A merry friend in watercolor

 

December 22, 2012

Winter has arrived, all blustery and bright.   A lot has happened the past month, a birthday milestone celebrated with a visit to an art show in the State Museum where I had several pieces exhibited over 4 decades before.  Now it is almost Christmas, the lights are lit and presents under the tree, cranberry coffeecake baking and then my eldest turns 31. 
Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, peaceful holiday season.

Thanksgiving

Blessed with a lovely, frosty, sunny morning.  The turkey is in the oven, the cranberry coffeecake plated and awaiting the early risers, along with fresh pineapple, sparkling cider and hot coffee.
The pair of saucy blue jays have come and picked out the sunflower seeds, scattering the sparrows.
The cat has been fed and come into the house to commandeer the spot on the couch for her morning snooze.
The neighborhood is quiet, it is a lovely peaceful beginning for this feast day of thanksgiving.

After hurricanes and illnesses

Phew it is good to be back, storms and illnesses kept this quiet for quite awhile, but now I am back.
A new quilt and new paintings to share.

The paintings are of the studio, and  the season in trees.
The quilt was an original design for a new class.

The prayer flags in situ

Sending our prayers throughout the world.

Watercolor class

The first from the class, a portrait of the studio in progress.

And more prayer flags, flying in Croatia

John's flags flying in Croatia, more prayers around the world.
And from Hawaii, the sentiment is shared, "May all be happy, may all be well, may all be free from suffering."

Prayer flag gathering

Flags hanging for the opening sending prayers to all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3pUjVYnKWxE
And here is the link to the prayer flag video filmed for the exhibit.

Prayer flags winging to museum

Cooking

Pumpkin muffins fresh out of the oven, studded with golden raisins, crystallized ginger, and pumpkin seeds, along with pureed banana, apple cider, cinnamon, golden flax meal, oat bran and wheat germ.
A few for the weekend and then to go in the hubby's lunches this week.
And as the oven was heated up I put in a cajun rubbed roast for sandwiches and a pot of vegetables to rast with thyme and rosemary, garlic and onion and marjoram.  The laundry is started, the cat fed, and morning meditations completed.
The house is tidied and now we are ready to begin another beautiful, sunny, cool late summer day.
The equinox is fast approaching, but all is green and lush, the fall clematis stars the hedges and morning glories twine the fences.

Prayer Flag finished

The prayer flag is ready to mail to hang with others in the Oceanside Museum Of Art in California from October 13, 2012 to February 10, 2013, to send prayers and blessings to all.   My prayer was for Clear air, pure water, fertile earth, in peace for all.

Blue

Luminous blue morning glory blossom

floated amidst the ivy at sunrise.

Gorgeous weather

Our late August weather is lovely!  Northwesty as we like to say, cool and gray and full of chorusing crickets, the cicadas don't like the cooler weather.
I just finished another week of outreach email rotation, challenging - and makes me feel like a kid with one week of vacation left, since my quilt class finished the week before and my next doesn't start for awhile.
Sooo, I am trying to soak up a little of the end of summer feeling.
I have been reading Anne Tyler books in slow succession, a lovely treat.
I just finished crocheting a slouch hat for my youngest.
Planning a little outing this weekend.
More to come.
Be well all my lovelies, hopefully I will soon have my prayer flag to share.

Shades of seasons to come

 

An odd day

A cool, misty morning that is glowing green, not particularly what one would think one of the last days of July would be like.  Lovely in its unexpectedness.

I have another photo to share, this of my latest bargello quilt, autumn fields.

So much beauty

Blog browsing this morning reminded me there is so much beauty in the world, it feeds and soothes my soul.

Summer bargello

Homage to the solar flares.

Arabesque continues

 

Shades of spring into summer bargello quilt

 

First day of summer

The summer solstice -
a bright yellow leaf greets me,
upon the porch steps.

Arabesque

It has been quite a topsy-turvy time around here but the quilting must go on.  My class is progressing almost on schedule.  Here is a sneak peek at the beginning of Arabesque.

Lovely Mother's Day

Filled with nice things from both my children and my husband, flowers and good food and a walk at the lake.  The class is coming along, procured most of my materials and getting ready to start appliquing.   Chose a forget-me-not color scheme.

A new challenge

I start a new class today - Arabesque:  An Embellished Trapunto Project.  Embellished trapunto changes the texture of the fabric with embroidery and embellishments and adds volume with quilting and trapunto.  This  technique gives an intricate and delicate look to your quilt.  Martine House has won awards for her exquisite needlework and will be the teacher from Quilt University.
This is a technique I have considered exploring for about 35 years, now the time has come.
I am excited and a bit intimidated, but as the class starts tonight, no time to back out.