Wherefore Art Thou July?

Well, this summer sure is flying by! I haven't posted anything here mainly due to computer issues, or rather server issues. Actually we don't know what the issue is. We have a temporary workaround while we try to figure it out, but I haven't been online much.
I completed my 3rd t-shirt quilt and it is getting easier. I think this one came out nice. It was the first one I did for a boy. He's off to college this fall. I hope he enjoys it!

I also made a load of charms for Christi over at Earth Traditions. She makes Celtic and earth-themed jewelry and will be incorporating these charms into her designs. It was a lot of fun to go Irish for a bit.

I am sending off another package of jewelry to Art & Soul in Beaufort NC. I'm so glad things are selling well there. And The Raleigh City Museum will be carrying my jewelry, beginning in August, so that is next on my list. I'll be using only NC brewery (and soda) caps for their museum shop.

My show at Eye of the Eagle in Clayton opens August 1st. The reception is Friday the 6th and if you are in the area, I'd love for you to come!

That's about all for me right now. Here's hoping our internet issues are resolved soon and I can get back to blogging on a more regular basis. Thanks for stopping by!!!

~Michelle

First Felting Finished!

I finished the felted piece that I first showed you back in mid-May. I made some cording on my machine and hung it from a bamboo rod. I stitched some shells with natural holes to the cording. I think the rod needs something as it looks rather plain. Any suggestions? I may dip the ends is glue or UTEE and beads. I'm just not sure.
As I worked along, I wasn't sure how I was going to finish the edges. I finally decided that I liked all the raw edge pieces going on and wanted to leave them. I backed the whole piece with a bit of hand dyed scrim that was just the right size. I think it was a good decision.

Here's a close up. The whole piece is hand needle-felted, hand stitched, and hand beaded. It's about 12" x 15" not including the hanging parts. Now I need to figure out what to call it! This is one of the pieces that will hang at Eye of the Eagle in Clayton in August.

~Michelle

Sew Somerset and other good news

Some good things have been happening while I've been in a creative lull. First of all, I have a few small pieces of fiber art on page 132 of the current (summer 2010) issue of Sew Somerset. And just as exciting is the fact that three of my cyber-friends are also in this same issue! So, if you have an opportunity to check out my work, you can also look for Carole, Normajean, and Leilani.

Nautical Flags, Beaufort NC

Secondly, I will have a few pieces on exhibit in The Green Room Gallery at The Scrap Exchange in Durham NC. The focus of this awesome store is recycling, and I am going to exhibit "Spirit Tree" (see recent post) and a few other pieces along with other members of the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild. The show will run from June 18 through July 10.

Sailboats at Sunset, Beaufort NC

Thirdly, I am gearing up for a solo exhibit of my fiber art at The Eye of the Eagle in Clayton, NC. This is a wonderful little art gallery, tucked away in a quaint little town. Definitely worth a visit! I have to deliver my art by the end of June, so I will be busy, busy, busy, trying to finish up some new work. Wild Horse, Shackelford Banks NC

And finally, as you can see by the photos, we got away the other weekend to the beautiful coastal town of Beaufort, NC. We took a ferry to the undeveloped barrier island of Cape Lookout National Seashore, and just generally relaxed and enjoyed infinite beauty and inspiration. It was wonderful. While I was there, I came upon a delightful art store called Art & Soul. I spoke with the owner and she is going to begin carrying my bottle cap jewelry! I have always wanted to have representation at the coast, and now I do! I'll be making some new "beachy" pieces this week to send to her.

Cape Lookout Light

I hope you've enjoyed this little taste of the beauty to be found on the North Carolina coast, and if you are not too far away, I hope that you will visit sometime. I'll be posting more info about upcoming artist's receptions as I receive details, so watch this space!

Cape Lookout National Seashore

Thanks for taking this journey with me!

~Michelle

A change of paint

Ain't it funny how the time goes? I started this blog post a week ago, ran out of time, saved it as a draft and here I am just getting back to it. It almost feels like old news now! Anyway, I traded in my art supplies for a roller and some wall paint, and remodeled the kids' bathroom. I thought I'd share it with you. It was time to say goodbye to the palm tree mural that has graced the long right side wall for many years. The walls needed to be repainted, and the kids are getting older - not that they don't enjoy palm trees any more, but it was time for something a bit more sophisticated (or maybe it was just as excuse!)

I painted the walls a soft chalky green (which really doesn't show up well in the photos ... the photo of the shower curtain has probably the best representation. The color is Harbour Town by Benjamin Moore). On the long wall I painted blocks of color and hung black and white prints of photos I've taken on our many family vacations. I let the kids list their most memorable places and use their lists in choosing photos. A nice way to make the space personal! I can always change out the photos whenever it needs refreshing.

I painted the ugly, old orangish oak and plywood cabinets a semi-gloss black and added chrome hardware. Ahhhh ... they look so much better, and set off the white marble vanity, which isn't going anywhere.

I swapped out the old tropical shower curtain and rings for a sleek black and chrome number. I also hung it about 8" higher up the wall which added more drama than I expected.

I, yes, I myself, personally and without assitance, took down the old brass "hollywood" globe vanity lights and wired up these new chrome and glass beauties. And I even did it right the first time! Was a leap of faith to flip that light switch on for the first time, that's for sure.

What's left is the floor (half carpet - what was the builder thinking??? - and half old vinyl), mainly, and a low flush toilet. I am toying with tearing down the tiles in the shower and installing new ones. I am a bit suspicious that there is an insufficient moisture barrier behind those tiles, and better to take them down and find out than to deal with a mold issue down the road. Or, maybe this is just another excuse ...

~Michelle

A Recipe for Adventure

Here's my little adventure of the week: I wanted to try my hand at needle felting. I don't have an embellisher machine, but I have the little needle puncher and brush mat. The base of this piece is part of a thrift store wool sweater that was shrunk/felted. I have been adding a little bit each day, and I suppose I will keep adding to the piece until it tells me it is done. I hope you can tell that it is a beach scene. I just added the "lines" to separate the water from the sand and sky, and next I'll fill in more water colors to give the ocean depth and (hopefully) dimension. It's been a fun experiment, in spite of the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing!!!

And I made this cake today - we are celebrating the 19th birthday of Pablo, our Guatemalan high school student who is living with us during the school year. The recipe is below ... delish!


Strawberry Fudge Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 can strawberry pie filling
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract

1 tub chocolate frosting

(note: you can use whatever flavor cake mix and pie filling you want - apple spice is very good! and you can substitute vanilla extract for the almond, or you can omit the extract, if you want)

Mix all ingredients and bake according to directions on cake mix (about 40 minutes for a bundt pan). Let cake cool, melt some frosting in microwave safe bowl for about 15-20 seconds. Drizzle over cake. Enjoy!!

Spirit Tree

Here's a sneak peek at the piece I've been working on. I need one more yellow bottle cap to finish it. Hopefully it will come my way soon. I am calling this piece "Spirit Tree". It is a 22x28 wrapped canvas - something new for me. It is for the exhibit at Eye of the Eagle in August and therefore is made with saved/recycled materials.

The background texture is built up with tissue paper. The flowers are fabric paper, and the flower centers are bottle caps and wine bottle tops.

The word "Spirit" rests among the roots of the tree. I have had the gulf oil disaster on my mind while I've worked on this piece, even though I started it before that happened, and it has directed much of the path this piece has taken. When it is finished, I'll share the completed piece with you.

On to the next one ... wonder where it will take me? ~Michelle

Going Green, and Orange, and Blue ...

In honor of National Craft Beer Week, this bracelet was chosen to be highlighted in the Going Green section of the Try Handmade website. Thanks to Rebecca for choosing to include me in a terrific article, and a special shout-out to my friend and fellow collector-of-all-things-cool-and-reusable, Tracy, for recommending me to Rebecca. Tracy's blog and etsy shop are definitely worth a visit! I've added some charm bracelets to my etsy shop, and will be adding more items during the day.

And just to prove that I still know how to thread my sewing machine, here is a small round-robin quilt that I am working on with a group of three other ladies. We are going to donate these quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Inniative (AAQI) for auction when they are finished. The May quilt auction is going on right now - but ends on Monday the 10th, so check it out! New quilts are available each month and all the proceeds go to fund research for a cure.

I was the third person to work on this quilt. It started with the jar of honey, the second person added the bees (which are amazing!) and I added the clovers. I free motion embroidered the clovers and was pleased with how they turned out. I might have to make some more for myself or a future project, so I don't forget how I did it. I love how this quilt is developing.

I am still working on a rather large canvas piece. It is coming along - I just have to figure out what finishing details are needed. It always seems like that is the hardest part!

~Michelle