Show me ~ Wednesday.

“It is difficult to inspire others to accomplish what you haven't been willing to try”

I may be a day late, but I still thought that I would give this a try.
Hazelruthes
has came up with Show me ~ Wednesday, and this week she wants to see our bulletin boards.

I have two bulletin boards in my life that I would like to share with you first is:

"RUTH"
Yes, my name is on my inspiration board. I was Named after my Grandmother, And when I see our name, I think about her and all the gifts that she instilled into me~

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go,

only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”

~Karen Ravn

This board is in my studio. I keep projects that I am working along with little scraps that inspire me, that have the dream to one day become something more ~
(the little me doll was created by Holly)

Here are the details of the board, I took a normal bulletin board and painted the frame red with craft paint then with staz-on ink, I stamped my favorite word stamp
all over the frame then I took a piece of cloth that I had coffee stained and stamped with different text stamp and did some machine sewing with red thread for detail. Next spray on glue was used to secure the fabric to the cork. Once I completed the bulletin board it occurred to me that it look like a BIG atc card!

This is my Jewelry board
It holds my jewelry and it is in my closet.... I painted this frame gold then used a hot glue gun to attach the pink trim, black cording and fake fur as my background. Head pins with golden balls are used to hold my jewelry.

I hope you share your bulletin boards, I would love to see them!

“The creative mind plays with the object it loves”
Carl Gustav Jung

Where Women Create

If you really want something you can figure out how to make it happen.
~Cher

A few weeks ago I was in a tail spin trying to get my studio ready for a visit from Jo Packham,

now most of us have her book "Where Women Create" but I was honored to have Jo along with two photographers (Wanelle Fitch, Marina Artiste) along with Jenny Do and Kristen Robinson (who's heavenly studio's were photographed before mine) all jammed into my personal space!
I have not fully soaked in the entire experience of it all... but it was one amazing day! to be surrounded by brilliantly talented women who are all passionate about there work and life is intoxicating to say the least!

Wanelle Fitch, Marina Artiste, Kristen Robinson , Jo Packham, me, Jenny Do
toasting at the end of the photo shoot of my studio.

When I was first asked to be part of Jo's new magazine that is based on her book, I flat out said "NO WAY!" then went on to say...

"My studio is not that kind of a space its a working studio not a inspirational studio"

Then I thought about my space, and it occurred to me how it came to be almost 10 years ago, I was working out of a small closet in the house and kept the over spill in the garage, I desperately needed more space as my artist endeavors started to grow. This caused a dilemma that was solved when I decided to set up my space in the one of the bays of our three car garage.
I truly believe that if we need something in our life we find a way to make it happen.
Yes I dream of one day having a 2000 square foot work loft with amazing natural light along with huge cutting tables and room to roam, but my small space works and ever inch is utilized and loved!

So would you like a little peek into my space? the place where I go to create?

I took this photo of Photographer Wanelle Fitch in my studio.

My space is long and narrow I have two working tables and lots of shelving, here is the table where I have all my beads and jewelry supplies all close at hand, I work on my layouts for my fabric art and I paint and do messy stuff on this side.
I keep my markers and beads in plastic boxes in over head shelving, the beads are sorted by type and color and are priced out by the bead.

On my jewelry desk I keep more beads in Multi drawer parts storage organizers , along with my jewelry tools with in arms reach.

This is my sewing side, I really keep this desk as a zone for sewing and I also use my lop top here as well.
a few of my favorite rubber word stamps and inks along with
a little peek at my ribbon draws and seed bead collection.

here are a few close up views of my sewing table.
The mannequin ( a gift from Nancy) hold WEDDING Trade Beads and conus shells both are a great point of inspiration to me.

This old ladder holds some of my hand dyed fabrics. The old suite cases hold more of my hand made fabrics. I hope you have enjoyed a peek into my creative space and as soon as I know of the release date of the new magazine I will let you know!

(close up of hand dyed fabrics)

I am a solitary person at heart, I think more within myself...
its hard for me to put into words just how I feel.

I have been so fortunate,
my life has been so full of amazing opportunity's!

I almost have to pinch myself so I know its really all true.

its...
as if...
my dreams and my life
have become one~

ARTfiberFEST 2008

Registration for October 22-26, 2008 ARTfiberFEST, will start this Thursday.

To make it into this very popular event, it is very important to note there is a May 1st postmark date. The workshops that I will be teaching are:

soulful doors
Learn the secrets of creating the foundation for multi faceted interactive doors.
(how to make resin papers and charms will also be included in this class)

Ethereal Fragment Squares
Create an enticing texture-filled piece with hidden
fragments and meaning.
(how to make a fabric cone will also be included in this class)

I hope to see some of you there!

artful blogging

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. ~Buddha

I was very busy last week organizing my studio for a special guest, who came to see it on Saturday... I will blog about it all in a few days and share with you some photos of my studio, but for now I would like to share with you a peek of the article I wrote for artful blogging.

I am excited to be a part of this issue... my blog started as my way of keeping track of my creative journey, never in my wildest dreams would have imaged that I would be noticed for my blogging and wilder still that I would have blog viewers!

I must add that it was a strange thing for me to write about my blog... because my blog is about me and my art and I found that writing about my blog was me writing about me writing about me!

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

~Albert Schweitzer

Cherish Thou Art

I have no knowledge of myself as I am, but merely as I appear to myself.
:::Immanuel Kant:::

Yes, amongst this chaos and clutter, I create... I truly work on top of the layers!

I worked on this project last week... I had fun creating and altering fabric and papers for this interactive little piece.

I cut a heart out of many layers of book text and stitched them all up to create a "book heart" then I used gel medium to help add more "weight" to the pages.

here is the back side of the piece... I do not always show the backs of all my projects but the backs are just as important to me as the front... its a little hidden treat for the viewer.

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
:::Ralph Waldo Emerson:::

you can see how the little interactive part flips over to revel the words "cherish" and "pleasure" then there is a little tag that reads "they reviled" and "thou art" along with a lovely turquoise leaf.

Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and
to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others.
It leads to sterility.
::: Pablo Picasso :::

this is the side view of the "heart book" see how I used the gel medium to help the pages stand up.

An artist should never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of style, prisoner of reputation, prisoner of success, etc.
::: Henri Matisse:::

The most potent muse of all is our own inner child. ~Stephen Nachmanovitch

I can't criticize what I don't understand. If you want to call this art, you've got the benefit of all my doubts.

~Charles Rosin

As an artist along the way we develop a style, our eyes and soul gravitate towards a direction that is uniquely our own ... our artistic voice if you will...

it becomes easy for us to be "our self" and create in our comfortable style... but sometimes our surroundings can change the way we view our own creativity....
case at hand a huge box full of ranger products that have been patiently sitting in my studio.

I am a creature of habit and happily work with what I have at hand... but as I started to work on the art for my fabric book and begin to teach fabric classes.

( please take a look at the classes that I will be teaching at
art fiberfest in October, I hope you can join me!)

I have decided that for the most part it would be easier to be able to tell people about a product that they could use... instead of my... "I do a little of this then I add a little of that"

Here are a few peeks at a project that I just finished for "Mixed nuts" I can not share what I did in its entirety but here are some of the products that I used to create it:


Tim Holtz™ Adirondack® Color Wash™,
first off I am totally smitten with Tim Holtz! (shush! don't tell any one!)
but once I got my hands on these I forgot all about Tim and wanted to have each and every color wash spay ink in my hands! it sprays on fabric like a dream! a dream I tell you! I have not been this excited in a long time about color! I have many ideas that I can not wait to try out with these!
Adirondack® Archival Quality Pigment Pens
these are amazing pens for writing on fabric and I have them all but these are the best by far!

Perfect Pearls™ Pigment Kits
I wanted to hate these but I have discovered that this are just amazing on fabric! and I can tell that I will be doing a lot of different things with these!
Inkssentials™ Mini Misters™
the perfect mist of watter! PERFECT!
I do not know what I did with out these!

Creativity is good... doing what comes natural is easy... having the courage to grow into a NEW YOU is part of the journey!

The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.

Carl Jung

quilt shows and online classes.

"My Love Story"
Is a mixed-media paper quilt that I made and will be part of
Make It University™
my quilt is one of 30 mixed media quilts chosen to be part of the "true colors" exhibit at the International Quilt Festival
these quilts will be traveling to Chicago, Long Beach, and Houston!

“The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.”
~ Rumi

For the base I burnt and altered felt, tulle and organza.The back round is layers of acrylic paint and Hebrew book text on heavy card stock. Gel pens and my all time favorite sharpie poster paint pens were used to draw on the swirls, dots and branch work. The focal is a fractured half winged felt heart and the image of the woman is also fabric and is slightly stuffed.
All of the layers were sewn together and there is also some chain and bead work in the corners.

This May Quilting Arts Magazine is hosting a series of online educational classes from designers and quilters.

When I was in Ohio in January I had the great honor to film two online classes for the
QUILTING ARTS FESTIVAL (visit this link to sign up for upcoming information on this advent.)

Helen Gregory (managing editor of quilting arts/ cloth paper scissors)
looking at my door quilt as we lay out for the filming of my class segments in Ohio.

One of my classes will be on how I alter and burn fabrics, create transparencies and resin papers. The other class will be on fabric doors and will cover machine quilting, hand work, fabric altering along with how to create resin charms and chain work.

So if you enjoy my fabric art you can get a peek into my creative process by taking one or both of my online classes in May.

Happy creating!