Sketchbook Challenge/studioQ

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!!!

     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

     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"

     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!

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

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!

                                  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

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"

"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!!!!

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!

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

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"

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

 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"

     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!

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

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

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"

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!

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!