Merry Christmas to all!!

Here's to hoping that you all are having a Merry Christmas! Blessed with family, friends and the joy of the season!

Hugs, Sue K

Thankful

Feeling thankful for family, friends and for the wonderful season. We are all blessed to live in such a wonderful county and I say a little prayer each day that we continue to be free to enjoy it for many more years. Here's to hoping that you all had a great holiday!

Been Busy Around here!

I was going to take some photos of my new works today, but it is a cloudy dreary day here. No sun all day and it is drizzly out. And COLD!! So I will have to wait until tomorrow for pics. I have quite a few new items made and now I need to get my new Etsy shop set up.
So come back and visit in a day or two!!

Hugs, Sue K

Been Stitchin'

Hello friends!
It has been a long time since I posted on my blog, but I hope to change that. I've been busy in my sewing room stitchin' away. I have done a little painting too, but nothing that is done that I can show you yet. (key work...yet)
My Mom sent me the cutest little tablecloth not too long ago. I just loved it with all my heart, but it was too small for any of my tables. I hung it over the rail in our kitchen so that I could look at it, hoping for some inspiration. One day, it came to me....CURTAINS for my kitchen. It was white with multi colored flowers and stitching so the colors would go great with my butter yellow walls. I held my breath and cut it in half, then in half again for curtains. I used an old percale pillow case, and cut enough for the rod casing on the top. I stitched them all together, pressed them and went about hanging them up in just a couple of hours.
LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

Close up of the appliqued floral pattern and embroidery. I even added a little lace to the bottom of them too. Sorry about the dark photos....wish they were better!

I also have been making quite a few fabric collages and some little gift bags. I will try to get some photos of them and post here in the next days.
Our weekend weather doesn't sound very nice....cold and rainy, but that means studio and sewing room time. Woooooohooooooo!!!!!
Have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting!
Hugs, Sue K

Finally~Time to Create!

Hello Friends.....
I am so happy that I finally had some time to work on some projects yesterday. It was a rainy, cool day, so I spent the afternoon at my sewing machine making these two little gift bags. One is for my Mom and the other is for a friend. I was in such a hurry to get them done, and ready to mail today, I forgot to take photos of the lavender sachets inside of them. Oh well, I will be making more of them and will remember to take pics.

I just love working with this cotton canvas fabric. The images were printed on muslin with my inkjet printer. I use the freezer paper method and so far, have had really good results. I only had one sheet jam in my printer, and then I could still use two out of the three images I had tried to print. Not bad!
I would love to try some of the other methods of transfer and probably will when I have more time to play.

Click on the photos above and you will be able to get a better look at them. My photography skills are lacking....especially when in such a hurry to get them done.

I have been shopping online for fabric and have been adding to my stash so that I have plenty to work with over the winter months to keep me busy. Muslin, burlap, ticking, and many other beautiful fabrics. I always check out the remnants bin in the fabric dept and find many pretty pieces there for a nice discount. Also, Etsy is a great place for fabric finds!

I am working on a couple more projects and will post them in a few days, when they are done. Now that Fall is almost upon us, I will be working on many more ideas that I have.

One thing I have to get done is to get my studio cleaned and ready to work in again. The dust bunnies have been busy this summer, while the artist in residence has been absent. I couldn't work on my painting table right now if I tried. It is piled high with "STUFF" ! Now, I have to put it all away and find my table again.

Soon.............

I hope you are having a creative and good week! Thanks for stopping by!

hugs, Sue K

Silly Woman!!

For some reason...unknown to me, I never did put a link to my rubber stamp website on my blog. Now, that is really dumb!! Anyway, if you get a chance, hop on over to my website. It is a cute and fun place! I had the website designed by a friend and I thought she did a great job on it. Thanks for taking a look!!

It has been warm here and muggy. The air is so thick, you could cut it with a knife! I don't do too well with heat and humidity, so I've been laying low around here. This summer, we have had a lot of heat and I am feeling ready for fall. I try not to wish that fall will get here too soon, because I know winter is right after that.
Our big garden is really abundant this year. All of our squash plants are going nuts! We are going to have a bumper crop of squash! Especially the acorn and butternut squash...wow, there are tons of them and they are huge. I am hoping that our cantelopes and watermelons do well too, but I will have to wait and see. Our cucumbers are just too much!! Hubby will start picking daily for me soon so I can get the cukes while little and make pickles. I have a patch of dill that is needing to be cut too, so I won't have to buy any dill. I love making dill pickles with really small cukes and eat them like candy during the winter!!

Hope all is well with all of you, my friends! Is your weather hot where you live too???
hugs, Sue K

A Special Giveaway to check out!

Diane Knott and her daughter Holly, have opened a NEW Etsy shop featuring their beautiful handmade items. Their shop link is:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cottagebythepond

They are giving away the lovely pear, and the stuffed heart (made by Diane) and a beautiful handmade wristlet made by Holly. What a bunch of loveliness!!

You must go to their Etsy shop and look at all the items they have for sale there. YUMMY stuff!!
And go to Dianes' Blog and enter to win the three lovelies pictured above.
http://dianeknottsmusings.blogspot.com/

*************************************************************************************

I haven't been creating much these past days. I HAVE been cleaning and organizing my new sewing area next to my studio. It is almost done now and soon I will be creating fun things.
It isn't beautiful....not a finished area.....but I would call it functional! I think this is the first time I have ever had my sewing things all in one place. It should make it a lot easier for me to get around to sewing. It isn't too inspiring to sew when you have to drag everything out and set it up before you can even start. I even bought a BRAND new cover for my ironing board and it is all ready to go also.
I did make a PARIS inspired pillow for my Moms' 85th birthday. It was blue toile, blue ticking and some natural linen. I sewed a round lace doily on it, then a red PARIS label and finished it with some red stitching to set it off. Then in each of the four corners, I sewed some big red buttons. I was in such a hurry to get it done and in the mail so that she would get it in time for her B-day, I neglected to get any pictures of it.
I think I will make another one......it was awfully cute!! SHE LOVED IT!!!!!
Have a great day one and all....stay cool (It is supposed to be in the 90's today and humidity is a bear)
hugs, Sue K

PLENT-I-FUL!!!!

Each Spring, we plant tons of tomato plants. We are both tomato lovers and can eat them nonstop all day long! There is nothing in the world as delicious as a homegrown fresh tomato!

The past week we have been getting a few ripe ones here and there, and then Thurs. I went to pick, and there were 15 beautiful ripe red tomatoes, ready to go!! So we have been in tomato heaven.

How do you like your tomatoes??? Salt and pepper?? Hubby likes sugar on them (midwest thing, I think) or do you like them with a little vinegar and oil on them?? I like them all ways...except the sugar. We planted some Black Krimm tomatoes this year. They are a dark burgandy color and are they ever sweet and good. I can't get enough of them. We are going to be planting more of them each year.

Soon, my eggplant will be ready and I can hardly wait for them!!! I love to slice them long ways, a little olive oil, salt and pepper and throw them on the grill. Oh Lord, it is heavenly!!!

Have a lovely Saturday! It is really, really hot and humid here, so this afternoon, this old woman is going to go and float in our pool!!!

hugs, Sue

I HATE Spam!

It seems that I keep getting spam in my comments section and so far, I have just been deleting it when it happens. Tonight, I have changed my blog to moderation of comments. I will have to approve any comments left by you wonderful people. Isn't it a shame that the people that do these things don't have something better to do with their time?? Makes a mess for people like us just trying to have a little blog and share with friends.
Sorry for the trouble, but I don't know what else to do. Thanks for understanding!
Have a great night!
hugs, Sue

Traditions Lesson #D-8 done!

I am getting close to getting through my studies with Traditions paint, and the painting Modules that they offer. I started this journey over two years ago and have learned so very much. With four Modules (A,B, C and D) It is hard to believe that I am almost through Module D.
The above painting is a study of the color wheel, using foliage from different plants. I did enjoy painting it, although there are some mistakes....lol! And I'm not telling what they are. It took me months to get this lesson done, having to remix my colors once because my palette dried out
since it took me so long. Now it is done! I am going to take the rest of the summer off from my lessons and start again in the fall. I only have three more lessons to go and I will be done.
Woooohoooooo!!!!!

I have a bunch of "other" projects in the works, so I hope to be posting more soon. I am outside so much in the summer, that my studio gets neglected terribly. I will probably have to clean out the cobwebs in there when I start again. I plan to expand my studio into another room too, as now I need a place to store and work on fabrics. Instead of trying to cram everything into my current studio, I will clean out a place in another room and set up everything. I'll be more organized and everything will be close by that I need.

Thanks for taking a peek! I hope to be posting more often now!

Giveaway Winner!

I was a lucky winner last week at Rhondas' Blog, A Little Bit French and when her package arrived, I was thrilled! Such a beautiful, feminine little pouch, full of all kinds of goodies tucked inside. Lace, ribbon, a couple of collaged tags, and a cute clothespin! Each and every Friday, Rhonda has a French Friday giveaway, and each week she gives away such pretty things. Very talented lady!!! Thank you Rhonda for the lovelies. Go and visit her wonderful blog....you'll be glad that you did.

Sorry for the blurry picture!!

Lookie! Lookie!!! Awesome Fabric!!

I found this fabric on Etsy and it arrived today! It is a beautiful weight and I am more than thrilled with it!! I can see it used for pillows, in fabric collage and in a million more places. I wish now that I had ordered more than just one yard of it.
Now I can't wait to use it! I think I hear my sewing machine calling my name......LOL!!!

The name of her shop is Renees' Fabric on Etsy. She just opened the end of May. If you shop there, tell her we sent you!!

Nannies' Lace

Years ago, I received a box of my Grandmothers' Lace from my Mother. I was thrilled to be entrusted with this box of loveliness from the past. I have many projects planned for all of this lace and have spent the past few days gently washing it all. I searched the net for the best way to clean old lace without damaging it. One site said to use Dreft detergent....it is for babies and it is very gentle on vintage fabrics. Well, it worked wonderfully! I soaked the lace in batches in Dreft and warm water. You would not believe the nasty icky gunk that soaked out of it. Some of it is still a little damaged and stained, but that adds to it as far as I am concerned.

I plan to make pillows, collages, and some of it, I may just display the lace itself. The lace collar below is one of those pieces that I just could not cut into pieces. It would be a sin!!

Lovely, lovely lace! I love the pattern of this one (above)

Piles of lace and doilies! With washing all of this lace, my house looks like a bordeaux with lace hanging on everything to dry. My hubby thinks I am NUTS....lol!!! What does a man know about these things???

Another lace collar. Very fine lace with a little damage, but still usable. I will find something to use it for.
More piles of lace. I love the beige trim and while looking at it, I thought it would look awesome with some burlap that color and make a pillow out of it. Woooohooooo!!
I love the pattern of this lace and I have quite a bit of it.
Here is the trim at the bottom of a little dress. The dress is shown below and it didn't get washed. There are places where the fabric is so thin that is has torn a little. I'm afraid that if I wash it, more damage would be done.
Click on the above picture and look at all the pintucking on the bodice. There is a lot of work there. So beautiful.

I hope that you have enjoyed my little lace tour.....I have more to wash and dry yet, so might take somemore photos. There is a very large piece of black lace and I think it was either a shawl or maybe a piano scarf at one time. It is in such poor shape that it tears if not handled gently.

So I think I will leave it alone for now.

Have a good weekend everyone!!

hugs, Sue

Goodies in the Mail!

When I went to my mailbox the other day, I was so excited to see a package there waiting for me. I was the lucky winner of Mysteles' journal giveaway. I was so giddy when opening the package, you'd have thought it was Christmas. I have loved, loved, loved Mysteles' work for a long time and took her "Gut Art" class last fall (which is fabulous!!!) So I was excited to know that my name was picked to win some of her work. A treasure for sure. The little journal is wonderful...old papers, painted pages, tabs, pockets and all ready to add my own touch to. Also, in the package was a little bundle of papers and trinkets, but when I opened it, I was amazed how much was packed into a little clear envelope. WOW!!! Thank you Mystele, and please go to her website/blog and check out her work. It is so unique and wonderful....as is Mystele herself!!

Fun Watercolor Flowers

I've been having such fun tonight! Over on Martha Lever's blog, she has a couple of videos on painting these cute little 5 minute flowers. They are painted with watercolors on WC paper. I need more practice, but I had so much fun painting these. I think they would really be cute on greeting cards, with a hand lettered greeting. I think I might get busy and paint a bunch of them to try to sell at our Farmers' markets this summer. Thank you Martha! Your blog is always so inspiring to me.

Spring is HERE!!

Spring is in the air!! Finally, some warmth and sunshine to enjoy! I am enjoying it a lot too. I saw my first robins a couple of days ago, a sure sign of Spring. I spent the afternoon yesterday, out in my greenhouse, planting seeds for our veggie garden. I have tons to plant yet, but the tomatoes and eggplants are in pots. We raise a large garden each year and have fun selling at farmers' markets. I have some crafty ideas too, which I will take along and sell as well. Here is a photo of the greenhouse that we built from recycled materials (it was taken last summer). It is about 16x24 ft. So, we have lots of room to start plants!! I love to be out in my greenhouse, with a cup of coffee and just taking it all in!!

Three New Projects

I did a journal page, using some of what I've learned in Sharons Tomlisons' class. The

photo didn't turn out the best...it is much richer in person. Oh well, at least she is here.

I had fun creating a couple of new paintings. These were from some painting magazines that

I've had for quite awhile. It was a nice break from my lessons.

So, now it is back to my lessons. I've only got about 4 more to go with this session. Each one

seems to get a little more difficult, but using different techniques. I am working on a still life now which is a nice break after all of the stokework in the last two lessons. I just hope that it turns out okay. It seems that most of these lessons have what you call "an ugly stage" before it comes around and starts to look like it is suppose to. So, you look at it and say....yuck, this looks awful! You keep on going and pretty soon it takes on a whole new look and you start to feel more confident.

Let's hope so.....

New Strokework Lesson

Another lesson done! This one is Rosemaling. Again, strokework is NOT my favorite kind of painting, but I do like this one now that it is done. I made quite a few mistakes on it, but I'm not doing it over again. I now what I did wrong, so I did learn during this lesson. Since I do NOT plan to do anymore strokework in the future, I will call it good...done...and over!! My wonderful hubby built the frame for me and I painted it. I like the way it sets off the painting!
Our next lesson is going to be a landscape and I am really looking forward to that a lot. Much less controlled painting and I think it will be fun.
I am anxious to get back to painting some other things as well. My goal in all of this is to feel confident enough, sure of my knowledge of the technical part of art, composition, color, etc...to be able to design and paint "my own thing".
Maybe I should just jump on in and quit letting my fears hold me back. I have done some work of my own, and liked it, so what is holding me back? Fear? Confidence? It certainly isn't time...I have enough of that. Time to do some soul searching and facing this head on....and solving whatever the problem might be. What do you think?? What holds you back?

Four Friends

These are four little 5x5" portraits that I did for Sharons' class. These were such fun to do and I think I will do more of them. Something I can work on in my upstairs' studio (card table in living room) in the evening while the tube is on. I would like to figure out someway to frame them, or display them. Maybe I might mount them on another background or board that I can hang up. This week, we are suppose to work on a journal page, so that is my next project. The snow is flying again this weekend, so it seems that we'll be stuck her for awhile again. Boy, after all of the snow we have had this winter, I am really getting antsy to get outside when it gets warm, and dig in the dirt. I think I will place an order for veggies seeds this weekend so I am prepared to start my plants in the greenhouse. Right now, the greenhouse is snowed in and I could get to it if I tried. Oh yes, I just L O V E winter!!! YUCK!@

Rosemaling-Telemark Lesson

Another lesson completed. This was painted on an 18" plate and I rather like the way it turned out. I am not into strokework and have a hard time with it. Especially the long scrolls. I like the colors! I am working on the next lesson, which is another lesson involving strokework. After I get that one done, the next lesson is a landscape with a fox! I am looking forward to that one after all of this strokework. Painting is my therapy and these days, I need lots of therapy!!! I have just about finished a series of altered art pics from Sharons' class and will post them when the details have been added to them. I am having fun painting my little faces. Much more fun that strokework, for sure!!!!

New Class work

I am taking Sharon Thomlinsons' "Faces" class and I worked on this first piece yesterday. This is a little canvas 5x5". We learned some of her painting techniques, adding napkins to the painting and even how to do transfers. Wonderful stuff....if you are looking for a good class to learn to paint http://allnorahsart.blogspot.com/ This is the place. Her teaching style is wonderful and very in depth.
Painting has been good therapy for me and I find that I can just get lost in my work and the world around me just goes on and on. I am in another place. I am getting better as time goes by, the pain is still "right there" but I am dealing with it better each day. I am overwhelmed with the sadness of it all, but know that time will help.
I miss you "Miss Kylie"!!!!!!!

Another Kylie Photo...

Lovin' this one. She loved to fish, play softball and swim!!!

A New Angel in Heaven

I am so sad and deeply heartbroken. After a sudden tragic medical problem, we have lost our 9 yr. old granddaughter. She passed away on Wedneday at Childrens' Hospital in Omaha. We are devasted as you can imagine. Here is a picture of Gods' newest angel, Kylie. Please keep our family in your prayers...the next few days will be so hard. Thanks so much, Sue

New Lesson Done!

Another Traditions lesson done! These lessons have been just wonderful from the start! The modules are broken into four parts. Module A is the beginning one, then Mod. B, which is a little more advanced. Then Mod. C is next, and finally Mod D for advanced painters. I am in Mod. D now and this is the fourth lesson. Each Module has 10 lessons teaching everything from mixing your own colors, intensity, value, blending, and on and on. As I said, I have learned so much. Some of the lessons, the subject matter we paint isn't exactly what I would have chosen myself, but we learn the techniques for a reason. Soon in this Module, we will be studying designing our own work. The classes are offered online and I highly recommend them to anyone. The Decoart Traditions paints are the highest quality and we are taught color theory along with everything else. I'll never have to buy another mixed bottle of paint again.....I know how to mix my own colors to match any paint color out there. Thus, I don't have to buy tons of bottles of paint colors to paint a pattern! If anyone might be interested in learning more about Traditions and the education system they have, just drop me an email. I've been studying for almost two years now, and it has been quite the journey!!
Stay warm out there!