Fear of Flying

October 6 is my our 15 year wedding anniversary!

(wow, that's a long time)

Kevin surprised me with a trip to Boston.

He arranged everything, even farmed the kids out.

There's only one problem.......

fear of flying!

Thank goodness for Valium.

I've tried to keep my mind off things by staying busy.

Remember these?

The cover & pages Beth made for our round robin,

'Her Life in Stitches'.

Aren't they beautiful?

I spent almost a month staring at them & deciding how I would continue 'her' story.

My jump off point was this card I've been saving for just the right project.

My page is about a girl named May, she is a dressmaker.

The little crocheted bag has been in my collection awhile too.

I think Beth will like this old velvet button.

I adore the silhouette Beth made for the cover.

I imagine this is May as young girl, perhaps the picture used for the silhouette.

Because May is a dressmaker, I used a piece from an old doll skirt as the base of the page.

All done in Beth's 'low color' style.

This project is so fun, I can't wait to see my book when it's done!

 Last week I got some great news.

I won Diane Knotts give-away!

Diane's hand work is perfection!

I had to examine my wonderful pincushion heart up close, under a magnifying glass.

 Such lovely detail.

I didn't expect so many goodies along with my prize.

My favorite are the Diane Knotts originals for my collection!

(she really is a star)

Love these cool pod thingies.

A bundle of sweet laces.

And some vintage papers.

Thank you for spoiling me sweet friend!

All of it will be put to good use, I promise.

I finished up a project for a new class.

Playing with beeswax.

I experimented with some stenciling, & used some cool fabric designed by Tracie Lynn Huskamp.

You can find them in her on-line shop here.

Well, please pray for good weather & a smooth flight for me!

Confined creativity

Sometimes being stuck at home is a good thing.

 I managed to do some creating while treating the sick.

Inspired by a new cabinet card & some vintage pressed flowers , I made this little collage.

About six months ago I found this box of botanicals on etsy.

There are about 30 specimens, all amazing & perfect.

For a long time I couldn't bear to use them.

I would just take them down, open each yellowed sheet of wax paper & stare!! 

 But following Karla's lead, I'm using the good stuff!

This precious girl was also an etsy find.

The keywords I searched with were

'tiny shoes'.

Please feel free to add her to your collection!

I also changed my studio for the umpteenth time!

 Cannot think of a better thing to do while under quarantine!

(during photo)

 This change was a result of a suggestion from Dawn who thought I could use more surface space for work & display. 

She encouraged me to bring in 2 more desks, & 2 bookcases & a few other pieces.

She was right! I love it.

The big desk on the right belonged to my Mother.

 It's very old, & very big.

It's pretty dinged up, I'm trying to decide if I should paint it.

The best thing about my new & improved art room is the sewing nook!

No more kitchen table sewing for me!

The 'nook' was originally a wet bar.

A must have for all 80's homes.

  The bark cloth panel hides a pass through into the living room.

I guess that's how you pass the Whiskey Sours to your guests!

 I'm still tweaking, I need to paint this bookcase white.

And hang more things on the walls.

 But I love having all of my supplies right at my fingertips!

I always include a 'Bolton' knock off in my re-dos.

Can you find one here?

 I stole borrowed this utility light from the garage & used an old doll skirt to shade it.

 Unfinished work hangs waiting.

 Collections.....

& obsessions!

Thanks for the positive thoughts & wishes for my kids health.

Their all at school today & so far no calls from the nurses office.

Yippee!



Class has begun!

First day jitters.

Not them.

Me.

They were very proud of their new lunch boxes.

(No, that is not gel in the boys hair, it's called chronic bed head)

Speaking of class.............

My first class at Maureen's was last Thursday. 

She turned a storage room into the cutest little classroom! 

I love the sheet music decoupaged on the table. 

 

A sewing station.

A closet turned snack room. 

Crazy about the muslin curtains!

The whole room is an artists dream room.

Before long the table looked like this.

Terri, Cindy & Jan sorting through the vintage elements.

Every one's work was totally unique, reflecting their individual style.

Playing with parts.

A work in progress.

Erica of Zunky Chic

shows her finished piece.

Here's a closer look.  Layers of lace & a touch of blue!

My dear friend Lori, from Katie's Rose Cottage created this awesome collage. 

 I love how she turned Dawn's little shoes into ballet slippers.

Jan's work was amazing!

A self proclaimed perfectionist, she finished this piece in a little over 3 hours.  

Susan loved the pink items from my stash & made pockets from the lace!

Clever girl.

Thank you

 Maureen, Lori, Cindy, Terri, Jan, Erica & Jan for sharing a night of creating & fun!

FYI- I'm teaching a second class of Elements of Collage on Sunday September 11 beginning at 9:30 am.  There are 3 spaces left if your interested.

~Lisa