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Archive for the ‘High Fiber Diet’ Category

This and That

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Today, I attended my first Columbia Stitchery Guild Board meeting. I am now the president elect. I realized today that one of my big jobs this year is to cement some relationships with worker bees who will serve on the board when I am president. Reva and I drove together; she will be doing the newsletter, with another person. It is a very nice group of women. We had a nice lunch prepared by the old board.

I arrived home to find the new cabinets in the bathroom almost finished. They are so gorgeous. It was too dark to take a photo by the time our incredible cabinet maker left for the day. In the tall cabinet in the bathroom, there is a large door, two small drawers and another large door on the bottom. He cut these from the rift sawn white oak so that the grain matches just perfectly as you scan down the piece. It is really a work of art.

One of my Coupeville classmates sent this photo of the class, today. We had the maintenance guy take the photo. I think it is a great photo of all of us.

From the left, Judy, Nita (our fabulous class assistant) Teresa, Moi, Akemi, Patricia and Elaine. I can’t believe Judy was wearing a plain white t-shirt because most days, she wore one of her fabulous Complexitees.

My rusting experiment of the indigo scarf is really looking good. I am not sure how long I need to leave it. It is so hot and dry that I have to keep pouring water over it. My rusting source said not to put plastic on it because you want to have oxygen available to create rust.

Tomorrow, I have to clean up my studio, again!! I have started working on a design for my 3-D fabric teapot for a High Fiber Diet Challenge. I do not work in 3D very often so this will be a real challenge for me.

Out Came the Sun…

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

…but it will take a while to dry up all the rain we have been having. My sis, Judy, e-mailed, wondering if we were ok because I hadn’t blogged since Saturday. No problems — just busy.

Sunday was the opening of our “Small Treasures” show. I didn’t take my camera so no photos. Terry sold 2 pieces as did several others. No sales for me and I don’t expect any as I priced mine higher than most. That is ok, I will put them on my website after the show is over.

Sunday was also the day the rain became torrential and didn’t stop until this morning. Sunday afternoon I went to the Paper Zone (I love paper stores!!) I found some blank paper and matching envelopes to print invitations to an open house that Mr C and I are having between Christmas and New Year’s. Lisa will be here and she is inviting her peep’s who live in Portland. Steph will invite her friends, too. It will be a multi-generational gathering.

I managed to get a photo of the front door on Saturday, before the rain started.

frontdoor2.jpg

I played with it in Photoshop and got rid of the reflection of my leg!!

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I selected paper in a bamboo color and printed the invite.

invite.jpg

I did a google search and found this charming verse which I used.

Let the warmth of friendship
take the chill from the air
and the spirit of the season
make winter easier to bear.

Yesterday morning, the weather was miserable and I had an appointment with my dermatologist so Mr C drove me through the wind and flooding streets. While we were out in Clackamas, we did a Costco run and picked up a new DVD player which plays nicely with our High Definition TV. We are watching a movie and it is fantastic. The player optimizes performance of DVD’s for HDTV.

I tried to take Maggie for walks for the last two days, and we have both gotten soaked and it has been difficult to get my exercise points. So, I turned to this.

getmovingvideo.jpg

I have always enjoyed doing aerobics and weights, but we do not have a gym close to our home so I have not been getting in those activities. Yesterday, I did the 20 minute aerobic work out and today I did the toning. I must say that I am feeling it in my thighs and abs.

Today was beautiful and sunny and quite warm so I got lots of walking in plus the toning. I also cleaned up my studio so that I can start some new projects.

I have previously mentioned the project that Caron is doing to remember those lost in the Iraq war. She is assembling small quilt blocks – one for each American lost — which will have 212 French knots to represent the Iraqis lost. Look at what she and her minions have accomplished so far. Click on her name to go to her site to see other photos and how to’s, if you want to contribute to the remembrance quilt.

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She was interviewed for Minnesota Public Radio. You can listen and see photos here. Caron, I am so proud of you. This project is beautiful in so many ways.

Finishing Work and a Birthday Boy

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

Tonight I needed to turn in at least two small quilts for the High Fiber Diet show next month. Last week, I collaged a background of my hand dyed silks. Yesterday, I started adding Asian Textiles.

asiancollage1.jpg

Today, I noticed some spots that needed more collaging and then I quilted it with simple curved lines in metallic gold. I stained a piece of bamboo with gold paint and here is the finished product.

asiancollagefinal.jpg

And a closeup of the quilting.

asiancollagecloseup.jpg

The Indigo Aspen Moonlight piece got a silvery bamboo rod.

indigoaspenmoonlight.jpg

indigoaspencloseup.jpg

I would like to make a couple more pieces for the show. We shall see.

Today was Miles’ sixth birthday. M & M have no school this week, but Steph had to go to conferences with their teachers this morning. She dropped them off early. Here is Mia, looking so pretty in a brown outfit with a necklace and bracelet.

miainbrown.jpg

Here is Miles reading in what looks like a very uncomfortable position.

milesreading.jpg

He was so excited to have a date with Grandma and Grandpa to go out to lunch and to pick out a birthday present at the Lego store. He could hardly contain himself.

Steph picked up Mia so that we could make it a really special time for Mr Milo. It took him all of 5 minutes to select a wonderful castle and pirate ship combo. We had lunch at the mall food court so that Milo could have one of his favorite meals: steamed rice and teriyaki chicken. He is reading one of the boxes and finishing his cookie, on the ride home.

birthdayboy.jpg

When he got back to our house, he assembled the bonus set, with no help from Grandpa. I can’t believe how grown-up he is becoming. We keep thinking it can’t get any better with these kids, and then it does. We are truly enjoying the conversations that we have with them.

Tomorrow, we are all heading to the coast for a long Thanksgiving week-end at the beach. I don’t think we will have internet access. I may check in tomorrow if I have good news when I weigh in at WW. Now, I must go figure out what I still need to buy at the store for the finishing touches on our feast.

Happiness is Creating Art

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

Buoyed by this news, I have been having a wonderful day.

American evolutionary-psych researchers have produced eye catching research suggesting that women whose hips are significantly bigger than their waists are more intelligent, and tend to produce more intelligent babies. They believe that this might explain why men tend to be attracted to women with this type of physique, apparently theorising that what men really really want is women (and children) likely to be cleverer than themselves.

Who knew? I thought my kids got their brains from their father.

Yesterday, was a lost day. It was a really dark and stormy day. the wind was blowing mightily. Trees and branches were falling all around us. And the power went out. It is so spooky quiet when the power goes off. No background humming of the computers and the furnace. Mr C and I did our class homework next to the window with a fire blazing in the fireplace.

Today was glorious — bright and sunny —, and after a nice long walk with Mr C and Maggie, I got quite a bit done in the studio.

I have to get at least two journal size quilts done for a High Fiber Diet show next month, titled Small Treasures. And I am still working on the Good to Be Green quilt which I can not show you.

I have had this idea percolating in my brain — that is to use indigo shibori fabric to make aspens in a night time scene. So here is my go at it for one of my Small Treasure pieces.

This is the general layout.

indigoaspen1.jpg

I wanted to put some silver foil on the moon. First, I applied some glue with a small brush, very lightly.

indigomoonglue.jpg

I got a lot more foil adhering than I had planned for so I just went with it.

indigomoonfoil.jpg

I decided to do hand stitching with Perle cotton. I did some silver stitching in the foiled moonlight and the trees are stitched with a dark blue.

indigomoonstitching.jpg

I really enjoy doing the Perle cotton embellishing.

Here is some stitching I did on the Good to Be Green piece. I have not clipped the threads because I might want to leave some dangling threads.

goodtobegreenstitching.jpg

The sweet Deborah of Deborah’s Journal has posted some photos of my work hanging at the Houston show. Click on the link if you would like to take a look.

Hope you are all busy and creating, too.