Inside with the AC and ATCs

original photo

Saturday was a pretty good day, considering how hot it got by afternoon. The artist trading card group deadline is Friday, so I decided to get my cards done in order to mail them Monday morning. The theme for July is "In the Style of..." and I chose Frida Kahlo to emulate. I particularly admire her self portrait with a monkey. Lacking a monkey for my endeavor, I held Lewis the cat and my husband was gracious enough to take the photo.

altered photo, scanned and cropped

  The pose that was chosen was the one where both Lewis and I had reasonable expressions, in keeping with the theme. Frida never smiled in any of her self portraits and Lewis looked less desperate than he usually does when he has to sit still for picture taking. I printed out two 5x7s--always good to have a backup in case of oopsies while painting. The background of the photo was obliterated with neutral gray gesso, then painted back in with the foliage design. Braided hair, unibrow, moustachio,and yellow shawl were added, as well as green eyes for the cat. Once all was painted, details added with pencils and markers, and allowed to dry, the altered photo was scanned and printed. For each trading card I added a flower in "her" hair as embellishment. The final result will be featured on Fiber Antics blog, this weekend or the first of next week.
  Sometimes I crack myself up. No wonder my kids worry about me.

Wazzup

Not much......the weather cooled off for a bit then heated back up. Duh...typical for here.
 I have started a couple of new art quilts and finished a couple too. One of the new ones is intended as an entry in an IQF?Cincinnati exhibit by artists belonging to certain regions of SAQA. The quilt needs a little more added to it, then quilting. The deadline is in September, so I have time to finish it, since I'm not obligated to other projects right now.
  I started a dress for me yesterday. Nothing fancy, just something to wear under a knitted tunic. I did NOT knit the tunic. It was given to me on semi permanent loan from a friend. My body double dress form is indispensable for this project, as the dress is cut on the bias and needs to hang for at least 24 hours. On the form, the bias will take on my contours, good and bad ones, and the knitted tunic seems to camouflage  most of the bad contours. I'm still debating neckline finish and need to get on with it, as that seems to be my failing with making something for myself. I get bogged down in indecision and lose interest in the project. Photos when the dress is done.
  

It happens every year

Summer has arrived in the Mid South, with a vengeance. Triple digit highs for the day are the rule, it seems. Anything to do outdoors needs to be done before 8 am. Lots of things are not getting done. I have walked only a couple of times this week and really need to reverse that trend.
There is a very slim chance for rain today. It has been windy this evening and cooled off a bit. I hope it rains, the plants need some water that is not from a hose.
 The upside to all the hot weather is that I have been finishing some art quilts and getting other sewing projects done. I am working on a series that uses some of my deconstructed screen prints. Maybe I will be brave and take photos of those quilts to post here. And I will soon start on the pieces I want to use for next spring's quilt show at the West Clinic gallery. Plus I got inspired to put together some "puzzle"pieces from a swap with sewing pals we did a while ago.
Last week I taught a class on making a straight skirt with five women. That was FUN!! I hope I get asked back for another class.

Unbusy

Today was a most unusual day for me. The ozone levels have been pretty high lately and I've noticed how much it has affected me in the last few years. I worked in the yard a little bit yesterday, before it got too hot. This morning, I decided to stay in bed and get some rest. I have had a long winter and spring working long hours on getting this house repaired, in addition to getting all my sewing deadlines done, and then several weeks of yard work after that.
 I stayed in bed til 10 am, which is something I haven't done since forever. I spent the rest of the day watching tv and catching up on Artist Trading Cards. I don't think I went outside today--omg--that is unbelievable for me.
  Anyway, I have had a pretty good week again and am looking forward to having yet another. No blueberry picking, but life is good.
 Until six months ago I wasn't dreaming at night and my days were filled with drudgery. I have always had an active dream "life" and the lack of them was disturbing for me. I am so glad to have the dreams back, even though some of them are kind of crazy. But I'd rather have them than none. That is another reason for my late rising this morning.
  My ATCs are fun and I love to come up with new ideas to interpret the themes. I belong to two trading groups, one has a firm deadline, the other is looser (whew) and the tiny artworks I receive from the other members is so much fun to look at. I keep my cards in binders and need to get a couple more to house the growing collection.

going to Graceland

JerJer is interested in what's going on

visiting the library

  The inspiration for the latest swap came from a recent purchase from an online shopping spree at European Papers. They have an excellent selection of supplies for book arts and trading cards. They also have unique items. I got one of those items, a small terra cotta gnome. He is adorable and took a little staycation with me around my yard for a half hour. Of course, I am easily amused. All this fun and I didn't have to leave my yard.

Good week continued...

Today, I went with friends to the CraftB, blueberries in hand, to participate in the best show and tell with food anyone could ask for. Creative people are the ones to be around as they feed your spirit and make you want to do your best creative work. No photos, just inspiration.

A Very Good Week

The past few days have been full of small yet wonderful observations and events. Monday was a day spent sewing with friends, some I hadn't seen in a while. I treasure my Mondays at BFCC and seem to get a lot done despite the chatting and laughing.
 Tuesday I broke down and went to the dentist (yikes, haven't been in forever--my bad) but I turned it around to a more positive aspect of meeting new people who are interested in my well being, as far as my mouth goes anyway. Details of that visit will not be discussed here, as there was much "tsking" while the interior of the giant hole in my head was being viewed and probed with sharp objects.
  Immediately after the dentist visit ( such a nice term--visit) I scooped up my dear little grandson for a couple of fun filled days with him. We had many happy hours on Wednesday, bike riding, going to the little neighborhood park, and playing at the fire pit in the backyard here. We looked in the water garden and found a frog--a REAL frog--not just one of those obnoxious toads. This is very exciting, for me anyway. A few years ago I saw a couple of tree frogs out in the flower beds and nearly hyperventilated over that. The frog in the pond generates the same feeling, and there are two of them. The toads are here all the time and in the spring they are noisy, intrusive critters who make an incredible racket while procreating for several weeks. The frogs seem almost regal in comparison.
   My grandson has decided to name them the Noodlemans, after my brother and his dear wife. I hope they are not offended. The Noodlemans, not the frogs.
Thursday, the Sewing Guild met and fun was had by all. The program was about pockets, a favorite of mine and many other people who share my love of sewing, it seems. I did not realize till Thursday how many ways a pocket could be interpreted. Of course, lunch with gal pals followed, then shoe shopping--an excellent day!
   Today, at an early hour, I gathered my hazmat clothing and headed off with the stalwart Marion to a day of adventure in the eastern part of west Tennessee. If we went much further we'd have been in middle Tennessee. We went to see our friend Nancy, who with very little effort could solve the problems of the world. Off to pick blueberries for $7 a gallon. The field/orchard was very big and has not been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides, so quite the bargain for nearly organic berries. There were some other aggressive vegetations growing there to contend with, but the wild blackberries were delicious and filled in for the lack of breakfast. About an hour and a half of picking blueberries yielded a scant gallon for me, but I am a fastidious picker it seems, going for quality not quantity. I would not be able to make a living harvesting food. Note, I am quite thin.

only the best berries for this girl

lovely sunflower and bumblebee

a REAL frog in my pond

  That is my story and I am sticking to it.
   Nancy had frozen wash cloths in the cooler for an apres berry picking pick me up--oh the shrieking of joy arising from the blueberry patch this day.
After a quick once over for ticks--ugh--we were heading to the truck stop at Parker's Crossroad for the yummy lunch buffet, which did not disappoint. Fried chicken wings, white beans, ham, greens, corn dodgers, yeast rolls and cornbread, and a wonderful chocolately dessert, washed down with half tea, half lemonade. Good day. Good week. Good life.
   Tomorrow promises to be an equally magnificent day, as the CraftB meets at Nysha's house in Somerville. Another road trip with gal pals for an afternoon of fun food and art discussion.

More yardening

Yesterday, I went with a couple of gal pals on a tour of gardens hosted by the local hydrangea society. They were all very beautiful and interesting, especially the last one. We got there a little late, but the gardener was a lovely and gracious woman who said we could stay as long as we wanted. Fortunately for her we did not have our camping gear, as we would still be there. These photos are from the four gardens we visited.

front yard water garden

I saw lots of interesting statuary

shapely tree

the reason for the tour

day lilies

garden with rooms

I was so inspired by all the gardens, I got up VERY early this morning and finished some clean up along the fence and in one of my unattended beds, then planted the area outside my sewing room. This is the garden spot that I had to dig up last fall for the siding repair that took all fall and part of the winter...ugh! It looks pretty good now and hopefully will fill in over the course of the next few seasons. Maybe I can get out for photos in the next day or two. I am so sore right now from 8 hours of weeding, digging, and watering, I can barely move.