Sewing for Myself

I have not done any sewing for myself in ages.   I needed a new dress and this polka-dot fabric was on sale at JoAnn's for cheap so I whipped up a dress and this belt made from scraps of vintage fabrics from the forties and fifties.  I picked up the buckle at the Brimfield Fair last fall.

 

Someone gave me these scraps that had been carefully cut into squares and saved in individual envelopes perhaps for a quilt that never got made?  They are very retro and remind me of necktie fabric.   Very fun to work with.

Pickity Place

I had a delightful day with girl friends at a favorite lunch spot called Pickity Place.  Located in Mason, New Hampshire, this quaint little restaurant is surrounded by beautiful herb gardens now quietly sleeping under a thin snow cover.  Each month the restaurant features a different menu with five courses revolving around locally grown herbs.  I used to live just few miles from this restaurant and would go frequently but had not been in several years.  I was glad to see few changes and the food was as wonderful as ever.  If you ever have the chance to get there, don't miss it.  Especially when the gardens are in bloom.

The house dates back to the 1700's and was used as inspiration for Elizabeth Orton Jones' illustrations of Little Red Riding Hood.  Part of the house is set up with lots of Red Riding Hood memorabilia and of course the Big Bad Wolf disguised as grandmother.  My kids were always fascinated and slightly freaked out by this.  The restaurant has a special lunch served in a picnic basket for little ones.

I've had a mind to make a Red Riding Hood doll ever since one of my fellow artisans brought in a scary wolf sculpture to the gallery.  I had lots of inspiration here.  There are so many versions of the fairy tale.

These guys know where to hang out on a cold winter's day-  right over the radiator!

This is my favorite part of the grounds.  I love this cozy little herb drying shed. 

 

Dessert was especially delicious this month:  White chocolate mousse in a chocolate tart cup with raspberries and kiwi puree.  Yummy!

What did I make today?

In keeping with my work with lace, here is a good use for left over pieces that came from the wire and lace heart projects.  I used a balloon and mod podge to make lace spheres.   I found you have to really REALLY let them dry out totally before you pop the balloon.  Being the impatient person I am and always wanting immediate gratification I popped one too soon and it sort of collapsed but I cut it half and made these cute little bowls which I really like!  The lace spheres are still being worked on and I will share them at another time.

I am using up the pine needles I bought at holiday time from the local farmer's market.  These sachets are making the whole gallery smell fresh and piney.

Wire and Lace

I have been making these wire and lace hearts from patched up pieces of old lace.  Here is a large one with a vintage antique chandelier crystal hanging from it's tip.  They really look lovely hanging in the window catching the light but we haven't had much light these past few days.

Loving Crepe Paper

I am having fun dying crepe paper with glimmer mist and various paints and dyes.  It's sort of addictive to see what colors turn out.  I love the crinkly edges.  I might have gotten carried away with the brown at times.  My studio has been overtaken with streams of crepe paper garlands drying in the breeze.  Why don't I do these things in the summer??

Here is a little hand stamped cloth ribbon.  Getting in the mood for Valentine's Day.  I love making all things Valentine-y.

And here are some award ribbons I made using my crepe paper, glitter and old letters and fabric.  They are delicate but so much fun to make!

I edited these using Picnik which I just discovered is going away!  I am so bummed because I really like using that photo editing software.  It is so much easier and cheaper than photoshop and it has so many more features than Picasa.  Does anyone know of an easy to use photo editing software that is comparable??  If so, I would love to hear about it.

Snow and Light Under Glass

Here are my finished Snow and Light Assemblage Boxes inspired by taking Terri Brushs' on-line workshop.  These were so much fun to create.  I love obsessing over each detail.  They look so beautiful lit up but my photography skills for this kind of work is very wanting.

A little Valentine Snow Box

This one is tiny,  just 2 1/2 square inches.

Work in Progress

I am taking a delightful on-line workshop from Terri Brush.  These little guys will be living in their own special little worlds eventually.  I love taking workshops because you always learn new things even if you have been doing similar work.

   

 A little Valentine Snowman