Notes from the Nest

Wicked Awesome Kitty Softies!

2010-08-10T14:13:00.006-04:00

I love it when an idea forms and takes shape easily and without effort! Among other projects I have been busy working with here in The Art Nest are these wickedly awesome kitties I made last week. I wanted saucy little kitties with giant ears and the Halloween colors just seemed perfect for them. I began by making a quick little sketch and then created an original pattern based upon the drawing. I'm thinking this pattern would make cute little Siamese kitties too with a little tweaking.

This is Mischief. He enjoys mad loud piano music (preferably in the middle of the night) and loves to eat Skittles except the purple ones. He claims the purple ones are a sedative.

This is Mayhem. Mayhem loves to skateboard (especially in crowded shopping centers) and detests vegetables of all kinds. The produce department of many a grocery store has felt his stinging wrath for the wretched vegetable.

The two brothers out and about spreading Mischief and Mayhem!
They are both currently for sale in my Etsy Shop, www.theartnest.etsy.com.

Life's Weird Sociological Experiments

2010-07-29T13:17:00.008-04:00

Sometimes I really do wonder if I'm just in some weird sociological experiment. Oh, don't raise your eyebrows! I know you all have felt that way too (at least I chose to think you do).

You see, I went to a fab orchestra performance to see my son perform today. Having arrived early, I settled in to one of the best viewing seats to be had. All was going well, I was patiently awaiting the performance while mentally designing kitty softies in my head and chatting with the family. THEN IT HAPPENED! This older lady seated next to me gets up and requests that I make sure to save the SIX seats next to me for her and her family and she would return in a bit. Of course I started to politely object, but she said "Thank you" (as if I had agreed) and left.

OMG the discomfort began instantly, slowly growing into nervousness and culminating in absolute anxiety as I promptly turned away the next five groups of people who thought they had gotten lucky enough to find primo seats for the event. Now tell me, WHY would you task someone who obviously has difficulty telling you No, to proceed with telling dozens of other strangers "No"? Its almost as if it was her job to torture the living daylights out of me! And what would have happened if I had neglected my duties? More anxiety creeping in at the thought of the outcome of that scenario....

So she finally returned. The concert started and it was wonderful. I fully lost myself in the music and allowed the notes to coax out various emotions. Once the concert ended, I got up to leave and happened to glance over at the older lady who had danced upon my last nerve. Now I can't be sure but I am fairly certain that she was smiling an evil smile....

Really do wonder who is the designer of these weird sociological experiments...

I didn't want to post her face on the "Inter-Webs" but I totally photographed her evil feet. Note the empty seats..... Shudder.....

2010-04-29T14:28:00.007-04:00

April 15th ended the 2010 tax season which means that I finally have a little more time on my hands again. As many of you know this was my first foray out of the family business in about 17 years. I learned a lot. I loved the clients who came to H&R Block and mini tax geek that I am, I loved the actual job. The inter-office dynamics, now that was another thing entirely! I generally try to keep my blog positive in nature so I've decided not to dwell to much on the subject of my co-workers but I will caution those of you who were negative, life-sucking, energy draining, leeches (you know who you are) - Clean up your act or you are certain to be sucked into the Vortex of Hell! Whew! Feels good to get that out of my system....

Now on to more positive things. The Art Nest is busy learning and creating again. I am currently taking a small course in drawing to increase my illustration skills. This is somewhat of a leap for me since I have to conquer that internal voice that tries to convince me that I can't illustrate. So far I am doing well and I hope to post some of my illustrations soon. In the meantime I have taken out my machine and created a new dish/tea towel from the retro Japanese series I have for sale in my Etsy shop.

Isn't she just delightful! I found her happy little expression so uplifting...

Check out all the designs in this series at www.theartnest.etsy.com.

What If......

2010-03-26T14:39:00.004-04:00

During tax season I enjoy working at H&R Block as a tax preparer. It's seasonal work and I love the challenge of keeping current with all the new tax laws and changes. But my tax geekiness aside its interesting to get a peek into human nature. For instance, during a slow day with few clients I found myself involved in an in-depth conversation with a fellow tax preparer regarding God, death, reincarnation, and our purpose in life. Darlene at one point in the conversation revealed that she just didn't know what her purpose in life was and that she felt she should by now. Her words spun around in my head for several days afterward.... I mean, is anyone absolutely sure what their purpose in life is? What if we don't have just one big purpose? What if we have several small purposes? Or even one small purpose?

I pondered those questions while stuck in traffic on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon when I happened to look over at an older lady who was seated directly opposite of me and our eyes met. She seemed very concerned about something. I smiled broadly and nodded in her direction. To my absolute delight that cute, but ever so concerned, little lady smiled back with emotion that seemed to light up her face, nodded back, and then mouthed the words "Thank-you". The traffic began to move and we both drove forward with a shift in our attitudes. It happened so quickly. It happened so thoroughly. So what if that was my purpose? What if that one small moment in time was my entire reason for being on this earth? What if everything else in my life had conspired to bring me to that one spot, at that particular time, to provide that particular interaction?

In the end, after all my pondering was put aside I decided that perhaps its not as important to identify what ones "purpose" in life might be as it is to live our lives with great purpose.

2010-03-19T13:40:00.007-04:00

The bitter cold of winter is winding down and warmer (almost) spring days are upon us. Many of the trees are beginning to bloom which has prompted me to interpret trees in softie form.

Sweet soft green trees with multi-color spring flowers.

My version of Gumball Trees...

More Spring Flower Trees, but this time in soft natural off-white.

Check out these and others listed in my Etsy store at www.theartnest.etsy.com.

I'm Going Rogue...

2010-02-22T18:13:00.003-05:00

I've written my blog for about a year now, and for the most part it's been nice. Nice, but not great. Let me explain... before beginning most endeavors I do my homework. I like to see what has been done, what are the rules, what do I like, what do I dislike. My blog was no different. I guess I had a preconceived idea of what an artistically written blog should be. My blog has fit that criteria well enough but it's just not truly authentically all me. So here it is, I've decided that I am going rogue!

I will no longer stop writing a blog because it's not just about art - art comes in so many varied forms. Maybe what I write will be solely about the art of living.

I will no longer stop writing a blog because I have no digital pics to demonstrate my art - some forms of art cannot truly be captured in digital medium.

I will give myself permission to blog from my heart and my life - after all I am unique and there is no one who can represent me better and more accurately than I can.

I thank all of you who have read my blog and I hope you will continue. I appreciate the emails and interest in my online shop, www.theartnest.etsy.com. Most of all I am grateful for the kind words and encouragement I've received in the last year.

So with a wink of the eye and a mischievous grin, I look forward to seeing you again soon.

2010-01-31T11:00:00.010-05:00

Check out all the snow here in Virginia Beach! Now, I know all of you who live where snow is common-place really can't understand why I am so in awe of the white fluff, but we just never get snow like this. So here at the beach, a bunch white, powdery, cold stuff that falls from the sky in immense (to us) quantities is big news! We got nine inches of snow and the kids and I have enjoyed it immensely. There have been snowball fights, ice slides, and snow ice-cream to celebrate. Did I mention this stuff is really COLD?? OK, time to move my southern sensibilities back inside to enjoy some hot cocoa and turn up the heater....

Little frozen moments caught in time....

The fairy that sits in the Lily garden.

The Koi Pond blanketed with snow.

A frozen and chilly wizard!

I love how this vignette played out with the snow.

My son Chris, undoubtedly planning a snowball frenzy!

I've Got the Woolies!

2009-10-14T13:45:00.008-04:00

Fall generally brings out the best in me. I love the weather and the general sense of change that is in the air. This fall brings into fruition an idea that I have had loosely rattling around in my head for the last year.

Meet The Wishing Wood Woolies...

All Wishing Wood Woolies are created from the secret thoughts of children. Most live happily in the Wishing Wood, but on occasion a Woolie will decide to come over into our world. Traversing the Sea of Leaves in a boat made of paper they arrive in various parts of the world. One must always be kind to Wishing Wood Woolies as they are full of wishcraft and when treated well can help your wishes come true.

These three guys are the first of the Woolies and can be found in my Etsy shop at www.theartnest.etsy.com. Each Woolie is one of a kind and comes with a background story. I love the combination of story creation and sewing when creating these sweet little softies. I'll be posting more of these guys with their bios in the future.

The Big Fall Project

2009-09-29T15:45:00.001-04:00

Fall is here!! Fall is my favorite time of the year. The weather is temperate with warm days and cool nights made just right for sleeping. The leaves turn lovely shades of gold, red, and orange. The clothing styles and colors change which surely must mean My Sweet Melissa (my dear friend) and I need to do some Fall shopping...

But in the meantime I have a major overhaul of my backyard going on so I thought I would share some of the progress so far.

We tore out the old deck which was enclosed in the front and had steps only on the left side. Then my brother built this awesome deck with steps leading out directly into the yard. Much more open and now gives direct access to the pond and the patio.

The pond was actually installed a year ago but due to improper installation by the contractor became less peaceful and more headache. In the spring we drained it down and fixed the problems ourselves (thanks Geoff). We also had a UV light installed recently. Peace has been restored and the fish are growing, healthy and happy.

Ahh... the new patio. Because the patio was built up in a round shape, it presented a bit of a challenge for the landscape crew. Thanks to Hunter and Kyle, it was figured out and installed. Good job guys! Its about a 16 foot radius and additional soil, plants and mulch will be installed around it.

The next step will be to bring in more soil and plants to tie all the hardscape elements together. Installing the plants in the early fall will give them time to get rooted before winter and by spring they should be ready to grow. I'll post more pics when the installation is completed. By the way, that little black poodle cutie is my girl, Isabelle.

Seasons of Change

2009-09-11T13:25:00.002-04:00

September has arrived and Summer seems to be drawing to a close. The kids have headed back to school which allows me to finish up a few projects that were on hold and begin new projects.

I finally stitched out the woodland deer towels for my newly painted downstairs bathroom. I love them! I actually like them better stitched on the chocolate brown waffle weave towels than I do on the solid white background. Anyway I think they look totally sweet....

I sewed up some cool cool fabric coasters from a tutorial I got from www.makeitfromscratch.blogspot.com/2009/03/drink-coasters-from-scrap-fabric.html. I liked them so much I am planning to make some in different designs for my etsy shop as well.

And, check out the cool necklace and earrings I made during a beading class I took with my friend Nancy...

I hope to delve a little further into jewelry making in the future but I thought this was a good start.

Felt So Good.....

2009-08-19T10:07:00.013-04:00

I did it! I finally got my hands on some roving and learned some felting. My dear friend Melissa (check out her awesome Etsy shop, http://www.themodcottage.etsy.com/) taught me how to wet felt. I love the smell of the roving and the texture of the wet felt. I also bought a great book detailing how to needle felt which is more sculptural than wet felting. I look forward to learning that technique as well. Anyway, here are a few of the pics from our felting....

A few of the supplies you'll need if you want to give it a try are roving, soapy water, and lots of hand strength! The solid white material was felted by yours truly. But check out the cool plaid design Melissa produced. Awesome...

These are actual small stones we picked up at the local beach and felted the roving around the stone. Cool, huh?

Pixies are fond of felted Cairns.... or so I'm told. :)

Just Ducky!

2009-07-15T11:24:00.010-04:00

Summer has come in with a flurry of activity. With the two boys at home I find that I have to fit in time to create wherever possible. Forget about keeping a schedule! I did find time to finish the little duck softie I had cut out in a previous post. I think he turned out rather well.

This is Stanley Duck.

I love how his "hair" and a different tilt of his head gives him such varied expressions!

Now those are some big feet! I embroidered all the details by hand.

I'm currently working on some new woodland deer kitchen towels that I'll post soon. Happy Summer!

Success!

2009-06-20T16:35:00.010-04:00

After a few false starts I finally got the hang of amigurumi. Amigurumi is a Japanese craft that utilizes yarn to either crochet or knit animals or other objects in miniature size. It's really a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. Here's the little mouse I made and I already have several other amigurumi projects underway. I really like that I can take the project with me wherever I go and the cuteness factor is over the top!

If you want to learn how to make one of these cuties yourself check out http://www.lionbrand.com/ for some free patterns.

I used small pink beads for her eyes...

Her little nose and whiskers are embroidered...

Ahh... yes, did I mention the garden gnome was smitten with her?

Bountiful Gardens

2009-06-12T14:02:00.011-04:00

Things have been rather hectic here at The Nest the last few weeks. The kids are getting ready to finish out another year of school and the gardens are in full swing. I am trying to learn amigurumi (a Japanese art form), and the softies are still are still inventing themselves. I should have the duck finished soon, so I'll post him shortly. I am also working on some more of the most excellent kitchen towels with a different vintage design. In the meantime I thought I would show you some of the bounty from the gardens of late.

The Hydrangeas have finally bloomed this year. We moved them last fall to a more advantageous location.

Baby Tomatoes! The vegetable patch is really looking good this year.

I caught a shot of this beautiful butterfly on the Verbena. I'm not sure what kind it is...

The water lettuce is multiplying quickly in the pond. Unfortunately, so is the algae. We cut back some branches and the surface of the pond has more sunlight this year. Hopefully it will clear up soon.

Ahh... the Lilies. The Lilies are beautiful this year and different varieties have been blooming since early spring.

More Cowboy Kitty!

2009-05-26T15:52:00.024-04:00

The last few weeks have been so busy! Spring is in full swing and the gardens are growing like mad. Miss Emma has returned (again...) and so far, so good! I have managed to make those really cool kitchen towels I referred to earlier. The softies are still under construction and I am beginning on some "Days of the Week" kitchen towels with a sweet vintage flair to them. I'll be posting them shortly. In the meantime here are the remainder of the vintage 1940's pattern "Cowboy Kitty" kitchen towels. They look great in my kitchen and if you are looking for a set you can find them in my Etsy shop at http://www.theartnest.etsy.com/. Enjoy!

Cowboy Kitty with his Lasso of Mischief...

Pondering his next act of mischief...

And lastly, singing the tales of his mischief!!

Oh, What a Softie....

2009-05-10T13:48:00.007-04:00

It seems Miss Emma (my embroidery/sewing machine) is once again under the weather. But all is well, I have borrowed my good friends sewing machine and I am all about making softies. It's totally been on my agenda for some time now, so I'm taking the time to make them while my embroidery machine is out for repair. I love working with all the beautiful fabric combinations and creating three dimensional creatures from the different colors and textures is a lot of fun.

Here's a little ducky I have cut out and ready to stitch. The fabric in the background is going to be a big-eared creature I've created a new pattern for. I'll blog them both when completed.

This is Freddy Fabulous! He's my tres' chic owl created from an upcycled sweater and awesome orange/cream cotton fabric I found on sale. I've just recently listed him in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24643805. Check him out!

Random Beauty of Spring...

2009-05-06T11:24:00.008-04:00

Sometimes its hard to slow down and smell the roses. There always seems to be something which should be done, needs to be done, or absolutely must be done at once. So here are a few moments of Spring beauty I managed to enjoy. I hope you will enjoy them as well...

Baby bunnies!

MORE baby bunnies. They are everywhere this year!

Rhododendron buds from the garden by the shed...

And here is the full Rhododendron bloom. We just planted these last year.

Hope you enjoyed these Random Moments of Spring Beauty and you find some of your own as well...

Happy May Day!

2009-05-01T15:20:00.008-04:00

Today is May Day! I saw some really pretty pink flowers at the store this week so I decided to put together a few May Day "Baskets" for my neighbors and work staff. Sometimes a small unexpected gift is just what's needed to plant a smile.

I used a live Vinca plant and some cute mini watering cans I found at Target.

I made the tags using a sweet vintage graphic arts image I purchased from www.thevintageworkshop.com

Ta Da! One of the completed May Day Baskets.

Cowboy Kitty Rides Again!

2009-04-28T12:21:00.007-04:00

I've kept busy in the Nest making those uber-cool kitchen tea towels I referred to earlier. I really love the vintage patterns on these. They are call "Cowboy Kitty" and are from the 1940's. The patterns themselves are stitched in redwork, but I then colored them in using fabric paint markers to ensure the colors didn't run when washed. I have more from the same retro pattern set in the works and hope to share them soon.

Look at Cowboy Kitty's sly sideways glance! It looks like trouble just rode in on his stick-horse...

Cowboy Kitty is totally sweet on Cowgirl Kitty! Look out!

I'm keeping a set of these to dress up my kitchen for sure. But if you want a set too, you can get them at http://www.theartnest.etsy.com/. I'll post more from this vintage pattern set in future blogs.

Playing Possum.....

2009-04-25T08:12:00.006-04:00

Yes, I'm still here! Spring is such a busy time of the year. It's like the whole world wakes up and everything begins to move at an accelerated pace. Plants nurtured from years past emerge and begin their yearly show, the birds return in mass, and critter babies are everywhere.

Here at the nest I have been getting the gardens in order and enjoying the wonderful warmth. Being quite the goal directed individual, I have a hard time slowing down long enough to enjoy it all. Time always seems to be in short supply... So, if only for a moment, I've decided to stop moving forward, play possum, and just enjoy. Then, I'll finish cleaning the pond, plant the rest of the vegetable garden, finish the softy I'm working on, start a few more softies, and in my spare time I'll whip out a few more of the tea towels I have planned... I did say I would slow down for a moment, didn't I?

Kaeleb's discovery! Aren't the the cutest?

She's Back.....

2009-04-08T16:12:00.005-04:00

Ms. Emma is back! That's right Ms. Emma my sewing/embroidery machine is finally back. She seems to be rested and in good shape after taking her mental health holiday. So I am currently working on kitchen towels. I have plans of making softies in the near future as well, so check back to see what kind of cuteness is hatching out of the Nest....

Aren't these cute? I made a set of the blue ones for a friend of mine who has recently moved into a new home. The tea towel embroidered in red will be added to my Etsy store.

Days Like This...

2009-04-02T11:56:00.008-04:00

I've heard that boats who go unnamed are plagued with problems and bad luck. I wonder if the same is true of sewing machines? I'm beginning to think it is... I have really had just the worst luck recently with my new embroidery/sewing machine. She is shredding thread (giving me the worst fits) and the repair shop can't seem to nail down the exact problem. I'm totally frustrated because I have so many sewing projects in the works.

So I've decided to name my machine Ms. Emma. Ms. Emma is a powerful, mature sewing machine with much potential and many years of good stitches in her. Unfortunately she is prone to accidents and must be monitored vigilantly. While she is on vacation (due to her emotional breakdown of course) I have moved on to card making and crochet. Hopefully that will keep both my hands and my mind busy so I don't wind up on a mini-vacation like Ms. Emma!

These are little thank you notes I made to leave with service tips. I love the googly eyes on the owls!

Padding the Nest

2009-03-26T12:27:00.009-04:00

I'm in an all-out war with Mother Nature this month. It happens every March. It's finally Spring, but the cold weather just won't let go... Last year I won the fight, but Mother Nature is a sneaky creature. She totally took away most of the lovely temperate Spring weather and launched us right into Summer. I'm ever so sure I heard her giggle about that on several occasions... So while I quietly wage my war with the great lady, I am all about padding the nest. Today I got my sewing machine back from servicing and will be stitching up some uber-cute tea towels. Look for them in future posts and on my Etsy site http://www.theartnest.etsy.com/. Meanwhile my response to Mother Nature's chilly blast is to make a big pot of chili and home-made cornbread. Didn't the cornbread turn out so nice? Once you've eaten home-made cornbread you'll never look at those boxed versions again. So to get you started I've included the recipe. Enjoy!!

Click on recipe to enlarge for easier reading.

The Multiple Personality Artist

2009-03-24T14:15:00.010-04:00

I envy those people who have found what they want to do in life and they pursue it without doubt. It's as if they were set on that path and they just knew it was the perfect path for them. Me, not so much... In this one lifetime I seem to have reinvented myself repeatedly, moving from careers in medicine to careers in business. And now, (do I dare say it out loud) into a career in art. Of course its not so clear cut. Art has always been a part of my life and I've loved business ventures since childhood as well. Maybe I'm just learning to blend the different areas of my life more fully.

But even within my artful pursuits I am restless. I seem to always have several different projects underway. Today embroidery, tomorrow jewelry, maybe finishing up projects in several different areas the next day. So here's to all the multiple personality artists like myself who refuse to live within only one mood, one color, one style, or even one art form!

Here's one of the latest Scrabble Tile Pendants I made. Isn't she a cute little fairy? You can see all the pendants I've made in my store http://www.theartnest.etsy.com/.

Yup, I'm a Blogger!

2009-03-20T15:32:00.015-04:00

Spring is finally here! I love Spring and all the new growth that goes with it. The weather finally begins to warm up, the plants push up out of the cold ground, and all the birds and animals in my backyard begin their spring antics. So, in keeping with all that new growth going on, I have decided to begin my blog on this most auspicious of days, The First Day of Spring.

Check out all the little Spring Chicks!

Kaeleb with a baby chick.

Easter Chick Gift tags I made for my Etsy Store, http://www.theartnest.etsy.com/.