Six Days 'Til SEWN

Six more days until the start of Mary Ann Moss' newest online class, SEWN.  It's going to incorporate patterned paper, sewing, flights of whimsy, imagination and perhaps a bit of pixie dust, just like all of MA's classes.

I haven't had much time to paint many of my own designed papers, but I've done a few, sampled here for your perusal.  The ones I have done, I like (mostly).  I have NO IDEA where all the shenanigans of this class will lead, but having taken Mary Ann's other classes, I know it's going to be fun, fabulous and extremely creative ride.

I have rummaged through my paper stash, found my washi tapes and my paper-only sewing machine (with LOTS of needle threaders, as I can barely thread that darn machine on the best of days!), assembled glue and scissors and my paper cutter and now, NOW I'm reduced to doing a blog post about how excited I am.  And counting the days....

tick tick tick.....

Round Robin Art Journals

I am taking part in a Round Robin art journaling exchange.  There are seven of us involved.  We each created our own journal and we all are working to the theme of where we live, a sort of 'staycation' travel journal group.  It's been both a challenge and fun to work in other's journals, trying to find new and fresh things to say about the special place where I live.

I used the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival as the theme for my page for this journal.  I love the Tulip Festival and I have a special connection as my mother lived in the Skagit Valley while she was growing up and I still have a lot of family in the area.

It will be very apparent that I tend to work intuitively, rather than to a firm plan!  I covered over a lot of the map I did as a background, but hey----it was fun.  I know it's there!

This set of pages if for another journal in the Round Robin group.  I am suggesting that the viewer take a bike ride with me through my town and I used a lot of my original photographs, which was fun.

This is my sign-in page for the bike tour entry.  I love the ferry picture and was happy to finally have a good place to use it.

Since the journal I was working in had a pocket placed in just the right place, I used a lot of small photos of town and put them into a handcrafted paper envelope I made to hold them.  The artist whose journal this is had included a few photos of her town on her page spread, so I just carried on the idea with my spread.

One of the other members of the Round Robin group, jna, has become my new art friend.  He very kindly shared a photo of a hand with a pointing finger that he took and used in this journal on his spread.  We had chatted about doing a collaboration within the Round Robin.  I used his photo in my spread and enjoyed incorporating his image.  I also did my lead-in to my spread in a similar manner to how he led into his spread.  Very derivative but you know the old saying, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."  My new journal friend is a very talented artist and I am happy to follow his lead in this journal.

I will be traveling a lot in July and early August, so I have worked ahead.  I am caught up with this project so I can vacation without feeling guilty and will be able to enjoy my time away that much more.

43 Years and Counting

taken in Gyserville, California, September 2010

My DH and I were married 43 years ago today.  YIKES!  43 of anything seems like a lot, but years?

Oh, please, don't misunderstand me.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  He's my guy.  He's the one.  He is still the one and only.

But.....43 years??!?

Guess that means we really are old.

And happy!

It's THAT Time Again!

Father's Day weekend is fast approaching and for those of us who live in Edmonds, that can only mean that the Edmonds Arts Festival is about to begin!

All our supplies and dodods, gismos, bits and bobs, thingamajigs and tools have been moved into the Frances Anderson Center, the home of the Festival.  The whole Festival rises out of plastic tubs....we store our things in them during the year, we load and unload them into trucks for the short drive to and from our storage facility, we rummage and search and somehow, every year, a whole magical arts festival emerges.  It's downright amazing!

The Student art work is hung and ready, waiting for the Patrons to arrive on Friday.  The creativity and talent these young artists show is inspiring.  And no, I am NOT just saying that.  These young people do phenomenal work.

By opening on Friday we have over 240 artists vendors on the field and on the plaza.  The shopping is wonderful!  Something for everyone....

We have two food courts, not counting the food truck in the Kids' Creative Corner, where we have projects for our young Patrons, from spirit houses to chalk drawing and all sorts of things in between.

We have three juried galleries, too.  Paintings, Prints and Drawings are in the gym (come see our new hanging display boards that were funded by a stupendous grant from the Hazel Miller Foundation).  In room 207 the Photography can be found and I think this years selections are the strongest group yet.
(And I can say that even though my three submissions were not juried into the show!)  The third gallery features sculpture, glass, jewelry, weaving, wood and other dimensional work.

For me, having been involved with the Edmonds Arts Festival for a number of years now, the very best part are the friends I've made.  The directors and volunteers are an amazing group of people.

If you are in the neighborhood, be sure to come see what's new this year.  The Festival is free (no dogs, please, it's a city ordinance that our doggie friends are not allowed on the Frances Anderson Center grounds) and all are welcome.  Come celebrate the arts in Edmonds with student and adult art, music, dance, food, singing and wonderful family fun.  And maybe a little shopping?

Thank you for putting up with my once a year advertisement!

All photos are from previous Festivals.

Eating Me Out of House and Home

 I bought a bird feeder thinking it would be nice to entice a few songbirds into the yard....

It took almost a week before the feeder was truly discovered.  Now, it's in constant use.

I had no idea that so many birds were living and congregating in my side yard.  There are lots of shrubs along there and I keep it pretty dense as a living wall between my yard and the information log cabin that sits next door.  Apparently by adding the feeder I created the perfect bird neighborhood.

The birds really do get up early.  And eat.  And then they snack.  And then they eat again.  And again.  And then they have lunch.  And so it goes, all day long.

I may have to take out a loan to keep them in birdseed!