Under the Needle

What is this? Paper being stitched?

I am a fabric person... one who loves mixed media.
In the past I have found lots of ways to mix it up on fabric, but only toyed with the idea of mixing it up with paper.

This year I decided to get acquainted with paper and signed up for a monthly meeting at my local paper haven, Ephemera Paducah, where we are playing and learning all sorts of ways to mix it up with paper.

We are following Art Journal Freedom by Dina Wakley, and last night we got to pull gloves on an play with spray inks. What you'll find here are my samples. Dina likes to add stitching to her paper pieces so this morning in the studio, my little raven squares went under the needle --- then glue to their final home on a sprayed background.

Since the group meets only once a month I have also jumped into the Documented Life project where each week we are provided a different theme to create a journal page. Practice will hopefully give my pages a chance of improving.

Meanwhile, it is all REALLY fun!

I would love to hear what new thing you are trying out this year. Anyone?

Color Blocking

Happy, Happy Spring!!

We have finally started to see some warmer weather and my mind has been swimming with new projects and possibilities for the garden. Too, early though to anything but work on the skeletal remains and dream.

In the studio with my friend Helene though it has been a bit different. We both wanted to just have some fun with color and fabric so for the last couple of weeks when we met I had been printing on some, long-ago hand-dyed fabric I found in my stash.

It has been so much fun... I had to share!

The fabric paint was pulled and using just some scrap rubber left over from rubber-stamp carvings I rolled on the color.

Winter 0 - Spring 1!

On awaking this fine Saturday it feels like someone has flipped a giant  switch in my psyche... it's spring, ITS SPRING!!!

So after about an hour out in the yard raking up leaves left beneath early arriving snow I can say this is true. Under all the remaining snow and fall leaves were the daffodils pushing through all the nonsense of 5" of snow earlier this week, to make sure we understood spring is here ---

it is its time!!!

It is no wonder why this past week's snow has been watched each day in anticipation of melting.

These two pictures tell the tale:

and springs tribute!!!

It will be harder to get work done in the studio this week...
oh, well!!

Here'e hoping that Spring has let you know it has arrived where you are, too!

Ravens Flying Off

Have you ever had a quilting buddy, or two or more help you out in a way there just doesn't seem to be the words to say?

Well, I consider myself amazingly fortunate to have some of those (really many) of those folks around me.
After all, quilters are the BEST!

There were four amazing woman who went over and above recently, and I have thought and thought about the right thank you. I thought about many things, but in the end decided to share my wealth with each of them by sending them one of the 5 ravens that have been keeping me company for a while. A bit of my studio to theirs.

A couple of these showed up along with instructions on how to make them in the May-13 Issue of GenerationQ Magazine.-and you can click over a get the free pattern. But the others were made just for the love of it.

These are the ravens that took flight yesterday and will make it to their new homes by Monday.

The packaging of each gave me time to say good-bye.

BUT, the one that remains is pretty upset. He seems to be staring at me with his googly-woolly eyes and saying... "What the???!#!"
He'll get over it -- I'm sure!

Have you ever made a special thank you for a dear friend (quilter or not)?
I'd love to hear the what and when?

Happiest of Saturdays
~Rose