More dolls

Couple more dolls for the comfort dolls project. The one in the middle is for me. Started out I was going to give her away. When I added the vintage flowers and the earring I decided I needed to keep her. Hey I need comfort once in awhile.
Enjoy your weekend.

He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate
Thoreau

Wings of.................................................

At art unraveled I purchased a couple pieces of hand dyed felt. I knew I wanted to do wings using vintage lace. I kept putting them aside then picking them back up. It finally dawned on me why I was doing wings. Well, besides the obvious that I just like them. Let me back up a few months.
In January my son informed us he was not going to apply to any colleges. He needed a break and he wanted to follow his passion of music. We struggled with this. Many late night heated conversations. How could he not want to go to college? This was not in the plan. What would everyone think? What do we tell the rest of the family? What kind of parents were we who did not make their child go on to college? How would he succeed in life without a college education? We don't want to see our children make the same mistakes we made. We hate to see them struggle and get discouraged. I remember making choices my parents didn't approve of. Some out of rebellion. Some because they were my dreams. Oh, I remember being 18 and thinking I knew everything. I keep telling myself I have come to accept his decision. He has always been a free spirit. Never one to follow, always lead. And like both of his parents has some rebel in him. This is his life, his passion,his dreams,his joy. We can only be here to share those dreams,joy and any disappointments.
So back to the wings. It hit me. I had all these emotions. I needed to get out. I need to bless and release my son into the world.
These are your Wings of.......hope,dreams,courage,trust,strength,safety,love,joy,
achieve,believe.
When I showed him the wings, I thought he would laugh and roll his eyes. Instead he hugged me and said I will be fine mom.
The world awaits you Travis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On a side note, his sister wants him to move out so she can use his room as her closet.

Gifties and Comfort Dolls

My super sweet and fabulous blog friend Cindy sent me all these goodies. She is such a doll. And so very talented. I'm always so amazed how genuinely giving and compassionate everyone in cyber world is. I feel so blessed to have such a strong support group. The world would be a much better place if everyone supported each other the way the artist blog community does.

This next pic shows off Cindy's talents with the painted X and the Tag. And of course my favorite the beaded heart with wings. So darn cute




While watching the Olympics I have been making Comfort Dolls. Please go to the site.

Where oh where have I been?

No where.......................I have been staying close to home. I think I was mentally exhausted. I have been reading and sitting in front of the TV zoning out. I have been stopping by all your blogs. But I just could not bring myself to leave any comments. It seemed everything out of my mouth was negative. I needed time to dwell in my pity party. Last Saturday, I decided it was time to put my big girl panties on and do something. I needed to get out of the house.I needed inspiration and to do some retail damage. That is just what I did. I went to the vendor sale at Art Unraveled. And boy did I do some damage. To my wallet that is. I have never been before. Next year, I will be first in line. So much fun. Reading blogs you get to know these great artist. You learn about their lives, family,pets,likes, dislikes. You share their ups and downs and you start to form friendships. But it isn't until you hear the sound of their voice and see their beautiful faces that you can say you know them.

The first vendor I went to was Beth Quinn. I had been eying this in her Etsy shop and when I saw it, well lets just say she had me at pink vintage earrings.
This next purchase is by the fabulous Tracie Huskamp. Love her birds she hands paint. This one has lace for the wing and it spoke to me. "Buy me!" And I did.

This doll I loved when I first saw her. Of course her hand necklace is what caught my eye. She is from Figuratively Speaking.
Lot of goodies from various booths. These should kick start me back to creating
This wonderful print is by Raina Gentry. Another one of those pieces that spoke to me . It said "I will look good in you living room. Who cares what your Visa card says." I have a few more goodies to share with you at another time.

Another Crazy Week

I have been in Calif for the past week. The estate sale was last weekend and did not go as well as we had all hoped. I still have items that are pending sale. There was so much left over, but not enough for me to stay and hold another sale. The carpet got installed. All the items that did not sell got donated and the the house got listed, with an offer already on the table. Sounds good, right? Only one major problem. My sweet little mom fell and broke her foot and her ankle. I was not with her at the time. I was on day 2 of packing up everything in the house, so the carpet installer could come in. When I got the phone call. I had not showered in 2 days, was wearing the same dirty clothes. I don't think I had even brushed my teeth. Off I went to the ER. And wouldn't you know it, the cutest damn DR in the world was attending to my mother. He looked like a soap opera doc. I'm sure he took one look at me and wondered what rock I had crawled out from under. My hands were so dirty I didn't even want to shake his hand. But there lay my poor little mama. She was in so much pain and so upset. Thank God for good meds. They still have not put a hard cast on. The swelling has not gone down. She won't keep her leg elevated, because she doesn't think that is lady like to have her leg up in the air. I just have to laugh. If I don't I will be curled up in the corner crying.

I will leave you with 2 more quilts. Both of these were made by my great grandmother. The first is a double wedding ring quilt. Click on the picture to see all the detail. I love the colors of the old fabric. It is so soft from being washed so many time. I used it on my bed when I was a teenager.
The next is a twin size. Each block is a state flower. Only 48 states. Alaska and Hawaii were not states at the time she made it. The quilts have held up very well over the years.

The Sin

I have committed what some of you might consider a sin. Now not a sin of great proportions,but none the less................................one that takes me awhile to work up to doing. And is done with some regret. What is this horrible thing I have done???????????????????????????













That's right ladies and gentlemen I have cut up magazines and tossed the remains. The remains were tossed in the recycle so I'm saving face in that regards. With bringing my mothers treasures home I have run out of room in my little abode. So rather than throwing out my husband and children, (although the thought did cross my mind) I committed the selfless act of throwing out something dear to me. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit I am magazine junkie. An addiction I'm working really hard to control. I will sometime stand in the longest line at the store, just so I can flip through the pages of said culprit. I have also been know to go to Barnes and Noble and sit for hours in one of their comfy chairs and read stacks of magazines. Just so I can get my fix of the latest copy of what I used to buy. How do I feel now that I have torn and tossed these beauties. LIBERATED!!!!!!!!!! Now don't get me wrong I have not gone completely out of my mind. It will have to be a cold day in hell before I toss my Home Companion or Somerset's. So I challenge you all to join me in the cleansing process.
Best wishes.

A Big Thank You and Quilts

Thank you all for your kind words and well wishes. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. The blog world is amazing. Total strangers can come together and support each other. Through that support friendships are born. I feel very blessed to have each of you in my life. And would love more than anything to meet each of you in person.

Below are just a few of my mom's quilts. I have well over 50. They range in size from bed size,lap quilts, wall hangings, pillows, clothing. Even doll quilts. I cherish each and everyone. All total I have no idea how many she has made. She has giving them as gifts to family and friends. I have taken a few to her room. She always asks me who made the ones in her room. When I tell her she did, she laughs and says well I did good work.
The below are miniature quilts. I probably love these more than the full size. I don't have the patience's to work on anything this small. The pink one on the bottom left corner only measures 5X6 inches. Each little square is only 1/4 inch. You can click the picture to enlarge and see the details.

Wall hanging. This one is my husbands favorite. Probably because it appeals to his engineer side.
I think this one is one of her first. It is a twin size and is all hand quilted.
I love the yellow and red. The pattern is called Turkey Tracks
The above 2 she had done for my kids one year for Christmas
The cross stitch blocks had been in my baby blanket. She had taken it apart and was going to remake it for my son. He is now 18 and she never finished it. Oh don't we all have a stack of unfinished projects.