Shopping Challenges

Sigh.  I was so excited to buy fabric and a new pattern at the quilt show yesterday in addition to a few bits to add to the stash.  I opened the bundled collection today to read the instruction packet for the quilt, but it's for the wrong quilt design!  The shop doesn't have a web site or email address, so I've got to call and try to weasel the right pattern out of them over the phone.  I should wait a day or so.  I imagine anyone I might catch today might not have had much sleep after having to pack up from the quilt show yesterday and be in the mood for such a call.  I should have this ironed out by the time I finish the current project.

Quilt Show Inspiration

After juggling weekend plans, we made it to the Road to California quilt show on it's final day.  Our timing was perfect as we discovered that the crowd yesterday was unmanageable and everyone, vendors and visitors alike, were pretty darned cranky. 

 The display was spectacular.  There were so many quilts were just jaw-dropping amazing.  The wonderful white-gloved volunteers were there to show us the back of many of the quilts, providing even more inspiration to be creative.  I loved the fact that so many quilt artists include materials and techniques that the layperson might not expect to find in a quilt like photographs, beads and paint.  I enjoyed talking to the artists and vendors, pawing through the most enormous stash of materials and taking photos (only with permission!).  This kind of outing gets me excited about playing in the studio.  These are some of my favourites...

Getting Busy

I have a lot of motivators getting me back in the studio this week.  Three friends have now asked me to teach them to sew.  I am sad that this skill is fading away for other than quilters, it seems.  I even taught my son how to use the Bernina when he had to make a felt mole for his science class.  He got some major extra credit :-)  My cyber mentor Debbie is always encouraging, enthusiastic and unbelievably prolific in her artwork which truly inspires me.  I popped back in to some blogs that I've been following technically, but wasn't checking in often enough.  I'm newly inspired!  I was organizing photos on the computer this morning and was reminded of so many past projects and photos I had taken as references for creating new work.  All of this has encouraged me to make something.  Anything!

Sunday I head to the Road to California quilt show for inspiration, materials and art supplies.  I found out yesterday that there is going to be a four-day long creativity event her in So Cal (I believe through Cloth Paper Scissors) and have signed up to be notified when registration opens next month.  This is going to be a great, creative year.

My little inspiration and nostalgia shelf

I thought I'd share a couple photos of my creative space.  It's a cheery room that I'm so thrilled to have after so many years of having art supplies stuck in every nook and cranny of the house.  

Time to get to work!

Art on the Emotional Rollercoaster

Wow, I'd be one prolific and crafty woman if I made art whenever I feel cranky with my teen son!  I'm really struggling with the mom gig these days.  I should do artwork when I'm feeling like this.  Instead, I dive into chores or working out or, worse, snacking.  Not good!  I don't do well just accepting the stuff that so many other parents accept as just teenage attitude and rudeness.  Like so many teens, I think my son saves the worst of himself for home.  I find myself distracted by it and distracted from being creative.  Today I'm going to work on creating a new habit of working on art to work through mood.  We'll see what comes of it.  It's time to focus more on creativity and less time on feeling sad when His Royal Rudeness appears.

This is just to make me feel better.  He lost a bet with his godmother a few years ago and had to have his photo take with Ariel at Disneyland.  He was like an angry weasel in line with all the little girls.  We explained this to Ariel, to which she replied, "Well then, we'll just have to make it EXTRA special" and give him a big kiss as the photo was shot.  Priceless.

No Art, Lots of Parenting

I could never be that Octomom (who lived just a few blocks away, so I've seen insanity up close and personal).  Parenting is SO HARD some days.  I can't figure out why there isn't a single book on parenting with a chapter on preparing to get even.  We all know that time will come.  Our sanity as parents depends on knowing that there is a way to get back when we're at our wits end.  You know, when the kid is 16, their eyeballs do 360's at a pace that no human would consider truly possible (without getting stuck - we all know that old addage) and, if sarcasm were an olympic sport, our kid would hold a record to rival Michael Phelps. 

I was lucky.  When Kevin was about two, I managed to think to grab the camera when he was sitting on his little potty chair wearing nothing more than a huge pink-edged sombrero and a grin.  (I know, I'm going to the be Wal-Mart greeter of Hell for this one).  There are days when I want to print out the photo on one of those iron-on decals and wear that t-shirt when I pick him up after a HUGE band competition,  and maybe - oooooooh - after a football game.  Then there's always the wedding reception slide show.

The fact that mere mention of the pink-edged sombrero tells me I'm right on track.

I rock.  Bahahaha.

Dragging myself back into the saddle

I posted an entry, went back and read it and found I'd bored myself.  Really bored myself.  I have got to quit fussing and whining and fearing all things art when it comes to what I make and love to do.  Good grief.  I will not blather on about another encounter that stresses me.  In fact, I'm going to decide not to let encounters with other artists stress me any more.  My art-related resolution this year is to knock that crap off.  Time to toughen up.

So with no apologies, I'm sharing my current project, a simple but fun quilt.  

Here are three of what will be quilt squares.  Now that my yellow fabric has arrived, I can make the remaining "flower" sections and start piecing early this next week.  Yeah!  This is for a five year old who will appreciate the bright colors.  The impressionist style flowers are intended to be girly, but not childish, and grow with her.

See?  No whining!