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Archive for the ‘12X12 challenge’ Category

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The End of Farmer’s Market

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Today was the last Farmer’s Market for the season. Mr C gathered up our knives so that we could have them sharpened while we shopped. The sharpener was very busy because we were not the only ones who wanted to catch them on the last day. What a treat to have nice, sharp knives.

Here are some of the goodies I bought today.

Yummy fingerling potatoes that were steamed in the microwave for dinner.

Tomatoes are plentiful and so delicious. We had some with arugula, walla walla onion, lemon, olive oil and shaved Parmesan. Next year, I hope to be growing my own.

I couldn’t pass up this arrangement of Chinese Lanterns.

I am still quilting the challenge piece. I think I need to do some work with paint or colored pencil to add some definition. I also started work on a simpler piece, just because it has been stuck in the back of my mind and says it must be done.

And, I have been trying to keep up with the craziness of the Presidential Campaign. What a weird day!

Posted in 12X12 challenge, Cooking and Recipes, Out and About in Portland | 1 Comment »

Frustration

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

I have no pretty pictures of my own to show you because I have been working on my 12 X 12 Shelter challenge. So, I will show you daughter, Lisa’s, latest venture. She did a couple of collages in  her inimitable style which Pottery Barn Teen, silk-screened on canvas and have for sale on their website. Click to see larger images.

I have been doing the machine quilting on my shelter challenge. I am really not enjoying this piece. It is sort of a landscape type of work which I used to do, but now I find it tedious to do the fussy quilting. I  had another idea, really simple, which I didn’t do, because  — it was really simple. I think I may still try to whip it up as a back-up.

Do  you know what time it is? It is time to clean up and reorganize my messy studio. I  just can’t seem to keep a neat organized work area for long. I know that it is impeding on my ability to create. I am planning to do a completely new arrangement of my work environment. I also plan to get rid of my old traditional quilting books. I haven’t decided how to do this, but I will post a notice here.

Posted in 12X12 challenge, My Brilliant Daughters | 8 Comments »

A Quiet Week-end

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

I have been plugging away on the next 12 X 12 challenge. The theme is shelter. I have had a couple of ideas. One was very  simple and one was not. Guess which one I decided to do? I am having a problem getting this done or getting excited or something. I hope to start some stitching on it tomorrow, but I still have some cutting and fusing to do. Here is a sneak peak at some of the cutting I have been doing.

Yesterday, we made another trip to the garden store to pick up some new grasses for the front landscaping. I also wanted to get some raspberries as my planting guide says to plant them now. The problem is that the nurseries do not get them until January so I will have to wait. I did pick up some mesclun mix starts and some more herbs and trailing/carpet rosemary. I am lining all of the beds with carpet herbs and rosemary which I will train to grow over the sides. (At least that is my plan!!) Here is a progress photo. I think we can start harvesting some romaine soon. I also need to thin the arugula and spinach.

We are having cooler weather and less sunshine. I guess fall is officially  here. I have a WW update. I went to a new meeting on Friday. I really liked the leader so I am going to switch from Wednesdays to Fridays. I was down a pound. I  am sure the strep throat contributed to my weight-loss last week!

Thanks for checking in.

Posted in 12X12 challenge, The Farm, weight loss/gain | 4 Comments »

Four-Four Years Ago…

Friday, September 5th, 2008

My parents — Jake and Rachel — are on the left. Mr C’s — Ruth and Paul — are on the right. I was struck by how much I look like my father in this photo. Thankfully, I didn’t get his ears. Mr C is still the spitting image of his Mom.

I wasted a lot of time this morning looking for our wedding album to scan a photo. I cannot find it anywhere. I finally found this one in a frame down here in the basement. It was quite faded, but Photoshop does wonders.

Tonight we will go out to dinner with M & M, who are spending the week-end with us. We will officially celebrate in Chicago next Thursday. We are going to spend an afternoon and evening there and then head to Ft. Wayne, IN for Mr C’s 50th high school reunion.

On the studio front, I am working on the next 12 X 12 challenge, shelter. Since I am doing something more realistic, rather than abstract, it requires some Photoshop and design work. I just want to start cutting fabric!!

Posted in 12X12 challenge, Family | 12 Comments »

Gilded Pears

Friday, August 1st, 2008

Detail:

(Finally, Blogger has unlocked the blog and we are posting our pieces.) This is my illumination piece for the 12 X 12 challenge. I was inspired by paintings by the masters that seem to glow. The term for this is chiaroscuro.

Chiaroscuro – In drawing, painting, and the graphic arts, chiaroscuro (ke-ära-skooro) concerns the rendering of forms through a balanced contrast between light and dark areas. The technique that was introduced during the Renaissance, is effective in creating an illusion of depth and space around the principal figures in a composition. Leonardo Da Vinci and Rembrandt were painters who excelled in the use of this technique.

I love pears — they have such voluptuous curves and look so wonderful in a still life. I had some hand-dyed fabrics that just screamed pears! This is how the composition looked before I added the gold foil.

I think this would have worked as an illuminated piece, but i just had to add the foil. The background is silk dupioni.

I really enjoyed this challenge. I wonder what theme Terri will come up with for our next challenge?

Posted in 12X12 challenge, My creations, Surface Design Techniques, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

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