Studio time...

I've been enjoying studio time this week. It's treacherous to walk outside right now...

that's the street, under the snow, no plowing around here

 So I find joy going up to my little studio these days...with my little shadow...

It's all about me...

I am obsessed with my cattails in winter piece, but took some time out to do Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks in reds. I like the chandelier pattern from http://stitchintherapy.blogspot.com/

I made 8 blocks in various reds, with various white/cream colored backgrounds. I plan to do about 8-10 in each color this year, then figure out how to make them into an artistic composition. That didn't stop me from playing with the block arrangements now...

I like this one but it will change when there are greens, and oranges, and purples, etc

So those blocks are packed away waiting for next month's color and I'm back to the improv snow scene...I tidied up mid-way as I found myself trying to cut a free form curve with little pieces of white all over the table.

I make components, then put them on the wall, move them around, etc. It's really joyful as well as working with shades of the season. Well, gotta get back to work... later gators!

linking to these parties:

ruby tuesdays
Free motion by the River Tuesdays    
https://stitchallthethings.com/ to do Tuesday 
http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com/
lovelaughquilt.mondays
oh Scrap Sundays
https://magicalmysticalteacher.wordpress.com/
 scrap happy Saturdays
sewcanshe Saturdays
http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.ca/
off the wall Fridays
can I get a whoop whoop Fridays 

I Like Thursday #125

Welcome to this week's list of likes! Thursday snuck up on me this time!

The picture is from the "Colorado Indian Market & Southwest Art Fest" show we went to last weekend. I loved it... the art was terrific quality, there were performers singing and dancing, there was food, there was a full size teepee, birds of prey, and lots of interesting people.

shall I share a few a artists I liked? I interviewed at least 5 on their process but won't go into much detail here, I'm just getting back to interviews.

I really admired the beading artistry of Laurey Gilbert. She is quite spiritual, and her booth was very popular. Look at the Frida necklace...


Rich in texture, and different beads...

While I chatted with the artist, someone picked out a long ring that covered, comfortably, nearly the length of her finger. What a statement piece!

I asked how she approached a new piece, and she showed this tray, where she lays out components, and beads she wants to weave around them, and then the artistry starts.

so you can see the texture and scope of the pieces!

Take a look at Herminio's work. He was also selling a lot while I was there. Simply amazing beadwork over paper mache forms

 I admired the spiritual aspect to Karen Surbeck's sculptures and we talked about her approach then morphed into talking about ancestry...

 she and her partner had the DNA test and found relatives from it! And learned a lot of family history, surprising Karen that she was nearly all Irish, not Native American!

I wanted this leather notebook cover but the price was higher than I was prepared for...

Hidemasters of Colorado Website: Link Here!

 This maker represented his tribe and told me about the drums he makes...

I had a great time talking to the volunteers at the bird display... this was the most beautiful rough legged hawk, with an injured wing so he could not fly. He was alert and when he lifted his wings you could see heart shaped feathers. 

There were eagles, even a bald eagle, and a gorgeous Barn Owl

who wanted to sleep,. but was just irritated with all the people I suspect. She had the most lovely eyes, and that white face... I was taking shots without flash so when she lifted her wings the image blurred... but I like it a lot anyway!

toward the end of the show I had to return to the bird booth, and got to see a kestral. Very pretty, but shy and tired of people by then. The volunteers were all so kind to us, answering questions. The birds were put in the back when the handlers felt they were getting tired and others brought out.

this is an inlaid wooden cutting board... All of his work reminded me of modern quilts. He had a beautiful esthetic... varied shades and subtle, but intricately done. Expensive...

How about this ring, for a modern quilt design? DH bought it for me! There is a sun etched in one side for "a new day" and raincloud for prosperity. Coral, shell, turquoise, onyx, opal placed as I might in a quilt! It's raised slightly in the center, standing for mountains.
Silver is the 25th anniversary gift... now I need to find one for my dh.

I never found a nametag for this artist... and he was always busy painting and talking to customers, but I was struck by the composition.

We didn't like the performances much but they were very accessible as you could get close to the stage. We didn't try the "Indian" food but it looked really good. We did have some cheese curds and tried some perogies that we ended up buying for the freezer. One was flavored with Chili Relenos and the other was Italian.  The vendor puts them in recloseable bags, so we can heat up and sear just enough for a side dish for dinners.
All in all, it was a really fine afternoon of likes.

Mostly it was nice to laugh and talk to other artists, and interview them about their process and inspirations. And seeing beauty was a good thing.

It's been an icy mess around here, but I've been sewing a lot on my cattail in snow piece.

It's grown since I took this picture. I love piecing the little bits, and seeing them go together with gentle curves. I pin that picture to the design wall, look at scraps, go sew some together, and it's all coming together like a puzzle.
Piece by piece.

I've been writing, talking to friends, reading the latest Tea Shop mystery, looking through a lot of library books, sewed my RSC blocks (post to come tomorrow) and coping with all the irritating weather. (too much ice to let me walk) Watching Doc Martin and Victoria back on PBS. Watching my other returning shows like This is Us, and New Amsterdam, and all things BRAVO. Project Runway All stars is back on Lifetime. I've been listening to the Tiny Desk Concerts on Youtube.

Milo's Moments

Howdy, pardners! Milo here. I like running through all the snow we get, and keeping track of my new toy... being careful to watch after it.
I wrote a post about liking socks, well, wanting my own sock drawer on Tuesday... please go read it and tell me I'm right. Vote for me to have my own socks!
the link is: playing-sock-game

Now please go visit mama's friends keeping lists of their likes this week. It's good for you! And fun! And if you do a post on your likes, tell mama and she'll add you in!
Barking out Loud!

http://homesewnbyus
http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com/ 
http://sonotorganized.com/   
https://www.su-sieeemac.com 
  https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/
 maryinpeoriahandmade.blogspot.com
.http://littlepenguinquilts
  faithtrustandbreastcancer.blogspot.com
https://grammasquiltingroom.blogspot.com/
craftscaviescontras
https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/

http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/ 
http://sandysnowden.blogspot.com/
Minou's Minute
https://quiltingreadersgarden.blogspot.com/

Linking to these parties



  sundays in the city
saturdays-critters-
http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.ca/
http://backroadstraveller.blogspot.com/
Thursday Thirteen
http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/

playing the sock game

Who, me???

Milo: whatcha doin' Mama? Playing with socks??? I LOVE playing with socks!

Mama: No darling, I'm sorting and folding the laundry from yesterday. I am folding the pairs of socks into little origami packages to put in the drawer... see?

Milo: Oh, I want a sock drawer! Me too! I want one of my own! I LOVE playing with socks.
Mama: um, keep out of that drawer Milo.

Milo: Okay, that's okay, there is a whole pile of them over here on Daddy's side, I'll just get some of those, no need to go to any trouble for me!

Mama: Oy vey.... Milo put that down! Right now! I'm almost done stuffing these into the drawer... some of them have poodle tooth sized holes in them... how do you think that happened??

Milo: I have NO idea! I can't even reach into that drawer... fuggettabout it! Lets go downstairs and see what we can play with!

Mama: sure, right after I put the sheets in the wash, and fold Daddy's basket...
Milo: I checked and some poodle has walked in My back yard! Looks cold, wonder if the front has snow too... I'll check while you're playing with socks Mama!

 Nope the front has snow too.

and that's just on the covered porch! LOTS of snow, and it's cold. Better put my boots on me Mama before we go for our second morning walk... wha?? You want to play in the sewing room? How boring!

well, then you better get me a sock drawer of my own to play in, if you're going to ignore me like that. Yesterday I barked to go out back, and before Mama could close the door, came back. Do you believe she shut the door in my face?! I went and peed on something and came back. No open door waiting for me! So I went and checked out the yard, came back, no open door! So's I went ahead and patrolled the yard again and came back. Can you believe it? I had to bark to get her to open the door... bark...bark....bark... blankety-blank BARK! Finally after many long hours she opened the door.
Mama: Milo! don't exaggerate it was only about 5 minutes and you had fun out there. It was sunny and 50 degrees!

 Milo: well, I don't unnerstan  human minutes but in poodle minutes it was forever!
Mama? please fetch me a pair of socks to chew...

Linking to
blue mondays
Thankful Thursdays pet parade
https://comedy-plus.wordless wednesday
create-with-joy pets
pet parade 
say Cheese!
pictoral Tuesday

The week ahead

Welcome to this week's happy homemaker post.
It's Monday again, and I'm not sure how that happened...

The weather
winter
we have snow on the ground from a week ago, becoming an iceberg. People told us before we moved here that it's dry! Snow disappears without need for plows! No! Nope! Lies all around. Nope it piles up, the sun melts the top, it turns quickly to ice and bingo, with my slippery vertebra I am stuck in the house. Grrr. Anyway another round is due starting with rain, (more ice) then snow tonight. Yea!

Breakfast
I had a very difficult weekend as the Poodle son darted through my legs as if they were mere grass stalks to catch a running squirrel, and left me with a slipped sacrum. Didn't do much and couldn't sit to write this post.
It's a new day, I'm sitting, I'm typing. I am drinking coffee, looking out into a sunny snow covered back yard, the poodle is lying at the slider looking out at the same yard, holding his new ring toy. I have some leftover scrambled egg whites with cheese as I look at a googled image of a heart quilt I might make for V-day.

To-Do
decide whether to beg for an appt with chiro, as treatment leaves me unstable in more pain for week.
laundry...

How did the kitchen towels form a mountain???

sort through things that have piled up in the family room the last week
Maybe write a post on the trip to the Indian and Southwest Art Fest, the book post on lots of checked out books to read, the latest quilting post since it's taking up a lot of creative time lately
Cleaning will have to take a back seat to letting my back settle down
Worry less, meditate more, chat with friends via phone
After hearing another story this weekend about two women doing the ancestry dna test and finding relatives, I want to finally send in my test. If I could find anyone related, it would do my spirit good to feel connected. I am adopted and the family was not nurturing, and now they are rejecting so... well, hope springs eternal. I was told my birth mother's name was Barbara Ann Wagner, 1st gen American from German parents. My birth father's name was Earl Cerrone (spelling may be different) 1st gen American from Italian parents.

People say family is everything... well I sure hope that is not the case...

Tips and tricks
Now that I'm using creams and potions to cope with dry skin, I do not like the feeling of cream under my fingernails from dipping fingers in little pots (the skin under my nails is the only area not dry at the moment!) I found this little scooper from testing a cream in a store, so I just love scooping out a tiny spatula of cream to use. I'm sure a friendly clerk will give you one or two to take home after you test something at a counter.
What is it with miniature things? I love them! And finding the right tool for a job!

Reading
As I said, I want to write a post for tomorrow on the lot of books I found during my last library visit.
At night, I've moved on to the latest in my tea house series by Laura Childs.
I'm enjoying the books I found at the library too. Review of those tomorrow

Watching
Doc Martin returned to PBS! Nobody told me! I found it one night, so we're enjoying the latest episodes. Also, Project Runway all stars started, missed the first episode, so have to go find it on HULU.
Watching Marie Kondo show on Netflix, and the Bachelor on ABC, This is Us is back, and New Amsterdam. I am watching Victorian Farm Christmas on youtube... the three historians who went back to live as 1830's folk on an English farm, are back to show how to celebrate Christmas in those days. things like how make candies, how to make a paper and wool quilt, etc. Also on ACORN is Lords and Ladles, 3 chefs recreating manor house meals in Ireland castles. Victoria returned, yea!
Amazing race should start soon, as does Good Witch.
And the live presentation of RENT is this week

Artwork
I should be working on this year's Valentine quilt and might have a plan, but I am obsessed with my art quilt of cattails in snow. Every time I have a minute, I go into the piles of tiny scraps, and sew a seam, seeing the fabric picture grow. It's abstract so I am concerned with color and line primarily.
After the whole background is formed, I'll put it on the design wall, and decide where to applique the cattail bodies. Icing on the cake! Then the quilting will happen, creating texture and more line within the piece.

I liked a block a fellow blogger developed and shared a month ago... I made 8 little red and white blocks to go in a yearlong color study for the rainbow scrap challenge. I love using my little random scraps to form new fabric.

  Milo's Week Ahead...

I plan to keep track of this new toy... I accidentally destroyed the yellow skin on the old one, heh heh but this one showed up in Mama's hand the other day, so I am keeping a close eye on it. I carry it from room to room, I don't leave it outside in the  weather like I did with the last one, I want to take it for walks but the peeps make me leave it so I can hardly go for walks!

 What if something happens to it? Mama says it will be okay...all I know is I am gonna do what I can to protect it.
Oh and to-do.... play with some friends, eat more food than snow, and nap when I'm tired.

Inspiration
keep on trying...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hGSqqhhokE

 Accomplishments
 I changed my settings to be more secure, and so far it's cut out some unwanted guests to the blog.
I went to Settings, changed to https

Let's just see how this week goes... sometimes life is like that... just keep going...

Linking to
https://comedy-plus.com/