Sun Catchers

We held our December meeting at Cindy's. Was a fun day, lots of food, laughter and love... During show-n-tell, Kathy shared these sun catcher..They are very special with a story behind them from years of her Mothers life...Kathy is going to share the story behind these in her own words.

"One of my favorite stories my Mom used to tell was from her youth. On outings with her family, they would past a particular home in the evenings, and she could view a chandelier hanging in the dining room. She thought this was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen, the crystals dancing in the light mesmerized her. Her hope was to one day own such a chandelier. Many years later, when my parents were building their new home, she got her chandelier. We ate many family meals under it's light. When they decided to relocate to Florida, my Mother took her chandelier, and enjoyed it still. Two years ago, she moved again, this time to live with my sister, and the chandelier came along, There was no place to hang it, so it was stored for 2 years. Recently it was unboxed, and much to my Mom's heartbreak, 2 of the arms had fallen off and could not be repaired. She was almost in tears as she told me the tale...I tried to comfort her as best I could, and asked what she was going to do with the parts. She reluctantly said she would probably toss them. I told her to send the crystals to me, and I would make something out of them. This lifted her spirits. So the result is everyone gets a sun catcher this year for Christmas with the enclosed note: (The Ol'Blogger Note..each of Kathy's siblings got one with this note attached.)"

We all know how much Mom (Grandma) loved her chandelier, well its taken on a new life, been transformed into sun catchers-to bring colorful rays of joy to us each day, just as she has for all these years....ENJOY!!!

Basket Day with Phil Beaver

Early last month, Cindy, Sherry, Kathy and I travelled south to French Lick to spend the day with Phil, learning how to weave a Fanny Basket.  Also joining us were a couple of other friends of Phil's,  Jim from French Lick and Peggy from Sullivan.. We arrived about 7:30, and toured Phil's new studio, The Cloister.  I can't find the pictures of the Cloister right now, so I'll post them when I find them.

After the tour we got down to business with the baskets. There are some pics of baskets in varying stages. Basket weaving is harder than it looks, but it was exciting watching the baskets take shape.

Here are Cindy's and my completed baskets.  After a busy and very productiveday, we headed home about 6pm.

A Woman and Her Purse....

Cindy handcrafted this purse...complete with zipper and many, many pockets on the inside...Which I am sure please her husband that is was close-able as she had been carrying one that didn't have a closure..Now she can't lose their life savings....giggle

Also with this pattern the outside covering can be changed...Instant different purse..

I found a web site that told of the history of purses...I liked this paragraph so am going to share with you all. "Have you ever wondered about the origin of handbags and purses? Handbags have been essential to fashion history ever since people have had something precious to carry around with them and only the items have changed over time. The very first mention in written literature comes from the 14th century, even though Egyptian hieroglyphs show pouches carried around the waist. Bags were attached to what were called "girdles" which were fastened to the waist. Embroidery and jewels adorned these articles and were used to show status - the richer the person, the more elaborate the bag."

We are back to creating our own handbags....Nice....

I am Married and He is Retired....

I remember well looking forward to age 16 and getting driver license, then getting married, having children and then grandchildren...with each adventure came joy and some problems..But all in all turned out good....Never do I remember thinking about, or looking forward to my husband's retirement...It looks like its going to be one of those experiences I am going to have to learn to like...So with that in mind I got the beads out and decided to make me

"I'm married and he is retired"

pieces of jewelry..

 Instead of him getting a gold watch for his retirement..I made me the one pictured above...With a large face since I can't see as well as when we were younger...also to remind me of the fact he now is on "The World's Longest Coffee Break"...

The ring is black and with a heart to remind me that I do love him...Even though when he entered the door the last night of work, grinning with these words....."Honey, I am home forever" he meant it.....I am sure just as with the other adventures there will be joy and problems...For now I have my jewelry...giggle

The Ol'Blogger

Aunt Edna's Hankies....

What do you do with old handkerchiefs that your mother/grandmother, or elderly aunt blew their noses in. And with which ,perhaps, they dabbed at their tears or love ones over the years..  Wipe a smudge from a child's face.... Patted sweat from their brow as they toiled in the garden....Or just collected from their friends..

Well our Cindy knows exactly what to do...make wall hanging...

 The two tea wall hangings" were made from her 97 year old Aunt Edna's hankies. She passed in May so Cindy made two hangings for her two daughters...

The girls (Brenda and Sharon) were thrilled with their gift which Cindy presented to them earlier this year...

A treasure they will enjoy as will  family members down the years to come..The Ol'Blogger

 

Part of Fall

Part of modern America's Fall Celebrations: come October-November pumpkins can be found everywhere in the country from doorsteps to dinner tables..Cindy created the picture of the pumpkins by needle punch....then framed it...a perfect addition for her fall decorations...The Ol'Blogger

Ruby Hauser

Ruby Hauser is still alive, living in the southern part of Indiana. She has been in an assisted living home for around 10 years. She was a school Librarian and avid quilter. A charter member of the Quarry Quilters in Bedford. She was always dressed impeccably. Shoes and clothes always matched, never a hair out of place. In my opinion, she was a perfectionist. Ruby was always kind and friendly and even opened her home to a group for weekly quilting. I attended a few times, but wasn't able to add it to my already jam packed schedule. Recently her home and items went on the auction block. I attended the auction because I wanted a memento to add to my already bulging studio. When I saw the pin cushion it was a must have if at all possible. The other items were just icing on the cake

 :-) I know that someday all this "stuff" I hold dear and have accumulated will too be sold to the highest bidder or even given away - but that's okay with me - I will have used and enjoyed these items while they where in my possession and I hope that whom ever acquires them after me may they get as much fun and joy as I have had!

I let Cindy tell about the picture of items she had acquired in her own words...The Ol'Blogger

Purse and Basket....

Rhona made this purse by knitting then felting...she hasn't decided as yet how she is going to decorate...I love it as is....

First I knitted the bag and then felted and the out come is my knitting basket...giggle...It works perfect for my knitting projects home until completed...Kathy keeps telling us when we run into a problem "just keep on knitting"...it will work out and it does...felting covers a multitude of errors....:0)

Boo-tiful

 Everything about Halloween is fun, especially if you are creative as Cindy...Yes, she make this wreath for the holiday...if you click on it you will be able to see all sorts of creepy items...As you can see Halloween decorations don't have to cost a fortune and you don't need a degree in arts and crafts...Check out the toy's your children or grandchildren have collected over the years from their school fairs..McDonald Kids fun meal they have eaten  and can't throw away those precious little surprises..

Cindy first sprayed a little black paint on the wreath to give it the burnt look...after place all the golbins, witches, fake eye balls, witches brew calderon, etc..she added a little sparkle...Darling, Cindy.. 

Flower Garden Make Over...

One of Cindy's UFO's was to make over her flower bed..She took pictures to share with us....

I think the make over included some painting and rock laying...giggle Creating a beautiful flower garden is similar to painting a picture with living plants, bird houses, bottles etc...as she has done here... We can all look forward to the full beauty of this painting when spring arrives in 2011...I am thinking this is the last of her UFO list...Now she can work on a new list for next year...Great Job, Cindy... The Ol'Blogger

Preparing for Winter....

                                                                           These are Cindy T's apples harvested from her apple tree in her back yard.

The photo on the right is the applesauce she canned up around the middle/end of September.Would have loved to been at her house on those days...I am sure her house smelled heavenly..
By the looks of these shelves Cindy has been a busy girl...what a wonderful feeling of satisfaction when she looks in her pantry...

This-n-That

    The desire to create has been instinctive in the human species ever since cavemen drew pictures of themselves and animals on the walls. In fact, it wasn’t much later that they started making jewelry by beading. Archaeologists have discovered beaded jewelry in some of the oldest ruins ever uncovered.

Rhona and I weren't going to do beading jewelry but......with the beautiful pieces the others had made we were bit by the age old bug.....Pictured her are Rhona's beads she is going to use to make a necklace like the ones shown here...I think these belonged to Kathy but I am not sure they may be Cindy T's...Girls which one of you did these beauties?

Cindy P is modeling the bracelet I made my granddaughter in her school colors... So she can show her school pride...

Silk scarf is a stylish accessory and gives a fresh look. The silk scarf has the ability to conform to various positions about the neck and shoulder. Silk scarves make you not only look good, but feel good as well! Silk scarves are very versatile fashion accessories so that different types of silk scarves with the same clothes can create a different look. Pictured here is the silk scarf Rhona made for Ruth (a friend and co-worker) for her retirement.. ...The Old Blogger

No More Monkey's Jumping on the Bed...

Kathy is making this baby quilt for a baby of a co worker... she is hand embroidering on the borders the "Five Little Monkeys"

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,


One fell off and bumped his head.

Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Halloween

 Sherry will be ready for Halloween this month...I love her choice of fabrics for this wall hanging..

Kathy designed this pillow cover that she can pull out this month and she too will be ready...

Rhona's Bird Quilts....

Rhona's quilt of birds...This is the backing fabric she used on both quilts...Here is the second one..One, but not sure which will be hung in their new cabin....Rhona I love them both....The Ol'Blogger 

PS....This fabric came all the way from Italy. My daughter Amber and her hubby Mike brought this back for me from their vacation to Italy earlier this year. I love it -- Rhona

Kathy's Jewelry

What a beautiful piece of jewelry, made by Kathy.Using peyote stitch and then folding she created this neat look. We love the staggered look...Her closure for this one was seed beads made into a loop and she use one of the rolls to feed through the loop...

I wish this wasn't blurred...but it is still simply gorgeous....First Kathy used peyote stitch for the bracelet. Then she made fall leaves using delicas and size 15 beads..and stitched into the bracelet...One of the neat things about this bracelet she used snaps for the closure..

Kathy stitches up these rings...the added details on top adds an extra zing for these rings..

Setptember Meeting

We met for our September meeting at Cindy P. house...I think I surprised her in this picture...She was adding finishing touches for our lunch...Lasagna, bread and salad...with a chocolate pie...hmmmmm was delicious...Also we had the pleasure of meeting her husband Mike and he shared lunch with us...

I did take a few pictures of her studio...in this picture we see the side of her working desk...Later you will see the doll of her husband as a child from the picture hanging from the shelf for her to look at as she works...

Cindy creates original plymer clay art dolls..she is proficiant at sculpting the human body...From witches, Indians to family members they all look like they can talk or feel emotions,with faces that are realistic and expressive..

These were on a shelf above her working area.. I didn't take them down...each one was created by Cindy...

This is Cindy's working table.... On the table is the doll of Mike she is sculpting of when he was a small boy... I also have a close up...Amazing!!!!

We all had the pleasure of watching her create this lady..as she would work the clay when she was able to join us for a meeting or on Chocolate Night...What a delight to see her as one whole unit,dressed with shoes and all the little details.

Show-n-Tell was amazing also...as you will see in future postings...The girls have been busy...The Ol'Blogger

 

Is it Black and White or White and Black..

Cindy has done a wonderful job making this quilt interesting and a stand out with her designs and accent. A quilt’s visual impact is created by the contrasts between the light and dark fabrics chosen for the design. The more intense the contrast is, the more striking the quilt will be. The strongest possible contrast was created by Cindy by combining white and black, which represent opposite ends of the value spectrum. As a project on her UFO list for August was this amazing black on white or white on black top...

I love the circles Cindy added which seem to "celebrate the wonder of black and white." Each circle is etched like frost on a windowpane allowing me to catch a glimpse of winter...What do you see? Please share...The Ol'Blogger

Birthday Gift....

The colors from my camera didn't show up as true for real life...But Cindy made this bracelet and earrings for her son Jason's girlfriend Deborah, for her birthday...Just using odd and end beads and no real reason or rhyme she begin beading making it up as she went along....If I remember correctly there are some copper beads, some charms....It was beautiful...I am sure Deborah will enjoy wearing these...

Geri's Watch

I finally got my middle daughter a watch beaded. I got the watch face from "Fire Mountain". Used beads that were shaped like a flower. Connecting with tubular and seed beads in silver and black...She is please with it...I used a number 4 fishing line with a Sterling Silver box clasp. The Ol'Blogger

Felted Hat

We were discussing felting...So Jody shared the hat Cindy had knitted and felted awhile back...Before felting the knitted item is huge...Sherry is modeling the hat for us...

Winter Pillow...

The pillow Cindy has been hand embroidering on at our "Fun Meter Fill Up Meetings...She used some pieces that were left over from her Santa quilt...and also some blocks that MJ gave out...Truly this is a picture you will need to click on to get the full effect... There are flowers that stand out, with leaves she added...Beads and other details make this a special pillow...The air tonight does remind us winter is soon to follow...Cindy will be prepared....The Ol'Blogger