More Fun Reading My Girlhood Diary

Sal Mineo was my heart throb of the day...His role in the movie Exodus was instrumental in my going to Israel several years later! I am sure of it. I love this excerpt about future career choices...I actually followed up on a few of them! I am bowled over to see how much I actually dated. I had remembered myself

as a complete loner and wall flower. I guess I had more male friends than I recalled. And this one is priceless, don't you think? Life wasn't so bad in the 1950's!

;-)

Fun bringing it back for a visit to the past.

I love Gifts and Giveaways on Grateful Thursday!

I love promoting other artists work...it feels so good to share in this circle...I feel as though I have been blessed since sharing my art on my blogs to meet so many talented others, who in turn share so much with me. Laurel of Studio Lolo sent me this wonderful "Queen Bee (of the quilting/sewing variety!)" she said! She included her card to guide us to her Etsy shop where you can see more of her really fantastic paintings. See more of her art on her blog here.

check out the card she sent me with the little cat, "Henry V Jr" coming out of the bag in front! Henry V cops to it, it's his! ;-)

Susan Tuttle is having a giveaway of her new book:

You can see it on Amazon.com: http://tiny.cc/zp3jg

Susan is offering a chance to win her new book in her giveaway: http://tiny.cc/zy259 here.

I would love to learn more about using Photoshop Elements and Susan's photography is exceptionally beautiful as can be seen on her blog: here.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Let's see, what else have I to be grateful for today?

1. Henry V only brought us one dead rat this week!

2. I'm all ready for the juried art show jury this weekend.

3. S. in NY continues to find more things in the "Garden of Lia Eden" that amaze

and delight her...her on going stream of appreciation warms my heart no end.

4. I seem to have gotten around all the frustrations for the

"Stone Soup quilt challenge" and am almost done with Stage 1.

5. I got a call from my son who is looking forward to my visit in May.

6. I found two old journals that are taking me back to an earlier time in my life

and making me smile.

My only question is where did the time go and how did I get this old?

Happy Grateful Thrusday to YOU my dear Friends!

Huge Clean Up Reveals Past Life of Lynn!

I had the day off on Monday so I got busy cleaning up around the house. I attacked some bookshelves upstairs...bagging up books to take to the thrift store to donate...while going through the many shelves of books I came across this old diary/journal from circa 1956-59... There was a lot of writing and a few photos...like this one of my cat, "Doc", who I got when I was five years old, and who died when I was 18 and away at college. Doc was a scruffy white Persian with blue eyes...always just this side of very dirty...he suffered broken legs twice from jumping off the roof of our house...he truly had nine lives...

I was frugal from a young age, very careful with money, and you can see here from what I spent that I knew how to make my allowance go far...

Check out those gas prices!

I thought you'd get a kick out of this statement!

And what was most important!

There's more, and you can look forward to seeing some of it

show up in some fabric art before long.

My next challenge to myself.

;-)

Happy Animal Wednesday

1018

On Saturday I also visited...readying me for Bloomin' Tuesday!

My friend Cherryene in Davis is a master gardener...she grows these deep dark almost black purple bearded Iris'...And she is a landscape artist who designs gardens for a living! Her latest design was showcased on a tour in our town and was like something you'd see in Sunset magazine! It's on that wonderful street with all the flowers and older homes I walk on at noontime!

and she said the next time I came to her home she'd dig up some of these (I forget what she said they were) for my garden...

Are they not royal looking?

And speaking of Royal

her daughter,

Aviva

was going to be the star of a play the very next day

and Cherryene had made this wonderful

crown for her beautiful head!

Love all the smiles

on

Bloom'in Tuesday!

Sunny Sunday

What do you do once you come down from a big emotional big high? For me it was the selling and making of the Garden Of Lia Eden art quilt. So much praise...Ego soaring...continued e-correspondence with S. and her continued "breathlessness, and appreciation, praise, reactions"... I hung the beautiful prayer flag I bought from Terry Busse on Saturday over the sliding back door behind my sewing machine where I can see it while I work and get inspiration. It says across the squares: "Grow Flowers...The Bees...And the Butterflies...Will love it...And your heart...Will Bloom...One group of words on each of the six squares. So light and pretty. So I went outside and planted sunflower seeds in both my front and back yards. Lots of them all over the place...the seeds are from last years Sunflower art show....I hope they are still good and will grow and bloom... Then I took a little gift (a healing pouch) I got from Terry and a cloth flower of hers too and three big grapefruit from my tree next door to D & D who are still grieving the loss of their beloved dog, Bear. And then I got to work on this new art project. It's a group project and it requires making this appliqued quilt top within precise measurements...[We already know that is NOT a Lynn thing] And I got frustrated, because even though the beginning measurements were correct...the more I tried to add the pieces outside the basket they did not line up like the picture I was to follow, and I became even MORE frustrated...and more frustrated... So I stopped. It has to be near perfect...as the task is to finish this quilt top and then one person in the group will collect them from 15 of us and cut them up into fifteen pieces and we will each get a piece from each artist & one of our own to piece back together a new quilt top, which we will then quilt ourselves to keep. My pieces are not going to line up correctly. Oy. What to do?

Coming down from my high!

That's one way to do it!

:-(

Happy Monday

Terry Busse's Studio Home Show and Sale

On Saturday I took a drive up to Davis, as I'd read on Terry Busse's blog that she was having a home show and sale of her wonderful art. Terry's home was so very very inviting...full of wonderful color on walls and her studio was roomy and had plenty of room for all her stashes: bins of fabrics and wool sweaters for her felting art; trays of buttons and embellishments, cutting table, paints, sewing area, computer area...room for everything! And her delightful art that always makes me smile was everywhere.

Is this not the most inviting looking chair just begging you to curl up with a good book or some hand work? Her wall art simply knocked me out.

Of course I had to run my fingers through the buttons...

And her outdoor prayer flags hung from every bush and tree. I bought a few to take home.

and I had to laugh at myself back in her studio when I spied this ATC on her shelf. I thought, wow, that looks like something I might do...then I realized it was something I did and sent to Terry some time ago. Too funny.

Terry has such a warm home and her art simply makes it ever so welcoming. Oh did I say that already? Well it kept happening.

I love her woven torn paper pieces...

Although there were others there who came to look and buy

we had time to chat and catch up; reminiscing about how we met when

Terry found me on my blog and asked a technical question;

and we talked about some potential plans for

our futures.

It's nice to be actual neighbors with other artists!

Thanks Terry.

I love all the goodies I brought home! 1015

I feel like I am going to explode...

This morning (Friday morning) I got up knowing it was probably way to early to expect that the NYP had arrived in NY. My brain told me that S. was at work and probably would not see it till much later...it might not even arrive today...

At 8:43 a.m. pacific time her first email landed: "It arrived! I haven't opened it yet" (I was right she was at work)

At 8:56 a.m. she wrote: "I'm so nervous. I need my privacy. I know I will love it though."

At 9:04 a.m. she wrote:"I have to go home (later, to open it) So not till after work. Is it possible to love someone you've never met?"

At 9:15 a.m. she wrote: " :) I want to meet you."

At 9:21 a.m. she wrote: "Don't worry it is inside safe and sound."

At 3:08 p.m. she wrote: "My heart is palpitating. I have no words."

I am waiting for her words.

At 5:05 p.m. she wrote in part: "I will write to you in detail...but in short--it is awe inspiring...a visually charged tribute to my lovely daughter that in it's parts, and as a whole, is provocative, thoughtful, stunning. I need to spend time with it,...." "...truly heartfelt thanks." I told S. that "it feels as though I have given birth and that the "baby" is now in her warm and loving arms." I have a sense of completion now. I am at peace. I hope I have not offended S. by sharing her words with me. As far as I know she doesn't read this blog. But you all have followed this work of art from it's inception pretty much and held my hand along the way. So I wanted to share the final acceptance and reactions with you as well. Thanks for all the support along this journey of mine. I am so very very happy! (and relieved) PS At 11:30 EST she wrote: "...and the way she is holding her dolly is phenomenal. Wow. I'm still reeling." I took DH out to a celebratory dinner tonight!!! ;-)

Come Full Circle and A Raven Lands

Do you remember this butterfly rug?

I crocheted it in March 2007. I first saw a rug like this that my cousin Barbara had made for her grandchild three years ago.

I liked it so much I asked for the pattern so I could make it for my little

grand kid's bedroom.

It was made using fleece and a huge fat crochet hook, but first long strips of fleece needed to be cut out and sewn end to end and then rolled into a ball from which one would

then crochet it into shape.

I did not own a sewing machine.

I went out and bought a sewing machine. (the cheapest one I could find)

I made the rug.

Then I said: "Now what am I going to DO with this sewing machine?"

I could say "the rest is history!"

But, we aren't done yet.

Cousin Barb recently came to my blog and saw my art quilts, the one I just finished for the

woman in NY.

She said: "I want to commission you to make an art quilt with my six (two on the way) grandchildren on it next year for my playroom!"

And that is when I saw

this has come

FULL CIRCLE

!

;-)

Who would have thought that admiring a crocheted rug would change my life

in so many ways in so short a time?

&

This is the Global Postcard I sent to Lolo of Studio Lolo

this week!

She likes it!

Someone moved the blue sparklie flower from it's place here

to decorate the Raven. You can see the mystery move

Where Lolo posted it at Global Postcards.

Today is the first day of my three day weekend.

Find me in my art studio working on a new art quilt!

Blame it on that first butterfly! And enjoy your weekend.

&&&&&&&&&&& Yarn Soup is having a give away.

A new blogger I found via Caroline, who makes

delightful stitched art.

Go see for yourself

and you too might win a piece of her work. And

Bluebeard and Elizabeth are having a cool

giveaway here too! Don't you just love give aways?

Or maybe you don't.

Why or why not?

1013

Grateful Thursday

Call it Grateful Thursday, Day of Abundance, Time of Thanks and Appreciation

Anyway you look at it it's good!

This delightful swatch of a quilt came to me from

Teresa in VA.

I wish you could see the velvet cat more clearly in the middle panel.

I am always touched when someone sends me something just because

as Teresa did with this sweet gift.

Thank you so much.Now, I am not at all sure Joss/Soulbrush thought, when she made this

Owl for "O" in our ABC ATC swap, that I would see what I saw or not.

But I started laughing when I opened this little gift,

as I saw a Hassidic Owl with a flat hat and long pais (side curls)

which are actually the wings of the owl.

My Jewish soul just loves this Orthodox Owl

(another "O" word)

Thanks Joss! I am grateful for spring and the abundance of beauty in our own garden, these flowers growing and blooming in our front yard now. I adore these white little guys/gals who hang over my side fence. Henry is walking the fence that divides our yard from our wonderful next door neighbors, D & D. We are so lucky to have them in our lives and have had for the past 22 years. Both of them are suffering from different forms of cancer and on top of that had to put their beloved doggie down today. Please join me in sending prayers for healing their way. *** & DH got two letters today from former students both filled with so many accolades and words of appreciation for all that they learned from him, and telling him about their plans to go to college all because he was such an inspiration to them in his/their sixth grade class. I am so pleased he sometimes receives the thanks he and so many teachers deserve! Count your blessings and enjoy life. It is so precious! 1012

Animal Wednesday and Noon Flower Walk

Well after an 80 degree F Sunday we had rain last night...but this morning when I got up the sky looked blue but full of clouds...some gray ...some white... I had to fight my way out the front door down this flower strewn path to get to my car! These dogs were in front of my car on my way to work! They are here to wish you a happy Animal Wednesday!

It did NOT rain on me as I walked at noontime on my route to the

post office, bank, and then just walking around shooting photos...

So much beauty ... so I give you Bloomin' Tuesday on Wednesday

along with Animal Wednesday and

it still has not rained again

although the weather man said

tomorrow to expect it!

We'll see. Anything profound happening in your life? PS:

and for those of you who think I am up at 1 AM every day

posting think again...I schedule it to post at that time

earlier in the evening,

and I am sound asleep in bed while it does it

for me

!

Medievil Faire on Sunday and Readiness for Art Show Begins

On Sunday after spending time cleaning up my art studio we went downtown to walk among the locals many of whom were dressed up in costume of an era of long ago... We came upon the king and queen and family having lunch in their castle dining room... This gentleman, perhaps a court jester, seemed to me to be wearing a belt across his chest of thread spools! Am I mistaken?

The whole area for many blocks we brightly colorful in fun decoration...

DH was drawn to this display of swords...

The heat as measured later in our backyard

was of summery eighty (80) degrees F.

Back at the faire one could have their cards read...

And then we watched the catapult fire off little stuffed mice!

This family appeared to be of a lower class

as they partook of their lunch on the side of the road...

I was startled to find this fine knight fighting a fair maid,

but you'll be pleased to hear that she was winning!

Medieval fairies were out in great abundance...

I loved their frilly dresses...

So that was fun.

We ate lunch at the German Bakery.

And then went grocery shopping...we had to eat dinner later too.

And finally once home again

I got out my paints and some canvas'

that I plan to use to mount some art quilts on

to take to the upcoming Juried Art Show here in town.

Start crossing your fingers for me.

I plan to take five pieces for the judges to look at.

Hoping something gets accepted into the show

!

Only the sides of the canvas will show once the quilts are hung on the wall,

but I had fun painting the whole canvas. :-)