aDRESSing the Situation!

Hi...it's been awhile, but I haven't been sitting around and eating chocolates (although that doesn't sound bad)! I've been winding up projects and shipping out boxes at the Post Office and I do have to say that I need to quit visiting there for awhile because the nice lady is greeting me by my name now...which is really nice but not necessarily a good sign! ;-)

When Monica asked for help with aDRESSING the Situation, I jumped in. I had heard about the situation before, but I did not realize it was still going on today! These dresses were made to call attention to the horrifying murders of the women in Juarez, Mexico. In researching the situation, reading lots of articles and revisiting the movie Bordertown and understanding the atrocities, I felt the need to contribute. It makes me sick and so sad to know this is going on in our world today. I hope you will visit Monica's blog and see the beautiful dresses that have been created in hopes that Stampington and Company will consider writing an article to bring more attention to the situation.

This was a stretch for me but, if nothing else, it did my heart good to create some dresses and express my feelings. The dresses could be made from anything as long as they resembled a dress. Unfortunately, my pictures did not turn out very well...especially the shattered mirror dress...that was a bit beyond my photography capabilities even trying to hold up a piece of poster board. I found out that it's not easy taking a photo of a mirror and not have it reflect anything. I had some great shots that included my petunias in the dress, but not one shot turned out perfect. I did my best to lighten all my photos in Photosmart (which I don't normally do) and they are just the best I could do this time. Why some pictures turn out great and others are just a flop...I don't know. I'm still living and learning!

My first dress is "Shattered Lives"...My first thoughts were about all the shattered lives! Not only the women that have been murdered, but their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents and friends lives also. The picture is horrible and much prettier in person. It is totally black and silver. I had fun taking an old mirror and shattering it and grouting between the pieces on a wooden dress shape.

My second dress is "It's All About Money"...There has been no justice for the families of the victims. No one will listen...not the Police, not the Corporations that take their profits and not the governments of the U.S. or Mexico who benefit from the free trade agreement (NAFTA). I'll stop there because I'm sure this piece may be a bit controversial. I made this dress from foam core board and red serviettes. I used a real torn piece of a dollar bill that I've had for years and always thought I would do something with and realized it was the time. I used two $100 pesos and five real one dollar bills. It was important to me to show both American and Mexican currency. It is easily taken apart as I stitched the bills for the skirt through the middle of the foam core and used a water soluble glue to keep the folds of the skirt together. I tied a satin ribbon around the waste.

This is a close up of the Mexican pesos as they were a bit worn.

My third dress is "Silent in the Sand"...Many of the atrocities happened in the desert sand. Their remains continue to be found scattered in the sand and others have never been found. We may never know the truth...if only the sand could talk! I again cut out a dress from foam core board and glued tan and black sand on the front and back of the dress.

Thank you again, Monica, for spearheading this project. I hope it will bring more awareness and help in some way!

I've been wanting to share a special gift I received from Grace, Gracebeading, for her 2nd Blogiversary. Again, not the best photo...good grief...what is my problem!?! She shared this beautiful clam shell covered in gorgeous purple beads with a lovely dragonfly on the top. She told me it reminded her of my garden! Grace bought a kit years ago that included everything to bead the shell. However, it is not stitched. It was beaded with glue! I'm telling you...she glues beads as *beautifully* as she stitches them!!! Thank you again, Grace, I just absolutely adore it!!!

Thought I would share a photo that I snapped recently...a good one...hmmmmmm! :) We've had a lot of butterflies and different dragonflies in our yard this year and they are so beautiful!!! I'll share more photos with you later...

I hope you have a nice weekend and a safe and happy 4th of July!!! I'll finally be swinging by to catch up with you! ~Lisa

Giveaway Winners. . .

OK...don't laugh too hard! I decided to do a video of the winners for fun. I don't know what is getting into me in my old age...SERIOUSLY...but, I guess I'm just getting more brave and calm as time goes on. After sharing for 16 months...I told myself, Lisa...these are friends and you shouldn't feel funny or that everything has to be perfect...you can do this. I can talk and laugh with you all online...but if you only knew how shy I really was...you'd be amazed I would do this at all! I AM AMAZED that I would say let's just do it, my family was amazed, and for those of you who know a bit about me...I'm sure you are surprised too! It seems the older I get, the more I'm just accepting that what is...IS!!! ;-)

Anyhoo...I thought it would be nice to say hi face to face! It's pretty funny...I/we have never done a video on our camera before...so that was pretty fun in itself and don't you dare look too close...no mascara on today...but, again, what is...IS!*

It took three takes...one blooper right off the get go and a few laughs from us all! In hindsight, it certainly would have been better taking the video in the shade than in the bright sun. But, hey...at least my eyes are *open*, Grace!!! ~wink~ When Grace and I met, she found out how bad I am about closing my eyes every single time a picture is taken when I am included. It doesn't matter if there is a flash or not! I am *THE WORST* and you'd be lucky to find 1 in 30 pictures that my eyes are open! Truly, it's been a family joke forever...

So...here is the beginning and a blooper off the get go!!! ;-)



I feel terrible because I forgot to mention missing Monica too! You were missed and I wish you could have had the chance to swing by. But I totally understand that it's hard to get around and visit everybody and live too! Okay, so here we go. . .



Oops...the video stopped!!! Trying one more time to pick up where we left off!

So...the winners were:

1) Lynn of Beading Heart Art

2) Timaree of Freebirdsings

3) Kathy of Beady Zoo

4) Dot of Dot's Life and Art

5) Grace of Gracebeading

6) Diana DBA The Lone Beader

I'll email each of you in the order chosen to pick your gift. Once I've spoken to you all, I will mail off your gifts!

This was really fun! If you girls make something with your gifts, I'd love to see!!! I hope you've had a nice weekend. I'll catch up with you all and talk to you soon! ~Lisa

My Leap...;-)

I've been wanting to do a giveaway for quite some time and missed my first Blogiversary (February 29th)...so let's have some fun! I wish I could share with you something I've made, however, right now my plate is full. So for now, I put together six gifts that I would like to share and I tried to include a few things that everyone might enjoy. It is my way of thanking YOU for taking the time to swing by and say hi and see what I've been up to! The friendship, support and encouragement that you share with me... means so much! I know I don't post as often as I should or would like to, but I am always grateful to my friends that accept that and still swing by to see what I have to share when I do post. I am very grateful to have met the friends that I have through blogging...you are all very special ladies and are so talented...you all inspire me!!! And, a special thanks to Monica, because if it wasn't for her push...I would not have made the *leap* and I'd still be stitching...but in my own world!

I will accept comments until midnight (PST), next Saturday, June 20th. I will have my husband draw six names (first through sixth) out of a hat next Sunday, June 21st, and I will post the winners on Monday, the 22nd. After I post the names on my blog, I will contact you by email. The first person that is drawn will be able to choose what gift they would like...whomever is the second name drawn can choose what gift they would like, etc. The sixth person will have to accept the last gift available. Sound like fun???

So this is what you have to do to play:

1) You have to have a Blog.
2) See that *FOLLOWERS BOX* on the right hand side of my blog that I just added? It would be a *HUGE* boost to my morale if you would click the follow button and let me know that you are following me! To those that are...THANK YOU...to those that may...THANK YOU! I would like to host other giveaways, now and then, to those that are following my blog in the future!
3) Leave a comment on this post by midnight, Saturday, June 20th, and tell me three things you love to do in life when you aren't creating your art.
4) If you know I have your email address...great...but if you aren't sure that I do...please leave your email when you make a comment so that I can easily get in touch with you if your name is drawn! That's it!!!

So here are the six gifts:

1) Package of Princess Mirah's Batik Fabric Fat Quarters from Bali. NOTE: KATHY CHOSE GIFT #1...PRINCESS MIRAH'S BATIK FABRIC FAT QUARTERS!


2) Another Package of Princess Mirah's Batik Fabric Fat Quarters from Bali. NOTE: DOT CHOSE GIFT #2...PRINCESS MIRAH'S BATIK FABRIC FAT QUARTERS!


3) One Czech Glass Light Blue/Aqua Dragonfly Button with Metal Shank...41 mm or 1-5/8". NOTE: DIANA WON GIFT #3...CZECH GLASS DRAGONFLY BUTTON!


4) One beautiful 5" art doll made by Monica...Girl Gone Thread Wild! All her art dolls are amazing and they are just the BEST!!! They are firmly stuffed and ready for beadwork, embroidery, paint, gesso, or found objects. Included is a polymer face cabochon (sorry picture is a bit dark) by Dottie...Face to Face. Dottie's faces are amazing and the detail is outstanding.
NOTE: TIMAREE CHOSE GIFT #4...ART DOLL WITH DOTTIE FACE!

5) Another lovely 4" art doll by Monica. Included is a polymer clay cabochon by Jen...Graphix Outpost. Jen's faces are amazing and the detail is outstanding. NOTE: LYNN CHOSE GIFT #5...ART DOLL WITH GRAPHIX OUTPOST FACE!

6) Another 4-1/2" art doll by Monica. Included is a polymer clay cabochon by Dottie...Face to Face. NOTE: GRACE CHOSE GIFT #6...ART DOLL WITH DOTTIE FACE!


The Pink Artist Block Party/Drawing is beginning to get underway. Monica, of Girl Gone Thread Wild, is hosting this event and is calling for all artists to help out and participate in raising funds for breast cancer research. If you would be interested in donating your art towards the Pink Artist Drawing, please read about it and sign up here. Monica does a beautiful job hosting a party, it's a lot of fun and so rewarding!!!


One of my most favorite flowers (Oriental Poppies) are blooming again and I thought I'd share a snap with you! I hope you are all well and life is treating you well! I'm looking forward to seeing whose home these gifts will go to! Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you soon!
Hugs from Oregon...~Lisa ;-)

April showers do bring May flowers!

Hi! I know it's been awhile! I was beginning to wonder when I was going to take some time and make a post myself. I've been busy pursuing life outdoors these past few weeks. Many of you know I live in Oregon, where it rains a lot. It *finally* stopped raining and the days have been filled with blue sky and sunshine for a couple weeks and it feels so good to be outside again! The birds are singing, the squirrels are running around, the windows are open, the flowers are blooming and it feels heavenly! I especially love May and June, before the weather starts getting too hot.

Since it finally stopped raining, for the most part, Mark and I have been busy getting our yard in order and cleaned up from a long Fall and Winter. Mark took a week vacation during Mother's Day week and we spent ten days together enjoying each others company and working in our yard and Memorial weekend too. During that week we also celebrated another anniversary together and a birthday. We've worked hard...the garden is planted, flowers are in pots, flower seeds are sown, the umbrellas are up on the patio tables and the fountain is flowing once again. There is still plenty to do, always, but I'm grateful that the garden is in. The best part now is watching it grow and enjoying the fruits of our labor! It has felt so good to breathe some fresh air and work in our yard...not to mention that it's been good for my muscles too!

I still have been stitching, but it has taken a bit of a back seat for awhile. It was time to get some things squared away in our life. I am just getting back to reality this weekend. Some of you know that I am working on a gift for a friend. The frustrating part is not being able to share with you until it is sent. It is my main priority right now. I also have my bead journal project going and I'm preparing my pieces for aDRESSing the Situation. I also am going to do my first giveaway! I just need to chose some things and take some pictures of my offerings...stay tuned!

I can share a few sneak peeks of some stitching and thought I would share some snaps of what gloriously is blooming and growing in our yard...oh, how I LOVE May!!!

I have been putting the pedal to the metal on my sewing machine and have sewn up a flock of little songbirds and I'll share them in their entirety soon! ;-)

A little peek at some beading!

Another peek at some beading!

A total secret and surprise...I know...not very nice! These things take time!!! ;-)

This is the main part of our garden and new retaining wall DH built. This is where the tomatoes, peppers, beans, strawberries, blueberries, green onion, carrot, radish, lettuce, cosmos and zinnias are. You aren't seeing the other part of our garden in the corner where the corn, peas, cukes, artichokes and zuchinni are. The stepping stones need to be seated and once the beans, carrots, radish, lettuce and green onion are up, we will dress the whole thing with compost. I will share more shots with you soon as everything grows more.

Seeds sown: giant sunflowers, sunflowers for cutting (yellow and brownish/red), black eyed susans, purple coneflowers, red oriental poppies and zinnias. Will be planting these soon!

Huge basket of purple and pink wave petunias, geraniums and verbena. Will share with you soon...as it will get enormous!

Little fuschias on the deck railing...

Lily of the Valley...

Beautiful and very old Rhododendron...

Another very old Rhododendron...

Hardy Geranium and Candytuft...

Wild Rose...wish you could smell it...it smells like baby powder...

Ginkgo shot...we have two trees...I got them for my birthday years ago from my mom. I love this tree and their leaves...they turn a glorious gold in the Fall...

Hostas and ferns are filling out under the deck...

Orange Oriental Poppy...they are just starting to bloom and they are gorgeous...

Japanese Iris...

Cosmo flower in bloom...

Clematis just starting to bloom this week...

Close-up of Clematis...

Clustered Bell Flower...

And, most odd...my Christmas Cactus is blooming!!! I guess everything is blooming around here!

I included some more photos in the next post!!! I'm back to stitching and I'll be catching up with you soon! Hope the sun is shining on you...~Lisa

Where the wild things are. . .

We have lots of crows that visit our yard everyday. I love watching them walk and waddle in their way...they are such smart birds!

Every now and then a ton of crows start squawking up a storm and flying in from all different directions toward the fir trees near us. It is always amazing! We always say they are having another 'Community Meeting'!!! Wish I had a better zoom lens. How many can you count in this one tree?

Little Anna hummingbird with a very long neck!

There she goes...

Just having a nibble of the suet that fell on the ground...

Are you taking pictures of me again?

Here you go Tammy...do you think his eyes look a little wild and intense...notice the white in his eyes! (CLICK TO ENLARGE!) I think he may be the one...lol! I was trying to take pictures of about six squirrels running and chasing each other around the other day. They were acting *wild*...literally! They were on the ground, the fence, the trees and even in the bamboo! I was beginning to get kind of nervous, especially when two went running right under my chair past my feet. At one point, there were about four squirrels in the ginkgo tree chasing each other all over and up and down and the gingko leaves were falling off the tree like snow. They were chittering away and making other weird sounds and this went on for a couple hours and I kept wondering *what* was going on!!! I grabbed my camera thinking maybe I could get a shot with more than one squirrel for a change, and when I started taking pictures...I *finally* realized *what* was going on and what I was taking pictures of!!! Love was in the air! ~wink~

Here's two of them needing a drink of water after running around like that!

And, here's one laying on the deck rail...needing a rest and pooped out for the day!!!

Happy Creating...will share more soon! ~Lisa ;-)

Here we go. . .

I know...be gentle on this old sensitive soul! It took awhile for me to finish my Bead Journal pages, but I'm caught up and back on board. I jumped in and started this journey on a great note and then other commitments I had previously made, the holidays, working on other projects and life...slowed me down. I'm trying to change my ways and find a better balance...so I can keep growing creatively with a happy heart. 

Since there are six journal pages in one post, I will keep my journaling simple for your sake and mine too. The theme for my journal pages is fragments of my life and what lies within my heart each month and every year that passes.

November Bead Journal Page...My Oldest Love

This is Blake, my oldest (now 27 years old) pride and joy. Every November, I am reminded of my first most precious gift of all and how truly blessed I am. I am so proud of the man he has become. Nothing I've ever done in my life has given me more joy than being his mom and I don't think he knows all the gifts of love and happiness he has given to me. I chose this sweet picture of him because he was dressed in sweat pants and a sweatshirt that had Oregon State University on it. Little did we know then that it would be the college he would graduate from. He loved college and being in a fraternity. He graduated with a B.S. in Business with a minor in fine arts. Blake is a big teddy-bear, very outgoing, loves life and his friends. I love him so much and I'm so proud of him!

December Bead Journal Page...Forever Sissy

This is my beautiful sister, Leslie, affectionately known as Sissy. She is my only sibling and is three and a half years younger than I. Every December, I think of her because she was born two days after Christmas. I chose this picture of her because it was the last weekend trip we took together to the coast (October) and had a fun time sharing, eating, shopping and laughing. We are very close and have shared all the happiest and saddest times of our lives together...everything...growing up, marriages, births and deaths. Although we are both different, we are very much alike. We both have the same heart and the same smile. I love her dearly and am so grateful she is my sister.  Forever sisters...forever friends...forever in my heart.

January Bead Journal Page...My Youngest Love

This is Spencer, my youngest (now 21 years old) pride and joy. Every January, I am reminded of my second most precious gift of all and how truly blessed I am. I am so proud of the man he has become. Nothing I have ever done in my life has given me more joy than being his mom and I don't think he knows all the gifts of love and happiness he has given to me. I chose this sweet picture of him because it reminds me what a happy little boy he was...always smiling and loving life. He is sliding down a tube at Pietro's (a local pizza joint) where we all shared many family get-togethers and many of our kids birthday parties. Spence is our free spirit. He reminds me so much of his dad...longer hair...loves his motorcycle, scuba dives, etc. He is very brilliant minded.  Unfortunately, he got burnt out (bored) with school. However, this fall he surprised us and took the one last class he needed to receive his Associate's Degree.  My fingers are crossed that maybe one day he will want to go back and finish.  He works full-time and lives with a good friend of his.  Spence is tall and thin like his mom, a big sweetheart, loves life and his friends. I love him so much and I'm so proud of him!

February Bead Journal Page...My Girls

Oh, my dear sweet girls...mom's silly goose's...my love bugs! Last year in January/February we had to say good-bye to my sweetest and best little friends...six weeks apart and it was so difficult. I miss them so much and still get a lump in my throat when I think about them. In working on this page, I remembered so many happy and fun times. They were mom's girls and followed me everywhere, loved being outside in the sunshine, having baths, their little kiddie swimming pool, treats, chasing squirrels in the yard, patrolling the blueberry bushes and barking at the birds to get out of the berries, and all you had to do was open the window and yell *dinner* and they would run from the backyard...fly through their doggie door...up the stairs and race into the kitchen! ~wink~ I've missed them every day and never will forget the joy and endless love they gave to us all. Rauchski and Ruby Jean remain forever in my heart.

March Bead Journal Page...Back In The Saddle Again

March always reminds me of my Uncle Fred and having to fly to San Francisco to say good-bye in 1987. He died when he was 54 years old. This is one of my most favorite pictures of him and my mom. Uncle Fred lost his life to AIDS and pneumonia. He was so intelligent, talented, artistic, funny and fun to be around. I just adored and loved him. He also went back to school in Maryland, when he was 41 years old, and graduated with a Master of Science in Addiction Studies at John Hopkins University. He lived in San Francisco and worked as a counselor for a large corporation. He didn't come home too often. He adored and loved Nana (because she loved him unconditionally) and my mom, but he always had issues with Papa.  His dad could never accept that he was gay and always insisted there had to be a cure for his problem and that he would be happy to pay for it to be fixed! Right there tells you how 'old school' my grandpa was. While in the hospital and a few weeks before he died...he took his IV out...put his clothes and raincoat on and used his raincoat belt to keep his jeans up because he had lost so much weight...checked out of the hospital for awhile...called a cab...and went shopping at Tiffany & Company.  He bought himself a new watch with larger numbers and a white face because he was having trouble seeing his other watch and bought my mom, sissy, and I a crystal heart paperweight and had them wrapped for us. He attached a card and wrote...keep this away from Blake's little hands...I Love You...Uncle Fred XO. That heart is still with me and sits on a tray in my bathroom and mom gave me the watch he bought that day and I still wear it. These two pieces are very treasured and cherished. He was a wonderful uncle to me and I have many fond memories of him.

April Bead Journal Page...Remember My Heart

April is the only month that I didn't have a specific person or memory to relate to. When my pages are complete, I will have included all my immediate family members. Mark and I decided that I should include a photo of me since these will be framed together when complete. Since my birthday is in May and we were married on my birthday, my May page will be about us. Because of some recent issues and another birthday around the corner...I've been thinking about my life.  The things that are important to me now...how many precious days I really have left...how blessed I've been in my life...and how I want to be remembered one day. I want to be remembered as being a loving, giving and caring soul that loved my family more than anything in the world, loved life and smiled a lot.  I hope they'll always remember my heart and forget-me-not.

*Question* - I noticed in my photos that my pages look kind of irregular but they really aren't. They truly are 5" x 7" and the sides are nice and straight.  They lay almost perfectly flat, however, the Pellon backing was slightly curved due to being rolled when I bought it. I am wondering before I stitch some Ultrasuede onto the back, if I shouldn't slip a piece of acid-free poster board or 'something' in-between to help it lay perfectly flat and make it more solid or stable? Just like I do with a beaded brooch. Any thoughts or suggestions would be most welcome.

I've had the hardest time writing this post...almost like a mental block. I think it may have to do with the gorgeous 75 and 83 degree weather we had Sunday and Monday. It has been wonderful to see blue skies and feel the sunshine again! Now that I am caught up and can breathe again...I'll be by to catch up with you!

I wanted to share a few pictures I took of a male Rufous hummingbird (first of the season) that migrate from Mexico where they winter.  They are gorgeous and it's so fun to see them return!  To say they are feisty is an understatement.  The chasing  and arguing over the feeders is on. Click on the picture and see him up close.


This is one of our Anna's who is trying to figure out...who *that* dude is and what he thinks he's doing at *my* feeder!!!

I hope you are well and I'll visit with you soon! ~Lisa