Paint in My Hair

Head in the Clouds

This is so weird...

I woke up the other morning at about 5:30 am--after a dream.  It was super vivid.  I saw a painting AND I saw exactly how to paint it--what colors to layer in order to get the effect.  So I crawled out of bed and started painting.  I painted most of the day (sorry kids) and ended up with something I really love.  So, introducing my clouds (as seen in strange dream).  

I told this story to my friend and she told me she had the same kind of thing happen with a book idea.  She is now 200 pages into it.  Weird!  The mind is such a mystery.

P.S.  I did make pickles--or rather my Friday girls did (insert evil laugh here).  Almost perfect.  I'm not crazy about the pickling spice I used.  I'd like to try again, but it's probably too late in the season now.

P.P.S.  On Friday St Louis At Home magazine is coming over to write about my Friday Group.  How funny is that. 

I Can!

A few days ago I had the sudden realization that if I want to can anything this year I'd better hurry.  All the veggies are finishing up their season.  I can't explain it but I have a persistent craving to can things.  Every year I ignore it.  Not this year!!!  I just finished that book Animal Vegetable Miracle.  Some of it is a bit over the top for me, but it definitely awakened my desire to cook more from scratch and really made me think about trying to buy more produce from local farmers when it's in season. (But sorry Barbara Kingsolver, I just can't give up bananas) So this morning Patti and I are off to Soulard Farmer's Market in search of some pickling cucumbers.  I've never made pickles before, but it looks so easy.  Any tips out there?

Yesterday I pickled peppers from my garden.  It was a snap. I love pickled peppers so I really hope they turn out.  I also roasted almost 10 lbs of tomatoes and then froze them.  That was also a snap.

A few weeks ago I canned my own spaghetti sauce.  That was NOT a snap.  It was a pain and I only got 7 jars out of it.  But the canning urge is so strong, I think I may attempt another batch. 

Once I get through the veggies I'd like to do some stuff with apples. Yum. 

So now you know why I haven't been blogging.  But I am still around.  Did I share that I got my strikeoffs for my Poppy Collection.  WOW!  Those Japanese engravers really are amazing.  They captured all the subtleties of my original artwork.  I am so excited to get it.  It will still be a few months to get the other color ways figured out and make some corrections. 

Also, Patti and I are really close to finishing our first collection of sewing patterns.  She is positively brilliant.  Our concept is to make patterns that are stylish and easy.   We just finished up a project for Quilts and more magazine, Spring edition.  Oh how I wish I could show it to you.  But it's top secret.  I actually had to sign something saying so. 

Speaking of brilliant friends.  Last month my Friday Group celebrated our 3 year anniversary.  I just can't believe that!  A lot of babies have been born in those 3 years.  We had a yummy brunch at Shannon's house to celebrate.  We had Michelle's 4 year-old daughter take a picture of us.  And THAT is a Friday group moment.  If I can get that photo from Shannon I will post it.

Tomorrow is my turn for Friday Group.  Maybe I will make them blanch tomatoes for me.  Hmmmm.

I'd better get moving. Don't be surprised if I mostly disappear for the month of October.   With all the canning and the Christmas prep I'll probably be a bit aloof.  But I've got some great projects brewing in my head and will have lots to show you after my hiatus. 

Yummy!

I had some fun today surfin' around Etsy. Always a pleasure, but this is the first time I snooped around for Lantern Bloom creations.  I can't tell you how fun it is to see what other people think to do with my fabric.

You may have seen this beauty (above) on Patty Young's blog.  Her mom ( Marieliz Creations) made it!  I've seen her bags in person and they are eatable!

 I am a sucker for cool pouches in my purse.  I've got to have a pouch for lip stuff, one for business cards, one for coupons and receipts, and on and on.  They've got some seriously cute pouches at Pink Lady Designs.

These flags from Nestables make we want to throw an outdoor party. I'll have to think of a good excuse.   

Love it!!  Love the fabric combination.  This lovely is from  Kissing Kumquats.

 This is from Three Yellow Starfish

And..... you have got to be kidding me........

It's Reversible!!  This dress is so cute that the words  "I need a another girl" just leaked out of my lips. You should have seen my husband role his eyes.  But I think if I were 85 years old with 16 children this dress would make me want a baby girl.  Irresistible!!!

No Joke....I'm Gonna Be on TV!

So here's the low down on my visit to the Quilting Arts TV studio:

I arrived in Cleveland after an especially rough night with my boys.  So I ditched my plans to go to the art museum, checked into the hotel, and napped.  The temptation of an empty, dark, childless room was too great.  I succumbed.  It was awesome!

After I woke up in a haze of confusion, the lovely Paula Prass arrived, and we took off in search of dinner.  We both wanted to try the local eats, so at my cab driver's recommendation, we went to Corky and Lenny's for a seriously scrumptious Reuben.  Our only regret was splitting it.  It was way too yummy to share.  

We hung out until the call of that dark empty room was, again, too much for me to resist.  Ahhh....eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.  Bliss.

I needed to be at makeup by 8:30 am.  Then I just hung out and waited for my turn.  They were filming several segments that day so we got to watch a lot of cool projects being put together.  

Seriously.  How crazy is this:

Here's me with Pokey Bolton, Editor and Chief of Quilting Arts Magazine as well as the host of Quilting Arts TV.  And that's me getting my mic.

Before my interview, I talked with Pokey and Kathie Stull (Producer) for like 10 minutes.  That was it! So if I look a bit dazed and confused in the interview, you know why.  Actually I have no idea how It went because I won't see the interview until it airs in January, and the actual experience was pretty surreal for me.

Hanging out with Paula was one of the best parts of the whole event.  In addition to being a brilliant designer, she is also incredibly sweet and fun to be around. 

And more about 'moi': 

Tomorrow The Arizona Republic is running a story on me in the Home Section.  I don't live out there so save me a copy! :-)

I don't think I ever sent you over to this interview at True Up.  Kim is great at keeping us up to date on the latest fabric news, so it was fun to be part of that.

And last, watch for another interview in the next issue of American Quilt Retailer.  It should mail in mid-September.

Well, back to reality.  How can I hold Grant and unload the dishwasher at the same time?  I guess those dishes will just have to wait.

Trash to Treasure

I found this chair on the side of the road.  Ah, one man's trash is another's treasure.  Lily needed a chair for her homework corner.  So, with a couple of bucks in spray paint and fabric and an old throw pillow we had a chair makeover:

 
I used raspberry Krylon spray paint. Lily and I are crazy about that color right now.  I'm hoping that having a cheery chair will make homework time a little cheerier. 

It's nice to be back in school. True, I was dreading it, but Lily loves it.  But yikes, all that paperwork for ME.  And I only have one child in school.  I watch my friends with three or four in school in awe. 

Puppy Love

I guess it's inevitable that as a non-pet person my children would have a passion for all furry creatures.   

Colette's neighbor--That's Colette's little girl above--Is acting as a foster family for puppies.  They keep them for a few weeks, and when they are placed in their permanent, home Colette's neighbor gets a new set of puppies.  

I know some of you are googling "puppy foster family" right now, ready to sign up.  They are irresistible when they are tiny, but my motto is "I clean up enough poop already!"  Still, I love to see my children enjoying other people's dogs.  What I really need is to convince one of my neighbors to be a puppy foster family.

If you haven't checked out the work of Pam Tachibana you MUST check it out.  I know some of you noticed how influenced I was by one of her prints in that poppy pod painting.  How could I not be influenced by such beautiful work?!?!?  But I hadn't looked at her print when I finished it and when it was brought to my attention it even surprised me how closely it resembles it.  Sometimes it is difficult to get really beautiful work like that out of your head.  Pam was really sweet about the whole thing. 

"I Made That!"

I just sent Lily off on the bus for the first day of school. Luke was right back to screaming "Bus!  Bus!!"  like we had never had a break.

The last few weeks have been crazy(er) with the scramble of getting everything ready and cramming everything-we-wanted-to-do-this-summer-but-missed into one week.  Lily has been lavished with mommy and daddy attention.  

I always get her a new outfit for the first day and was talking with her about going shopping.  Lately when she asks for things I like to say, "We're saving up for a mini-van."  (Since she's the one sardined between two car-seats in the back with the AC barely reaching her, this is pretty effective.)  But still, she surprised me when she said something like, "Mom, if we make a skirt for the first day of school we can save money for the mini-van."  WOW, that girl really speaks my language.  How could I say no to that?!?  So we set to work and had so much fun that we had to make a little bag too.  She did almost all of the sewing!!  

Lily was especially thrilled that I let her pull from my fav fabric stash.  We used some of Patty Young's Mezzanine. (We love those pink poppies.)  The fabulous green polka dot is from Paula Prass' Summer Soiree. The strap on the purse is from Heather's Pop Garden. And we used a bit of my own fabric too. 

The icing on the cake for Lily's handmade outfit was the necklace her cousin Charlotte made.   Thank you Charlotte!!  Lily loved your beautiful necklace so much she just had to wear it the first day of school.

 I do believe I hear little Lily echos of "I made that"  and "my cousin made that" vibrating off the walls of her elementary school.

I Even Like Dead Poppies

Seriously, poppies are so cool.  Even when they die they leave behind those funky pods. I had to paint'em.  I made them really simple and graphic because the shape is so interesting and I didn't want to distract from it.  I added a little color, but wanted to keep it pretty neutral.  And those light neutral shades are so dramatic on the dark brown. POP.  

I've seen some wild poppies growing in my neighborhood, so I know they can grow here.  I'd better do some research.  I neeeeed them.

In fact, I'm so crazy about poppies that my next line of fabrics is called......Poppy.  There will be all sorts of poppies coming your way.  Kathy Miller says she expects the strike offs in the next few weeks.  Gimmee, gimmee.

Hidden Treasure

 

A little treasure from mom...

This vintage crayon box has a secret...

Who else but my mom would think to use the inside as a canvas.

The only problem is that I love the inside and the outside.  I guess I will have to take turns enjoying them.