The pictures I promised, several posts back!

Front of Altered Book (closed):

Altered Book (open):

Several of the pages inside Altered book:

Pieced top for wallhanging:

I can't post pictures :(

Well - I intended to post pictures with my last post, but Blogger has other ideas and isn't letting me post anything - weird.

Anyway - I'll try to post pictures at another time!! :-)

Altered book - fabric cover and the beginnings of a wall hanging

So - I have been wanting to do an altered book for a while - finally, within the last few months, I started one (still isn't finished, but it is started). I thought of collaging the outside cover, but decided - instead - to do a fabric cover. This book has no particular rhyme or reason (i.e. there is no theme) - just a hodge podge of things that I wanted to include. It is so fun to do these altered books - much more so that scrapbooking (which I also enjoy). I thought that I'd blog a few pictures of my not yet finished altered book. The cover was done with hand dyed fabrics and one print fabric. I didn't dye the multi colored fabric, but I did dye the black fabric. The pictures, unfortunately, are not that great - but, I think that you'll get the idea of the book anyway. I've taken pictures of the outside with the book open and closed, as well as a few shots of some of the altering inside the book.

Now, the wallhanging - you may remember from my last blog that I mentioned that I was working on a wall hanging. This is that wallhanging - notice any similarities between this wall hanging and the fabric book cover? lol Obviously, I'm loving these fabrics and the combinations of these fabrics. So far, for the wall hanging, all I've done is piece it (and I'm not certain if I'm done with that or if I want to add an additional border... thoughts? comments? suggestions? lol). As I have mentioned before, I'm a horrible quilter (pure lack of experience), so I'm always looking at the pieced top (or whatever - not sure if you'd call it a top when it is a small wall hanging - would you? I guess you would - anyway, I digress.....) for a LONG while before I do any quilting - I'm always worried that I'm going to screw it up!

Well - aside from any 'crafty' endeavors, I may be changing jobs. I like my current job okay - but, I don't feel like I'm 'going' anywhere there - know what I mean? Sadly, I feel 'trapped' in my current position because I do a great job in that position (so, it makes business sense to keep me there). I have the opportunity to go to work for the woman who has been such a mentor to me over my professional life. She was the first person that hired me out of college and the happiest days of my professional life were spent working for her. I'm looking at a pay increase, regaining years of service with this company, flexibility within my job, professional growth - and most importantly - working with the woman that I admire most in my chosen field. I can't imagine WHY I won't go. I'm still thinking about it all ..... but, my heart (as if you should use your heart to make a decision such as this) is telling me to that I should totally change jobs. It's just so hard to think of leaving my friends and co-workers at my current job. Ahhhh, the things to think about! I took today off from work just to have some 'me' time that I could devote to doing some projects and THINKING! I'm sure that I'll make the right decision - It's just difficult!

It's a mad, mad world (at least in my world).

I've been away for so long that I'm sure you've all forgotten about me..... lol. I swear, summers are wonderful - but, oh so busy! Between maintaining a normal full time job, carting kids to and fro, planning summer vacations, etc. - I think that I'll be recovering until Christmas.

We had a glorious summer, however - so I will commence the complaining. I have no right to complain. It's been a very nice summer. In some ways, I'm sad that it is over - but, in other ways, I am ready for the fall.

Due to the busy summer - I've had very little time to do any real creating. I hope that I'll pick back up with some of it soon, though. :(

Actually, I've been working on a wall hanging tonight - just piecing the top, really. But, at least it is SOMETHING! I'm looking forward to working on it more - I think that it will be a few days before I have time to devote to it.

In addition to the wall hanging that I've been working on, I've also been working on an altered book - I love doing it. I've been meaning to work on one for a while, but had not taken the plunge (aside from picking up some books at the thrift store... lol). I've really been enjoying it. I've also made a pseudo-plaque to display a favorite picture of me and my oldest daughter. This is what it looks like. I think that it turned out pretty cute. I made it from foam core, which I decorated (painted and stamped). I then cut glass to the size of the picture, wrapped it in copper tape (picture and glass) an attached it to the 'tile.' I think it turned out cute.

Well, that is all I have for now - but, for anyone who might still be looking at my blog (probably no one... lol), I wanted to let you know that I'm still alive and well (if not well rested.....).

Later!

I'm still alive, I promise! ;-)

I have gotten several e-mails asking did I fall off the face of the earth (given how long it has been since my last blog). I assure you, my feet are still firmly planted on the earth. ;-)

I've been busy, busy, busy - with a sick Grandmother and with getting school finished for my daughter.

My Grandmother has a heart condition. Sadly, at her age, surgery is not advisable - so medication is the only option. Fortunately, my Grandmother is one spunky lady and has a lot of fight in her!! I still say that she is likely to outlive me! It's been a long week, but a wonderful week. Long because of the hours spend at her bedside in the hospital - but, wonderful in that I had that opportunity with her. I know that I'm blessed with every minute that I have with her - even if it is in a hospital! Luckily, she was able to leave the hospital today. I know she is happy to be home!

Sarah is finishing K-5 next week. Only the rest of this week and 2 half days next week. Then, it is summer time for her! As is normally the case at the end of the school year - much is going on to keep us all busy! I went with Sarah today on a field trip to a local farm. It was a blast. My baby milked a goat! What a hoot! :) She has another field trip on Friday for being in the 100 book club at school (one must read at least 100 books during the school year to be in the club - she read around 200). She gets to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. Not my idea of fun, but to a 5 year old, I guess it is close to nirvana.

I did get to attend my quilting class on the 5th and I had a blast. It was wonderful to have such a great teacher. Two things came out of my class - 1) I can free motion quilt half way decent, I just need to practice (yes, many of you have told me the same!) and 2) I want a new sewing machine! I think that I'm far more likely to get the practice at free motion quilting than I am to get a new machine anytime soon. But, in the even that my numbers come up in the lottery drawing tonight - what do you recommend? lol There were tons of Berninas in the class, all of which ran like a dream! I'll be 'test driving' many a model before I put down my $$, I'm sure. Plus, I still need to convince my hubby that I NEED a new machine. Currently there are 4 machines in my sewing room (but, to be fair - one is my daughter's and one is a serger (and, while I recognize the difference between my serger and my sewing machines, I'm not sure that my husband does).

With all that has been going on lately around here, I've not had much time to create anything. I did, however, make 'monsters' for my daughters (and, at their request, for my husband and mother in law). I'll try to post a picture of the monsters in my next blog. I'm too lazy and tired to look for the camera right now.

Speaking of tired ....... til next time..........

Blogger is getting on my nerves!!!!!!

I had a long blog, ready to post and Blogger just went crazy on me....... I doubt that I'll remember what all I had written. I doubt that it was that important anyway, but still... it's annoying.. Let me TRY to remember.....

I had included a comment about a good friend of mine who lost her Dad this week. It's just breaking my heart to see her hurting so. I know, from losing my own Dad, that there is nothing that I can do to make her 'feel' better. I just hope to have her know that I'm there if she needs me!

I also included my current disdain for corporate America. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not cut out for corporate America. Not that I'm in any position to do anything about it financially. I mean, we've come to rely on the money that I make - so I can't just NOT make it. I'm not sure why I am not cut out for it. It's either a) I'm too much of a non-conformist, b) I'm too stubborn or c) a combination of both a and b. I'm thinking that (c) is the likely scenario. I want to be able be ME. Not some person who has to dress a certain way, act a certain way - basically, be something that I'm not. But, alas, as long as I wish to draw my pay check (and the mortgage company, oddly enough, insists that I continue along that path) - corporate America and all of it's restrictions/rules/idiotic rules and regulations is my current cross to bear. Oh well... not since whining over it. After all, I'll need to get to bed pretty soon, so I can be ready to go to a job that I don't want to in the morning.

And, for the fun stuff ... I haven't really felt much like making anything the last week. I did, however, make a fabric postcard. I intend to send this one to my friend. I hope that the bright colors of the hand dyed fabric will at least make her smile, if only for a moment. I hope that she'll like it.

Oh ... the best part ... I'm going to be taking a machine quilting class - FINALLY! I'm really looking forward to it. I am taking Friday off, in order to attend the class. I can't wait. I did get Harriet Hargrave's book (Heirloom Machine Quilting) that DebH and Deb recommended. It's a great read. I can't wait until I can actually put some of it to use. I hope that the information that I'm getting from the book, will be a great compliment to the class that I'm taking. I'm really excited about the class.

Hopefully, I'll find some time this week to do something creative. I have no idea what. All I've done, other than the small postcard, is sketch ... I guess I've just been lazy. Maybe I'll have more energy (and inspiration) this week... Surely, this week will be a good week, right?

Sarah has 'goo' and Mama has a brand new bag...

Well - it took us a few days, but we finally got around to making the 'goo' or 'slime' today. Sarah had a blast. It actually worked out better that she and I make it today after school (before her baby sister got home), as it was quite a mess. I can imagine that it would have been an even bigger mess with a three year old's hands in it. We did, however, save it in a jar - so that we can let Hannah play with it at some point. I think that Sarah thought that it was the 'coolest' stuff she'd ever seen. She wasn't happy when I finally told her that we had to go inside and she couldn't play with it any longer. I mean, honestly, we had to eat... ;-)

Sarah had her fun - and I had mine. I decided, on a whim - as I'm prone to do, that I wanted to make myself a simple little bag. So, I had some batik fabric that I love (it has the cutest little butterflies all over it) - and I decided to use it to make the bag. I used some of the fabric that I dyed for the lining. Luckily, I had some cotton batting already cut nearly to size, so I didn't have to open a new bag of batting (which I found on sale for 50% off at Hobby Lobby last week - YAY. I like to use the Hobb's Heirloom Premium cotton batting - at 50% off, I stocked up for a bit!!). It's nothing fancy, but since it's all that I've made in the last week, I thought that I'd share it.

Actually, my bag isn't all that I made in the last week. I forgot. I made a pendant/pin (haven't quite decided which it will be). It was an experiment. I painted (two colors of Lumiere paint) Timetex, zapped it with my heat gun (not sure if that is a good idea or not - it makes a nice effect, but it is kind of stinky) and then beaded it - and lined the back with felt. It's cute. I think that I'm going to add both a bale on the back and a pin back, so I can use it as either a pin or pendant - I think that I have some of those combination backs somewhere.

I really need to spend some time doing some spring cleaning ... how am I going to motivate myself? Any ideas on how to do that would be GREATLY appreciated (both by me and my husband). Oh well, tomorrow is another day .... as they say ....