Something About Nothing

My friend, Anneliese , created this lovely drawing and  allowed me to use her drawings as inspiration for a few stamps.  I thought it would be fun to create a repeating pattern from one part of the drawing.  A lovely flower and star. A design I wouldn't have come up with without Anneliese's inspiration.

 I had the privilege of teaching Itajime Shibori Dyeing to a local Weaver's Guild.    They are an amazing group of talented artists.   The day was perfect for dyeing.  Temps in the low 80's and no wind (until we had finished dyeing).  The group decided they wanted to dye cotton dish towels and totes .  The results were fabulous! I will be teaching a longer version of this class at the Utah Quiltfest on September 22nd. Come join me! Or contact me if you are interested in setting up a class with your group.

I can't seem to stop making fish stamps. My ocean continues to grow. Oh NO! Great White Sharks! Don't worry they are nice sharks. "Fish are friends, not food!" This happy fish was created from a small scrap of EcoKarve.   He is just an inch square.  These Bocaccio rockfish are my largest fish stamps at 6.5" x 3" each. So why am I making all these fish stamps? Because I can. However, I do see them showing up on some of my fabric very soon. I'm going to use them to create some fabric on Spoonflower.  I'll post all about it once it is done and available for purchase!  Keep your eyes open!

Just a note to let you know I now have a new workshop page on my blog.  Find out where and when I will be teaching next! If you have wanted to learn to carve stamps from me and are in the Portland area, or you just want a reason to go to Portland, come join me at the Art and Soul Retreat next February!  I will be teaching two different stamping classes (a basic carving class , and a  carving pattern stamps  class), as well as a class on SunLess Printing and Bojagi Fusion .  Registration is now open!

I participated in a Positive Prayer Flag Swap hosted by Lynn Krawczyk at Smudged Design Studio .  I am so excited to share the beautiful flags I received. I finally found the right place for them to hang outside. This little corner looked sad with the rusted telephone thingy, but now it looks happy. I can't decide if I should paint the post, or leave it as is.   The rust color is quiet lovely. Maybe it needs a face. 

My friend, Jenn, is getting married soon. I'm so happy for her!  I decided to create a Monogram stamp for her and her man.   After searching for just the right fonts and style, I consulted with my good friend, Anneliese .  She is my go to font person! We decided the bottom design was best.  Jenn was excited with the final product when I delivered it to her today.  I love giving art gifts to people I know will enjoy it.   

I love doing these spring clean your studio blog-hops because they force me to organize a little at least once a year. This year's clean up has been very hard. I have not felt very motivated. I've had one child moving out and another child moving in over the past month and their stuff has been all over the house.  This weekend I decided I had to do something about the messes everywhere.  I honestly should have videoed my entire house before and after I cleaned and moved furniture and used that as my post!  Hubby was out doing the yard work while I cleaned.  The girls were gone and I was very happy about that.  It is so much easier sometimes to just do things all by myself. Hubby did, however, help out in the afternoon and I was grateful for his help with the heavy stuff!  So, after all that work, I was exhausted and exhilarated! It felt great to have everything back in order.   Then today, I came in to the studio.   Oh MY! My ever faith...