Creative Crone from studio Q

The Versatile Log Cabin

2012-02-15T11:53:00.001-06:00

Several years ago I acquired a paper pieced pattern from someone...can't even remember who! And when I decided to follow the Scrappy Challenge, last month being red, I chose to make up these squares...each being a 2" square and a total of 36. While deciding which layout to use, I remembered why I love the log cabin! It is such a versatile block...these are just a few of the layouts you can use. I know Flavin Glover

uses the log cabin in many of her quilts. If you are not familiar with her (and who isn't) check out her website...fascinating!!!

The layout I chose..adding a black border..total size w/ border 18" square.

Now I just need to decide how to quilt it...I am a little late for the Scrappy Challenge by a couple of weeks...this month is green. Maybe I can get green done in time for St. Pat's Day in March!!!

Challenge #58-Diamonds

2012-02-13T19:30:00.004-06:00

Challenge #58- Diamonds

"It's Valentine's Day..

An occasion to show love.

Should be every day!"

This week, the Diva gave us the challenge of Diamonds to bring awareness to The Four Diamond Fund. If you click on the link, you will find the meaning of the fund...very touching cause!! I had started my ZIA yesterday with the idea of using it for a Valentine....I had done the heart shape and the Sanibelles (last week's challenge which I really like doing) then this morning got on line to see what the Diva had cooked up for us!! That is when I added the Diamonds. The Diva got the subject for her challenge from Diana Hirsch who has been involved in the Four Diamonds for quite some time.

This is the earliest I have ever posted a zentangle challenge tile, so time permitting, I may get another one in of this chosen design!!

Challenge #57-UMT -Sanibelle

2012-02-10T10:48:00.002-06:00

Challenge #57 Sanibelle

The Diva's zentangle challenge for this week is created by Tricia Faraone and is named "Sanibelle". The feathery, leafy design is the zentangle chosen. The rest is just what happened as I doodled. And the UMT stands for Use My Tangle.
My haiku to accompany this design is:

"Tricia's Sanibelle

An unplanned evolution.

Leaves, twigs and a nest!"

block for january

2012-02-09T17:12:00.001-06:00

block for january, a photo by arts1plus on Flickr.

Here is one thing I finished this week....my Internet BOM...using the Moda fabric I won a couple years ago from Quilting Arts at the International Quilt Show in Houston.

It Came in the Mail!

2012-02-08T22:28:00.002-06:00

A Book from Julie Waldmann

A couple of weeks ago, i was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Julie Waldmann who was notifying me that I was the winner of her latest giveaway. And today, this beautiful book came in the mail! Now, I do not usually work in reproduction fabrics, but this year, my guild has chosen the theme for our annual quilt show "Memories" and the focus is on '30's fabrics. I volunteered to be in charge of the Members Challenge Quilt so I think this book will come in very handy!!! There is also going to be an apron challenge and this book just happens to have an apron pattern!

Although I did not do the "15 Minute Challenge" this week, I did actually get quite a bit of time to spend in my studio. So I guess I will repost the logo for this challenge and at least post what I can, when I can....starting next week! And I will have a zentangle challenge to post this week also..I missed last week's from the Diva.

Zentangle-HH (Harris Hospital-6th floor)

2012-02-05T19:20:00.002-06:00

Zentangle-HH (Harris Hospital-6th floor), a photo by arts1plus on Flickr.

Last week, I spent several days in a hospital room, watching my husband improve from surgery. We are home now and he is almost back to normal. While there, I kept from going stir crazy by working on a zentangle...this is my creative representation of the hospital, 6th floor...tubes and all...by way of a ZIA!
Another product that helped my sanity was my Kindle Fire. I just got it for Christmas and I love it. I'm not big on cell phones except in emergencies; and I don't have a fancy phone or plan whereby I can take pictures or instantly post on Facebook, but I discovered I can do a great deal on my Kindle if I am in an area with WiFi. The hospital (which I imagine is pretty common any more) has a guest connection. So I could surf, check my emails, send emails, etc....and I had a book at hand and could down load some tv shows!! What a world we live in!!! I love most of the technology....my mom who has been gone nearly 18 years would also have loved it all...my dad, gone fourteen years, would have hated it!!!!!

New Color Palette Challenge

2012-02-03T19:35:00.001-06:00

The New Color Palette Challenge for February

Vicki Welsh has a beautiful website and is the host of the monthly Color Palette Challenge. Here are the colors for the month of February. Aren't they luscious!!!

I have had to kind of drop out of a couple of challenges you might remember from my side bar, but this is one that I hope to continue. A few others that I am going to try to continue with are the Sketchbook Challenge, the Diva's zentangle challenge, the Bloggers BOM, and the Scrappy monthly color challenge. On the last one, I had almost finished my "red" challenge scrappy, but ran out of time (or month) to publish so I will continue to work on it as an UFO. This month's color is "green" so maybe I can get it done during this month. Most of these are just fun to do for me and keep me mentally and creatively challenged. The final products will probably end up in my guild's silent auction at our annual Quilt Show.

I have been keeping up with all the todo with the Komen/Planned Parenthood debacle! My kids and I have done the Race for the Cure for about 15 years now. I had a bit of a dilemma whether to continue this year or not, but as the Komen organization changed their stance on the withdrawal of funds to PP, my dilemma is solved and I will be joining them this spring!

I Feel Like a Winner!!!

2012-01-31T11:35:00.023-06:00

Lucky me!!!

I received this lovely little quilt about three weeks ago from a fellow blogger, Pat West. This generous lady randomly gives away her creations to those who follow her blog. And this time I was the lucky one!! She had emailed me to ask what were some of my favorites and then she sent this to me! If you link to her blog you will see what else she is up to...I was also lucky enough to receive a few of her snowflakes!! I am sure they will be a beautiful accent to a future art quilt of mine!!
Also in the past week, I have received the center block for me to add a border to from the Cotton Robin Challenge which I am doing. I wish I could show the block because it is really neat, but the project is a secret to the original maker until they get their finished quilt back!
And after a very rough week of hospital stays with my husband (who is now home and doing great!) I had a stellar day Sunday!! My husband took the upward turn that got him dismissed........As I was leaving the hospital parking garage, the attendant at the toll booth waved me through, telling me that the guy in front of me had paid my fee (a Random Act of Kindness!).....and when I got home, I had an email from Floribunda Quilts that I am the winner of her book giveaway!!! She is the person who is monitoring the Cotton Robin Challenge.

Challenge #55- Moebius Trip

2012-01-30T21:21:00.002-06:00

Challenge #55- Moebius Trip, a photo by arts1plus on Flickr.

I didn't get this posted last week because I have been rather busy with some health issues with my husband...but we are on the road to recovery now so I am back in action.

This challenge by the Diva is Moebius Trip in honor of the Moebius Awareness Day which was January 24, I think. One of the Diva's adorable boys has Moebius Syndrome so I wanted to help her with the awareness. This link will take you to her blog when she explains about the syndrome and how it affects her little guy...very touching!

Zentangle challenge #54-Purple Haze

2012-01-21T15:10:00.002-06:00

Zentangle Challenge # 54-Purple Haze (and my haiku)
"The color Purple
Stands for creativity,
Royalty, magic!"
The Diva is back...I somehow missed #53, but for Challenge # 54, the topic is using the color Purple. This is one of my favorite colors so I would like to share the color meaning with everyone by clicking on the link.

I am still working on this Picture thing with Flickr so bare with me. I haven't figured out how put more than one picture at a time on my blog but I'll keep plugging along!

Sketchbook Challenge Jan.2012

2012-01-20T22:12:00.002-06:00

Sketchbook Challenge "Doodle" January, 2012

The Sketchbook Challenge "Doodle" was certainly right up my alley!! Doodling is what I do a lot of!!

I had started this in a new sketchbook I bought myself for Christmas...I was in a doctor's office waiting for my husband to get through with some testing...and it just grew from there. Looking forward to the next month's challenge. Another Zentange challenge is in the works. The Diva who challenges us, took a few weeks off but came back on line this week with a challenge..."Purple Haze"...I have it finished and will post it tomorrow.

Today was my guild's monthly meeting... We had a huge crowd...the weather is really nice now...was 81 today! Hard to believe it is January....this is really warm even for Texas! Anyway, Susan Cleveland was our speaker...very entertaining and talented. She is from Minnesota so we loved her accent and she said she loved ours! Check out her website .....she has lots of really beautiful quilts to show us and many interesting techniques to share. Those who took her workshop yesterday said it was one of the best they have ever had! Sorry I missed it.

I can't remember if I have mentioned that I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas....I LOVE it!! I am becoming kind of APPS crazy! Fortunately for my pocketbook, there are a lot of free ones out there. Having the Kindle for reading is pretty nice too, but I like it every bit as much for the access to the Internet.

Protest SOPA

2012-01-18T10:54:00.000-06:00

I have been looking into this bill before Congress and offer this link to anyone reading this for information on who is for and who is against the bill - S. 98:The Protect IP Act (PIPA). I have mixed feelings, of course, because I don't want the entertainment world to get ripped off, but I don't want censoring to become a problem with internet use. From what I have read, this bill could create censorship problems for all. I am traditionally a fence sitter on most political issues but I decided to take a stand on this topic.

And I was going to post my Sketchbook Challenge pic that I had posted to the Challenge Flickr group, but remembered that in protest today, I am blacking out some of my Flickr pictures! So later on that!

15 Minute Challenge Report!

2012-01-16T18:11:00.000-06:00

Last week I was able to get in sewing at least for 15 minutes almost every day:

Finished Color Challenge Block
Finished background for Misty Fuse
Finished and mailed off my Round Robin quilt
Working on my Misty Fuse quilt.
Cleaned out my scrap bins....gave away/threw away and kept to use
Started on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge Block for January

Final Block for Color Palette Challenge

2012-01-14T22:45:00.003-06:00

Color Challenge Block 24" x 24"

After trying a few pattens, I settled on this block from a design by Bonnie K. Browning-"Color My World". There are many ways to move the blocks around to create different patterns and this is my final decision on which to use.
I still cannot download from my photos on my computer, but did discover that I can down load pictures off of my Flicker account. It is a little more time consuming but at least I can show some things this way!!
We attended our granddaughter's High School Swimmeet this morning...she, of course, did wonderfully!!! And we got to see the grandson while he was practicing at the same pool...such talented young people!!! All the kids....not just my grands! A real pleasure to see them in action.
I am working on a fusible landscape using Misty Fuse. I am thinking of entering it in the Misty Fuse contest. I had picked up a little flyer about the contest at their table at the Houston International Quilt Show last November. Of course the deadline is tomorrow so I may not quite get it finished in time....Queen of the Last Minute Projects, that's Me!!!!

Finally, A Little Winter....and Rain!!!!

2012-01-09T20:00:00.004-06:00

Fabric for the Color Challenge-January 2012

I am working on a pattern by Bonnie K Browning "Color My World" for my Color Palette Challenge.

Today was the first meeting of the Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild board of which, as librarian, I am a member...new officers, new budget, lots of new ideas!! Way to start the new year!

Tomorrow, back to sewing....I have a couple of challenges just about ready to post!! If I can get my pictures to work on my blog, that is!!! I still need help with that!!

One of my fellow guild members, Donna Keating, has two months on the about.com calendar for 2012. All the quilts are very nice, and Donna should be complemented for having hers chosen....and TWO at that!!

The weather finally took a wintery turn today...and with rain!!! Much needed so I won't complain too much!

Help!!!

2012-01-09T08:50:00.000-06:00

This is what is happening when I try to download pictures from my IPhoto on my computer. I have asked "blogger" for help but didn't get any thing from them. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to get photos downloaded????? I used to be able to get them on my blog easily and I can still get them on other documents, etc.

And One More Challenge!

2012-01-06T18:38:00.000-06:00

If you look to my sidebar, you will see a Challenge...15 Minute Challenge...button. I think this is a good idea...gives me focus and credibility to what I have accomplished in a week...I noticed that, although it says "15 minutes of sewing", those participating did much more than just sew. I plan to use the Challenge as a means of a weekly summary...on all art work that I do...from the preparing to the finished project!

This week I have:

finished and mailed my Cotton Robin (internet round robin) block
picked out my fabric for the Color Palette Challenge...and the block I plan to do with the fabrics chosen
downloaded a software program with which I can keep track of my quilts, projects, etc....a virtual record called Quilt Album. I got the information from Vicki's website and if you order it by January 12, you can get a code from her January 4 blog for $10.00 off the cost
added pictures from trips to my Kindle Fire (a Christmas gift I just LOVE)
made a small scrap quilt from the fabric left over from my round robin

Some of these were more than one day, but all in all I did do something everyday!!! Probably more than 15 minutes!!!

And...I had the nicest email from Pat of 501 Quilt Blocks who has chosen me to be a recipient of a gift from her!!! How exciting is that? Check out her blog to see how this came to be!

New Addictions

2012-01-04T22:39:00.039-06:00

I think I am addicted to Internet Challenges!! I have discovered so many very cool ones that I think would be fun to do...actually I am challenging myself...there is no competition involved. A couple of them have "prizes" for posting, but the prizes albeit some pretty nice ones, are selected at random...so not a competition.

BOM #4-December

The BOM challenge is a challenge in which a new pattern by a different quilter is given out each month. The quilters are using fabric by Kaffe Fassett which is really lovely, but I have this Moda fabric I had won a couple of years ago I am using...have done 4 so far.

The Color Palette Challenge is a new one whereby a palette is chosen each month and Vicki offers a class each Friday using the palette. Here is the palette for January:

And I think I am going to participate in the Free Motion Quilting Challenge as it is a learning experience too, and the Sketchbook Challenge for 2012, and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2012....also continuing with the Diva's Zentangle challenge. None of these are too time consuming and yet should keep me challenged to grow in my creative endeavors!!!!

Day Two

2012-01-02T22:19:00.001-06:00

Today I made my block for the Internet Round Robin I have signed up for. I need to get it mailed off tomorrow to be "official". Then in a few weeks, I will get someone else's block...add a border....then send it off to someone else for another border...I will receive another one...etc. until I get mine back! We are not to post pictures of what we are working on it its entirety so it will be a surprise.
The Diva is taking a few weeks off from the Zentangle challenges so I have improvised my own challenge! I am doing the Alphabet with the zentangle designs inside each letter with patterns starting with that letter.
This year I have decided to join a class called "One Little Word". It is sponsored by a website Ali has established for many creative classes and ideas. I didn't realize that the main focus on the site is scrapbooking which I am not into in a big way, but I do like journaling and that seems to be a secondary emphasis...and I love words so the title of this workshop is what caught my eye.
My word for the year is NATURE! I don't know for sure what we are going to do with one word all year..."lessons"/ideas will be forth coming. But until that happens, I am going out on a limb on my own and begin:
Definition: (a noun)
Origin: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin-natura from natus, past participle of nasci-to be born
First use: 14th Century
1. The inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing .
2. a. A creative and controlling force in the universe.
b. An inner force or the sum of such forces in an individual.
3. a kind or class usually distinguished by fundamental or essential
characteristics.
4. The physical constitution or drives of an organism.
5. A spontaneous attitude (as of generosity)
6. The external world in its entirety.
7. a. Humankind's original natural condition.
b. A simplified mode of life resembling this condition.
8. The genetically controlled qualities of an organism.
9. Natural scenery.

Nature...at its best!!!

Day One

2012-01-01T21:52:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve with almost all our family....our McKinney daughter had plans with friends, but the other daughter, grands, inlaws, etc came out to our house for a casual dinner and fun and games. They had all just gotten back from a cruise in the Carribean...celebrating the 50th anniversary of the in laws so we got to see their beautiful and funny pictures!! They all had a great time....we stayed home and took care of their dog...(see Christmas blog!)

Today..a quiet day...a day to contemplate the coming year...goals to set..accomplishments to be made...new things to attempt...here are a few goals I am going to strive for:

Dye fabric this spring (I have had the materials to do so for about three years!)
Do silk painting (again, have the needed materials...just the ol' 'roundtoit!)
Finish about five UFO's
Continue with the Round Robin Challenge
Keep doing the Internet BOM
Make the Scotties for all the Dodds'-side children
Make the quilt for our bed
Make the quilt with my mom's embroidered birds
Get items ready for the Senior Fall Fair

And I am sure there are more...but that looks like a doable list...IF I get busy!!!!!

And today, I worked on the block to send off to the Round Robin...I really like my pattern and fabric that I have chosen. Then I measured what the final size will be and discovered it will be about three inches too big!!! The center block to send out is to be no more than 9" and mine measures a little over 12"!!! I still have the same fabric and another idea that I think will work well...so tomorrow...back to the drawing board!! And I can always use the first block for something!

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-01T01:07:00.000-06:00

My first blog of the new year....family just left...did a partial cleanup/ will finish tomorrow!!! It is 1:03 AM...I am finishing my glass of sparkly and am heading to bed. Later today...after I get up.....I will write more of my goals and aspirations for the new year!!

Almost a New Year

2011-12-30T20:13:00.000-06:00

Today, the 30th of December is New Year's Eve Eve...we are having some family and friends in tomorrow night so I was doing some cooking today...We are having a casual meal..soup and sandwiches, chips/queso, veggie platter, and cookie tray. I decided to make a few bar cookies...blonde brownies, magic bars, and lemon bars....oh, and I have the kids decorated sugar cookies that I had frozen at Christmas to have for New Year's.

So I am just a cooking fool...got all my stuff together...got one batch in the oven, start on my lemon bars. Got the first layer done and on the pan...I start to beat the eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar...going good...but my filling layer is just a little too thick..Now I haven't made lemon bars for quite awhile but the directions say, after the ingredients are mixed POUR onto the bottom layer! Well, there is no way this filling will POUR so I decide to add another egg...still just getting thicker and stickier...okay, let's try another egg...hm-m-m-m, not much difference....let's add some lemon juice..after all, these are LEMON Bars! Okay, that is a little better..still pretty thick..I can't POUR but I may be able to SPREAD the filling on...Just as I start to dump the filling on the bottom layer, a really loud bell goes off in my head!!! Mystery solved!! Do you know how much alike white flour and powdered sugar look when in the same type of clear plastic containers?

I just so happened to have enough ingredients to make a new filling for the lemon bars. Baked them and then made the magic bars...all is well that ends well!!! Then I look at that mass of cream cheese, 4 eggs, and two cups of flour...another light bulb...I hate to waste all that....so I add other stuff like sugar, baking powder, vanilla etc...spread some coconut on top and baked those suckers!!! Who knows, I may have created a whole new wonderful cookie bar...worthy of the local paper's Christmas cookie contest...or not!!!!

Happy Anniversary to Me and Mine!

2011-12-29T20:16:00.000-06:00

Forty-eight years ago today my husband and I were married in the Catholic church which I attended from birth to age 23. We had a modest but formal wedding...a lovely reception at the local Country Club (a remodeled farm house at the edge of an apple orchard/nine hole golf course)...and a very short honeymoon in the big city of St. Louis. We were both from rural communities...one in Illinois (mine) and his in Missouri, so St. Louis was a big deal for us then!!! I had taught for one year in the Kansas City, Missouri area and he was in the Air Force so had seen a little bit of the "world"....San Antonio, Texas and Reno, Nevada so we weren't just total greenhorns!!

After our wedding, we headed to Nevada where he was stationed...within six months we were on our way to Anchorage, Alaska for two years...stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base. And within another seven months we were proud parents of our first daughter...It is a good thing the young and dumb have no idea what they are getting into!!! But...now, 48 years, several moves, another daughter, a terrific son-in-law and two perfect grandchildren later....we would not change one thing!!!!

We are looking forward to the next....well, probably not 48, but maybe another 28!!!!

The Day After Christmas and all thru the House....

2011-12-26T18:04:00.000-06:00

We spent a wonderful weekend with our daughter at her house...she cooked for us..entertained us..and treated us quite royally!!!! We had taken our other daughter's dog with us as they were out of town for Christmas...the D. we visited has a young (not quite a year old) very lively puppy and the dog we are taking care of is getting pretty old! So it was an adventure to see how they reacted to each other...one very exuberant and the other quite grouchy!!! In fact the older one was pretty traumatized for the first day and a half!! But they finally somewhat tolerated each other...and made for a few funny moments!

Our daughter is a wonderful cook...albeit new at the whole thing...She fixed a delicious pork roast and all the fixin's for our Christmas dinner. And I had already told her and my husband they would have to play games with me...that is how we spend Christmas when all together!! So Christmas Day evening, the D. hooked up her Wii..and we discovered that I am a digital super athlete!!! We played bowling, frisbee, and basketball and I kicked butt...beat both of them to pieces!!!!

So now we are home...the old dog is very happy to have her quiet space...we are 'way too stuffed...and looking forward to our own bed..I guess we are like the old dog in that respect!!!! Great to go but also great to get home!!!

Still having trouble downloading pics!!!!

Challenge # 52: The Gift

2011-12-23T11:23:00.000-06:00

This week the Diva's challenge is to make a Zentangle tile and then to give it away. My tile will be mailed to one of my blog friends, a lady whose blog I follow and enjoy very much! Because I want my tile to be a surprise to her, I am not going to tell who I am sending it to until next week.

"Giving is Pleasure.

No matter how large or small,

The thought is the gift.

Merry Christmas to all...I hope everyone enjoys the holiday in anyway you choose...be it with family and friends, at home or far away, I wish you happiness!!

Been away too long!!!

2011-12-22T21:39:00.001-06:00

Our modem went out last Thursday, a week ago tomorrow....I didn't realize how much I missed being on line until I was without!!! I admit it..I am a total Internet addict and that is OK!!! As long as I still have the "strength" to walk away or not even get on until evening, I am still "in control"!!!

So....a quick update on what's been going on in my life...Last Friday was Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild Christmas party...we don't have a speaker at the December meeting...just tons of great food; a fantastic show and tell; lots of laughs and fun! I finished my Medallion quilt so I took it to show. I need to get a sleeve on it so I can hang it. I did a bit different facing than I usually do and I really like it....I am sure I will use it many times at least on small quilts.

Tuesday: The grands came out to do our annual cookie decorating...they left most of them here for me to freeze and have for New Year's Eve when almost everyone will be here. Then Tuesday night, Dick and I did a little early anniversary celebrating. Our anniversary isn't until next week, but we wanted to see the Lyle Lovett concert which was last night. So we ate out and went to the concert. We had real "nose bleed" seats....we were in the top balcony in the top row of seats. But the acoustics at the Bass are so fantastic, and with out binoculars, it seemed like the much closer!!

Today, I finally caught up with the BOMs that I have been doing....this one for November. But at least I got it out before the December pattern is issued. Check out the BOM logo on my side bar.

I am trying to download pics of my quilts but something is not working for some reason.

Too many good eats!!!!!

2011-12-11T17:59:00.000-06:00

This morning we went with our neighbor's to our favorite Brunch Place...Blue Mesa in Fort Worth! Yummmy!!!! The best salmon, salsa, eggs of any kind, ham...and mimosas! I could go on but don't want to make you all too envious!

Then this afternoon Open House at a different neighbors...we all take turns hosting...everyone takes a goody to share and cookies for a cookie exchange...again..Yummmmmmy! I was still so full from brunch though that I wasn't able to thoroughly enjoy all the open house offerings so I had to bring a "take home" bag with me!!

And another little Advent trivia to share....

The Lights of Christmas

The most obvious symbol of Christmas are lights – Christmas candles, window lights, luminaries, lights on the Advent Wreath and Christmas tree. All signifying that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.

Challenge # 51-"Fife"

2011-12-10T10:30:00.000-06:00

The Diva's challenge for this week is "Fife". It is a zentangle pattern by Molly Hollibaugh and while deciding what to do with it after I drew my string, I was looking through patterns on Linda Farmer's website to get some ideas and ended up using all "F" tangles! So I included the names of all them in my Haiku. Now for you non-tanglers out there...the names of patterns are kind of like abstract art...sometimes only the artist who created them knows for sure what the meaning of the title is!! You just have to interpret the meaning for yourself!!

Challenge # 51-"Fife"

" The Challenge is "Fife".
Finery and Florz and Fluke
Fill my tangled tile!"

And while doing this challenge and looking at all the patterns out there...I have decided to challenge myself with doing each of them in Linda's list, alphabetically. I am toying with a tile per letter...this is just my head talking...no decisions made yet!!

I also have joined a "round robin" quilt swap which I am excited about. It is under the direction of Floribunda Quilts. And I have a big "well...duh!" to my credit. This morning I was cruising through her blog and was reading some of her older entries when I came upon an entry that told of a swap quilt she had sent to......ME! I don't know why I did not make the connection before...chalk it up to senility, I guess!!

Swap Quilt from Floribunda....Isn't it great!!!!

And now I need to close and get busy on my Medallion Quilt...getting really close to the finished project!!

This is my completed medallion...working on getting it on a background and getting it all quilted!

Merry, merry!

2011-12-09T22:52:00.005-06:00

Christmas is fast approaching and I am actually almost through with shopping! I have my Christmas cards all addressed and ready to go..then realized I have no stamps! And living out in the boonies, I can't (or won't) dash into town to get some! So they will have to wait until Monday to go out but that is still much earlier than my usual Post Christmas mailing!

Decorating was a breeze as we didn't put up a tree since we are going to the daughters' for Christmas....and didn't put up my one thousand and one Santas (maybe a slight exaggeration)...and haven't decorated cookies with the grands yet..but that may still happen as they have one more week of school. Just have to do the wrapping, get stocking stuffer things, and I'm good!!!

My granddaughter announced her college decision over Thanksgiving...she will be attending University of Texas at Austin. She applied to and was accepted by three colleges...UT, A&M and Tech...and UT won her over. Her paternal grandad is Delighted!!! He is a BIG alum and football fan; this is his third grandchild to go to college and the first to pick UT!

Busy week coming up: Sunday: brunch with the neighbors; Neighborhood open house; Monday: finish shopping; Tuesday/Wednesday: wrap and do some cooking; Thursday: table to decorate for the guild Christmas party; Friday: the party itself....and we always have a big show and tell so I am trying to get my "Larkin Van Horn Medallion Quilt" finished to take...so better go get busy!

One more little Advent trivia:

ADVENT HOUSE

This is a popular rendition of the Jesse Tree and is usually purchased in a religious goods store. It has windows to be opened each day during Advent, each displaying a feature of the coming of the Christ Child. On December 24 the door is opened, revealing the Nativity scene.

Advent and More

2011-12-06T20:01:00.000-06:00

JESSE TREE

During Advent, biblical persons representing the ancestors of Jesus, either in faith or bloodline, are gradually added onto a tree or branch, named after the father of David. The symbols such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesse, David, Solomon, Joseph and Mary can be drawn, cut out or purchased.

This Advent tradition is a new one to me. But I think it is pretty neat so I am including it in my Advent Info.

One of the blogs I follow had a really neat 3D paper Christmas ornament. I think a lot of these patterns could be made from fabric also. On the way to that site I found another one that has gobs of how to's. Just click on the following and it should take you to that site.... paper 3D snowflake .

Challenge #50: Biggity

2011-12-03T12:41:00.000-06:00

This week the Diva challenged us to draw BIGGER....to take tangle patterns that we liked and to enlarge them..taking us out of our comfort zone, so to speak! I decided to take a completed tile and crop off a corner, then replicate much larger! I liked this challenge as it did make me use some techniques that I had not used for awhile.

The original tile

The enlarge drawing of a cropped corner..BIGGITY!!

"Is bigger better?

No, bigger is just different.

Big or small...your choice!"

Advent Adventure Continues

2011-12-02T21:07:00.000-06:00

ADVENT WREATH

"Customarily the Advent Wreath is constructed of a circle of evergreen branches into which are inserted four candles. According to tradition, three of the candles are violet and the fourth is rose. However, four violet or white candles may also be used” (Book of Blessings 1510).
The rose candle is lit the third Sunday of Advent, for this color anticipates and symbolizes the Christmas joy announced in the first word of the Entrance Antiphon: "Rejoice" (Latin, Gaudete). For this reason the Third Sunday is also called Gaudete Sunday, and rose color vestments are permitted.

The Advent Wreath represents the long time when people lived in spiritual darkness, waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the Light of the world. Each year in Advent people wait once again in darkness for the coming of the Lord, His historical coming in the mystery of Bethlehem, His final coming at the end of time, and His special coming in every moment of grace.

During Advent, family and friends can gather around the Advent Wreath lighting the appropriate candle(s), read from the daily Advent meditation and sing songs. The Church's official Book of Blessings also provides a blessing ceremony for the advent wreath which can be used in the absence of a priest.

Advent

2011-12-01T23:07:00.000-06:00

An Advent calendar is a special calendar that counts and celebrates the days of Advent in anticipation ofChristmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, while others contain more secular content. The tradition of the Advent calendar has existed in some form since the middle of the 19th century. For Christians all over the world, the Advent calendar has been used as a devotional tool to countdown the days of the Advent season that culminates with the celebration of the birth of Christ. Advent calendars have commonly been used for the education and entertainment of children, with daily scriptural readings that sometimes come with a chocolate treat.

I was raised Catholic and although I am not as avidly religious as I was as a child, there are a few things about the Church I still like...one of the celebrations I like is the Season of Advent....Christmas should mean so much more than just shopping!! So my next few blogs are going to be associated with Advent...history of, symbols of, etc...maybe even a Zentangle or two thrown in!!

ADVENT

The word Advent is from the Latin adventus for "coming" and is associated with the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Advent always contains four Sundays, beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, (November 30) and continuing until December 24. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.

Since the 900s Advent has been considered the beginning of the Church year. This does not mean that Advent is the most important time of the year. Easter has always had this honor.

The traditional color of Advent is purple or violet which symbolizes the penitential spirit. Religious traditions associated with Advent express all these themes.

Challenge #49: Red Thread

2011-11-23T16:09:00.000-06:00

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break." -Chinese proverb

The Diva has a guest challenger this week, Chris Letoumea and her challenge is to do a zentangle using black and white with a Red Thread in honor of the Red Thread Promise which is a charitable organization benefiting the children of the world....very interesting website...Chris's and the "Red Thread". Check them out....

And because this week we here in the USA are celebrating Thanksgiving, my zentangle is of a turkey, using the good 'ol "trace the hand" technique, with the turkey's gobbler being my red thread!

Challenge # 49: Red Thread

"Annual traditions:
Families, feasting, football, fun!
Leftovers all week!!"

So HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!! I know mine are many!!!!!

Challenge #48: Tri-Shapes

2011-11-16T17:08:00.000-06:00

This week's challenge is given by a guest host on the Diva's website...Sue Clark. Her challenge is to use three basic shapes: a circle, a square, and a triangle for the strings and then create the zentangle....and an additional challenge is to use zentangle patterns that I have not used before. So the tangles I chose are: zuan shi, wisket, popsicles, and Queen's crown.

Challenge # 48: Tri-Shapes

"Circles, triangles
...and squares, oh my...basic shapes...
Ovals, rectangles!"

And, while surfing around from other bloggers' lists, I came across the BEST site for Zentangle patterns! TanglePatterns.com is a site that belongs to Linda Farmer. It had access to every zentangel pattern imaginable! And you can sign up for her newsletter to get new patterns as they are created. You can get to the creators' of many of the patterns, see their websites, blogs, examples, etc. Can you tell I am pretty enthused by Linda's site!!!! (Now, I am sure that many of you are already aware of it, but it is new to me!)

On a sad note, one of my favorite sites, 3 Creative Studios, is disbanning at the end of the year! I can understand their reason, but it is a site I have really enjoyed. I am sure the gals will succeed in all they do! (If you have not checked them out, you can still reach them from my sidebar of blogs.)

11-11-11

2011-11-10T22:18:00.000-06:00

Australian Poster

When I was little, my mom would quote "In Flanders Fields" to us on Veteran's Day; then known as Armistice Day. I really didn't give it much thought until this week's zentangle challenge by the Diva. So I did a little more research and discovered the following information:

Inspiration for “In Flanders Fields”

Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, 1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery. ⁽¹⁾

During the early days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2^nd May, 1915 in the gun positions near Ypres. An exploding German artillery shell landed near him. He was serving in the same Canadian artillery unit as a friend of his, the Canadian military doctor and artillery commander Major John McCrae.

As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for Alexis because the chaplain had been called away somewhere else on duty that evening. It is believed that later that evening, after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.

I love the poem and I loved when the American Legion would give out paper poppies. My dad was in WWII and we had a graveside military service for him when he passed away...gun salute and all. I still think this day is one of our most special days...but I don't think it gets the recognition it deserves. I will fly my flag and I will wear my flag T-shirt and I will re-read "In Flanders Field"...unlike my mom, I have not memorized it!

An Armistice Day poster

What I didn't realize was that the poem was written by a Canadian, and that other countries also commemorate a similar day until the Diva gave us her weekly challenge: "Lest We Forget". She writes some very interesting stuff on Canada's Remembrance Day.
In Canada there is the Royal Canadian Legion which is similar to our American Legion. And Scotland has a Poppy Day.

A Scottish poster I saw on the Internet

So with all that said and done...here is my Zentangle and accompanying haiku!

"Poppies in the fields.
All the crosses in a row.
Must NEVER forget!"

International Quilt Festival-Houston

2011-11-08T20:54:00.001-06:00

Well, I am recovered enough to do a little blogging! Andrea (my daughter who came to spend the night) and I had a great time in Houston at the quilt show. We did have a bit of a rocky start!! We needed to be in Arlington at 5:30 AM to catch the tour bus...and Saturday night was the time change from daylight to standard time. I changed my watch before I went to bed but left all the other clocks to deal with on Sunday (or let Dick mess with it while we were gone!) So we set the alarm in our room to go off at nearly 5:00AM which would be 4:00 real time. I knew we would need to leave by 4:45 to get where we needed to by 5:30. I woke up several times and everytime I looked at the clock, I would mentally subtract an hour. Then about what I thought was 3:00, I heard Andrea up getting ready to go. I thought "Oh, she has her time off!" and went back to sleep...When my alarm go off at ten til five (really ten til four) I got up...got ready to get in the shower, etc. Andrea knocks on my door and says, "Mom, we need to be leaving right now!!" I said, "Oh no, you have your time mixed up." So to convince her, I checked my watch but sure enough she was right!! Man, I cussed up a storm...brushed my teeth, threw on my clothes, grabbed my bag, jumped in the car, and drove like a bat out of Hell!!

Fortunately, there were not vey many people out at that hour! I tailed onto a pickup truck going well over the speed limit thinking the cops would stop them first!! And we arrived screeching into the bus lot right on time!!!! I called Dick to let him know we were there...he realized what had gone wrong...the clock-radio we use is relatively new and we did not know that it was a smart clock that would reset itself!!! I tell you..these new-fangled things will be the death of me!!!!!

Entering the George Brown Auditorium

One of the displays by the "12 x 12" gals

Wonderful thread art and dyeing

Love these cattails!!!

From the Nature group...such wonderful dimension!

Three dimensional houses by several artists

Created with white thread on black fabric

More thread painting

Gorgeous colors...great fabrics!

A closeup of a really neat quilt!

Isn't this just out of this world!!!

Taken from across the hall...The quilt in the center on the wall was done by a good friend of mine. It appears in the newest Texas Legacy Quilt Book....the whole exhibit is fabulous!!

It was a wonderful show....there were several exhibits that you couldn't take pictures of so this is a sampling of some of my favorites that I could take. I think this show had more of the "art quilt" variety that usual....maybe the genre is becoming more popular!!! Sure hope so!!!

Challenge # 46 All Hallow's Eve

2011-11-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

Since Monday (when the diva posts the new challenge for the week) was Halloween, the challenge was just that "All Hallow's Eve", the accurate name for the date. I wonder how many people really know the origin of Halloween...I heard a group on the tv saying they were campaigning to have the date changed to the last Saturday of October so the kiddies could stay out late and not have to worry about school the next day! That kind of messes up the real reason for Hallow's Eve! So I decided to bore everyone with the "real" story of Halloween! If you want to skip and go right to my new Zentangle just scroll down!

Halloween s origins go all the way back to Ancient times with the Celtic festival of Samhain. This was the Celt s version of a New Years Eve celebration honoring the end of summer and harvest time, and marking a period of cold, darkness, and death of winter. Celts believed that this end of the year time marked the time in which the barrier between the living and the dead became thin. On October 31st the spirits would come back from the dead and create havoc by damaging the crops with frost and causing a multitude of other troubles.

The Roman church soon enacted a holiday to detour the worship of spirits, and so proclaimed November 1st as All Saint s Day to honor the saints and martyrs of the church. This day was also known as All Hallows Eve. As the two religions began to mix much of the traditions of Samhain, such as dressing up in costumes and dancing around the fire, became one with All Hallows Eve to create Halloween.

Tradition has always been a part of Halloween from its very start. It s no wonder then that many of our traditions today came from this time period. An example of these traditions would be bobbing for apples. When Roman tradition mixed with Celtic tradition, so did their festivals. One festival near the time of Samhain was a day to honor the goddess of fruit trees, Pamona. Pamona is quite often symbolized as an apple, hence the modern day practice of bobbing for apples.

Trick or Treating is also a tradition of Halloween with early starts. Trick or Treating came from All Soul s Day parades in early England. The poor citizens of England would line up on the sides of the street as the richer members of the community paraded by and threw them pastries called soul cakes. The starving citizens would accept these cakes in exchange for praying for the richer class s dead family members.

Another tradition of Halloween is dressing up in costumes. This is another tradition that started in early England where citizens, knowing that Hallows Eve was a time for the spirits of their ancestors to come back and taunt them, would dress up in masks and costumes to keep the spirits from recognizing them.

# 46 All Hallow's Eve

"Scary Spider Webs...
Spirits roaming all around..
The Bewitching Hour!!

Little Quilt Swap #6

2011-10-31T18:15:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I posted about the "Little Quilt Swap" which is sponsored by Kate North from England....I have so enjoyed it that I am sure I will participate again. If any of my readers are interested, you can go to her blog or click on the logo on my sidebar.

This is the quilt I made for the swap and sent to Arkansas.

Today I mailed the little quilt that I had made to the person whom Kate sent to me. The recipient of my quilt lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. And when I got home, I was very pleasantly please to have gotten a quilt from Julie Waldman who lives in Oakland, CA!!! I LOVE my quilt...it is mostly (if not all) batiks...just beautifully designed and made!!

This is the beautiful little quilt I rec'd today from California!

My studioQ group met today. There were only seven of us present but we still had a great time! The gal who was to have it had to cancel at the last minute so we thought we had no where to meet...then one of the Q'ers came up with the idea of meeting at Cabbage Rose...a favorite quilt shop in Fort Worth which has several rooms for classes etc. and very nicely will let groups like us to use them. After our "show and tell" and catching up on news, we went to eat at the Flying Fish, right across the street for the Rose.

And...last but not least, my daughter and I are going to Houston Sunday for the International Quilt Festival. We are going by tour bus...it was a kind of last minute decision on our part...hoping that there were still some seats left to fill! And luckily, the lady in charge had three left and was delighted to sell off two of them!! I have been once before, but Andrea has not so it will be a full but fun day!!

Fall Festival Quilt Show Blog

2011-10-29T17:11:00.000-05:00

This is a new challenge/blog for me to be involved in...Amy's Creative Side is a very neat blog which sponsors a bloggers Quilt Show. Click on the above to see all the quilts posted "out there"...including this one which I am going to post....

Aurora Borealis

This wall hanging/quilt was my entry in my guild's show challenge. Each year Trinity Valley Quilter's Guild of Fort Worth, Texas holds a quilt show and each show has a member's challenge. This year our quilts were to be created with one "mystery" fabric. (the same for everyone) and to go along with the theme of using recycled material. There are five quilts chosen by the judges, no 1st, 2nd, etc...just equally given a ribbon and a cash prize....We had 35 entries this year and mine was one of the lucky ones...my fabrics were scraps from my husband's old ties, bridesmaids' dresses, mother-of-the bride dress, formals, Halloween costumes, and more. I did quite a bit of hand quilting and beading on the quilt practicing some of the techniques I recently learned from a class I took at Arrowmont.

Challenge # 45-Chainling

2011-10-27T20:01:00.000-05:00

This week the Diva's challenge is based on a zentangle from Rick and Maria named "Chaining". I had not done this one before....found it to be very fun..and somehow as I was working on it, the whole design became a pumpkin shape! Guess my subconscious realized it is fall/Halloween season!

Challenge #45: Chainling

"Pumpkin on the vine.
October is harvest time.
Fall is in the air!"

....and my accompanying Haiku!

Working on My Medallion

2011-10-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

Slowly but surely I am finishing my medallion that I started in the workshop I took last week. I have been thinking about the background for the wall hanging as I bead and have a pretty good idea what I want to do. Larkin also gave us some wonderful instructions on how to finish up the art work.

Day #1

Day #2

Day #3

Day #4

I really enjoy this process...as I learn, making a few mistakes...I am thinking of ways to improve, new ideas....This becomes.."can't wait to finish so I can start on a new one!!!"

In the meantime....our Texas Rangers are really doing great! They are now in St. Louis, ready to win the World Series with one game to go!! Then today's game was called because of rain....bummer! Oh, the tension grows!!

Challlenge #44 Inside/Outside

2011-10-23T12:19:00.000-05:00

Last Monday the Diva posted the new challenge...to create a tangle, then fill that tangle up with other tangles...very fun!!! Here is my effort and accompanying haiku!

Challenge #44 "Inside/outside"

"So many tangles!
Inside, outside, all around.
A fun tile to do!"

And I am continuing to work on my medallion for my art quilt from Larkin's class. Here is the start and what I have so far....this is a very slow, but gratifying, technique to work with.

Beginning of medallion

Second day..doesn't look like much....very slow!!!!

Fabulous Workshop!

2011-10-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

This week...busy week...I attended a two day workshop sponsored by my quilt guild. The artist who taught the class was Larkin Van Horn, a fabulous fiber artist whose current speciality is beading. Now her beading is not your everyday beading! Her work is simply out of this world. I had taken a class from her a couple of years ago and learned some very good basic skills...but what I learned this week was 'way beyond my expectations.

Here is just one example of her work...be sure to click on her name to go to her website and see more of her wonderful creations!!

A closeup of the above medallion.

And the very beginnings of my medallion!

At the beginning of the workshop, Larkin warned us to not expect to complete the beading and probably not the background. And she was right!! It is a very slow process but I really love it!!! I think I have a new addiction!!! I'll post progress as I go.

Tomorrow is our monthly guild meeting where Larson will speak to the entire membership present. Although I will be there and look forward to hearing her, I would really love to stay home and work on my medallion....maybe with cooler weather approaching I will feel like staying home and getting some of my projects done!!!!

Challenge # 43-Sunflower Fun-D

2011-10-12T18:15:00.000-05:00

This week the Diva posted the challenge a day late because Canada was celebrating Thanksgiving on Monday, October 10. Belated Thanksgiving, to my Canadian friends!

The Diva sometimes gets ideas for the challenges from fellow bloggers and this week's subject comes from the Republic of South Africa which supports a project to create awareness of leukaemia and bone marrow transfer. The Sunflower Fund is a nonprofit organization which I became aware of through the blog of Pennyb of Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa.

Challenge # 43-"Sunflower Fun" (d)

The Sunflower Fund
Share a little; Share a life!
Fight leukaemia!

Finally!!!!

2011-10-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

RAIN, BEAUTIFUL RAIN!!!! Finally we have rain...it started at our house about 7:00 last night and hasn't stopped yet...(9:30 AM). Two hours ago we had FIVE inches in our rain gauge...and still coming! And it has been a very gentle, steady rain...soaking into the ground not just running off!

Weekends activities have had to be curtailed....Rangers playoffs with the Detroit Tigers was delayed twice last night with the game finally ending after midnight...A Rangers' win, I might add!!!

We were at a marching band contest yesterday afternoon and saw the preliminaries. North Crowley Mighty Panther Band was selected to compete again in the final round in the evening...we left before that...and I am sure they were probably rained out. And it is hard to complain when we have so desperately needed rain.

Part of the French horn section standing at attention at beginning of show

A backdrop for the NC program "Medal of Honor"

The Mighty Panther Show "Medal of Honor" has a patriotic them, based on honoring our armed forces and fallen soldiers. Really good show!!!

Lots O' Challenges

2011-10-08T09:00:00.004-05:00

While we were out of town, the Diva posted several challenges that I missed out on....and when I returned I had immediate obligations and wasn't able to get to the topics of zentangles until this week!

Because of our drought, I began to think of what would I miss most if our house burned down. Although there are many irreplaceable things, I would hate to loose pictures, so I have been scanning pictures to my computer and putting them on an external hard drive. And while scanning, I have caught up with challenges! And my Haikus to go with...

Challenge #42-HOPE

"Hope Springs Eternal....
The start of a famous quote.
A word to live by!"

Challenge # 41: Duo Tangle:Jonqal/Opus

"Jonqal and Opus
What is black and white and 'read'?
It's a newspaper!"

Challenge #40: Pinwheels For Peace

"Make Pinwheels for peace.
I wish it were that easy.
Let's make love, not war!"

Challenge #39 "Love Is All You Need"

"Love is all you need.
Two hearts beating together.
Make the world go 'round!"

Challenge #38: Better Than A Pair of Ducks

"A Paradox, hm-m-m-m?
Looks like a party to me.
Let the good times roll!!!

Summer...Just Won't Go Away!

2011-10-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

I just listened to the weather forecast....we are still getting high 80's plus for temperatures and no real rain in the future. I guess it will be shorts for the football game tonight...Friday Night Lights! We aren't that interested in the games; we go for the half time show!!!! And tonight, both grands' bands will be taking the field!

I have this one Texas Sage that has never bloomed for me in the seven years I have had it. Now this year...when everything else is drying up and dying...it blooms!!! Guess it really is a "Desert" sage!!

Texas Sage-blooming in a drought period!!

What the majority of the yard/shrubs look like!!!

TVQG Show

2011-09-30T22:20:00.000-05:00

The Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild Annual Quilt show began today. We are in a smaller location which makes it seem a little crowded but still a very good show...great quilts and everyone seems to be having a good time with it.

I am so proud of studioQ!!! Those who had entries in the show really came out winners!! Of our 14 members, 8 had entered quilts in various categories and we rec'd a total of 13 ribbons...pretty good percentage!! Below see some of the entries...I haven't gotten pictures of all of them yet.

Heather Pregger

Bethany Rowland -Reed

My "Aurora Borealis"

My "Totem"

Kay Scheffer

both are Kay Scheffer's

Susan Garay

bottom one-Susan Garay

These are just a few of the "winning quilts"!!

Great Trip....Cooler Locations

2011-09-25T22:43:00.000-05:00

It has been so hot here in Texas that we decided to go North where it would be hopefully much cooler. We had always wanted to go back to Upper Michigan when we had come through there several years ago. So a couple of weeks ago, we took off...went up through Missouri to visit family then on to St. Paul MN to see some fabulous wood work at a museum there.

There was also a musical instrument museum in the same building which had some very interesting old phonographs and other things.

St. Paul is a lovely old city overlooking the Mississippi River. It had been a railroad town and has a wonderful model train museum. I am not usually into this type of museum but this one was close to our motel so we decided to take a quick look. But we really enjoyed it....done exactly to scale of the twin cities in the period around 1950's.

We ate at the famous Mickey's diner in downtown St. Paul....a very fun place because of the history and pretty good food to boot!

Then we drove to Munising, Michigan where we spent a couple of nights. The town is located right on the Upper Michigan peninsula on Lake Superior.....surrounded by many water falls and the "home base" of the Painted Rocks Park.

One of the falls we saw

And another fall.

It was raining and quite cold up there....especially since we coming from 110 degrees weather!!! We still got everywhere we wanted to go but had to wait a couple of days to get to take the boat tour of the Painted Rocks.

An arched rock on the Painted Rock tour.

From Munising we traveled to Sault Saint Marie to see the locks. Again a really great time...we not only saw several huge freighters go through the locks, we took a tour ourselves.

One of the gates of the locks on our tour boat. We are heading from Lake Huron to Lake Superior, the higher of the two....a great experience!!! The International Bridge is in the distance.

After leaving Sault Saint Marie, we drove to Mackinac City....staying there a couple of days...visiting Mackinaw Island and the fort one day....going over on a ferry and taking the carriage tour; our own walking tour afterwards.

Team of horses that pulled the carriages...no cars allowed on the island!

The Grand Hotel (where we didn't stay...way too expensive!!!)

From Mackinac, we went to Traverse City home of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes and other spectacular scenes! We really loved this area...on a drive up one of the peninsula on Lake Michigan, we saw barns with quilt blocks painted on the sides. Many of the blocks were symbolic of what the family stood for...like a totem pole.

Then we did another car tour on our own to the Sleeping Bear Dunes....very impressive!! The dunes were huge...created by wind and water...and constantly changing.

The whole trip was just one adventure after another...we met so many nice people everywhere we went and saw so many terrific things..from nature to museum...wonderful lighthouses; fantastic food...we even visited two Presidential libraries on our way home...Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids, MI and Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, IL.

I have relatives in Illinois so we spent a few days visiting with brother, cousins, niece and nephews...great time!! Now we are home and back to where I left off!! Quilt show is this coming weekend and I need to get my labels and my sleeves on my entries!!! Much as I loved the trip, I am glad to be home!

Swap quilt ready to go!

2011-09-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

This swap comes from Kate in UK....it is the 6th Another Little Quilt Swap, but the first one I have been involved in. After sending the picture to Kate, she will post all the entries; participants will go in and pick out their favorites and at some point in time, Kate will send addresses to mail the quilts. She somehow sorts out who wants what!!! I am looking forward to all the entries! I looked at the earlier swaps and the quilts are quite nice!
Here is my entry! And I have her logo for the swap on my sidebar if anyone is interested in looking at others.

"Monarchs" (because the focal fabric has Monarch butterflies on it!)

And for my grandson's 14th birthday, we all went to the Ripley's Believe It or Not/Wax Museum in Grand Prairie then to Medieval Times in Dallas for show and dinner. That was a blast!!! None of us had been there before so we thoroughly enjoyed it...from cheering for our Knight to eating with our fingers....much laughter!!!

Ripley's / Wax Museum

Medieval Times in Dallas

And I had to make him a Zentangle birthday card!!

Zentangle Challenge #37-"Kiss My Grids"

2011-09-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

This week's challenge is to do "tangles" that are based on grids...which many of them are. The Diva came up with the catchy title based on the old tv sitcom Alice (which comes from the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) when the waitress Flo would tell anyone off by saying "Kiss my Grits!" And being from Canada, the Diva didn't know for sure what grits were, but remembered the show from when she was a kid! Consequently, she received many comments with definitions of grits!!! Some pretty accurate..some 'way off base according to what I think grits are!! Here is my contribution and accompanying haiku!

"Kiss My Grids"

"A good play on words.
"Kiss my Grits" from Mel's Diner.
Seventies sit com!"

Sketchbook Challenge/studioQ

2011-08-30T22:51:00.000-05:00

As August is about to come to an end, I decided I had better get my Sketchbook Challenge entered on Flicker. The theme this month is "Everyday Things". Great little challenge in that the subject is SO broad...here is my entry:

Morning Ritual

Every morning, after we have had our walk and breakfast, my husband and I sit on the back porch and do crossword puzzles from the Star-Telegram. There are two smaller puzzles on a different page than the NYTimes puzzle....we usually don't even attempt that one as we would be all day trying to finish it!!!!

And yesterday, my studioQ bunch met here at my house...great meeting as usual! Several of the gals had wanted to do an activity on silk screen printing and although I had not done it for a few years, it is a medium that I love and had wanted to get back to again. So this gave me an excuse to get all the stuff out and create some of my own prints! Here are some pictures from our "Show and Tell" which we always have first before project time.

Heather's Latest...she uses a lot of her own dyed fabric.

Beth had more of her beautiful beaded spools to show.

Bethany was showing her painted fabric and some Christmas cards she made from it.

Susan has really been bitten by the Zentangle bug!

The start of our studioQ zentangle collage; a few tiles yet to be done.

Some of or silk screen endeavors!

Challenge Quilt...Completed!!!

2011-08-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

Our annual guild quilt show always has a themed challenge quilt for members only. It is an event I try to participate in as it is usually more of a nontraditional activity. This year, the theme is to create a quilt of any size, any pattern using "recyclable" materials and a "chosen" fabric. Anyone entering was given a fat quarter of a really not very pretty fabric with the instructions that any amount of it could be used, but it had to be obviously shown on the quilt!

My quilt is paper pieced patterns and I used all recyclable fabrics. The main fabric I used was from old ties that had been worn by my husband when he was a working man! I had saved MANY of his ties for years....some very colorful...very wide (think '70s). So after taking the ties apart...body and linings...I had quite a bit of fabric. I also used scraps left over from previous sewings...bridemaids' dresses, mother of the bride dress, Halloween costumes, formals, etc. It was really very fun to put it all together!

"Aurora Borealis" 36" X 48"

Close up with dangling beads

Close up showing tie fabric, velveteen fabric and satins

More ties, bridesmaids' dress fabric and mom of bride fabric and others.

More tie parts, beading and formal fabric.

Embroidery, more fabric for bridesmaid dresses.

More bridesmaid fabric, beading and embroidery.

Then I did a lot of embellishing with thread...embroidering...and beading. The fabric was very slickish so kind of hard to work with, but I like the results, albeit NOT traditional!

My next project is a swap quilt. I have a new badge on my blog, "Another Little Quilt Swap 6". You can click on it and it will take you to a very interesting blog belonging to the host of the swap.

Zentangle Challenge #36-Assunta

2011-08-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

This week the diva is back! She had a well deserved vacation with her family...great pictures of the little guys! And there is a new tangle design from Maria..."Assunta". She had visited the Cloisters in NYC and has created several tangles from that visit. So here, on a Tuesday....not Saturday! is my tile and haiku!

Assunta

"Maria's tangle.

Inspired by the Cloisters.

An Ancient Church Bench."

Now back to sitting under the fan and working on my challenge quilt!

Challenge #35-"Tile on a Tile"

2011-08-20T10:44:00.000-05:00

This week's challenge from the diva came from a guest artist, Margaret Bremner. She has several really cool tiles on her website as well as many new "tangles" so be sure to check her out! I really liked this challenge....and I think I have finally figured out how to download my pictures of tiles to look better. The notebook I am using to draw in has a really fat spiral and now that I am about half way thru it, my tiles seemed to be kind of fuzzy when I scan them...now I am taking them out of the sketchbook after I finish and they seem to reproduce clearer.

"Tile on a Tile"

"Just like life itself,

Growing, evolving, changing.

A tile on a tile!"

And now, I must go work on my challenge quilt for our guild show! I am doing a lot of hand quilting and embellishments which are time consuming, but enjoyable...I can get lost in doing something like this!

Good ending to a good week!

2011-08-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, we all got together at Andrea's for the August birthdays. We met the newest member of the family...her new puppy Leo. Leo was a lost doggie wandering around McKinney and was taken in by a friend of Andrea's who already has a couple of dogs. So Andrea decided to adopt him...he is really a sweet dog and has landed in a very nice home...she will really do him right!!! He is probably a mix; one of Andrea's friends saw his picture on her FB and thought he looked like a Pharoah Hound (I thought they were saying "feral" hound) ! Having never heard of this breed I had to look it up and sure
enough...there is such a breed and he really does look like a small version!!

Then yesterday, we went to the movie with both grands... a final summer event for us with them....saw "Cowboys and Aliens"! A scifi movie with Harrison Ford and Daniel Crag so what is there not to like! Then out to a late lunch at Cotton Patch. Kathleen had to go to band practice but Colin came home with us and spent the night.

Today, Trinity Valley Quilter's Guild met this morning. We didn't have a speaker today; instead we had "Christmas in July", whereby a few of us demonstrated various activities to the rest of the members. I had decided to show how to put together several Christmas Cards, using fabric and other techniques. Here's a couple of the Zentangle cards I demo'd.

After I got home, Colin's mom had come out to get him and we all had lunch together.

So...Friday finished the week off very enjoyably!!!! If it would only cool down, life would be perfect!!!!!!!!!

Zentangle Challenge #34-Opposites Attract

2011-08-13T17:38:00.000-05:00

Curved string/straight tangles

Straight string/curved tangles

My Haiku to honor "Opposites Attract"

"Curved string, straight tangle

New Challenge from Christina

Straight string, curved tangle!"

This week's challenge came from Christina aka stART, a talented lady who has hosted the diva's challenges before...very successfully, I might add! This fun challenge was to do two things: one tile is drawn with a curved "string" and using only straight lines for the "tangles". The second tile is to use a string drawn with straight lines and using only curved lines for the tangles. One could choose to do either challenge but as I did both and couldn't decide which I liked better, I am posting both!

Now, looking forward to Monday to see what new challenges lie ahead!! AND...we actually got RAIN today at our house...It rained lightly for several hours this morning; not nearly enough but wonderful to get!!! It is amazing how a little cooler weather (89.6F) and a little moisture helps everyone's mood!!!!

Another Museum Day....and still HOT!

2011-08-09T20:01:00.000-05:00

Temperature at 3:30 PM.....112!!!

Hey Mom..no cavities!! A visit to the dentist for a checkup...great teeth and all my own (with a few crowns!!) So after our dental visit, we treated ourselves to a nice lunch at Hofbrau's and a visit to the Kimbell Art Museum...one of our favorites!

The current exhibit, soon to be gone, is a Picasso and Braque on Cubism. Although there is a lot of modern/abstract art I don't care for, I do think some of the Cubist had some really interesting pictures....the design and application of paint is what I find fascinating. And of course while there, we had to visit our old favorites. The Kimbell is in the midst of a big addition growth. Right now I hate what they have done to the grounds, taking out many trees and green areas. But in looking at the mock up of the final building, I think it will be okay...due to be completed in 1213...really looking forward to that!!

Last week, we had a plan to go into Fort Worth to a Quilt Show and the Kimbell. So as we parked and walked to the FW Fine Arts Building, there was no quilt show...wrong location..(my error). So as we were near another favorite gallery, Amon Carter, we decided to visit there and see what they had new on exhibition. The Carter specializes in only American Art and have some truly wonderful works!

Amon Carter-Museum of American Art

We throughly enjoyed the display of work on paper that was the current exhibit. Then headed over to the Kimbell...time, about 11:30ish. As we neared the door, we saw a lot of people standing around...and discovered the Museum didn't open until 12:00 on Fridays. (We have done this many times before....will we never learn!!!) We didn't want to stand out in the heat and wait, so again...an opportunity for lunch!! We headed to the Blue Mesa..our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant because we had a gift certificate (and we love it there). Had a great lunch as usual, then discovered we had left the gift certificate at home! And by then we were too full to enjoy art and it was still too hot outside; so we went to Central Market for some groceries and headed home for a little nap!!! Believe it or not, we had a really fun day...even though we ended up doing practically nothing we had planned on doing!!!

Zentangle Challenge #33-Pendrills

2011-08-06T11:21:00.002-05:00

This week's challenge comes from a new tangle from Maria and Rick of Zentangle.com . The design is based on grape vines...a very fun tangle!!! So here is my offering...and my haiku to go with it!

"Beauty of the Vine...

Bounty of the ripe harvest.

Nectar of the Gods!"

Now I have a request...would everyone please conjure up your best spells...charms...what ever to send us some rain!!!! Not just right here, but nearly the whole state of Texas!!! We are SO dry, even the fire ants have gone to ground (which is one little blessing of the drought!)

Challenge #32-"Zentangle for Everyone"

2011-07-30T10:56:00.000-05:00

"Challenge 32-Zentangle for Everyone"

My Companion Haiku

"Everyone Tangles!

Baton, Pais, Keenes, Zedbra...

Thanks to Carol Ohl!!

This week, a very talented Zentangle artist, Carol Ohl, gave the challenge to use four different "tangles" which are listed in my Haike! I love the names given to the differnts tangles...I have no idea what many of them mean but I am sure the creators know! The interesting names sure play havoc with my spell check!!!

Carol lives in Ohio and posted that a restaurant near her likes to display local art. She was asked to display Zentangles, and rather than do just her own, she has asked challenge participants to send her this week's tiles to put on display. So I guess I will mail mine off...very generous of her to want to share the fame!!!!

Be sure to check out her blog by clicking on her name!

A Very "Exciting" Day!!!!

2011-07-28T22:23:00.000-05:00

We are doggie sitting this week...Sadie is a very skittish dog. Rain and thunder turn her into a quivering mass...not that rain is a problem with this trip! She sticks very close to us..this morning we were on the back porch, having our morning coffee and doing our crossword puzzles...a retirement tradition!! Sadie was lying close by when suddenly she took off across the yard to the back of the garage....most she has moved in five days! We assumed she saw a rabbit. She returned, empty-handed thank goodness!!!!

She sat there on the porch, nose twitching, at the alert! Then she took off again towards our huge live oak tree...one of those with the branches dragging the ground. We saw an animal, definitely not a rabbit! As we looked, we suddenly realized it was a skunk!!!!! We quickly called Sadie...good dog...came right to us! We got her inside and watched as this big ol' skunk moseyed across the yard and into the lot next to us....out of sight! What kept that critter from spraying Sadie, I do not know...except she did not bark at all...just ran at it!!!

Our second "thrill" for the day occurred as I was fixing dinner....I try to use my little toaster oven on these hot summer days rather than heat up the house with the large oven. I was baking a couple of potatoes...15 minutes at a time. I had taken the pan out to poke them and had put them back in for their third timing. While sitting at the table watching the news, I began to smell something burning....sure enough...the whole inside of the oven was ablaze!!! I grabbed the potatoes out and closed the little door so the flames would smother....which they did. What was burning and smelled OH SO awful, was a hot pad which must have stuck to the bottom of the pan when I had been checking on them. So much for trying to keep the house cool!!! Not only did that not happen but we ended up with a very stinky house! (Our day for smells!!!) The potatoes were OK...we set the oven outside to cool (something to look forward to in the morning to clean) and microwaved the other stuff I was going to bake!!!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot more boring...I really like boring!!!!!!

Hot! Hot! HOT!

2011-07-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

Did I mention it is hot??? 7:30 PM Texas time and it is still nearly 103 by our thermometer! We are so dry; everything is really burning up...my big fear is some smoking fool will toss a cigarette out a vehicle window and poof! There we go!!!!

We are up at 6:30AM...take our morning walk...come home and I am in the house for the remainder of the day with the air conditioning on for the rest of the day! I would not have made a very good pioneer!! Although I am pretty sure I lived in Texas long ago in another life...so maybe I was tougher then!

While staying in and trying to keep cool, I have gotten quite a bit of reading and sewing done. One book I just finished and really enjoyed was Walter Mosley's "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey". I have read some of Mosley's light mysteries with Easy Rawlins and they are entertaining, but this book is much deeper...has wonderful, memorable characters, and what a descriptive and yet comfortable style he has in his writing.

Another book I have just finished is "Deep South" by Nevada Barr. She has written many books about her character Anna (I am drawing a blank on the last name) who is a Park Ranger. Anna is always stationed at a different park and has a mystery/murder to solve!! I enjoy Barr's style...again just good, wholesome light reading but hard to put down!

My Quilt "Aurora Borealis" for the guild challenge...not quite finished!

My studioQ group met Monday...as always, had a great time...mucho laughing. We are getting ready to have our own display at the guild quilt show in September. Last meeting I had shown how to do a few zentangles, and now most are as addicted as I am so we are each making one for a collage to display as well as many of our artistic endeavors!!! Here are a few of our "show and tell" items.

Sue's Batik Challenge

Bethany's scarf made from scrap yarn, thread etc

Kay's fabric Zentangle heart

Our first Zentangle collage attempt

Tragedy in Norway

2011-07-23T10:23:00.001-05:00

The number at the top of the Memorial represents the time of the tragedy.

Oklahoma City Memorial

I follow a blog by "Quiltefia" who is from Oslo, Norway and today after reading about the tragedy in Norway, I wanted to send a message of condolences. But I was unable to post in her "comments" section, so I am hoping she will see this blog and know I am thinking of her and all those who suffered such a horrible event! The newspaper suggested this would be like our tragedy at Oklahoma City, rather than the World Trade Center so that is why I am posting a few pictures of the Memorial there.

Zentangle Challenge #31-"Fairyland"

2011-07-21T23:32:00.001-05:00

This week's challenge was given to us by Carol Bailey Floyd who is a CZT artist you can see in many of the Zentangle instruction books. Her current blog tells of her most recent ventures. Her challenge is entitled "Fairyland".

Zentangle Challenge # 31.."Fairyland"

One of my "followers" (my SNL) has challenged me to take my postings up a notch and suggested I write a haiku to go with each Zentangle Challenge...Never one to back away from a challenge...here is my first...

"Fairies, fantasies
Never too old to dream. Come!
Play in my garden."

Besides accepting a new challenge...we attended our grandson's swimmeet at which he was wonderful!!! He and his sister have been swimming since they were about a year old and are both terrific! Their dad, my SNL, was and still is a competitive swimmer...such a great life long sport for them.

My favorite grandson at a meet.

And in between events, we read!

Other "exciting" events this week have been, getting a new pump in our well...not much fun! And getting a new area rug delivered. We had a couch reupholstered a few months ago, and wouldn't you know, the old rug just didn't look very good any more...so had to get a new one. Now I am thinking the walls could stand a new coat of paint...and thus it begins...voila...eventually a "new" house!!!

Zentangle Challenge #30-String Theory V:Initialize

2011-07-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

This week our challenge came from a very talented lady...Christina Vandervlist. She is a CZT who is the host artist for this week. When I first saw the challenge...I thought "cool, I can get this done in no time and not be last!" Then I got busy and kind of didn't get it finished until this morning!!

Challenge #30-Initialize

And this challenge was to take your first and last initials and create a ZTA with tangles of your choice.

A couple things that got in my way this week were guild meetings...This month our guest speaker was Carol Morrissey. She does beautiful art quilts with wonderful color and stitching...very enjoyable meeting.

Another thing that has been keeping me busy is working on my entries for our quilt show which will be the end of September, but we were to get our entry applications in by the end of this month. Fortunately, we don't have to have them finished until showtime, but have to have enough done to include an identifiable picture with our applications!

And then we did have our monthly poker meet with our "Poker Pals"! Last month my hub and I both won! This month...not to be...but still had a hilarious time. They say laughter is the best medicine so we six must be very healthy!!!

Zentangle Challenge #29-String Theory #29: "Creative Genesis"

2011-07-09T15:59:00.001-05:00

Once again, I will probably be the last entry for the week...I purposely don't look at any of the other entries until I have mine to post so I won't be overly influenced!!! This week the diva challenged us with an idea from a CZT-Sue Jacobs. If you look at the diva's blog you can see process behind this challenge.

Picture of my string before adding the zentangles.

Challenge #29: String Theory IV: Creative Genesis

The "string" was created by using a Chinese button and a rather thick piece of dark blue yarn. After I took a picture of it and downloaded it to my computer, I printed it out on card stock. I was taken by the play of shadow on the paper...so I actually used the string itself as part of my design.

Happy Birthday, America!

2011-07-04T18:33:00.000-05:00

The Orchestra getting set up.

Fireworks at the Botanical Gardens for 4th of July

Last night we attended the concert and fireworks show at the Botanical Gardens with family and friends...13 of us in all. We had our traditional picnic: fried chicken, potato and pasta salads, chips, veggies, fruit salad, three kinds of cookies, etc!!!! So much food, so little time!! Although yesterday was another scorcher...over 100 again...we had a great time! By the time we got settled, the temp was mid 90's and very pleasant by sundown. Ah, the joys of living in Texas!!

We celebrated on the 3rd because many family members have to work tomorrow..Tuesday. And the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has concerts on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th with fireworks each night. It is a great family event...a particular moving moment is when they play each military theme song and ask current and veteran members to stand....always brings a thrill to my heart and a tear to my eye!!

So this evening we will spend a quiet night at home and watch the National Concert on PBS!!! And there is a burn ban on here because of the drought so by staying home, we can keep an eye on our house in case some fool out there decides to ignore the ban and sets off some fireworks!! The organized fireworks are well manned by firefighters but out here in the boondocks, we never know how crazy the celebration might get!!!

Zentangle Challenge #28-Tripoli

2011-07-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

My second one: Tripoli...Incognito

My first one: Tripoli Tendrils

This week I did two of the challenges...my first one (Tripoli Tendrils) got a little busy and too heavy to be a favorite of mine. So last night while watching a rather interesting movie "The Burning Plain", I did a second one (Tripoli Incognito) and I think I like it much better, but I will post both.

The movie was very intriguing...after getting into it..The first twenty or so minutes we thought..."This is way too confusing". But after sticking with it and paying attention to some subtle hints, it developed an interesting plot. Good cast with Charlene Therzon and Kim Basinger! Thumbs up!

Spreading the Word

2011-06-29T14:20:00.001-05:00

The studioQ gals met on Monday and I showed them my version of how to do zentangles (giving full credit to Rick and Marie for starting the whole maddness!), gave them some good websites to use and we practiced drawing a few of my favorite tangles. I gave them a challenge to come to our next meeting in July with a completed tile....I had drawn a "string" on a large sheet then divided and cut it up into 12 tiles, put numbers on the back to be able to reassemble it, and passed them out randomly...we will see how many will get them done so we can put them together...I will post it if all get done!!

I have also started doing another challenge put out by the 3 Creative Studio folk...their challenge "A Sketchbook Challenge", is monthly instead of weekly...this month the topic is "Pathways". After a few false starts, I decided to do another ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) for my entry.

"Pathways: Sketchbook Challenge for June"

Now I am working on my Challenge quilt for our guild show which is this fall. The theme is "being green" so the challenge is to create a quilt using recycled fabric of any nature. It has been fun to work on, and now that we have to have our entries in by next month, I need to have enough done to take a picture...up to now I have just been putting blocks together with no end planned as yet!!

Zentangle Challenge #27-"DEX" and "VERDIGOGH"

2011-06-24T16:58:00.003-05:00

These two tangles are named Dex and Verdigogh and that is what the diva chose to challenge us with this time!

I don't usually use color in my zentangles, but I felt the need to define the areas somewhat as we were only using two "tangles". I kinda like the effect...may use some color more often.

Some Finished Projects!

2011-06-23T16:55:00.000-05:00

A new ZIA-"Zen-Forest"

An addition to my sketchbook...not part of the weekly challenges...I am still working on this week's challenge!

Pillowcases for Cook Children's Hospital

Cook Children's is a hospital in Fort Worth, TX...a wonderful facility which caters to, of course, children. I have been a volunteer "stitcher" with them for several years and one thing I like to work on is the pillowcases as they are quick to make and given to each of the patients to use and keep. My husband volunteers one day a weed in the Transitional Care Unit and has since he retired 11 years ago. He loves it and has gained a real respect for all those who work with the kids!

My rendition of Jane Sassaman's techniques from her workshop I took a month ago....18" x 24".

The Jane Sassasman class was on using fusible interfacings for backings, machine quilting, cutting away excess on back as you sewed. I learned a lot from her class; I just didn't come out with exactly the same look as what she showed us, but I am happy with it. Although it isn't truly my type of thing, I was really in it to learn her techniques to use for other things and I did!

Zentangle # 26-String Theory #3-Spirals

2011-06-17T19:46:00.001-05:00

Zentangle Challenge # 26-"The Eyes Have It"-String Theory-spiral

The Diva's Challenge for this week was another string theory...this time "Spirals"! Another fun zentangle to do.

Trinity Valley Guild Meeting was today..Harriet Hargrave was our speaker; she is such a talented person with machine quilting. She really started the trend for machine quilting in the '80s and has written several books on the subject. She was here about three years ago and I took her workshop then. I learned so much from her; but one thing she really emphasized was PRACTICE!! and I was not a very good student along those lines so much of what I learned has not stayed with me!

Go, Mavs!!

2011-06-16T14:57:00.000-05:00

I just watched the Mavs parade in Big D...from the coolness of my home south of Fort Worth!!! Except for the fact they are in "DALLAS"...I am very proud of them...great spirit!! And I just finished "The Tiger's Wife"..catch my "review" on my sidebar...Now to get busy on some quilty stuff!!

Zentangle Challenge #25-Zendala

2011-06-10T22:50:00.001-05:00

The Diva gave us a challenge to use a predrawn Mandala...by Genevieve Crabe then we were to add the tangles....Very fun challenge...I am curious to see what others did with the pattern.

My "ZENDALA" for the Challenge

New Stuff on my Blog

2011-06-07T18:12:00.000-05:00

I recently learned how to add stuff to my sidebars so have just put up a couple of new things. One is "Goodreads", a book club/listing etc that I have been following and adding to for a few years. The other is Sketchbook Challenge which I am entering every once in awhile. And the third is "3 Creative Studios", a website which has oodles of interesting stuff for artists, quilters, anyone interested in art related things..with free tutorials and challenges galore.

Concert in the Gardens

2011-06-04T11:17:00.000-05:00

Asleep at the Wheel-"Western Swing"

Fireworks after every concert.

Last night we had a great time with our poker buddies....attended the first "concert in the gardens" of the season...Fort Worth Botanical Gardens hosts concerts all summer long. We go every fourth of July with family, but this time we all wanted to see "Asleep at the Wheel" perform. For those unfamiliar with the group, they play oldies but goodies from a genre named "Texas/Western Swing" which originated probably in the 30s....most prominently known musician for starting the style is Bob Wills.

We all took our picnics, food and drinks to share, and joined a very jovial audience sitting around in our lawn chairs on the grounds in front of the stage. As we were nearly two hours early, we ate then played a few rounds of poker on our cooler/table. Always a pleasant event...we met a couple celebrating their 62nd anniversary and a couple who graduated from our alma mater...University of Missouri.

The concerts are another reason why we love Fort Worth!!

This morning I am back into a sewing mode...I am finishing up my version of what I learned at the Jane Sassaman workshop. And want to make some pillowcases for Cook Children's Hospital...they use colorful pillowcases for their patients and also at their many summer camps..then the kids get to take them home!

Zentangle Challenge #24-String Theory #2-"Stripes"

2011-05-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

Another fun challenge by the Diva!! "Stripes"..very cool to do!!!

Memorial Day-2011

2011-05-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

When I was a child in Illinois, we would get together with my grandmother each Memorial Day and visit all the cemeteries of deceased relatives to put flowers on their graves. At each grave site, she would explain the relationship to us...at a young age, all I was really concerned with was the picnic of fried chicken, potato salad, chocolate chip cookies and lemonade waiting for us as soon as we got to the park on a bluff above the Mississippi River.
Now that I am much older and my grandmother is now one of the visited grave sites, I wish I had paid more attention to what she was telling me!!! I no longer live anywhere near where we would go, but my brother faithfully carries on the tradition, with even more sites to visit. It is not meant to be a sad time....just a remembering time....but a tradition that I don't think the younger generation will probably carry on with, considering our mobile society.

Our little country cemetery in Illinois

We visited DC in 2002 for the first time and the daily honoring of the grave of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery is most impressive.

Arlington National Cemetery-Washington, DC

studioQ meeting

2011-05-28T22:28:00.000-05:00

We had our May meeting last week rather than our usual "last Monday" because the last Monday is Memorial Day. We decided to do Spirit Dolls again as many missed doing that activity when we met before. We also had a show of recent works. And some of us had our batik challenge quilts pieced to show. Several months ago, we all brought 12 inch batik squares to trade....the challenge was to create a wall hanging using some of all the batiks, plus one other fabric and as much of your own batik fabric as needed.

My Batik Challenge...need to do the quilting and embellishments.

Wendy's latest which is going to be in her show in Houston next month!

Heather's newest...neutrals and color combined

Bethany's Batik Challenge (to be completed)

Susan's Batik Challenge

A whole cloth quilt by Susan

And the latest spirit dolls...some brought pet pictures. I didn't get finished with mine...doing my grandkids.

Zentangle Challenge # 23-String Theory

2011-05-28T15:03:00.000-05:00

Our internet connection has been really weird the last couple of days, so I have not been able to post anything. But today, we seemed to get the right tech because we are now back on line!! This week, the diva gave the challenge to "tangle" a pre-drawn string. It will be fun to see all the different ways everyone interprets this!

The original string from the Diva

My "tangling" of the string...upside down from the original!

I hope I am not too late in posting this to get it in on the diva's slide show!

Zentangle Challenge # 22-With a Little Help from My Friend

2011-05-21T17:58:00.001-05:00

This is my second post for today.... here is my latest Zentangle Challenge...this is the one that my husband drew the string for and I "tangled" it. It just hollered out at me...I AM a Dragon!!!

The original string and...

My "tangle"...I AM a Dragon!!

Jane Sassaman's Workshop

2011-05-21T17:52:00.000-05:00

My title is a little misleading because I have no pictures of what I did. I am very slow at working on anything new but I have a good start. It was a very good workshop; her work is incredible and she is a very fun speaker....grew up in the '50s-'60s to which I could certainly relate! And I learned so much about how she does applique...I like the look of some applique, but never really liked the traditional way of doing it. So her technique was very refreshing to learn....I think I will actually use it!! The project we started is third on my list of "things to do".

But what I really enjoyed from the workshop was working next to a couple of very neat ladies...both I have known for awhile but not well. While working on our projects we were able to talk freely and I discovered that one of my tablemates, Sue Needle, not only is "into" zentangles" but she is in one of Suzanne McNeill's books: Zentangle-FabricArts, Quilting and Embroidery. Here is a sampling of her work...she also has a few other pages in the book. Sue also had on Zentangle "tennis shoes" that she had done herself....a very talented lady who is also a long-arm quilter.

And although I kind of knew it, I discovered that Suzanne McNeill is right here in my own back yard, so to speak. She is located in Fort Worth...she has a blog and a website.

New Zentangle Challenge!

2011-05-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

The newest challenge is to have someone else draw the string for me and then I will "tangle" it!! Fun!!! My husband drew this for me...I haven't worked on it yet, but will...already have several ideas buzzing around in my head!

Busy week coming up...tomorrow a workshop with Jane Sassaman. I just finished getting my stuff together from her list...should be very fun!

A Jane Sassaman work

And another one of Jane's work.

Her work is very colorful and lively. I am most interested in seeing how she makes her quilts; what her technique is. It is a kind of applique, I think...but not the more traditional way of turning the fabric under, etc. which I do not do very well, nor really enjoy! I like the look but not the work involved!!! And then on Friday, she is to be our speaker at our guild meeting.

Zentangle Challenge # 21-"OOF"-Out of Focus

2011-05-14T10:21:00.000-05:00

A new challenge put out by the Diva..."OOF" is a zentangle designed by the originators of the whole Zentangle "madness"...but a good madness! I have really been taken by doing these so I really appreciate Maria (Zentangle creator) and the Diva who challenges me each week!!

And here are pictures of the two band concerts we attended this past week to see the grands...we are always so impressed by how much these kids can do in the time they are in school/band! Big thanks to their band directors for a fabulous job!!

Our favorite tuba player, in the middle.

Summer Creek Middle School Band

North Crowley High Honors Band

And our favorite French hornist, setting up for the concert!

A New Zentangle

2011-05-11T20:32:00.000-05:00

"Through My Garden Gate"

This is a zentangle that I did recently, and I have added a new one to the left side of my blog. In adding the Zentangle Challenge "Ixorus" (one of the early challenges from the diva), I changed up my blog so that you can click on that image and it will take you to the pictures I have on Flickr. I thought that might be easier to keep them all together....and I have other older pictures of things out there too. I am planning to use Flickr even more as a good way to store pictures "out there".

Last night we attended a wonderful concert! Our grandson's Middle School Spring concert! And a nice surprise...he has been asked to be in the Jazz Band...in which he will be more active next year as an eighth grader. Tomorrow night is another great concert....our granddaughter's High School Band Spring concert. I have some pics of his and will add some of hers after tomorrow night!

Nice rainy day today...we did get a little soaked last night...just as we were leaving the concert, the sky opened up! And today, no where we had to go, so we stayed home and enjoyed about three hours of a soaking rainfall!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

My baby girls!

Very nice weekend! Spent yesterday evening with one daughter and her family...good company, good eats. And had a nice long phone conversation with the other daughter. Then today, I spent the whole day just doing whatever I wanted! Finished reading a book, started sewing my challenge quilt for this year's guild show. The topic is "Going Green", recycling, etc. and the challenge quilt is to be made of reusable fabrics plus a mystery fabric that was given to everyone who is entering. I have spent several days "de"-constructing fabric in order to put it back together again!

Zentangle Challenge # 20: Tanglicious Royal Wedding

2011-05-05T10:06:00.000-05:00

The latest challenge from the diva is in honor of the Royal Wedding. She posted the neatest slideshow of the wedding to give us all inspiration...there were so many things that could be used! I decided to focus on the idea of wedding rings, the floral arrangements, the church ceiling and rose windows.

This is actually the first one I did but I thought it got a little busy. Here I am trying to focus on the symbols on the Bishop's cloak, the braid on Prince Harry, again the ceiling, angle wings and fleur d' lis.

No More Daily Challenges!

2011-05-03T22:56:00.000-05:00

I kind of miss having my daily challenges with my daughter! So I am going to just have to blog aimlessly! We had the most wonderful rainfall for two days...Sunday and Monday, so my concern about wildfires are put to rest for awhile!

Last week, my studioQ group met. We had the most fun making Spirit Dolls! It seems kind of crazy for us ol' gals to sit around playing with paper dolls, but that is what keeps us young!

The little cutie in the middle is mine. We put magnets on them so they could go on the refrigerator.

And I finished my Kaleidoscope quilt, all finished but for the sleeve and the label. It is about 45" square. I used much of the fabric I bought in Juneau a year and a half ago when we drove to Alaska! Any fabric I purchase seems to need to "age" a little before I can cut into it!

I am going to name this quilt "Totem".

And today, we drove to Dallas with a couple of friends to see the Stickley/Craftsman exhibit at the DMA before it closes next weekend. There was also an excellent display of North American Art...bead work, carvings, masks, etc. from Indian tribes all over NA. Then after lunch we went to the Nasher Sculpture Garden and Gallery...always a favorite place for me!

We and our friends like to think we are part of the wonderful world of art!!

Zentangle Challenge # 19: A William Morris/White on Black

2011-04-30T13:42:00.000-05:00

Well, okay...I don't have a white pen or black paper...yet! So I am going to cheat a little and ask everyone to pretend and reverse my blacks and whites! I am also posting some more of past challenges on my zentangle display sidebar. This one I am showing is Starry eyed...challenge #4.

And I am posting the "prototype" for my center design. This is a picture from Nat'l Geographic...it is some kind of underwater plant, I think...but I thought it was a cool shape with neat texture.

Now that my 30 day challenge with my daughter is over...I will try to post more of what I am doing with my other artsy stuff.

Challenge Day #30: LAST DAY (who do I miss??)

2011-04-30T09:00:00.004-05:00

Today is the last challenge...we are finishing up with a picture of someone we miss. I, of course, miss my parents, my father-in-law, several family members and friends who have gone on...I miss many of the people I worked with and used to see on a daily basis; I miss old friends and neighbors who now live far away. I miss my girls' and my grands not being babies any more..and are all grown up! But I think the person I miss the most is my sister. She passed away when she was 49...way too young! She was two years older than I am...we had a wonderful time growing up together, having children together, and we would be doing all those things that old women do together if she was still here. She had two grandchildren when she died; there are now nine and three great grands. She would have been a really spectacular grandmother...and she would have loved facebook/ computer stuff, etc. I know she is looking down on all of us with a sweet smile on her face! Miss you, Judy!

My big sister....1956...her Senior picture!

Challenge Day # 29: Who inspires me?

2011-04-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

This day's challenge is to post a picture of someone who inspires me...that could be VAST!! I am in awe of anyone who makes something! I am always inspired by my family. Great works of art, known or unknown always give me a thrill! But one group of people whom I have known for nearly four years now never cease to amaze me and inspire me to be the best I can be and this group is from my guild..."studioQ". We are a group of art quilters who get together at least once a month. We share ideas, techniques, life experiences, food....etc! And I always come away from a meeting recharged and energized to do something BIG!! Thanks, gals!!

We are "studioQ"!!!

Day#28: Something I am afraid of!

2011-04-28T09:00:00.002-05:00

I am really a chicken about many things...I don't care for carnival rides, fast cars, noisy crowds, but these are all things I can choose not to be part of. The things that really scare me are those out of my control...for example: wildfires, storms, and tornadoes!

MacDonald Observatory-March, 2011 - wildfires (we were there just two weeks before, fires hadn't started yet)

A Texas Tornado (we are "in the season" right now)

Texas thunderstorm...can happen anytime, but especially now.

So I am prepared at all times, ready to go to shelter with my water, cell phone, pictures and computer. And go on about day to day living. I try to not let any fear paralyze me!!

Challenge Day# 27:A pic of me and a family member

2011-04-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

My baby brother was born when I was nine years old. Even though there was quite an age difference between us, we spent a great deal of time together. When he was a bratty eight year old and I was a teenager, we were still very close!

1950

And here we are, fifty years later!!

Me and my baby brother!

Day # 26: Means a Lot to Me

2011-04-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

The Challenge today, a picture of something that means a lot to me, is a no-brainer...here is the most current picture of my family taken this Easter...what a good looking bunch!!!!

Challenge Day #25: Better at Something

2011-04-25T09:00:00.003-05:00

Today's challenge is to post a picture of something I wish I was better at...so here is my picture!! One of my lesser traits is time management!! I am usually a prompt person, I am seldom late getting where I need to be, but I can waste more time than anyone in the world when I have no deadlines!! And now that I am retired and most of my time is mine to use as I wish, I find this weakness is getting worse!!! I need to set myself up with a schedule...and KEEP to it!!!

Challenge Day # 24: My Day Today

2011-04-24T17:48:00.001-05:00

I needed to add a couple of current pics to my blog for today's challenge. We did celebrate Andrea's birthday and Easter together.

The birthday girl holding the Scotty I made for her.

And one is never too old for a good old Easter egg hunt!!

Challenge Day # 24: My Day Today

2011-04-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

First of all..I have to add a book from yesterday's Challenge..favorite book(s). I love "The Color Purple" and had it ready to post but forgot!

Now...today's challenge is "MY DAY" and since today is Easter, here are a few pics from the past to show. There were the days when we would get all dressed up, go to mass, and come home to a big ol' meal! Not to mention the Easter Basket/Egg hunt! We would also often combine daughter Andrea's birthday which is in April and that is what we are doing today....a little Easter and birthday, combined with visiting and eating!

Grandkids-several years ago!

A "timed" photo of the family before grands!

Zentangle Challenge # 18-An Egg!

2011-04-23T14:55:00.000-05:00

"Eggs-trordiare: Happy Easter"

Very appropriately this week's challenge is "Eggs"! With Easter being tomorrow, I, along with most entries, took the theme to depict my Zentangle. I loved the link to the Pysanky Eggs symbols...when I was teaching, my students did a Pysanky egg with the symbols each year. I didn't care for the center of my egg when finished, so I decided to redo just that part...don't know if it is legal in the "Zentangle World", but it is what is! Thank you, handy glue stick!!

I am also downloading a new Zentangle from the original list of challenges that were made before I got into doing them. It is on the left side of my blog..."Eyes Wide Shut". You can click on the picture and it will take you to the Diva's link with all the Challenges.

Challenge Day # 23: My favorite book

2011-04-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

I love books...I had a really hard time coming up with favorites, but these four are a sampling of books I have read and really liked. I usually like to read fiction, mysteries, human interest, but I also like to read biographies and fictional history, too.