Inspiration in the Mail

Earlier this month Sue offered a give away at her blog and I was the lucky winner! This week I received this fabulous package in the mail with a set of Lark's Studio Series. They are similar to Lark's 500 series, which I love but these books are nice and small, perfect to fit into a bag and read when waiting for appointments, etc.

 

I had to include a photo of the postcards for the SketchbookChallenge (the photos are so yummy and you'll probably also recognize one of her beautiful pieces on the little bit of her business card in the photo). I started last year with big plans to follow along and DO the SketchBookChallenge but time and other commitments got in the way. I followed the blog and was inspired with every post but it didn't translate to very much sketchbook work for me. So 2012 I hope to be more committed and will somehow find a way to make more time!

 No school, no shows, no orders (oh, one order and it's fiber!) so I finally got into my sewing room to do some sewing but as I started to clean up I found myself cutting some snowflakes, painting and gluing them into a sketchbook, so hopefully I'm on a good path for 2012!

 

 

 I hope you are enjoying the holidays and wishing all the best for a wonderful and creative 2012!

 

ATC's and Fund Raiser

 When I read that Karen Stiehl Osborn was collecting and selling ATC's to raise funds for an animal rescue group I immediately knew this was something that I could support. Our two dogs were rescued from shelters where both were about to be put down. Mona, who rescued both Nicolas and Cleo said that Nicolas had little or no fur and his skin was covered with sores and so was considered un-adoptable by the kennel. Cleo she referred to as her million dollar puppy because she was laying in the kennel with a fractured hip, broken leg and paw, waiting to be put down. Mona rescued her, took her to one of the best surgeons and after two operations she spent months immobile as her hip and leg healed. Cleo's paw never fully healed but today she runs on three legs as quickly as Nicolas can run on four and Nicolas has the softest fur of any dog I know. It is hard to imagine that our society is so quick to eliminate such precious lives.

Read about Karen's fundraiser and enjoy the ATC's that have been donated to help raise funds to save lives.

Nicolas is the white teddy bear at the top.

Candy's Blog Hop and Giveaway

 Lucky me! This morning I had my coffee watching Candy's newly released DVD. Candy did a super job with this video showing how she does her dyeing with lots of tips, plus she shows her thread sketching and how she creates her lovely art quilts. All very inspiring! There are excellent in-depth reviews at the each of the blogs on Candy's blog hop. I won this copy through Diane Doran's blog. Check out all the blogs, they are all very inspiring bloggers and if you don't already have a copy of Candy's DVD you still have a chance to win one!

 This week I unloaded another load of dishes. Above are the bisqued pieces with their oxide, waiting for waxing and glazing before their final firing. Below, finished! Now it's time for fiber.....

Hope you're having a great weekend!