happiness is...

Things that made me happy today:


1) It is Thursday. Which means tomorrow is Friday. Which means I will soon be able to sleep past 5am. (Unless that obnoxious bird-impersonating-satan that lives in the tree outside my bedroom window decides to sing his ear shattering screech that I think is supposed to be a song at the first sign of sunlight. But we aren't thinking about that right now.)


2) The miracle of yarn shopping online. I love that I can sit with my laptop on my sofa, click a few buttons and this shows up in my mailbox a few days later:


This is the colorway Scrogglings from etsy seller moonrover. It is made of merino, blue faced leicester, romney, romney lamp, hemp and tussah silk noils. It is handspun. It is earthy colors. It is perfection in every way. (This is my stress purchase from the recent events at work. This is the third skein of yarn I've purchased from her, she is one of my favorite dealers and it is worth every. single. penny.)


3) Its rainy and cool and perfect candle weather.




4) I have a dog that can hold both eyes open. (Of course right now he is sitting next to me being crabby. I just put the medicine in his eye and I taunt him that he looks like Popeye. He thinks I'm a brat.)




5) The Collage Mania preview for Fiberart for a Cause is open. There are 384 collages from 161 artists (I donated three). On May 5 you can snag your favorites for an $80 donation to the American Cancer Society and then on May 6 & 7 you can pick some up (provided the ones you want are still there) for a $40 donation to the ACS. There is the potential to raise over $15,000 in donations for the ACS. This makes me happy in a huge way.


6) Today is Thursday. Which means tomorrow is Friday. (I feel this bears repeating.)


It was a content kind of a day. Which was nice.

more destash - paper art supplies galore

I listed nine more lots of destash from my ongoing studio purge in my etsy shop. I am going through my paper art supplies so lots of things up there that would be good for scrapbooking and collage and any other papery goodness.

My desire to empty my studio is resulting in good bargains so go check it out if you are inclined.

Where I Stand Sunday

Each piece builds on the next until it has brought into sharp focus a soft winding image that pushes against the corner of the tiles. The worn saturated colors draw me in, rubbed dull by the endless footsteps that have scrapped across it. Its trapped beneath the glaze, moving ever so slightly under the weight of the world, satisfied with its permanent role of arching lazily to the right against the grain of the grid.

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.

i'm clearly being taunted

I know that life does not run smoothly. I accept that there are meant to be speed bumps...you know, just to keep things interesting.

But sometimes it feels like the universe is pointing and laughing and just generally being a stinking brat.

Such was this past week.

Aside from the whole work thing, there was Dooley's eye thing and then this thing:




That, my friends, is a foul flood in the basement that has preoccupied and tortured me to within an inch of my sanity since we discovered it on wednesday. What I thought was rust making the water turn that color was...not. It was algae. How nasty disgusting repulsive is that?

Many frantic calls to a restoration company and the people who installed a system many years ago to keep this from happening have now resulted in a dry basement.

And just to keep things interesting, we had a day of nasty thunderstorms just to test if the fix really stuck. I shudder to think what would have happened if we had not found it last week and we had had these rains and it had continued to fill the whole (very very large) basement with water. (I just made myself nauseous thinking of that scenario...)

So now I am obsessively reorganizing the basement. Because you know, I had too much free time on my hands so this should help to fill that void.

Plus now I can turn my full attention to obsessing about Dooley's eye. His next check-up is tuesday and although multiple people have assured me he'll be just fine, I'm practically crawling the walls with worry. (We won't mention the stomach bug from hell that hit me mid week or the curious amount of bees that keep getting into the house that I have slaughtered with rolled up knitting magazines or the way the screen separated from the frame so that I can't open the window in the living room without letting in every flying critter milling around or the big jar of paint I spilled in my studio that does not match my rug or the incredibly painful injury I decided I needed that resulted in pulling part of my nail away from my finger. Those were just minor distractions for fun.)

It should come as no surprise that I've started pulling out the yarn and needles again. I bought a big hunk of yarn to make this:


This is the garter stitch bed cover (fancy way of saying a plain blanket) from the latest Debbie Bliss knitting magazine. Although it looks crisp and clean and charming when they photograph white objects against all white objects, I couldn't bring myself to make a white one. Mostly because I figure it will take me the rest of my life to finish it and white would get dingy by then. Its a summer blanket (I chose a cotton/acrylic blend so that I didn't have to have the pleasure of washing the thing by hand. It finishes to 52" x 71") but you know, I figure it gives me something to look forward to in 2010.

But it is a lovely mindless thing and I'm appreciating it for that. After I finally worked out that I need a 60" long cable to make it. (Note that I could list the dimensions for it in a blog post but couldn't be bothered to pay attention to those numbers when selecting a needle.) First I tried a 24" cable (go ahead and laugh, I deserve it), then I tried a 40" one (which was better but was clearly going to be difficult once I get a decent amount of length on the thing) and then finally cried uncle and decided if a 60" cable didn't work I was taking up macrame to use up the yarn. But it worked so we are good.

Yarnhog is also working on something that I am coveting in a big way. Go check out her latest post to get a gander at how Noro yarn works up in a granny square. Oh baby. I drooled so much in fact that I hit up the closeout Noro on Webs so I could be a total copy cat and make one too.

All of the crochet afghans I've done so far have been out of acrylic. And I like them all very much but the effect of the Noro was just far too much for me to resist in my current weakened state. (I tend to buy yarn when I'm really strung out.)

So I'm done whining now. I have decided tomorrow will be boring and uneventful and I may even watch some Battlestar Galactica. (Please note that while I have been keeping up my end of the challenge, Tom has not found the time yet to start reading Twilight. I have my doubts as to why he has not started. Lack of time versus I'd-rather-walk-on-red-hot-coals...which one do you think is a more accurate reason for why he hasn't started yet? Yeah, that's what I thought too...)

random shmamdom

Its been an interesting few days around here lately. More a mish mash of what feels like a million different things going on at once so all I’ve got is random today…

1) Dooley has a gigantic scratch across his cornea. (Probably something to do with the fact that he rubs his face all over the carpet in the mornings as part of his waking up routine.) I am stressed out like a crazy woman imagining all the things that could go wrong and trying to figure out how to get him to not scratch at it when I put the medicine in there (we tried the plastic cone, it was like watching a jumping bean the way he hopped around trying to get it off (and we tried this six times with all the same results) so that’s no dice) and he is…snoring.

Obviously he does not share my stress.


2) I survived the first round of layoffs at work. The next round is coming up fast and furious within the next couple months. It has me exhausted in a completely hideous way. But twinkies and yarn are the perfect antidote so there may be hope yet.


3) People like bargains. Who knew? Six out of the seven destash listings I put on etsy sold. (I’m not surprised the glitter is the last man standing. Not sure what fit possessed me to make me buy that.) Woo! I will be pillaging the studio again this weekend, nothing is safe now.


4) There was an extreme mishap with some lace knitting I was doing. (Notice the use of the word “was”.) It may require ripping back a large portion of it and its making me bitter. We are on a time out from each other. This decision was made when I realized that I was taunting the lace by calling it funny names and berating it. Time for a breaky-poo.


5) The really basic (yet incredibly huge) blanket I have begun knitting is a stellar upstanding knit. It has been the model of good behavior. Granted, I had to cast on 236 stitches using the cable cast on (praise the universe for YouTube videos and all the knitters that take the time to film these things) with a cotton/acrylic blend. I’ve not knit with cotton before. Guess what? Has very little spring. Which makes a 236 stitch cast on a little cruel but we got all the nasty out of the way at the beginning and now I can coo over it and thank it for being so nice to me (unlike that spiteful lace…tsk, tsk). I’m considering placing them next to each other so the lace can learn some manners.


6) The IFC movie channel introduced me to a new fantasy series by Sergei Lukyanenko. Click the link to read what its about, its hard to describe. What was even harder was watching a subtitled action movie. People talk really really fast when they’re being stalked by vampires. Which makes the subtitles flash really really fast. Which made me realize I probably missed three quarters of the story. People need to calm down when they are about to have their blood sucked out so that I can actually have time to read the English translation.


7) I’m contemplating color schemes for my studio when I finally get to the point of painting. (I have much much much much much much work before I can get to the painting part but I’m thinking on it anyhow.) I want something calming but cringe at anything white or beige. I’m thinking earth toned. I’m a big fan of arts and crafts architecture. I’m open to suggestions if anyone would like to give it.


That’s pretty much all I’ve got. Time for me to toddle off to bed soon. I plan to do more cleaning this weekend and hopefully some stitching. Or maybe I’ll just glue myself to the sofa and read. So many options, so much to do and so little time.

Good News Giveaway reminder

Just a little reminder that there are still ten days left to get a chance to win the Good News Giveaway for April. You have until the end of the month to leave a comment.

Here's the post. (You have to leave a comment on that post, not this one.) Be sure to read through all my blathering about the guidelines if you missed the initial post. I'm already working on the piece for the May giveaway.

Comment at will.

destashing and planting

After this post about wanting to turn my studio into a Zen area, I have walked into my studio...and then out. And in...and out. And in again...and then fled.

Its going to be a big job and its making me twitchy just thinking about it. I'm beginning to understand why it was easier the last time to just truck on over to IKEA and buy some storage boxes with lids to house these things so I didn't have to go to the effort of picking through them all.

But I want to do it. So I've made the commitment to myself that I'm going to sort through a couple of boxes each weekend. I was a bit undecided about what to do with the things that survives each mini-purge. (I discovered that very old fabric paint can be horrifying, it was like a jar full of ammonia smelling sludge. And apparently gesso can become liquefied if left to age for an appropriate amount of time. I'm a bit worried about what else I'm going to find lurking in there.)

So the things that I would like to sell I've put up in an etsy store. Not much there so far, I attacked my rubber stamp box today so that's mostly what's there. I'm selling everything super cheap and will add to it each week. I'll post a little note here when I put new things there, hopefully they can find a good home.

One of the reasons I only got through my rubber stamps today is because I needed to tend to my plant collection. (They are alive which makes them more impatient then things like fabric and thread.)


Long before I was a fiber girl, I was a plant chick. Since I have back problems, outside plants don't work so well for me so indoor plants are the perfect compainion for that particular side of my personality.

The room that is now my studio used to be my bedroom and along one of the longest sides (which is around fifteen feet) was lined with every plant imaginable. (Well, maybe not every plant. I'm fascinated with venus flytraps but the thought of having to shove living things into their little enclosures creeps me out. I struggle with my own carnivore nature, not sure I want to extend that responsibility past myself.)

My two favorites were orchids and african violets. African violets especially. I ordered a lot from an online nursery called The Violet Barn. They specialize in miniature and trailing violets, truly amazing little buggers. If you are into violets, take the time to check them out, they have a really impressive collection of the unusual.

(Cute Dooley puppy story: When we first got Dooley he was too short to go up and down the stairs so I didn't bother putting a baby gate up across my bedroom where all my plants were. Then one day he was determined to see the second floor...except none of the humans were up there to monitor him. He promptly toddled into my bedroom, grabbed an african violet off the bottom shelf of a plant stand and drug it down the stairs by one of its leaves to give to me as a present. There was not a single bit of damage on it and he was quite proud of himself. But it was missing its pot. That part had popped off the plant halfway down the hallway and there were dirt clumps on the stairs where it bounced as he drug it down. Violets are tougher then you think.)

I have a display stand from my store that I put in front of the magic window in my studio. Anything and everything will grow there. Unfortunately, the window will not water them. Which means that my neglect of that room extended to them as well.

I decided today to quit being a bad plant mom. Part of that decision was fueled by a trip Mary and I made to Lowe's yesterday. They just got a shipment in of new houseplants and I picked up this one:


I can't find the name of it. I googled it three different ways and no dice. The tag in it was generic and no help so if someone knows, please leave a comment.

I also bought a bag of potting soil, the Miracle Gro variety. (I've not used Miracle Gro before, I'm curious as to whether or not it will turn my little plants into a raging jungle.) I whined to Mary that even the smallest bag was too big.

Um...no.

I needed to repot way more then I thought (see "bad plant mom" reference above) and ended up going back today to get another bag of dirt and a couple more pots. Which lead to me be bringing home another green friend. Who also promptly needed repotting...why? Because of this:

I've noticed this lately with the chain stores. They are shoving mature plants in tiny pots which then leads them to practically strangle themselves if they aren't potted up almost right away when we buy them. I suspect it has something to do with keeping shipping costs down but it makes me want to bring all the plants home and put them in bigger pots so they can breathe again.

I've also taken a liking to succulents. I picked up this guy from a greenhouse near me called Grey's Greenhouse where all kinds of odd cacti and succulents grow.


Don't know what this one is called either. But its more blue then green and this one won't care if I don't water it as much. Bonus.

So that was my Sunday. Got some sorting and cleaning done and feel like I didn't get a darn thing accomplished. I have to figure out how to keep making art in there while I do this because its going to take a while.

But at least the plants are happy.

Where I Stand Sunday

in/out
new/old
beginning/ending
start/stop
open/closed

Time is a series of hinges moving backward and forward, setting into motion opposite directions. One cannot occur without the other, it is the constant recycling of energy into new purpose. The difficulty is knowing which side you are standing on, which direction you are about to be pulled.

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.

Fabric & Found Object Weaving article

A little while ago I submitted an article to Quilting Arts magazine about a new type of art quilt I had started making that involves weaving fabric and then incorporating found objects into the woven base. The article didn't make it into the print magazine but I'm very honored to have a condensed version of it published in their e-newsletter, Embellishments.



It appeared in my inbox this morning and features this quilt. (Other quilts using this technique can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here. And now that I've typed the word "here" six times it looks totally strange.)

You can see the full version of the article here. These are a lot of fun to make, you can do a lot with it. Hope you enjoy it!

knowing yourself = cleaning

I picked up the latest copy of the magazine Studios from Cloth Paper Scissors.

For entertainment purposes.

But now I have the urge to attack my studio tasmanian devil style.

My studio has been through a couple versions over the few years I've had it and each time I think its the last and that I can't possibly make it any better. But this issue of Studios has a couple of artists commenting on the fact that now that they have identified the type of art they make, they found it easy to purge their studios of all the things that were lingering and basically in the way.

It has me looking toward that room with a different eye.

I've also always admired studio set ups where the tables are set in the middle of the room so that you can walk around all sides of it. I'm going to have to see if that is doable. But my plan is to pick through everything, give away/sell off/toss all the stuff that I've moved past and get some more zen-like atmosphere going on in there.

My goal is to have it sorted by July and then I can possibly repaint in there when I'm off over shutdown. We'll see how it goes. Seems I'm not happy unless I'm pulling that room apart and putting it back together. At least it keeps me off the streets.

Should be a blast. I blame that magazine. Bugger.

I am happy to report that I finished Talk to Me 3, 4, 5 & 6. I just need to photograph them and get them up on my website. I dyed up some more fabric this weekend to continue the series. I'm considering tweaking #8 a bit, my OCD is rearing its ugly head.

Challenge update: I have watched three hours of season one of Battlestar Galactica. I think its the mini-series, not the first season. Not sure. Its the first disc in the box labeled as season one so I went with it.

I publicly admit that its not bad. The official verdict is still out but I didn't flee from the room in a fit or boredom or irritation so I consider that a good sign. I wonder how Tom is doing with Twilight **insert maniacal laugh here**

Where I Stand Sunday

The sun slides around every obstacle in its path, intent on finding a single crack that can set it free. Persistence is its greatest trait, knowing nothing other then its desire to slide over surfaces with a liquid hand. It is a master of nature, unable to see anything beyond itself and its work. As it presses down on us more, the earth moves into submission, eager to allow it to take the lead.

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.

falling in love with it again

I've got a four day weekend right now, and I sat down this morning to try to figure out what to do. The wish list of things that I would like to accomplish is akin to the likelihood of Dooley not fleeing from me when he realizes I plan to give him a bath later tonight.

In other words, its stupid crazy.

So I wandered on over to the the Bean this morning (the local coffee shop in Plymouth's downtown that the mighty starbucks has not been able to smote) and sat in a leisurely manner staring out the window while I fueled up for the day.

For one thing, it was a pleasant change to ease into the day instead of needing to hit the ground running the second my alarm screeches at me. One thing has been gnawing at me lately and that's the fact that I'm not making a lot of art.

I realized that its because I have far too many HFOs (Half Finished Objects, I like the way that sounds better then UFO (Unfinished Objects) to me since I have some issues with the creepiness factor of aliens) hanging about the studio. So much so that I have been avoiding going in there.

I decided that I would do my not-so-fun errands in the morning and then suck it up and go dig out some work to finish.

I unearthed this series:

This is Talk to Me 3, Talk to Me 4, Talk to Me 5 and Talk to Me 6. (Here are 1, 2, 7, and 8.)

The truly pathetic thing about this? One is stitched and just need to have the excess background fabric trimmed away and a second one is half stitched. The stitching on the remaining two has not been started yet but these are all 13"x13" so its not like I'm looking at billboard sized pieces.

As I puttered around in the ever growing pile of things that just aren't done yet, I found another series languishing. I have about six more siblings for Fragile 1 and Fragile 2.

*insert colossally huge sigh here*

I have no explanation for this. The only thing I can think of is that the excitement of it all being a new project wore off and I got tired of working on it after I got a couple pieces completed. I'm sure I became distracted by a shiny new idea, tossed these in a corner and skittered away. But the thing is, when I look at them now, they still thrill me. So I guess I just needed to fall in love with them again.

I've decided its time to clear these out of the HFO pile. I've dragged them down to my perch on the sofa and when I'm done with this post I'm going to stitch the snot out of the little buggers.

I do have one other thing on my agenda for this weekend. My friend Tom and I have issued each other a geekery exchange challenge. (Please note that I use geek in the most flattering of terms. I wear my geekiness with pride.)

I'm not ashamed to admit that I am a Twilight nerd. It sort of goes against the grain of what I usually like but I read all four books in two weeks and dig them in every way possible. Tom is a Battlestar Galactica nerd. He raves about it and was lamenting the end of the series.

He also loves to taunt me endlessly about being a fan of Twilight. To which I retaliated by pointing out that there are plenty of people in this world that would consider Battlestar Galactica pretty geeky.

So now he has all four books of the Twilight saga and I have the first two of the four seasons of Battlestar Galactica. He is going to read them and I'm going to watch it. I am a fickle fan of sci-fi. I like some and not others and there is no rhyme or reason as to why. So this is a huge leap for me to take on watching a zillion hours of a sci-fi series.

Although I'm willing to bet that Tom cries uncle before I do. A high school love affair between a human girl and a vampire may be more then any man in his mid thirties can stand. I plan to start watching the series tonight. (*insert another colossally huge sigh here*)

So stitching and Battlestar Galactica. Those are my plans. (The challenge may drive me over the edge, especially if the series is something I can't wrap my interest around. If I go insane I'm taking you all with me so be prepared.)

ok, who did it?

Yesterday I was willing to accept it was a fluke. I expected to wake up this morning and be able to see the ground. But nnnoooooooooo...that foul white junk (aka snow) is still there.

I want to know who ordered it...anyone? Anyone at all?

No? Didn't think so.

When I pulled into the parking lot at work yesterday and was getting my things together before stepping out of the car, I noticed a robin on the sidewalk. It was standing knee deep (or where its knees would be, not sure if they have them) in some slush with a look that said it would cuss if it could. It was clearly annoyed and I can sympathize.

I'm feeling bitter about the whole thing and my guess is that its Murphy's law has come to give us a good healthy smack upside the head. I have observed the following things in the past couple of weeks that I believe have directly contributed to this stupid-evil-blasted-annoying-*@%$&^ snow:

1) My mother moved the snow shovel from the front foyer to the garage, implying that it was no longer needed. I bear some responsibility for this, I stood there and watched her do it. Having lived in Michigan my whole life, I should have known it would anger Murphy. In the future I will throw myself on the shovel and refuse to let it leave the foyer until July.

2) I bought the Debbie Bliss spring/summer knitting magazine (which is quite nice by the way) and made the comment to mom that I'm thinking about knitting the simple garter stitch blanket for a summer blanket. Which means I was expecting summer to be here soon. Oops.

3) People at work stopped wearing coats. Most downgraded to simple sweaters or lightweight fleeces but the beadspread like coverings seemed to have been retired. We are all wearing our bedding again.

4) Tulips. Poking up through the ground, not in pots. I'm tempted to go step on what's left of them, they had to be the biggest source annoyance for Murphy.

5) The local ice cream shop opened. And people had the nerve to flock to it and stand outside of it eating the stuff. Silly people. If they were to do that now it would look like they were standing on the ice cream.

6) I was sandal shopping online. I need a new pair this summer, my current ones can't even be labeled as pathetic anymore (it doesn't accurately describe just how far gone they are). I apologize, my feet apologize, my web browser apologizes. We are all repentant.

7) The final four basketball game was here. People from North Carolina showed up in shorts and lightweight t-shirts. This was clearly too good to pass up. I have to admit, if I were Murphy I would have cackled and smacked the snow button too, this opportunity doesn't come along all the time.

The "low traction" warning on my car seemed startled today when it had to light up not once, not twice but three times where there was no obvious ice.

I swear here and now that the words "We should be done with the snow for this year" will not pass my lips until late July. At least then the crummy stuff will melt as soon as it hits the ground.

Where I Stand Sunday

The greenhouse is host to an intoxicating myriad of smells. Metal irrigation snakes between tables and around corners, providing a path of life support. This is not human turf, we are simply guests stepping lightly, trying not to leave footprints. Even though the environment is nudged into existence by man's hand, it is a sanctuary from the winter season
that is finally leaving us.

**The galleries for the entire Where I Stand photo essay has been updated on my website. (If you have the site bookmarked, you may need to refresh the page to see the changes.)



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.

Good News Giveaway

I live in Michigan so it comes as no shocker that I work for the automotive industry. To say that my life is stressful right now is a massive understatement.

Some time ago I made the decision to leave hugely stressful events in my life off the blog. Mostly because, for me, this is one of my favorite online toys and I must have one area of my life that is free from the insanity.

Ironically, though, that decision sometimes leaves me with very little to talk about when things get knocked off center. So I got to thinking about all the bad things that we all keep hearing about and got a little bit annoyed with the imbalance.

There are good things in my life and I'm sure there are in your's as well - wouldn't it be nice to focus on those for a change?

So here's what I've decided to do: I'm going to attempt to add a small bright patch to someone's day. It's simple for you to be the recipient - keep reading.

On the fifth of each month (I know today is the third of the month but all future giveaways will be posted on the fifth of the month) I will give away a small piece of my artwork. I'm a mixed media fiber gal so my work tends to vary in terms of materials used and I work by hand so the stitching is more graphic. But it makes me happy to make things which means they have good energy in them. The giveaways are what I call micro mini art quilts, never larger then 6"x6".

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be in the running BUT there are five golden rules you must follow concerning your comment in order to be included in the drawing:

1) Leave a comment about someone or something that is positive and helping to make your life or someone else's life less stressful.

2) NO ANONYMOUS COMMENTS. You have to use at least your first name and the first letter of your last initial. Why? Because there is no way to identify you if you don't. If you leave an anonymous comment, it won't go into the drawing.

3) Keep your comments to no more then five sentences. If you are the winner, I will contact you for the full version (keep reading to find out why) but we don't want to torture Blogger with excessively long comments. (It can be cranky so let's not try.)

4) Comments must appear on this post. I'm a pretty regular blogger so take a gander at my sidebar on the right. You'll see a link list to each post that is a Good News Giveaway post so if you don't come to visit on the exact day a new drawing goes up, you can find it easily and still leave a comment.

5) You can't post the same comment twice. The goal of this is to find things in our lives that are positive and make us smile, so look hard if you have to but find it.

You'll have until the last day of each month to comment to win that month's giveaway. The winner will be announced when the next month's giveaway goes up along with the full version of the story that the winning comment was based on so everyone can enjoy it.

So here is the first micro mini up for giveaway:

Give
6"x6"
Materials: hand dyed fabric, ceramic tile, beads,
hand dyed cheesecloth, yarn, hand stitched

So do we have a deal? Yeah?

Great, now get commenting.