A Birthday

I had a birthday a week or two ago… I didn’t/don’t announce those… publicly. Never have. Anyone that is a friend on Facebook knows about this last one….  because some dear friends and some family sent wishes… via Facebook.

I am, alas, not really thrilled about getting older. Yes, things are getting better the older I get, but then there is the whole thing about wanting to live forever, and seeing… that - that won’t be the case. There is so much more to do!!!

This last birthday had a 5 in it… and of course I did a little thinking about birthdays and the age thing… that line of thinking didn’t last very long, once I realized I was going down the wrong path- of melancholy… You know those questions… about the mark you are leaving, your contributions, your legacy…. etc. So I let it all go, changed the channel so to speak! I’d still like to leave a mark… a good mark… do some good… somewhere.

Don’t get me wrong. I had a great birthday!!! this year. I got some cards and letters, a lunch out, a couple of gift certificates that I will put to excellent use!!! My husband gifted me one of the best gifts, though. It is a Web Domain of my own… for my photographs. Everyone says they like/love them.. and I know I do… so I am planning to offer them online. I envision some postcards or greeting cards, some prints… I’m thinking out loud here… so if you are interested in helping me pick some photographs or have a particular favorite…. sound off either in the comments or send an email… (see upper right side bar for a link).

I did get two quilt related (fabric gifts). One from my friend Karen, she blogs here, rather intermittently recently. We belong to an International Fat Quarter Swap group… and generally we send a generous envelope… to one another for the birthday. Some years she sends some of her Hand Dyed or Snow Dyed fabrics… but this year an awesome stripe-y batik that goes from pale green to yellow, and it is more than a FQ! There was also a gray and white… batik with snowflakes falling on it… I can see that as a background for another project similar to the Star “Hunter”… (I don’t know why the pictures from the little Nikon S01 take such gray photos in the Creative Space, but trust me when I say that batik is less yellow and more green).

And from my friend Wolfie, in Sweden, she blogs here sent a really fun envelope!!! In it was a box of chocolates, and as she wrote, not for the chocolate but for the tin they come in!! A box of flavored salts. Big flakes, a plain salt, a lime salt, a paprika salt and hickory salt flavors and while all that sounds great…

The best was a towel with all kinds of mushrooms illustrated by a famous Swedish cookbook author, Märit Huldt. But even better was the meter of fabric, which depicts many of the illustrations drawn by the same cookbook author. My plan is to make some placemats and a table runner from it for the kitchen table!!! Just look at all those funny little illustrations… clipping herbs, checking the pot, presenting the dish, eating, they are all just so cute!!!

I can’t wait to start making!!! All in all it was a very nice birthday!

More Later!!!

Around the World Blog Hop

I have been invited to participate in Blog Hop! Nothing big… I answer a few questions in my post and  then nominate/ask 3 others to do the same.

I was asked by a South African blogger, that I have been reading for several years and you can find her blog here. South Africa is a big country with many diverse areas. If I had known Fleur was blogging while I was in Durban, I like to think we would have met up for coffee -at least!

What am I currently working on? It’s a hush hush project. A challenge, due in November, so I can only show a peek… of it.  See that gray and red slashed fabric (in the center). That is the challenge fabric…. and the other bit that has to be in the piece is a star…. . I and you can see a bit of it in the upper right corner. I just recently finished making several Thread ‘Play, Sketch, Painted’ pieces (which ever term … fits).

The first… the Flower Basket- front (25” x 25”)

and back

The Elephants Blanket-front (40” x 25”)

and the back.

and  Feather’d (20” x 22) front

and back

How does my stuff differ from others? I’m not sure it differs from others… Its fabric and thread… sometimes beads and/or embroidery. I take a large pieces of fabric, sometimes bright and sometimes more subdued, cut it into little bits, mix it with a few others, stitch it back together in a some what cohesive manner…. which may or may not be better than the original pieces of fabric -add thread…. and pray! I don’t think I have a particular style or signature either. Not that I really want one. I don’t want all my stuff to look the same… or so closely related that it may be mistaken for the ‘same’ and skipped.

Why do I create what I do? I have always been involved with creating, either my vision or assisting others, (also known as work) with theirs. I play in the textiles area because I think it allows the most freedom… from precision (which I do not do well) to the ‘no rules’ JUST MAKE ART kinda stuff, and within that I fall somewhere in the middle. Neither precise or innovative. I generally begin with an interest -a new style, color, pattern, technique… block… well any spark really!!! My one “personal” rule is to try and expand or stretch my knowledge or process… while making it. Either the technique, my technique, a new color or color way or perfect something I have learned.

How does my writing process work? I share what I think would be interesting… and would only share pictures, but they don’t always tell the whole story… sometimes we need words too. I have considered doing photos of in progress, but in the end I don’t think they ever show the ‘interesting’ part or I forget to take pictures of the interesting parts.

To end I have nominated 2 other bloggers to add to this hop.  Wolfie from Sweden and Karen at A Creative Kick…  (I haven’t been able to round up another) they are both friends and do some pretty amazing stuff!

Until Later- Beth

Hairy Holiday!

Whew…… I can’t say that loud enough… The Holidays are over! I stopped long enough to figure out the last time I cooked a turkey meal. The last time I cooked the whole kit and caboodle was Christmas 2008. It was like riding a bike… tasted good and I didn’t miss a beat. Turkey was good, but the soup was better!!!! The whole reason I make a turkey is for the soup. Yeah, sure the stuffing and gravy are good, but for me it’s the soup.

Now for the hairy situation…

no it’s not the weather

or the dogs…

its me…

I have a habit of just letting my hair grow. Once just to see if it would stop growing. It doesn’t. In 1996 my hair was down to my ankles. Really! almost to the floor. That would be really long if I was 6 feet tall, but I’m not… I’m just a hair more than 5 feet…. The last time I had it cut was 2009…. since then it has grown… down to my butt.

I keep it in a braid, which is then rolled up on my head. I was sick of the long hair and the amount of time it took to wash and dry it. So today I got it cut…. I gave it to ‘Wigs for Kids’. I have donated to Locks of Love, but I haven’t heard good things about their program. Today I left a tail close to 20 inches long.

I need to remember to cut it…..

again before it gets long again.

Next I need to find a place to leave 20 pounds.

 

More Later- Beth