studio shot

Lee Anna's studio shot

Wanted to show you my flamingo collection but that will have to wait for another day. Too much of a round-up needed for that job. This is a corner of the studio. The boxes hold snips of torn out paper, the basket holds tools rarely used but necessary when they are used. There is a mirror to the side, showing a bit of the cutting area. The boxes are sitting on a  wire mesh basket holder that holds other rarely used craft items like stencils, template plastic, paper items and lots more. One of the drawers was taken over by the dog/cat fabric collection. There is a moldable figurine that I don't use for drawing but like. Obviously I like color. My studio is painted white, with light gray carpet and a white design wall. I love that because all my special stuff is colorful. Everywhere I look is something I love to look at, and isn't that nice?
I have a mix of put away out of sight items, and out in view items. I am currently in love with coral, hence the orange container store boxes. The doorway is just behind this area, it's where dh and dpoodle stick their collective heads in to get my attention for dinner/walks. They do not like entering the space. The poodle only comes in to avoid scary noises, and the husband only comes in if I ask him to look at a work in progress. I'm easily distracted so this works for us, although it would be nice to have a "shop dog"

Are you about ready to walk??

guess not, wake me when you surface

Stick to it

Places to stick something

create pin holder

 I thought I'd share a few of my pin cushions today. I am a collector of pins and pin cushions. Currently I use the large blue one made specially for me by my friend Bernadette. It has a hole to hold tools, and sits right by the machine in all it's useful glory. The little square one is by my friend Cheryl who loves wool quilts. There is a little basket with roving in a swirl made by my friend and fellow artist Suze. The blue/green bowl is made by my friend Linda Schiffer (her blog) I made most of the others.

The little bird is derived from a free pattern  click here   Bird Pattern
I changed the pattern, added wings and feet but the basic pattern is easy to do. 

Of course these are the REAL pin cushions according to my husband:

Any time you want to make me a pin cushion, it'll happily join the others and you'll get good sewing mojo
LeeAnna

puttin' on the ritz

I have long loved a cow. I put cows on my art. Cows and flamingos.
Odd the things that attract a person. Cows, flamingos, poodles and palm trees.
 That would be an art challenge, to combine these!
I took tap dancing lessons for about 3 years, back in the day when jumping up and down didn't start an avalanche. I also love old musicals from the 40's. Lot's to love. What odd things do you love? How do they find a way into your day?
 In case this doesn't load, try this link tap dancing cows
LeeAnna

Speaking of dance

Gratuitous flamingo video for your viewing pleasure this Sunday morning. You're welcome.
LeeAnna

more bark

bark image two

I couldn't have made a weirder piece of bark if I'd have sculpted or painted this. The color in person is more saturated. Earlier this week, I posted some more bark retrieved from the same tree, much less colorful. The other picture of this piece of bark  looks like some kind of tadpole or critter.

Oh my I am going to start on this for a quilt in the nature series right away.  Of course someone will say it's not natural, those white circles around the holes. Nature is so cool. I've walked past this tree for years and never saw such exciting bark before.
 I have a saying on the studio wall that says something like, artists paint what they see, but what they see is primarily what they look at.
 I notice the details of life. How about you?
LeeAnna

Something from nothing

Pier  9" X 13"  2013

 My sewing friends know I love scraps so they give me the bits they would have thrown away.
I love scraps so much, so much that I will fill a book with how much I love scraps. My bins are overfull at the moment, so it's time to make something with them again.
The Pier piece above, came from someone's little strips. I started sewing them together, and they started looking like a pier so I went with it.
If I decide to make an abstract piece, I usually like to see something representational in it. Then it grows.
This time I saw a pier with a shack on it emerging.
The embellishment says "Reality has limits Imagination is boundless"

Reality has limits Imagination is boundless

That's what I think!! Reality is overrated.( Like parallel hair, what's so great about brushing one's hair anyway?? )I have an abstract nature series going, made from tiny leftovers and hope to turn it into a show when I have enough pieces. There are enough finished to see a terrific grouping but more to make.
The hope was to sell them. I have a hard time letting go of my work and thought if I made them to sell, it would be easier. I'll be able to sell Pier. I will.
 however...
 I'm now attached to many of the others.
  I admire  "process people" who are done with a piece when the binding goes on. While I love the process & need to make, I love the final quilts even more.
What about you?
LeeAnna
ps please look at the post from yesterday. Tell me what you think of that bark! Is it from a Sycamore Tree?  . 

Halloween in July

bark ghosts

Yesterday I went into Michaels craft store to see what I couldn't live without. I found a stencil and some embellishments I needed, but the line was 10 people long and turns out I didn't need them.
The surprise was that it's Halloween season already. Nearly 100 deg. and there are pumpkin lights, and ghosts and creepy stuff. I wish we could see stuff in stores during the right season, but you know if Halloween is with us in July, then Christmas is just around the corner! We'll soon be sweating to Jingle Bell Rock and the colors red and green.

The picture above is bark from one of the coolest trees I've ever seen, and I love to look at trees. My camera isn't the best, but the colors are cream, brown, green, gold and a purple only found in nature. I love the sculptural aspects, and the texture. I have taken some other pictures and plan to try and interpret them in fabric.
Don't they look just like ghosts, woooooooo??

Are you like me, do you see life in terms of fabric? Do you live the creative life, seeing art all around you each day, wondering how you'd paint that sky or which technique you'd use to show the dimension of the bark?  Even when putting away the dishes or laundry, I'm thinking of what I get to do in the studio later.

Here's to the creative life!
go play with your fabrics
LeeAnna