that the photos for all my blogs are there.  (I have one old blog and three current blogs although only two of the current blogs have pictures.)

I have always wanted to make a book at blurb.com so I figured that now is the time because, as I make books, I can delete.  My SFMM blog mentioned above was started in February, 2008 so right now I am thinking that I will make a book for each year but of course this could change.  I went through each 2008 post, reread, edited, deleted and re-formatted some of them.  After deleting some of the posts and photos, I still could not upload a new profile picture.  I went back to Picasa Web and the photos were still there so I manually deleted some but I still cannot upload a profile picture!

Now I've decided that perhaps my first book attempt should be with my old blog.  For one, once I get it into the blurb book area, I can delete the entire blog and hopefully free up lots of space.  For two, I'm not interested in this book being perfect so I think it will be a good practice book.  In fact, I may not even have them print this book but we'll see.  You don't pay for it until you have it printed.

I have read about other bloggers who printed their blogs on Blurb and were very satisfied.  It looks user friendly and interesting!  If you're thinking about printing your blog into a book, here are two videos that I watched.  They gave me a good idea of what to expect.  It looks very cool and the books are awesome!

Video #1 is 5 minutes and 30 seconds long.
and
Video #2 is 3 minutes and 58 seconds long.

I am off to work on my first book now!  I hope it goes well.

Happy Creating All, 

D~~~~

Happy Ampersand

I added purple dots to the ampersand.  

It looks happy now and I really like it!

Many Smiles,

D~~~~

Absence and an Ampersand

I cannot believe that it's been so long since I last posted!  There has been a lot going on so I haven't been able to do much creating.  I've missed it, and am trying to get back in the groove.

One of the things that kept me busy was that hubby and I were on a quest to find our first ever RV.  We were either on the go or the Internet before finally finding the one that makes our heart go pitter patter.  We both love it!

If you'd like to see it, click here to view pictures of it on my Smiles For Many Miles blog. It just occurred to me that because of the name, that blog will be perfect for posting our RV adventures too.  (It originated as a spin off of a newsletter that I did for family and friends.)  Many of our travels will be weekend trips around Texas and Oklahoma for now but there will be times when we can take off.  I look forward to it all!

Now for something artsy.  This dark blue ampersand is sitting on my worktable.  I got it at a nearby antique mall.  

I didn't like the color and it was much 

too dark for the wall I have in mind.

I collaged it with dictionary pages, and 

painted it with diluted acrylic paint.

I like it much better but I'm trying to decide if I want to add three fairly large, dark purple dots down the center or perhaps I should call it done. The dots would match the wall it's going on.  

Any thoughts?

Have a fabulous day!

Tootles All,

D~~~~

What If?

In the February/March issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, they announced a "What If?" challenge where participants were to make a 12"x12" art quilt based on our "what if" curiosities. For the challenge, I made this art quilt named "What If I Could Sing?".

I wasn't picked as one of the challenge finalists but I'm am positive that I was next in line! Tee-hee! I had fun making it though, and that's all that really matters.  It's all about the joy of the process for me!

The dress was Mondo inspired (from Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars), and is made of burlap, dryer sheets and fabric. The bird, my favorite part, is needle felted with various yarns and has a sequin eye, Mizuhiki legs, and a mini decorative Christmas light ornament for a beak. She's a yellow warbler.

Miss Wobbles loves her close up shot!

It's all on canvas and the window is a separate piece of canvas. The floor and microphone are fabric with the exception of some rick rack as you can see. The wall is painted and reminds me of snowflakes which is not surprising since I always have snow on the brain! I foresee more snowy visions in the near future too since the temps are already in the 90's here in north Texas leading me to believe we're in for one very long, and overly hot summer!   

I have always wished that I could sing but as the saying goes, I can't carry a tune in a bucket.  Frankly, I wouldn't be able to carry one in a change purse! Or a thimble!

I always belt out rockin', country or bluesy tunes in my mind though. They are show stoppers too but it's the singing out loud part that seems to be a huge problem. I sound like a cross between a cricket, a donkey, and very old windshield wiper blades.

I usually sing in the car but I confess that I have an increasing fear that I am going to cause a massive, multi-car pileup even with the windows up! I am certain that my voice is beginning to rust the entire car from the inside out, and I'm convinced that the engine is slowly melting. I just know that it will soon die forever and ever if I keep subjecting it to my vocal vibrations!

I have considered singing in the shower but I'm sure the water would freeze in mid-stream and who needs that! Or possibly the water would rapidly ricochet like bullets off the walls, back and forth, back and forth, up and down, up and down.  My life could be in peril folks!

I tried taking my voice into a Jiffy Lube and Tune shop for a Tune Up and they looked at me like I was loony.

So I sang!

Every employee quit!

I won't do that to those poor people again!

I guess I'll just suffer in singing silence.

Have a great day my friends!

Tootles All,

D~~~~