My mom’s birthday was Sunday so I drove up and spent the afternoon. They live in the mountains, surrounded by redwoods, which usually keeps the temperature down a bit…apparently not on Sunday. It was hot! I had baked cupcakes, added some sugar sprinkles on top of lovely cream frosting, but by the time I got to their house (even with the car’s air conditioning running) a lot of the frosting decided to relocate right off the side of the cupcake! Not pretty, but still tasty.

Anyway, awhile back my parents added three little cabin sheds to their property. My mom turned one into a cozy outdoor studio. I just thought it looked so welcoming with her garden (including the ever stylish plastic pink flamingos) and little path. It was too hot, otherwise we might have sat outside on the little bench and ate our cupcakes. That’s kitty Pumpkin coming up the path. Meow.

I also thought I would share the cupcake recipe I tried. I used a store bought carrot cake mix and then substituted 1 2/3 cups of applesauce for the oil and water. I added raisins and nuts to the mix as well and baked them just like the box directed for cupcakes. Just something a little different (and yummy).

Sometimes all it takes is a good pedicure.

Have you ever felt that way? When life gets busy and you just need a moment.

I had one of those moments the other day. Between school and homework, running a business, filling orders, meeting deadlines, phone calls, being the dog and cat door monitor (do they really need to go in and out 20 times a day and can’t they synchronize their schedules!) …I just needed to take a moment and feel a little girly.

A little foot soaking, some pretty polish - definitely a happy.

Quiltmania is a French quilt magazine, published six times a year in both French and English. They also publish special issues each year - one of which is a childrens’ issue (Hors-série - Enfants) dedicated to projects grown-ups can make with children in mind - although the special issues are only published in French.

Awhile back they had seen my “Home in the Middle” quilt and asked if they could publish it in their 2009 children’s issue. (They’ve actually published another quilt of mine - Lilly’s Water Wings - in their 2008 issue.) I said yes and sent the quilt off to France… alas, they didn’t ask me to accompany the quilt, darn.

Today the UPS delivery truck pulled up with a box from France. Inside was my quilt and three copies of the magazine. There on the cover was my quilt!!! I squealed with delight!!! They may have even heard me in France. I was so thrilled. They didn’t mention a word in any of our email correspondence so I had no idea.

I’ll be on cloud 9 for a bit I think. :)
That, and I’ll have to trust my handy Mac Translator Widget to figure out what the magazine says.

WAHHOO! OUI OUI! WAHOOO!
(The translator didn’t have anything for Wahoo in French.)

My husband loves this little drawing I did. I’ve actually made it into a rubber stamp and am finishing up a quilt by the same name, “For the Brave”. For his birthday I wanted to surprise him with a t-shirt (this was last year’s birthday). I used one of those inkjet iron on transfers. It looked good but then when we washed it…well…it didn’t look so swell.

So I had heard of this online service called Cafepress. Anyone can upload images, pick from a bunch of products to have it printed on and even open a shop. Well, I decided to try. So I uploaded this image (the front of the shirt actually has the little red wagon and the dog) and ordered a t-shirt. WOW!

The t-shirt came and it looked SO much better than the one I had made. The image is actually screened on the shirt (maybe that’s the process anyway) and it looks great - even after being washed. I was so excited no I want to order some more.

So if you’d like one of your very own, just check out my little shop at Cafepress.com/forthebrave.

Until next time…

In this workshop the list of supplies included an open Stargazer Lily. I think the hardest part was transporting the flower and not spilling the container full of water! I’m glad to report that both the flower and I made it just fine.

We then placed the flower and vase in front of us, took out our paper and pencils and started to draw. We started with drawing the outside shape of the flower - all the petals. I positioned my flower so that I could see all the petals, not directly eye level like the photo of the real flower.

I think the biggest obstacle in drawing for me is that I don’t always “see”. Sometimes I find that I draw the way my brain says it thinks it should be. I think that’s why you see artists squinting and holding up their fingers or pencils. Sometimes I think the line should go this way, but when I hold my pencil up in the air and follow the shape it actually goes that way. Ha! No wonder it’s not looking right.

We drew the shape and then added the details. We didn’t totally follow the actual flower, it was more a lesson in shading from light to dark. The hard part was making the ruffled edges look, well, ruffled. That and adding the stamen (I think that’s what the center is called). But I think all worked out okay. It was also wonderful to sit in a room full of all those flowers, oh did it smell lovely.

One of our next assignments uses crayons. These aren’t like Crayola crayons but actually Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artists’ Crayons. They are along the same lines as the water soluble colored pencils (if you’ve ever tried those) only in a crayon format. I actually had a set I’d gotten years ago which was swell because I didn’t have to buy any. :) However I did have to purchase the paper - a really cool black paper made by Color-Aid.

Our assignment was to create an all-over design using, again, only seven colors. We also weren’t allowed to have very much of the black background showing.

It was kind of scary at first because this paper, with shipping, is about $6 for a 18 x 24 piece. In my mind this translates to “don’t mess up“. :) I got some cheap black construction paper and did some doodles, just to try some different things out. However I was AMAZED when I actually put crayons on the black Color-Aid paper. I couldn’t believe how vibrant the colors were. The photo just doesn’t do it justice but these colors are as saturated as you can get. I had a blast doing these - I mean who doesn’t like to play with crayons. :)

I did four different samples, some people did six. Our teacher then would choose one, maybe two to create finished projects from (these samples are only 8 inch squares). She, for whatever reason, picked three of mine. Now I have to create bigger layouts - the one with the kitties hiding in the grass I need to create a 18 x 24 layout, the other two don’t have to be quite so big. I was actually surprised and very excited. These crayons are addictive because they produce results instantly (which is swell because everything else we’ve done seems to take so long). The only downside…I think I’m going to have to buy a couple more green crayons because the kitties are going to take a LOT of grass.

Next…we’re working on computer designs - WAHOO! Yes, I am a computer gurl, I don’t think I’m at “geek” status, but I do love technology!

I got to check something off of my homework list - yeah!! This assignment was “abstract scribble”. We started by drawing shapes with a rather large marker on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. We drew about a dozen or so - each on a separate piece of paper.

We then took all of them in and our teacher went through and would pick some for us to work on. The shape she picked for me happened to be a tilted rectangle within a larger rectangle. Once we had the shape we reduced them and created a layout. Once that was approved we moved on to color.

In the textile industry when printing fabric every color costs $$$. So we were only allowed seven colors tops. In a world full of colors it sounds VERY limiting, but then that’s why we’re there, to figure these things out. So I picked six colors for the shapes - the primaries - red, yellow and blue, a light and dark version of each. Once I was finished it looked kind of dull, so I added a little random shadow (color number seven). I thought it turned out ok.

On to the next assignment…

The next workshop I got to check off my school list was watercolor branches.

I find that I really am biased towards watercolor - I love it. I love the feel of the colors, layering one on top of another, building the lights to mediums to darks, finishing by adding the detail. Using good quality brushes you’d be amazed at the fine detail you can add with a relatively large brush. I also love them for the fact that a painting really doesn’t require a lot of paint…it’s mostly water with small bits of color added. Unlike the gouache paints we use, that are, pardon me but HECKA expensive. I feel like every time I squirt out paint there goes another $5. I really should look into buying some Windsor Newton stock. :)

Again, don’t be too impressed, I didn’t draw these or come up with the painting scheme on my own. We were given reference material, traced and then watercolored.

Next up…flower drawing.

Up until now all of our designs for school have been painted in gouache - an opaque watercolor. I’d never really painted with gouache - there’s a bit of a learning curve, which I’m still struggling with but am making progress.

Anyway, this past workshop we worked on watercolor flowers - in particular a rose (we had great reference material - I didn’t come up with this on my own).

It was so nice to work in a medium I’d used before and didn’t feel quite so awkward in. I love watercolor, the layers of color, the sparkle the white paper adds as it peaks through. It’s also the surprise - with watercolor you can lay down a shape with clean water and then drop in a bit of color. You have control over the color but there’s always an element of surprise as the color seeps into the water, feathering out, creating gradients from dark to light, until it’s gone as far as it can and what’s left is the white of the paper.

So my fellow students and I painted the day away. Most of us finished our flowers but still had our leaves to paint. There’s actually a whole other workshop on leaves…I think I’ll wait until I’ve I’ve taken that one to finish my rose.

I really enjoyed this workshop, not only because of the medium but because of the memory it brought up.

As a child I remembered my grandmother painting the most wonderful, delicate flowers on porcelain. She actually taught painting for years - although I think at the time I was still into crayons and coloring books. Mostly I remember her flower covered plates, although I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any. But I do have a pitcher and a little tray she painted - lovely pink roses on each.

Sitting in this workshop with a palette of color and brush in hand I thought of her, wishing I could sit and paint flowers with her now.

I love you gran and I’m sure you’d be happy to know that I’ve graduated from my crayons.

Awhile back I worked with two wonderful gals who were starting up an organic, gourmet dog treats business. They needed a logo and wanted to use their dogs (the real Zac, a boxer, and Betty, a Jack Russell Terrier) as inspiration. We worked over the phone and through email and the logo to the right is what came together for their business,
Zac & Betty’s Barkery.

Well, now on to our doggie Tucker’s favorite part!

A little surprise showed up in our mailbox! Tucker knew right away the box was something good. I opened it up (as he watched of course) and inside were two packages of Zac & Betty treats JUST FOR HIM! Absolutely no sharing with the cats! (I’m sure was his first thought.)

Tucker LOVES them, a definite TWO PAWS UP rating for sure!

So I wanted to pass the information on…

If you’re looking for something yummy (homemade and totally organic) for your own doggie - maybe an special treat or a “pupcake” cookie for that someone specials’ birthday, or even a gift idea for a furry friend - please be sure to check out
Zac & Betty’s Barkery.
Two great gals who turned their passion for dogs into a wonderful business.

Woof woof :)

The winner of Kay’s Easy Applique Blocks book is:

Mary on Lake Pulaski

While winning a WONDERFUL book is not as great as getting a new puppy it’s still pretty darn swell!

Congratulations Mary!
And thanks to everyone for stopping by.

Bye.
Holly

Kay MacKenzie just released a new book and asked me to participate in her “blog-a-round” (something I didn’t know existed until she told me). She also said that she would give away a signed copy of her book to one lucky person - you just have to leave a comment in order to be entered.

Her book is quite delightful and full of blocks. What I liked most is that it came with a CD. I popped it into my computer, picked a block, picked the size and zoom, out it came on my home printer.

I picked the following little Scottie dog (the same one that’s actually on the cover of her book). I went to my fabric stash and found some hot pink and decided to do the doggie out of black polka dots. I used a little button for his name tag. I could so see a whole quilt made out of these little dogs on various brightly colored background fabrics.

I then got to thinking, why couldn’t stampers use the book as well - just substitute paper for fabric! I popped the CD back into my computer and picked another design, this time a little flower.

Because the smallest version of the block was bigger than most cards I picked a size and then printed it at 50%. Perfect. I traced the flower and cut it out of paper. I used a scalloped card and stamped some little swirls (I added the white highlights with a pen). I then glued the flower down but left the petals un-glued so they’d stand up. I used a glitter pen and drew a little line just inside each of the petals. I also stamped “Happy Spring” above the leaves.

SOOOOO…if you’d like to be entered for a free copy of Kay’s Easy Applique Blocks book please leave a comment - you have until midnight!! If you don’t win but would like a copy of the book you can either:

• - ask for it from your local quilt shop
• - visit the Martingale & Company website
• - visit Amazon.com
• - or go to Kay’s website, Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs and order your very own signed copy!

Thanks Kay!
Toodles for now. :)

Textural brocade - the latest in the list of school workshops - was lots of fun, a bit time consuming but I think the end result came out cool.

We started by painting our ground and then with scrunched up paper towels created the background. Someone was able to procure some towels from a gas station - they seemed to work best as they weren’t absorbent (and quite scratchy).

Once the background (tan) was done we traced the foreground (blue) design directly onto the background. We took Frisket film (kind of like clear contact paper but with a lower-tack adhesive) and carefully cut around the entire design. This seemed to take forever!

One of the women in the class had a cool little X-acto knife that swiveled. She let me try it and it was GREAT for cutting the curves - of course I had to rush right out and purchase one of my own. :)

Once the Frisket was all cut I had to remove the part that would be painted blue. This is more difficult than you think, not the removing part, but the keeping track of what to pull up and what to leave down. I saved the pieces and was thankful because I accidentally pulled up something I should have - YIKES! After removing the CORRECT parts, out came the sponge. We used a light, medium and dark to create the top layer.

The revealing was the best part! After everything dried I got to pull of the rest of the Frisket and see what I’d done. Yahoo!

Stay tuned for the next workshop…Watercolor flowers!

Magazines are always advertising for artwork, swaps, contests and what not. I read through and think “oh wouldn’t that one be fun”. But it just never seems to happen.

I was reading through Quilting Arts awhile back and they had a theme, “Fresh Picked”. I immediately had visions of our dog Tucker in the backyard digging holes, tuffs of grass flying through the air (I haven’t planted flowers in the backyard for precisely this reason). I quickly did a little sketch so I wouldn’t forget and wrote down the deadline.

The size had to be 12 inches square, a lot smaller than I usually work. I can’t tell you how much fun I had putting this together. Most of the quilts I do don’t have three dimensional items, but I knew this project was calling for flowers I’d picked up at the local craft store. I added the flowers and some scrunched up brown tulle for a pile of dirt. I also made the bottom of her apron a little ruffle as well as the curtains in the window.

Anyway, I was happy to finish before the deadline and get the pictures in the mail. I don’t know what will happen and in all honesty I’m not even going to think about it. It was just a ton of fun and the subject something near and dear to my heart…our sometimes mischievous puppy Tucker.

A little addendum…
April 11, 2009
I didn’t make it to the finals. I will admit I was a wee bit disappointed. But that’s ok. I now have this little piece of artwork that I probably wouldn’t have created if it weren’t for the spark of an idea the contest brought.

This workshop was “dry brush”. The technique is usually used with tropical fabric - big flowers and leaves… maybe even loud Hawaiian shirts. :)

It was actually the hardest workshop to date. Again we started with reference but geeze, getting those paint strokes to look “dry”. I found myself getting frustrated - I thought I was following the directions but my painting was looking nothing like the teachers. I’d already “gotten loose” and painted-by-number but this was somewhere in between I suppose. The brush strokes shouldn’t look like flames, nor should they look like fur (furry flowers are apparently a no-no).

Towards the end of class it finally just kind of “happened”. You know, one of those moments where it just kind of works and then you say to yourself “oooooohh, that’s what I’m supposed to be doing”.  I guess I had to struggle all morning, or maybe I just needed to each lunch. :) I’m not sure but in the end I was pleased with how it came out.

Onto the next workshop…