Blank Canvas

A couple of weeks ago, my two youngest grandsons decided to have an "art sale". With brushes, paint, and paper all set up on their tables on the front lawn, they were ready to do business. How could I resist purchasing my first 'Olli Picasso', or 'Huckleberry Renoir'? Even my twelve year old granddaughter decided there must be money to be made recreating your own Georgia O'Keeffe. I knew I wanted to display the artwork I purchased, but wasn't sure how or where. I have always loved the idea of framing pieces in floating frames, especially when we buy custom prints from an artist friend (Ron Lewis) of ours, because you can turn it over and read the information on the back. With my grandchildren's art of course, there will be their name and the date(s). I went with the floating frames and then realized I did have one wall I still hadn't decorated after our remodel. The biggest wall in our sunroom is still blank after nearly a year! That's it! This will be our "art wall". I am so excited and began framing our new 'prints' yesterday. I laid them out on the floor just to get an idea...well, ok, mostly so I could take a picture to put here for you to see, but I will be doing this again when I'm ready to hang them. I love all of the colors and how Olli has gotten progressively better at writing his name. All of those straight lines confused him for a bit, I guess. You can probably guess which one my granddaughter did since it's a little more precise and controlled (and very Georgia O'Keeffe like). Yes, the sunroom wall it will be...it's perfect! Oh, and by the way, they made a small fortune off grandma and papa...it's worth it though!!

A year ago this past November, for my birthday, my sister gave me an orchid. I had never had one, so wasn't real sure how to care for it. Our mother was a genius with these plants, and she loved them, but I didn't think mine would ever bloom again. Don't tell my sister, but I actually thought once the blossoms died and fell off, it would probably go in the garbage. Shows you how much confidence I had in keeping it alive, right? I put it out in our sunroom, atop a bookcase, and pretty much forgot about it. Oh, I would give it that occasional, obligatory drink of water, but it didn't seem to be thriving. Then, one day I decided to read the care instruction tag on it, and you can just put a couple of ice cubes on top of the soil once a week. Even still, I had no interest, but whenever I would walk past it, or think about it, which wasn't often, I plopped a couple of cubes on it. I guess my husband took pity on it and also read the instructions because he didn't think I was looking after it. He began the ice cube routine more regularly, and now...well, you can see for yourself in the picture below. It's about to bloom!!! I will have to pick up some food for it and start taking better care of it. I've got another one also, and it's a little smaller...maybe I can raise it up right!

A couple of days ago, I almost (and I say that very lightly...almost) began feeling guilty about going to an expo called Stitches West. Oh, you've heard about it? Well, yes, it is the largest one for needlecrafters and fiber artists around. Last year when I went, I made the largest purchase I had ever made since going for the past few years. I came home with bags full of yarn and good intentions. The year must have gone by too fast for me because I didn't get one single thing knitted out of what I bought. Not. one. single. thing. In fact, I even purchased more yarn throughout the year at local and online yarn stores! I kept telling myself I had to watch for THE PERFECT pattern for what I bought, even though I purchased a pattern to go along with a gorgeous skein of silk and sea cell blend. I thought of it often and kept asking myself when was I going to start it. When was I going to cast on for this beautiful stole? Here it is February again, and I've already got my itinerary together for Stitches West 2014 this coming week. I couldn't think of a better day to cast on for this lovely design than Valentine's day. So, while we were up late watching the Olympics, I wound my yarn, got out my prettiest stitch markers, and cast on! It's a completely charted pattern, which I find easier to work, and it's addicting! I saw the stole on display in the Anzula booth and the yarn it was knitted from is their Mermaid yarn which is 60% sea cell, and 40% silk. I bought the same exact yarn, the pattern, and just stared at it for several days afterwards. I'm so happy I decided to finally cast on, and I'll keep you updated on the progress.

If you would like to see what the Stitches expos are all about, here's a link to their website.