MISS FAYE'S KITTY CAT

Anyone remember Finn's Spud Bud?

Well, this piece started out as the first attempt at the Spud Bud.  It came out looking WAY more like a kitty head than a round spud, so at the time, I set it aside.  But for Christmas, I decided to finally make it into a Kitty Cat for Faye Baby!

No confusing who's Kitty Cat this is.  I love my Ellie Faye!

A couple of fish skeletons to add a bit of whimsy!

LET WHAT YOU LOVE BE WHAT YOU DO

This is just the inspiration I need to embark on the next 365 days!  I am not one for making resolutions and I am certainly not one for sticking to them, but I shouldn't have too much trouble committing to what I love:  living the creative life.  I often feel pretty guilty about it.  But the more I think about it, I'm pretty sure I've been made to feel guilty about it.  Here is just a sampling of what I've heard regarding my creative endeavors, especially since the twins were born in 2010:

"You're art is not a job, it's a hobby."

"Your art doesn't pay the bills."

"You don't work at the gallery, you are a volunteer because they don't pay you."

"You are neglecting your children."

"You don't make your children a priority."

"You are ignoring your family."

"You spend too much time at art meetings, art functions, gallery receptions, art shows, etc."

"You are not doing any shows this year."
(Excuse me???)

"You always have something going on."

"You just do too much."

I can't imagine I'm the only creative soul facing such adversity, but sometimes it feels like I'm way out there all on my lonesome.  Existential Blues, I guess.  Which brings me 'round to my original thought:  Let what you love be what you do.  In 2012, I'll continue to pursue the creative life with gusto.  To hell with all the rest!  

AN ALICE GIVEAWAY!

The most splendid way to ring in 2012....a giveaway from a fantastic, artsy duo!  Stop by The Cart Before the Horse's blog to get in on the fun!  Good luck!!!

STRIP QUILT

In case you can't read the caption:

"Hey girl, you know how much it turns me on when you strip quilt, right?"

Oh my gosh....I adore this!  I found it floating around on facebook.  I'm going to tack it up in the studio and get SOOOO much quilting done.  No more UFO's for me!  See ya!  I've gotta go strip...............quilt.

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

Drying oranges with cloves is a must!  They make the house smell divine and are sooo easy!  The twins even "helped" this year.  Here's how:

• Use a toothpick to pierce the oranges and stick in the cloves.  Any pattern will do.  You can even completely cover the oranges with cloves!
• Use a paring knife to create designs on the surface.  (I slice right through the skin into the fruit.  I try not to connect or intersect lines when cutting because as the oranges dry, the lines open up and you don't want the rinds to weaken or break off.)
• Place the decorated oranges on a cookie sheet and dry them in the oven at 200 degrees.  (I use an old cookie pan to catch any juice that runs out.  I usually leave mine in the oven for at least 12 hours and turn them over from time to time.  If needed, I let the fruit air dry the rest of the way.)  

Here are some ornaments I've made in the past.  They still even smell delicious!  You can create a variety of designs, too.  The sky is the limit!

Of course we had to write letters to Santa Claus!  Here is Finnie's sweet note.

This is Faye's last ditch attempt to get in good with the big guy!

We made cinnamon and applesauce ornaments too!  The twins helped me sort through the tub of cookie cutters and poked holes through the ornaments with a straw so we could hang them with cording.  I love how you can look through the wreath in this picture and see one of my quilts hanging on the wall indoors.

We made hearts, bells, and Raggedy Ann (for Faye) and Andy (for Finn)!  Very sweet!

I didn't go all out with holiday decorating this year because I didn't imagine it would be too enjoyable wrangling the twins away from it all season.  But I did decorate the chandelier above our dining room table. 

Cool, huh?

A VINTAGE CHRISTMAS

I adore this year's Christmas tree.  It's simple and filled with vintage ornaments.  All of the old ornaments belonged to my grandparents.  Both of them have passed away, but Granpa died one year ago today.  It makes me happy to know that the decorations aren't hiding away in a box somewhere.  I love showing them off on my tree!

ALICE IN WINTER WONDERLAND

The totally unconventional tree topper on this year's Mock Pie Studio TreeFest tree.  Love it!

Paper flowers made by my (amazing!) friend Bethany, playing card garland and Alice doilies!

I drew tea cups on card stock and made ornies out of old cds, vintage Alice pics, doilies and black buttons. 

MUG BUDDIES

Mug Buddy, anyone?

 Handwoven with vintage material, these unique coasters make the perfect mug buddies!

Available at Artspace Gallery (www.artspace-bloomsburg.com) or by contacting me directly.

SWEET VINTAGE FABRIC BOWLS

I made cool fabric bowls from vintage 6-pointed star blocks.  I chopped the 6 points off each block to make hexagons.  (This was a bit of a risk because the blocks were hand pieced!)  I created quilt sandwiches using stiff interfacing and several different vintage reproduction prints for the backing.  I then free-motion machine quilted each one.  After zig-zagging the edges, I hand stitched the hexagons together to form the bowls.

 

Voila!  Something old is new again!

 The bowls with four hexagons required a square for the center...

.

...while the bowls with five hexagons needed a pentagon.

Either way, I think they turned out pretty cute!

These fabric bowls are available at Artspace Gallery (www.artspace-bloomsburg.com) or by contacting me directly.

THREAD TEXTURE ORNAMENTS

Aren't these balls wrapped in thread absolutely beautiful?  I love the colors, the visual texture, and the dimension created by the thread.

I hand stitched designs onto the surfaces using felt.

Far out...

There are several additional thread texture ornaments available:  Leaves, butterflies, mushrooms, rockets, flowers, and peacock feathers.  They are available at Artspace Gallery (www.artspace-bloomsburg.com) or by contacting me directly.