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Saying hello and catching up!!! I finished some gifts and got them mailed last week and they have arrived safely to their destinations! First, I'll share the Dotee doll I made for my friend Cathie. Her doll is done with 15/0 black seed beads, with Swarovski sew-ons and beads, and decorated with flower beads and leaves. For the tail I added a sewing machine, scissors, and spool of thread with needle...totally appropriate for the talented fiber artist that she is!
After having a conversation with Cathie about the Ten Qualities of Slow Cloth, written by Elaine Lipson of Red Thread Studio, Cathie made a post about it on her blog. She stated that she was going to take a deep breath and work on slowing down. Facing summer she wanted to enjoy the "quality" not quantity of her time.
I commented on her blog:
Way to go Cathie! It sounds like a little more peace is going to fill your life! The art of life is to live in the moment. Keep taking deep breaths and smell those roses! A dear friend, Bobbi, who I so admire, sent me part of a poem by Cedric Wright...
The days of our lives must become precious.
In all heaven and earth, there is one thing to do:
Take your time.
Enjoy the perfection of what you are doing.
Enjoy accomplishing it exquisitely!
James Taylor wrote, "The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time." Wishing you joy, peace, and love! Your Slow Cloth Artist Friend...~Lisa ;-)
As I was working on her doll, I decided to include these words on her back side as a reminder! These words are from his BEAUTIFUL song called...The Secret O' Life!
This is Sabrina's Dotee doll (Cathie's daughter)! She is a darling girl who is quite the artist herself!!! This past year she took a 1st Place Blue Ribbon (out of 12 schools) for her watercolor sunflower. She also received the Creative Excellence Award for the Middle School Art Program! Mind you...she just turned thirteen!!! Believe me, she needs to keep pursuing art! So I thought it best to make her a sunflower Dotee. Sabrina's is done in with 15/0 charlotte seed beads, 16/0 vintage seed beads, Swarovski crystals, and decorated with flower beads and leaves. For the tail I added a sunflower charm.
That's it for Dotee's for awhile (I've made 16 to date), as I am getting my thoughts and things together for the 2008 Bead Journal Project that starts September 1st. I am so excited and thrilled to be a part of this project with the most talented and nicest people! My theme is going to be 'Fragments of my Life' but I still haven't quite decided the size I'm going to use! I will be making that decision in the next few days as I'm anxious to cut some fabric and stitch it on to Pellon!!!
I also sent a package to Monica with bucks for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Pink Artist Drawing for Love Squared. I decided to make Monica a scissor fob in the appropriate colors with the appropriate charms as a reminder and keepsake of this wonderful journey!
Now for fun...a friend of mine, Pat of Gatherings, honored me with a blogging friend award! Thank you Pat! She makes beautiful things, has a fun and inspiring blog, has a great sense of humor, has a HUGE heart, is a giver from her heart (Comfort Doll Project), and a real sweetheart!!! Blogging Friends Forever we will be!!!
Here are the rules:
1. Use the Twinks Bank icon (above).
2. Nominate 5 other people only.
3. Four (4) nominees have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
4. One (1) has to be someone new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
5. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.
I hope the Award Police don't come after me because I broke two of the rules!!! LOL! ;-)
I nominate five gals. . .Bobbi Kirk, Grace Danel, Monica Magness, Cathie Recca, and Tammy Lang!!! (I know this is five instead of four. . . first rule broken)!!!
And, because no one has visited me from another part of the world and it needs to be someone new to your blog. . . I nominate. . . Kathy Vorenberg!!! However, since I've never been to New Mexico, it's another part of the world to me!
I hope you are all well and enjoying the last of what summer has to offer! Have a great and safe Labor Day weekend!
Keep Pursuing Art. . .Life and Dreams!!! ~Lisa ;-)
Mark and I were so fortunate this past weekend to sneak away to the Central Oregon Coast. It was a chance to get to the coast this summer while our weather is so nice! Of course, any time we go to the beach, I am in hog heaven...doesn't matter the weather...I am a beach girl at heart. It's just that it is a real treat to go in the summer while we have sunshine and blue skies. It is even more of a treat when your trip centers around a friend, Bobbi Kirk, of Beading at the Beach, who is a featured artist and showing her beadwork at the Newport Visual Arts Center. This past Saturday evening was the Artist Reception from 5:30-7:00 p.m. To say I have been anxious for this evening and was excited... is an understatement!
Bobbi has worked so many hours on completing all her pieces to be shown, let alone all the 'behind the scene' hours that are involved to have your work shown in a gallery. And, the minute we walked in...all her hard work just surrounded you in their beauty...literally! The turnout was absolutely wonderful! Bobbi looked beautiful, was smiling from ear to ear and, as always, as gracious as they come! Believe me when I say...she is so sweet and the salt of the earth!!! Her beadwork is so amazing and stunning...she is, no doubt, one of the best of the best!!! Her work is so moving, such a deep reflection of herself and her heart and very organic. She uses a lot of natural elements and plenty of vintage beads and nailheads! I was in heaven being there and in awe looking and admiring each piece. And while I was enjoying each detail of every piece, my husband kindly whispered that I was holding up the line of people!!! I certainly didn't realize that I was, but I was so enchanted by it all. You know, it is something to see others work on the internet and in books, etc., but to really see it in person is such a thrill! We decided to go downstairs and enjoy the watercolor paintings in the gallery and then come back upstairs to walk through one more time! It was such a treat to go but the time flew by...way too fast! I couldn't say any one piece was my favorite because I loved them all! It was a fabulous show and she should feel so PROUD!!!
We also enjoyed seeing Jackie Niemi's work too! She is showing her work with Bobbi. She is a collage and book artist and her work was wonderful! She uses tiny intricate pieces and interesting natural things in her collages like opossum bones, tiny vials of soil/rock, etc. And, her books were very cool! We had the pleasure to see Chuck again, Bobbi's husband, and also had the opportunity to meet Bobbi and Chuck's son, Jaime, who is such a handsome man and does he ever look like mom! His eyes just twinkle and he has a great smile!
I am honored to say that Bobbi has become a dear friend to me. We have stayed in touch through e-mail since we met and are getting to know one another more and more through our conversations. I feel very fortunate to have met her! Her beautiful art and her heart and soul are such an inspiration to me and I know to many others!!! She is a treasured friend and her talents are HUGE!!!
If there is any chance that you can see the show before the end of August, do yourself a favor and go! You won't be disappointed!!! And if you can't make it, visit Bobbi's blog for the latest pictures of the gallery and showing.
A work of art which does not begin in emotion is not art. ~Paul Cezanne~
We also stopped in Taft on the Siletz Bay and took a walk on the beach. While we were walking this harbor seal kept bobbing his head up and down and watching us...while we were watching him/her! Then we noticed that there were more of them swimming around in the water. Then as we looked across the bay on the opposite shore we saw some seals get out of the water and a few get back in. I asked Mark if those were all seals over there and he said no...it's driftwood. I said no...those are seals! He said...no way! I said...I think they are!!! He said...no...it's driftwood and there wouldn't be a hundred of them! I said...I think they are seals and there are about 300 of them! I told him to run back to the van and get our binoculars and camera!!! When he got back he wouldn't share the binoculars for awhile because he couldn't believe it!!! I said...let me see!!! Finally he gave them to me and I said...see I told you it wasn't driftwood!!! There are at least 300 seals over there! He told me there wasn't 300 over there! I told him to start counting...even by 20's!!! And, guess what the answer was? He wouldn't bring himself to say 300...so the final answer was 280 or so!!! Oh, we had good laughs over this for awhile! ;-)
I just wish I would have set my camera to take a panorama picture! But instead I zoomed in and here is one shot of what may look like driftwood from back across the bay but is actually lots of seals taking a snooze! Now envision about four or five of these pictures lined up together!!! It was quite the sight and they were amazing to watch!
What is blooming in the garden~
1) Tickseed and Salvia Cerro Potosi Sage...
Hummers and butterflies love the salvia!
2) Salvia Cerro Potosi Sage
3) Red Crocrosmia
4) Red Lilies
5) Purple Coneflowers
Post Continued Below
The party over at Monica's, Girl Gone Thread Wild, is certainly underway and is so exciting! What a great journey it has been and the excitement of seeing our beautiful 'Love Squared' in print was thrilling! The photographs were stunning and the article was beautifully written! I feel so honored to be a part of this group of talented artists and so proud of Monica to see this huge project through. Her latest posts have been so touching and it will be such a treat for everyone to watch the dollars add up for Susan G. Komen for the Cure on her blog. And, so soon, October 17th, we will all know who the LUCKY winner will be of 'Love Squared' and the other winners of runner-up prizes too!!! I just know that the funds raised by October 15th will be amazing!
I finished getting my gifts ready for the Pink Artist Drawing. I made three scissor fobs, one for each pair of new embroidery scissors. They were each made with a sterling silver balloon clasp, pink/crystal/magenta Swarovski crystals, and a sterling silver heart charm. I chose a heart charm because I thought whoever may win...obviously has a big heart and supported this cause. Now, I just need to get a donation sent to Monica myself! ;-)
I had the worst time taking pictures of this for Monica. They kept turning out so dark and if I got the color and lighting of the beads correct, I couldn't seem to get the silver charm to be clear or vice versa! Tons of photos later and frustration, Mark made me a light box for trying to get a better photo. Still haven't found the perfect setting to capture it best, but it certainly brightened up the picture and was better than what I had captured before. So I'm still on the learning curve here when it comes to taking photos of beads and shiny things. But I am really grateful that Mark took the time to make me a box and see if it wouldn't help. I know in time, with more practice, I will get better at this!
I am hoping to get three small gifts mailed later this week and once they are off, I'll share a photo with you. I've been thinking of the BJP that is going to be starting in September and trying to really finalize my thoughts on that. I definitely need to do a little shopping for some fabric soon. As always, I have been beading and stitching ever chance that I can and always seem to have more than one project in the works! I am trying to rein that issue in a bit but haven't totally mastered it yet, but I know I need to! I hope you are all well and have been enjoying summer too!!!
On a sad note...you all know I have been working on Dotee dolls for awhile now. I am just finishing my 16th! I just saw the news on Dot's blog and am so sorry to have read what I did! I know she has had some hard times (lurker that I still have been) but I hope, as I know all of you feel, that things will brighten up and she will start her blog and her Etsy shop once again! She is so well thought of, by so many people, and her Dotee dolls are so famous! I just feel BAD that I haven't totally gotten over my intimidation problem and got off my BEHIND and introduced myself and left a comment on her blog. It was a reminder to me to 'GET OVER IT'!!! Just DO IT!!! I would have liked to have told her what an inspiration she has been to me and so many others and how her Dotee dolls have made so many people smile and so many people enjoy making them...including me! I would have liked to have thanked her for sharing! It was a wake up call to me that I needed! Life is short...don't hesitate to tell someone what they mean to you, what an inspiration they are, or how much you enjoy their art even if you don't know them. Even if she never responded to me...I would have felt better knowing I had told her how I felt. I hope she'll find the strength she needs right now and will share with us all again one day!!!
Keep Pursuing Art...Life and Dreams! ~Lisa ;-)
Saying hello and catching up!!! I finished some gifts and got them mailed last week and they have arrived safely to their destinations! First, I'll share the Dotee doll I made for my friend Cathie. Her doll is done with 15/0 black seed beads, with Swarovski sew-ons and beads, and decorated with flower beads and leaves. For the tail I added a sewing machine, scissors, and spool of thread with needle...totally appropriate for the talented fiber artist that she is!
After having a conversation with Cathie about the Ten Qualities of Slow Cloth, written by Elaine Lipson of Red Thread Studio, Cathie made a post about it on her blog. She stated that she was going to take a deep breath and work on slowing down. Facing summer she wanted to enjoy the "quality" not quantity of her time.
This is Sabrina's Dotee doll (Cathie's daughter)! She is a darling girl who is quite the artist herself!!! This past year she took a 1st Place Blue Ribbon (out of 12 schools) for her watercolor sunflower. She also received the Creative Excellence Award for the Middle School Art Program! Mind you...she just turned thirteen!!! Believe me, she needs to keep pursuing art! So I thought it best to make her a sunflower Dotee. Sabrina's is done in with 15/0 charlotte seed beads, 16/0 vintage seed beads, Swarovski crystals, and decorated with flower beads and leaves. For the tail I added a sunflower charm.
That's it for Dotee's for awhile (I've made 16 to date), as I am getting my thoughts and things together for the 2008 Bead Journal Project that starts September 1st. I am so excited and thrilled to be a part of this project with the most talented and nicest people! My theme is going to be 'Fragments of my Life' but I still haven't quite decided the size I'm going to use! I will be making that decision in the next few days as I'm anxious to cut some fabric and stitch it on to Pellon!!! 
Now for fun...a friend of mine, Pat of Gatherings, honored me with a blogging friend award! Thank you Pat! She makes beautiful things, has a fun and inspiring blog, has a great sense of humor, has a HUGE heart, is a giver from her heart (Comfort Doll Project), and a real sweetheart!!! Blogging Friends Forever we will be!!!
