Magazine Debut!!

Fibre and Stitch will introduce itself in September of this year, and it looks to be an exciting publication!! An online magazine, it will cover the Mixed Media Arts and is put together by Sue Bleiweiss and a team of extraordinarily talented artists. Put out quarterly, Fibre and Stitch is packed with all kinds of articles and projects covering all types of media from paper and journalling arts to wearables, machine and hand stitching, decorative arts, and much more.

Fibre and Stitch caters to all levels of artists and crafters, with something in every issue for everyone. The material will run the gamut from in-depth, full-color pictorial technique articles to quick and easy make-it-and-go projects. Of course, with Sue B. and her team at the helm, you know your Creative Muse will be inspired and enriched by this great new publication!

Again, Fibre and Stitch will be published four times a year, beginning in September 2007. For a sneek peek (VBG), go to Sue's blog to see her feature post, LOTS AND LOTS OF CHOCOLATE on one of the first feature articles! And for further information on how to subscribe, please go to www.fibreandstitch.com and get in on the premier issue of Fibre and Stitch!!!

Be inspired! Be stimulated! And I'll be back!!

My New Roving Reporter!

I am proud to be able to announce that Ever Embellished has acquired a Roving Reporter!! The articles by my Roving Reporter will only appear periodically. The actual publishing of these articles comes under the aegis of "everyone's life should have a bit of embellishment", meaning something new, different, or neat (or any other adjectives) that adds a bit of something special to their lives.

So here is the Roving Reporter's first contribution:

For some time now, I have known that men are curious creatures. Now, you ask, how can I make such an outlandish statement as that? Let me preface my remarks by saying that I really do like men, so this little essay is not an attack, but rather some observations.

First of all, men cannot, and I repeat, cannot multi-task. They can do one thing at a time, thinking only of that one thing until it is time to move on to the next one thing. They cannot be distracted, or they totally will lose their concentration, an essential ingredient in accomplishing the one thing that is pressing, at the moment. I guess you'd say that men have to mentally pace themselves.

I'm not sure that women have totally superior minds, but they are good at multi-tasking. While working on something, they are usually doing a running account of all the other things on their "to do" list. Alternately, they may be on the phone while driving a car (downright scary thought!), or they may be keeping track of how much longer the brownies have to bake, and at the same time, be watching television, and doing some mending. If you are thirty years old or younger, you may have to look up the word, "mending." -- Sorry!

Another point about men is that if they realize they have taken a wrong road, they will never turn around. They will go miles out of the way. They will never stop to ask directions, and it is only when they have gone miles out of the way, will they drag out a map to get themselves "oriented" again. I don't know about you ladies reading this, but if I'm driving and make a wrong turn, I back into someone's driveway and head back in the other direction. Problem instantly solved!

A comment that I have heard from a certain male member of my family, whose name shall go unmentioned, is that if a woman has a question, she asks other people for the answer. If a man has a question, he looks it up in a book. I suppose both systems are not to be discounted, and I equally guess that women consider others of their gender to be repositories of knowledge (sort of comprising a Collective Goddess).

There are lots of things that I have learned about men over the years, the most important of which is when to break news; and how to remain silent at crucial times, times in which he really doesn't want to hear about your mother...or his. Yes, that was a somewhat snide insuation. I'm sure you get my drift. Silence is golden.

All in all, I have liked mostly all of the men I've ever known. Like women, some are silly, some too serious, some are good-time Charlies and devil-may-care types. Some are dedicated to a particular religion and that fills their lives. Some are pacifists and some are war veterans, or are currently serving as active members of the military. Some are quilters. In this life, it takes all kinds.

Men are curious to me because I am not a man and never will be. I'll never totally fathom the biological aspects of being a man, and it's doubtful that I will ever have a true grip of man's psyche. Yet, I try to understand men, and in so doing, I triumph at the little bits of wisdom about them that I glean from time to time. Yep, men are curious creatures.

Well, For a Fourth Try...

I am fortunate enough to have found a local group here in my corner of Texas which has graciously allowed me to join. We all work with different media, and we all have some kind of presence on the web. Everyone is extremely nice, helpful, and just fun to be around.

Anyway, my joining this group has caused me to stretch a bit, but I think that's good. Stagnation produces mold (see previous post of "What Spurs You On" listing my favorite ten 'Rules of Creativity'). So I jumped in and created an Inchies Presentation. And again. And again. Unlike Arlee and many other talented and successful artists, I just do NOT get lucky on my first try of anything. And in this case, I stood back, absolutely AGHAST, at what I had done. Completely unacceptable. So I took it apart.

Well, after four tries (perseverance DOES pay off, I guess!!), you see above what I came up with! I'll be doing this again... (VBG)!!

Oh, yes, BTW the hand on the left there moves, and the outline comes from Lisa Vollrath's Ten Two Studio for her Go Make Something site (see my sidebar under 'Free Patterns and Projects'). Thank you so much, Lisa!

So be patient, be practicing, and I'll be back!!

Stitchers DO Love Dogs!!

Well, I've started another Flickr group, this one is for Stitchers (around the world) Who Own Dogs. I've begun the pool with a picture of my now-famous Brut, the World's Only One-Hundred Pound Lapdog!! I'll be adding more pix, of course, and I want to encourage all stitchers who read this to please feel free to join (it's a public group) and show us pictures of your Best Canine Friend! I can't wait to meet all the stitchers around the world who own and love dogs!! (VBG)!!

Be nice to a dog today!!

FPC Finished!!

Well, here it is, the finished FPC for my mother! I agonized a lot over the design on this, wanting to "pull a Sharon" and encrust, knowing that Mom loves that sort of thing. However, I gritted (grat? grot?!!!) my teeth and kept repeating "It's going through the POST office, Sarah..." in order to tone down anything that would get caught, ripped, or otherwise murdered on the face of the card.

Once again, silk threads in a red chain stitch, both connected (the heart outline) and individual (the droplets above the 'L') by Vikki Clayton of Hand-Dyed Fibers, NAYY, just like to give my friends support, moral or otherwise (VBG). The fabric is by Wichelt, the red beads covering a red feather stitch are Mill Hill, and the variegated thread on the edges is satin stitch by machine using Gutermann's.

Be thoughtful, be more!! and I'll be back!

54-40 Again!

I don't know my fascination with this shape, but it will turn up a lot in my work. For right now, this is a doodle cloth. I like to think and reflect those thoughts with a needle and thread, so I guess this is where my mind is headed this month. The figure is on 14-ct. Aida, sparkly, with turquoise DMC thread, my most favorite color.

TAST or 6x4?

These two differently styled hearts were an experiment with fabric and floss. It's Hardanger, of course, but neither of the fabrics are "proper" Hardanger fabrics, and neither is the floss, technically. I liked the final result of both.

OMG, I'm SMOKIN'...!!! Another WISP....

I just finished this sachet a few minutes ago! It's done with outline stitch, silks courtesy of Vikki Clayton of Hand-dyed Fibers. The ribbon is from a stash that either my mother or grandmother had given to me...now I know why WE KEEP EVERYTHING!!! God forbid if I had thrown that ribbon out just an hour before I got the idea to do this sachet!!

As a matter of fact, I actually did that once. I had a gold-print long dress from the late 1950's (no, NOT mine, you smarty-pantses!!), sleeveless. I tossed it outside into the big trash bin *absolutely sure* that I would never need it. HAH. That afternoon (this was a couple years ago), I got my materials for the "Sleep with the Angels" project through CQMagOnline. Well, immediately I knew I *had* to have the gold, so I dashed back JUST as the trash truck pulled up and snagged my bin. Screaming like a maniac, I managed to catch them in the nick of time and snatched that bad boy gold dress back quicker than a frog can snap a fly (gee, I DO have frogs on the brain!!!).

NEVER THROW ANYTHING OUT. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER. (VBG)

(Lordy, don't let my DH see this, he'll torch my stash.....)

THE GIGANTUOUS FROG...

LMAO!!! Need I say more???

Who's got a name? Leave me a comment...(VBG)

Catching Up with My WISPs...

Well, here's a WISP I just finished, to give my DH, that just needs to be framed. The actual stitching is finished, and it actually did not take me that long! It's a pattern I got from somewhere, I *think* a Leisure Arts leaflet. DH and I have a frog thing going...when we were first courting seven years ago, I commented that I was so glad I had done with frogs, I had had to kiss too damn many of them to find my prince!! He retaliated by giving me a 6" high ceramic frog with a crown, a scepter, and a royally red cloak! But I've upped him...besides this adorable little Frog Angel, I also found a GIGANTUOUS stuffed green frog about 3' long including legs. I tried to get DH to take the frog along on the truck to use as a reading pillow.

DH was not amused. (*gives a sweetly evil grin*). Undissuaded, I perched him on the sofa where, when we're watching TV or reading, DH surreptitiously sneaks said froggie under his head for, yup you guessed it, a reading pillow! (*collapses in laughter!!*)

I do enjoy working others' stuff to relax, and for that reason, if nothing else, I *am* enjoying this whole WISP (Works In Slow Progress) effort. Kudos to Sandi at Delightfully Crazy for having proposed the project, and to Sharon B. for continuing to bravely blog about her WISP pile, along with many others. I'm a bit of an infrequent reporter of my WISPs, I'm afraid, and I *do* have rather a few!! Oh well, if nothing else, we'll all have one less New Year's Resolution to make in (YIKES!) just seven months...right, everyone??!!

Be inspired, be creative, and I'll be back!

What Spurs You On?

Sharon B. blogged for her Sunday post on creativity. The inspiration came from Serena Fenton's Layers of Meaning, to which I also subscribe and had gotten the heads-up. Serena had come across a post from gapingvoid about creativity. Sharon picked her ten top favorites and challenged us to pick our top ten faves, too. So here are mine:

1. Ignore everybody (my PERSONAL favorite!!! (VBG)).
2. The idea doesn't have to be big, it just has to change the world. (Well, I don't know how world-changing I am yet, but the more I learn, the more I strive).
3. Put the hours in. (Having played the piano for more than forty years, and been a concert and recitalist pianist during my pre-teen years, I am here to tell you there are NO overnight miracles...but work does bring its own rewards).
4. You are responsible for your own experience. (Unless you're about to be hit by lightening!)
5. Everybody has their own personal Mount Everest that they were put on this earth to climb. (Life is not easy, but how are you going to learn otherwise??!!...those of us who have an entire Mountain Range obviously will have IQs of at least 300 eventually!!!!)
6. Don't try to stand out in the crowd; avoid the crowd altogether. (This is my second personal favorite!!)
7. The world is changing. (Better change with it...stagnation produces mold!!!)
8. Merit can be bought; passion can't. (If it's not from the heart, it's not worth producing, IMHO.)
9. The choice of media is irrelevant. (Thank goodness I don't have to be a Rembrandt!!)
10. Sing in your own voice. I switched order a bit and put this one last because in a way it sums up all the others. And, for me, besides the fact that I LOVE ignoring crowds (Extremely big grin!!), it means the most.

OOOOOPPSSS!!!

Again, my apologies, to Corina this time...She lives now in Colombia, not Romania, but her pix are still gorgeous, and she generously gave me a link in her comment to her cousin's Yahoo 360 site, where Veronica shows what she can do with the photos. I can't get the link to publish herein the post, but it's VERY worth it to go to her comment (in the just previous post about her Seahorse) and cut-and-paste the link in your navigator or search box and go feast your eyes!

Be adventurous, be creative, and I'll be back!!!

Seahorse in Needlework

marina
Originally uploaded by corinas.

Still relaxing...I found this piece in the Flickr photostream of my Corina. I admire her talent and work; plus she has some gorgeous pix of Romanian gardens and plants. Go visit her photostream, and she has a blog, also!!

Art Dolls: Marj's Cone Doll, side view

cone doll side
Originally uploaded by Marjorie from Illnois.

Look at this! I couldn't resist; I like to check Flickr before I go to bed -- it relaxes me to see everyone's wonderful work. I just love the colors here; this is a side view. Go check out Marj's other projects on Flickr!

ADDENDUM to NEWS FLASH...

BTW, I'm still working on my sidebar -- I've still got quite a few links to move and reorganize, so please be patient with me!!

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!

Hey, everybody! Earlier I posted about how thrilled I am that my friend Lenni has had the opportunity to put up her work up on a website. However (mega-apologies, Lenni), I got the name of the site wrong, although my link was correct. Abel Designs is Lenni's wonderful husband's web design work. Lenni's site is: Lenni Abel: Art Quilts. I have corrected my sidebar entry, and I am SO sorry, Lenni! But everyone would have ended up there anyway since I got the link right (do not EVEN ask me how I made that!). So, GO VISIT LENNI's LOVELY QUILTS!!!

So be good, be creative, be happy! And I'll be back!!

Sampler Prep

I'm in a small group of women participating in a band sampler RR. Samplers are an interesting breed of needlework. I'll cover more about them in another post. For the moment, I wanted to post a pic of this one on which I'm working. The photo was taken a bit ago, as my band is almost done. But I wanted you to see one of the ways to prep a sampler. The red threads are are J&P Coats sewing thread, back in the day you could get them 3/$1. No, I'm not telling you when day, except the dinosaurs WERE gone! I use red as my prep thread because it's easiest to see. Anyway, Norma's sampler is a gorgeous shade of pumpkin, and my red threads go horizontally at every five count. Normally I'd grid it at 10ct x 10ct, but my design was planned to be more horizontally oriented rather than vertically. Again, samplers WILL be covered further in future posts.

Be good, be creative, be happy! and I'll be back!

Another Very Cool Blog with FREEBIES

Well, yet again I LOVE following everyone's links. I found an adorable blog with great art and awesome sharing. The name of the blog is Kissy Cross, and she is now listed in my sidebar. The site is in German, but you'll always understand beauty in embroidery and the word "Free" is similar all over the world!! Definite worthwhile, so go visit her!!

Be creative and be happy, and I'll be back!!

Art Opps Don't Grow on Trees!

Under my Great Opportunities heading there in my sidebar, you should check out ArtGroupDFW. There are a LOT of studios and show opportunities in my particular area, and I bet there are great show opportunities near you, too. Do a Google search, and I know you'll be surprised with what you find!

The Artist's Way

Several months ago, a group of us from various art disciplines got together and started our own Yahoo! group here to study it together. The group is moderated by Aisling d'Art, and we also have a blog here. Many of us finished the 12 weeks, many of us got sidetracked by life.

Those of us who got sidetracked decided to go through it again. We go at our own pace. Sometimes some of us will take a couple weeks on a particular chapter. Sometimes a chapter get skipped and then returned to.

Either way, the feedback and shared insights are tremendous and add a whole 'nother element to a fascinating opportunity.

I just wanted to make this opportunity available again...I know a recurring theme in blogs lately is how to get past the BOULDERS of blah and back into a Creative Mode. So if you are interested, beg, borrow or buy a copy of The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I picked up my copy at Barnes & Noble (NAYY), it's the nearest bookstore to my home. And come join us !!