Changes

I am happy to say that I am still on a creative roll. I have recently finished my fourth oil painting (portrait) and hope to start a fifth in the next day or two. I am really enjoying painting again, and every time I paint it seems to get better. Lots of creative ideas are flowing. Just the other day I wrote a short children's book for my soon to be 6 year old son. I am in the process of creating some simple water color illustrations for the book. When that's done, I plan to turn it into a book with the oh-so-convenient book maker on my mac. I recently created a nice photo book with the program to give away for Christmas. I am slowly getting to know what my mac can do. It's pretty awesome.

Speaking of creativity and feeling pretty good these days I have had the urge to make some minor changes in my appearance. Nothing that involves a scalpel, I promise. Just a bit of freshening up to give me the little pick me up that turning 41 has made me feel like I need. Hello new hair cut and new eye color (via contacts of course). Now if I could just lose that weight......

Crayons, not just for kindergarten anymore

Well, I have a new best friend in the textile world, and their name is Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watersoluable wax pastels, i.e. crayons. They even look like crayons. My biggest compaint was that they arrived from the states with 5 broken tips, and a $40 shipping fee!! So not cool. Naturally I have now found a canadian supplier, the same place where I order materials for my art class at school. A pack of 30 crayons was $45. A friend expressed real horror at the cost of these crayons, asking if there wasn't something a lot cheaper. For those of us into creating, we know that we get what we pay for. These crayons are truly amazing and perfect for the art quilter or textile artist. You basically color your image onto pre-washed fabric (cotton or muslin), then take a wet watercolor brush and brush water over your image. The next thing you know, you are looking at a fabulously blended watercolor painting! After it dries you can quilt and stitch paint to your hearts content. Just remember however that because it is water soluable you can't wash it afterwards, so it's not suitable for a bed quilt or a wearable item. I can't wait to give it a try, and I think today is the day. I'll post an image when the work is completed and stitched. I know I need to be cleaning my house, and I've started back to work, but a girl has to have her art time.
p.s. the cotton sweater I knit looks awful on me. I hate it when that happens!