Something About Nothing

Took a little trip out to Chicago to see my sister and we had to go to The Art Institute of Chicago.  It is my sister's favorite place and I have not gone in many, many years. It was a delightful afternoon, which had to be cut short because we didn't realize they closed at 5 p.m. Because of our short time available we made a plan to visit the Rodin exhibit, the impressionists, and a quilt exhibit! Rodin's sculptures were amazing!  The quilt exhibit was called: Making Memories: Quilts as Souvenirs One of my favorite things about seeing paintings is being able to look up close to see the paint strokes. I absolutely love Van Gogh Look at all the colors in there! And those short strokes of thick paint. Yummy. A very fun day with Sistah.

*Doing the Happy Dance* *Squealing like a little girl!* My copy of  Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles   arrived over the weekend! My artwork was selected to be a part of this book!   I love doodling and putting together a piece for this book was really fun. I am humbled to be included with so many wonderful artists. There are instructions for every beautiful tangles included in the book. I will be spending a lot of relaxing evenings learning to draw all the tangles included. You can order your copy of the book here   and don't forget to download the free bonus content here ! The bonus content is awesome! Do you enjoy doodling and/or Zen Tangling? Can you handle ONE more exciting thing today?!? I am participating in a Blog Hop called: "My Family Quilt" Everyone will be posting about quilts they have been given by or made for family.  Lots of sweet stories will be shared.  I hope you will take the time over the next 8 da...

Have you checked out  Craftsy ? They have been around about a year and (in their words) are ". . .  dedicated to providing the best education and resources for crafters."   Craftsy has a lot of great free stuff as well as great items for a fee.  They offer online courses, workshops, patterns, projects, a blog and great craft deals too.  I love the Craftsy deals on fabrics.   I am currently taking a class in painting pictorial quilts and have enjoyed all the great information I am learning.  I love that I can take the class at my own pace - which has been very slow as of late - and I can take it again and again because I now own the course. Recently I decided to join the  Craftsy's Pattern community.  I am selling two of my patterns which I have sold at retreats and a local quilt shop.   I love that Quilters, Sewers, Knitters, Crocheters, Jewelry makers and all crafters can list pdf patterns to give away or sell. ...

Cove Fort The hubby and I visited here in 2009 and I've been wanting my girls to see the fort so we made sure to stop by on our way home from southern Utah.  It is a beautiful fort built from lava stone native to the area.    Being someone who loves all things fiber, I love the loom in which rags were used to make the rugs in the fort.  This little iron apron was used for the lace on the women's dresses. This little quilt is so simple and beautiful. These trees speak to me. This quilt is a replica of one made during the time period.  It is on the bed upside down so that it will fade evenly from the light coming in the window. Unusual double stitching. A Yarn weasel. A Singer treadle sewing machine.  I love that they made use of what they had.  There wasn't enough red to finish the quilt so they used beige. Can you imagine sleeping in that little bed? The mountain off in the distance is t...

The quilt shop I have worked for the last 5 years is closing. Actually "worked" isn't the best word.  I should say I have "played" there for the last 5 years and gotten a pay check which was then spent in the store.  It has been a great 5 years. The owner, Nancy, has decided to retire, get married and travel the country. It is a joyful time for her  but a sad time for those of us who have loved the beautiful fabrics and enjoyed the fabulous friendships we have had at Whimsy Cottage . Last Thursday the store opened for it's first day of our closing sale. The line before we opened went down the store and around the corner. The atmosphere was a mix of excitement, a little sadness,  and a bit of insanity.  We had three cutting stations open with our best people cutting fabrics a mile a minute and me on the only register we have.  Despite our best efforts people were still in line for a long time.  Some people said they we...