Sculpture by Cheryl Dolby

My birthday plans went awry. Hubby came down with food poisoning and was in pretty bad shape for a while. A day later, I got sick and couldn't do much of anything but sleep. I'm not sure if I had the same thing as hubby as our symptoms were different. We both recovered as quickly as we got sick and are fine now.

I have two much more pleasant things to share. One is an unexpected birthday gift I received, from which, I created an Easter card. That I will post on Friday.

The second is this impressive sculpted clay planter that I purchased from artist Cheryl Dolby of Roanoke, Virginia. I loved it instantly when I first saw it on Cheryl's blog but it's even more striking in person. Is it beautiful?

March 21st (My Birthday)

Cotton Picker is a year older today.

I received a beautiful birthday gift of calla lilies.

















A view from my bathroom window.

Blue Cat

I painted this face a couple of years ago and have been waiting to connect it to the right body. The colours, I think, are a good match.

I seem to be stuck in cat mode lately. What can I say? I love cats. :)

Using Up Thread Remnants

I have a lot of left over bits of embroidery threads which I hesitate to throw out. Here is one way up using them up. Click on the image for a closer look at the stitching as the ivory threads can't be seen very well on the smaller view.

Happy St Patrick's Day.

Cat Looking Back

I created this kitty today while our friend and long-time contractor installed a new floor in our office. Our house, which we have been steadily working on for 21 years, finally has new flooring in every room. The office was the last holdout. We are now waiting for new baseboards and a custom desk/worktable to house two computers.

Below is a view of the new floor against our pine wall unit. It's so cosy and inviting in here now.

Finspiration

Alright, you can groan at the title of this post. :)

Hubby asked "why did you stick a face on a fish?" Why not?

This is a gift for a friend. It was inspired by a piece of costume jewelry on which the belly of the fish was made of white Lucite. My version has a face. :)

Mosaic

Just having a bit of fun here. I altered the colour of this image in six different ways and then found a free on-line program to create a mosaic. The image is a small element of a larger piece I have been working on.

A New Cat

I made this cat from a 1970s curtain fabric. She is going to reside in our office because she looks great against our mustard coloured wall.

I would write more, but have to run. I get together with a friend every Thursday night for movie night. We both love old films. Tonight we watch Bonjour Tristesse, 1958, with David Niven, Jean Seberg and Deborah Kerr.

Sun Face Brooch

I find it difficult to toss reasonably sized cotton and felt scraps into the garbage bin without making an effort to put them to good use. Here is a brooch made from some of those scraps. I hope this isn't a precursor of hoarding tendencies. Twice in recent memory I let go of things that would have been so useful in my craft.

I back most of my ornaments with felt. A friend was decluttering and gave me piles and piles of very fine quality wool felt. At the time, I couldn't imagine that the felt would be of any use to me and I gave it all away. Weeks later, I realized my mistake and I have not gotten over it to this day. :(

Recently, I discovered a talented artist through FLICKR who uses metal zippers in her art. It's something I want to try too. Yes, I had a boxful of metal zippers given to me and yes, I got rid of them. (Click on this link for an example of the lovely art of Woolly Fabulous).

I think a lesson here is to consider carefully how to use materials, should I be fortunate enough to receive these kinds of gifts in the future.






















Below is a vintage Simplicty pattern from 1977 that I ordered from Lanetz Living. It arrived today. The two piece dress is what caught my eye. It's so pretty and feminine and I can see myself wearing it in a soft floral cotton print.

Cat Reclining

Check the edit at the bottom of the previous post to find out what yesterday's critter is.

Today I present a very relaxed kitty.