Seaside swap

Seaside swap, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Fiber Art Trading time again. I'm aiming to participate in one swap per month. This time it was triangles for bunting banners with a seaside theme.

I wanted to play with the feeling of being at the beach. I usually walk the waterline and rarely swim. I like to watch the sun through the waves and the myriad of colors that are produced. My triangles are muslin and batting sandwiches., The water was painted with Setacolor fabric paints and some sunprinting, the sand is batting painted with Jacquard Dynaflows. To give a little more interest I added some word stamping. I tried adding some embellishments, but they looked very hokey.

I'm pleased with the feeling they evoke.

Zombie American Girl

Zombie American Girl, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Crafting with kids - we're doctoring up this faux American Girl doll for Halloween this year, adding a little bit everyday. Having fun!

And I'm back in class, at night ,for Drawing 2 - figure drawing. (Send coffee!!) Started off with quick sketches of our own hand (free model!) and next week we start with the paid model. A small class - perhaps 10 people, kinda' nice!

Arm revisited

Palm side, originally uploaded by jckirner.

I got up today - woken by the dog - and felt the need to DO.
This last week welcomed the start of school and the transition of routines. Lots of bike riding, dog park - ing in sweaty weather, and new dinner menus tried.

Yesterday was a day of sloth/recovery. Today I'm refreshed and creating.


I cut out new hand silhouettes early on. Went into my diversionary routine (shower, coffee, online games) then headed back to the machine.
>

Certainly the unstitched painted tyvek arms are easier to turn through. I've snagged stitches as I manhandled the small fingers. Easily fixed/disguised with some more effort. But I'm ready to be done with this for today. Onwards with prep for the week...

Saudades do Rio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z00jjc-WtZI

Everytime I do bindings...

Everytime I do bindings..., originally uploaded by jckirner.

...I have to look up the tutorial on Heather Bailey's site http://www.hellomynameisheather.com/. It's always as I'm facing a looming deadline that I'm flinging on the binding and grumbling at the corners. I don't do them often enough to remember the trick to getting nice mitered ones.

Anyhoo this is my entry into the Breaking Traditions Art Quilt exhibit. This years theme is "home" and supports Bernie Berlin's "A Place to Bark" charity to house homeless dogs.

The title of this is either "Squatter's Rights" or "Whose home?". It was a long day of closing papers and moving boxes. I stepped wearily into the shower of my new Florida home, only to jump back, startled, to see a squatter was in residence.

Anyone living in Florida is very familiar with the geckos that sneak into our homes.

I found a 50's curtain to chop up for the binding. It seemed to go with the pink shower floor I painted. (Yes, I really have pink shower tiles - ewwwwwwwwww , but not quite as "ewww-y" as my MAUVE kitchen counter tops - double ewwwwww)

Just a bit more hand stitching left to do on the binding - then some more hand stitching on the top at a leisurely pace tomorrow.

I'm calling it a night!!

Background tests

Background tests, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Thanks everyone for the supportive comments yesterday!!

I'm still plugging away. Popped out for some supplies (alone!! without kid tagalongs! Uninterrupted!! amazing) and had another go at things.

I'm still making the same fusible mistakes. So another batch of dyed fabric is in the dryer as I attempt ...again... to create a substitute. Third time's a charm??


And here's my little gecko I'm very fond of...I captured the shiny fabric this time!!

Trying too hard...

trying too hard, originally uploaded by jckirner.

...and making inevitable missteps. Fusing onto the wrong side of fabric - and naturally it's the one I can't replace. Finding I've over-decluttered and thrown out an entire box of fabrics I liked. Trying to make buttons and discovering I've used up my supplies.

I feel like I'm wading through a thick fog in the swamp!! My mind's not focused and I'm moving so sluggishly. Bizarre....

Swaps Swapped!

As I mentioned here, I became involved in the Fiber Art Traders group last month. For this first trade, having just made the mailing deadline before our travels, I arrived home from vacation and impatiently waited for the backlog of mail to be delivered.

Yep! 4 little packages were there containing the swaps. What fun to open them and explore the little PSI's (plus sized inchies) themed around Summertime Activities. And a bonus altered domino pendant from Heather Heldenberg.

From top to bottom in the picture above are swaps from Laurie Michaels, Heather Heldenberg, Michelle Bonds, and Kristen Powers, with my efforts in the bottom row.


What I didn't expect was to arrive home from vacation and find NO creative gumption in me. While I took a little art pack along and fumbled with it on a couple of mornings while away, I have returned unable to get myself to create this entire week. I'm hoping it's only fatigue and a slight yearning to return to some routine of the school year (a little over a week away). Even my school reluctant daughter has expressed some desire to return to school!!

Here's hoping a creative surge will happen after posting this!!!

Orlando vacation

Family vacation at its "staycation" best. We stayed withing driving distance of home and were happily gifted with a week at a timeshare (thanks Sis!!).

Although hubby spends much time driving for his job, it's always enjoyable to travel together. He keeps me on my musical toes with trivia quizzes on the songs we hear on the radio (or ipod).

Forget lyrics, they're not my thing - he and our daughter are the word people and can memorize like nobody else. Me - I get lost in layers of melody, harmony, and countermelody.

Staying local means relatives can visit - auntie and grandma...

Standard summer rain at the end of the day - traipsing out to our car in the far lot of a theme park. Spending my birthday with generations of family - priceless!!!