Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Quick and Easy

Huge Shout Out to Bibi  at Natures Printshop for sending me her wonderful and inspiring stamps and for waiting so long to hear from me! (stop by for a cuppa to hear more about where I've been and what I've been up to!).
Bibi creates all of her stamps from natural materials and once you get started with them it is hard to stop.
Please go visit her and you can also see what Quiefire is doing with these beauties here.








Each of these tags took under 5 minutes each and use only two stamps, one Nature's Printshop from the #2 set...
and Quiefire 10 Tiny Tag Sentiments and one of the Friendship Quote marks.

It's quick easy to make beautiful things when you have the right stuff! Having it accessible helps too. I  hope you have a place to organize and display your  materials and tools and make a mess. If you can't make a mess you can't make anything at all.

I hope to show you more of the marriage of Nature's Printshop and Quietfire in the near future. I have lots of ideas...oh time.

Questions-please leave a comment.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Queen of Hearts 2012- Quiet fire Design Challenge

My profile says I am a multi-media artist.
So does this card!
Lace, paper, metal brads, lots of ink, embossing powder,die cuts,dry embossing, craft knife-*** tip of the week*** learn to use one, 3 kinds of glue and lots of prayer!
Quietfire stamps used:
Flourished Hearts
Flourished Hearts- Inside
Love does not consist in gazing
Mini Images Collection



Happy V-day all and special shout out to Suzanne Cannon
Queen of Quietfire Design for inspiration, beauty and support of the artist community.

Create Without Limits!!

Be sure to visit all of the other works of art in this Challenge, post your own entry
HERE
and best of luck winning the rubber.
Thanks for all your comments. I read them all and reply if you leave a return addy.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Cyberscribes V-day Exchange 2012

Cyberscribes envies and bookmarks for V-Day ready to go to the PO.












Quietfire Stamps:
When Friends Meet
Mini Images Collection
Capital Letters                            


Remember to enter in the Queen of Hearts Challenge- post and be entered to win $50 of hand lettered rubber!!
Questions??? please leave a comment.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Short Addendum on Long Rant on Learning and Teaching

The good news.

 When the Student is Ready the Teacher is Everywhere.
Everyone learns and Everyone teaches.

There are probably as many styles of learning and teaching as there are people. All are valid. If one method and style doesn't work for you, try another.
My hope is, this conversation we are having is opening access to availability of teachers and mentors.

A few additional thoughts:

Anyone can transfer "facts" and techniques. Books, patterns, project sheets and You Tube are great for this.

A good teacher can clearly and concisely  share her learning and knowledge, explain her experience of the process and demonstrate her skills to show you how the techniques can be done.

A great teacher can do all of the above, and  listen to hear where you want to go on your journey and help you get there. Anyone can see what you are doing wrong. A mentor will be able to show you how to make it work for you, with patience, humor and grace.

If you are geographically challenged and feeling fiber isolated leave me a comment or send me an email( it's in my profile) and there is a good chance I can hook you up with a teacher near you.


Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. I don't need to have the last word.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

There's More than One Way to Fill an Empty Bowl



Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger.  The basic premise is simple: Potters and other craftspeople, educators and others work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. In exchange for a cash donation, guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. The money raised is donated to an organization working to end hunger and food insecurity.
I've been participating by making bowls and soup since the mid 90's.
Last week, Bookworks had a Valentines making day as a benefit for Empty Bowls.
Lots of love generated and transformed into food for the hungry of belly and spirit.

 Close ups of cards using Quietfire Rubber













Leave a comment if you want more details.











 

Lace Lessons

If you go yarn diving in my bins, you will come across needles with some lace knitting on them.
I have started approximately 100 lace knitting projects and finished 4. 

One was a hat for a friend who wrote the pattern and needed a test knitter and gave me beautiful yarn- no big deal 80 stitches, two pattern repeats

Two was a hat cause I was working in a yarn shop and they wanted a sample to sell the yarn and then I wrote a pattern to make a---three--- matching scarf-with the lace reversible- pet peeve-scarves with a wrong side that looks wrong(to me). No big deal and I got paid for it.

The other 96( give or take) once I got to see how the pattern worked, and up to a large amount of stitches and made counting mistakes multiple times I quit.

I"m here today to tell you I have learned a few things.

1. If you spend a lot of time alone you might as well knit lace.
2. In times of disappointment and rejection the end of each lace row with the right amount of stitches is cause  for celebration and encouragement-Yes I can do another few rows!!
3.Lace helps you to practice patience and curiosity, both excellent life skills.
4.When you finish a piece of lace the oohs and ahhs are more affirming than bins full of lace on needles.
5. Lace knitting may be easier for weavers than knitters as we are used to having to wait to see the final patterns. Knitters are more used to wysisyg.
6. You don't have to use lace weight yarn to knit lace.

This is what you get when your 400 plus stitches come off the needles. Four.
Hold your tears it gets better.





This is how it looks after you wash

it and pin it to the blocking board.


This is what you get if you live in the mountains and have been patient .










Close ups for the curious.
The pattern is Summer Flies 

though I made a few changes. The yarn I got at the thrift shop is Peer Gynt 6 ply 100% wool.
 I used a 6(american) needle. I'm a loose knitter.



Come see me at Nice Threads, have a cuppa and we can talk about what we've learned.

I welcome and appreciate your comments.