Locks of Love

This may be the last time I am able to donate to Locks of Love,  but it is my pleasure to do this for a child who is in need of a wig due to a medical condition.

 Before.....

And After......

My ponytail was 18" long!

Visit http://locksoflove.org/ for information on donating to Locks of Love

Daylight SavingsTime

Now that the time has changed, the days are longer and its warm enough to sit outside, I have been enjoying our backyard in the late afternoons.  Yesterday I took my camera with me.  My husband feeds the birds and squirrels so there is plenty to keep me entertained.....

This squirrel sat in our tree and barked at me until I put a few pecans in his feeder...

It was hilarious watching him learn to use this feeder.  I wish I'd had a video camera....

You can see he got frustrated and tried to chew his way in before he learned to lift the lid.....

The birds come in droves to enjoy the seed my husband puts out for them.  However, yesterday they were hard to photograph due to our next visitor.... 

This little girl showed up on our doorstep last weekend.  She stayed all day Saturday and Sunday.  It turns out she belongs to a neighbor.  Now when she hears me come outside she comes running for a visit. It's nice being able to get my cat-fix without any of the responsibility!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

The  smartest, most talented, adorable, grandkids in the world are going to find these in their mailboxes today...

2013

As the new year starts, I have been working to straighten my studio and start the year with a clean slate.  I am eager to see where the new year takes me.  Due to some problems with my right hand, I am having to learn to do more left-handed.  It will be a challenge, but I am going to take my time and find new ways to be creative.

This week, I was going over my blog and realized that I  had forgotten to show the piece I was working on in this post.  Here is the finished piece as promised......

(Check the comments section for a detailed explanation by Reta of the quilt)

I have been incredibly busy this year......moving twice, finally settling into our new home, working my day job, traveling, finishing up my commission piece, and spending time with my grandkids.  This coming year, I have no deadlines or commissions so I am going to spend some time playing and trying new things.  I probably won't post often, but I will continue to keep up with my favorite blogs as often as possible.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

This has been a year full of "firsts" for me, so we're starting a new tradition.....as everyone arrives for dinner today, they'll be asked to write what they are thankful for on one of the leaves in the basket, then we'll add them to the tree. By the end of the day, the tree will be full of colorful leaves and we'll be reminded how richly God has blessed us this year!

 I got the idea from the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Wine Corks

My husband and I save wine corks.  I'm not sure how it got started, maybe it was just to remember special occasions or because some of them were different or interesting.  With help from friends, we have collected quite a few.  While googling things to do with wine corks, I came across a very interesting artist, Scott Gundersen, who does very cool things with wine corks.  Check it out at http://scottgundersen.tumblr.com/.  Be sure to watch the videos in the top right corner of his website to watch him work.

                                                                 Scott Gundersen

Details

I thought I would share some detail shots of my latest project which is nearing completion. I will show it in its entirety when it is finished.

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook

Another lunchtime sketch......

From My New Studio

It has been awhile since my last post but I have been very busy.....some work, some play... but very little time for blogging.  So, I thought it was time to let you see some of what I have been up to.

We moved into our new home several months ago and things were a pretty big mess for a few weeks....

So, we got busy....

 

And this is the result of our hard labor....

We have more room than I've ever dreamed of for a studio.....room for my fiber art, an area for our jewelry, and room for the drawing table I've been drooling over.....

There is also one corner of my studio I have left for a later post......so stay tuned!

Amazing!

While visiting downtown Ft. Worth recently, my husband and I walked through the lobby of the Hilton Hotel and we found this sculpture.....

It is made out of barbed wire!  The horse and foal are life size.  I thought it was amazing!

 I went online and found the artist, Bernie Jestrabek-Hart, whose website is here.   Click on the link to see more of her barbed wire sculptures and her newest sculptures made of fabric.

A Peek Inside My Sketchbook

 Sketching on my lunch break this past week......

Cardboard Rolls

Alisa Burke has some wonderful ideas for using cardboard rolls to add layers of texture to your work.  Check out her blog post here.

http://alisaburke.blogspot.com

SAQA Membership

 I have been a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates for about 3 years.  I found SAQA at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX and immediately knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.  At first I felt that I was way out of my league, but after spending time on the SAQA website and then joining the Visioning Project, I quickly found out that this is a wonderful group of artists who are very generous with their knowledge and support and are eager to help one another.  The wealth of information on this site is outstanding.  The full color SAQA journals are informative and  a source of inspiration.  I had the privilege of attending last year's annual conference which was located in Denver.  It was wonderful to meet other Visioning members face to face, attend top notch workshops, visit the Sightlines Exhibit and spend the weekend immersed in all things fiber art!  I have also enjoyed attending a regional meeting in my area. I highly recommend joining SAQA here.  Please go to the SAQA website and see for yourself.



As a SAQA member, this is what SAQA has to offer:

• the ability to network with 3,000 other members who are also passionate about art quilts,
• exciting national and international exhibition opportunities,
• the full-color SAQA Journals, exhibition catalogs, and Portfolios,
• inspiring annual conferences held at sites around the US, 
• extensive website information and online galleries, and  
• active regional groups.  

• active regional groups.  

http://www.saqa.com/

New Danny Gregory Film

I have shared the link to a Danny Gregory film before and I just found a new one on his website.  It is amazing to watch him sketch. His films always make me want to reach for my own sketchbook and practice.  I would love to be able to do pen and ink as well as he does...... someday.  Follow this LINK to Danny's new film.

Coco

In case you noticed that her picture has disappeared.... 

my little buddy Coco has left my blog and our home but has moved on to a happy, busy life with a dear friend, her husband, two teenage children, a male cat whom she has fallen madly in love with and a crazy mixed up dog who has fallen in love with her.  I miss her very much but she is content and settled into her new life and I am very happy for her.