Quiet, but still here!

As Spring and Summer came along, I found myself busy with the planting of seeds, starting seedlings in my greenhouse, and then transfering everything to the garden.  Our garden is so huge each year and it takes a lot to get it all put in, and then water, water, water!!!  We had to plant all of our tomato plants elsewhere this year.  We have had several years of wet Springs, and tomato plants get early blight so easily.  Then it gets in the soil, and stays there.  So we picked a new spot for the 'maters this year and they are doing great!  I think we will have a bumper crop of 'maters.  My salsa supply is low, so I will replenish it.  Then can just tomatoes.  YUM!!  Even canned, they taste so good in the winter time.
We purchased about a dozen new fruit trees and also started a strawberry patch.  We planted the fruit trees all around the outside of the garden.  We have decided that starting next year, our veggie garden is going to shrink a lot!  We are getting older and all that tilling and such is getting to be a bit much!
So far, we have been eating tomatoes, cucumbers and zuchinni and yellow summer squash.  Our first planting of sweet corn should be ready soon.  Green beans are setting on now, so it won't be long.  Then you get to the stage where you have so many different things to eat, that it is hard to choose.  LOL!!
I hope to be able to get back to my artwork soon.  My craft room is all clean and ready to go...except for a few dust bunnies that may be growing down there as we speak.  I am very anxious to get to painting and creating again.  I do have a commission to make a wall hanging for someone, so that will get my creative juices going.
I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!!  Talk to you again soon!
hugs, Sue K

Merry Christmas to One and All!

I wanted to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  This is the time of year that we all gather with our families and friends and celebrate the season together.  We are all blessed in so many ways.  Enjoy each moment and try not to get stressed.  Remember that even if everything isn't perfect, just being together and sharing the holiday with those we love is much more important. 
Have a wonderful Christmas!

Hugs, Sue K

A sweet little story I came across

A little girl wanted to know what the United States looked like. Her dad tore a map of the USA out of a magazine and cut it into small pieces, then told her to go to her room and see if she could put it together. After a few minutes she returned with the map correctly fitted and taped together. The dad was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. She replyed on the other side was a picture of Jesus and when I put him back together, then our country just came together

For Kaitlyn and Lilly

Good morning!
I made a promise to a very sweet granddaughter awhile back in an email.  She lives in Maryland with her family.  We email back and forth and I was telling her about the collages that I make.  She had lots of questions for me about what I was doing.  So, I told her I'd make her one for her room and one for her sister too.
I finally have them ready to mail and guess what????  I actually remembered to take pictures of them before mailing. 
Who would have "thunk"....LOL!!!
I have also been making a large bunch of pretty pouches too.  So I have lots of new things to post here. These are the two small wall hangings that I made them and will mail to them tomorrow.
Our weather has still been depressing.  Lots of cloudy, foggy and rainy days.  Plants in the greenhouse are growing and soon we hope to be able to get out and work the garden to prepare it for planting.  Lots of drying up to do first.  Seems like we are stuck in a WET cycle lately.  I hope that your weather is better where you live.

I also want to wish you all a blessed Easter.  Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs, Sue K

So Lucky!

Last week, I was picked to be a winner of Donna's giveaway on her blog, Brynwood Needleworks!  She was giving away TWO prizes in her drawing.  Since I am one that usually NEVER wins anything, I was tickled to death when my name was picked for one of the gift packages.  My package arrived late last week and this is a photo of what I was lucky enough to win! 
One of her wonderful mug mats (which I will use here on my computer desk), a set of darling little ceramic birdies, a REAL hummingbird nest, a $25 Target gift card and last but certainly not least, one of her handmade pillow cases.  Now this pillow case is gorgeous, made of silky fabric, maybe percale?  Whatever the fabric is, it is wonderful.  Almost too pretty to use!! 
Thank you so much Donna! 


Then to top things off, I have won a second giveaway drawing!!  Go figure!  I will take photos of it when it arrives and share my joy with you then.


I hope to be able to post more.  I've been a BAD blogger!!  I do have lots to photograph and share though.  I've been stitching away and having a ball. 


Finally, we are having a sunny day here.  It has been so gloomy lately and it is nice to see the sun.  I have been busy in my greenhouse, planting up a storm.  I've got all my vegtable plants started in little pots and tons of flower seeds started too.  I planted 150 tomato plants and  400 pots of flowers.  YEAH...I am crazy!!
For those that don't know, we sell at Farmers' Market each summer and have just a huge garden area and lots of flower beds.  Maybe with the work that gardening provides, I can take off some of this "winter fluff" that I seem to have accumulated!!  LOL!!!


Have a great day.  I hope to be back soon to post somemore pics!
hugs, Sue K

WIP New Collage

This collage isn't done yet, but I thought I would post my progress so far. I am LOVING these rich fabrics that I bought awhile ago. All silks, velvets, brocades and embroidered silks. I added some trims that I had and some lace pieces to set it off. I am thinking that it needs something along the top of the collage. Maybe some more fabric scrap collage and some bling!! I will have to play with it some more and see what I can come up with.
I really do enjoy working with the fabrics a lot. I bought this fabric a couple of weeks ago from a seller on Ebay that offered a big lot of mixed "elegant" fabrics. Most of them are fairly small pieces that are perfect for collage work. I made the mistake of sorting them into color groups and bagging them up to organize. Now, as I work with them, I see that I need to get myself a big bin and just dump them together so I can see what pieces I have to add as I work. It is taking too much time to sort through each nice little neat bag to find the pieces I want to use.
So, the next time I get close to Wallyworld, I will buy some more storage bins....large ones.
Also, I ordered some burgundy, dk. brown, hunter green and black velvet to use to back my collages. It is an upholstery weight velvet and it will work great as a base for these.
I love the freehand stitching on this and think it really adds to the collage.

Close up of collage...click on it to enlarge

A little closer view

Stay tuned for the finished piece soon.

I have already started another one in pinks, creams and soft sage greens.....think it is going to be pretty!!!

Have a lovely day and try to stay warm. We got up this morning to 2 degrees!! Brrrrr......

Love and hugs, Sue K

A Study in Portraiture

Hello friends!
I have finally gotten back to my painting lessons after quite a long break. I was going to take just a little time off from my Traditions lessons, but that time just kind of stretched out to months. I was glad to get my paintbrush wet again. Although, it did take me a little time to get my hands trained again.
This turned out pretty good, although the subject matter isn't my choice. I did learn a lot from this lesson and I am glad that I am through with it. We started with just an outline of a face, then shaded it all with burnt umber for shadows and highlights. Then we applied the skin tones, based in the hat, coat and hair. Then layers were built up to darken the shadows and lighten the highlights on the face. We used a black and white copy to get a good look at the value changes and used that to define the face.
I do like the way his eyes turned out. He looks a little mischievous with that twinkle in his eye. So now it is on to the next lesson, which is a Flemish Floral arrangement. I think I will like painting this one much better. After I finish that painting, I have one more left which is a landscape and it is beautiful. A scene with ships, water, and an old windmill. Then I will be done with my painting lessons.....42 paintings done, and months and months of learning. Now I will have to apply it to my OWN artwork.
Have a lovely day! I'm off to my sewing machine to play for awhile!!
hugs, Sue K