Feb TIF Challenge

I had an idea of where I wanted to go with this month's TIF challenge. Remember we are to answer the question
"What are you too old to remember?"

That just got me to thinking bout lots of stuff from personal life like my first kiss (at 5!!!!!) or my first dance with someone I had a crush on (2 totally separate guys by the way). I needed to start using my sketchbook so this challenge proved a good one. First I started with tongue in cheek ideas like:

• mini and maxi skirts (who didn't have the shortest mini's allowed)
• Mili Vanilli and that lip syncing debacle (you think anyone remembers them?)
• Pac-man (never did get the hang of it and still can't do video games well)
• Dynasty (remember the famous Crystal and Alexis fight?)
• Who Shot JR???????? (if you don't know this one it's not worth explaining)

So then I started thinking out events/things that affected the world we live in like:

• the collapse of the Berlin Wall
• the 1st artificial heart
• the Iran hostage crisis that ended in '81
• and then there's typwriters (still can't type properly for dog nor human)
• 8-track tapes and 45's and 78's (records that is)....the list goes on and on.

In the end I decided not to write about any childhood events because most of those no one knows but me. As I was writing this list one thing kept popping back into my mind time and time again and I was very surprised at my reaction to it today, long after it happened. I've sketched it out but have to think on how best to execute it....but I'm leaving it here for now.

"Aw shucks!" you say, disheartened. Check back later and I'll show you my experimentations.

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

A Free Pattern for Valentine's

I've never been one to celebrate Valentine's Day in any big way because I feel love tokens, notes, etc. needs to be given all year long. This year though I decided that we should all be able to declare our love for that special someone in our lives and I thought a scroll, like those used for town proclamations, was in order.




You can make this "Love Scroll" for your significant other or, if you have a twinkle in your eye for someone new, you can use this scroll to give them a little hint about your feelings.







The finished size of the "Love Scroll" is 9"x 22". Just think, a bundle of love in a little fat eighth! I've even added some ties on the back so it can be rolled up just like a scroll. The heartfelt bee is all dressed in pink for Valentine's instead of his usual worker bee yellow. With the ease of fusible this little declaration of yours will be done in no time!





For the next few days I will be offering this as a free pattern. Email me (click contact me at sidebar) and I'll get your free pattern right out to you. Have fun with it and have a little love on me :-)


See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

"Stuff"

"There may not be enough hours in the day for everything I might possibly want to do but there is always time for the stuff I really really care about...it’s about identifying the important stuff".

This is a quote from an artist's blog I read regularly, Lisa Call. She blogged recently about priorities and finding time to do the "important stuff". These last few weeks I have been committed to getting a few things finished in my studio, stuff to get my business going.

This week however, business "stuff" took a back seat. It has been a fun week but a long one. I found that I scheduled too any things for this one week and am paying the price for it. I AM TIRED! My days were extremely long and my feet are so very sore from constantly standing but, despite that, it's been a good week.

I had the pleasure of hostessing Esterita Austin at our guild meeting on Wednesday. She did a 1-day workshop yesterday and a 2-day workshop held today and continuing tomorrow. She is funny, inspiring and a real hoot to be with. Thanks Teri for making it easy for me. I also taught session 1 of my Beginning Quilting class last night. Whew!

On Sunday I'll be doing one important thing and only one important thing...putting my tired feet up and getting some much needed shut-eye...okay, one eye will be open...y'all know I still have to watch my sunday morning news programs!

Pics of some artwork coming soon.


See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Take It Further February

St. Andrew's Cathedral, Wells, Somerset, England

Okay it's February and I've got to gear up to take on the next TIF challenge. This month's concept from Sharon B is an interesting one. It's a question this time:

"What are you old enough to remember?"

Sharon B wrote a little about what she remembers. It includes man walking on the moon, Lennon getting shop, vinyl records (oh my gosh that's a throwback isn't it...records!), using wood stoves and a whole lot more.

Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England

My mind is reeling with all sorts (not that I'm THAT old mind you) and this month I want to start sketching ideas in my journal so that not only can I record it so you can see, but also to get it the habit of using my sketchbook again to tease out my ideas.

Floor of Roman Baths, Bath, England

I tend to think about things in the early early morning (my brain seems to be on a 3 o'clock idea schedule, definitely need to reconfigure that) and I usually just jot things down on a small post-it pad by my bed. That's not enough for me anymore. I see all sorts of sketchbooks from other artists and love looking at their progression so I have a two-fold mission this month.

Stay tuned, I hope to do more postings as I work thru this month's challenge.

If you were doing this challenge what things are you too OLD to remember...that you'd like other people to know of course?

BTW, here's the palette for this month.

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Every Little Bit Helps

Just a short post today about conservation. The county we live in is in stage 3 water restrictions. Been that way for a while now. So to do our part one of the things we did was to find another source for water to water out plants.

For a while now we have had a bucket in the shower to catch excess water. I fill up my watering can and my son and I go around and water all the plants we have around the house (he loves to help me do this). Easy no brainer thing to do, right?

Connor, who just turned 7 this past Monday, took a shower one evening this week as he usually does. Early the next morning when I went to take my shower...this is what I found and I just had to capture it:

I was so overcome with gratitude and love for that little guy, that this little thing we are doing to conserve water he has actually paid attention to and wants to do his part as well. I am so very pleased to know my role modeling is working. Now if only I can see some of the stuff I taught in "The Teenager" (yeh, right!).

Oh......

and another update on the newest member of our family.

Do ya think he's a bit spoiled right now........

his own blankie???????

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",