DAYS LATER

Time is just moving too fast and Christmas is looming. Have not started the cards but they are made. My cousin Ann posted a picture on Facebook, a gathering of the cards I have sent over the years. I am more than touched. She will be getting another tree this year.


I have been expanding my Puppet collection. At Jamie's suggestion I have used red and blue along with the peace symbol. These puppets are available - just ask.


I consider them finger puppets as you can manipulate them with a finger but they are about 10" in height. 5 are currently available. I intend to do Etsy - it is in my technology package for January. I love the making part.

And I am working on a quilt that is due by the end of the month, sooner would be better. It is for a 4 seasons invitational. Spring is done and Summer is the one on the drawing board. The gal is Violet, age 15 in 1930. She is the mother of my friend Linda. I loved the image and the quilt will be called - a summer parade. (when completed). All decisions on this quilt are subject to change

DECEMBER

We finally made it to the Muckenthaller Cultural Arts Center to see the Contemporary Quilts show. I had been told my quilt - Peace In The Valley was well placed. I really did not realize it was on the show entrance. Tom took the photo to document the event. It is a beautiful show, nicely hung. I have 2 pieces in the show and am thrilled to be in such good company.


And - one of my favorite pictures from the Portland trip. Brian makes butter dishes and will be participating in the Crafty Wonderland craft show next weekend. Info to follow. This picture is of the raw goods, cast and waiting in the "wet" box to be made into interesting butter dishes and the occasional cup. I find it fascinating how artisans actually do the process of what they do. And I thought those swans were well placed.

TURKEY DAY DONE

What a great day.  8 for dinner.  Brian did most of the cooking . He and his dad the the lions share of today's events.  We are truly fortunate - it has been a marvelous day.  And it has sort of rained all day and that is fine.  

Still don't know how to upload a photo from this remote Mac.  Will try harder.  

THANKSGIVING EVE

We are in Portland visiting one child and headed to airport to pick up the other.  Life just couldn't be too much better.  Weather is crisp - thank heavens for tank tops for those of us who live in more temperate climates.  (I am a wimp, just ask my family).

Will send photos when I figure out how to upload them from this portable machine.

Happy Thanksgiving - j

TURKEY APPROACHING

I was in Joann's this morning and they are getting their Valentine fabric in.

I am still missing summer.

This year I have tried to incorporate the word PEACE in my work. These puppets are just one example. They just make me smile - that was part of their job assignment.

the line between warm and cool

My quilt - "the line between warm and cool" has returned. It premiered in July at the Long Beach IQA show. Then appeared at the mother of all quilts show in Houston. BUT the really big part is, it was selected to be in the Oct/Nov issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. I cannot tell you the page but it is still on the news stands.



It is made of batik fabrics from Ghana and is available - if you might like it. Email for details. But between here and then, I am putting it on my wall - I love it. Can you find the line? Sort of a where's waldo game. j

DAYS LATER

Today is the following Monday, we are in November.

Woman's Conference ended Tuesday evening. I watched the Minerva Awards on the sofa with a glass of wine. I wish I had been "in the room" while Jane Goodall spoke. I am not easily impressed but people making a difference impress me.

That was Tuesday. Helped hang a Quilts on the Wall gallery show on Wednesday, in Whittier. Email me, I will give you the details. Thursday I laid down - I had it penciled in on my calender. Friday evening - about 9 p.m., Tom and I headed out for Joshua Tree, the town not the park.

We spent Saturday and Sunday touring about 25 artists homes/studios near Joshua Tree, Ca. We have been attending these open studios for about 8 years. We pile into cars, drive from studio to studio. Great fun. Some great art. Some not so great art. Some fabulous homes/studios. Some not so hot homes/studios. Like dropping into other peoples reality and hopefully with little judgment involved or apparent. We just have fun and we buy art. Some of us buy more than others.

This year we had 8 in our party - 2 cars of 4. When we arrived, they thought the tour bus had arrived.

We stayed at the home of a friend. Her mission is to commune with nature and God's creatures and to photograph them. She encourages and feeds the wild life, whether she is there or not. Automatic feeders. The coyotes and bobcats seem to know when she is in residence. These pictures were taken in the morning, before 9, out an open sliding glass door and she/he is about 10 feet away. Tom actually took these, he has way more patience than I do.

Now for the open studio, my favorite photo is: I love chairs and at some point could do one of those little 5x5 books on chairs and where they reside.


These photos were taken at the studio of Bobby Furst - a metal artists. Amazing

Womens conference Tuesday

Can only say, what a day. Couldn't sleep so I reported to duty just after 6am. (I don't do early, ask Tom). There were attendees already lined up. Throughout the day I got really lucky with job assignments and being moved from here to their. I heard amazing stories. I know WE are all equal but some of us are more verbal or visible or inspiring. The conference can be found on line.

Happy Tuesday - j

Woman's Conference, day of transformation

Tom dropped me at the convention center on his way to work. Way too early. Got home about 8:30 pn. What a day.


I either heard, saw, or lurked at: Maria Shriver, Maria Beck, Dr. Oz, Kathy Griffith, Caroline Kennedy and Madeleine Alright.

At the end of my volunteer day, Peggy Bunnel joined me and we attended the Night in the Village. Lots of give a ways, non profits, book signings. Martha Beck interviewing Paula Dean. Dancing with the stars teaching salsa.

The premise for the conference is - I am the architect of change. It begins with our own lives. There were groups of woman attending together and there were groups of gals volunteering together. Either way - it was impressive. I met volunteers from California, Maryland, Colorado.

Apparently this conference has been the Governors Conference for Woman, for years. It has been hosted by the Governor's wife. Maria Shriver, apparently has taken it and run with it. This year it is listed as Woman's Conference.


Now to see if I make it on time tomorrow. News at 11.

Everything has a pin!!

Woman's Conference in Long Beach

I attended the volunteer training today at the Long Beach Convention Center. I have worked as a vendor at this venue, coming through the back doors. But today I had to learn a new orientation. Maria Shriver presents this conference. This year it is 2 days plus a Monday night. I report for duty at 7:30 am, tomorrow. I have my camera and hope to report interesting things. It will be interesting. Feel free to check it out. Woman making a difference and doing things. jo

http://www.californiawomen.org/

Between a quilt show and an art show.

I spent 5 days at the Santa Clara convention centerat Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF). It is great to see "friends" you only know from doing a certain event year after year. Like old friends but we only know "this much" about each other. Not a lot of expectation but quick catch ups and hugs good bye.

From those vendors I spoke with, sales were good. Better than anticipated. Maybe not better than previous years but better than a "poke in the eye", as a good friend would say. Got home Sunday evening and am preparing for Artistic License Fair - in Costa Mesa Friday and Saturday. It is a bit of shifting mind sets. I got my booth tables and props out today, laid it out in the drive way and I think I am under control. Or as much control as a person really has.

This is one of my favorite images from 09. It is entitled - bird in a tree with leaves looking for peace. It is part of a collection of collages I sent to New Zealand for a collage exchange. I will have several of it's brothers and sisters with me this week end at Artistic License.

Peace

COLOR EVERYWHERE

Blue and Green everywhere

While on a pumpkin/gourd expedition last week, we found this wonderful barn north of Reno, Nv. The orange, my second favorite color at the moment, did wonderful things to the blue and green.
I leave for Santa Clara and the Pacific International Quilt Festival in the morning. You will find me working at the Mulberry Leaf booth, probably at the top of the 600 isle. Say hi.

The process

Sometimes it just takes many hands to do the job

This is a series of four wall quilts not done or ready for prime time. Many hands have had a hand in these pieces. Rebecca Janes who took the time to give me a refresher course in de-constructed screen printing, Rebecca of Ananse Village for tempting me with her wonderful batiks from Ghana, Ellyn Mosbarger for giving me the yellow fabric with the discharged leaf motif, Linda Carlson who found our old old thermofax machines years ago, Rose Hughes for picking that deep plum color for the paint for the screen print of the leaf, and the various goodie bags and give away fabric bags that have come my way.

Joined Facebook this week - again, what was I thinking?

Cards

I am working on my blank greeting card selection for fall shows. These cards have wee quilts on them. I collage the batik fabrics onto felt, sew and embellish, then sew the squares onto the cards. I like outlining the quilt with black marker - gives it visual boundaries

Edges

My quilt "the line between warm and cool" will be in the Oct/Nov issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. It is part of the EDGES quilt exhibit which premiered at the Long Beach IQA show and will be in Houston in October. The quilt will have an entire page in the Edges article.
Also getting ready to deliver 2 quilts to the Muckenthaler Cultural Arts Center in Fullerton for their upcoming - Contemporary Quilts exhibit. What fun.

Los Angeles Fires

This picture was taken by my daughter who lives near the beach. This was the view yesterday from Long Beach looking back, towards the mountains. If it was a thunder cloud that is one thing, but this is the fire.

I love her art, you might get tired of seeing it but truly, she has a different view of my world.

Almost September

Somehow was tricked into starting this blog. Hopefully it will be a good thing.