Ruby Red Tootsies!

Well, ladies, I finally splurged and got a pedicure! My hairdresser opened her own salon and has an aesthetician coming in once a week, and she wanted to fill Melissa's first day with clients. What the heck, it was fun. I asked my friend Bevalee what color to get, so ruby red it is!

Creating on the Road?

Hello!

We spent part of Memorial Day weekend over in Salem for an agility trial -- our first time doing one specifically for small dogs. The courses are more compact and the equipment is smaller (and so cute!) so I had high hopes. Wookie did well on his run -- he had a clean run and got his first "Q" (qualifying leg to move up to the next level). He only does a few of the obstacles so he's limited in which events he does. Yoda and I ran in a fun match to become familiar with the equipment on Friday night, and a train ran right behind the building during his first run. We might as well have gone home after that because he got so scared that he just shut down on Saturday. It was so disappointing because he would have loved the games.

Enough of all that! We'll be taking a long trip in the motorhome later this summer and I'm already getting a little itchy about being away from my workbench and sewing machine for that long. I will take a box of beading projects but I'm not sure if I can get anything done in a small space with a puppy! I'm sure we will stop at a quilt shop or two, but I'd like to know how other artistic people handle being creative when they travel. If you have any secrets, please let me know!

More Bling!

This little bracelet has been on my "to-do" list a while (design was published July/July 2005!) and I finally got it done. It was supposed to be an instant gratification project, but I messed it up the first time. I pulled it apart and remade it, but it sat for two days waiting for the loop closure because I was bummed it was too large. Never fear! I added the loop two units from the end instead. :-) It is made with 4mm Swarovski crystals and size 15 seed beads -- a bit small to work on at night but I like the proportions. The double-needle right angle weave was a challenge for a tired brain to fathom at first, but once the pattern is set it is fairly easy to stitch away. Isn't the beaded toggle cute?

Spring Bracelet

It has been cold and dreary here, so last night I decided to whip up a bracelet to brighten things up. The flowers and leaves are Lucite -- I picked out pieces from a couple of samplers from The Hole Bead Shoppe. Swarovski crystals, of course! I bought some 8mm crystal AB rondelles ages ago and then didn't use them because they seemed too glitzy. They're perfect for this, don't you think? How fun, it goes with almost everything (and the sun is peeping out at the moment -- hooray!) I do love instant gratification... :-)

Mixed-Media Mini-Quilt

I managed to get this class sample done yesterday -- a little late but done is good! A couple of my recent mixed-media classes have been canceled for insufficient enrollment (I needed 4 students and only got 3...). I'm starting to think that people are more comfortable doing a specific project that spending the time playing with new media and techniques, so this is a follow-the-recipe project.

The motif at the top is printed on photo fabric and features a digitally altered library card from Designer Digitals. The lace is recycled from an old garment and "dyed" with diluted fabric paint. The paper heart is stamped, painted (including splatter painting, one of my favorite techniques ever!), and embellished with "dyed" cheesecloth. I used my Sizzix die cutter to cut out the heart and was pleased with how easily and cleanly it worked. The cut-out in the center of the heart is backed with a second layer of stamped paper (scrapbook paper glued to 60-lb stock for stability -- otherwise it was too hard to keep the backing layer smooth and flat). I stitched the heart to the quilt by machine with variegated thread and a zigzag stitch. The quilt layers are fused to batting with Wonder-Under and the edges are zigzagged. I think I'll make a second sample with a vintage hankie instead of lace.

I hope your day is filled with creative fun!

Our New Little Girl!

Hello, All! One look at this picture and you can guess where my attention has been the last few days. :-) Say hello to Jade, our 17-week-old Papillon puppy. Isn't she a cutie pie? That's my hubby, Chris, and ugh! me on the right. I'd rather be behind the camera...

I wasn't going to get a new dog any time soon since I still have so much to learn about dog training and agility handling, but an agility friend was thinking of getting a Papillon so I thought I'd check to see what was out there. What an evil friend I am -- I saw this little sweetie and decided she needed to be mine instead!

We're her second home, her first "mom" was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after adopting "Bridget." She is a handful (what puppy isn't?) so her owner asked our breeder to re-home the puppy so she could concentrate on her treatment. Bridget had lots of fancy clothes; as Jade, she has two other dogs to play with and agility competition in her future. Chris adores Jade and loves having a sweet puppy to cuddle with, and I'm already starting to train her. She loves to play tug and says cheese and other training treats are yummy!