Where I Stand Sunday

Its a slow steady pull, the warm scrape of the needles as they pass over one another in their work. The room is dim, quiet and secluded, far from everything that has dominated all my thoughts for the past few months. My mind reaches out greedily for the peace it offers, working to fill in the open spaces that are aching with worry and fatigue.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

vacation knitting?

Ok, my list of things to pack is starting to rival an epic novel. Since Fabrications runs for five days this year and I'm going up a day early and staying a day later, that means it stands to reason that I'll have some down time in there.

I've been missing my knitting in a crazy kind of way but I don't want to work on anything super complicated. I'm taking my Noro scarf (that yes is still not done, don't look at me in such a tone) but have the itch to cast on ten new projects all at the same time...

Any suggestions?

it might be boring, but its allll mine...

Work has pretty well sucked my soul out so that's why the blog has been dim for a while now. I have five more days to endure and then I get to flee to the Fabrications Retreat where I shall make art and laugh stupidly and act like a woman who has not a care in the world.

There has been no art making to speak of nearly a month now. Its left me wound fairly tight. I've been so tired that even picking up the knitting needles feels like a gargantuan task that I just can't face. So five days of imposed art making is just what I need to snap myself back from the insanity I've been submerged in.

My weekend was slightly more productive this week because I didn't work yesterday, which means I got to rest a bit today and now feel slightly human. So here's a little random of the (boring) things I've done:


1) Dooley got groomed. He was quite wooley. When he laid on the sofa next to me the evening before we took him in for his hair-do (we love to taunt him and say "Doo is getting a do!" Yes, we are that simple...), I was making little mohawks out of the fur on his tummy. It was clearly time. Here he demonstrates his intense appreciation for his cookies.



2) I soda ash soaked fifteen yards of fabric in preparation for Kerr's class at Fabrications. I'm either insanely optimistic, completely out of touch or have just jinxed myself into a huge creative block by planning on bringing this much fabric. It remains to be seen. All I do know is that it will be a 100% guarantee that I will get into a frantic creative groove if I only bring a few yards. I don't think my classmates would appreciate me stripping off my clothing so I could print on them so consider it a public service that I'm bringing too much fabric.



3) I cleaned out my car. You may consider this mundane and unimportant but you have no idea what a big feat this is. For some reason, I feel the need to take various things for rides with me all over the place. Perhaps its so I don't feel quite so alone on the 2+ hours a day of commuting I have to do. It was like an archageolcial dig pulling everything out.

I have a Chevy HHR, which is a kick ass vehicle for hauling lots of stuff. They don't look like they can hold a crazy amount of things but I'm fairly confident I could squeeze a llama, a sheep and a couple mountain goats in there all at the same time. Which is good because next saturday it will be hauling an exhibit and two people with class supplies and enough things to keep them occupied for a week during the retreat. I love Kate and don't want to have to strap her to the roof for the ride up so I figured I should clean out my car.




4)
I'm enjoying the cold wet weather. I love it. I hate summer (perhaps I am part vampire) so the fact that it is cool and damp and overcast suits me just fine.

I have a foyer full of artwork to unpack for this year's Breaking Traditions exhibit. I plan to chip away at that this evening but I'm thinking its unlikely I'll get through it before I leave for Fabrications. If my work schedule keeps going the way it has for the past month, I'm doomed to another week of coming home at 8 or 9 at night.

If the week is quiet again, know that I plan to drag you along with me to the retreat. A full week of craziness will be perfect blog food.

Where I Stand Sunday

Perspective skews even the most common things. Stand a little taller, straighten your back to its limit, lean far enough forward to look over the edge and you’ll begin to see things in a different light. My mind steps lightly around the edges of what it would be like to be smaller, to see things from a different level. If I move too quickly, I may disturb it, may shake loose its magic.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

1,000 stitches & breaking traditions

1,000 Stitches
Lynn Krawczyk

Oh hey, guess what? I remember my password for logging into Blogger. Was a bit worried there since it seems like I never make my way over here anymore. Know that I am not pleased about that (I dream about the blog and my neglect of it) and am planning to get back to blogging.

I was really thrilled when I was going through my email and saw a post on the Quiltart list from Dawn Goldsmith over on Subversive Stitchers giving kudos to my little quilt shown above. 1,000 Stitchers was made for last year's Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit.

Oh, and be sure to check out the darling dog she posted alongside her mention of this year's exhibit. Many thanks Dawn!

Where I Stand Sunday

It is a side of me that has been place in reservation for the moment. No time, no energy, no pull can drag me from the restraints of my current life back into the shelter of this place. My Muse stirs inside me, angry and sullen, pushing hard against me, asking me for things that I cannot give. A countdown has begun to the time when everything will shift hard, a time when I will seek solace from Her.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

random me this

1) To my fellow bloggers on the other side of the country, you are far too generous. We are sweltering in the triple digits (which I don't think should happen unless you live near a desert) with smothering humidity. You really could have kept this nasty weather to yourselves, really, we wouldn't have minded.

2) Dooley demonstrated tonight that there is no length he won't go to to obtain pizza crust. Even if it includes hopping up onto the sofa, climbing onto the end table and attempting to swipe said crust off the plate. Luckily his sister has quick reflexes - maybe not for him but it certainly saved me from chasing him across the house to get it back.

3) While sitting on the floor today sorting and unpacking artwork for exhibits, a centipede approximately three miles long and the color of red warpaint ran straight at me and attempted to rip my throat out. Luckily, the stapler was sitting next to me and my foe was easily crushed with three swift blows (it took three due to the carpet, the little bugger bounced back the first two times). Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to where I grabbed my weapon and I discovered that staplers do not discriminate between stapling paper or fingers. It is happy to do either.

4) I watched the movie The Reader today and was pleasantly surprised that it did not trash the book. Kate Winslet was quite good in it.

5) Today I washed fifteen yards of fabric in anticipation of my class with Kerr Grabowski at Fabrications. Its only three weeks away. I'm totally beside myself with glee and can't wait to flee from work.

6) If you could start your entire work career over with, what would you choose now that you know everything that you know?

7) Regis Philbin freaks me out.

8) I think this is a stellar idea and once I have my brain back to myself, I may give it a shot.

9) I know it sucks for kids (and teachers) that school is approaching quickly but I have a sick addiction to office supplies and the beginning of school produces the most innovative kinds. Is it wrong that I like to wander the aisles of Office Max this time of year just for fun?

That's all I've got. Sorry for the spotty blog posting. Work is off the hook at the moment but it will calm down in a few weeks. Thanks for hanging in there with me...

Where I Stand Sunday

Choosing a new life is not so much about making plans but more about taking a step off the ledge without hesitation. My future stretches out in long wobbly lines ahead of me, unclear, bursting with options. The ends of my nerves are raw and exposed, worn through with the upheaval of it all. All that remains now is finding the strength to move forward, to step onto the tracks and let fate pull me to where I need to be.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

contentment is...

...homemade chicken soup and cranberry orange scones...

...a freshly bathed westie that smells like johnson baby shampoo...

...knitting...

There's been a shift in they way I'm approaching things for the next few months. My schedule is packed down to the second so I'm removing the pressure to produce artwork (beyond knitting) and writing.

My mind is too full to think of anything beyond what needs to be done in the immediate moment and now that I've decided to just let things be for the next eight or so weeks, life feels a little less difficult. Everything that is on my plate is totally doable, just need to not freak out at the sheer volume of it. (Heh, remind me I said that when I exit my current zen state of mind...)

Dooley was not pleased when he saw that I was uploading his wet bath photo. (You can make those bigger by clicking on it.) His bathtub is the laundry room sink - yet another reason why I enjoy having a small doggie.

So I'll be around and still blogging but I am pretty confident that there won't be a lot of new artwork from me for a little bit. Fabrications is in roughly four weeks and there is much to do to get ready for my class with Kerr Grabowski and to get Blurred Boundaries in order. But its the light at the end of the tunnel - bring it on!

Where I Stand Sunday

The skew of the first three steps reflects the constant struggle, narrow on one end and opening into a large sigh on the opposite side. Its how most new endeavors begin, full of tension and uncertainty before exploding into its full potential. The even rhythm below hammers out the execution and sees it through to the end.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

hobby or lifestyle?

So I was flipping through my calendar for this month and September and noticing something very distinct...you can split my activities neatly into two things: (1) work and (2) fiber art.

Seems that's pretty much all I do.

I'm not complaining about number 2 in the least but its definitely moved far beyond hobby for me. Why else would I get up at 7am on a saturday morning so I could head out to a library to hang an exhibit?

I met Kat and Carol there (who are absolute saints that I worship for all their help in getting this done) and we put up the 2008 Breaking Traditions exhibit. Its on display the month of August at the Saline District Library and looks just beautiful there. Here is one shot:

You can see many more on the exhibit's blog.

After that I toddled off to do the mundane living type tasks (groceries, laundry, banking, blah) and came home to this:

This is week 2 of deliveries for exhibits. Doesn't look as bad as week 1 you say? Well, I took the picture after removing nine priority mail boxes from the shot (I'm not kidding). I unpacked those tonight and will tackle these tomorrow. Lots of good stuff coming in.

One of the boxes contained this:


This lovely yarn will hopefully transform itself into this at some point. Although I hear tell that means I have to actually knit it and not just daydream about it in order for it to actually happen. I need to educate myself a bit more about adjusting (and deciphering, for that matter) the pattern so it fits me in the end. If I knit the one that fits my bust it won't fit my butt. And if I knit the one that fits my butt I'll have to stuff my bra. So obviously I need to spend some more time on that one.

I really like this pattern. So I'm determined to figure it out...(ignore the sobbing if it should get to that point)...

I chased Dooley around with my camera today making a little movie of him. Just to demonstrate how hard it is to get him to stick around it but I don't think I did it right because nothing downloaded when I plugged the camera into my laptop. Maybe its for the best...he started licking my toes and I squealed like a little girl so you probably wouldn't want to see that anyway. I'll try again later..

Tomorrow is more living type tasks (paying bills, cooking, washing Dooley dog (if I can catch him), blah) but I am determined at some point to sit down and watch this:

I splurged for the two disc set - one is the 3D version and one is the 2D version. I couldn't resist watching the little Russian mice circus in 3D again, LOVE this movie.

Oh what can I say? I feel like a total dud lately, been working way too many hours. The balance is way skewed toward the work portion of my life. But I'd prefer it to be more in the fiber. That'll change soon since Fabrications is coming up. I'm counting the days until I can submerge myself in nothing but art and not have to think about calculating clearances for rotating parts.

For a whole week.

And I get fed.

And the hotel cleans my room everyday.

How can you beat that?

So now I'm going to go meld into the sofa and stare at the TV. I've been into the X Files lately, picked up the first three season (they were on sale at Best Buy). They make me laugh a little because David Duchovny looks like he's twelve and the special effects are the worst but it still manages to creep me out. So I guess its effective. Must go watch more, good idea before going to bed, right?

brought to you by the letter "o"

"O" stands for "organization".

"O" stands for "overdrive".

"O" stands for (according to my mom) "Oh my gosh, what are all those boxes???"



What? Your foyer doesn't look like this after a week's worth of mail?

Lots of deliveries came in this week. They can be split into four categories: (1) work for the Blurred Boundaries exhibit showing at Fabrications, (2) door prizes for Fabrications (3) work for the Breaking Traditions exhibit showing at the American Sewing Expo and (4) retail therapy.

I'm really excited about the Blurred Boundaries (well, I'm always excited for exhibits, that's nothing unusual). I've met several new-to-me artists through it and its so exciting to see the work in person. (I have an artwork storage system all set up, it gets segregated from the rest of the house and is all snafe and snug.)

The laundry basket has the door prizes in it. I'm so drooling over the donation from Briar Rose Fibers, she's one of my favorite dealers. There's lots of good stuff (all generous donations by the way) in that basket - yarn & patterns from Briar Rose Fibers, books and angelina fibers from Embellishment Village, "Digital Essentials" book by Gloria Hansen, Sophie's Toes sock yarn from Emily Parson, Mistyfuse product from Iris Karp, and mixed media collages from Eyembellishments. I'll bag them all up into pretty bags before they get whisked off to the retreat. In the meantime its nice to pet them all.

The deadline for Breaking Traditions is also coming up soon and the work is beginning to come in on a regular basis now.


The quilt there you see on top is from Kristin La Flamme. Awesome, yes? This year's exhibit benefits A Place to Bark. Here's a cool video showing some of the animals that Bernie rescued during a puppy mill raid (all the wagging tails and excited faces is a good indication of how much the doggies dig her):





There's still time to get in on the action (every quilt is shown and there are chances to win tons of prizes), go here for the guidelines.

I also spent some time unpacking the things that I ordered while practicing retail therapy. (Things have been stressful, it tends to happen.) Here is my latest art acquisition:


This is "Moon Rider Bird" from Cart Before the Horse. Jo, the doll artist part of the Cart, is one of my all time favorite doll artists. I purchased one of her skeleton dolls a couple years back and have been stalking her work ever since. When this one went up for auction, I did one of those little gaspy noises and knew I was going to bid on it. Dooley and I celebrated when we won it. Its sitting on top of the TV and I think it looks good against the stone background so I'm going to leave it there.

So now that all the boxes are unpacked and everything is sorted, its time to deal with the paperwork end of all of it. (Please take notice of my faithful servant. He also helped me unpack everything by laying on my feet and making sure that I had to watch where I stepped so I didn't squish him.)


I have a lot of paper to put in binders but for some sick reason, I find this thrilling. Only second to going to office max and going through all their binders and folders. It gives me a sick thrill to be amongst all those office supplies.

So that's been my day so far. Its actually relaxing for me. I plan to work on my little quilt for Breaking Traditions today, lots of embroidery planned for that one and just generally relax a little bit. I've been sucked into an overtime schedule at work and its left very little time for anything else.

But one does what one can and in the end it'll all get done. (Can you tell I've been repeating that to myself over and over again? I think its starting to take over my brain...)

Where I Stand Sunday

The signs and fliers create a subliminal backdrop as I walk past storefronts, reminding me of the years I moved amongst their ranks. Part of me still lies there, in that space where so many people moved past me, where so many relationships found their start in a common purpose. I suspect each store absorbed in the 3/50 project has a similar tale woven into their foundations, a beginning that seeks to swell with the hope only the future can offer.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

observations

We are back to the random lists (have you noticed these always coincide with overtime at work?):

1) Speeding and parking tickets suck. Especially when you get them within days of each other (my first ever). While paying for them online seems convenient, the "convenience fee" associated with them is like a kick to the head. Convenient my butt...

2) Exhibit season is upon me. Work is coming in for Blurred Boundaries and for Breaking Traditions. My house is beginning to look like a gallery barfed all over it. I loves it.

3) Dooley got his frontline-flee-slap-down treatment tonight. Which means he wants hugs and to lean against me, strategically positioning his shoulders (where the flea junk is) so it rubs off on me. While I've never been infested, I appreciate his concern and try to embrace his generosity. Its a flea-slap-down party here at chez Fibra Artysta tonight.

4) I've begun to pull out half finished knitting projects in an effort to enthuse myself into finishing them. The plan was to show myself just how close I was to finishing, thus igniting a passion for finishing said objects. I would then proceed to drown in the glory of all my hand knits and be the envy of everyone. Instead, I'm somewhat disturbed by how many projects I've begun but not finished. All the while knowing that it will not stop me one bit from casting on something new. There must be some kind of medication for this kind of behavior...

5) I've come to the conclusion that people who design highway entrances and exits have a very very sick sense of humor. Ninety degree turns coming off a stretch of 70mph highway or merging onto a three lane road while simultaneously trying to play frogger with the cars in the other lane is the definition of madness. Madness, I tell you, pure madness...

6) I drive by a billboard every day that declares what the current state lottery is. I've decided that when I win it (you're all holding your breath, I'm sure), I'm going to build an artist commune and geek out and never go back to the corporate drone realm.

7) I have used spellchecker ten times on this post so far. I normally can spell workds like "decided" and..."words"....my brain is trying to tell me shut up and go to sleep...

8) ...um...my brain is smarter then me...off to bed I go.

tiny knitted things with a side of attitude

Since I'm nuts right now, I'm going to entertain you with someone else's blog...

Anna over at Mochimochi is one of my favorite knitters. She creates knitted toys but with a total twist, there is usually an unexpected story attached to them.

She's doing a series of tiny knitted toys right now. I laugh like a looney every time she posts one with an explanation of how they are feeling. I particularly like the tiny vacuum.

Check it out. Have a laugh.

*sigh*

I know exactly how they feel...





I can't believe a week fell off the calendar and I didn't even notice. I've got lots to show you but no will to write the post and clean up the pictures. And so far trying to do that with sheer willpower is not going so well.

I'll be round again soon...when I remember where I stored my sanity...its around here somewhere, maybe Dooley stole it?

Where I Stand Sunday

The one hundred and one year old brick pushes back against the soles of my feet, full of memory. They form a discrete monument, encased in concrete meant to preserve and protect. The history of the city moves around me, swollen with whisper and promise.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

deadbeat blogger

Hello, my name is Lynn and I am a deadbeat blogger.

Seriously, a whole week since the last post? Sheesh....

Time seems to just run away from me lately. Especially when I'm pulling OT at work. This weekend is busy as well as Cathy is in town and we are spending today and tomorrow just being stupid. (Gotta do that sometimes, its good for the soul to laugh until you feel like you are going to pee.)

Last night was the opening reception for the 2008 Breaking Traditions show at the 212 Arts Center in Saline Michigan. Super nice venue, incredibly fantastic people running the place. I have many photos to show you but am about to run out the door again so I'll have to do that another day.

But I met a new-to-me artist there last night named Karen who does absolutely phenomenal needle felting. (Be sure to follow the link on her name to check out her new blog.) With her permission, I present to you her felted eyeball hat:

I love this! My only regret is that I didn't get a shot of it when someone was modeling it. Gives new meaning to the idea of "eyes in the back of your head"!

And don't forget to leave a comment on July's Good News Giveaway, there's still plenty of time to get in on that action!

More soon...

Where I Stand Sunday

A small bend, a detour away from the long line of duty and routine creates an abrupt introduction. The sudden break makes me pause, causes me to search my mind for a similar distraction. Could transition from one to another be so simple? Is it possible to break through to a new world so easily?

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

and then there was one

Many things happened today: (1) I had the day off work (which means I don't feel like my life force has been sucked out), (2) I went to the cross stitch store and came back with another pattern (believe me, you should be proud, it was like a cross stitch mecca at that store) - which lead to the next thing - (3) guilt kicked in that I have so many unfinished projects.

Plus there is another medium I'm going to branch out into, its been on my mind for a long while now. I finally ordered the supplies yesterday. I'll blog about that when I've experimented with it - I'm determined to master it and fold it into my repertoire.

I would say thing #3 was the most powerful motivator today. It resulted in this:



Behold, Babette #1.


The camera is totally a liar about how dark the border colors are. That last few rounds look black in the photo, not sure why. They are blue and olive green in reality. (Actually, all the colors seem off in the photos. My camera is incredibly crabby tonight, I may have to smack it.)

I noticed some rippling around the edges when I laid it out. I think its the acrylic yarn, it seems to have stretched more then I anticipated. But honestly? I don't mind it at all. Its meant to be used and enjoyed and all in all I'm happy with it. And you know what? When its laying across your lap you don't notice it one bit.

And being enjoyed it is:


Mom asked when I'm going to start #2. I rolled my eyes at her. For the moment it can languish in its swanky little clear plastic tub under my work table in my studio. Trust me, its quite comfortable there.

I'm currently struggling with the itch to try new things. I find myself poking around on the internet looking at different types of art I've never considered before. I'm especially being pulled toward more historic type things (hence the cross stitch samplers). I guess I just want to change things up for a bit.

But I can at least check Babette #1 off the list. And let me tell you, that feels g-o-o-d.

its all kathy's fault

Like all of us out here in blog land, I have my favorite blogs that I constantly check in with. One of those is Kathy Nida's.

She is an extraordinary artist and she has given me a new found respect for how hard teachers have to work. (Seriously, if you know a teacher, give them a huge hug, they totally deserve it.)

But I have a bone to pick with her and I'm gonna do it right here in public. Oh yes, yes I am...

I knit to relieve stress and my brain can't wrap itself around a project that involves a massive amount of thought on my part. Sometimes I just want to be told what to do so creating something off a pattern is just the ticket. Kathy isn't a knitter. Instead, she does cross stitch. A while back she did this post which featured the Sanctuary pattern from Drawn Threads. I bookmarked the site and kept going back to it so I could drool over that pattern so I decided to poke around the rest of the site.

And this came in the mail today:



That there is The Good Neighbor pattern. (Yes, I know that is Babette #1 in the background. I'm still working on it, I swear.) I did some cross stitch when I was in college but never finished it. I sort of struggled with it because (I now realize) it exceeded my cutesiness threshold. Now I realize that I simply hadn't found the right pattern.

I love all things antique. Its because of that that I got into fiber arts, I started crazy quilting. I've taken a keen liking to these historic samplers.

And its entirely Kathy's fault. (She had the nerve to post these wonderful things on her blog. I would have continued to be ignorant of their existence had she never done this. *sigh* Oh fine, one more hobby isn't that big of a deal...)

I ordered the fabric from another site and am still waiting for it to arrive. Its probably a good thing too because if it was in my hot little hands, I'd forsake all my other projects just to get this one started.

The Plymouth Art Fair begins tomorrow and mom and I go every year on the first day. It gets really hot and really crowded really quick (I mean, really, it does) so we like to go early and try to avoid the crowds and heat.

I swear Dooley understands the words "vacation day." When I got home from work he was bouncing around me like I'd been gone for a week. I bent down to pet him and told him I would be home with him tomorrow and this is what he looked like:



Its seriously impossible not to feel happy when he's so excited to have me around. He even brought me his stuffed Dracula toy - as seen to the left of him in the photo above. (That's one of his favorites. It has a voice box and when he pushes on it just right, I get to hear "I vant to suck your blood!" over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and...well, you get the point. I think he likes that it talks to him.)

I'm glad my week is over, its been a rough one. I'm going to do my best to enjoy this weekend because I don't get any time off again until the Fabrications Retreat at the end of August/beginning of September. Which is going to rock in every way humanly possible so I'm really looking forward to that. Until then, maybe I'll just cross stitch...

i suppose it was inevitable

Today is my first day back at work from a week long company shutdown. Its quite possibly the cruelest thing, really. Have nine days of in a row (that's counting weekends) and just when I'm starting to unwind and feel human again, shove me right back into the blessed eleven hour days that earn me my paycheck. (I'm still holding out hope that I will win the lotto. Of course, trying to win it with the power of mind rather then buying a ticket isn't going so well. I may have to reconsider my tactics on that one.)

I had a pretty nice break. I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to but I got a solid start on some of the more mundane tasks (anyone care to help me sew together twenty panels for an exhibit? No? That's okay, I understand completely...) so when work has sucked the life force out of me (as it tends to do), I can drag my zombie self into my studio and still accomplish things. In other words, we got the thinking parts out of the way like measuring and counting. Now its just mowing things over with the sewing machine. And we all know how much I love my sewing machine. *sigh*

Anyway, I feel the need to whine today. Not because I like to but because its getting a bit dodgy here. I knew things were going too smoothly, it was too much for my old pal Murphy to resist. Don't believe me? I offer you the following proof:

(1) The tooth that has had two fillings done in it (the originial one and then a replacement one) is about to drive me insane. I'm considering taking up my co-workers offer to pull the darn thing out with a pair of pliers.

It is the equivalent of having Satan in my mouth. I don't know what is going on in there but I obviously have some bad karma to work off and this blasted thing is doing a good job of making sure I get there. I go back for round three later this week. Although it is a fairly decent weight loss tool, it does not appreciate being disturbed in any way. Devil tooth, I tell you, devil tooth.


(2) My laptop got really sleepy yesterday. Like so much so that it refused to turn on. At all.

Its my habit on sunday mornings to make my coffee and then do my blog postings and a little writing. There was some severe screeching eminating from the kitchen when I couldn't get it to boot. Not so much because it happened (I mean really, its a machine, it cares not for my mental health) but because I hadn't backed things up in about a month. Yes, you may slap me now.

What could I stand to loose if it refused to be resurrected? Let's see...four weeks of Where I Stand essay, a new exhibit catalog I started, the latest draft of my writing, the current checksheets for this year's Breaking Traditions, the photos of my latest artwork that I haven't uploaded to my site yet...oh my, I just got dizzy thinking about it.

I called the Apple store. I suspected the battery since the little light on the power strip was blinking back and forth between red and green. I whisked it off and sure enough, the replacement battery needed a good slap upside the head. The guy at the genius bar was more then happy to do that for me. So all is well. And backed up. In two places.

Seriously, my nerves can't take that kind of stress anymore. Deep breaths, deep breaths...


(3) The traffic accident on the freeway this morning that happened before I started my commute was the gift that just kept on giving.

Its given me a big hunk of metal wedged into the tire on the passenger side in front as I promptly drove right over the big pile of debris it left behind. My car is making a pitiful thumbing bumping rattling sound that shouldn't be there. It must be corrected since I spend 2+ hours a day just driving to my lovely employment.

This meant turning around to go get mom's car. Which sounds simple enough. Except...


(4) Cops apparently get really really cranky when you drive 55mph in a 40mph zone. In my defense, it was the abrupt transition between freeway and residential and I was still in freeway mode (and a bit pissy, I admit it).

Nice enough cop. Not nice ticket.



I think that's about it for right now. The day isn't over yet, though. I shudder to think what else Murphy could have in store for me. If you see him, put in a good word for me, I could use it. I'm going to keep my head down and hope he doesn't try to call on me again.

July's Good News Giveaway & June's winner!

Turtle Tracks
ATC mounted on 6"x6" mat board
Materials: ATC with turtle image from hand carved stamp, hand made paper, fabric, beads

Wow, its already July! Seems like this year is just flying by in a flurry of activity! As its the 5th of the month, its time to put up a new Good News Giveaway and announce June's winner.

The Random Number Generator pulled #10 which makes Judi the winner. Here is the comment she left:

I live in a small rural town where in the summer the populations quadruples, we have a small restaurant/tavern where not one but two of their employees had to take time off one because she broke her foot in 5 places and the other because she has cancer. I donated 2 quilts to a silent auction to help pay for medical expenses. We no sooner got this benefit done when a third person who worked there passed away so we had another benefit for her family. I love your small piece and if I won it I would donate it to another cause to raise funds for someone.


Congrats Judi, I hope Ginkgo Imprint brings some happiness to your life or someone else's, bless you for all your hard work at helping others!

July's artwork is shown above, got into the spirit of summer a little bit (turtles remind me of summer, don't ask me why 'cause I don't know). I've also been doing a lot of non-art quilt stuff lately so this month's artwork features an ATC that I made. The turtle and track marks above it and below it are stamped from stamps I carved myself. The strip behind it is fabric and lastly the little square blue beads add a pop of color.

So if you like Turtle Tracks, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post to get into the drawing. Here are the rules again:

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. 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 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 on the 5th of the new month along with the winning comment so everyone can enjoy it.


Happy commenting!

Where I Stand Sunday

The heavy wooden doors anchor every entrance of the historic building, acting as sentries that both greet and defend. I press my hand against the wood, trying to reinvent the minutes and hours and years that came before me. My mind swells at everything it has seen, an envy burns deep inside to know all that it knows. Its memory hangs in the air around it, its presence etched into the earth it stands on.

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. (You can view Year One of the project here and the gallery for this year here.)

wool therapy

The complexity of life has begun to wear (I know I'm not alone on this one, raise your hand if you are in the same boat? Whoa...see? There's a lot of us...) and I find myself looking for more and more of the little things to revel in.

One of those are the playdates I have with Mary where we just go out and bum around and look at things fibery (what I refer to as wool therapy since that is usually my fiber of choice) with no real stringent agenda in place. (Seriously, the question "What do you wanna do next?" is a constant comment when we go out. Its actually nice not to have anything planned out.)

Okay, maybe that's not entirely accurate. We set out with the plan to go Artisan Knitworks out in Groose Pointe but beyond that we were playing it by ear. I've said it before, its the prettiest yarn shop in the world. Don't believe me? Here's proof:

Yarn yarn everywhere. Its heaven. There's no way I'm spending any amount of time in here and not coming out with something. I picked up these two beauties:

This one is fingering weight yarn from Schaefer yarn in the colorway...ummmm....doesn't list one. But I got it because it reminded me of aged copper (the colors are more muted in person). Since I'm helplessly addicted to Anne Hanson's lace patterns, I'm always on the lookout for pretty fingering or lace weights. I think this one would work really beautifully for the Boxleaf Wrap. Mine will be a little narrower then what the pattern says (I have less yardage) but that suits me better.

The other one I picked up just because, well, its pretty.


Its from Happy Hands Hand Dyed Fiber (can't find a link) in the colorway Brown Eyed Girl. Just so you know, the color in the picture is accurate. Makes me a little concerned about what kind of brown eyed girls the dyer is used to seeing (see the purple hunk there in the left hand corner?). But I love the combination and there's a lot of yardage to work with there so when the right project comes along, I'll have just the thing.

But the wool therapy did not stop there. We have been wanting to stop by a shop close to Artisan called The Wool & Floss. Mary and I turned all geeky when we saw their section of embroidery threads. We don't have too many brick and mortar embroidery places still open around here. Its left me with having to order online when I want to replenish the stash and that totally sucks the fun out of it. So being able to see it in person was a real pleasure.

They had a big selection of DMC wool which I'd not seen before (and which I probably won't again since they said its being discontinued.) I love stitching with wool so at only $1.05 each I was able to snatch up quite a few colors:



I'm in love with them. I may have to marry them.

After that we had lunch at the Pegasus in Greektown and walked around a bit looking at things. There are several historic churches in downtown Detroit and this one, St. Mary's, is one of my favorites:


How can you not love that architecture? We wanted to go inside and look around but the masses of people all dressed up that kept hurrying through the front doors made us think that maybe a wedding or something important was going on so we decided not to. Although we've not been wedding crashers before, that could have added some fun to the day.

I love the way the church is holding its own against everything new and modern being built up around it:


So little of the historic parts are left of the city, its frustrating. Although I think that's true in a lot of cities. I had the awesome opportunity of visiting London and Paris right after I graduated from college (oh how I wish I was doing the Where I Stand essay then, think of all the awesome shots I could have got off that one week trip) and what I liked best was all the old buildings. They hung on to everything. Something that was 200 years old was considered new. I wish it was like that here in the states.

Anyway, it was a nice day and now I'm home and plan to do my slug impersonation for the next two days before I have to go back to work. Its funny, just when I'm finally starting to unwind its time to go back. Its like the Godfather line, "Just when you think you're out, they pull you back in." Except I'm not as cool as Michael Corleone.