Green Day

A nice studio day today. Annie's tree and branch work looked so good to me! I loved all the greens.

Green Eyes by Coldplay is the song.

Under the Sea

Annie is considered an artist-in-residence at a clay studio in Berkeley and she was part of a group show this past weekend. The show was called Under the Sea, and Annie had two pieces on exhibit. Over 500 people saw the show that day! I was so excited to go and celebrate with her and the other artists that I wore a festive dress, Annie chose my earrings, and my new sexy shoes. We ate appetisers and enjoyed the general scene. Here are two pictures of Annie. Her pieces are Coral with Blue Crab and the Shark on the Underwater Volcano. (Right over her shoulder in both photos.)



The shoes are by Shalimar by Ariat.

Terrarium Update

Still loving. Still learning. Still adding "little" items. Only one terrarium, out of the nine, took a real dive. The succulents grew too quickly then had a burned look. Oh, and the big fishbowl terrarium, the Scottish Moss I used is turning yellowish, so I'm guessing it needs to be replaced as well. I'm kind of amazed that they have done so well for so long. My studio has such a woodsy and wonderful smell and look. I love the sparkle of the glass containers. I feel as if I'm in the midst of some wonderful science experiments. I've noticed the tiny trails of slugs early in the morning. Take out? Leave in? I kind of like the wildness of it.

Top photo-Fox and Kit on Fallen Logs
Middle photo-Annie's Creation Unfurling
Bottom Photo- Pit Bull at the Window

The song is Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by First Aid Kit

The BEST Pancakes. Really.

1/4 c. ground almonds

1/4 c. flour
1 tbsp. finely ground golden flax seed
pinch salt
3 tbsp. sugar (or honey)
3/4 tbsp. baking powder

1 egg
1/2 c. milk (maybe a bit more to thin)
1/4 c. ricotta cheese
big spoonful sour cream

This is a 1/4 amount of the recipe, since it is just us three. Mix the dry and the wet separately, then combine. Butter the pan. They can be a little tricky to flip, so pour them small. They crisp up nicely in the pan and hardly need syrup.

Apple Harvest

Here's another needle book I've just finished. This one celebrating the apple. I've held onto this apple harvest fabric for a long time because I love it. It is some weird acrylic blend that wouldn't feel good against skin, but it is perfect for this little book. See how the workers are on ladders and filling crates with their pickings? I added the apple tree on the front, embroidered on a wonderful orange wool felt, and I finished it off with a tiny ribbon of apple green stripes. Now it's off in today's post. I've embroidered the new owners name on the front, but I airbrushed it out for this post so it remains a surprise, for the recipient reads this blog.

The song? Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree by the Mell-O-Tones, of course!

Trying to Catch a Moonbeam

We are suffering with the heat still. This house holds the heat and won't let it go. Nights are miserable when it's this warm. I have two appointments set up for this week with contractors to figure out ways to cool it off. More insulation, better window screens, etc. So anyway, laying on the bed with the fan directly blowing on us is how we spent most of the evening tonight. I admit to grouchiness in the heat. Annie goes more toward goofiness. So in her goofy state, and against my protests, she ran for the camera (grrrrrr...) even though the light was inadequate and we were both in our birthday suits. It was a very short shoot, my grouchiness made sure of that! But before I called for an end to the madness, I took a few sharp elbows jabs to the tit, got a ton more crazy pictures of Annie that I can never publish, plus the one above which you can see she wouldn't settle down for. Even so, I like it. I think I look like my mother, and Annie looks like the moving flash of light that she is!

In the melee, I got this one, and the one below. It was just a quick moment, but I got them. I converted the photos to black and white, then I increased the contrast and the brightness to achieve this dramatic effect. I think they have a timeless quality to them.



The song is Out Where the Little Moonbeams are Made by B.B. Bruns

Burger Baby...

...and Burger Papa molds.

Thrifted for two fifty each.

Probably just decorative I'm guessing?
Second Hand Rose is the tune.

"My" Font

See You Next Year Easter Bunny

We are having such summer-like weather here (83°) that our Spring celebration feels like some distant memory. I even packed up all the Easter decorations and placed them back in the garage. I say Boo-Hoo. So I thought I'd better post this little Easter collage now before it becomes too old. Click to enlarge if you want a closer look at LaLa Pat bouncing the girls like popcorn on the trampoline!
The sad bunny picture of Annie on the bottom left is right when Lucy drove off with her mama and brother to go home. Annie says Boo-Hoo.

P.S. In almost every picture above the girls are wearing their matching chick jammies They loved them and wore them two days straight.

The tune is Bounce Me Brother With a Solid Four by the Andrew Sisters

Some Fruits of Our Labors

A Fairy Courting Chair

Fairy Coat Rack

Fairy Twin Bed Frames

Another Fairy Fort

A Fairy Picnic Table with Bowls of Food

Fairy Sleeping Loft

A Fairy Rocking Horse

Make sure to check out Annie's creations over at Goofing Off!

The song is Don't Go by Forest City Lover

Fairy Village

Annie and I are back to building fairy structures here in the studio. Wow, how time can fly by...the scent of hot glue, eucalyptus leaves, twigs and hanging out with my girl.
I'm amazed at how quickly our studio can go from a sewing studio to a fairy factory! A complete change of gears. I really do love working with so many materials and mediums. For instance, I've got a few new paintings in me crying to get out! I have the canvases prepared so maybe next we will shift to a painters studio. I'd love to see what Annie might come up with too.

I love this piece, Always With Me, Always With You by Joe Satriani

Sewing Needle Book

I've had Tiny Happy bookmarked for a few years now and I love her work. She made some needle cases a while back and it's been on my mind to make some of my own. This is my first one. I've made it as a gift for a friend of mine, Cameron. She's turning eleven. She has sewn since I've known her, which is going on four years. I hope she enjoys it.

That's Billy Murray singing Sister Suzie Sewing Shirts for Soldiers

Gifts for Baby William

I love sewing for babies and children. It's so easy and fast, so tiny and sweet. The quilt above is made from a wonderful Japanese fabric with a charmings rabbit and flower motif on it that has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. I was going to make a little vest for Annie, but it is so perfect as a park blanket, or something to lay on the floor for baby. The bear piece is a large cotton flour sack "burp" cloth and the rest you can see. Now I have to find a box and ship them off.

Happy Easter

I'm a little shy to admit it, but I just feel happy when I see little animals dressed up in human clothes!

The song is Drip Drip Drop Little April Showers. One of the scenes, and songs in Bambi that I liked.

Another San Francisco Treat

LaLa is here for a visit and we've made our annual pilgrimage across the bridge to our favorite city. We started out in Golden Gate Park and made our way up to the Legion of Honor and saw the outstanding display of Artistic Luxury-Faberge, Tiffany & Lalique. Ohhhhh! So good. I'm trying to figure out why I love it so much... maybe seeing anything with LaLa is special and amazing. We finished our day with a lovely meal at the museum cafe. The food is wonderful and the sevice was delightful.
Thanks for everything LaLa.
Below is the picture we did last trip to SF.

Song by Scott Mckenzie - San Francisco

Let the Games Begin

The Easter fun has begun!

The song? Spring Fling by Fabian's Children

What's on My Wall Wednesday

I really don't have a lot of art on my walls to show off so I haven't ever participated in What's on Your Wall Wednesday. I've seen Blue Sky Dreaming and LaLa in La posting their enviable art collections and I find it interesting what people choose and enjoy. My Botticelli muses (shown above) have offered me a lot of companionship since receiving them as a gift from my dear friend Sara three or four years ago. (You might remember my friend Sara since I started this blog. We were neighbors and spent many times together chronicled on this blog. Here's one. ) One day Sara and I were in her storage space and she had it against a wall amongst a bunch of stuff. I drooled when I saw it. That glimmery aqua blue and the amber's. And the scale! They were like Amazon gals. It wasn't until a year later that she mentioned she was letting it go and I jumped on it. I have loved it ever since.

Peep Peep

I took the time and finished the girls nighties, and then I couldn't figure out how to fashion something for Hollis with the same fabric and design. Everything I tried looked really feminine. So my solution was to make him a pillowcase with the same stripes and chick image. I hope he feels included and cared about.
Now onto menu planning and some housekeeping before our guest arrive!