Yosemite dreams

We had such a fun time in Yosemite! I even got a few hours to attend a watercolor class through the Yosemite Art Center. Our class went behind The Ahwahnee and got this amazing view of Glacier Point above Stoneman Bridge. The hardest part was my needing to move to a shadier spot in the middle of the day, so my view became a little obstructed! It was fun to be with other artists as well as whole families painting together. I stayed a little longer and moved to the edge of the Merced River and got an amazing view of Half Dome to the Northeast. (I have to apologize for the partial images of my paintings. My scanner is smaller than the paper and I can't figure out how to reduce - argh!)


Anyway, since we were in Yosemite with my parents and sister to celebrate my parents' 45th Anniversary, I decided to frame the Glacier Point painting for them. My dad kept reminding me that I hadn't signed my name on the painting yet - just a reminder that I don't quite feel like an 'artist' yet. I'm still exploring so many other mediums and really want my main focus to be my family right now. Not that I don't grab moments (or hours) to be creative. I'm just concerned that if I start to think of myself more in terms of occupation, my creative side will start to compete with my mommy side. For now, I'm happy with the amount of creativity that my 'mommyness' brings my way. There are so many women out there who successfully manage all the different facets of their lives - the crafty blogosphere is evidence of that - and I enjoy seeing into their projects. Because I tend to throw myself into every project I do, I completely forsake (and often resent) my regular day-to-day items on my list which can include my children! Then I just get stressed out, I feel like a terrible mom and my house completely falls apart. But when I just do one project at a time and take breaks in between, I tend to feel more balanced. Am I making sense? Or am I just sounding completely ridiculous?

Maybe I need to stop overanalyzing and just get a door for my art room.

vacation mode

We'll be in Yosemite for the week. We'll take lots of pictures to share!

visions of Laura Ingalls

Awhile ago my daughters went to a pioneer picnic birthday party. We got pretty excited and I made these fun outfits for them: linen skirts, aprons, and white puffy shirts. The shirts were originally sheets from our local thrift shop I made into dresses for their school holiday program. For the shirts I just cut them, added elastic and eyelet trim. The bonnets were part of the party favors. So cute!

Kathy over at Pink Chalk Studio made a cute peasant ensemble for her daughter. And just like hers, my daughters have worn them often just for fun.

This summer I want to teach the girls (and eventually Worker when he's older) how to work the sewing machine. I told them we could make aprons and quilts for their American Girl Dolls (Samantha and Nellie).


So while the kids were scampering around the garden, I had to face a hard reality: I think I need to leave the gardening to the green thumbs!


Actually, Gavin's been doing most of the work anyway. However, we don't seem to be having as much success as in the past.... just not the right year I guess.

finished quilt

I'm so excited that I finished the quilt today! It feels so good to cross another item off my list. I really enjoyed this quilt because it wasn't so big that it was overwhelming. It's funny how along the way I would doubt the color scheme, but now that it's all put together with the binding to frame it in, I really like it! My girls made me promise to make them one when they graduate from high school. Not a problem! I had a hard time finding a flannel fabric I liked that wouldn't overpower the front. I really like this green with the brown-olive dots.


I have to give Gavin major credit for getting my sewing machine to act normal again! I never knew there was a little screw on the bobbin case that needed to be retightened - that was the heart of the thread tension problem apparently. Although the thought of a new machine is enticing (my Singer 1725 from Target is quite basic and not really worth the cost of maintenance!), the reality of researching and forking over the dough isn't so inviting.

down to the wire

On Thursday I was supposed to go on Pumpkin Girl's field trip, but Worker was still getting rid of his croupy cough, so he and I stayed home instead to rest. Luckily there were enough drivers so I didn't feel like such a flake! So while Worker rested, I was able to catch up on some projects that weren't getting done on their own.

I'm the volunteer Art Docent for Sunshine Girl's 1st grade class, and I decided to make little watercolor booklets for the kids to have over the summer. I also included a watercolor pencil for each student. It was a fun and very easy project: just cardboard, cool scrapbook paper, stickers for their initials, watercolor paper and string. Voila!


Here's a closeup of one of the booklets. I hope they get inspired this summer!


I also decided at the last minute to make a quilt for a friend's daughter who is graduating from High School in 2 weeks. It's a lap quilt for when she goes off to college and is up late studying or writing a paper (I remember those days!). I've finished the top and now am ready to machine quilt (I don't have time to handquilt), but my machine is acting funny - arrgh! I think the thread tension is off, but I can't seem to fix it. I might have to take it over to a friend's house. (you know who you are!)


I know the white with pink polka dot is called "Pink Lemonade" by Me and My Sister Designs. Unfortunately I didn't write down the rest! Some were fat quarters from Joann's.

I hope to have the quilt done by the end of the week for show and tell. I'm also on a deadline to finish the 1st Grade Teacher's gift from the class by Thursday (last day of school). It's a book of their art and quotes about their teacher. It's coming along pretty well. I found some great ribbon for the ties from a great garage sale find a few weekends ago.