Road to California

I have been so busy with the show that I haven't had much time to walk around and see the quilts or shop, maybe today. I grabbed a few pictures of some of the show winners for you to see, enjoy! Only one more day! The show has been crazy busy, much better than it has been in years so the vendors are happy. My Fabulous Folded bag has been selling like crazy as have many of my patterns. I am thankful to be able to restock each night as I live 1/2 hour from the show. Long 9 hour days and constant talking has left me hoarse but my voice is recovery each night enough to go another day. Lots of fun seeing friends I haven't seen in years and meeting new ones. Here are some of the winning quilts, enjoy!!

Best of Show, sorry the quality isnt great, I thought my iphone 5 had a better camera!

Desiree

What a week! And here's a sneak peek!

I can barely contain myself this week with so much happening, I just had to share it with some of my friends! Not only did my fabric samples come in the mail and I was able to design a quilt for them but the Riverside Museum came to my house to select 8 paintings to hang in the museum for the next few months!! I am honored to have this exhibit at the museum it is the direct result from winning last years still life category in the Museums Members show. I am going to go to art walk tomorrow night and check it out. Then today I went to Road to California to set up our Art Groups 2012 group quilt. We have never seen it hanging all together since it is so long and to try and find a wall 27' long to hang and photograph is close to impossible. Carolyn gave us a premier spot in one of the hallways and the quilt looks amazing, the women did a fantastic job! Here is some of the details but you have to see it for yourself up close!

The quilt was something I had originally designed as a pool mural and made some changes to better fit the fabric. Each women could use any technique but had to add a personal element to their piece. From there I went over to Gingers Booth where I set up my patterns in preparation for the next 4 days where I will be demoing and selling my patterns. I hope, if you are going to Road, you will stop by and see the quilts and come over and say hi! And please, don't miss the Route 66 exhibit by Pat Blair which is amazing. Pat painted the back drop of the Route 66 hwy that runs from CA, AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS, MO and IL. The quilts represent different areas along the highway and are placed where they belong on the road map! It is an awesome exhibit, great job Pat!! Here is a sneak peek! Some of the women in the Iris challenge were also in the Route 66 Exhibit, amazing!

My new fabric line is called Gumdrops and Lollipops

It's so exciting, I just received my latest fabric line on paper Friday. The fabric company sends your line on paper first, thats where it is checked for mistakes and then made into fabric. Lil Miss Cutie is back in her Sweet Shoppe and having a Tea party with her stuffed friends. Done in a Vintage Modern color scheme I am excited to start the projects that I hope to put into a companion book! I love the sweets theme and thought of my granddaughters as I was developing this line. We spend many afternoons together having tea parties together. I hope you like it and will visit our sweet shop with your little girl.

The panel pieces are large and perfect for mounting on a stretched canvas as art or just making into art quilts in a room too! The ticking comes in all the colors and the candy toile comes both solid and reversed for more of that vintage modern look. I can't wait to get my fingers on the fabric! Keep your eyes peeled for some fun Cutie projects on my blog!






- Desiree

My Outside the box- Artist Date

On the Sketchbook Challenge blog the topic this month is the Artist date, it reminds us the importance of taking some time to get recharged and refilled. By taking this time to date your creative self, you allow that creative self to become more important. Instead of stealing time you are setting aside time to do things that are different and inspiring. I find that since I have done art for a living for so many years I make a date in my studio everyday to work on something. I mentally have a list of things that need to get done and I work on doing them. Like Leslie and Jamie, I love my studio, and although its nothing special, an extra room in my home, its all mine and I collect things and have things on my walls that inspire and move me. So an artist date for me is getting out of my studio and seeing what others are doing or allowing myself to just do things that I don't have much time for anymore and be inspired. When I spend too much time in my studio I do find that my art starts to get a bit forced. I try and walk everyday and I meet with other artist friends and see what they are doing. A friend and I were able to go to the Craft and Hobby show and met our own Joanne Sharpe!! Fun and inspirational at the same time.

I love just going to Michael's, JoAnnes or an art store and looking at papers and stickers, books and magazines all keep me inspired and ideas start to jump into my head so fast I can hardly think straight, so I usually go alone so I can process and don't need to have a conversation at the same time! So I do have many artists dates and I don't want you to think that will change when I share with you my newest artist date.

It is something a bit different that I am doing creatively that is outside my box. Some time back, Jane LaFazio shared a book on her blog called "A Writer's Book of Days". 

I am a big fan of Jane and she inspired me to buy it and I got a few as gifts for friends.  It is a book on prompt writing, for writers, its a great book, thanks Jane! It gives you daily prompts from which you are to just write what first comes into your mind. It is very similar to what we do as artists and what we do here, give a topic and help to inspire you to set some time aside and create. I thought it would be good to improve my writing as I do a fair amount with my journaling and my blogs etc. I want it to improve, as with my art, the more we do the better we get. I also have some friends that always have wanted to write, but never make time, allowing life to get in the way. We have agreed to do this book together this year, a commitment that I am excited about it and also a bit nervous about. I have set a time aside to write! At first it was a bit awkward but its coming easier already. We also have set aside some time each week to meet and go over our writings. 

My writings are messy and I am finding that thoughts and words start to flood in faster than I can write them down, thats okay. I also realized how much I use my computer and hope by writing using pen and paper my handwriting will also improve! Its a nice break and I already see how I write like an artist, painting a picture with words. It is a place where I am recording things I haven't written about anywhere else and I can visualize paintings or quilts coming from my writings. This will enrich the journaling I do in my some of my sketchbooks, for so long its just been about the sketching and often the journaling has been an afterthought. I find that my favorite pages in my journals are the ones where I take the time to really share something insightful or reminding myself of something long gone and maybe forgotten. This writing will help since all of my paintings aren't always worth a thousand words! LOL

Each year when I visit my mom I sketch and journal in a special sketchbook (more painting than journaling), just of her gardens and the valley where she lives. This year I wrote about it and I think I will add my new written pages to this journal. Maybe by gluing the piece of vellum over the painting that holds the writing but allows you to lift it and view the painting. Here is an excerpt  from my new written journal that will go with this painted page.

"The afternoon has almost ended and I can no longer see the distant mountains as I did but an hour ago. Instead, running along the valley floor, I can see the thick, grey soup rolling in from the coast... I watch as dusk sets and the fog continues to move in, getting closer and closer, engulfing the giant redwoods along its path. The yard is now no longer visible, hidden by our silent intruder which brings a calling card of dampness and cold. The sun eventually turns off the show and we curl up for another cold night, blanketed by our uninvited guest.

I hope to add to my special sketchbooks, blogs etc by taking more care and being more thoughtful with my journaling this next year. 

A get away at Crystal Cove

We were invited down to Crystal Cove with Chris and Linda last week. Chris had managed to get the handicapped cottage on the beach and invited us! It was so wonderful to be able to go and bring Jennifer and Chloe(certified service dog) with us. There aren't too many beaches that can accommodate a wheelchair and disabled person, we were so excited!

 It was supposed to be the coldest day of the year and it was but during the day the sun warmed the sand and air enough for us to walk along the beach and enjoy the beautiful, clear sunny days together. The cottage even comes with a handicapped beach wheelchair which allowed Randy to get Jennifer out near the water along the coast so she could go with us on our walks. Chloe has never been to the beach and was so interested in all the birds along the shore line.

The nights would drop into the 30's which sent us all inside where we ate and played games at night. It stayed nice and warm inside even with the wind blowing outside.

A few friends have started a new thing this year, we are taking time to write everyday. It is really outside my box since I really write with paint but I am enjoying it so far. We are following the writing prompts in this book.

Linda and I both took time to write while looking out the huge picture window onto ocean waves from the cottage while we were there. It was a wonderful few days with some great friends. What a blessing to be able to get away and just be renewed. Inside the cabin was a journal, put there for each person who stays in the cottage to write inside, I spent an hour the morning we left writing about our great visit!

2013

January1,2013 I just wanted to write that today! Here hoping for a great year! Happy New Year!


-Desiree

My New Years Bucket List

Each new year we start with hopes,goals even resolutions, dusted with optimism for the unforeseen year ahead. I like to set myself goals each year, writing them down and keeping them somewhere safe, but somewhere visible to keep me accountable. Something happens when you write them down, for me anyway, they go from being a dream to becoming something attainable. I guess you could say I make yearly Bucket Lists. I also like to break them up into categories. Personal goals, business goals, spiritual goals etc, this way I can see which areas need more work. I usually have a family goals category too. When the kids were younger it looked totally different than it does today, these yearly bucket lists should change and adjust just like everything else in our lives. I also make sure I set up some short and longer term goals in each bucket list category if I can. I find that it helps me look past the right now and see the target I am aiming for in the future. This year I have the blessing of being able to spend New Years with my mom and visit with my brother and sister. We don't do anything overly special except just be with each other and enjoy the time we have right now! I thought I would have time to steal away to write my lists but it hasn't happened yet. Instead I am basking in the happiness of still having my mom to visit. There is no one like mom and I pray next year I can do this all once again! Happy New Years!!!


-Desiree

Merry Christmas!!!!!

I wanted to wish everyone a Very, Merry Christmas. I pray that each of us take the time to tell our loved ones how much we love them and give thanks for them. That we say a prayer for those who are facing the sorrow of loss during this time. For some, today will be almost unbearable. It is easy to let the stress of the holidays get in the way of what really matters which is family, friends, love, peace and mostly Christ. The birth which our family celebrates today. Wishing we could all be together and sip some Hot Chocolate while we celebrate together.

Christmas Sketching

First I want to say that I post this with a heavy heart after what happened yesterday in Newtown, CT to all the children. I can't believe this could happen and it leaves me with such sorrow for those families and all of us, what a huge loss. It has touched each of us as we are fixated to our TV's to try and understand why and how this could happen to innocent children. My prayers go out to all the families and the community!

We had our Christmas sketch class and I taught on painting different types of surfaces. I hopefully will have a video available after the holidays for the last few classes. The class was challenging but everyone did really well painting both a reflective shiny surface and an satin surface. It is a great time of the year to challenge yourself to those different textural surfaces. You have to ask yourself what is it about this that makes it look like satin or fur or reflective. It makes you really take time to notice small details that you might have not ever noticed before! Here is my unfinished painting from class I will finish and post it later, oh this Christmas rush is taking all my time, so sorry!

New Fabric Ideas

I am working on a new Lil Miss Cutie Patootie Fabric line for Spring Market and I am gathering ideas, here is a sneak peak. I find that I don't paint the same way that I used to, I paint separate items then assemble them in Photoshop. This gives me more editing capabilities and I can make different scenes without repainting everything over and over. It feels a bit odd to create like this but I am getting better at it, I think. I end up with bits of art all over pieces of paper that Randy cuts up to scan better. Its like a big cut and paste scrapbook of ideas and items. The plus side is I can use them other places now since they are not committed to one painted scene. Now I paint a background, then a mid ground and the main characters and assorted decorator items! Its a bit like playing with colorforms, does anyone remember those? I loved them as a kid and would recreate scenes over and over by just moving the piece of plastic!  I love what I do and how much fun is it to do something that lets me be a kid again, over and over. LOL

My Christmas Ornament Tutorial

I thought I would share my ornaments that I gave as gifts at my Christmas Tea Party with you. They are super easy and lots of fun to make. You can make many and use them as gifts or fill a bowl with them for your holiday table!

I found these plain ole paper mache fruit in the bin at Micheals as you are in the check out line. They were a dollar a piece and I bought the apples and pears. Some came in packaging some did not.

Here it is outside of the packaging. It would also be fun to paint them and then Zentangle all over them, another ornament idea for another tutorial!

I then collect the small cocktail napkins at places like Big Lots, HomeGoods, Tuesday Morning etc. I collect both holiday napkins and non holiday napkins for this project. Some ornaments I make non holiday since they then can be given or used all year.

Now I take the napkin and open it up and separate the top layer of printed design from the bottom white layer of paper.

After it is separated I cut it into four sections and use two sections per ornament. I then take gel medium, or mod podge would also work and a paint brush. Brush on the gel medium over half of the ornament starting at the stem and moving to the bottom. Then take the first section of napkin and place it on the top and start to paint medium over the paper napkin, it might crease and crinkle but you can smooth out most wrinkles with your finger. Once it is on make sure that it is throughly covered with medium and do the other side. Make sure you get all the brown covered. Be careful at this stage since your fingers will be sticky and can pull and rip the side you have put down since you are holding it from that side. I often have to go back and fix areas, just be careful. Once the whole surface is covered with both the paper napkin and the medium let it dry thoroughly. I make dozens in one sitting as it is messy and I want to be able to clean my fingers off without having to go back and do more.

After they have dried I take them outside and spray them with a high gloss sealer and let them dry. I will often do multiple coats of sealer. Once they are dry you can tie on a bow and put them in a bowl for decoration or give as gifts. Enjoy!!!

PS. I forgot to mention that I wrote "Christmas Tea Party 2012" on the bottom with my awesome white  Signo pen

My Christmas Tea Party- 2012

I love this time of the year, when I am able to show all the wonderful, supportive people in my life how grateful I am. I had the party on December 1st and was able to get everything decorated early, now I can just enjoy it for the rest of the month!  I throw an annual Christmas Tea Party as a thank you, and we eat and do a small craft and visit. It is a wonderful time to give back to each of them. I am so blessed to know each of these women, they are talented, creative and supportive. I can't do this without all of you and for those who do not live closer I wish you could have joined us.

 I made 3 different kinds of finger sandwiches, potato salad, chips, cookies, fruit, and then some of the women brought goodies to share. I made gifts for each person and we all enjoyed sewing a small house ornament from a pattern I found on Pinterest by Retro-mama, that everyone took home for their tree. I even received gifts! What a perfect way to begin my holiday season, spending an afternoon with my GF's! Here are some photos of our time together.

My ornament gifts to everyone, I have a tutorial!

Getting everything ready

FOOD!

The photographers taking pictures of their ornaments

The ornaments

I hope your December is off to a festive start, enjoy!