I'm Going to Key Largo......

next week to see my dad and I want to finish up the last few sets of art squares I had hanging around, as well as get a baby quilt I was working on quilted and a swap with my buddy in St. Ives in the mail. The goal is to get all these loose ends wrapped up by Friday and get the studio cleaned up so I can leave with a clear head and clean house!

I hated living in Florida, but I've always loved the beach - and the Keys (which are far, far removed from the road rage, congestion and angry "peeps" that frequent the cities of South Florida.) Usually we all go to visit, or at the very least Sabrina and I, but schedules just didn't work out that way so I'm going by myself. My dad just bought a house in Key Largo right on the ocean and I have not seen it yet. This will be my first visit to the new house. Sal went a few weeks ago and had a great time. My dad's house is on the Atlantic Ocean right on the sound (about 1 mile or two from Pennecamp Reef National Park) which means the water is teeming with fish and wildlife and tons of manatee. So as of Sunday, do not look for me here I will be in Key Largo, working on my tan and swimming with the manatee!

Little Art Squares Make Me Happy....

Whenever I get into a creative "funk" I drag out my boxes of "stuff" (mistakes of art gone "wrong!" and I've had a lot of those lately..) and make art squares. This helps me clear my brain and experiment on a smaller scale. These are so enjoyable to make and they can be used in tons of other projects.

Most of these are made by simply felting down fibers, yarn, silk, angelina fibers, etc. with my embellisher, on a base of peltex or felt, or wool. and then layering with organza, or other "meltable" textiles, heating it up to melting point (for interesting texture) and then embellishing with charms, sequin, beads, Swavrovski crystal, felt, etc.

People come up with tons of uses for these little squares which range from 1 inch (inchie) to 2 inches for the larger ones. They can be sewn or pinned onto jackets, purses, journal covers, made into charms by putting a grommet in the corner, ephemera for scrapbooking, journal pages, etc.

I've got some studying to do today for a professional licensing class, then a little work, a few chores, and hopefully some stitching time. Whatever your day brings your way - grab hold of it and get the MOST out of it you can!

Sunday's Stitches....

I decided that for Sunday's Stitches this week I would dig deep into the bowels of my "box" - you know, the box I mentioned last post - experiments gone wrong - experiments gone right - and try to use only stuff out of there. So I dumped my box out onto the floor and sifted through two years worth of experimentation to come up with these:



Painted Dryer Sheet
Handmade Soy Silk Fabric
Lumiere Painted Canvas
Turqoise Embellishment
(gifted by Teresa)
Perle Cotton

Painted Dryer Sheet

Organza

Acetate

Perle Cotton

Glass Bead

Painted Dryer Sheet

Dyed Cheesecloth

Organza

Melted Acetate

Beautiful Sequin

(gifted by Acey:)

Glass Beads

Painted Dryer Sheets

Fused Angelina Fibers

Hand Dyed Fabric

Acetate

Embroidery Floss

Painted Dryer Sheet

Dyed Cheesecloth

Lumiere Painted Canvas

Glass Beads

Painted Dryer Sheet

Fused Angelina Fibers

Wooded Heart Button

Embroidery Floss

I haven't made a dent in the contents of my "box," but it was fun digging through it and coming up with these little squares.

Notes to Self:

1. I absolutely need a "bigger" box (as this one is over flowing and it's hard to easily see what is in there); and

2. I need to go through my "box" more often. There's all kinds of cool stuff in there!

What am I going to do with these squares? I don't know. But I think now that I've decided I need to buy a bigger "box" for my experiments, perhaps I will use this box, for stuff that I've made out of the experiment box!

Carolyn knows where I coming from, as she so aptly put it in one of her recent comments-

"...chill, enjoy the processes and the learning curves, and those bits in the box will be the exact piece of "treasure" you need to finish off something one day!"

Thanks Carolyn - I think I'll do JUST that!!

Hey - What's in YOUR box???