Tag: Inspiration

Catch Up Thursday

It turns out that Sunday’s Catch Up post wasn’t enough. I have more photos to show you and stuff to tell you. I may have to start doubling up on posts each day!

I showed you TFQ’s Fresh Modern (or sherbet) hexagon project in a previous post.

TFQ's 1930s Hexagons
TFQ's 1930s Hexagons

Above is a piece of one she is actively working on. She is making a bedcover. The hexagons are about 1.5″ and she is doing the whole piece by hand, which I think is the only sensible way to make this pattern.

Coffee Art, Seattle
Coffee Art, Seattle

I love coffee art. I don’t usually buy mochas, but got one last week when I was waiting for TFQ in a cafe. I had about an hour to wait, so I bought a large coffee and got out my drawing materials. Isn’t this coffee flower inspirational? It has some of the same elements as Paula Nadelstern’s Kaleidoscopes.

Creative Prompt Project

Lisa has joined the Flicker Group. Take a look at her work at:

http://www.lisalizalou.com
http://lisalizalou.blogspot.com

Doing Some Good

While not a knitting blog, it is important for me to collect and report on opportunities for doing good. I was reading the recent Lands’ End catalog. An ad for Kate Jacobs’ Knit the Season book caught my eye. On the same page, Lands’End offered a pattern for a hat to knit for charity and give a FeelGood web address for the campaign.

Holiday Sewing

For the first time in a long time, I am doing some major sewing for Christmas. I will, of course, show you everything, but I may not be able to show you as I make the items. Some of the people on the list read this blog. There will be lots to look at as December progresses, but lots more after the holidays are over.

Creative Prompt Responses

SherriD kindly let me know that some recent photos I had posted were ‘bleary’. Isn’t that a great word? I have reposted various CPP responses:

Glimmer

Feather

Core

Wish

Please go and take another look at them. Thanks for your patience.

Catch Up Sunday

I decided that I would write one big long post to catch up, because I seem to have bunches of photos yet to post. I don’t want to say “oh 3 weeks ago, I made this and that.”

Another view of the Tarts
Another view of the Tarts

Another idea for the curvy coffee pot embellishment. My mom told me that steam goes down first and I should put the hearts below the exit to the spout. I tried it, took a picture and above is the result. I prefer the other view, Fluttering Hearts, regardless of whether or not steamreally  goes up or down. I think I am really getting sick of this obsessing about the Tarts. I got home from my week away, saw the Tarts on my design wall and just sighed. I thought to myself “oh brother, just make a decision about the &*(^%$ hearts and move on already!” Perhaps it is time to just applique’ the hearts on the curvy coffee pot and move on. Perhaps I will start on the back and that will give me renewed energy around this project?

Mosaic Mirror #1
Mosaic Mirror #1

TFQ has these wonderful mirrors at her house. They are made by an artist named Kathe. I love the glass beads and blobs and shards she uses to create her designs.

Mosaic Mirror #2
Mosaic Mirror #2

I like the sun at the top of the one above. Notice the two different color schemes?

FOTY 2009 Blocks, Nov. 2009
FOTY 2009 Blocks, Nov. 2009

Above are the most recent FOTY blocks. I made them before I left on my travels. I have a month and a half to wash, press and cut pieces from my new fabrics. As I have mentioned, I want to be ready to make the FOTY 2009 at the CQFA retreat in January. I had better not buy anymore fabric. 😉

3 Columns, Nov. 2009
3 Columns, Nov. 2009

Here is another Sorbet block. I made it in between trips. I call it 3 Columns, for obvious reasons. It may have another name. I don’t think it is really that easy to make up new blocks, but I also haven’t looked it up in Barbara Brackman’s block book. I will sometime. Let me know if you know the real name. I still have not looked at the fabrics again to see what other colors I need to add. I am limping along with this project.

Green for Ornaments
Green for Ornaments

I have been cutting green strips since about July as I press fabric. I have also been saving shards in order to make ornaments. I usually make a few every year, but don’t seem to have taken any photos to show you. I’ll have to put that on my list of things to do.

Mosaic Hats

I found a new blog recently, after listening to a recent CraftSanity podcast. The interview is with Liesl, the owner and designer of the pattern company Oliver + S. They produce patterns for children’s clothing in a “contemporary classic style.” After listening to the podcast, I decided to wander over to her blog and found that it might be one to visit regularly.

I loved the photos in this post about one of the subway stations in New York. I adore mosaics, so this lighthearted art was right up my alley.

In another post, she has a funny exchange with her daughter about a blue silk winter coat. Liesl’s blog is worth a look.

Liesel Gibson -Mosaic Hats
Liesel Gibson -Mosaic Hats

Take a look at the post that discusses the photo above.

Liesl + Co is the parent company of Oliver + S. The former is the company that put out The Day in the Park Backpack tote that I bought last year at PIQF.

Looking at Layers

SFO Art #1
SFO Art #1

When I was at SFO last Sunday my flight was in the international terminal which I am not in very often. That is a new terminal and really light and airy. Before I got on the plane and was confined to my seat for an hour, I took a tour around the area, looking at the shops and the people.

I also saw this piece of art. I was attracted by the dimensionality. Then I saw the white part in the background and it reminded me of cutting paper using scrapbook punches, so I took a closer look.

I was thinking that it would look very cool to do some kind of fabric cutting like that and layer it on top of a background. I could follow up with some more work on top. Not sure what, though. I am a big proponent, in case you haven’t noticed, of looking at the world around you and being inspired.

SFO Art #2
SFO Art #2
SFO Art #3
SFO Art #3

Creative Prompt #40: Wish

See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.

Post the direct URL where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. It will keep all the artwork together.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, now, has a Flickr group, which you can join and where you can post your responses.

There is more information on the recently updated Creative Prompt Page.

Make a wish

Make-A-Wish Foundation

A hope or desire for something.

If you rub the lamp, a genie will give you three wishes

WISH – a TV station in Indianapolis

Nine Inch Nails performs Wish

Wish you were here (song by Pink Floyd of the same name)

Wish bone

Wish-bone salad dressing

What is on your wish list?

I wish I had thought of that!

Wish upon a star

Wishing well

Wish you well

Creative Prompt #38: Glimmer

See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.

Post the direct URL where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. It will keep all the artwork together.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, now, has a Flickr group, which you can join and where you can post your responses.

There is more information on the recently updated Creative Prompt Page.

Definition: 1 a : to shine faintly or unsteadily b : to give off a subdued unsteady reflection
2 : to appear indistinctly with a faintly luminous quality

A glimmer of hope

LG Glimmer cell phone

The Glimmer Man (1996) – Directed by John Gray. With Steven Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bob Gunton.

Glimmer, a poem by Carl Sandburg

LET down your braids of hair, lady.
Cross your legs and sit before the looking-glass
And gaze long on lines under your eyes.
Life writes; men dance.
And you know how men pay women.

(odd poem, I know, but I was getting a little hard up for inspiration)

Friendly Art Blog

My mom has started her own blog. She said she wanted to do it, so I helped her get set up on Blogger. She is going to talk about quilts, drawing and other kinds of art that she does on Mary’s Art Musings. I told her to write every day for the first week or two so she got into the habit.

Go take a look at what she has up so far and leave a comment. Thanks!

A Work of Heart Part 1

I had the best time yesterday at A Work of Heart in San Jose. Terri, a CQFA friend organized the outing and it was so great, I can’t wait to go again.

I’ll post pictures and more info tomorrow.This is just a small taste of the fun.

clipped from aworkofheart.wordpress.com

mixedmediamosaics

prayer
clipped from aworkofheart.wordpress.com

alpha
clipped from aworkofheart.wordpress.com

lm_shrine
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More Carpet Inspiration

I must walk around looking at my shoes, because I admire a lot of carpets. I, especially, find hotel carpets very interesting. You might remember that I was inspired by some carpet in Dallas in April?

Once again, as you can see from above, I found some great carpet designs.

Holiday Crafting – YES! Already

Melanie Falick is a goddess! I love the books she edits, her practicality and her blog.

I stopped by Melanie’s blog and found some great patterns for holiday crafting. “So soon?” you are thinking. Yes, I say. Get moving so you are not up until 3am crafting on Dec. 22. These look fun and very modifiable, only to make them your own, not because anything is wrong with them.

When I saw the printing books (click through to see all the projects), I thought that some of you with wonderful CPP responses could print them and paste to the cover of a journal or print on fabric and make a framed picture.

Of course, if you are not a holiday type, then you could make these for your living room, or for birthday gifts. I am planning a holiday projects post, so if you make any holiday projects, I will link to them in my post. If you use a CPP response in a project, I will put that link on the CPP inspiration page.

Enjoy!

clipped from www.melaniefalickbooks.com

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Citrus Holiday and Decorating

I get a Janome email periodically and when I have a chance to look at it, I am usually impressed with something. One thing I like about the photos below is the different colors – not the usual red and green – they use for Christmas. The ideas are still holiday-ish, but very fresh. Even if you are not a Janome owner (or don’t do Christmas), check it out. There are some fun ideas.
clipped from sew4home.com


Citrus Holiday: A Lighthearted Living Room

Click to Enlarge
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Inspiration Tuesday

There were two estate sales in our neighborhood over the weekend so we went and took a look. I think estate sales are incredibly sad. These were especially so. We saw piles of photographs of the people living their lives. There was a pile of scrapbook pages. One of the pages held a portrait of a handsome young man with the handwritten caption “almost married him.” What a story that must be! Yet there they were in boxes being sold for whatever the family could get. Very sad.

1950s Ornaments
1950s Ornaments

I really like the shapes and the stylized indentations.

Ornaments
Ornaments

I was pleased to see, and buy, these ornaments, though. My grandmother had a tree full of them when I was a kid and I loved them.  She also had strings of metallic beads she used as garland. She got rid of them all in a frenzy of cleaning because they were too old. It made me sad. I have been collecting old fashioned looking ornaments, like the Christopher Radko type ornaments. These are the first I  have of this type.