Trying Hard Now - Escaping Reality

California Salad from Charley's

Having just learned my car needs four new tires, I need two crowns, we need a new roof, our grandpuppy needed surgery* and outrageous property taxes are due Dec. 31, I escaped reality today by having lunch with a friend. When I left the house, there were two men on the roof repairing flashing around our dormers. Never a good sign.

Once we'd gotten to Charley's, I chose a lovely grilled chicken salad sans bleu cheese (am I the only one in the world not fond of bleu cheese?). Debby's chicken pot pie looked divine! It was actually a business lunch, as Deb will help me vend at a needlework show in January. We were working on the booth layout. Really. We were.

Following lunch, I treated myself to a wee bit of retail therapy, buying the latest issue of Cloth Papers Scissors, a box of 50% off Christmas cards and a publication new to me - Art Quilting Studio. My next stop was Marshall's. Good grief! It was as if every person in the world had just been let out for an hour of shopping! The place was mobbed; shopping carts full. This was so fabulous to see in our hard-hit city with 12% unemployment!

The theme song from Rocky would have conveyed the mood today perfectly:

"Gonna Fly Now" - Rocky
Music by Bill Conti and Carol Connors
Lyric by Ayn Robbins

Trying hard now
it's so hard now
trying hard now

Getting strong now
won't be long now
getting strong now

Gonna fly now
flying high now

gonna fly, fly, fly...

Coming back. Coming back. Yup. Looks like we'll make it after all!

*Numa's surgery for a skin tag and facial cyst went well this morning. She's home, still a bit groggy but resting comfortably.

Mini-vacation

We'd go anywhere to visit our son and DIL.
They are great together.

Photo credit: Bill Guerrant

Thanksgiving morning in Charlotte.

The day cleared for our first glimpse of the Blue Ridge.

Day two of our mini-vacation was spent in Black Mountain, a small town east of Asheville. It was absolutely bustling with happy people on Black Friday. I was encouraged to see most had actually made purchases!

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year. We spent it in Asheville with our son and DIL, her aunt, uncle and cousin and adorable dogs Lulu and Velvet. The food was divine, atmosphere relaxed and easy, and the welcome warm.

Suzie and Matthew work on a dish for the Thanksgiving feast. Looks like it's almost time to eat!

I've always loved Asheville, with its funky, arty feel, great restaurants and neat shops. Among my favorites on Haywood St.: Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe' http://www.malaprops.com and Earth Guild where one can find all manner of art supplies. http://www.earthguild.com/ It also has the sophistication of Biltmore Castle, Biltmore Village and numerous galleries.

I did not know we would see wonderful art in the yard of our hosts. See some of my favorites below:

I'd never seen a "tree face" before. Too cool.

Deb and Gary also have a bottle tree.

Stella was my favorite, especially with her rusted bed springs hair!

Bosoms are actually lamp parts.

This found object lady began with a garden rake. Click on the picture to see details.

Check out these dreadlocks.

It was a wonderful day.

Meeting Martine

Martine House with her piece "Family Entanglements"

No trip to Asheville is complete without a visit to the Folk Art Center. What a wonderful surprise to see Martine House exhibiting there! I've long admired her beautifully stiched work but had not met her personally. We had a chance to visit and talk about the power of art to convey our innermost feelings. Martine and I are definitely on the same page.

Do take time to visit her website http://www.housefiber.com/ Her work is intricately stunning. Click here to read Martine's blog: http://housefiber.blogspot.com

Mary Stori recently wrote about the current focus of Martine's beautiful work on her blog:
http://marystori.blogspot.com/2009/05/martine-house.html

Martine and I with her recent piece "Reliquary" which makes a very strong statement "about the future of our planet and what we are doing to it." I share her concern.

Photo credit: Bill Guerrant

Thrifting - A Way of Life

I love old things. Parents who lived through the Great Depression, coupled with tagging along on junk yard trips with my father were early influences. Just the beginning, really. I was surrounded by old things growing up in a 19th century farmhouse. Unlike some girls, I enjoyed having a box of hand-me-down clothes arrive from Chicago, through Agnes, our neighbor down the road. Agnes was from Denmark and made the most delightful Danish pastries in the world! I could write several pages about Agnes and Elmer (Agnes called him Yelmer), but I digress.

My sister Sharon and I shared a couple of apartments in Chicago and LA after we were out of school. In those days, furnished apartments were quite common. But occasionally we'd need a piece of furniture. One of the best sources in LA was Allied Van Lines where unclaimed shipments were sold. Sharon was going for a new table, but I convinced her to buy an adorable old painted one. It was an aqua oval drop-leaf and came with four chairs. I think she paid about $17.00 for the set. She kept it for over 40 years before handing it down to our niece, Kari.

Old stuff lasts and increases in value. Nothing in our house is new except for appliances (which DON'T last) and the upholstered stuff. A lot of it came from thrift stores, estate sales, the flea market or family with an occasional SOR (side of road) find.

When I was a lot younger, part of my passion was the thrill of the hunt. That was when I was buying and selling professionally. But now it's more a matter of thinking green, of keeping useful things out of the landfill, of living responsibly.

Below are a few gems spotted last week when I was looking for wool.

Value Village is a national chain.

I spied this charmer at the thrift store across the street. My Mother had the same model.

Singer 401A

Whoa! For the machine AND the cabinet???

Quilts were less than $10. back in the day. This string pieced version is priced at $25.30.

My DH once had a typewriter just like this! The price is way out of line, imho.

There are many blogs devoted entirely to thrifting. One of my favorites is: http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/ Check it out. You'll be amazed at what this woman finds. She's one dedicated thrifter - and I love her blog name.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May your day be blessed.

Contemplating Change

I've had a hard time working in my studio since it was redone over a year ago. Today, I think I finally figured out why.

In the former arrangement, my cutting table was accessible from both sides. I could face the design wall while cutting/contemplating. When my new Horn cabinet arrived, I placed it where the cutting table had been. I think I'll swap it with the table so I'll still face the design area but be able to get to both sides of my cutting surface. Ahhhhh. I feel better already.

I feel constricted every time I try to use this table. I'd planned to move it three feet from the wall, but never did. Bulletin boards I bought last spring are still not up.

I'm going to play around with the floor plan a bit. The room is much less crowded than before, but I'm not inspired in it at all.


There is no art on the walls and everything is white. This is a major part of my problem. My sister was probably right when she told me to paint the room a color, but don't tell her that. Now where did I leave my hammer? I have two wonderful Judith Vierow prints to hang!

Falling Leaves

My son Matthew planted this tree when he was little and it was too.

I love gathering the leaves in the fall,
and then using them in my work.
Artist trading card, 4 x 6"

Although leaves preserved in glycerine are more durable than those pressed, I have used both.

What Happened?

Hello again, dear readers. As Thanksgiving nears, I know you're all probably deep into preparations.

I've been absent for a while, catching up with things here. Today I decided my blog banner needed a new look. I'm having a brain fan, and can't determine what size photo I should upload. Guidelines are nowhere. After trying six different images which did not fill the template, I ended up with what you see. It is obviously too large and has thrown the blog layout all off. What happened? I'm off all caffeine - and it shows! I'll have to try again later.

Thank a Veteran

Bill Guerrant
Americal Division
Chu Lai, Vietnam
1968

Thank a veteran - especially today.

Dyeing Wool

Original Wool

Dyed Wool

I've stockpiled a lot of wool over the years. Last week I overdyed some of it with Kool-Aid. This piece was done in strawberry. I love the transformation!

I did a google search and found several recipes. Next - Easter egg dye. Yes, I have it. Y'all should know by now I never throw anything away.

Semper Fi

Today marks the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi. I salute you.