Ah, Freedom!

Tim has taken the girls camping in Arkansas with his parents. I did not go. I am at home alone.

I think I would like to live alone. It's nice. It's quiet. It's stress-free. I can eat healthy meals, with no argument. So what if I think that peach cobbler is a great breakfast? And I don't have to share it. No one complains if there is no meat on the dinner table. Everyone here loves my cooking.

I've unfortunately NOT slept in like I planned to. Why is it that when you CAN sleep in, you CAN'T? I woke up at 7 am and couldn't get back to sleep.

So instead I dyed silk roving green:

Mama, I thought of you. I love most of the greens. For some reason I keep ending up with that indigo blue. And it's not my favorite. But that blacky/greeny/blue in the center, I love that one.

These are silk carrier rods. I don't really know what they ARE, but I think they are some sort of deformed cocoon. They're crunchy in texture and have that great silk shimmer. I haven't actually done anything with them, I just like the way they look.

I'm reading this evening. Just sitting in the chair reading. Lizbeth got "The Phantom of the Opera" (sorry, can't figure out how to properly punctuate that right now) and I guess I'll read that.

Tomorrow I will Make Stuff. And find my sketch journal.

More peach cobbler (good Chilton Co. Alabama peaches) is in order.

another nifty thing

"icon" of the Blessed Virgin, praying

.

I have been wanting to do a "Mary" picture for quite a while. I saw a 6th century cross on eBay and thought the design would make a good print. (The Christ on the front side of the cross is the next project). My friend Deric is leaving Columbus for his next assignment , and since he's a very active Knight of Columbus, and he's been singing in the choir for 3 years, I figured this would be a great opportunity to get my Mary done.

I actually cut a linoleum block first:

and printed it on linen, but I wasn't happy with that. I thought about putting it on silk paper, but didn't have a mat.

I am quite pleased with the finished product - at least Mary's eyes aren't crossed. I used Pelmet Vilene for the base of the embroidered mat, and REALLY like that part.

I have two more choir members leaving in two weeks. I guess I'll have to make more!

I'm successful!

I sold a card on Etsy today! I am SO excited!

It's a small thing. Especially since it's not exactly the first thing I've sold (thank you to my lovely family, who were my first customers!). But it's the first thing I've sold that I have had to market my own self. I think.

O Frabjous day!

Now for the hard stuff. I thought I'd check on American Artisan in Nashville. It seems that to submit my work for their consideration I must write a resume. Well, if the only thing I get to put on that is my art background, it's going to be pretty darn short! I wonder how much weight the resume carries? Perhaps I should do some fabric postcards and submit those as well as the silk paper, since all of my awards and recent art development (i.e., workshops) are in the quilting end?