Something About Nothing

While at Costco I was able to witness such a wonderful kindness. A woman set down her keys on a shelf and then forgot them.  Another woman noticed the keys shortly after and left her own shopping behind to track down the owner. The woman who lost her keys was so grateful for this simple act of kindness and expressed how difficult her life would have been without those keys. It never ceases to amaze me how something so simple can make such a big deal in a person's life. Another sweet act of kindness I saw performed was by my 14-year-old daughter. We have had some new neighbors move in who have four adorable children. The other day as my daughter and I were walking home we noticed three of the children out all trying to ride the one scooter they owned.  They weren't fighting over the scooter, they were being very sweet.  One would ride and the other two would run behind.  My daughter noticed and while I was distracted with talking to another neighbor she called the

 Wherever Mom is, I must follow.  She can't work without me.  Whether it is working on the computer. . .  . . .or working in the studio. . .  . . .she has to have me with her. On the plus side, her studio is quite comfortable.  There is always something soft to lay on.  Mmm. . .what? Is it time to go outside?  Sssweeeet! I am SO there! Mom wants to know if you have a studio buddy.

My forgetfulness was featured in a blog post by Frieda Anderson:   Walks in the Woods - Art Quilts: Crinkly Wrinkly To Dye For : This is what happens when you leave a book outside too long: OOPS! I was so grateful when I discovered I could still open it up and read... Isn't this a great thing to be remembered for?!?  haha

While my two youngest were off to young women's camp I spent some time dyeing fabrics and playing with surface design.  Two years ago I bought a handwoven cotton scarf from Dharma Trading . I finally decided I would dye it using an ice dyeing method.  I used Navy Blue, Better Black and Imperial Purple Dyes. I wasn't sure if I would get the same explosions of color I usually get when ice dyeing but I knew that if I didn't like what I got I would dye it all over with black! I think it turned out beautiful. I really need a better photo of the full sized scarf!  I'm in the middle of a custody battle for the scarf with my youngest daughter. While I get my lawyer in to settle the case, the one thing I do know is that. . . A) I should have tried this sooner and B) I have to buy more of these scarves! What colors should I try next?

My friend, Dawn, and her sister inhereted a very large collection or fossils, crystals, minerals and rocks from their father.  They have sold as many as they can to local rock hounds and now Dawn has the enormous task of selling the remaining rocks online. Dawn's first problem was how to photograph the rocks in a professional way without buying a new camera or hiring a professional.  Immediately she and I thought of the ugly box I blogged about in 2009. Unfortunately I left my ugly box outside and it became extremely unusable so today Dawn & I built a new ugly box. And she is taking fabulous macro photos! The above crystal was taken with her camera phone!  Go Dawn Go! I took these two photos with my camera. Have you ever made or used a macro photo box?

What would you do when the only two children still at home go to camp for the week leaving you with hours and hours to do whatever you like? Would you read a book while lounging on your settee? (images are from graphics fairy.blogspot.com) That grin seems to say she has been reading a romance novel. Or perhaps your style would be to head straight to the beauty parlor for a new hairdo and perhaps a mani/pedi too?  Does anyone who reads this blog remember sitting under a hairdryer like this? I do have a photo of myself, as a child, with a beehive hairdo. haha That is a post for another time. Or perhaps you're the athletic type and would like to put on your most fetching swim attire and head for the pool? Or an ocean if you live near one or have a giant poster of one like this lady and her pooch. Maybe those things are just too much work and you would rather just take an uninterrupted nap? That is if you can sleep with peacocks in your bedroom.

I set up a dye station outside for the summer. The "shelving unit" was on top of my daughter's dresser but she decided she just collected too much stuff in it.  It's been on the patio all winter and I decided to put it to use. The dye station is pretty ugly but it works.  I wanted to try out dyeing some bigger pieces using the method I read about in Quilting Arts Magazine.   I decided to try a loose fold and roll on the pieces in the glass vase and the usual crumple method on the bigger pieces in the tub. Mister had to check it out but after one sniff he knew this stuff was dangerous for him and was out of there. When I ice dye large pieces I use a grate under the fabric to allow all the water to flow down and not puddle. I decided to try it with a couple layers. But I wondered if it would work with 2 pieces on top because the ice kept falling and you need the ice to melt on the fabric to spread the dye powder. So I moved it into the tub.