Welcome...

Fiber portrait...

Still working on this fabric and embroidered portrait for my friend, Deb. It will have a fabric "frame" sewn around the edges and maybe milagros or other little images added, plus more embroidery. She might be holding her i-pod as well....

work in progress...fiber portrait

altered shoes....

I couldn't resist messing around with these sandels. They had been lingering around in the back of my closet and I wasn't wearing them because they had a faded baby blue color that was very ho-hum. So I got out my rubber stamps, Staz-on stamp pad and some Createx permanent liquid fiber dyes (violet and blue) and went to work on them. At least now I will wear them and have fun doing so!

altered Birkenstocks...

Goodies from Gail...

Mail box surprise..

My beach partner, Justin (age 12) and I had to head to the beach today to cool off. Spent the whole day in and out of the ocean and picked up our mail from the row of boxes in our little mountain top community. There inside was a wonderfully decorated package for ME! A beautiful skein of raspberry and pink handspun wool plus 2 bonus surprises! Some gorgeous blue Merino roving for me to spin or felt with and a cool chocolate chip cookie recipe card....could be an ATC...I ordered the wool on Gail Cowan's Etsy site and she has a Blog...but I don't know how to do the "link" thing yet...
Thanks, Gail..love it!

Off to Los Angeles

I just finished this hooked chair pad for one of my mother's friends who will be 91 in Sept. We are going to LA to visit with her, see the Comtemporary Art Quilts at the Folk Tree Collection in Pasadena and then see my husband's mother in Glendale.
Should be a hot, busy day but we are on our way....

rug hooked chair pad

ATc time...

I got busy yesterday and made about 20 ATC's for our monthly trade/swap today. Here are a few that turned out OK.

some new ATC's ...

Cupcake!

something old, something sorta new...

since I am working on some new things but haven't completed anything yet, here are some "old" things...a felt purse a couple of years old that I had fun embroidering and a cupcake that I embroidered in June of this year.

felt purse back....

Felt purse front...

Velvety bird purse....

I am continuing to work on my "Teehsa" velvety bird patch purse that I started before AFF. I plan to line it with some cool fabric and put more little fabric patches on it. Having a little trouble with puckering after sewing the "bird patches" on first...should have embroidered first and sewn on later....but I tend to do things sort of backwards...oh well, learn as you go...
I have two commissioned works to do as well...a fun fabric portrait of an art teacher's daughter and a hooked seat pad for a 90 year old art friend of my mother's.
And of course after AFF my head is swimming with ideas of other things I want to do!
Speaking of swimming, my son Justin and I are off to the beach to go boogie boarding and cool off. The only down side is walking to the water in my black tank suit! When I get into the water I feel like I am about 10 years old again and embarass my son by making squeals of joy when I catch a wave.

Lauren's book and art card

Cool stores in Berkeley..

On our way back from AFF we made several stops for cool stores we had heard about or been to before and needed to check out once again. While on our way to "Tail of the Yak" we found a good fabric store on Shattuck Ave. called Stone Mountain Fabrics. They have lots of classes and rooms of fabric. They had some beautiful velvets and silks too. On the same street there is a large Art Supply store with just about everything you might need. We bought a few things and headed up to the "Tail"..Here we did more damage...this is an exquisite little store. You have to ring a bell to get inside. Great cards and displays and I bought a book with the art of one of the owners, Lauren McIntosh. Love her art. She has a show in Palo Alto Aug. 1-Sept.30 at Stellar Somerset Gallery and I am hoping to get up to the Bay area to see it.

Tale of the Yak purchases

Wonderful trades..

I received some wonderful little trades at ArtFiberFest. Two pincushions, one handmade by Edina..blue and white polka dots..so cool..and one by Lelainia..the cute folk art basket! One can't have too many pincushions...I love them so much. Plus beads, buttons, luggage tag and more..thanks everyone!

some fun little trades...

More photos from ArtFiberFest.....

Marcia's stuffed bird

Beth's piece

Tracie's piece

Darlene stitches...

Sassy art goddess...Carol

Valerie

Robin

Marilyn

Tracie

Elise

Annie..the cool bead maker