A little this and that...

I have been so bad about updating this blog lately. I made myself a page on Facebook and I post things that I do there and for some reason I keep forgetting to also post here. I will try to get better. Since my last post I finished the necklace and earrings I was making and made another pair, another necklace and also a pendant.  I called a hold on anymore till I get a few new tools I need....

Playing with wire

This week I got the wire out again. I have been wanting to play with it for awhile and now I remember why. I really do love the wire. I have so much fun when I play with it. I think I need to do this more. Between the silk painting and this I think I am finding some good substitutes for close up stitching. Much easier on the eyes which has been a big concern for me....

Time Warp

Not sure what I have been up to the last two weeks. All I know is I turned around and time had passed, I did this though: I am going to start adding color to it tonight. I am a bit nervous but it will either turn out good or not. Learning new things are always a bit daunting at first but I am always glad I did th...

Still in holding

So I have finally completed that cleaning job in my studio. Floors and furniture scrubbed down, everything sorted and put away. I removed everything from my dye table and took boxes of items into the bathroom wash area to be scrubbed down. I have piles of bottles and little glass containers that I mix dye in. Eyedroppers and other pieces of equipment. After removing them all from the studio and...

Are natural dyes really as safe as you think they are?

Message: Are Reactive Dyes eco-friendly? I wanted to direct you all to the link above because this is a subject near and dear to my heart. I struggled mightily with this in the beginning of my dyeing adventures because I felt pressure from many to do natural dyeing instead of using procioin MX. The more I read about it and studied the subject the more I felt uneasy about using natural dyes and...

I told you all I would post some pics of my trip to Scotland  and I certainly took my time getting back here to do it. Since my last post I've left again, this time for Paris and I had a wonderful time there. September was a fun filled month and I was very fortunate to get to visit two very beauiful places. Both inspiring in their own ways. I can't even tell you how many amazing Impressionist...

Home Again!

I just arrived home last night and always no matter how wonderful of a time I have had, my bed is a welcome sight. I have to admit though, I think that Scotland has captured my heart and I find my mind turning back to it over and over today. The wide open spaces! The beautiful, awe inspiring highlands! The deep wonderful fresh air! The warm and friendly people! The food! Wow, I could go on and on....

Silk Painting

I have started adding color and I am in LO...

The beginning of silk painting

Finally got around to playing with my new frame and getting geared up for some silk painting. As you can see by the picture it has several pieces so I can actually make a very large frame if I want to. This piece is for a color chart that I am doing out of Susan Louise Moyer's book Silk Painting: the Artist's guide to Gutta and Wax Resists. An excellent book by the way if you are at all interested...

Weekend Festival

This last weekend we traveled to a small town in Germany called Emmendingen to the African Music Festival. I had a fantastic time! Most of the festivals I have been to usually involve a large open space like a field that is fenced in with a stage or two, some booths for merchandise and that's it. This one was in the city center. There were tables and benches under trees and a nice grassy upraised...

Doing the Happy Dance! I have my internet back. YAY!...

Internet Troubles

I've had problems with my modem for the last week and it looks like it might continue on through the week till we can get it replaced. In the meantime, I have been busy...

More Floss!

So here I am, up to my elbows in new floss to wrap and get ready for the shop. I am not complaining though. It's been fun getting back in the groove. I even bought myself an umbrella swift. I figure with this much wrapping I need all the help I can get...now if it would just hurry up and get here! Tonight...back to wrapping more floss. I think if I don't I might sell out. Oh de...

Going Forward

Thank you all so much for your kind words on my last post and Anne I will heed your words of wisdom. I can see where that could easily happen! I have been very busy with my embroidery floss. I dyed a lot of it the last few weeks but continue on to refill my stock. I was amazed to see how low it was.  So yesterday I spent the day wrapping skein after skein of floss and setting it to...

For those of you wondering where I have been, I am sorry for my absence. I haven't been here for awhile. I haven't WANTED to be here for awhile. In fact, one day I got up from my studio chair, walked out of the room, closed the door and didn't go back in there for months. The piece I was working on still sits on my desk in the same position I left it in. How does something like that happen so suddenly? I'm...

I need quiet here!

I've been feeling a little pressured. I like my solitude. I like it quiet. I like a nice even measured schedule with no surprises. I know, I am weird. Truth is when there is unexpected and I jump into it and flow with it I end up having a good time but...I drag my feet every time. Right now I am working hard at learning about my two new passions, especially the wire, though I have been studying and...

Is that a robin I see/

So things are looking up around here, the smell of spring is in the air. My stomach flu seems to have turned tail and disappeared!I am starting to feel back to my normal self and this is a good thing. This week I met an English teacher in the elevator of my building. She offered to start helping me with my french and I jumped on that. So yesterday I went to my first conversation club and I had a...

Winter Blues

This week I had the stomach flu, this means that for almost the entire month of February I have been sick! I am ready for spring. I am ready for all these ills to go away. I have a theory about all of these germs. Hubby is on a train every day for almost 2 hours each way. I think being packed into that train with lots of other poor souls all with their own germs makes for a perfect petri dish and...