The Third Wish

Tough Guy

2012-01-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

Meet Spike, my latest knitted dog. He packs a lot of personality into his 5" tall frame! I could not for the life of me understand how to construct his face. Like I said before, the dogs in the book Knit Your Own Dog are adorable but the instructions are difficult to follow. I ended up looking at pictures of bulldogs and then nipping and tucking until I got the desired look. To get the proper bend in his legs, I cut a coat hanger, shaped it into a "U" and then inserted it into the back legs. Of course he needed a spiked collar to complete his tough guy image! He looks just as adorable from the rear.

Knit Your Own Poodle!

2012-01-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Meet Curly, my latest knitted dog. The pattern is from the Knit Your Own Dog book. The original pattern is for a curly-coated poodle, but I wanted my poodle to have a topiary-style haircut so I used a combo of worsted yarn and boucle yarn, which turned out to be a bit of a challenge. I just love the way she turned out!

"I liked you better when you were a ball of yarn."

Low Maintenance Dog

2011-12-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

Meet Daisy, the knitted dog. The instructions in this book are vague and hard to follow, but the results are fabulous.

Sugar

2011-07-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a little embroidered piece made from Sew Lovely Embroidery's "Mad Ink" pattern.

Sock Monkey Hat

2011-06-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

One of my friends posted a picture of her daughter wearing an adorable sock monkey hat. I said, "Please, please, please tell me someone made that for her! I want to make one!!!" It was a photo prop and she wasn't sure where the photographer got it, so I headed immediately to Google for some answers. I found a cute crochet pattern and attempted it (for about 5 minutes). Although I can crochet, it's not my favorite thing to do. Then I tried to design my own pattern but it came out looking more like a fez. I ended up going to my local knitting store and getting a pattern for a baby cap with ear flaps and then I designed my own ears and mouth. It will be perfect...as long as my friend's baby has a cantaloupe-sized head!

Wheel of Fortune Quilt

2011-06-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

It's finally done...8 years in the making! This is the Wheel of Fortune quilt from Kaffe Fassett's Caravan of Quilts. It was the most challenging and frustrating quilt pattern I have ever made! To start with, there were hundreds of pieces to cut out using 13 different fabrics. Joining the diamond-shaped pieces with their stretchy bias-cut edges was difficult. Then getting 8 seams to match and lay flat in the center took a few tries. Of those 8 years, the quilt spent about half that time in a closet after being tossed inside for its own protection! The finished quilt is about 61"x61", hand quilted, and now hangs proudly on the living room wall.

Of Towers and Turrets

2011-06-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the end result of two fantastic online classes. I just finished "Of Towers and Turrets", taught by Deryn Mentock and Sharon Tomlinson. Sharon taught us collaging and how to paint faces and Deryn taught us how to build a bezel and turn it into a one-of-a-kind pendant. Last spring I took Deryn's Build Zone class, which helped me perfect my jewelry-making skills and taught me a lot about design.

The bezel itself is made from brass and copper, cut and soldered to resemble a house. I took apart an old crown earring and riveted it onto the roof. On the bottom is a piece of an old belt buckle soldered onto the piece. The picture is a small piece from the collage in my previous post.

The bezel was then filled with resin and strung on carnelian beads, some other assorted beads and African Snake trade beads. A beautiful vintage rhinestone clasp holds it together. And for some extra added flair, I made a rosary-style dangle to flow down the back when worn. I just love how this turned out!

Towers and Turrets

2011-05-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm taking another fantastic online class from Deryn Mentock and Sharon Tomlinson called Of Towers and Turrets. This is acrylic paint on canvas board with some snippets of old books tossed in. I had no idea that I could paint a face, but this class made it easy-peasy! Eventually, this will be scanned, shrunk, and put into a handmade bezel to create a focal piece for a necklace.

The Wild, Wild West

2011-02-27T20:43:00.000-08:00

What a difference some newly learned skills have made! I am taking a wonderful on-line workshop taught by Deryn Mentock. What is so awesome about this class is that we are learning to build sturdy, well-designed pieces. To show you what I mean, here are some photos of the same necklace that I built on my own (before I took it apart):

I made a beaded, macrame chain that I liked well enough, but I didn't love it. Then the macrame slipped, exposing the beading wire, so the whole thing ended up looking cheesy. Also, since Deryn taught us a little about design, I see that the beads and the macrame are too busy and detract from the focal.

BEFORE

AFTER

In week 1, we learned how to make rosary-style links, S-links, jump rings, and clasps. Here is a close-up of my rosary links:

And one of my clasp:

Here is my twisted, wrapped jump ring:

And my focal, made in Linda and Opie O'Brien's class:

Now that I have the skills to build something solid, the effect is much more polished and professional looking, don't you think!

Driving Miss Crazy

2010-12-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

After I took a class with Linda and Opie O'Brien, I came home ready to rivet and grommet everything in sight. I cut a copper base with my new metal-sawing skills and mounted a vintage chauffeur's badge from 1951 onto it. I added an old chandelier crystal and hung it from some sparkly vintage rosary beads attached to a stainless steel chain. Now I just need a chauffeur and a limo!

Dinner is Knitted!

2010-09-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I found the pattern for this adorable creature on Dirigo-Knitting by the Sea and knew I had to make it. I used Queensland Collection Merino Spray yarn in orange, which knits into a nice boiled-lobster-shell shade of orange. One skein was enough to make two lobsters, so now we have Clawdia and Clawdio!

Rattus rattus

2010-07-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Dissection without the mess! One of my favorite things to do when I'm procrastinating is to look at etsy. Imagine my delight when I found this pattern!

It was my first attempt at needlefelting...what fun!

I am going to give him to a science teacher at my school who is also a knitter. She's going to be speechless!

New Echo Challenge: Stripes

2010-07-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at Always Chrysti and Ilka's Attic is "stripes". Below are some colorful toy guitars on Olivera Street in Los Angeles.

A beautiful old building

The Train Station in L.A.

The Grille of a Classic Car Seen on Rodeo Drive

Fairy Tale Come True Necklace

2010-07-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is the second necklace that I salvaged from my attempt to make "Sally Jean Alexander's Love Bird Necklace". As I described in my previous post, the end result sadly ended up in the junk pile.

I could not get the solder "beads" that are around the piece to be a consistent size, even though I learned how to make them in Sally Jean's Soldering for Virgins class. I'm sure it will come in time but to solve the problem, I snipped individual balls from a sterling-plated ball-chain and soldered them on. That certainly takes a steady hand! The necklace is also reversible:

Dangling from the heart is a blue bead from a Peyote Bird watch that I wore until it died beyond repair. A stainless steel chain closes with a sterling silver toggle clasp that I bought many years ago at a trunk show at a local bead shop. I am thrilled with how this turned out!

My Soldered Masterpiece

2010-07-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Last summer, I spotted a class taught by Sally Jean Alexander called "The Love Bird Necklace". Unfortunately, it was already sold out. I figured since I had taken a class from her in the past, maybe I could figure out how to make it on my own. It took all summer of trial and error...soldering and unsoldering, and when it was finally done, it weighed a ton and didn't hang right. At the end of it all, I had learned why it's better to take a class (the instructor has already made all of the mistakes and can steer you around them) and I had a pile of what seemed like junk at the time. Well just the other day, I pulled it out of the junk heap and took it apart and put it together into a different necklace and I love it! If you love it too, it is for sale on etsy!

I drew bird shapes on glass and used a glass grinder to shape the pieces. Because the collage is sandwiched between two pieces of glass, getting them to be the same shape and size was the first challenge!

Antique chandelier crystals give it a touch of sparkle.

The beautiful pewter bird is by Lynn Davis and is perfect for this piece! An Artgirlz Spikey Heart charm finishes it off.

I learned many things by attempting this project...most importantly, don't throw out anything that you are disappointed with. Put it away and then look at it again someday. And when given a choice, take the class!!!

Echo Challenge

2010-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting photography challenge via Deryn Mentock's Something Sublime blog. Two bloggers: Always Chrysti and Ilka's Attic have chosen "Market" as this week's theme. My husband and I just got back from Los Angeles, where we stayed at a hotel right across the street from LA's Farmer's Market. Here are some glimpses into our adventure!

The colors and scents were intoxicating:

We saw unusual fruits:

There was temptation everywhere:

There was some dark humor (photo by Peter Folks):

I loved the old-timers:

It was a magical place:

Star Spangled Triple Berry Cobbler

2010-07-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

I took my favorite berry cobbler recipe and used a cookie cutter to make stars instead of "cobbles". Happy 4th of July!

Coming Together

2010-04-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

I've had lots of charms rattling around the house since I learned how to solder. I sold a necklace to a neighbor, who told a friend...long story short...I ended up selling 6 necklaces last week! Well that inspired me to put those charms on chains and get busy. I'm going to photograph the individual necklaces and put them on etsy, but in the meantime, I'm so excited about my progress that I thought I'd share.

St. Patrick's Day Collage

2010-03-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

I've been practicing my Photoshop layering and blending skills. Believe it or not, this has a whopping 17 layers! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Digital Valentine

2010-02-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

This turned out great! I experimented with thinking of each layer as adding a color or a texture instead of thinking of the actual photograph. I started with the photo of the barn that the instructor provided. I layered a photo of sunset over the wetlands that my husband took. By setting it on "color burn" mode, it added a fiery glow. Then I added two layers of the same garden photo on top, repositioning them to add bursts of color here and there. On top of that is a layer of a cement texture to mellow out the colors and a textured frame to finish the edges. The cowboy is an extracted image from a vintage valentine. I finished it by thinking of some descriptive text to add. Yeehaw! Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Ferris Wheel Part 2

2010-02-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

I started over on the Ferris Wheel project and followed the steps carefully. It now has a softer glow to it. I like both versions...apples and oranges, right?

Ferris Wheel Part 1

2010-02-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

This was a complicated project with many layers and many steps. Somehow, I missed a step and my Ferris Wheel ended up with a neon-pink glow. I like it, though.

The Latest...

2010-01-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

I can't take credit for being original with this collage but I sure did learn a lot. In this lesson, we followed DJ's step-by-step layering process for creating a digital collage. Sounds easy, right? Still, it took me all night because I discovered if you mess up on a layer, you can just add more layers on top of it. Let's just say this collage has MANY layers!

Hey Look! My Hat Matches My Tail!

2010-01-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

OK. I know this is a busy mess but you have to admit, it's funny. I was practicing everything I've learned so far in Photoshop. Next lesson: moderation!

Look What I've Done to the Cat!

2010-01-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

This week in my on-line Photoshop class, we learned how to extract part of a photo from its background. This has opened up a world of possibilities!!! No photo is safe now!

Buzzing Collage

2010-01-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

Having fun with Photoshop!

Whew! I Learned a Lot!

2010-01-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

The most important lesson I learned was this: when you are talking on the phone, don't keep hitting the delete button or else you'll lose a layer or two. But on the other hand, it was much easier the second time around!

I Can't Believe I Know How to do This!

2010-01-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest Photoshop project! We are now learning how to blend images together in DJ Pettit's online class. This one is for you, Bambi, my biggest fan!

Photoshop Project

2010-01-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

My Cowboy Kerchief quilt has taken a backseat since my online Photoshop class started. The first week was beyond frustrating as the kinks were worked out of the class. The class is running smoothly now and I've let go of my idea of perfection. I was trying to make my projects as beautiful as the instructor's but then I realized that I'm just a beginner. Now I just go for it! The nice thing is that if it turns out awful, there's the handy delete button. Much quicker than a seam ripper!

Ride On!

2010-01-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't finish this quilt by New Year's Day (what was I thinking?), but I'm making good progress!

Cowboy Campfire

2010-01-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

My quilting goal is sure helping me clean out the DVR! Quilting and watching a movie are a nice way to spend an afternoon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-31T08:38:00.001-08:00

Bovine Smackdown!

2009-12-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

- - - - - And I just keep on stitching- - - - - - - - - - -!

Little Pink Ranches

2009-12-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

I may have to rethink my goal of finishing by New Year's Day 2010. I quilted all day today and now when I close my eyes, I see stitches!

Singing Cowboy

2009-12-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

Another block quilted!

The Race Is On!

2009-12-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

I found this wonderful box of reproduction western hankies at my favorite quilt shop and absolutely, positively had to have them! Of course they are much too spectacular to ever use as an actual hanky, so what did I do? I made them into a quilt!

Last New Year's Day, I got busy and made the entire quilt top in one day. A few months later, I put the layers together and quilted the center. And then it sat. The cat claimed it as her afternoon napping place all summer long and into the fall. Now that the New Year is rolling around, one of my resolutions is going to be to finish some of my projects. So I set a goal...to quilt one square a day and try to finish this quilt by New Year's Day. Yes, New Year's Day, 2010! I've kept my goal for the past 3 days. Now I'm going to post a square a day. Here's the first one:

Tacky Grinch Sweater...Live!

2009-12-25T19:08:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Gridlocked

2009-12-22T17:38:00.001-08:00

What I love about collage is the instant gratification. Not that I mind spending years on a quilt, but sometimes it's fun to start something in the morning and finish it the same day.

This creation was made at Art and Soul in Lisa Kaus's Gridlocked class. Her class was magical from the moment we stepped into her classroom. Music was playing and each student's place was set with a vintage school-lunch tray in a gorgeous shade of aqua, filled with supplies and fun extras. We learned to use graphite sticks and water-soluble crayons to create a background that we could stamp, collage, and attach 3-D elements to. After we we done, we coated it in beeswax for extra dimension. It was joyous to spend a day coloring and gluing and making a mess!

My collage tells a story of travels with my husband. Let's start from the top. There's a piece of a calendar that shows a month of Mondays to represent time off when the rest of the world is facing the start of the workweek.

The egg and the tulip stand for new beginnings and the crowned goose and the surprised boy are for the many unusual things we see and experience. A game card that says "STOP" is a reminder of the times that things have not gone as planned, and yet we always manage to turn it into a new adventure. 75 miles stands for the times when we are so near, yet so far from our destination. The tape measure is for all of the times my sweetheart has done his research ahead of time and surprised me with a detour to a fabric store, a quilt show, or some other "all-about-me" destination. Chef Fish is for the unusual restaurants we try on our adventures. The cartoon stars are for the times our nerves are frayed and we get snappy.
Mended hearts are because travel is good for the soul and pencils are for sending postcards to those we leave behind in our native land. Stars and moons are there because we love to drive at night; leopard skin and a glamorous image are because we like to travel in style and pretend we are famous. Finally, a heart and a wilted sunflower mean that it's good to be home again, our garden missed us!

Bah Humbug!

2009-12-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

The tacky sweater turned out fantastic! As my brave husband entered the room, he was greeted by laughter, which was just the response we were going for. Don't you love the mini pockets on the Grinch's sweatshirt?!

To make the applique, I cut a stuffed Grinch in half, flattened him out and hand-sewed him on the sweater.
I liked his poochy belly, so I put some of his stuffing back in the midriff area.

I made a frame for Mr. Grinch using garland and battery-powered LED lights. The battery pack is inside the sweater in a pocket that I attached behind his stomach.

We didn't win the contest, but we left them laughing for sure!

Tacky Sweater Fixin's

2009-12-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

The blank canvases:

The embellishments:

I love competition, so when our staff was challenged to a Tacky Christmas Sweater Contest, the creative wheels started spinning out of control! I rushed off to the local Goodwill where I found inspiration everywhere! I am going to make two of the tackiest sweaters ever seen. Let the games begin!

Cowgirl Shrine

2009-12-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

Yee Haw! She's done and she's a beauty. Meet Ruby, a cute little cowgirl made from a vanilla-extract bottle, a tin nicho, and other assorted junk. She lives in a shrine adorned with leather barbed wire, rusty tin hearts, and plastic six shooters. And if that weren't enough, she has a light installed in her "sky" to bring a glow to her world after dark.

The Country Lasses Are Up and Running!

2009-11-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

DarLie, the wonderfully witty author of one of my favorite blogs "Libby Buttons", and a few of her friends have started a new blog called the Country Lasses. They will be writing about their rural life and hosting an occasional on-line flea market. Through November 30th, they are collecting comments for a "great give away" drawing. The prizes are fabulous! Check them out and leave a comment at http://countrylasses.blogspot.com/2009_11_12_archive.html.

Monkey Business

2009-09-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Sock monkeys have always had a special place in my heart. I wonder who the creative genius was who first looked at a pair of red-heeled socks and thought, "Hey, that would make a great monkey!"

When I saw Moda's sock monkey fabric, I had to have it. Each little square reminded me of photo-booth pictures, so I decided to make a little quilt fashioned after a yearbook page. After it was put together, it was cute but the pictures didn't really stand out. After playing around with various things from my stash, I decided rick-rack and vintage sequins were the missing ingredients.

A Glorious Morning!

2009-09-21T19:00:00.001-07:00

Doesn't this seem like a color that would not be found in nature? But here it is, right here in our front yard! Every morning, as I leave for work, I take a moment to admire these Morning Glories that look like they come from another planet.

A Box of Treasures

2009-08-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

I've been on a soldering roll for the past three days! Last week I decided to dust off my soldering supplies and get to it but it was not meant to be. I soldered my pliers to my jumprings, I burned myself, I forgot to put the lid on my flux cleaner and knocked it over. Luckily, I had the good sense to give it up and go knit. I tried it again a few days later and got my groove back!

As you can see, I've got a couple of different things going on. These are soldered pottery fragments and beach glass that I picked up at Glass Beach back before collecting was prohibited. The little metal tag hanging from the beach glass is a charm I made in Patrik Kusek's PMC class.

This is a mini collage.

And this is one from the vintage photo series. What to do with all of these charms? Maybe I should make the world's largest charm bracelet!

Three Bad Girls Wall Candy

2009-07-20T19:30:00.001-07:00

I finally finished my Bad Girls project today! I'm thinking of renaming it "Bad Luck." It was one of those projects that should have been simple enough but I kept making ridiculous mistakes. For example, last night, I made the seam binding too narrow. "No problem!" I thought. "I'll just trim a little off the seam." I ended up cutting the seam too close and cutting the seam binding.
Then I left my fabric cutting wheel out on the table. My kitten, Sadie Lu, thought it was a toy and batted it off of the table. The next thing I knew, there were bloody paw prints everywhere. The poor thing cut her paw on the blade. Thank goodness, she's alright! Reupholstering the dining room chairs will be an upcoming project.
I started with a Mitch O'Connell pattern from Sublime Stitching and embroidered it on linen. I added borders from my Kaffe Fassett fabric stash and hand quilted it. I added vintage sequins and beads for extra spice. I put it all together to make...

An Array of Cowgirl ATCs!

2009-06-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

When I found out about ATCs, I dove right in. Finally, something I can finish in an hour or so! And what a great way to use my beloved cowgirl pictures from ArtChix Studio!

The only problem was, what do you do with a bunch of ATCs when they are done? I decided to string them together with leather laces and hang them on the wall, kind of like a little paper quilt! Yippee kai aye aye!

Mixed Media Wallhanging

2009-06-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I had the privilege of taking a class with D.J. Pettit. She is an excellent instructor who is very generous with her knowledge. If you ever have a chance to take a class with her, sign up! This little wallhanging is what I made in her class. We learned how to transfer pictures using liquid Sculpey clay and then we hand colored them. The rest is just hand stitching lots of fabrics, trims, charms, fibers, etc. together to make a little mixed-media quilt. I think it turned out rather nice!

The Scrap Quilt

2009-06-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

The scrap quilt took about 10 years to make. Not that it was that difficult; it just spent a lot of time idle. The pattern came from a block-of-the month calendar (1996, I believe) and I thought "what a great way to whittle down my stash of fabric!" The plan was to make a block a month, but soon other projects got in the way. Years later, I finally completed it but I didn't like it. Back in the closet it went! One day, I got the idea to put sequins on it and that's exactly what it needed to go from ho-hum to wow!

The crow block was the first block I made.

July's block.

Cat and sewing notions.

A few more squares!

My favorite square.

My Happy Place!

2009-03-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a corner of the backyard that is positively bursting! When we moved into our new house, the backyard was nothing but dirt ... a perfect blank canvas. It's a perpetual work in progress and that's fine with me!
The muddy area at the bottom of the photo is the future flagstone path. Right above that is last year's vegetable garden that is now completely covered in California poppies just waiting for their time to put on a show.

Here is another view that includes the dry creek bed. This was a low spot where water pooled and plants drowned. We decided to turn it into something beautiful by adding river rock to create a flowing focal point. Eventually, there will be ground cover and plants everywhere there is now mulch.
The huge cacti sprung from just three ears collected off the ground in Sonoma. That side of the house gets sun all day long and the cacti are thrilled with their new home. In late summer, they bloom with papery yellow, pink, and orange flowers. I'm now itching to get outside and get some dirt under my nails!

Finally!

2009-03-15T14:48:00.001-07:00

I know this is no way to run a blog! I got myself bogged down trying to get a good picture of the redwork quilt. It was difficult to photograph because it is HUGE (just about bed-sized). I ended up draping it over the fence. Because it is white, it was hard to photograph without it washing out. Anyway...TA DA! It's hand-embroidered, hand quilted and just how I wanted it to turn out.

Stealing Silverware

2009-02-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

Get it? Stealing, like "stealing away into the night". This old silverware looks like it's up to no good...
planning an escape from the silverware drawer, perhaps?

Hangin' Out

2009-02-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

Each square of this quilt was so much fun to make!

And the Dish Ran Away With the Cup and Knife!

2009-01-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

Another happy square!

Jump On In!

2009-01-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

Cups and saucers,
Plates and dishes,
Your old man wears dirty britches!

Remember those funny jump rope rhymes from childhood? Now they are captured in a quilt square!

Coy Creamer

2009-01-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

I love her expression! Another hand-embroidered square of the redwork quilt.

Happy Snacks

2009-01-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

I hand embroidered all these squares for the redwork quilt using patterns I got from a company called Aunt Effie's Heirlooms. I used two different sets: KP Krew and Full Service. According to the info that came with the pattern, the original pattern came from Modern Priscilla patterns in the early 1920s.

http://dianefolks.blogspot.com/

Dry Martinis

2009-01-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Another square from the redwork quilt!

Disgruntled Brushes

2009-01-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

A square from my redwork quilt. More to come!

Outside My Window

2009-01-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun wallhanging I made for a friend. It's a faux window with a view!

Shelby's Sweater

2009-01-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Last spring, I knitted this sweater for my grand-niece. Unfortunately, the little budding photographer dropped my sister's camera, so the full-length view is looks like a TV with poor reception...

...but you can see how cute it is! And look at her examining it!

We're Bursting With Creativity!

2008-12-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

Another creation from Art and Soul in Portland. Push play arrow to see it in action.

While I was playing with Photoshop, my husband, Peter, was experimenting with Pinnacle. The result is this wonderful video showing a music box that I made in Thomas Ashman's class at Art and Soul. Starting at the bottom, we have legs made of copper refrigerator tubing pounded flat and bent into pleasing shapes. Atop the legs is a heart-shaped Altoids tin that houses a music box. The dancing doll is a collage covered in plexiglass that was hand cut...yes, hand cut...with a jeweler's saw. Thank you Petey for making an awesome video and special thanks to Sadie. You're a good actress!

Little Cowpoke

2008-12-28T15:09:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to learn my way around Photoshop Elements. I found an easy-to-follow tutorial at Atomic Cupcake and spent most of the morning experimenting. The vintage photoframe is courtesy of photographer Steve Paxton . I used one of my favorite pictures of all time: my dad as a little boy in his hometown of San Francisco. There is a sweetness in his expression that makes my heart melt.

Power Struggle

2008-12-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

I made this one afternoon just for fun. Embroidering on flannel turned out to be not so fun, though. It's just too stretchy!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

Aloha, 1994

2008-12-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

After a trip to Maui, I decided to give Hawaiian quilting a try. This pattern is called "Breadfruit". It is hand appliqued and machine quilted. The trick is to use LOTS of pins so nothing moves while you're appliqueing.

Touching the Elements

2008-12-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is a little treasure I made in Nina Bagley's "Touching the Elements" class. It was a wonderful 2-day class at Art and Soul in Portland where we learned to drill rocks, wrap wire, set eyelets in metal, and look at things found in nature in a whole new way. At the bottom, is a copper book filled with mica pages and decorated with a dried leaf and some fibers. The book is attached to a stick by hammered copper wire rings. Suspended from the stick is a sea-smoothed pottery shard found on a beach in Fort Bragg. The stick is then wrapped with hand-dyed silk ribbon. As we move up, there is a little metal frame that has been decoupaged with various papers. This holds a beautiful turquoise piece of pottery found on the same beach. The "windows" are made of mica. This is attached to a mossy stick, found in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites where Art and Soul was held. Above that is aged copper mesh with fiber laced through copper eyelets, topped by a root-beer-brown piece of sea glass wrapped in baker's twine. I like how this piece brings back memories of hunting for treasure here and there.

Bonehead

2008-12-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Take one clever book, add one sock and voila! You have your very own Bonehead! I cut out the "85" and sewed it to his back so he looks like a jock. He'll soon be off to his new home in Oregon. Merry Christmas, Austin!

Necklace for Kay

2008-12-20T19:19:00.001-08:00

Awhile back, I took Sally Jean Alexander's "Soldering for Virgins" class. If you ever get a chance to take a class with her, do so! She is an awesome, down-to-earth artist who willingly shares her techniques.

Yesterday, I created a pendant for my sister-in-law, Kay. I cut glass (Ouch...still perfecting my craft)to fit back-to-back vintage images and then soldered it. The back is a snippet from a vintage songbook that reads "In the dark sky you". I like how the song is incomplete so you can imagine fun things you might do under the dark sky. I twisted a piece of sterling silver wire to hang 2 antique rhinestone rondelles and a pearl. At the bottom, I attached shredded hand-dyed silk ribbon in bone and celery green to represent the colors that her daughter chose for her wedding. Well, back to the soldering iron for more fun!

My Little Buckaroo!

2008-12-19T21:44:00.000-08:00

Meet Sadie, the newest member of the family. This picture makes me laugh everytime I see it. She is enjoying her new home...especially her pretty kitty pillow in front of a warm fire.

Where's My Blanket???

2008-12-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

I made this coat from Pendelton blanket fabric back in 1996. I embellished it with hand embroidery. As you can see, it won a blue ribbon at the Sonoma County Fair. Unfortunately, it has such a boxy shape that I never wear it for fear of ending up on "What Not to Wear". One of these days, I will either remodel it or repurpose it!

Yee Haw!

2008-12-15T20:01:00.001-08:00

I made this jacket back in 1996 out of black Pendelton wool. On the back is a hand-embroidered a cactus from my own design . The cactus flowers are done with silk-ribbon embroidery and the spines of the cactus are accented with beads. Note the cowgirl "smile" pockets. I practiced making a basic straight welt pocket. Once I had mastered that, I designed a curved welt pocket. I practiced on scrap fabric until I got it to look right. It took about 15 tries! The next obstacle was to figure out how to embroider the little arrow that goes each end of the pocket. I lived in Sonoma at the time and there was a very upscale western shop called Rodeo. I would go in there and examine the arrows on the western shirts, then go home and try it. It took about 5 or 6 trips back and forth until I finally figured out how to make them. I entered this jacket in the Sonoma County Fair that year and won 2nd place. The lining didn't hang well enough for a blue ribbon. I guess by the time I got the jacket done, I had no patience left for the lining!

Fit For a Queen!

2008-12-14T19:28:00.001-08:00

I made this pillow about 4 years ago for our beloved kitties. For the center, I think I used an "Aunt Martha's" embroidery transfer but I can't find the pattern, so I'm not quite sure. The embroidery is surrounded by scrap pieces, machine quilted, and sewn into a pillowcase complete with zipper for washability. Inside is an old Temperpedic pillow. In the winter, we put this near the fireplace as a cozy lounging spot for some very lucky cats.

A Closer Look

2008-12-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

This how-to book was my mom's. The copyright is 1959, so she must have had it when she was a newlywed. When I was a teenager, I used it to teach myself how to embroider. The jeans skirt was my canvas and as you can imagine, denim was not the easiest fabric to learn on. When I look at this now, I can't imagine how much time it took for inexperienced hands to do all that satin stitching!

My Oldest Surviving Project

2008-12-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

I've been making things as far back as I can remember. One thing that I've saved all of these years is this jean skirt. Back in 1974, everyone was making them.

One day, my friend and I heard about a contest sponsored by Levi's to find the most creative use of their jeans. We hopped on the bus to Portland and entered our jean skirts in the contest. I don't remember what the prize was, but we were sure one of us was going to win!

On the day of the judging, we took the bus back to Portland to see if we won. When we got there, we realized that we were definitely out of our league. There were amazing projects everywhere. Looking back, I'm so proud of that teenage girl who was confident enough to enter a contest.

Hello, World!

2008-12-11T19:03:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time, there was a dabbling artist who was trying to think of a name for her new blog. She thought of many, many names but none of them were quite right. Along came a handsome, clever husband who said, "Call it The Third Wish".

The dabbler said, "Perfect! The third wish is always the biggest, best wish."

"No," said her clever husband. "The third wish is where you realize you that what you had was wonderful, but you ruined it with the first 2 wishes. The third wish is where you make everything wonderful again!"

And so a blog was born to show the wonderful things the dabbling artist has made!