Busy creating!

The last three weeks, I've been taking a beginning quilting class. There has been ALOT of homework as far as cutting, ironing,  and sewing at home.  Tonight is our last class and we are going to learn how to put the binding on and hopefully be done.  This past week, I've had to quilt the top.  NOT my favorite part of making this quilt and now I know why people *pay* to have this done.

I loved the construction of this quilt but for me, the actual quilting part was tedious and boring.  The whole "stitch in the ditch" thing had me wanting to throw the whole thing in the ditch a couple of times.  It was difficult for me trying to maneuver the quilt top while trying to stitch straight lines in the seams.  There are parts where my material wanted to bunch up, but whatever - just don't look too close  ~  this is obviously my first quilt with lots of little "hiccups".  That's okay with me - I love it anyway.
Nestle likes it!

My friend Lori came over on Sunday night and we took a bunch of her Harley T-shirts and made halter tops out of them.  I was so tired that I forgot to take a picture but she promised to send me a picture of her wearing them.  We basically cut off the sleeves and the neck, then made a little hem at the top where we cut the neckline off.  Then we threaded grosgrain ribbon through the little hem.  The ribbon is tied on each side and it makes the cutest halter top!

I've signed up for a bunch of swaps and figured I better get moving on some of them.  The first one that is due is a Vintage Back To School Journal Page Swap hosted by Michelle Geller of Hold Dear.   I'm not quite finished with these but wanted to give you a sneak peek.  There are several pockets with pull out journal cards, along with some other vintage elements.  14 of us have signed up for this swap so Michelle will collect all the pages, assemble them and send us each a cute Vintage Back To School Journal.

Next up is Laurie's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" cloth journal swap, then Karla's "Fairy Journal" page swap, then Viv's Halloween Witch Hat Swap, and finally, Jeanelle's Embroidery Swap.  

I'm going to be very busy!

Ann-Denise's Dress Form Class at Paper Crown

 Ann-Denise made the trip up from Texas today to teach a class on how to make  and embellish a dress form.  She always does things over the top and makes attending her classes or her events so much fun!

 Look at these beautiful flowers she brought just for me!  These are my birthday flowers in all the colors that I just love.  I'm telling you - I'm so lucky to have such sweet and thoughtful friends!

Here we are all posing with our finished dress forms.  I love how each one is so different.

This is my dress form.  I'm probably not 100% finished and am going to add some "bling" but this is as far as I got in the time allowed for class.  I'm kind of slow at finishing my projects but I just enjoy the process so much, I see no need to rush things.

In case you are interested, Ann-Denise is hosting a Halloween Event called 31 Wishes.  It will be held in the Ft. Worth area on October 20th, 2012.  I have been to several of Ann-Denise's events and I'm telling you - you don't want to miss it.  The project for the event is a surprise but no matter - it will be fantastic whatever it is .  We were talking today about some of the swaps and perhaps a competition... Can't wait!  Space is limited so if you are interested, I'd sign up *now*!

Sweet Friends...

Wow, I didn't mean to be gone so long from blogging!  I've missed it but I've been so busy working 12 hour days for Hospice, which I love doing, but leaves me completely exhausted.  I've also been taking a beginner quilting class on Tuesday nights *and* I've been doing some real estate stuff too. So - that hasn't really left me any free time AT ALL!

One night this past week I got home to a package in the mail from my sweet friend Laurie.  It's always nice to get snail mail and especially when it is totally unexpected.  Look what she made especially for me!

Isn't it beautiful?  I love everything about it, the colors, the collage, the birds... but I love it the most because she made it for me.
The week following the 4th of July, Laurie had invited me to join her and a few girls for a week of crafting, junking and hanging out at her house.  Because of work commitments, there was just no way I could go. I was sad and disappointed (because I hate to miss out on crafting with friends!) but I knew I could live vicariously through them by reading about it on their blogs.
One of the projects they worked on were these collages and Laurie made the one above just for me.  So, Thank you! Laurie - I hope you know you put a smile on my face and in my heart.  Every time I look at my piece of art I am reminded just how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends.

A day in the life of a Hospice Nurse...

I'm going to tell you a little story about what happened today.
I've been very busy lately helping out by doing nursing visits for Hospice.  Most of the time, I really enjoy visiting my patients, comforting their families and it really makes me feel like I'm making a difference in someone's life.  Believe it or not, there are lots of moments that actually make me laugh, some that make me cry, and some that leave me shaking my head. Today was one of those moments that at first, I had to shake my head but then the situation struck me as funny because I can't believe the way it happened. 
Today, I go to see one of my patients who is very close to dying.  Her daughter comes home from work and asks me if I think she should call her daughters and I tell her that yes, we are getting close, and she probably should call them.  Also in the home is a man, some family member - but I'm not sure really who he is.  I assume he works from home because he has been there the last few times I've visited, but I do not ask because how exactly do I say "Who are you and what are you doing here during the day?"
A little time goes by, the granddaughters arrive to say their goodbyes, and very shortly thereafter, my patient passes.
I start attending to all the little details that are involved after a person dies at home on Hospice.  I'm in the kitchen writing my note when the man comes up to me and asks me, "How's she doing?"
What?  I look at him like, What?  And he asks me again,  "How's she doing?"  In that awkward moment I realize NOBODY TOLD HIM that the lady has died!
So, I let him know that she is gone and he wants to know when. I have to tell him, oh, about a half an hour ago.
Yeah.
So, the day kind of went downhill after that....

What have I been up to?

I'm not sure...A whole lot of nothin? 

Well, let's see.  I had a birthday.  Here I am with Phoebe taking my birthday picture. I posed with each one of the dogs but I'll spare you all the pictures.  Doug took me out to dinner, we went to OKC shopping and for Pizza at the Wedge and he gave me junkin bucks.  :)

 I've been trying to avoid going out since we've had these temperatures:

 I don't mind it up to about 100 degrees but Whew!  106 is a little much.
I've been doing some Hospice Nursing visits so it's in and out of the car all day long which is exhausting.  When I get home at night, I'm just beat...
Phoebe has the right idea - a nice afternoon rest.  Some people have a couch, we have an extra large dog bed.  A huge sectional with no room for people to sit.  Actually Doug gets one tiny little corner and the dogs get the rest.  Hmmmmm......

 I did go to the library one hot afternoon and found this cute little book.  It was a quick and fun read and got me thinking of a bunch of projects I want to do this year.

 Oh, and I've done some junkin.  I bought a similar cabinet that I was in the process of painting when Doug decided he wanted one too for his cycling collectibles.  While shopping at Animal Aid I came across this one for him.  The top colonial looking thing will be taken off and the cabinet will be painted - perfect!

I also went to an Estate Sale and found a bunch of cute vintage children's books that I'm going to use for a Vintage Back to School Journal Swap that I'm participating in.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July (already!?!) and I hope to get a few things done around the house while Doug gets in a game of golf.  I'm ready for a little R&R.

Sweet Phoebs

Phoebe is our sweet but bossy female Yorkie. She rules the roost around here and tells us what to do and when to do it.  If we don't do as she wants, she will not so gently and very loudly remind you until you see things her way.  ;)

Over the years, we have battled with weight issues, skin issues, and allergy issues.  She had an issue with her adrenal glands that not only made her hungry *all the time* (which made her overweight too) but her skin was itchy and she would have terrible skin rashes that I had the worst time trying to  keep under control.

 Even with bathing her a couple times a week, her skin would sometimes get so bad it almost looked like someone was putting cigarette butts out on her.  It was heartbreaking and frustrating that I couldn't keep her feeling good.  Occasionally we would resort to steroids and antibiotics but I didn't want to keep doing that either - first it's not good for her and second, it's expensive.  Finally we tried a drug that would suppress her adrenals and hopefully help with her skin and her appetite.  It worked for a while and then suddenly it sent her into an adrenal crisis.

I went into panic mode when I could see that she really wasn't feeling well. She spent the night at the doggie hospital and was able to come home once she stabilized.  Adrenal crisis is just that - a crisis.  She could have suffered a heart attack, respiratory arrest - a number of things had we not caught it in time. But we did and our vet assured us that now, she would be easier to "maintain".
 So, every 25 days for the rest of her life, she will get an injection to keep her "up".  Her skin is 98% better and her appetite is no where near as ravenous.
Things were cruising along nicely for about 3 weeks when the other night when we were getting ready to go to sleep, her eyes looked "funny" to me.  All I could think of was the look drug addicts get when they are way past high and ready to pass out.  Her eyes were half closed and half rolling back into her head.  I rationalized that maybe she was just overtired and trying to go to sleep and I was bugging her.  But then, about 10 minutes later, she got sick.

Again, panic set in.  I jumped out of bed and rushed her to the emergency vet.  
Once we got there she was alert and acting fine (of course!) but would still do that crazy thing with her eyes.

Turns out, she has a corneal abrasion which can be quite painful.  We got medicated eye drops and she is now on the mend and quickly getting back into her supervisory mode.  Thank goodness!

June 2012 Back Yard

Last year we had the flagstone patio put in and although I didn't really love spending all that $$, I'm so thrilled that we went ahead and splurged.  It's so much nicer being in the back yard now.

Once the patio went in last year, it seemed like we were constantly traveling and getting to the actual landscaping part of the back yard got put on the back burner.  That, and it got to like 115 degrees and seemed to stay that way.  

 There is still so much I want to do in the backyard and time is quickly getting away from me (before the 100 degree temps start next week!) but hopefully my schedule will lighten up a bit and I can focus on getting the back yard more complete.  I've got to mulch - that is for sure.  Plus, we lost one entire half circle garden last year so I have to do something with that.

 I did plant two butterfly bushes and look who came to visit!  This beautiful creature has been hanging around my lavender, and my phlox too.  It makes me so happy!

I planted seven more lavender plants this year.  Some day, I'd love to have a huge patch of lavender.

I've also got a bunch of hummingbird feeders in the backyard.  I love watching the hummingbirds zoom around.  We've got one that is almost all shiny green, one that has a ruby throat, and this little one. 

It's so nice to sit on our back patio and listen to the birds and look at the beautiful surroundings.

4th of July Canvas Class

Last Thursday, Jackie taught this cute 4th of July Canvas Class at the Paper Crown. Isn't it cute?

The class was so fun (as always!) and Jackie treated us to a fabulous chocolate wafer cookie cake.  Go to her blog and check out her pictures.

Friday night, Doug took me to see Barry Manilow at the BOK.  We saw him last year in Vegas and this show, although a little different from the Vegas show did not disappoint! I love Barry Manilow...

Saturday, I went to the Quilt Show here in Tulsa. The Tulsa Dolling Dames had a booth to display our dolls and sell some pin dolls for a fundraiser.

Saturday night, we went downtown to watch the Tulsa Tough bike races.  The speeds those racers got up to on the bikes were incredible.  We didn't actually see any crashes (thank goodness!) but we did see some racers all bandaged up after biting it.  Ugh... Not pretty.

Sunday, I finally got the rest of my lavender planted, gave all four dogs a bath, cleaned this house a little and that was it.

Last night, Monday, was our BUNCO night and I was the winner with the most BUNCO's!  For six months I haven't had a single BUNCO but in one night, I got three!  Whohooo!

Pin Dolls

Several months ago, our Doll Club decided we would each make 5 pin dolls to sell at the Quilt Show next week as a fundraiser for our club.  Last year, we spent several meetings each making doll parts and then assembling the dolls.  This year, we decided to do them individually and our completed dolls are due today.  

Five dolls - piece of cake, right?  Not for me.  The dolls you see are my finished dolls and I do really love them now that they are done.  But these dolls were a real struggle for me to get going on.

 I thought,  "I'll have my doll pins done in NO time!" But that's not exactly how it went.   I thought I would branch out and make my dolls be different than the ones we've done in previous years (although these are always great sellers).  I thought about what my dolls were going to be like.  I researched pin dolls on the internet.

 I went to Hobby Lobby more than once and purchased materials for the different dolls I was "going to make".  I went back to Hobby Lobby and bought the mold for the face of the pin dolls we originally made.  I even molded the faces out of polymer clay - and then left them sitting, unbaked, on my craft table for almost TWO MONTHS! Ugh...

 I was determined NOT to make the same dolls this year.  But guess what - as it usually does, time ran out on me.  Honestly, I procrastinated up until the very last minute.  I've been stressing about these dolls since they first announced we were to make them and I let it stress me for months. Crazy, I know.

 So, late yesterday afternoon, (I still wasn't going to make these!)  I went up to my craft room and started on a different doll.  I got halfway into it and didn't like it at all.  So, angry at myself for waiting so long, and disappointed that I would have to make these dolls, I set to work. I baked those clay faces (finally!) and cleared up that spot on my craft table.  I selected some pretty papers, beads and embellishments and started enjoying the process.

 Hours later, as these girls were coming together, I was happy, calm, and the time had flown by! Once I got over myself, stopped dragging my heels and set to work - I LOVED IT! I love my pin dolls.  In fact, I don't really want to give them away.  But I will - and I hope someone will love them too.

Guess that is my lesson that I needed to learn once again - just do it - it wastes so much energy to stress over small stuff - and once I get going on something, it's usually no where near as bad as I've made it up in my mind to be.

Jackie's Firecracker Class

(Click on the picture to make it larger and see the detail of this cute Fourth of July Firecracker.) 

I'm never disappointed to drive to Oklahoma City to take a class at the Paper Crown, and last night's class with Jackie was no exception. 

If you click on Jackie's blog you can see all of our creations.  Our options for embellishments were limited so we all pretty much not only stayed on track with Jackie's original, but we also finished in record time. I tend to get overwhelmed when there are too many variables on a project because I *way* over-think my choices and of course I want to use everything!

You'll want to check out her recipe for the cookies she made for class.  They were delicious!

While browsing around the store, I saw the sample for the July 4th Canvas we are making next Thursday night.  I can't wait!!

On line classes

So, I thought I had sworn off online classes.  I can't even begin to tell you how many I have signed up for and then never made it through to the end.  For me, it's been a *huge* waste of money, especially when there is a time frame in which to complete the class and I can't seem to get it done - for whatever reason.
But guess what - I CAN'T RESIST!!!

So, this summer, I have signed up for a one-week class over at Big Picture Classes that is being taught by Amy Powers of Inspireco. It is a Happy go Lucky Stitchalong.  We are going to stitch in a grid pattern all the things that make us happy.  I've seen some of Amy's stitching projects and I can't wait to get started on my own. Below is a photo from Amy's site of a work in progress.

I know how to do some embroidering but I'm hoping to learn more techniques and gather more ideas and for $10.00 for the class - I thought, "why not!?!".
I'm also in the process of trying to register for a class on Paperclay sculpting over at Artful Gathering.  Do yourself a favor and if you haven't checked out this site you are not going to believe all the amazing classes being offered this summer.  I wish I had the time and the money to take each and every one!
The class I am originally signing up for will be a six week class and will be taught by Christy Meyers of CC's Whimsies. I've admired Christy's work for a long time and can hardly wait to give this a try.

(Photo from CC's Whimsies site)

My first foray into paperclay sculpting was over a year ago when I attended Ann-Denise's Gurlie class at the Paper Crown. 

Then, this past February, when I attended her Valentine Makery, we made a Valentine Paper Clay Doll:

I had so much fun making these dolls and I keep imagining how fun it will be to learn how to sculpt a face on a doll. Have I mentioned that I attend a doll club here in Tulsa?  

The Dolling Dames is primarily a group of ladies (and one man) that create mostly cloth dolls.  But any of you that know me, know I can't just limit myself to one medium!  ;)  

Tomorrow night is my live class at the Paper Crown with Jackie - can't wait!

Flowers

Look at this beautiful butterfly that came to visit my butterfly bush! 

 I just love lavender, don't you?  There are three varieties planted in my back yard and this year I'm going to try to make lavender oil.  It is so soothing and calming.

These pretty flowers make me happy.  

I'm trying to buy mostly perennials for my gardens but it's always so tempting to purchase the beautiful annuals that I see everywhere. 

I'm going to Oklahoma City this week to take another one of Jackie's *fabulous* classes at The Paper Crown.  Wait until you see what we are making.  It's going to be fun.  :)  Enjoy this short week!

Birdsong Gifts

It never ceases to amaze me the generosity of my artsy friends.  Arriving at Birdsong Two this year, these cake boxes were waiting for each one of us.  Karla made the beautiful tags to adorn them.

 Inside each box were the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts from the sponsors of this years event.  The thought that goes into the packaging always amazes me.

 Don't you just love this beautiful sachet from Tricia Kay Johnson?  So pretty!  Although I want to use the sachet, I almost don't want to disturb the beautifully decorated bag it came in.

 I love this tag sent to us by Laurie May.  I'm going to add it to my journal

 Tami made this adorable peat pot decorated with a sweet bird. Inside was a birds nest necklace and a package of bird themed embellishments.

 When I arrived, Tami also surprised me with a birdie jello tin filled with goodies.  It was beautifully packaged but I didn't take a picture before I opened it.

 Nora surprised all of us with these amazing candles she had made special just for Birdsong Two!  She also surprised me with a bird themed water bottle, a note paper packet, a movie, a floral jewelry tray and a beautiful bird charm necklace.

Isn't this cute?  Linda made these floral decorated spools covered in seam binding.  It doesn't show in the photo but there is a precious bird charm attached to the safety pin. I love it!

Laurie is always over the top generous!  Greeting me upon my arrival, she handed me this wonderful packet of ephemera.  You would not even believe the wonderful treasures she packed in there.  Not only that, each and every item was so lovingly packaged.  I'm still "ooohing" and "aahhhing" over all the treasures.  I don't know where she finds all this goodness but I'm so thankful for her generous heart in sharing!

 In addition to the packet above, in our swag boxes, Laurie also gave each one of us another packet of precious treasure.  A little bird on a spool, a sweet fiber bird nest, some pretty lace...

 The button floozies provided this bag of buttons for each of us!

My friend Terri from here in Oklahoma sent this sweet sponsor gift filled with bird themed images, vintage lace, buttons and ribbon.  

 Ellie gave us these amazing dried roses.  These were perfect for some of the projects we worked on over the weekend.

There were other sweet and thoughtful gifts throughout the weekend.  Someone made beautiful fabric flowers for each of us. I'm sorry I don't know who to give credit to.  I asked a couple people and got different answers but I want to say "Thank you!" and I continue to wear mine very happily.  Suzanne surprised me with a little swan like the one she decorated her matchbox with. I sat next to Jeanette who had all kinds of embellishments that she shared with the group. Just click on each picture to enlarge it and see up close.  I'm telling you - the generosity of the ladies who attend this event is amazing to me.  As I'm typing this, I'm sure there are ladies that I'm failing to mention. I treasure each and every wonderful gift.  I have all my treasures in my craft room and they certainly make me smile and remember what an incredible weekend we had!

I wanted to make a special mention of something that Nicki did.  A few weeks ago when I went to Ann-Denise's High Tea, we had a White Elephant swap. I chose a gift from the pile and when I unwrapped it, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful tea cup with a bird on it, the lovely napkins, the ribbon - just the whole gift was something that I loved.  I was hoping that nobody would take it from me, but unfortunately another person wanted it too and took it from me.  I ended up with another lovely tea cup and ephemera so don't feel sorry for me!  Anyway - Nicki saw how much I loved her gift and she went out and and reassembled the same gift and brought it to me at Birdsong Two!  

I'm telling you - I just *love* the ladies I have met by going to these events.  Not only do we share a love of crafting and creating beautiful treasures, but these are some of the best people (in their hearts) that I have known.