Half A Dozen Cards

Swimming With The Fish

Surf, Sun and Sand

Wash Out

Crossing Over

Hugs and Kisses

Painted Desert

Post Card Edges- Big Improvement

If you looked closely at my postcards you can see that I have trouble doing edges...they really look ragged and uneven...today a very nice person shared her technique with me, she sews her edges first...she carries the fabric around to the back so that raw edge is enclosed...stitches around the edge and then creates her postcard fronts..beads, stitches or embellishing...then she adds the back on...either with the no sew fusible or with a glued down fabric that is weighted down until it dries...I tried it today...and it really worked. Now I am not embarrassed to send my postcards off to Virgina for her Cancer Fund Raiser at Chicago.

EMBELLISHER

About a year ago I got the chance to purchase an Embellisher from someone who didn't want it anymore...she had gone to a demo and been swept up into the excitement and made the purchase and then got home and wondered why she had purchased it. This was great for me because she sold it for a great price. Anyway it is great for doing embellishing (duh, it is called the Embellisher!)...I love it for doing post cards and ATC.s. I hit the local GoodWill Stores about once a month and purchase colorful silk blouses, old ties, and polyester wild prints. I add them to my growing Embellisher Stash along with yarns, laces, threads, and netting. If you are not familiar with the machine it has 7 needles but no thread, it is made by Babylock. It was designed for a felting machine...but it can do so much more than just felting. Here is a postcard done with the Embellisher...it took about 15 minutes ...and then I quilted it at the regular sewing machine.

Looking for my MOJO

Have been in a slum...no creative energy...I've been content to sit around and act like a TV Slug. Today I decided I needed to have a little Forced Creativity....went into the sewing room and promised myself I wouldn't come out until I created something. Postcards are great...they allow you to try new techniques with limited cloth/ beads/ and time. I actually had fun and even discovered a machine foot that I had forgotten I had. By noon I had created and beaded two postcards. I think my Mojo might be on the way back.

Son- In-Law Visit

Have just found out or rather was told that my son-in-law actually visited my blog and read all my entries...now I know that with his next visit to Grayton Beach I will have to put up with his Bo comments and other tidbits that he has learned about his MIL. He was going to leave a comment but because of the way my blog was set up it didn't allow non-members to leave comments...I think that I have corrected that now. I think that it was great that he was curious enough to read all of the entries...so am hoping that he will visit again and see that even a mere son-in-law can make it into my blog....and if he watches his" P's and Q's " and he buys that diamond bracelet he has been promising me that maybe he can earn BO status with me.

Inspiration Needs to Come KNOCKING

Not sure what my actual problem is...I'm stuck in postcard and ATC mode...I want to do bigger but have no creative juices flowing...nothing exciting has happened, I'm not angry about anything, I feel no injustices against me...only the cold...what's with this strange Florida weather we have been having anyway? Hopefully I will get out of this slump soon...I keep visiting my favorite fellow bloggers hoping for some spark...love what I see, but what I see just isn't me at this time of my life. Am hoping that something will hit me and send me back to my little yellow sewing room. Hubby just read screen over my shoulder, he suggested that I finish the Famous Star Quilt that is waiting for closure in the laundry basket in the closet....now that really is a depressing thought. I need one of those security screens for laptops to keep prying eyes off my typing.....oh well, another day starting...perhaps inspiration will visit today.

Fallen Painter Update

Plan to give my Fallen Painter Quilt to our painter Wayne on Wednesday...along with his final check as he will be finished with our house hopefully by then. The poor man has climbed up three stories over and over on his ladder painting this house...ands that is after taking the fall where he had to call 911 on his cell..as I was in shower...I just added the cell phone to the quilt. Used Shrinky Dink to make one...just hope he likes it and doesn't think I am making fun of him.

Here is close up of Shrinky Dink cell phone.

A Little of This and That

Picked up my machine...and the clicking noise is gone...it needed a small adjustment that was off a little...so while at the shop picked up some wool thread and some ribbon floss and some topstitch thread to play with. I just knew I couldn't go in that store and come out with just my machine.

Have been learning to crochet, my friend Pam has given me two lessons and my own green crochet hook. My husband has gotten concern because he thinks I am acting like an old lady...crocheting potholders...out of multicolored yarn...I can only do two stitches and am practicing keeping my tension even and my pointer finger down instead of pointing straight up...not an easy job with old stiff fingers. The results of my labors...potholder looking pieces, some are wider at the bottom than at the top- the latest one the top turned into a ruffle...usually I admire my work for a little and then pull it out to do again.

Husband had a Doctor's appointment on Tuesday...we waited three hours to see the Doctor...he acted like he was seeing us on time...no apology or anything...since he will be wotrking on my husband's eyelid to correct a previous operation by another Doctor...I bit my tongue and counted to 40...I guess a patient's time is not as valuable as his time is.

Think I have caught up on my life...now that Blog is playing nice.

Testing

The blog has not been "playing" nice with me for a few days...wouldn't publish my blog entries and would time out on me...this is just a test to see if it is going to play nice today. Don't wish to type a lot and then see it disappear right in front of my eyes.

Application Day

Today was the day that I got to apply for Social Security. Since I am a "leap year baby", born on the 29th of February I fall into their fourth cycle of payment. Also because I am born on the last day of the month (that is, when it comes around every 4 years)...I have to be 62 for a whole month before I am eligible. (March has 31 days) so because of that fourth cycle, I get my check on the 4th Wed. of April. I am not only 62 for 1 month but 62 for 57 days before I get that check. I asked if I got any interest for the extra days but the lady only laughed at me!

My husband just looked over my shoulder at my screen and said..."Now everyone will know your true age."

I replied, "Yea, they will all know that I am only 15 and half years old and that I lied when I said I was a 60ish retired teacher."

Today is Friday

Today is Friday...and Simply Quilts was really interesting....painting fabric with a water based Gutta. (I have a bottle so I think I might try it this week-end.) I have also been told that Elmer's water based blue glue will work too...so might try that too. I also have a great new watercolor tape that shows how to do abtracts with coffee filters, plastic wrap, alcohol, napkins and YES glue...might try that with fabric paint instead of my watercolors...I start to get that smug feeling of having planned out my whole week-end .....listening to my special guy's new CD and making a creative mess...

And then....

I look around and see dust, piles of newspapers, and dirty clothes, and floors that need mopping, also the windows could stand a good wipe down with Windex, my smug look is changing into a frown....since it is very obvious that I really need to DO SOME CLEANING!!!!(How can only two people create so much dust, and why do floors get dirty when you only walk on them with your bedroom slippers, and why don't windows stay clean?

WHY? WHY? WHY? ....

If given a choice guess which one will win out with me?

If you guessed cleaning, then you don't know me!!

Fallen Painter Quilt

Here is my Fallen Painter....an image that I can deal with. When my painter fell (see earlier entry) it left me very upset and I was having trouble sleeping...bad images of him laying there in my backyard....very very still. This fabric snapshot helped to change that image. By the way the painter is fine...he was back on his ladder two days later painting away. I had lots of fun doing this...now I am wondering do I share it with the painter?