Cookie and Tea Party ART!

Sometimes Santas need to coordinate their efforts to make big things happen, and in this case I lucked out. Keegan needed to be somewhere else for this morning, and so I hostessed a cookie and tea party. Kennedy decided to sleep this one out, probably knowing it was safer to stay away from flying sprinkles. The rest of us baked cookies, made little snacks for lunch, had tea, and then frosted up a storm. The tea party couldn't take place at the ususal little tea table with Keegan sized chairs because, well, it is just too small for this big of an operation. So we used the kitchen, of all places, instead. I'll let the pictures tell the rest.

SeW SCRappY GoeS PiNK!

One thing leads to another, right? I decided to go through my stash of scraps and "stuff" and pull out only pink things to make a pink sew scrappy journal, and this is the result. I had painted lots of canvas for future projects and sale, and the pink was screaming my name. It was a lot of fun, but I am not a pink girl for the most part, so off to etsy it goes. Besides the decorated covers, there are 10 decorated pages, some with pockets sew on them and 4 more built in pockets between the pages to hold more of whatever anyone would want to put inside. I added journaling/collage paper inside some of them for the lucky girl who eventually owns this to do her thing. I am adding a number of things to my shop today, including more of my splashed up canvas.

A Baby for a Baby Needs A Quilt, No?

I rarely write about my personal life, but sometimes I can't help it. Usually it involves my extraordinary granddaughters, and this time is no exception. Recently, my two daughters, the granddaughters and I were off on what we call "hair day."
It involves getting up at the crack of dawn or earlier, all trekking to daughter one's house, since she lives in the middle, me treating everyone to breakfast, taking the obligatory trip to Target (another chance to spoil the little ones, but not too much, I promise) meeting up with another friend at the salon and the six of us taking up a half day's appointments on our hairdresser, Laurie's calendar. We sit around, talk, laugh, and take turns getting the do's done. Sometimes we have lunch afterward. It has gotten to be a little tricky with naps and all having to be calculated in, but anyway... We decided to try a different spot for breakfast this particular time, so we chose Cracker Barrel. Now, if you have ever been in there, you know you have to look around in the shop, even if you aren't waiting for a table. We left behind the Mr. Christmas carousel music box and the beautiful serving plates, but we found red velour 1st Christmas reindeer footie pajamas with floppy eared reindeer on the toes for "Kenne" that we absolutely could not resist and debated over a special little Christmas quilt Kenne's mom fell in love with. I told her I could make one that was not Christmas colors, and she agreed that would be a great idea since Kenne had been spending her play time sitting on a blanket that has seen better days. She liked this particular once since she thought it would be a toy in itself. Well, since that few short weeks ago, one baby girl has mastered crawling, so there is no keeping the kid on her little blanket anymore. Her mom and I did agree that it wouldn't be necessary for me to make Kenne the little quilt after all, but I had it in my head. I had to do it. Kenne mostly plays with her sister's toys since the child has more than enough to outfit a day care center, and dolls are the favorite of them both. I got Kenne her own doll for Christmas, and so I decided to make a doll size quilt like the one her mom originally requested. Keegan has her own doll quilt by Nona, so this would be only fair, right? Here it is. I hope Kenne and my daughter both love it. The green gingham checks are left from a crib quilt I made my daughter that she loved like nothing else. The rest is from my stash including some that a friend Sharyn gave me in a trade for a book kit. Maybe she will recognize some of it. Don't worry, I've got everything sewn down so tight, it would take a Swiss army knife to get any of those pom poms loose.

Forgive me please!

Yesterday, I posted about my lucky winnings. I made a link that I in no way intended. Kelly's correct link is kellykilmer.blogspot.com. She is in no way affiliated with the other link. Some trashy individual is using her name there. Karma is gonna get the jerk, but in the mean time, I have corrected it, and wanted to apologize if anyone clicked and went to a place that neither of us condone. Sorry, and love ya, Kelly.

Lucky again!!!

So as I was cruising through my email today, a dear friend had emailed me to tell me I had won ANOTHER blog give away. This time, Tapeswell which Kelly told me about, picked my comment about what tape I would like to have, and I am the lucky winner of $20. in free tape. You can read more about it here. I suggested tape that looks like staples, hooks and eyes, stitching, or snaps are what is holding a taped package shut. I also mentioned little chocolates in their little cups, cupcakes and clovers. You would buy that sort of tape, right? I wonder if they will make any of it for sale. If I can imageine it, they can do it, right? If so, I'll be right in that line, Baby!

New Little Baby Bird Books and More

I just added some new things to my Etsy shop. People have been asking about my bird books in Sew Somerset. Yes, I did send the bigger birds off on a little trip, and kept the babies at home. But they've grown up quite a bit since then, and they are ready to fly the coop. You can see the whole collections of flowers, owls, red birds, and baby birds here. Enjoy! They're great for gifts or even yourself. You know you deserve a little something, right?

Another Bag for Haute Handbags

I got an email today telling me I am going to be published again in Haute Handbags. There is a story about the bag here for a previous posting on my blog. It will be in the Gallery section of Spring 2010, according to the plan right now, but there was a clause saying if something happens, it will be bumped to the next issue. I made if for a Yahoo! challenge from my Yahoo! friend Kellie. I can hardly wait to tell her.

Sew Somerset Winter 2010 Triple Play!

This is the newest magazine to hit the streets which contains my artwork. You can see a sample of what I created here. Scroll down to the section called Birds of a Feather. I call them my bird books. I especially excited about this one because my daughter, Jeane, and I both have feature articles in it. And if that weren't enough, my crazy art sister, (That's what we call one another.) Penney, has her precious and amazing needle case in there as well. I haven't received my copy yet, possibly today since Jeane got hers yesterday. The due date for all shelves nationwide is Dec. 1. I have created some mini versions of my bird books like the ones in the magazine, which will be for sale later. More camera trouble!
I've sent a tote bag off to another publication and have another set of three items ready to be mailed to a magazine I have been wanting to submit to for a while, but I won't be posting them until they are either published or returned. I have decided it is the smarter and safer choice for right now. But I did enjoy making them, and I hope to share them with you soon!

Teaching at Art Unraveled 2010

It is with great excitement that I am now able to tell you that I will be teaching this year at Art Unraveled. For anyone who has never heard of Art Unraveled, people fly in from all over the U.S.A. and foreign countries to attend this event. It is like art camp for grownups, but it is in a nice comfy hotel. This has been a dream of mine for a while, but with other contractual obligations, I just never could apply. This year, I decided to have a go at it knowing I could teach at the beginning of the event. I was lucky enough to be chosen and placed on the schedule when I don't have other conflicts. I am really looking forward to meeting lots of new people and seeing old friends, both from near and far. I will be teaching my Sew Somerset Sew Scrappy Journal. This is the journal that was shown of the cover of the Summer 2009 Sew Somerset. Although I have taught classes like this one, I have never taught this exact class anywhere before, and I will not be teaching it anywhere else in AZ for all of 2010, so this will be fun! This book is actually a journal with cloth pages that you can write on. I am bringing nearly all the art supplies to make things easier for my students, and I have been busy at work planning this so that it will be the best of times for everyone. Email me at janeeileen@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

Another One "In the Books" Update

Promised update to the previous post: This is the cover of the magazine, and I am happy to say that when the book returns, it will be given to Linda at Art Unraveled 2010 to be auctioned off for charity.

Another One "In the Books"

Jeane just called all charged up. She got her copy of Somerset Studio Gallery Winter 2010 today which has a 6 page article about a collaborative book we did with 25 other artists. I hosted it and talked Kelly Kilmer into doing the cover. Many of the pages of this ABC chunky book are featured on the spreads including Kelly's, Jeane's, and mine. Jeane did T, and I did S, so since the letters are together in the alphabet, we are sharing a page. I wonder how often something like this happens, mother and daughter stuff. No matter what, I am happy this is something we can share.

MOre ScArY StuFf!!

I have gotten a lot done since Friday. I am working my way through a long to do list. Today I decided to photograph the scary skull totes that have been done for a while. Check. Posting on etsy is next. And here they are. These are big big totes. They are 9"X14" on the base and over 16" tall with long 36"handles, that's 18" down from center shoulder on both sides with a nice big pocket on them. They are made from the same heavy duty denim that I made the aprons from. Good stuff.

Halloween Fun!

We had so much fun yesterday making the Tricks, Treats, Toil & Trouble Halloween books at Frenzy Stamper yesterday! The ladies were so creative, and their books turned out great. You can see some of their work in progress here. The next class is scheduled for Studio 23 on October 25th, and there is still room, but if we get more people, we are moving back to Frenzy where we can spread out more. Debbie has offered to open the store just to us. If you are interested, please contact me @ janeeileen@hotmail.com
I am looking forward to seeing some of you then!

350

Last summer when Jeane and I were in California visiting our favorite Californian, Kelly Kilmer, we swung by Zinnia, one of her favorite funky stores. They were preparing for a show that is now in the works. The plan then that has now become a reality is that 350 works of art would be hung in their new gallery, anonymously, and set for sale as such to raise money for a great cause for planet Earth. Kelly, Jeane, and I are all particpating along with lots of others artists of all ages and walks of life, many of them famous in their own right. You can go here to see more about Zinnia's new place which is better than ever and has a gallery. There is even a slideshow of the beginning of all these works being put up in the gallery. How cool is that? I wish I could be there in person on the big day coming up this week, but I will not. Kelly is going to keep us posted about all that she experiences with it. Thanks, Kelly!

Sew Somerset Preview!!! Take 2

Well, being the gifted blogger that I am, I made a mistake in the link of my last posting, so let's just try that again. Here we go. I should have it correct in the last and this post now. Sometimes I amaze myself.

Last week, I got an email asking if any final edits were needed on my upcoming feature article in Sew Somerset magazine. Got that done, and today another email came. This time it was an advertisement for the next issue. And my Birds of a Feather book covers are in the ad. If you want a sneak peek, go here: http://www.stampington.com/html/sew_somerset_winter10.html

Sew Somerset Preview!!!

Last week, I got an email asking if any final edits were needed on my upcoming feature article in Sew Somerset magazine. Got that done, and today another email came. This time it was an advertisement for the next issue. And my Birds of a Feather book covers are in the ad. If you want a sneak peek, go here: http://www.stampington.com/html/sew_somerset_winter10.html

Once Is Never Enough!

October 17th is almost here and that means it is almost time for the Halloween book class at Frenzy Stamper. It isn't too late to sign up. The more the merrier!
But due to popular demand, we're gonna "play it again" at Studio 23 on October 25th. If you can't make it to Frenzy, and you want to play or have any questions, email me.
janeeileen@hotmail.com
If you are coming to my studio, you can bring your lunch and drink, and we'll stick it in the frig, or you can order in or run out for a quick bite. The class begins at 10 and ends when we are done, probably around 4 or 5 pm.

Skull Aprons At Last

About 100 years ago, I got a big batch of skull denim and told myself I'd make some aprons, among other things with the fabric. Well last night, it finally happened. The results are in my etsy shop. I have just enough left to make two tote bags, and then it will all be gone but the scraps. I used the rest for my Halloween fabric book class coming up. I hope someone has as much fun wearing them as I did making them!

Tricks, Treats, Toil & Trouble

These are pictures of the pages participants will be making in the Tricks, Treats, Toil & Trouble Halloween book class at Frenzy Stamper coming up on Oct. 17th. There are still some spots left if anyone wants to join us. One pocket of the book will be saved for trick-or-treating in class. Each participant will bring tricks or treats (think plastic spiders, candies, recipes for concoctions, an ATC, etc.) to trade. Almost all of the supplies are included in the class fee, including the Tibetian Silver charms which I am pretty darn excited about. There will be extra pockets to store any additional Halloween goodies you would like to add later. Above are some pictures to give you an idea of the pages. If you want to sign up, go to Debbie's website for more info. It is going to be a great time!
If you can't make it on the 17th at Frenzy, we're gonna play it again at Studio 23 on the 25th. Leave a comment if you want to join us in the studio!

What's up?

Insert huge sigh of relief here. My proposals to teach for Art Unraveled, 2010 have been emailed. It's a nice step up to apply for something this big, but if I am selected, I know I can handle it. Teaching at Jeane's house, at smaller local venues, and in my home studio, Studio 23 have prepared me, not to mention all the practice with those kiddos.

And speaking of teaching in my home studio, which I haven't taught in for profit for a while, that big adventure begins again tomorrow. Five ladies are coming over to do classes they couldn't get to when they have been offered before, and we're gonna squeeze in some lunch, and have some great times playing and creating. Four of them will be working on a book, part of which is shown in the photos with this posting. There are other pages besides the ones shown. Penney will be off in her own proverbial corner doing her own thing with a leftover kit from a different project that she missed while in her Virginia home this summer, while I actually teach the other class. She's coming early so she'll be off and running before the next doorbell rings. I can't wait to see them all!

If anyone wants to make a Halloween book, please go to the Frenzy Stamper website for a sneak preview of just a little of the upcoming Halloween book. There are even better surprises on other pages. The graveyard pages are my favorite. Anyway, when was the last time you went trick-or treating? You remember how fun that was, right? That will be a little part of the class. Go to the website for more details, then come join us and make an amazing book!

Come play!!!

I haven't put much up here lately. It has been one excuse after another, burning my hand, going shopping, procrastination, you get the idea. But I have a little class coming up on Saturday, and by then, I hope to get off procrastination and such and get back in gear. Wanna come play??? We would love to have you. See a sneak peek of the sample book here at the Frenzy website. There are many hidden pages, so you get more than you see!

Jeane is on the cover of CPS!!!

Go here. Go now. My daughter, Jeane, is on the cover of Cloth Paper Scissors! We knew she was a finalist to be published in a reader's challenge for "Skeletons in Your Closet," but we didn't know she was ON THE COVER! I AM SO PROUD and happy and overjoyed and oh my gosh. Three of her dolls are on there. What is this girl of mine going to pull off next? Yeah, Jeane!

Successful!

Both my daughter, Jeane, and I have been chosen to be published in magazines before, and we will be published in an upcoming magazine together along with another group of artists for a collaborative book we did, but today we both received word that we will be published in the next Sew Somerset, each on our own merits for our own individual projects. My work is currently on the cover, and I am so excited to have been chosen to be in the magazine again. We have to get our feature articles written and in in just a few short weeks.
Sure, I am happy that my work will be in there, but I'm even happier for Jeane. We went to Art Unraveled today together, met up, went to our favorite breakfast spot, took the first part of class, met for lunch with friends, finished class and rode home together. It is amazing fun when you and your own kid enjoy doing the same thing TOGETHER. We both then checked out email, and just as I picked up my cell phone to call her, she was calling me on my land line so we could tell each other about our emails from the editor. How funny. There is a certain joy a mom knows when her child does something well. It makes you know you had a hand in helping your child add beauty to the world, whatever that thing done well might be. But most importantly, you know your kid is in a happy zone. If you follow Jeane's blog, you may have noticed that I sign all comments with XOheartP. That has been a secret code since she left for college that I never abandoned when she came home. Today the secret goes out. The P means, "I'm proud of you," and today I could not be any prouder!

I am hoping to find time this weekend to show some or all of my projects from my classes at AU. Stay tuned. So far, this has been the best year ever there.

Think Off White

I know it has been a while since I got around to posting anything. I have been transitioning from being a Nona full time to going back to work. This year, I am working with teachers instead of kids, so I have needed to go in and get some presentations and things done before they come in next week. So far, the job is great. I am so used to helping other people and then trying to get some alone time to get ready for my own kids, and this year, I only have to do one of those things.
Well, for the next few days, I am off to Art Unraveled to take some classes, my last days of my summer. Another load of excitement to add to the crazy schedule, right?
I meant to take pictures of my last class I taught at Frenzy Stamper, but when I pulled out the camera, my memory card was full, and I didn't want to take the time to delete pictures so I could take photographs. I figured the students needed my time more. I still might get a shot or two of what greeted the students when my life settles down a bit. I made a kit that didn't get used.
Debbie invited me back to do another class, and that will be a monochromatic book of whites with vintage linens and laces, mixed with newer ones, and it is a trifold book. It houses replicas of old photos. One is dated 1942, for example. It could be used to house other people's old photos or used for a wedding, baby, baptism, quinceanera, etc. People who sign up get to keep the photos in the kit if they bring their own in. Almost all the supplies are included in the price, so I am hoping the class will fill. I have a limited supply of the vintage linens, so the registration is limited, too. I was going to photograph that also, before I dropped it off yesterday, but I misplaced previously said camera and didn't want to hold up getting the book to the store. Debbie took pictures and put them up on her site. There are four more pages besides the ones she is showing if you would like to go in there and take a peek. I have since found my problem camera in the pocket of my traveling supply case. First thing I've done right with it in a while! I guess it goes without saying that it is a good thing that I am better with a sewing machine than taking snapshots!

Ten Things I Love

I am a follower of Ro Bruhn's blog. She received the Watermelon Award for her blog and she has passed it on to anyone who would like to play along. In order to play, you list 10 things you love. I figured that would be easy enough to do since everything I have been working on lately cannot be posted yet. I am working on ideas I have stored up in my new design book. The metal one had to be sidelined because it just wasn't workable not being looseleaf. I am working on submissions for classes and magazines, and I can't let the cat out of the bag, so I have notheing else to post. I got a thank you post card for my latest submission to a magazine. I guess that is far better than a rejection letter or getting what I sent in back already. Please play along. If you want you can leave a comment, so we will know where to go see your list. And if you want, you can pass it along again. Psst... YOU're it!

10 Things I Love (in no particular order)
1. Being Nona (what the Special K's call me), the mommiest (Buff's name for me), and MH (Jeane's name for me)
2. Not being in a stereotypical relationship as a mother-in-law (Jim and Seth are the best!)
3. friends and other family
4. crushed ice
5. angel food cake
6. gerber daisies
7. thank yous and other warm/encouraging words
8. my studio
9. the hum of my sewing machine
10. good health

Project Runway - All the details...

Wanna be a judge? Participate in the weekly reader's poll? Create the fashions? Here is all the info. on how to get the scoop. Please let me know how you plan to participate, even if it is just to look in and see what everyone has done. There are links to previous competitions, too.

here is the official site!

http://www.prchallenge.sheba-kitty-productions.com/

here is the flickr site

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1137497@N24/

And there are warmup challenges, starting right now!

Project Runway Update

So, after making my PR cheesy post, I was contacted and asked if I want to participate in a doll size weekly competition for PR. Heck yeah! I knew there was more of a reason for taking Clothing Design and Power Sewing in high school than to just graduate. I'm gonna be digging out my American Girl doll from her modeling spot for doll clothes and probably get her hair cut and maybe get some makeup put on her so she will look older. Crazy, but fun, right?
Fast forward. YOU can play, too.The challenge each week will be for participants to create, doll size, according to what the designers on the show have to do. My contact is making a blog so that others can see the creations, even if they don't want to play along. There will be a poll or she will get some judges, but no one gets kicked off and participants can play only on the weeks they want to, so nobody gets tied down. She is still working on more details, so once again, stay tuned.
If you are interested, let me know.

Top Secret

I wish I could show you what I spent the entire weekend and all my free time lately doing, but it is top secret. I am getting ready for my class at Frenzy Stamper on July 25. Everyone is going to get an individualized packet of goodies and patterns with their handout, all of which takes a while to prepare. At last check, there were 11 people signed up plus Jeane who will be helping and making, too. Only one spot left! I can't wait!

Stay tuned...

for an exciting announcement about the upcoming season of Project Runway...
This is gonna be so fun and funny, too! ????????????????????????????????

Sweet Little Baby Feet

These are my newest contribution to the monthly Rolodex swap. This month, the theme was feet, so I photographed the sweet little baby feet of my newest granddaughter, "Miss Q." We have been lucky enough to get to spend lots of time together this summer. She just gets cuter every single day! And we've had some pretty good conversations about the word goo lately, too. Babies ARE amazing people.
The cards didn't really turn out like I had envisioned for a number of reasons, and they are a little scrapbooky, but I still love them, for more reasons than one!

Birds, Birds, Birds

A while back, I made a bird book. Yesterday, I got to work on giving the little guy some friends. The one with the nest holds a draft/composition book, and the owl one holds the small size steno pad with a pocket space behind that to hold photos, notes, whatever. The one I made first holds a spiral pad I made to fit the cover. I think I love making leaves.

The Project Book

The little wheels have been turning a lot lately, and I have found myself scribbling lots of ideas in lots of different places. Last night, I decided it was time to assemble all the sketches and ideas into one organized place. I spent more time picking my binder than I did everything else to have it usable, but this is what I ended up with. I bought it at a flea market type sale and wanted to do something cool with it. It doesn't have any rings, but if you fold back the top and put pressure on it, the papers or whatever inside can be taken out or more put in, so I think this will work.I cut a strip of my Dick and Jane fabric and a piece of clear plastic to fit the index at the top and then added some rub-ons. The words designs is really easier to see in real life that the photo would lead you to believe. I also made a pocketed sleeve for it to hold my new Signo Uniball pens. The sleeve will come off if I want it to. I really like the look of it better without the pen holder, but I want to have a pen handy so I don't have to go look for one when an idea hits. I taped in all the former notes and sketches, but after this, I will just write on the graph paper pages.

BAd KItTiEs!

There is just something ab0ut a bad to the bone cat that you gotta love. Last week, Jeane put a skull cling on her sewing machine. Then Buffy decided she wanted one. Jeane and I went to the store and looked at the massive collection of clings I didn't even know existed, and one thing led to another (We got Buffy a very cool monkey; haven't you always wanted a monkey? hehe), so now I have clings on my machine. Not really understanding how they work, one of my cats lost two eyeballs in the process (the cling cat, I don't have a real one), but I improvised after a lot of pain and suffering about it and drew new ones on there. It took some real effort on my part not to go spend another $4. just to get the eyes again. At any rate, my machine has now been tagged or something like that, not quite sure how many clings it takes to officially call it tagged. Jeane?

Call Me a Cheeseball.

1. I don't care.
2. Yes, yes this is my third post of the day. There are no rules here, and I strike when the iron is hot.
3. These are my new toys from PROJECT RUNWAY.
4. Refer to title and #1, please, if necessary.

On the chance that you are wondering why these are such a big deal, well here it is, well only part of it. I don't want to make you cry. hehehe When I was a kid, my sewing machine was the bomb. I made all my own clothes for a long time. I had to have 20 credits to graduate from high school. I took extra classes in clothing design and power sewing at the magnet school in our district so I had 21.5, but 10 were in Home Ec. Kids probably can't get away with that now, but back in the day, it worked for me. I wanted to be a Home Ec major in college and grow up to be Martha Stewartish, but some moron told me not to because jobs would be too scarce, and sadly, I listened and gave up on a dream. I made my kids clothes, dolls and other fun stuff, and the list goes on. Then I met rubber stamps. Fabric took a back seat. I used the machine mostly for mending. I made cards, then journals, then a million cigar box purses. Then I got Cancer. That sits you on your behind for a while and resting and watching TV took over my free time. I think my studio must have been dark for at least a year or two. Then Project Runway came on that TV. It got me off the couch and my heart started singing again. My studio is a happy place again, and I am listening to my heart. I don't really need the Project Runway gear, but it's like a tip of the hat, a thank you for helping me find myself again. Aren't those cute litte button pins adorable?

Art Fiber Fest Photos/Fun

Have you all started making your plans on how you WILL be joining us at AFF next year? About a week and a half ago, I hopped on a plane to meet Penney at the Portland airport and head over to Art Fiber Fest. She surprised me with a wonderful handmade book for my birthday, wrapped in some linens she had dyed. She put a lot of work into it, and it has some very personal special parts to ti.
Then we got the rental, and we were off. We were offered a convertible VW. I told the lady politlely that those cars are a nightmare, as I was sure something would break while we had it and we would have to pay for it, so I convinced her we really needed something that held LOTS of luggage. Penney's took up the back seat and mine the trunk area. Good thing we had no other riders.Anyway, after driving around Portland long enough to only find things by accident instead of the ones we had directions for (looooong story), we arrived at Reed College and were greeted with registration packets, Oregon berry candy to die for, peanuts, a beautiful tote bag and a great name tag.
Then we hit Teesha's yard sale, as she called it. Really, People, most artists don't have that much stuff in their whole studio, much less in the cast off pile. There were some amazing goodies like fabric, beads, fabric collage sheets, paper collage sheets, and so on. This was no time to think about coming back for it tomorrow because other people were right behind us slobbering over all the sale, too. Purchasing a whole big fat bag of stuff netted me another great totebag, this one made of fabric and woven newspaper.
We stayed in the new campus "apartments" which in our case was a double room with no door between us, so we could have privacy but still hang out together. Cool. We each had a built in unit where we could unpack our mountain of supplies and sort them out by what we would need each of the next three days. We also each had a gynormous desk where I set up my sewing machine each night and kept working on my project from day one.
Being gifted with a camera like I am, I decided to take pictures of my projects throughout the week, and wait to take pictures of my favorite places around campus on the last day. These are pictures of my works in progress. Each is nearly complete, but I didn't want to wait any longer to post about them. On days one and three of classes, the fabulous Roxanne Padgett was the teacher. Each of those days was a real treat, not just the project, but her display of supplies awaiting us each day. The way she taught fit me perfectly, even on the day I felt dizzy and yucko. She is truly an artist AND a teacher. Day one was for the Studio Art Journal which is a book that serves as a home to transport art supplies you need while you are away and want to work on a project. The topsy turvy doll from day three went over really big in Nona land. When my daughter arrived home from work after the day I went over to show it to the family, I told her Topsy Turvy took a nap with Miss K and she had had lots of fun showing it to Jeane. I was asked whether I would be able to sneak it back out of the house to get it back home. Just as I was starting to state that I would have to since I still needed to take pictures, a little 25 month old voice instantly chimed in with a very clear, "No, that is staying in the playroom!" Miss K only uses complete sentences like that when something is very important, so... What does that tell us? I hope I can take more classes from Roxanne again because I am sure I have never had a better teacher.
On day two, I took a digital photo journal class and we printed out photos on different fabric surfaces. Kathyanne showed us ways in her journal on how to alter photos, but I had photos of my granddaughters that I just didn't want to tear up, so I kind of did my own thing after Kathyanne printed my photos. We had lots of fun giggling that day to the hum of a sewing machine without any pressure to be anywhere or do anything other than just relax. I was able to make a cover for a nice fat book and at least get all the pages in and underway for more photos and work later.
Anyway, back to "camera day," and my giftedness with it, that would be the day I put my camera in my tote bag only to discover that the batteries needed a recharge. Being tired like I was, I chose not to walk back to get new batteries to get the photos. Penney agreed to give me some of her photos instead, but I don't have them for the blog. But you will see the campus for yourself next year when you come, right? Exactly.
There were demos after the first day of classes, an artist's sale after the second day (Alisa Burke was there and she had the best display and proved to be as much of a sweetheart as he she seems to be in her book and online classes.), and a big show after the third day where anyone who wanted to could put out what they made in the common living areas of the aprtments/dorms and anyone who wanted to see everything c0uld walk from dorm to dorm to see them all. Everyone registered for the event fit into three dorms that were only separated by a common green area, so this was a fun easy walk.
On Sunday after we signed out, Penney and I had the same luck with finding things, but we accidentally found Powell's book store, a real treat, and a few other places, so all was not lost, and it certainly did not keep either Penney nor I from having to repack out luggage at the airport to avoid extra fees.
Can anyone tell me why I can have two 50 lb. bags, but not one that weighs 57 lbs? Next time, we are each packing an extra suitcase that can be checked, and we are springing for the GPS and using the cell phone to call ahead. We had a great time crossing that river a gazillion times and can't wait to go back. For anyone who has ever thought of going, just turn yourself in and go. Teesha and Tracy were the hosts with the most. They made it look effortless but we really know better. Now, if they could just sell those Oregon Berries thingies in Phoenix.