Under a Blue Moon

Hanky bunting

Project No. 9 of the Sweet Six Studio online art retreat. The instructions called for hotgluing the hankies together but I couldn't bear to do that so I just tied the ribbons on the overlapped hankies.

I'm not planning on leaving it on the mantel (which I have not changed out since the beginning of the year – I must really like that assortment of things up there) ~ it's just there for photographic purposes. Perhaps over the window in the bathroom.

Out of the ten projects posted so far I have completed seven. One turned out so terrible that I am not putting a picture of it up here. Just one of those times when what was in my head did not make through my hands and into the project.

I cannot wait to start project No. 10. I think it is my favorite so far.

Puppy, waiting

I am puppysitting again. Actually I run a little doggy day care every Monday and Tuesday when I am down at my Dad's house. Sara drops Remy off in the morning and either she or the Wine Maker pick him up in late in the afternoon.

This week though we get to do sleepovers. The Wine Maker is neck deep in harvest and the Wine Maker's Wife is off on a business trip. It must made sense to leave Remy with me Sunday night and he'll get picked up Tuesday or Wednesday.

Only right around 5:00 when he figured it was time to be picked up he went and sat down by the front door.

I'm going to have to ply him with liver treats and maybe a Lady and the Tramp dvd to get him to move.

Edited to add: Ha! Not ten minutes after I posted this the Wine Maker showed up. I think they missed each other too much. So no sleepover tonight but I get Remy back tomorrow morning.

Halloween invite

This is the mock-up of the Annual Halloween party invitation. Ignore the little speckles of embossing powder – I wasn't going for perfection – just trying to get an idea if this would work and if I liked it or not.

My favorite part is the little ghost is sparkly – it's hard to tell but he is.

Now I have to figure out if I can print on the inside of the card with my printer. Normally I just print up the invitation details on a separate piece of paper and then glue it in but I don't really like that method.

Doncha love my knock off glitter skull? I was all set to get the $20 Pottery Barn one then found Mr. Glitter above at Marshall's for $7.99. Nice to get your human skulls at a discount.

I did not do any of the on-line retreat projects this weekend because I did a walk-a-thon on Saturday and stayed the night at my cousin's house. I am on vacation after this Friday for two entire weeks so I hope to get caught up on house and creative projects.

Halloween Table Topper

Susan, who commented on yesterday's post, wanted to know about the quilt in the background of the photos. This is my very first completed quilt project. I collected 30's repo prints while on a trip to Madison, WI a few years ago. Some of them were Halloween prints and others just the right colors.

This project (and that trip to Madison) is what started my love for 30's repo prints. JJ Stitches in Sun Prairie, WI has an entire back room with the hugest selection of 30's prints. I walked in and felt like I was home. We've gone back a few times and I always make a bee-line straight for the back.

I do believe I'll be doing some Fall decorating this weekend – I always put this topper on the table in the foyer so you see it when you first walk in.

This was a good, first project. It tested my cutting, piecing and stiching in the ditch techniques. I even did mitred corners for the borders because I didn't know any better.

Embellished Photo Board

I snuck in a quick project today. This is an embellished photo board. I decided I was feeling Autumnal and Halloweeny so I went that direction with it.

I started off a bit plain (if you can call black velvet flowers and orange Halloween paper plain) and then went from there.

Too bad that great black and white paper has to get covered up with a photo (or in my case a vintage Halloween image). I *love* the ruched, black ribbon on the bottom. It looks like rick-rack at first glance but it is so much more. I found it at a rubber stamping store and it just looked like trim that would be on a Victorian mourning gown.

(Click on the image to see it larger)

I added a litte running pumpkinhead man and some German glass glitter. Because what isn't better with a little German glass glitter? Hmmm? Not much.

Whenever I finish a project I always think of about eight different things I would have done. I have some great black lace that I should have added to the top. Ah well. It's all good. I'm learning and that is the total point of this online art retreat. Stretch a little.

I have to give Rick partial credit for this project. I had him dragging out his saw and cutting me pieces of wood (actually I think it is veener – it's really thin) and drilling holes in it.

Book Report

Time for another book report. Since I've joined Paperback Swap I've sent out about a dozen and a half books but I've only received about four back. I think the books on my wishlist are really popular. Even the ones that I think are obscure.

Right now I am reading Blessed are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch. It is the story of two elderly Irish gentlemen that make cheese. They want to pass on the secrets before they pass on themselves. Chock full of interesting characters, a love story, and mystical cheesemaking.

I listened to The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold while driving back and forth to my Dad's house. I hated it. I had high hopes for it because Lovely Bones was so good but this book did not have a single character that was sympathetic.

It's the story of a woman and her lifelong antagonistic relationship with her mother.

The actions of the protagonist were just so far-fetched and not the least bit plausible.

But I was stuck in the car for hours and I saw it through, hoping it would get better or I would at least have a sympathetic understanding of the characters but I never did.

Next up on my nightstand is The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice. Since I haven't read it yet I obviously can't review it but the reviews on Amazon are good and one reader even compares it to Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle which is one of my favorite books.

This is the story of a young woman nagivating the social world of London in the early 50's.

So what have you been reading? Anything good?

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