More stuff has been made

I found an apple bead to finish off Eve's necklace. A green apple turned out to be perfect! She'll go out in the mail tomorrow.

More pears. This time very small: 2 1/2 x 3 1/2.

And another ATC. this one is rather self-explanatory.

Yet more PEARS

Have I said that I like pears? I did?

A really excited pear. It likes fuschia.

A pair.

A pair and a spare

My number 2 daughter has had a horrible week. Actually, I've had the horrible week. She has dragged us all through her three-hour temper tantrums every night - and every morning. It just tonight occurred to me that this is the same behavior Anna had last year when school got too much for her. Bekah's grades are good - actually great, but she's working so hard at home that she's never getting all her work done. I've contacted her counsellor and I hope we'll get some accomodations in place. I hope they don't want to wait until she fails the class to decide she needs the adjustments.

And come to think of it, Anna's having the same difficulties. However, with Anna we already have the 504 and IEP in place. Bekah's difficulty is going to be that she is so articulate and seems so 'normal' unless you happen to live with her.

The quilt store I've found here has two job openings, and I picked up an application. Do you think I'd actually make any money? It would be fun, anyhow. I bet I'd meet lots of people. And it's not like I've never worked in any fabric stores before (I've worked in 4). Of course, I never brought home any paychecks from those jobs, either!

Makin' stuff like crazy!!

I went a little nuts about pears this week. I usually do, this time of year. Most of these are for a postcard swap. I had so much fun that I made 6 instead of 4, so now I get to keep two! Which two, oh which?

The pear on white is a stencil (cut by moi) done with Shiva sticks on white silk fusion. The frame around it is also silk fusion, made separately.

The green on red is done with hand-dyed fabrics and freehand stitching done for shading.

The single pear below is done with Shiva sticks in red, green, gold, and bronze on purplish fabric. It looked like a happy pear so it got excited beads. It is 2 1/2" by 3 1/2". The pictures don't show the lovely shininess of the iridescent paintstiks.


Eve is for Virginia Speigel's auction. When I was making silk leaves, I ran and got some from my fig tree. Well, fig leaves , you know, Eve wore 'em. She needs a necklace with an apple on it, but so far I can't find an apple. I don't want to do the snake, he sounds too difficult.



this one is my favorite. WAY too much hand sewing on this , and the pictures doesn't show it nearly as pretty as it is. The foreground is a silk carrier rod, dyed and sewn down with various threads and beads. All the other colors are silk fusion as well - the sky is bombyx silk, the blue hill /smoke is silk hanky (I think), and the green hill is silk noil. I like making the ATC/ACEOs because I don't use much of the silk fusion.













This is my sassafras leaf card. I 'gilded' the leaf with a Shiva paintstik - oh my gosh what fun! Silk fusion leaf on fabric ground. Too many beads.

New Art Cards!

These are up on eBay for auction. I gotta make a living some way! I sold the first two I put up, and I'm not going to jinx these by mentioning how much they sold for. I'm not going to get rich, but perhaps I'll pay for my coffee habit.

Ginko leaf (silk fusion impression), Kreinik ombre gold braid, angelina, beads

Silk fusion (Oliver Twist "crunchies"), angelina, painted metallic mesh, beads, yarn, tiny fishie bead. not as crooked as it looks.

Tantum Ergo

Did you know that "Tantum Ergo" goes well with the vacuum cleaner? And that "Deep in the Heart of Texas" doesn't ? I wonder if that's because "Tantum Ergo" is such a dirge-y kind of song, and vacuuming is basically a depressing, dirge-y kind of thing to do?

And if anyone knows where on earth my girls put the Endust and the Windex, please let me know. I can't find them and there's a lot of dusting to do here! My brother in law is coming home tonight and I'm sure he'll be on a tour of inspection tomorrow.

things I like about this place

Living in my in-laws' house isn't so bad. There are good things.

1) I have a nice BIG kitchen
2) I have a nice big pantry (already stocked!)
3) GROCERY STORES! Those of you who know me know how much I hated the one-step-from-rotten produce I got back 'home'. I ask you, who wouldn't be thrilled with 6 kinds of pears in one grocery store? And that's not even Central Market!
4) the church is down the street. As in, closer than 2 miles. And it's just up the street from the high school - so I can drop the girls off and get to daily Mass. Wow.
5) The YMCA is only 3 miles away and it has some faint-see (fancy, for those who don't speak suthen drawl) weight machines!
6) I don't have to drive 70 miles for the pediatric psych! In fact, she's closer than the YMCA!
7) a quilt shop
8) a quilt guild. And I live close enough to actually be able to participate.
9) two (at least) bead shops
10)Target
11)Grocery stores!
12) not least - the schools (the reason I'm here). Anna's school is soo terrific. The special ed department - her "Focus" team - is just out of this world. She's doing well, and we have minimal fits over homework. Bekah and Lizbeth are doing well, also, though the dance classes Liz is able to take at the high school (for credit!) are not challenging to her. I won't say more about that.
13) I don't have all the clutter from my house! I am able to housekeep!
14) grocery stores!

There are, of course, things that aren't so great. It's hot. I do miss my husband. And my dog. And I'm a long way from my family. And my stash and my sewing stuff. Though I have hopes of getting some my sewing stuff gradually sent down here...Like, hon, that thread that I need for my purple trees? And the egg lathe so I can do the pysanky?

Check it out!

I just put this ATC up on eBay yesterday. Lo and behold, it's up to $10.50 this morning! I am soooooo excited!

I have a couple more made, but since Anna is taking photography and is using MY digital camera at school every day, it is difficult to take pictures of my things.

Still working hard at keeping house. Whoever said it takes 2 weeks to change a habit is lying. I still don't find it easy to go work on house stuff before playing. And, though I did join the YMCA, I haven't actually gotten there to work out yet.