Inspired

Our daughter knitted an apple sweater.
It protects the apple while traveling in a picnic basket
or a lunch pail. She inspires me.

We went to a paint your own pottery place for her birthday activity.
I choose cupcake plates and my husband painted bugs for the plates. I am thrilled with them. We had lots of fun crafting.

I began knitting a car blanket while traveling.
The point protectors I used are just common orange rubber ones.
They do the job but are not very pretty.

I have one set of pretty point protectors.

My daughter doesn't have any.
We decided we would have a Krafty Kitten afternoon
and do some jewelry making and try our hand at making
point protectors.

Using Sculpty and a couple of thimbles I made a pair.
We baked them in the oven. My daughter used small wooden thread
spools and filled the centers with sculpty for hers. We used our needles for the right sized holes. I brought mine home to paint.
I am already planning my Krafty Kitten time with my daughter for next year. I am gathering materials to make more point protectors. If we want to we could offer them to Yarn Shops. I think we are on to something.

Portland, Oregon is a very artsy city.
We went to Scrap looking for crafting supplies.
They also have a public sewing place and a power tool library.

My husband found "The Wheel of Time" at scrap for a nickel.
Perfect for the theme of our trip.

I had seen a journal book made from shopping bags.
I decided to make one when I came home for my next year's trip journal.

We had done some shopping along the way so I have a few bags.

I found some nice cotton for the cover.

My daughter found a book of bag patterns and some lovely fabric
at her independently owned fabric shop.

I requested a few books on bookmaking from my library.
They were in yesterday so I shall read and decide on how to
bind my brown paper journal.

Learning bookbinding will be another skill I have longed to have.

While in Portland, I bought a wonderful rock tumbler.
I want to do my kitchen back splashes in gems stones and fossils.

It will take me awhile to acquire all my pieces.

Learning how to do mosaics
has been on my wish list for years.
I shall be in the gathering part of this project for awhile.

Every day

Every day is an artful day.

Fresh figs not only inspired a dye project but an entire garden.

It is fun to gather natural materials for all sorts of imaginative projects.

Anything can be made into amazing art.

I love the made from scratch life.

I love handmade, homemade.

I am working on gathering for our trip.

I am making plans.

I have made so many different things in the past.

From a tea towel I bought in Yellowstone National Park when we visited in 2000 I made a nice pillow.
I wonder what treasures I will find this time?

I am drying peonies,

chamomile

and oranges for winter teas.
They will be ready to store when I return.

Our son gave us these gorgeous fossils last year.

I have them in one of the mini cabinets in my house.

I have many cabinets of curiosities.

We are getting the gardens ready to be left for a few weeks.
There is an art to pruning.

I decided to knit a lap blanket while I travel.

My daughter told me about this great on line knit shop,
Knit Picks. Great prices on yarn.

I have knitted a few rows to get started. It is an easy, relaxing project. Plus I need a lap blanket for the car.

I am so very excited.

Road trips are so very conducive to 

artful living.

Birds and books

I am surrounded by inspiration.
The Baltimore Orioles and the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are
exotic birds. Spending time with them is a joy.

I have begun a journal for my fancy work.

I shall record my thread and needle choices. A place to do design.

I have so many ideas.

My husband has redone a flower bed.

We are preparing to grow fig trees.

We hope to get our fig trees this Friday.
This has been a dream of mine for many years.
I do hope the figs do well in my backyard.

I am thinking the fig will be my focus fruit for 2012.
I love the idea of a bowl of felted figs!

I want to try doing photo transfers .

I have lots of photos to use as patterns for embroidery.

I also want to do some dyeing this summer.

We are planning a road trip.

We are going fossil hunting.

There are two main fossil beds we will be visiting.

One is in Nebraska the other Oregon.

We are planning our trip to include lots of rocks.

The Adult birds are beginning to bring the babies out.

So cute.

I have decided to knit a lap blanket

while traveling.
I do love these hats.

I shall think about knitting hats this winter.

I am drying herbs for teas and

creating my own tea blends.

This book is inspiring.

Planning a Fossil Hunt
is exciting.
I have my rock hammer and my chisel.