[Scan of the last 3 tags.....still need to be quilted and embellished!]

An "art day" for me!
These are works in progress, small collages on tags.
I'm having fun on this cold, cloudy morning with
snow in the forecast for tomorrow.
I have to overlap these a bit on the scanner, there are four tags started here. [ Click on the photo for a closer view.] When finished, they will be posted to
my ARTY Collages and Dolls blog.

What is Grandma Lila doing?

It's a soccer ball for the baby grandson. His first birthday is coming up, but this colorful cloth ball will be a Christmas gift. It will spend the next few weeks under a Christmas tree in the window of the sewing center where I now work. This is a project from the book, "Seams to Me" by Anna Maria Horner. I used the shop's embroidery machine to make embellished fabric for the ball....a dog, a porpoise, an angel fish, ducks in the rain, a "Nemo" type fish...it was a fun day at work!

After stuffing, as much as possible, the final seams have to be hand sewn. So (sew?) the fun continues at home to finish the project!

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I am enjoying the creativity of sewing. Today's young designers/mothers/bloggers inspire many of us. Heather Bailey has a wonderful photo which captures the feeling of creativity in art and sewing here. She even has a delightful PEAR pincushion!
I wanted so much to share the photo directly with you....but don't want to violate copyright...

Our digital camera is not working well indoors....I had to use photoshop to lighten and bring out the photos above. They are still not clear. This will not do!

Being a visual communicator, I can't blog without photos, mine or other folks! LOL!

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Afternoon note: I have been on the back porch starting a painting ...the digital camera works if there is plenty of light.

Miss Indigo Pears is now an avatar!



She really looks like me and my world and how I dress....I could have chosen many different looks including being on a motorcycle, LOL!

Create your own avatar at avatars.yahoo.com (you will need to get a yahoo ID first....I had one from my Flickr account)

For days there is a dull roar heard as a background sound in our town. The Annual Bikes, Blues, and Barbeque event is here again!

The first weekend in October, an estimated 350,000 bike (or blues? or barbeque?) fans descend upon our area of the planet.
This used to irritate me no end.!!!!!!!

I was delighted when we were in Flagstaff at this time last year!!!!

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This year, remember, I am trying to live with an "open" and accepting attitude.

SOOOOO........lets go see what this is all about!
It is mind-boggling to see so many bikes together!
And not a few gals wearing black leather...(this one has gray on the temples....YES!)
After dark, Mr. Pear and I went downtown for the evening, walking in crowded streets, going from bar to bar...to find standing room...and some lively interesting fellow "party-animals" (HA!)......
A new sign appeared on a local restaurant.... Good beer, good food and interesting conversation...........and corner evangelists!!!!!

One corner preacher had a sign saying....."THIS PARTY ENDS IN HELL"!

[Most of the "revelers" were harmless, aging baby boomers out for a warm fall evening; there was a strong presence of law enforcement. Our city does not allow alcohol to be served or carried out onto the street....and the weekend is organized to raise money for local charities.]

So, because of my new "open" attitude, I got out of the house and was able to eat barbeque rather than cook! [ I would find myself starting to tense up and worry about, "where will we ever find a place to park..etc...." then I would remember that I am "open" now, I didn't have to try to control even that!,.... sure enough, both nights, a place "opened" up for us as Mr. Pear drove up!]

Pay it forward....

I am doing this exchange from Gemma's post yesterday.....

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange.(The giftie will be a 4X4 similar to this collage of "butterfly queens" which I made) ......the only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making 3 little gifties and the same promise on your blog.

You do not have to make handmade art for gifts you send out...unless you want to!

This is a web page (link below) which will tell you all kinds of things based on the day or your birth! Have Fun!

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.aspaulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

I found more indigo and more pears today!

This is from a local magazine, AY (Active Years). I think this is a wonderful still life! This has strong contrasts between the light hitting the bowl and pears and the shadows they cast. It is painted at eye level, an unusual perspective!

The title is "Plums and Pears 3" it is by Arkansas artist Ed Wade Jr.

Ed has been a fireman, a policeman and is now a pastor. He works almost exclusively in watercolor.