Comfort Cottage

Time For Quilting

Last week I made the trip to Intercourse, PA with my sister.  The first stop, as always, was the Old Country Store where I spent an inordinate amount of time drooling over all of the new spring fabrics and books.  Ultimately, I couldn't make up my mind about the fabric, so I decided to sleep on it.  I did however, return with a quilting book.  It is a new title from That Patchwork Place called Pretty Patchwork Quilts, by Cyndi Walker.   The cover quilt is gorgeous, but there are plenty more beautiful quilts inside.

 

 

A trip to the fabric store is always inspirational, and I came home freshly bitten by the quilting bug.  I decided to look up quilting blogs and I wasn't disappointed.  In my travels about cyberland, I came across a particularly colorful quilt blog:  Diary Of A Quilter.  Amy Smart is the keeper of the quilting castle there, and her approach is fun, informational, and down-to-earth.   While browsing, I came across a wonderful quilt pattern that is perfect for utilizing fat quarters and scraps.  It is called Rainbow Connection, and you can purchase it directly from there.

 

 

After sorting my fabrics by color, I began cutting and sewing right away.  I'm using Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms line in addition to many other fabrics I've collected over the years.

 

 

My quilting projects usually begin here, spread out all over the floor.

 

 

I eventually make it to the table.

 

 

 

 

I'll keep you posted on my progress :)  Now, I'm almost embarrassed to admit this - but I will, because I'm dying to share this with you.  Friday began innocently enough.  I went to a fabric store closer to home to get some white cotton for the background for this quilt.  The shop I was in was about halfway to Intercourse.  (Can you see where this is going?)   It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and my pretty red car was just begging me to take it for a drive through the country.  Well, I couldn't just go home.  I headed west and before I knew it, I was back at The Old Country Store.  This time, I made up my mind.  I found some gorgeous fat quarters.

 

 

 

 I feel another quilt coming on...

Finally,  I checked out the book section one more time.  I was very excited to find Four Seasons At Minglewood by Debbie Roberts.  The book, from Kansas City Star Quilters contains patterns for fifteen twelve inch quilt blocks, and instructions for making a number of wonderful quilts.  All of these blocks can be used to design countless other quilts.  It is a fantastic resource.

 

Today, I have the cottage to myself.  The men are out and about, and it is the perfect opportunity for me to sew.  I hope and pray that you are all well.  I truly enjoy sharing life's creative adventures with you.  Come again soon.

 

Until next time,

 

April Calendar Challenge

It is a gorgeous, warm, sunny day here in Pennsylvania, and I have the perfect thing to share with you today.  I have been seeing all sorts of lovely handmade calendars popping up all over blogland, and I have found the source.  There is a very talented lady at The Kathryn Wheel who hosts a monthly challenge: Calendar 366.  You may have heard of her: Kate Crane.   Her captivating art journal work has been featured in Stampington and Company's fabulous publication, Art Journaling, by Somerset Studio.  This is my calendar for the month of April.

 

 

I used a square punch and Kay & Co. papers.  I can't remember the manufacturer of the the stamp line for the swirls, but the butterfly is from Inkadinkadoo.  All of the images are vintage free stuff I found on the web.  The background was done with Delta Ceramcoat paints and a natural sponge.  If you would like to learn more about the calendar challenge, you can find it here.  Kate's wonderful work has been featured in the Winter 2012 issue of Art Journaling by Somerset Studio, as well as many other publications.  You can find links to all of the participants for this month's challenge here.

 

 

The last item to share with you, I promised about two weeks ago, but unfortunately, the subject, my niece's 12 week old Bernese mountain dog, would not sit still long enough for me to get a photograph!  On Sunday, we had a family gathering at my sister's house and Moses, the newest addition to the family, finally cooperated.

 

 

Is he not the most adorable puppy on the planet? (Have you ever seen a puppy that wasn't adorable?)  This guy is already twenty-seven pounds, and he's gaining an average of about six pounds per week.  Hugging him is like hugging a bear cub!  I LOVE big dogs!

It's time for me to get back to work.  I should have another drawing to share with you in a day or so.  Enjoy the lovely spring weather we are having!

 

Until next time,

 

Art Journal Fun And A Gift For You

When reading a book I purchased recently, I came face to face with the art of Teesha Moore, who is well known for her beautiful art journal pages, amongst many other things.  The book is Creative Wildfire by L. K. Ludwig.  Teesha is one of the featured artists. 

 

 

Creative Wildfire is packed with ideas on approaches to art journaling, beginning to advanced techniques and interviews with many artists.  It will truly set a fire under the aspiring journal artist, and if you haven't started that journal yet, you will want to after reading this!

Being a fan of Teesha's art, I, of course, had to check out her website.  Wow!  It is an amazing and inspiring place.  She has wonderful videos to watch, including a fabulous series on art journaling.  If you have been curious about what an art journal is, or how to go about creating one, this is the video to see.  I've watched the first part of the series (It's free!)  and I've begun creating my pages.

 

 

The first step is simple and it gets you past "blank page syndrome".  You know the symptoms: vacant stare, eyes glazed over, mind empty.  It's easy to treat.  Just add color!  Simple craft paints will do.  Watercolors are great too.

 

 

Next, I added some borders.  Journal fodder can be found anywhere: old magazines, junk mail, scrapbooking papers, gardening catalogues, the phone bill (You might want to pay it first.)  Just don't think too hard about it - work from your heart.  No one has to see it but you.  It's your personal art laboratory where you can cause the kind of explosion that won't bring the bomb squad to your door:  a color explosion.

 

 

There is another source of collage material that's probably the most satisfying.  Grab some old collages or paintings you've done, or even some of your childrens' art.  Try scanning or photographing them and zooming in on small areas on your computer.  You might be surprised at what you discover.  There are probably dozens of interesting things within a single composition.  Enlarge isolated areas and print them out on regular paper.  You can cut them up and use them in your journal pages.  Your journal will begin to reflect your own heart.

 

 

 

I used parts of some of the work I did for Strathmore's Online Workshop, and some parts of existing journal pages.  I also used some of the free offerings I found on Flicker.com.  I would like to reach the point where I am using even more of my own art: which brings me to the gift part of this post.  I used watercolors, water-soluble crayons, markers, and gel pens to make something I can cut up and use in my pages.  I would like to offer you the use of this page for your personal use in your own journals.  Just click on the image to get the largest size and then right-click on it and choose the "save image as" option.  Be patient, it's a full-size page.

 

 

I'll show you more as I develop my pages further.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Have fun journaling!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Littlest Teacher

As I look through my photographs from my recent trip out west, this little bird continues to call out to me.  Even the smallest,  seemingly insignificant things can be our teacher.  When I considered the vast, often inhospitable landscape of the Badlands, I was touched by the knowledge that God tenderly cares for all of his creatures, no matter where they are.

 

 

You probably recognize this photo from a previous post.  The textures I used are from the Kim Klassen Cafe.  Kim has a weekly group called Texture Tuesdays.  She offers all sorts of free Photoshop textures and recipes that you can use to create truly wonderful digital art.  You can then link up with her each week, and share your experiments and creations.  It is a wonderful place to learn and share.  She also has tutorials and special online classes to help you make the most of your photos.

I used Kim's Aurora and Stained Linen textures.  The flower swirls are free brush downloads from Obsidian Dawn.  The font for the brown text is Scriptina.  I forget which font I used for the word "all" (I need to keep better track of those things!)  The texture for the brown matte is sandstone, from CS5's texturizer filter.

 

Have fun with your photos!

 

Until next time,