hiding under the bed

I am still here, still putzing around with different projects. Still tinkering with exhibits and getting odd looks from people as I take pictures of my feet in different places.

I don't know how many new posts I've started and deleted, I'm just way overwhelmed at the moment. You wouldn't think that your job transferring to another city could create so much emotional upheaval but believe me you, this red-head is wound pretty tight right now.

I know logically that everything will work itself out and when I decide to move (have I ever mentioned how much I despise moving? I'd rather walk barefoot across hot coals. Hate it, hate it, hate it.) that I will make the right choice but right now? Right now I'm feeling a bit like I need one of those special white coats with extra long sleeves.

Add to that the fact that my car has decided to rebel against me and I've reached new heights of grumpiness. We won't discuss the amount of money that was needed to fix it but let's just say there were entirely too many numbers in the total line on the bill.

Mary and I spent the day yesterday roaming the city. We are a wandering pair when time allows. We ended up visiting a really cool quilt shop called Material Girls and then Greenfield Village and then to a free form crochet class at Artisan Knitworks and then to the Pegasus in Greektown for dinner.

Here is one of my favorite photos from Greenfield Village, this guy was yelling at me when I shot this because I had the nerve to approach the edge without any food to offer:


The free form crochet class was good. Although what I made during the course of the class looks like something a granny on crack would make. Clearly I need to practice a bit and I refuse to show you until it looks halfway decent. I love that yarn shop, I plan to go live there.

It was the kind of day that was needed. I wonder if its too early for me to retire? Yeah, probably too soon. Where's my knitting? Nothing like a good knit to make you feel better...

this really isn't a monumental decision...

…but you would think it was for how many times I’ve mulled the idea over in my head.

I’m thinking again about getting one of these devils. There is a Viking U-Sew in the Joann’s I frequent most often and every time I walk by it I stealthily sit down in the seat an proceed to do the demo.

They’ve stared looking at me funny. Its getting to the point that if I left a project in my purse, I could probably get it finished up for how many times I’ve sat down to play at it.

I have a lot of design sketches in my notebook for an organic series of fiber art. For the longest time I wasn’t really sure how I would execute that until the temptress Deb started doing lots of work with wool in it.

Her work is gorgeous.

And the feel of it hits the mark like a ton of bricks for the work I had in mind.

I have wool roving that would make excellent foundations for these pieces if only I felted them. Needle or wet felting by hand is not really an option for me. I’m fairly confident I’m already pushing my luck with the amount of handwork I do since I always need to wear a wrist brace when I work. Felting by hand would surely push my wrist into rebellion so I keep going back to look at the machines.

So I figured I would ask the collective wisdom of the blog: anyone out there got one? Which brand and are you glad you picked one up?

Breaking Traditions Sneak Peek

Every other Monday between today and August 1, one of the art quilts that has been sent in for Breaking Traditions 2008 will be featured here. Once I receive your block, your name is put into a hat and randomly drawn to determine who will be shown on the blog. Everyone featured on the blog will have a chance to win a very special prize!

Today's art quilt is from Jackie Lams of Plymouth, Michigan:

We're Not Just Women, We are Moms
Jackie Lams


Artist statement: Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) exists to encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader I have been a part of my MOPS group since 2004. They have touched my life, given me everlasting friendships, unconditional love and support and made me a better person.

Breaking Traditions is an open call art quilt exhibit that debuts at The American Sewing Expo in Novi, Michigan in September. This year, the exhibit will travel to other venues during 2009. The theme this year, With One Voice, pays tribute to all the good that people do. We are also proud to team up with Virgina Spiegel's Fiberart for a Cause project to help raise money for the American Cancer Society! You can read all the details for participating in this year's exhibit here.

Get With One Voice Gear!

Love the With One Voice theme? Get a t-shirt! With One Voice has a section in Fiberart for a Cause's Cafe Press shop where all the profits are donated to the American Cancer Society! Other items with the With One Voice logo include a mouse pad and a mug. Its another great way to help raise money for the American Cancer Society!

Stay tuned for more Sneak Peeks, your art quilt could be next!

Where I Stand Sunday

The tracks snake through the city, carving out lines to carry passengers from one destination to another. The platform stands solitary and steady, bearing the impatience that comes with waiting for the train. While out-of-towners find the experience novel and charming, the air is thick with daily routine and schedules to keep.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.

say "cheese!"

I'm on a nice long lovely mellow pleasant slow-paced FIVE day weekend. (Can't tell that I'm enjoying it, can you?) One of the perks of working for a corporation is that you usually get some nice time off for holiday weekends and I got friday and monday off for memorial day. Toss in an extra vacation day on thursday and you're looking at one happy red-head.

So this is what I did today:

On my to-do list for a while now has been photographing an art challenge that members of the fiber art group I belong to completed. We're pretty much mixed media artists so this particular challenge didn't really revolve around fiber. The results are pretty awesome.

The challenge was to take two 6"x6" hunks of wood and make a chair out of it. You could pick any theme you wanted. There were 11 total but here are a few of them:

Leann's chair
(technically its the back, its just as cool as the front)

Sidney's chair
(Sidney makes cool jewelry too, go visit her etsy shop.)

Jackie's chair

Joan's chair

I'd show you the rest but I've maxed out on the photo editing today. Take my word for it, they all rock and if all goes well, you'll see them soon in a magazine article.


In other news, I received my minions today in the mail.

Before I went to IQF in April, my brother introduced me to Dunnys. He told me about the store Rotofugi so Mary and I went out there to pick up a couple for him and my sister-in-law. While I was there, I found these guys, they're called Ciboys. They have squishy jelly helmets and stumpy little bodies and I find them mesmerizing.

The gimmick with these things is that you buy them blind box. Meaning the boxes are sealed and you don't know which one you are getting. I bought two of the ciboys when I was at Rotofugi and kind of wanted a couple more but I decided to go about it another way.

I cheated.

I bought these guys on ebay. Maybe its not as adventurous as how you are supposed to purchase them but screw it. I only wanted certain ones.

Moving on to the next unrelated topic for which I have no segway...there has been progress on mom's sock:

Why is the sock posed with the ciboys? Because my camera began making a squawking noise that the battery was dying and I didn't have time to fling the creepy little creatures off the laptop and pose the sock.

So now it just kind of looks like they are stalking the poor thing. Maybe I can teach them how to knit, might speed things up.

I'm going to go cuddle this guy now:

Little man had his yearly check-up this morning. He's a really good boy about the whole thing. I think I freaked out more then he did. They drew blood from his neck this time instead of a paw. The look on his face when they jabbed him was not good but he didn't fight it. Still, made me all twitchy when they did it.

He's not feeling so good, he's been real clingy all day. Poor little man, he needs hugs. Time to go knit and love the westie.

someone slap me please...

I am no longer allowed to look at these websites:

this one

and this one

particularly this one

and for the love of God, this one

(Okay, so that last one is more a comfort website but still...)

If I tell you I've been browsing through them, you have my permission to call me funny names, mock me and chatise me with the classic mom reprimand, "Lynn Marie Krawczyk, STOP that!" (The middle name is a necessity for knowing the full extent of how much trouble I am in.)

I'm officially driving myself insane trying to figure out what would be the best option.

Intervention is obviously needed. Slap away.

next, please

It seems only natural that when you first get into something new, there is someone that you will look up to and find fascinating in every way. When it comes to knitting, that person for me is Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot. I’d call her the Knitting Goddess but considering the fact that that particular goddess can be a real wench sometimes, its not much of a compliment. However, she is very skilled and I admire her so I will refer to her as the Knitting Guru or the Knitting Yoda or the Knitting Queen.

I’ve found her especially inspirational when it comes to knitting socks. Especially after reading this post on her blog.

So on Saturday I decided to start pulling out the sock yarn and plotting a couple new pairs. I’ve decided to do another couple pairs of run of the mill ordinary socks before taking on a pattern. I had mom’s yarn in hand (called Frog in a Party Dress and strangely enough the pink has not made me break out in hives) but discovered I didn’t have the right size needles. So I yanked out another ball that I had wound called Mexican Monarchs from dkknits. (dkknits is my favorite seller/enabler/sock yarn crack dealer. Check her out, you won't be disappointed.)

I grabbed my book (don't forget I’m still new, need to be reminded how to do things), pulled the westie up on the sofa next to me and cast on. I have to say that I hate the first few rounds, takes me forever. Once I have about an inch of the cuff done, it goes much quicker.

So I was quite content with my face scrunched up in concentration when mom walked by. She paused, went on her way, circled back around and tried hard to be discreet while looking at what I was doing.

She sat down on a chair across the room from me, picked up the newspaper and pretended to read. Every so often she peaked around the corner of the paper and I started to get squirmy because the scrutiny was intense.

“What?” I finally said.

“What are you working on?” she asked. I looked up at her, seemed obvious to me.

“New socks,” I replied. She got quiet again and went back to her paper.

A couple minutes later, she obviously couldn’t take it anymore. She put down the paper and stared at me the same way Dooley stares me down when he wants his dinner. I paused and looked up at her and she said, “I thought I was next.”

Hmmmm….

When I finished the Olive and Pimento socks, I made her try them on so I could see if they fit. Turns out we have the same size feet so that will make it easier for me to knit socks for her. I eventually had to hide the socks from her because she kept eyeing them like a hawk whenever she saw them.

Apparently she likes them. And is eager for a pair of her own.

So I explained that I didn’t have the right size needles and I planned to pick up a set when Mary and I went to the yarn store on Sunday. She had a look that said she wasn’t sure if she should believe me or not but seemed satisfied enough and went about her business.

So yesterday Mary and I made the one hour trek out to Lansing to visit Threadbear. It is a rather nice store. TONS of yarn, took us two and half hours to pick out what we wanted. And two very charming dogs trotting around. The beagle was especially sweet. Mary scored some major bargains and I found some new yarny friends as well.

I picked up these two skeins of sock yarn. They are Colourway from Wales and the colors are incredibly intense.


And this incredibly squishy yarn, Kaleidoscope, that I had been admiring but then got totally sucked into when one of the owners told me that there is a free scarf pattern when you buy two skeins. (They had one knitted up and it was so soft and squishy I wanted to grab it and curl up on a couch with it. I also liked that it only took two skeins to make a substantial scarf and the yarn was reasonably priced.)



I showed mom my new yarny friends when I got home. She smiled, complimented and petted them and then said:

“But I am next, right?”

Yes, mom. You’re next.

Where I Stand Sunday

The metal staircase tugs me along from one floor to the next. Rows of people stand still and move at the same time, watching as the lower level falls away from them. The diagonal line of it tethers up and down together, eliminating the seams of that which was not built as one piece.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.

2008 Breaking Traditions to travel!

It is truly my pleasure to curate an art quilt exhibit each fall called Breaking Traditions. This year we are pulling out all the stops and going BIG!!!

Work is already starting to come in and here is Jeanelle McCall's entry, A Mother's Voice:

Jeanelle says about her piece:

" 'One Voice' who enriches our lives is the voice of a mother. Her influence is fundamental in shaping all that touches us and all that we do. Passion, strength and wisdom are her beauty.

This piece has several layers of various fabrics and stitching honoring the many depths of motherhood that may go unnoticed unless one pays close attention.

This little quilt is a portrait of my mother, Sarah Belle."

This year's exhibit pay homage to all those people and organizations that have a positive influence in our lives. In keeping with the theme, this year's exhibit is teaming up with Virginia Spiegel's Fiberart for a Cause project.

In lieu of an entry fee, each participant is asked to donate $10 to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart for a Cause. Its a small amount that will make a tremendously huge difference in the life of a cancer patient and their family.

There are also many wonderful prizes to be won! Go here to check out what is available!

I am also putting together a print catalog that will be available, more details to come on that.

But the most exciting new development is that the 2008 Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit will be traveling during 2009!

The schedule is still being set but you can view the tour schedule here. If you would be interested in hosting the exhibit, email Lynn at FibraArtysta@earthlink.net for details.

This is going to be an extremely beautiful and exciting exhibit!!! I do hope you will join us this year!!!

there's a shocker

I am 85% Addicted to Coffee

I saw this over on Citygirlquilts blog and decided to give it a go. I'm actually surprised its not a higher percentage...any of you who have had the pleasure of seeing me when I first get going in the morning knows that coffee has prevented many innocent souls who cross my path from certain destruction.

Coffee addicts unite!

the chickens agree

The chickens and I have been staring at this quilt for the past week...and we agree.

It needs stuff.

I was trying to make it just fabric and thread but its starting to make me all twitchy. I figured if I stitched the snot out of it, then I could trick myself into the fact that its fairly flat and not my usual collage style.

Nope.

Apparently I'm not that easy to trick.

So when I got home from work today, I grabbed a couple objects and laid them out. My muse breathed a sigh of relief, it was what it needed for it to look right.

I'd show you it with the stuff but they were the wrong color, I was mostly looking at shape. Now I need to find the right shape in the right color and the heavens will open and the angels will sing...or not. At the least I'll stop feeling like I want a margarita every time I walk by it.

My mother suggested that perhaps I had a touch of OCD about the whole thing. I just stared at her, you'd think after having me around for so many years she would realize this is just the way things go. Now that I have a resolution for that little naggy feeling that something wasn't right, it should be an easy walk to the finish line.

Now I just need to find my little three dimensional friends in a color that works with the quilt and I can move on to obsess about the next thing...its a Virgo thing.

what topic would the blog pick?

I have to admit that I am truly in awe of artists that work in a series. And not only in a series, but ones that carry through to 25, 50, even 100 pieces all related to each other.

A couple of my absolute favorites are Jeanne Williamson's Orange Construction Fence series and Virginia Spiegel's Boundary Waters series.

It leads me to wondering…what subject would move me enough to want to continue to explore it? There are a lot of topics I really like but I wonder if I would have the gumption to really keep on trucking with it, piece after piece after piece.

I’ve been working in little teeny tiny series. Meaning if I get five pieces out a topic I feel like a superhero that has conquered the world. But now I’m thinking more along the lines of a subject I could really settle into, really sink my teeth into. I guess I kind of already do series work with my Where I Stand Sunday photo essay but I'm thinking more now in terms of fiber art...

Do you suppose its intentional or just something that happens spontaneously?

So I figured I would ask the blog…if you could pick one topic to make dozens of pieces of artwork about…what would it be???

the angst fairies

I believe that an army of Angst Fairies lives in my house and they've set up base camp in my studio. I have a picture in my mind of Tinkerbell gone terribly wrong. I imagine a general barking orders and dozens of the little stinkers smirking as they flutter away to do their nasty job. And doing it well, they totally are...

I have tortured myself into absolute madness over an art quilt that is 1) not that complex, 2) a wonderful topic, and 3) for an exhibit I really enjoy being part of.

And the insanity is spreading to other projects...

Its kind of like a game of pulling the petals off flowers and reciting, "She loves me, she loves me not...she loves me, she loves me not..."

Only I'm pulling out hair from my head while repeating, "I make good art, I totally suck...I make good art, I totally suck..."

I like to blame the Angst Fairies. They come and whisper in your ear when you least expect it and before you know it, your confidence in your ability to create art is shot.

I think I've managed to squash a few of the little buggers because I am finally progressing on aforementioned quilt, but still...I wasted a lot of time bouncing around from idea to idea. (Mary and Jackie can attest to that, they got to listen to me whine about it. Aren't they the lucky ones?) I can say with certainty that I was close to stealing away the title of "Goddess of Indecision" from Mary. (Of course, it doesn't help that Mary and Jackie are almost done with their quilts for the exhibit and they are both gorgeous. La de da, aren't we happy for Mary and Jackie? No, I'm not bitter, why do you ask?)

I go through this somewhat pissy period every so often and I know I'm not alone on this one. I usually take out my frustration by cleaning something. Sounds weird but I figure if I can't get my artwork to do what I want it to, I can make inanimate objects do my bidding by obsessively organizing and tossing what has ceased to be useful.

I say we figure out how to squash these fairies dead. There has to be a way. Some kind of poison, a type of roach motel (but bigger for the fairies) or a sticky sheet like they use to trap flies. If I figure something out, I promise to distribute it to all the artists out there plauged by these evil things.


**A side note...when I was stopped at a traffic light on the way home from work today, I was sitting next to a gas station. I watched as one of the workers trekked over to the price sign, and changed unleaded to $3.89. And premium went to $4.09. That means its lower priced friend will follow suit soon.

I felt sorry for the guy, I was pretty sure he could feel all the stares of hatred from all of us stuck in our cars. Its not his fault by any means but you gotta wonder what kind of karma he's working off that he is the unfortunate soul that has to change the gas prices to that.

it's entirely my fault...

...and I completely apologize.

The Michigan weather has turned cold and wet and surly...and I'm feeling responsible for it.

I did three things that Mother Nature could not overlook.

1.) Dooley got his summer haircut.
(My little man lost about fifty pounds of fur and is looking teeny and delicate. And he now has to wear his little courdoury coat when we go for walks in the evening. He keeps looking at me sideways as if to say, "Jerk, couldn't you wait for summer?" Sorry buddy.)

2.) I finished knitting my wool socks...and then whined that I couldn't wear them because the weather was too warm.

3.) I've been shopping for new sandals. (I still haven't found any I like, if you know of an awesome brand, let me know. I have a bad back so they have to actually have some support and no wedge heels.)

I've mouthed off to Mother Nature on more the one occasion because the weather here is proof positive that she is moody and generally uncooperative.

She's taking revenge now...sorry everyone.


Sock knitting notes

A quick note about sock knitting resources...I did take a class. I met with my teacher twice and she was fantastic. But the book and online videos I used were beyond helpful.

The book I used (recommended by Lynne-the-Sock-Knitting-Goddess who taught me) was The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and is a general formula type of book that tells you how many stitches you need to make something based off the gauge you get. It has socks and mittens and hats and a few other things. And if I can follow it, anyone can.

I also found videos from Knittinghelp.com to be very...well, helpful. Which is apparently the point of the site so I'd say its successful.

I also found YouTube to be an invaluable resource for knitting videos. My favorite being videos from theknitwitch. She's the goddess that showed me how to do the kitchner stitch. Doing a search on YouTube in general produces a TON of videos on pretty much any technique you're not sure how to do.

Hope that helps. Go forth, make socks. Apparently we all need them now that the weather has decided to go cold again...

Where I Stand Sunday

Flowers smear the landscape with color, their intensity requiring attention. As people walk by, small smiles dance on their faces as memories of how flowers marked major occasions in their lives sneak back into their minds. Their petals, stems, endless variety of shape and colors help celebrate milestones, bring comfort and remind us of the little miracles.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.

the dark side of knitting

And I thought I had a twisted imagination sometimes...

example #1

example #2

I'm in awe and greatly impressed. I think I need the pattern for #2...

the perfect summer accessory

Nothing goes better with a summer BBQ then a brand new pair of hand knit wool socks.

Or...not.

The Olive & Pimento socks are done. Finished. Completed. Over. Viola! (I'm tired, can't think of any other words for finished.)

There were a couple sketchy moments there toward the end when I started to question the directions in the book. But I came to my senses and decided that the book was smarter then me as it had obviously knit socks many times and these were my first pair. So I cooperated and followed the directions and I have to say, I think they came out pretty nifty.

I did go online and look up a video for the kitchner stitch. If you are like me and go cross eyed when faced with written directions for something you've not done before, check out the video. I'm convinced its a gift from the heavens.


When I feel stressed, I knit. (Expect a bedspread and wedding gown soon, there is much relief required.) And these were so close to done, I figured I should attack them and get them filed in the finished objects category.

Feels darn good too.

Now I'm moving on to my mom's socks. With any luck, they'll be done by her birthday (in December)...

real estate listing lingo

I’m preparing myself for house hunting. I’ll most likely be ‘seriously’ looking by the end of the year but I enjoy torturing myself by browsing through the current listings and getting depressed.

I know they say the housing market in Michigan has crashed but I’d still say that the majority of it is way out my reach financially. I don’t really know who could afford it. Apparently not many people can since there are so many places in foreclosure.

This is my second time purchasing a place so it’s not entirely foreign to me. But I find the terms they use when trying to sell a place so amusing.

Here are some of my favorites:

Great potential
Translation: this place is a dump, hope you have a good imagination

Pottery Barn decorating
Translation: we aren’t going to neutralize the décor of the house so hope you don’t mind dark red walls and a lime green bathroom

Bank owned, sold as-is
Translation: the previous owners couldn’t afford it anymore, you probably won’t be able to either but we’ll sell it to you anyway

Cute as a button and very cozy
Translation: hope you’re skinny, its really really little

Recently updated
Translation: we fixed it within the last ten years

Trendy neighborhood
Translation: you’re going to pay too much for something you could get for way less somewhere else

I’ve also looked at the rentals. Since a lot of people are having trouble selling their places, they are renting them out. But there is definitely something whacked going on there. Either they got hideously bad loans with monstrous interest rates or they are delusional about trying to make money off renting.

Somehow - and perhaps this is just me - but I’m not willing to pay $2000 a month for an 1100 square foot condo. I can get a freakin’ mortgage for less then that.

And the sad thing is that I'm not looking for a gigantic place. I want something modest that I can live in for a while and not want to upgrade again in the next five years.

Every once in a while I will not set an upper limit on the price when I do a search. Just for giggles, just to drive myself over the edge. (Its very effective.)

The most astounding one was a brand new construction house that was 7500 square feet that is for rent for $15,000 a month.

What a bargain, I think I’ll get that one.

*sigh* I’m wondering what the going rate is for cardboard boxes set up along the edges of highways…

resistance is futile...

...or in this case, its entirely the point.

I was looking through some Quilting Arts magazines last week and came across an article that Jane Dunnewold did on flour resist printing on fabric. She is the almighty surface design goddess in my mind. In Jane I trust...

So I took the article, and started figuring what I needed to do to execute this. I am always attracted to a lot of surface design techniques but I often cringe at what is involved in accomplishing it. Sometimes the chemicals rival those used in warfare or the steps involved are so complicated that standing on one leg while hoping across a tight rope seems easier.

But Jane made it sound easy. And I liked that it was flour, something that was not likely to kill me in the process. I had debated whether or not I really needed to make a print board like the article says to do. I asked one of my friends who does a lot of surface design and her exact words were, "Don't be a dumbass, make the boards."

Okay.

Point taken.

So I made them (directions in the article) and was a good girl and finished the directions to the letter. I didn't fudge a single thing. I think Jane would have been proud.

I'd tell ya every single thing I did but you know, its an article in a magazine so I'm thinking both the author and the publisher might try to hunt me down and kill me if I did that. Well, maybe not that extreme but you get the point.

So I'm brining you my flour resist printing experience in a photo essay:













**I added in an extra step here after the soaking step. The article says to soak it and then toss it into the washer. I opted to really scrub the flour resist out in the sink before putting it in the washer. There were tons of black flour boogers all over and I had the sinking feeling I would be shot on the spot should I put those in the washer and they wouldn't come out. It was more out of self-preservation then anything else but I still recommend it.



And after ALL that, here is the completed fabric:



I gotta say, it was fairly easy. But, oh boy, did it take a long time. I got all twitchy when, not one but TWICE the article told me I had to wait 24 hours before moving onto the next step.

Really?

Okay. (head hung low in a pout)

I did it and I'm glad I did although I did stand in front of the table trying to figure out if I could accelerate a step. I mean, really, 24 hours is a long time to wait. Surely a hair dryer or heat gun or sneaking it into the washer when no one is looking would be perfectly acceptable, right? I could think of no alternative so I left it and went about my business. (Good thing work keeps me out of the house ten hours a day or I wouldn't have been able to resist. Ha. Get it? Resist? I made a funny...)

I'm not sure how I want to use the fabric yet. It kind of fits in with my split personality of wanting to embellish the hell out of my fiber art and wanting to do simple things that showcase the fabric. This one falls into the latter category.

I'm understanding why this stuff costs so much when you see it at the shows.

Did I mention it took a long time and you can't skip steps? Yeah, that would be why.

Give it a shot, its way easy and there is a lot more you can do with it, I just did the basics. I see a lot more flour flying around in my future.

Ready? Set? GO!!!!

Asian Fall
Angie Platten

Collage Mania opens today. (I picked up the two collages featured in this post and I can't wait to get them in person!) It only runs today and tomorrow so be sure to go take a look at it, you totally don't want to miss out on this opportunity to own some awesome artwork!

Collage Mania is another fantastic fundraiser that has been organized by Virginia Spiegel for Fiberart for a Cause. 235 collages were donated by 100 generous artists from around the world. Each one is available for you to be the new owner simply through a donation to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart for a Cause.

Today, collages are available for a $80 donation.

Tomorrow they are available for a $40 donation.

Think about how much we spend on our hobbies, on things that make us happy. Consider spending that money on a collage over the next couple days and help improve the life of a cancer patient and their family.

But don't wait too long or your favorite might be gone! So head on over there and let's help make a difference!!! :)

Full Circle 2
Sherrie Tootle

Where I Stand Sunday

The need to reuse and recycle has become overwhelming. People are looking at their planet in a new way; turning it over, searching for the expiration date. The street fair is full of insight into small ways each person can help preserve the ground we walk on. As always, creativity creeps onto the scene and finds purpose in the most unexpected ways.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.

intentionally shirking responsibilities

Admittedly, I tend to move at a slower pace in the mornings on the weekends. The fact that I don't have to be anywhere (and if I do, its someplace I want to go to, not have to go to) makes the adrenaline slow to kick in. Still, I usually get moving and get on with the day in a reasonable amount of time.

But when I came downstairs today to suck down my morning requirement of caffeine, I found myself mesmerized by a movie. One I had seen before. One that wasn't that fascinating. And that's when I knew there was an issue...

I get to a point where my To-do list begins to rival an epic novel. Its there right now and usually when that happens, there is a part of my psyche that freaks out and I get overwhelmed and do....absolutely nothing.

So I decided that today, rather then doing my impression of a chicken with no head running around frantically, I would step back and do something I don't normally do...take the day for myself. (I think Julia Cameron calls it an Artist Date. I call it a Sanity Reality Check.)

Plymouth is putting on a new fair this weekend, their first Go Green Street Fair. I decided to go check it out. And it was pretty good.

There is a part of me that finds it mildly ironic that in order to get people to care about the environment, it had to become a trend but the end result is the same so I guess it doesn't matter. People were out in full force.

There were vendors of all kinds. Lots of food, some art booths, lots of informative booths and many doggie treat booths. Those were very easy to spot as not a single dog could go past without dragging its owner closer. Love the poochies.

The place was rampant with babies and doggies and I'd say it was a big success. (My only complaint being that the city decided to allow a starbucks and caribou coffee tent to set up on the same street as our local coffee house. Which is somewhat ironic considering the fair is littered with BUY LOCAL fliers. Hmmm...wonder who botched that one?)

They had a small stage set up by the park and a band was playing. Moms and kids were dancing by the fountain and there was a general feeling of contentment in the air.

Here was one of my favorite things:

The fountain in the park is running. I love it, its so pretty.

I did pick up a couple things:

A tote bag to feed my addiction and some handmade soap. I'm a sucker for both things. (The soap with the green label smells like a spearmint altoids. Yum. Dooley tried to lick it.)

After the fair I met up with Mary for her lunch break and we went and ate Mexican food. (I did do one responsible thing and went grocery shopping so I wasn't a total bum.) I also picked up some ply board to make print boards, which is what I plan on doing tonight. There is something new I want to try and it fits in real well with my mood of not wanting to do anything I should be doing right now.

But first I have to finish these:

...and eat a couple.

I love being a slacker.