HAPPY HALLOWEEN

BOO

DYE-PAINT-PRINT

This piece was created in my class yesterday. First we were told to draw a picture on silk organza. Then we painted it, let it dry, and put another coat of paint on it. I was pleased with how it turned out. Now the fun begins with turning it into a quilt.

HOUSTON QUILT FESTIVAL

Today was my first class at the festival. I took DYE-PAINT-PRINT with Ginny Eckley. I learned how to dye silk all different ways and also how to silk screen. It was a great class and I met some really nice people sitting next to me. It was really exciting to see my name in the program!!! I can't wait until Wednesday for the preview night when I can see all the journal quilts. Here are some pictures from my class today:

HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING

Remember how excited you were when you attended your high school homecoming dance? Last night was Avery's homecoming game and dance. Her high school won the football game and now they are still undefeated! David Carr, the old quarterback for the Houston Texans, little brother Derik, is the quarterback for Clements High School. There was a dance at her school and all the kids wore their mums and garters. I still remember the one I got back over 30 years ago! They used to be real mums but now they are fake. Here are pictures from last night. KELLER AND AVERY GOING TO THE GAME KELLER AND AVERY AVERY, BECCA AND AUTUMN AVERY'S MUM THE GROUP THAT WENT TO DINNER BEFORE THE DANCE.

HAND PAINTING

This man has such talent painting hands. His work is awesome! Guido Daniele's amazing Hand Painting Art. Guido Daniele was born in Soverato (CZ - Italy) and now lives and works in Milan. In 1990 he added a new artistic experience using the "body painting" technique he creates and paints models bodies for different situations such as advertising pictures and commercials, fashion events and exhibitions.

NEW MOSAIC ART

I HAVE SPENT THE LAST FEW MONTHS CREATING MORE MOSAIC ART. THESE ARE A NEW COLLECTION OF COLORED THEMED MOSAICS. THEY ARE A BIT SMALLER THAN THE OTHERS. I will be showing my mosaic art in a holiday show at the EASTMAN GALLERY in Houston. It will be my first gallery showing. SPICY ORANGE GREEN DAY PURPLE MUSE SHOPAHOLIC BLUE DAYS BROWN BASH

POINTS TO PREPAREDNESS FOR EVACUATION

WE ARE ALL GLUED TO THE TV WATCHING THE FIRES BURN IN CALIFORNIA. IT IS SO HARD TO IMAGINE A MILLION PEOPLE HAVING TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES! My husband and I were talking last night about what we would do if something like that happened to us. Here are some suggestions to help you prepare if you are faced with evacuation.

1. PEOPLE: Have a plan for getting out of the house and make sure everyone knows it. Have an emergency bag of food and water for your family. Include wholesome snacks and treats for the children: dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, crackers and granola bars.
2. PETS: Keep pet carriers and leashes readily available to lead pets to safety. Also take pet food with you.
3. PICTURES: Keep negatives or CDs of pictures in a lock box or at a family member's home. Have picture albums in one place ready to grab and go at a moments notice.
4. PAPERS: Have all your important papers in a lock box at a bank and only keep copies at the house. This keeps you from panicking. If you have them at home then put them in a folder that you can easily grab if you have to move fast. Color code it so you can find it!
5. PRESCRIPTIONS: Take your medications with you. Don't forget the ones that have to be refrigerated like insulin. Have small ice chest and cold packs readily accessible to pack and go. If you have babies; remember their formula or medications.
6. PURSES and PETROL: This is where you keep your identification, credit cards and cash. Keep a stash of cash for emergencies and grab it. You may not be able to use an ATM in the event of a power outage. Make sure your car always has a half a tank of gas.
7. PROPER CLOTHES and COMFORT ITEMS: According to the weather conditions; gather up a change of clothes along with outer clothing: coats, rain gear, boots, gloves and hats. If you have babies remember diapers. Remember to grab your children's favorite blanket, stuffed animal or toy. A game or a deck of cards could keep them occupied and calm too.
8. PLANNER/CALENDAR/CONTROL JOURNAL: These documents have all the information you will need from phone numbers, insurance numbers and important dates. They are small and filled with things you don't have to try to remember.
9. PERSONAL PROTECTION: Many of us still have that time of the month. Be sure and grab a box of your preferred protection. It may be hard to find if you have been evacuated. Stress can cause our bodies to do strange things too. So be prepared. Take medication for cramps too.
10. PHONES and RADIOS: Many of us have cell phones now. Always keep them charged up and have a charger in the car or an extra battery. They may not work in the event of power outages, but then they might. Know which local radio station has emergency bulletins. Keep your battery powered radio tuned to that local station and have plenty of batteries for it.
11. PATIENCE: This is one of the most important things to pack. Keep it inside of you so that you have a clear calm head. Having your P's to Preparedness list guiding you will keep you patient. In the event of an evacuation there will be lots of displaced people. Being patient will make things less stressful. Your children need to see you calm and collected. This will help keep them calm too.

FABRIC POSTCARDS

If you read my blog yesterday then you know that I am drinking my hazelnut, nonfat, latte this morning while surfing the internet and reading my e-mails. What are you drinking? I made my very first fabric postcard last year when I participated in Virginia Spiegel's FIBER ART FOR A CAUSE. This was a fund raiser started by her for The American Cancer Society. She raised over $135,000 for them! They were displayed at the Houston Quilt Festival last year and sold for $30 each which was donated to ACS. Artist trading cards are so much fun to make. They are the size of a regular post card and can actually be put in the mail for delivery. ************************************************************************************* I also participated in Karey Bresenhan's Valentine Project where we sent fabric postcards to wounded military for delivery on Valentine's Day. We wanted the soldiers to know how much they were appreciated. It was difficult to scale down your quilt to a 4" X 6" size after making quilts that were always much bigger. Now the newest rage is "INCHIES". Yep, these are quilts that are 1" X 1". There will be an exchange at the Houston Quilt Festival this year. I hope to make some this week. I can't imagine scaling it down to that size now!!!

WHAT DOES YOUR LATTE SAY ABOUT YOU?

Every morning I sit down at my computer and have a hazelnut, non-fat, latte. I can't function without it. I found this website where you can see what your coffee tells about you. Here are my results: ************************************************************************************* You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life. You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious. You have a good deal of energy, but you pace yourself. You never burn out too fast. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are dramatic and intense, but you are never moody. ***************************************************************************

GO TO THE LINK BELOW AND SEE WHAT YOUR LATTE SAYS ABOUT YOU!

http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourlattesayaboutyouquiz/

DOG VIDEO DATING

RAN ACROSS THIS FUNNY VIDEO MADE BY JIB JAB. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE DOGS YOU WILL LAUGH AT THIS! http://www.jibjab.com/view/206036

DOGFESSIONS

I FOUND THIS COOL LINK TO A SITE CALLED "DOGFESSIONS". CHECK IT OUT. IT IS REALLY CUTE! http://www.dogfessions.com/See_the_Dogfessions.html

My favorite artist of all time, besides my daughter, is Donald Roller Wilson. I first saw a painting of his back in 1985 hanging in a home of one of my students. I was amazed by the subject matter and detail that he puts into his pictures. About four years ago my husband surprised me with an original print of "COOKIE IN THE GARDEN". It had a personal inscription made out to me by Donald. I was so surprised! We have it hanging over our fireplace so I can look at it everyday. Most of the people who come into our home don't understand our taste in art. They think it is weird or very strange. TOO BAD FOR THEM!!! Here is a link to a gallery who represents Donald. Enjoy looking at his fun paintings and perhaps you will want to buy one, too. ************************************************************************************** http://www.meyergalleries.com/santafe/more_works/83page1.asp ************************************************************************************** If you would like to visit his website you are in for a real treat. Fasten your seatbelt! That link is here: ************************************************************************************** http://www.donaldrollerwilson.com/

LIGHT BULB MOMENTS

Where do ideas come from? The simplest answer to that question is "life". Ideas come from living, learning, reading, and experiencing things. When we live we spark new ideas, like a pool player shooting the que ball toward balls already lodged on the table. Those balls do not move until we add something to it, something that careens them across the table, and into a pocket. Like sparks on tinder, if fueled right they create a fire.

When you're at a movie do you listen quietly or do you constantly want to ask how they did those special affects, or why that person went to that place? When you read do you scribble thoughts in the margins or in a special book you keep with you all the time? Do you have a note book in your pocket for stray thoughts through out the day? Do you silently talk back to the articles in newspapers, or have imaginary debates with an audience in your head? However you come up with your "light bulb moments" use them to improve your art. Write them down and remember them when they do pop in your head!

LIGHTGRAMS

This is a really cool process called "LIGHTGRAMS". It was taken in a very dark room at my house. You use a small flashlight battery and hang it from a 4' string pinned on the ceiling. Your camera is resting on the floor, pointing up towards the light. Using a series of colored plastic squares you open up the lens and switch the colored plastic whenever you feel like it. The string swings in a circular motion and the image is captured. It is always interesting to see what you get.

PAPER, PLASTIC, OR SOMETHING BETTER

Today all bloggers are concentrating on making others aware of environmental issues that are important for ALL OF US. The next time the clerk at your favorite grocery store asks whether you prefer “paper or plastic” for your purchases, consider giving the truly eco-friendly response and saying, “neither.”

Plastic bags end up as litter that fouls the landscape, and kill thousands of marine mammals every year that mistake the floating bags for food. Plastic bags that get buried in landfills may take up to 1,000 years to break down, and in the process they separate into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate soil and water. Furthermore, the production of plastic bags consume millions of gallons of oil that could be used for fuel and heating.

For example, according to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, which consumed 14 million trees.

Reusable Bags Are a Better Option But if you decline both paper and plastic bags, then how do you get your groceries home? The answer, according to many environmentalists, is high-quality reusable shopping bags made of materials that don’t harm the environment during production and don’t need to be discarded after each use. You can find a good selection of high-quality reusable bags online at reusablebags.com. In addition, many organic grocery stores and consumer co-operatives carry reusable shopping bags.

Reusable Bags Are Best for Both Consumers and the Environment

JEWGRASS

Mare Winningham is being promoted now as the inventor of a new genre of sound called "JEWGRASS". This is bluegrass music with a Jewish biblical slant to it. Winningham began her career as a singer-songwriter. In 1976, she got her break singing the Beatles song "Here, There, and Everywhere" on "The Gong Show." Though Winningham received no record contracts as result of the appearance, she was signed to an acting contract. In 2006, she landed the role of Susan Grey on the ABC hit drama Grey's Anatomy where she played the step-mother of Dr. Meredith Grey. Her character was suddenly killed off in May 2007! Though born into the Roman Catholic religion, Winningham felt her spiritual life was lacking. Following a recommendation from a friend she converted to Judaism in 2003. "With a voice that has been compared to the smooth tones of Alison Kraus and the emotion of Emmylou Harris, Winningham is one of America’s most highly regarded performing artists. She has appeared on stage, screen, and in over sixty movies for television and has been honored with an Academy Award-nomination, two Emmy Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, a Golden Globe Award nomination, two Screen Actor’s Guild nominations, and a Peabody Award for Excellence in Television,". Listen to this link to hear her voice: http://refugerocksublimebeta.blogspot.com/2007/02/valley-of-dry-bones.html Here are all the projects she has worked on just for 2000:

1. Swing Vote (2008) (filming) .... Larissa Johnson
2. Next of Kin (2008) (filming) (in negotiations) .... Susan
3. War Eagle (2007) (completed) .... Belle
4. "Grey's Anatomy" .... Susan Grey (6 episodes, 2006-2007) - The Other Side of This Life: Part 1 (2007) TV Episode .... Susan Grey - The Other Side of This Life: Part 2 (2007) TV Episode .... Susan Grey - Time After Time (2007) TV Episode .... Susan Grey - Scars and Souvenirs (2007) TV Episode .... Susan Grey - Don't Stand So Close to Me (2006) TV Episode .... Susan Grey (1 more)
5. The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005) (TV) .... Martha
6. "Clubhouse" .... Lynne Young (12 episodes, 2004) - Second Place (2004) TV Episode .... Lynne Young - Player Rep (2004) TV Episode .... Lynne Young - Seems Like Old Timers (2004) TV Episode .... Lynne Young - Stealing Home (2004) TV Episode .... Lynne Young - Road Trip (2004) TV Episode .... Lynne Young (7 more)
7. "Boston Legal" .... Patrice Kelly (2 episodes) - Hope and Gory (????) TV Episode .... Patrice Kelly - The Object of My Affection (????) TV Episode .... Patrice Kelly
8. Dandelion (2004) .... Layla Mullich
9. "The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire" .... Dottie Shaw (1 episode, 2003) - Secrets and Lies (2003) TV Episode .... Dottie Shaw
10. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" .... Sandra Blaine (1 episode, 2003) ... aka Law & Order: SVU (USA: promotional abbreviation) ... aka Special Victims Unit (New Zealand: English title) - Manic (2003) TV Episode .... Sandra Blaine
11. The Adventures of Ociee Nash (2003) .... Aunt Mamie Nash
12. The Maldonado Miracle (2003) (TV) .... Maisie
13. "Touched by an Angel" .... Maggie (1 episode, 2002) - The Bells of St. Peters (2002) TV Episode .... Maggie
14. Tru Confessions (2002) (TV) .... Ginny
15. "Six Feet Under" .... Eileen Piper (1 episode, 2002) - The Plan (2002) TV Episode .... Eileen Piper
16. "Night Visions" .... Kate Morris (1 episode, 2001) - Still Life (2001) TV Episode .... Kate Morris
17. Snap Decision (2001) (TV) .... Jennifer Bradley
18. Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000) (TV) .... Martha 'Patsy' Jefferson Randolph
19. Sharing the Secret (2000) (TV) .... Dr. Nina Moss