I love my job!

I don't know how some of you bloggers out there are able to post every week. I get so caught up in my life and responsibilities that the blog just falls into the ether. One of my latest responsibilites is finished, and I am excited to show you the results! I have been hired over the last year by a couple of friends to do some home improvement projects involving mostly painting, including ragging and glazing techniques.

This bathroom involved painting, but I was also asked to do a couple of really fun projects. I added a custom mosaic frame around the large mirror, and I customised a valance for the window.

For the mirror I combined a variety of small tiles, both in glass and stone, and affixed them directly to the mirror with silicone glue. The end result created a kind of patchwork feel.

For the valance, we picked a lovely fabric of gray bird and vine silhouettes on a white background.

I applied some wonderful batiked and hand-dyed fabrics over portions of the design using Steam-A-Steam, which is a great fusible product that is re-positionable and can be cut with the fabric for a perfect edge. After all the elements were ironed down I added stitching using perle cotton, to emphazise the applique and tie the design together. I loved doing the needlework so much I actually lost track of the hours I spent! Don't you love it when that happens?

One completed project.

Here is what I've spent my recent free time making - slippers made out of wool sweaters with wool embroidery. Very fun to make, and it feels good to finish something. These are a gift for a friend. The sheep pattern is from a lovely book titled Woolly Embroidery.

Baby it's cold outside!

View out the front window. Poor chilly geraniums!

So sorry for not updating for so long, but I actually haven't had much opportunity to work in my studio lately. I did have one lovely day just before Christmas where I spent a 12-hour stretch in my studio sewing up some handmade gifts. Since then, my husband had hip replacement surgery on January 8, and has been away during his rehabilitation. I've been taking care of my girls by myself, which really leaves very little time for minis and other artistic pursuits.

Today most schools around here have been cancelled because of the deep freeze we are experiencing. I didn't discover that our charter school was closed until we got there - they were having power and water problems and sent out the notice later than usual. Oh well - a day at home with nothing to do... Maybe I will spend some time in my studio. I did start a tiny hand-stitching project out of desperation, just something I can carry around with me. I don't really have a plan for it, but my thread stash was taunting me. I am adding a bare tree on the right and seed-stitching snow over the background.

Hope it's warm where you are!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The kitchen from The Holiday set.

Greetings! In case you thought I quit miniatures, or something equally dire, I wanted to update you and say thank you for being so patient. I've been scratch-building a corner kitchen counter and sink for the Holiday cottage out of mat board. Kris Compas, who most of you probably also follow, makes amazing minis from mat board and card stock and I've been wanting to try it. During a trip to the Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop I found a large stash of mat board for 25 cents per board! I've got enough material to fill a mini mansion. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is actually easier than using balsa wood, glues quickly and paints up well.

Before painting. The knobs are cut from Q-Tips.

The section in place in the kitchen.

Painting in progress.

For those of you celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday, I hope that you are with the favorite people in your lives making lovely memories. For the rest of you, I hope that you have a wonderful day!

The Chaperone

My book club is meeting this month to discuss The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. I read the book in one sitting, staying up until 4am when I really needed my sleep! It is the fictional story of a woman who chaperones a 15 year old Louise Brooks to New York in 1922, and how it alters the course of her life. I found the narrative compelling, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story set within the context of real events. The book also made me interested in learning more about Louise Brooks, a complex and difficult silent film star who became a film writer in later life. I highly recommend giving this one a try!

Still missing you.

Florence on her porch in 1957.

With all of the hubbub of August - my brother's wedding, a quick trip to Chicago with my mom and older daughter, getting the kids ready for school - an anniversary came and went almost unnoticed. My grandmother, Florence Collar, died in 2005 in August, a month after learning that she had lung cancer. This morning I was sitting here in my living room with my tea, relishing the quiet of the house, with no work commitments, and I realized that it's been seven years since she left.

1930's portrait.

Grief is a funny thing. You would think that after losing someone special, each year would get easier. That has not been true for me. I cried buckets when she died, and for days afterwards. But a year later, then two, I would still get these intense pangs of sadness where I would just sob. I am sure that the mourning hasn't just been for missing her, but also saying goodbye to my childhood and all the good memories I could still kind of revel in when I went to visit. Her house, which stayed pretty much the same until I was 35, was a refuge that I always thought of as my second home. The smell of the place, the sounds it made, were so comforting and safe. I miss all of it along with her. So it caught me by surprise that it has been seven years.

Here are a few happy memories so this post isn't all about sadness:

- Making "magic potions" in the tub with remnants of shampoo, lotions, perfume and dish soap. (Smart lady - having me help her clean out her cupboards!)

- Taking afternoon walks down the street to collect acorns and see the "Jesus church" (a church that has a giant, bas-relief carving of Jesus in the front of the building. Can't remember the denomination, it is still called the "Jesus church").

- Getting into her amazing collection of costume jewelry and hats and becoming "Mrs. Gottrocks".

Christmas 1978 with me and my brother.

- Playing house on her front porch.

- Reading magazines in the waiting area while she had her hair appointment every Friday. (The pungent odor of Aqua Net takes me right back!)

- Visits to Bollinger's Toy Store to pick out paint-by-number sets.

- Having lunch with her garden club in the barn at Hedges Boyer Park.

- Asking her to tell me what things were like when she was a little girl.

All of those memories were about simple things, which was one of her gifts. Making something out of nothing, being creative, having patience, including me in her daily activities. Even though my grandparents were always generous and I know bought me lots of things, good memories aren't about things, but about relationships. My grandmother made great memories.

Playing school with my daughter in 2004.

I still miss you, Nanny! I will always cherish what you gave me and will try to be more mindful of making memories with my own family now.

Vintage Dress...

I promised a photo of the dress and shoes. So far this is what I've got.

The party's over...

 
My brother's wedding was yesterday, and I didn't make a fool of myself. I fit into the dress with a little foundation garment help. I didn't break my neck or my ankles in the platform shoes. I didn't get drunk. All in all, it was a beautiful day and a fun wedding. My grandfather, my last remaining grandparent, was able to attend after being in the hospital a couple of weeks ago. My girls were a junior bridesmaid and flower girl, and didn't melt down. Everyone got along.

When I get some pictures back I will post some with me in the dress. For now you can enjoy one of me scaring my dog with the shoes.