Eureka Springs School of Arts

In July I had the wonderful opportunity to take a workshop in Eureka Springs...I stayed with a good
friend...Becky Ross...in their beautiful lakehouse on Beaver Lake. The workshop was making a
Shaman Doll...was not real sure what that was...but turned out to be perhaps your Spirit Doll???
Really anything you wanted it to be. I surmised that it was to be somewhat of a personification of
you...meaning me...so I proceeded do some prep work ahead of the class...what I eventually came up with was not really anything like that...but an offshoot of my original plan. It was very inspiring..there were 10 people in our class...one man....everyone had their own vision...Becky ended up making an
Alaskan figure....complete with wonderful mask...another friend of mine brought a turtle shell and constructed a figure riding a conch shell with wheels...Cynthia made this and finally I understood what
the whole gist of the class...using found objects to do what you saw in the items.
I was inspired...and said "I get it!"...  Our teacher was Valerie Damon...a renowned artist who used to work for Hallmark but many years ago she and her husband moved to Eureka Springs....bought many acres on top of a mountain and live in a log house...grown their own food...do everything very naturally...even composting toilets....she has long dreadlocks and is quite wonderful...by the end of the class I told her we were kindred souls!! I enjoyed every minute of my time there and wanted to share
my creation.....came home and started on several more....My title for the "BOX" ...is "She's trying to

think outside of the Box!"....which is what the class did for me...I needed it.....the little felt doll I just
finished...she is 7" tall and was very fun to make...found the pattern on Pinterest...

Recent Photos

It's been a LONG time since I have posted a new blog....what a busy time since January...John and I spent 3 weeks in India in January...incredible experience....more about that in another blog... returned to Florida....spent a week or so getting back in the groove!!!   My son Mike had injured his hip years ago...he is 43...and it had progressed to where he needed a new hip!  I volunteered to be his nurse! We flew back to Kansas City to have his old college room-mate do the surgery. His name is Scott Cook and is quite re-nowned in the medical field. Operation went well and recovery was painful but his young years were a benefit....after 2 weeks we flew back to Florida where he lives and we visit. We also had his little tiny Dog Luli...and my dog Dory on the plane with us....but we made it and as we speak he is doing quite well. Amazing Grace is all I can say for the wonderful advances of medicine and the prayers for his recovery. Some recent photos to share.......!!!! Grade school art is a wonderful poster of children's art done by a friend..great idea to save special art!!   Another braided mat done with
wool strips....however  in the center a design is hooked...love it!   Francine and Henry are the two doves who LOVE our house and yard... they spend lots of time in our gardens and our porches!!
So fun!    The furniture piece is a cast-off from my daughter...she called and said if you want this come get....of course you have to run right over or it will go out on the curb!!!  I wood-burned the drawers...painted...then painted the whole piece black...I am pleased with it!!! And of course my best
little friend Dory!!!

one of my Hand-made Boxes!

One of my favorite things to do ....(among many!) is to make a box from pieces of cardboard. I am always on the hunt for wonderful papers to use. I am in a bunko group that we have had for 30 years!!!! Sounds long and boring but it is really all about getting together once a month...old friends that have been "friends" for so long. We have a Christmas party every December and exchange gifts. We use the fun method where you choose a gift from the pile and open it. The next person can pick another or "steal" your gift...it gets very serious to say the least. This is the perfect opportunity for me to make a special box! On the top of the box is a gathered fabric flower that my friend Suzanne showed me how to make. SO FUN! Inside the box was one of my glass Snowmen!!!

Little Braided Mats

This year (December 2011) at our annual rug-hooking Christmas party a friend (Carol Lawlor)

showed us some little braided mats using the strips of wool we use in rug hooking. As there are many strips left over after completing a rug or a hooked piece....you soon accumulate quite a stash of random width strips....various colors. I had heard of these little mats and one day tried to make one...not very successfully. Tossed it aside and forgot about it. Carol told us she was going to give a demonstration ....How-To...at the next Guild Meeting. Since I would be gone I was not happy to miss the demo. They were SO cute...looked exactly like a larger braided rug. She said they required LOTS of steaming so the next day or so I attempted again. The braiding went well but hand-lacing them together was very tedious....frustrating! So I attempted to zig-zag on my sewing machine....a very wide zig-zag. It worked beautifully....any distortion was corrected wit heavy steaming. I did back them with a piece of felt..also zig-zagged ....gave them more stability. I have to say "Thank You Carol."...I have now made 6 of them..my favorite one is the one using one of Anita's (our rug hooking teacher) crazy spot dyed pieces with wild colors.

Handcrafters Show ...October 28...2011

Well...our show is just around the corner...Suzanne and I are sharing a booth...and have been working all summer "creating" things for it. Here are some more items I will have in the show.

I have had a wonderful time making different things...it should be lots of fun....now I have to tag and price everything....the hardest thing for me!!!

Weekend at the Lake

We sure picked a great weekend to go to the lake...John..Mimi...Melanie and Ray...and of course all the dogs! (Melanie's 2...and Dory!) It was THE best weekend so far this fall...picture perfect.

We did a few chores...Melanie washed some windows...(I watched)...John blew off the many leaves that have already fallen...also more acorns than I have EVER seen. We went on a great

boat ride...with the Sr. Hills....who live a few doors down....went to Capn' Rons for a yummy

lunch ...also took a long walk...a neighbor saw a bobcat last weekend...right near our house...very scary! Here are a few photos.......

Mastering the Art of cutting wine bottles!!

After many unsuccessful attempts at cutting wine bottles ...to re-purpose into other products such as
candle lights...containers with the bottom that is cut off...I finally found a device that works. It is from a company called Diamond Tech...Tampa, Florida.. There is quite a learning curve with this device.
When I first tried to use...I broke about 30 wine bottles...(No..I did not drink all that wine...I have to confess I rescued them from our Glass re-cycling bin!!!!) The setting has to just so exacting...if anything moves while cutting the bottle...it is a mess-up! But I now have it down to a science and so rewarding when you get a clean break. After scoring the bottle all the way around...you dip bottle into boiling water

for maybe 15 seconds??  Then immediately dip in sink of ice water. You should begin to hear a slight cracking and the scoring begins to widen...then the bottom falls off. Voila!!!  You have a top part for the candle light and the bottom for a container. Edges are sharp so I grind them and sand with wet sandpaper until they are not sharp. Now everyone may not be interested in this...but I am having fun....would be wonderful lining your walk in the evening...for a party...a group of them on a table as centerpiece??

Fall 2011 Art Show..Handcrafters

Have been wanting to post some photos of some of the things I have been working on for my fall show. I am sharing a booth with Suzanne Lawrence... a longtime friend. We

get along great and enjoy doing shows together. I do believe she is as passionate as I about creating "Things". Our styles are a bit different...but that makes for a more interesting booth. We recently took a class at a local scrapbooking store...now I do not do scrapbooking...but Love all the things...paper...charms...inks...punches...I do Lots of cards...only send my hand-made cards...and find dozens of uses for all the items. We made a delightful thing...do not even know how to describe it...but will show a picture of it. It was a lesson in collage and we learned SO many techniques...I could not shut my mind off after coming home....it was from 6:00 to 9:00...I am now trying to re-create one for my grand-daughter's upcoming birthday. So here we go with the photos! Thanks for checking out my blog!!

Patrotic Postings!!

With the 4th of July right around the corner...my crafting/woodworking has

leaned patriotic...with a couple of fun projects I'd like to share. Sometimes

my best ideas come when I am working on something else. I was working on a large wooden flag that I started a year ago and sort of lost interest. Decided to pull it out from the bottom of the wood pile and see if I could finish it

for our lake house this summer. I finished it and it inspired me to do these other two "FLAG" projects. I looked at my supply of paint stirrers on the workbench and a lite-bulb went off....so I put 7 of them together to create

the small wood flag....my next one I will try to turn into the top of a box.Two pieces of wood on the back ....one on either side...(glued) will hold all the slats together.

My sister's birthday is July 6th...she was almost a (4th of July baby...)

so I created this card with paint chip samples from Home Depot. I have used

the paint samples before for craft projects...but I now have a Zyron?

sticker making machine so I just run the paper strips thru that and cut the

strips for the card....making them SO easy to use! Happy Crafting!

Wonderful old Needle Case

At a recent flea market/antique show I came across this great old needle case. I kept walking

away from it ...then returning to look again. It is in perfect shape...I have a real affinity for Spool cabinets...anything old with drawers. Had never really seen a needle case. They were free when

the store owner (long ago!) bought a supply of needles. I finally gave in when the dealer reduced his price. I have it on my computer table and put pencils...papers, etc in it. I REALLY needed it!

Actually I have attempted to make a reproduction of the same thing. Not finished yet...but am working on it.

Fun times in Branson at Big Cedar Lodge

Long time ....no blog from me...sad...have been busy...busy...busy...where does the time go?

Hope to catch up and post some new fun things! Our whole family came together for John and Mimi's BIG anniversary party. My three wonderful children planned the whole thing....all we did was just show up! We stayed at Big Cedar Lodge right outside of Branson. I would recommend it for anyone...wonderful accommodations...nice restaurants...lots of things to do. We had a great time...all staying in the same large place. There were 13 of us... Want to share some photos

from our time there.