Let the vacation begin!

Today is the first day of my week long vacation. I originally had plans to tell no one about my vacation and stay inside my house for nine days and do nothing but sew and listen to podcasts. But that is unrealistic, isn't it?

Last night I spent some time doing some cleaning that has been on my list for months. I organized my pantry.

I can see everything that is in my pantry and get to it without knocking other things over!

I cleared off my patio and threw away the old, dried out firewood that has been sitting out there for way too long. I still need to clean my chairs and pillows and hang my bird feeders. I may get a rug to put out there, and I also thought about hanging a large screen to block some of the afternoon sunlight. I feel like the big sliding glass doors let so much heat in to the apartment, and a screen could cut back on that somewhat.

boring, empty patio

I squared up the big, heavy T-shirt quilt that I am working on for a client and cut binding strips, but have not sewn them together yet.

This morning I planned to go to the gym for their bootcamp class, but my wrist is hurting a lot. I have an old sprain that bothers me sometimes and on the Fourth of July my cousins and I played tetherball. Sometimes I get so involved in something that is a lot of fun, and I forget to be careful not to aggravate these kinds of injuries. So I have decided to wrap my wrist, skip the class, make some tea and sit down to write a short post.

I do have some fun things planned for this week:
Saturday - I am getting a manicure, then going to my grandpa's 90th birthday party in Rockne. My family is expecting over 400 people to be there for his celebration and Robin and I made a quilt to give him, we each pieced one side, similar to my grandma's birthday quilt.

sneak peak of Grandpa's quilt, blog post coming soon

Sunday - I have the morning and afternoon to sew and to work on Robin's wedding paper system (it is almost time to mail invitations out!), I need to get a few things from Ikea, and then I am headed to Texas Old Town for my cousin Judith's wedding. I am making these place mats for the wedding gift and will have them ready by the time they get back from their honeymoon.

Judith's citrus place mats

Monday - first personal training session at the nearby powerlifting and bodybuilding gym, Big Tex Gym. (did you know that I was a powerlifter in high school?) Then bootcamp at Austin Self Defense if the morning workout hasn't taken me out completely.

Tuesday - physical and donation at the plasma bank, lunch with friends, and an afternoon with my stepson Xavier. I am planning to go visit fellow local art vendors, Ian and Megan of Plaid Pigeon. They sell adorable potted plants, and they are going to put some succulents in to some pots that I have on my fireplace hearth. I also have a handyman coming over to hang some shelves in my sewing studio and try to fix my washing machine.

image by Plaid Pigeon

Wednesday - sewing! Lots of sewing planned for today, including sewing some pillow cover samples for a class that I will be teaching in August at the amazing fabric store, Remnants:fiber[culture], and then bootcamp in the evening.

I have plenty of sewing projects to keep me busy

Thursday - another plasma donation. Plasma saves lives and I am using the money that I make donating to save for a new car. More sewing, I also have things to do around the house like cleaning, organizing, sanding and staining my antique chair, updating my Etsy sites and editing photos for this blog. And there is an Austin Modern Quilt Guild meeting in the evening, we will be voting on new officers and announcing committee members.
Friday - I'd like to spend some time painting, I have so many blank canvases on the walls of my studio and it would be great to take some new work to First Thursday next month. More sewing and cleaning up around the house, in the evening I will drive up to Fort Worth to spend the weekend with my dad's side of the family.
Saturday - My aunt says we are going to the Peach Festival in Weatherford. I don't know anything more about that. Hopefully I will feel like getting some sewing done when we get back to the house.
Sunday - Sewing and visiting with the family, then driving back home in the evening to get ready for the work week.

I already know that I probably won't accomplish as much as I hope to, but I'm going to do my best. I work such long hours during the week and my commute to work is about an hour each way, so I have gotten behind in sewing projects, household tasks and my online commitments like blogging and keeping my Etsy shop updated. I'm using this vacation time to work on all of this and try to get back to a place where I feel like I am no longer drowning in my to do list.

Have a great week at work!

Art display at Starbucks

I currently have artwork on display at Starbucks on Louis Henna in Round Rock. Stop by for a coffee and have a closer look. The orange and green pieces on the left are made by sewing beads down onto the canvas. The shoe, titled Agonizing and Beautiful, is made from canvas fabric which is then sewn to the canvas with embroidery thread.

Thanks to Phillip, the Starbucks manager, and the employees for hauling the ladder out for me and being patient while I move tables around and create a bit of a mess. And thanks to Debra, amazing artist, fellow Starbucks art displayer, and dear friend.

Explored Once Again

This is a 12 by 36 gallery wrapped canvas. I painted the bright orange background with acrylic paints and then hand sewed individual beads down to create the flowers and ground. I really like combining orange and blue lately, I think I am inspired by my friend Abbey and her wonderful paintings.

I have two smaller paintings that sit next to each other at art shows. Several shoppers have commented on how much they enjoy the blue and orange next to each other.

This piece is currently hanging with two other paintings at a local Starbucks.

Explored Once Again

detail

As Seen Through the Fog

This is a 12 by 36 gallery wrapped canvas. I painted the green background with acrylic paints and then hand sewed individual beads down to create the flowers and ground.This piece has nothing to do with fog, but I finished it while enduring a horrible allergy headache and so my brain felt very foggy and lost. 

It is currently hanging with two other paintings at a local Starbucks.

As Seen Through the Fog

detail

W.i.P. Wednesday 02

Happy Wednesday! I am working on tons of projects now, and today I finally finished six tote bags! Yay! I think I will put these Heather Bailey totes into a separate post later, but I'll give you a little preview today.

folded Heather Bailey totes

Heather Bailey shopping totes

These will be kitchen towels for a friend of mine. She has some potholders that I made using this Helen Dardik fabric from her Mod Kitchen line.

I use these labels from Namemaker on my quilts and pot holders and things. I bought this ribbon from them for the first time and it looks great! I'm going to use it to wrap my floor quilts. I am participating in three craft shows this December and have a few things to do to get ready for that.

 

 

 

This is one of four canvases that I am currently working on. (excuse the horrible lighting, please) This Sunday I am displaying artwork at a local Starbucks. I have a lot to do to finish these, yikes!

 

I am making this play mat for my little cousin. I sewed the binding on today, and I just need to decide if I am hand sewing or machine sewing the binding to the front.

These are shirts for the twins that I take care of. I bought pants to match these tops. I ironed the pieces on, I just need to finish the applique. Still thinking about which stitch to use- blanket stitch, satin stitch, straight stitch? So many choices, sadly my favorite vine and leaf stitch doesn't work for these animals.

 

These towels will be for my family's white elephant gift exchange. Most of my family members are big Aggie fans, and when I helped my brother move in to his dorm this fall at Texas A&M I learned that they say "Howdy" to each other. Often. I just need to add some of this maroon fabric to the towels.

 

This is a quilt that will eventually be for sale in my Etsy shop. I sewed the binding on today and found out that I didn't make it long enough. I need to add one more piece before I can finish that up.

 

The other projects that I am working on are still just piles of unwashed and uncut fabric for now, so hopefully I will have made enough progress to post them next Wednesday. I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced, click the button to check it out!

How Long Have You Been Purple Like This?

I finished this painting at least a year ago, but I am not very happy with it, so I am just now posting it here. I think it may be the proportions of the flowers and the stems. I plan to sew some more beads on to make the stems more substantial and see if that helps it.
I have been taking it to shows, but so far it hasn't gotten too much attention. I need to move it up on my list of projects and try to improve it some.
I bought 16 canvases during the "buy one, get one for one cent" sale at Aaron Brothers last weekend. I have some more ideas for new canvases, now I just need to designate some time to paint!

These photos were taken by Joe at Treaty Oak Photography. Thank you, Joe!

Growing From the Sunrise

I used pink and cream acrylics for the background on this 8 by 10 canvas. Using a sponge, I created a texture within the wet paint, to me it resembles clouds.
Each bead is individually hand sewn onto the canvas, creating two flowers.

Growing From a Nest

This painting is 4 by 12 inches, gallery wrapped canvas. I used acrylic paint and water to create the blue background. The beads are each sewn individually to create a unique flower and stem.
The "nest" that the flower is housed in is made from a piece of dryer sheet that has been sculpted into shape and set with glue.

Paintings at Starbucks

My friend, Abbey, and I have our work hanging at Starbucks in Round Rock. Stop by and see it and order a coffee while you are there! I plan to go in soon and try one of their new sweet treats. Cake on a stick? What!?

Clarksville Family FunFest...a success

I had a good day at this event even though the wind was so strong all day long. My canopy and a painting were damaged, but hopefully soon I will have everything back together and in working order. There weren't too many people out shopping, but overall it was a good show. I made some sales and met lots of people.
And I was able to listen to good live music all day, like Joe McDermott. "Don't drop a brick on your foot...it will hurt. It will make you hop around in the dirt."
Thank you to everyone who came out to support a good cause.

Shop Crafty...after the show

Another great show hosted by the wonderful Lone Star Ladies, Anne Marie and Allison! Thank you to everyone who came to shop and say hello.
See you again next spring!

And Spring Is Back Again

This piece is a 4 by 12 inch gallery wrapped canvas. The background was painted in acrylics, and then individual beads were sewn on to depict this bright, springtime flower.

Meet the Vendors of Shop Crafty

Please visit the Handmade Happenings blog to meet the Shop Crafty vendors.

There are so many great shops that will be at the show on Saturday, so introductions are broken down into three blog postings, starting with Part One.

Here is a link to Part Two.

Splendid Calm Textiles and I Love Indigo are mentioned in Part Three.

We hope to see you there on Saturday!

Clarkesville Family FunFest

Sunday, April 17th, 2011 from 1 - 6 p.m.

The festival will be at the Clarksville Neighborhood Center on West 11th in Old West Austin.

Featuring:
Artisans Fair
Silent Auction
Pet Parade and Contest
Food from local restaurants, including Galaxy and Zocolo
Live music, Sweet Home Baptist Church choir & Joe McDermott

Proceeds from the festival will be used to help support the affordable housing program of the Clarksville Community Development Corporation (CCDC), improvements to Mary Baylor Park, and to help pay for the renovation of the historic Sweet Home Baptist Church. The CCDC is dedicated to preserving the history of historic Clarksville, a community established by freed slaves immediately after the Civil War and to maintaining the ethnic and economic diversity of Clarksville through its affordable housing program. Sweet Home was founded by freed slaves in 1871 and was recently given historic designation by the City of Austin.

Dream As If You'll Live Forever (an art edit) -sold

I hung this piece at a gallery in November without the leaves. I completed it after that hanging and here it is, finally finished.