Honey, I'm Home!

I just got back tonight from Art Fiber Fest 2009. It was fabulous. I will posting a few pictures and more info. later this week.
Whatever you are doing right now, stop, and make a list of what you need to do to be able to join us next year instead of giving excuses. Penney was a little too much for me to handle on my own, and I will need help next year. hehehe Seriously, we want to make the party bigger. We all stayed in three apartments (dorms) at Reed college, and we would really like to get enough people that we know to take up an entire floor in one of the apartments next year. The classes were great, Teesha's yard sale was unbelievable, and the people were terrific. We want you all to see this with us, so put your pennies away and let's go rock it next year together.

Trades, Trades, and More Trades

This is what has been keeping me busy for the last week or so between finishing off most of my work for the summer and trying to get caught up on sleep. I am happy to say these trades are done. I hope the people who I am going to trade them with like them. They are minis of my rescued papers books, so they are full of all sorts of different papers.

My Other Favorite Piece of Art

A few months ago, I put my favorite piece of art on here. At the time, I only had one grandchild. Since then, I have been blessed with another. This is her. She turned 3 months old yesterday on her mother's birthday. We had quite the little party at Ajo Al's. Is she stinkin' cute or what?

California and Uh, sure, Jennifer, no problem!

So Jeane and I took a Girls Weekend Out trip over to California over the weekend. Good thing flights take only an hour or we couldn't have gone. Anyway, is it considered an illness when you spend 1/3 of all the money the entire trip cost in 20 minutes in one store? I did more damage in Urban Craft Center than all the rest of the stores combined for the entire weekend. And we shopped about 12 hours straight on one day. Sheesh. We were in a hurry to get to Kelly's class, and stopped on the way. We had 20 minutes before we had to be on the road again to be to her class in time. I don't think I have ever done something so crazy before, but it was the store of my dreams. It had all the little trinkets and stuff that stores that sell cool stuff and offer classes do, BUT it also had patterns for clothes and purses and fabric and OMG. It was not a chain store like Hobby Lobby or JoAnn. The classroom had Janome sewing machines in there. And a freaking library that you could use when you rent studio space. The combination was a dream. I told Kelly when we go next time, she can drop me off there and come back at the end of the day to pick me up. Jeane thinks we should get a hotel nearby and spend a week there like people at art retreats do. They have classes every day.
So I am trying to unwind from all the excitement of the trip when I come home and find the following letter in response to a chunky book I sent in roughly a year ago.

Hello Ladies,

Your Alphabet Chunky Collaborative Book has been selected to appear in the special book section of the winter 2010 issue of Somerset Studio Gallery. Can you please send me a type out of your instructions for the piece. If you could have them to me by June 18, 2009 that would be great.
Unfortunately, due to space limitation we were not able to use every letter, however the following letters have been selected.
Cover: Kelly Kilmer B: Terrill D: Beth F: Lisa J: Juana M: Marie N: Alyana (really Aiyanna) O: Julie S: Jane T: Jeane U: Maggie X: Kristine

Thank you,
Jennifer Jackson
Managing Editor
Stampington & Company
Somerset Studio Gallery™
www.stampington.com
No, Jennifer, Thank YOU, and consider your request done.

Update: Funky Fabric Journal of Hidden Spaces

So, the class is a go. It is going to be held at Frenzy Stamper in Scottsdale, AZ on July 25. There will be more information on the website there soon. I hope to see some of you in class!

Funky Fabric Journal of Hidden Spaces

So while Helen was over today making her first journal, I sat across the table and worked on a book for a class I might do this summer. There is room on every page spread plus the back cover to write on the fabric and/or pages, making it a real write in/on book. What you may not be able to tell in the photos is that the pages are sew together back to back on the bottom and sides but not the top which leaves a pocker, so more goodies like photos or other evidence can be added to this book. I would love to hear what you think about it. My blog does take anonymous comments, so you don't have to leave your name. I have taken the photos twice and am not entirely happy with them or my camera skills, but at least you can get an idea. And for any newbies our there ( I Love newbies!!!) if you click on a photo, you can get a closer up look at any page.

Farewell, Helen

Helen, one of the art teachers where I work, is heading home to St. Louis in less than a week, moving back, leaving us all very sad. She is one of those kinds of people that just don't come along that often. She is 5 feet of fun, bold red lipstick and a flower in her hair, sparkling eyes, gauged ears and colorful tatoos, like a smile and hug on two legs. She is the kind of person you want to be around. For one last "adventure," Helen is getting together with my daughter, Jeane, (who also knows her from work) and me to have some breakfast and hang out in the studio making journals. I made her this little going away gift as a surprise. Her internet was cut off yesterday so she won't know about this posting, but I think it is so her, and I hope she loves it. The little pin says "memento." They are kind of hard to see, but there are little tiny paper clips attached near the upper left. I photographed it on top of another one of my canvases. She said to me yesterday, "I bet you don't know many Helens." Nope. Especially not like this one. Farewell, Art Friend. I hope we cross paths again.

in progress...

So midweek when stress was high at work, I stayed up late to paint some fabric, and here is what I have so far. I started with a great big piece of canvas and did three different things on it. I am still looking at the paint on the other two sections and deciding where to go, but this one was screaming for attention, so I have gotten a little farther. After painting, I drew on it and then stitched on the drawing. It is talking again today, so it is only a matter of time until I get back to it for the next steps. I wish I had made a larger piece of this.