Colorzmyworld

Put-In-Bay Arts In The Park

2010-08-31T17:07:00.003-04:00

Just a HEADS UP to those of you who are sort of local. The week end of September 10&11 is Historic Week End at Put-In-Bay. (See the link on the right side of the post). Mom, Tammie and I are bringing our goodies to Art In The Park, on Saturday, September 11. Here are a couple pictures of my Magic Credit Card Holders, Checkbook Covers, Journals and Wonky Purses. Hope to see old friends and enjoy the great weather. It will be GREAT WEATHER...RIGHT?

JULIA ROSE

2010-08-25T11:48:00.006-04:00

Julia Rose joined our family on Monday... She joins her Mommy, (my daughter Hannah) Daddy, (Son-In-Law Mike), Big Sister Madeline and Big Brother Gabriel. A breath of fresh air!!!!

Attitude Adjustment Throne Finale

2010-07-28T09:06:00.006-04:00

I'm putting the finishing touches on my contribution to the MAIN STREET AMHERST Wine and Brew Chair Auction.

http://www.mainstreetamherst.org/News_Events.htm
(September 11 at Saint Joe's)

It was so much fun working on this chair....I'm sorry it's almost finished. :-( I'll be adding the sparkly crystals today,then, say Good-Bye, and deliver it to the office.

Walking On Water

2010-07-15T15:14:00.005-04:00

I'm so sorry if I sometimes give the impression that my grandchildren walk on water. Don't we all feel that way sometimes? Come on...you know we do..... anyway, I now have photographic proof that sometimes they actually DO..walk on water!!!!

Attitude Adjustment Throne

2010-07-15T13:38:00.004-04:00

Here are just a few pictures of my Attitude Adjustment THRONE (MOM'S TIME OUT CHAIR) It will be in the auction for MAIN STREET AMHERST http://www.mainstreetamherst.org/WineBrew.htm. Poetry and photos will be added , to support the theme :-0 !!!! Updates will follow soon, as the deadline is just around the corner. GOSH...I love these quick projects!!!

Lucy Visits CAMP KIM

2010-07-15T13:17:00.003-04:00

I was blessed last week to enjoy the company of family friend, LUCY!! She spent a few days with me, in my messy studio. As a novice quilter...she amazingly was able to finish her first quilt!!!! We had some spare time after the quilt was finished, so she also made an art journal/baby book for her soon to arrive new cousin. She had to leave early this week...and I miss her already.

The Great Remodel

2010-05-22T23:41:00.010-04:00

OK Bev...here you go. I wanted to send a finished picture of Anthony's room, but it may be awhile. I'll show you what I have , so far. The painting is done, bunk beds rescued and assembled, the really great dark brown zebra pattern carpet installed,(it's absolutely yummy), drapes , sheers and black-out shades up, brown zebra sheets on the beds. The 2 quilts are at Linda's and are almost ready to put the bindings on, hopefully next week. This is a picture of the quilts as they are arranged on the floor and pool table. I know they will be great once the quilting is done. The framed art work needs to be finished still. I will be using the scraps from the big quilts to make 3 small wall quilts which will be in the frames.Then...it's just chests and mirrors and accents.I found this really cool fan at BJ's. The Amy Butler towels are from BED BATH And BEYOND, with a coupon. Oh yes...That's a treadmill too. YEAH, finally!!! I actually love going in there now. (BTW..The tacky fake trees will be leaving soon.)

New Class For Spring EXPOS!!!!

2010-01-20T12:09:00.002-05:00

Have a favorite phrase or special occasion to commemorate? You'll love the New Journal Wall Quilts class!!!!! Join me in TAMPA, ATLANTA, CLEVELAND and WORCHESTER!!!!!

JAMAICA VACA WITH JU

2009-10-30T10:12:00.001-04:00

The Classic "OH CRAP" Moment

2009-09-11T18:57:00.005-04:00

I was in a hurry, I'll admit it. I needed to quickly get 5 quilts to the ladies with LONGARMS. In my haste to get all the backs and labels prepared..... I made an amazingly ridiculous mistake. You know how I always say..."Carefully cut behind the applique????? Cut away the background ONLY...DO NOT cut through to the FRONT????" Well........At the worst possible moment, I cut through to the front. I also underestimated how darned sharp those scissors are. (Thanks Brint!!!) Anyway, I don't usually resort to colorful language, however , a heartfelt "OH CRAP" seemed to feel appropriate.
Now... to disguise the damage.
Thankfully, the damage was on the back, so I could have a little fun with it.(Probably would have done the same thing if the damage was on the front).So....On the back of the quilt titled "When Life Gives You Broken Dishes....Use Paper Plates. The Party Must Go On. " You can see the little Do-Sew Band-Aid. Problem solved...boo boo kissed... and I'm ready to move on....See you all soon in Chantilly, Kansas City, Minneapolis and Chicago!!! WOOOOOOHOOOO!!

Are You KIDDING ME ????

2009-06-26T11:40:00.005-04:00

I had an Endoscopy yesterday. No biggie...just routine. I knew I wouldn't be able to drive for the rest of the day,and planned to spend the day sewing instead. Fortunately...I read the discharge info before any real damage could occur.In case you're not able to read the fine print....there is a warning against using dangerous equipment such as LAWNMOWER- CHAINSAW- SEWING MACHINE??????Darn...it looks like Chainsaws are out too. Who knew...

Bexley Babes Are At It Again

2009-06-15T12:35:00.003-04:00

The ladies of Common Threads spent a lovely Saturday, "Fishing" in Bexley, Ohio.Thank-You so much for your wonderful hospitality and a great day.Hope to see you again soon! Join us in the slide show ...below

2009-06-15T12:32:00.002-04:00

Quilt Maven Visits Amherst

2009-06-15T10:38:00.003-04:00

Lorain County Peacemakers was honored to host Deb Karasik at our meeting last Thursday. Isn't she too cute? She let me fondle her amazing, award winning quilts!!!

New Stuff For Fall EXPO

2009-06-09T12:45:00.003-04:00

Fall EXPO On The Way !!!!!

2009-06-09T10:50:00.007-04:00

Preparations for Fall Expo are racing full speed ahead. I have at least four new classes on the way. I won't waste a lot of space writing about them...I'll just show you! Check out the slide show above. Remember that they are in the rough draft stage right now. In addition to designing new quilts, I'm also trying to get used to my new laptop. After struggling with an ancient (5 years old, and apparently nearly obsolete) computer, I now have a shiny new toy. It runs all the good stuff I need and more stuff that I really don't need, yet , but will be fun anyway. Anyone understand how to SKYPE? I'm not real happy about the view from the camera, but it's going to be fun...if I ever figure it out. I was telling my friend that using a computer without a mouse is like trying to write with your lips. I guess it will take time. Too much fun !!!

OH Mikey!!!

2009-06-09T10:42:00.004-04:00

After cleaning the car seat with his tongue...Mikey claimed it as his own. Sorry Gabriel...

No More Kids

2009-06-09T08:46:00.005-04:00

WooHoo... After almost 30 years, I no longer have any KIDS !!!!! Sunday was Anthony's High School graduation. The youngest of four.In October, he will move to Pittsburgh to attend the Art Institute for Graphic Design.I'm officially out of the school system.I wonder if they'll miss us. With four kids..we have attended countless skating competitions,marching band,concert band and choir performances.We attended football games during sweltering heat, freezing wind and thunderstorms to support the cheerleaders. We enjoyed drama productions,Pop Shows and Amherst Idols. I covered my face and peeked out through my fingers during wrestling tournaments.I laughed myself silly while watching the TV class kids,while filming a project...jump into the pool in April...fully clothed in hoodies, sweat pants and wool hats...with bikinis on top of the whole outfit.Oh yes... then there were Proms, Homecomings and Winter Formals.What about the preparations/fundraising for trips to Washington DC ,New York City, cheer competitions,and the principals office,(yes...I admit there have been a few).. and last but in no way LEAST....no more hockey bags in my van. You know that "New Car Smell" that most people recognize? I thought it was hockey bag fragrance!I'm not sure if the school system will miss us or not. I know that I will miss all of the wonderful supportive teachers,coaches, administrators, and parents who were on the journey with us.BTW..They ALL deserve a big fat raise!!! Yes..even the parents, especially the parents. So....when I am asked how many kids do you have... I can say, "I don't have any Kids...I have four grown ups now".

Worcester EXPO 2009

2009-04-20T20:09:00.001-04:00

Easter At Moms 2009 For Tammie

2009-04-20T19:17:00.002-04:00

Heading For Worcester

2009-04-09T09:40:00.005-04:00

Poor Mikey....He does this everytime I get ready to leave. Does he think he BLENDS IN????

Itty Bitty Slave

2009-03-31T14:47:00.005-04:00

I had Gabriel here yesterday. I made him do the dishes after lunch!!! :-)

A Teeny Vacation

2009-03-31T14:12:00.004-04:00

The week before the Tampa EXPO,
my friend Teri and I had a great time in Lakeland,Florida as guests of Cyn and Bill, in the "Little House". Unfortunately, Cyn wasn't feeling well and we didn't get to spend much time with her. We were able to go to Casa Dega with her and her mom, Ruth. It was a beautiful day and we totally enjoyed the sunny weather and interesting surroundings. In Lakeland,we visited the "Patchwork Pig" Quiltshop, Brooke Pottery, spent too much and had lunch at Harry's.We found an amazing scrap booking store in Lakeland too. It's called Violette's. It has about 10 different rooms to wander in and out of. Again...we each spent too much, but it was a great little place and I'll definitely find it again on the next visit. We spent a lot of time trying to confuse the GPS!!!! On one of the GPS, sunset detours, we were treated to an unexpected treat!!! We looked to the side of the highway, and saw what we thought was fireworks. After a moment of looking though, we could tell that it was a space center launch of some kind!!! We watched until after the seperation phase.It was really beautiful to see the sunset colors showing through the vapor trail.
We also had a great time visiting with Teri's brother Tom and his wife Carol, in Lake Wales. Before we left,Tom climbed up in the grapefruit tree and picked a bunch of grapefruit to take back with us! What a treat!!!

Mending The Broken Hearts 2009

2009-03-31T13:58:00.002-04:00

Journal Fun 2009

2009-03-31T13:40:00.002-04:00

2009-03-31T13:37:00.001-04:00

NEORQC 2009

2009-03-02T12:50:00.003-05:00

Mirror Magic 2009, Non-Stinkey Version!!

We had a lot of fun, and made a big mess. As soon as Deb sends me a picture of the "Sunday Line-Up"finished projects...I'll post that for you too. Sorry ladies....most of the pictures are really dark.These are a couple of the better ones.

Everyone was so creative.

And came in with a vision

Learned about some new materials and techniques

Solved some problems and all ended up with fabulous pieces!!

Enough Winter Thank-You!!

2009-01-13T11:21:00.002-05:00

My "Dumpster Diving Friend", Teri gave me four absolutely beautiful books for Christmas. They are all about Blogging. "Artful Blogging".I was so busy looking at the beautiful pictures, that I didn't read until yesterday that you're really suppose to update a blog several times a week!!! WHAT???? O.K., so I resolve to be better from now on.I finally got the Slide Shows to load! Yeah.

A word of warning to the Quilty Ladies in Atlanta and Tampa...After looking at the "Winter"slide show,you will see why I may be moving in with one of you!!!!! (Please, just until May???)

Had It With Winter Already

2009-01-13T10:48:00.001-05:00

Art Journals At Spring EXPO!!!!

2009-01-13T10:29:00.003-05:00

Back To The Land Of The Living!! (Sort Of)

2009-01-13T08:36:00.006-05:00

With only the remnants of the holidays left in boxes around the house....I've returned to the land of the living. Hockey season is in full swing. Anthony's college and scholarship applications are the main focus for now.

The deep freeze has made it possible to spend time in the studio and getting some new projects ready for Spring classes. The Art Journal is a fun, fast "No-Sew" project. Trying to post a slide show, but there seems to be a glitch today. I'll keep trying.

Spring EXPOS are just around the corner. YEAH!!!! We go to Atlanta and Tampa in March. With the SUB ARCTIC COLD that we have in Ohio right now, I can't wait to go south. Oh, wait a minute.....didn't it snow in Atlanta last year? Well, there's still hope that Tampa will be warm.

Hottsie Tottsie Quilt Designer reveals All !!!!

2008-08-09T14:52:00.006-04:00

I always imagine that the BIG TIME quilt designers have very expensive and knowledgeable photographers.They get MEGA BUCKS to photograph the quilts that appear on the covers of the patterns. In the world of "Not Yet Ready For The BIG TIME", I came up with a plan which should probably stay a secret forever. Unable to photograph my new "KNOTS" quilt on the family room wall, like I usually do, I called Teri. We drove around town with a ladder a roll of tape and a pair of scissors, looking for a wall big enough to tape the quilt onto. We tried the brick wall outside of the elementary school, but tape wouldn't stick to the Brick. (It sticks to everything else???!!!!) Looking across the parking lot, we found the perfect spot!!! The tape really sticks to bus garage doors!! Anyway...we're probably lucky we didn't get arrested.

Anyway...we got the pictures, and through the magic of Photo shop, I have "Not Quite Ready For BIG TIME" MINI BUCKS pictures. Kind of makes you wonder about Karen Stone, doesn't it ?

FALL EXPO CLASSES

2008-08-09T14:46:00.001-04:00

The FALL EXPO classes are pictured in the slideshow, below!!! NOT REALLY KNOTS looks complicated, but is actually done in FOUR easy steps!! The best part is....there is NO curved piecing or handwork. "Knots" is the third quilt in the "Inside-Out" series.
REALLY REALLY BROKEN DISHES was the first in the series. It is also done with NO curved piecing and NO handwork. It's a fun and interactive class.You start out with only 2 fabrics in your kit, and end up with a block containing 16 different colors.I'll also share the scoop on adding the ART QUILT embellishments.
Magic Mirrors is the newest addition to the "AhHa!!pattern line.Hopefully, you will leave the class with a nearly finished tiny treasure. (If you go crazy with the beading and embellishments, you may need to finish the binding at home)In a workshop last March, my friend DEB finished 2 mirror quilts in the same time everyone else did ONE!! There's one in every group! And YES....I want some of whatever she's taking!!!
Last but not least, POSTCARD PARTY. We'll discuss the basics of postcard construction, and go on from there. I'm bringing my collection of hundreds of handmade fabric postcards from all over the world. I'll share surface design ideas, mailing tricks, and some swap group info, so you can start swapping right away with old friends and new ones all over the world! You will leave class with about 6 finished and ready to mail postcards.

2008-08-09T14:11:00.001-04:00

New Purse Idea!!

2008-08-09T10:22:00.003-04:00

I'd love to thank Annie J. for the wonderful purse idea!! She e-mailed me a while ago, saying that she liked the style of my box purses, ( THANK_YOU !!!) but they really didn't work for her.(Too bulky) Soooo...she asked me to think of an envelope style purse. Something with a longer strap that she could wear across her chest and keep it out of the way. It needed to be large enough for a cell phone, drivers licence, and a couple of small items. Here's what I came up with. I'm really looking forward to expanding on this idea!! They are a lot of fun to make. (notice the postcard re-purposing??)

Pretty Nice Day In Ohio

2008-06-05T17:39:00.003-04:00

It's about time we had a nice day!!!! Maybe I should explain...... The definition of a "Pretty Nice Day In Ohio"(As well as out neighboring states up here by the lake) is "Any weather that you don't have to Rake,Shovel, scrape off of your car, or pump out of your basement". Last Friday night we had some crazy wind, which split our big front yard tree,right in half!!!! The left half of it was laying on the power lines.Yikes! Luckily, the tree service came out on Saturday and munched it up in about 40 minutes!! They had a giant crane and muncher and just lifted it right over the house!!!

So.....today was a pretty nice day in Ohio. Hot and Humid with hardly any funnel clouds!! Sure makes it hard to focus on work!!!!

New Classes For Georgia Quilt Show !!!!

2008-05-29T20:11:00.001-04:00

Dumpster Diving Friend

2008-05-29T19:52:00.002-04:00

Sorry Teri!!!! I just had to put this in!!!! I must admit.....I have beautiful TRASH!!!! I take regular dives in there myself!!

My Stuff in Two New Books( I Just Got Lucky)

2008-05-24T12:20:00.005-04:00

I just got the O.K. to show the front cover of Cate Pratos new book by Interweave Press.(Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts) I can hardly wait to see the inside!!!!!

It's called "Mixed Media Self-Portraits"and is due to be released in July.I love the colors on the cover!!!!

Thanks to Joanna, (Surface Design Group), I was able to have a piece appear in the book. Thank-You Cate and Joanna!

The other book is published by "That Patchwork Place, Martingale Press". It's written by Leigh Mc Donald and is called "Adventures In Circles" Quilt Designs from Start To Finish. It will also be released in July.I have 2 quilts in Leigh's book. "Sunspots" and "Really Really Broken Dishes".I just wish it didn't take soooo long! I can't wait to see the whole, finished book. It sounds wonderful, and I know Leigh has been working on it for a long time.(While, at the same time, moving to Kentucky AND getting her masters!!!) I wonder what she did in her spare time. Congratulations and Thank-You Leigh!!

New Mixed Media Stuff for Pear Tree

2008-05-24T12:00:00.004-04:00

May has been a busy month!!! I just delivered a bunch of mixed media Journals and purses to Pear Tree.

I found a great resource for clip art!! "The Vintage Workshop" and "Twisted Papers".You can purchase and download right from the website or buy the CD and install it at home. The image collections are wonderful. It's hard to know when to say "ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!".

The Ladies of Worcester

2008-04-17T12:27:00.000-04:00

I'm back from the last show of the Expo season, in Worcester(pronounced WOOSTER, and they teased me about my lack of any charming accent????) It was a really fun show with lots of laughs and many new quilty lady friends, not to mention the awesome shuttle drivers.
We had a HUGE booth and tons of great stuff.This trip completes my first year of teaching with the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo. After 8 shows....it still amazes me that we come into a large empty convention hall, and by the end of the day on Wednesday, the entire space has been transformed. We are surrounded by creativity at every turn.Dozens of sewing machines and sergers appear in every imaginable corner. Fabric, patterns, muscle relaxing tools, cutting,measuring and pressing tools, nail, fabric and glass paint (yes, I bought every color!) Food vendors (especially the ice cream guy) beautiful handmade jewelry (OK...I bought lots of that too).The classrooms are set up and ready to go!!! It would just seem like magic, except that we, The Cotton Candy Women, are right in there unloading and setting up too.(Oh gosh....I hope we brought enough Do-Sew this time!!!) Wednesday night we somehow manage to drag our sorry selves back to the hotel, and pray for enough energy to go back in the morning! Overnight, a miracle occurs. At 6:30 a.m. the alarm goes off and we're up and running.I have no idea where the energy comes from. (Mr. Folger and Mr. Starbuck perhaps?) Most of my energy comes from the ladies in the classes. We come together for a short time, but I hold each moment close to my heart.The shock of the 6:30 alarm fades quickly in the warmth of laughter and sharing. I feel extremely blessed by this wonderful opportunity.

The "MAGIC" continues until the final BIG DRAWING on Saturday afternoon. Mark draws the names of the door prise winners, then...the whole expo begins to dissolve like a chalk drawing in the rain. Within 3 hours...the vibrant creative space turns back into a pumpkin!!!It would be fun too see a time lapse video of the whole process. It's always shocking that everything get done in such a short time!!I expect that as time goes on...I won't be as amazed by the whole thing, but for now, I feel like the country mouse in the big city. At least I don't walk around with my mouth hanging open any more. ( If anyone sees me doing that, please let me know! I'm trying to look COOL!!!!!)

Partners In Crime Quilt

2008-04-01T17:04:00.000-04:00

I finally got permission from the second of two"Partners In Crime". We tried to get together every couple of weeks to plan and assemble our guild challenge quilt.
Teri, Barbara and I had so little free time that we would get together for a couple of hours to plan, and assign homework. Then, we took our ideas and basic guidelines home to do the actual work. A few weeks later, we would get together again, cross our fingers and assemble what we had so far.
After another evaluation, we could move onto the next part. This one turned out WAY better than we originally planned.
This quilt was for our guild challenge "Months That End In ER". Well....We decided that all of the months end in "ER" SOMEWHERE in the world. If the photo of the whole quilt were larger, you could see the detail in the hanging down fringy stuff. We made long charms with each month spelled out, in a different language. We hung the month names hidden in the fringy stuff above the season panel that the month is in.

Cleveland Expo

2008-03-31T12:37:00.000-04:00

I think I can safely say, "A Good Time Was Had By All." Well...I had a good time. Adorable Jenny took the Really Really Broken Dishes class on Thursday morning. Also Dashing Dennis, from one of my postcards groups, was able to come. It was a lot of fun reconnecting with old friends and meeting some new ones.The Really Really Broken Dishes and Hearts class are made possible by Marlene, the EXPO queen. It was her idea to work in teams (due to time restraints) and then share the "parts" with each other. It's worked out amazingly well. Everyone gets up and moves around the room to use the different sewing machines and to swap "Parts". It's so interesting to see everyone discovering connections to one another, that they wouldn't have known before! Well done, Marlene!!!! Everyone leaves with a finished block, a full size pattern to make a quilt in her own color choice and the mastery of a new skill using a couple of old products in new ways. We go to Wooster Mass. next week. I sure hope it's warm there.

How Does THIS Happen ?

2008-03-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

All the other icicles are hanging vertically. What's going on with this one? HOW does this happen?

Cell Phone Holders

2008-03-22T16:44:00.000-04:00

I've been having fun with Cell Phone Cases too. These are made from a preprinted, fusable base, made by Quiltsmart.They have 2 interior pockets and can fit credit cards and IPODS also!!! They're made with only 3 folds and 2 sewn lines!!!

Purses

2008-03-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

O.K.....I've had so much fun reading everyone's Blog, I'm ready to give it a try.(With the understanding that it's so easy that anyone can do it!!!! We'll see......)

I'm determined to start but unsure of "Where"??? It's like trying to speak while sitting on my hands!!! On a journal page or collage..... you can use charms, pictures, fibers, paint, torn bits of books or headlines, stickers, polymer stuff, rhinestones, beads, etc. Being limited to words only, will be a challenge!!! I've been making journals and box purses lately. Hopefully, we can do a class next year at NEORQC.