Thursday, July 24, 2014

Dallas, the Wonder Dog


Dear Readers,
Our Grandson Hunter has a service dog, Dallas.  Recently, Dallas had to have major surgery to amputate a leg that had a malignant tumor.  He is almost ready to come home, but at a cost... estimated at around $7000!  Our Daughter in Law April posted the following:
http://www.gofundme.com/dallasmybestfriend.  It is a site where donations can be made to help defray the veterinary bill.  They have done well raising funds, but the entire bill must be paid when they go to bring Dallas home, which hopefully is today.  I have posted this site on my Facebook page, but wanted to mention it here as well.  If you can make a donation, no matter how small, it will go a long way to help.  Our son Joe is in the Army, so they are on a budget.  Dallas has helped Hunter so much, and he deserves all the help and support he can get.  
Thanks for any support you can give!
Judy


Monday, July 14, 2014

Something new

I have been going in a new direction lately, combining a couple of techniques to come up with something a little different.  As you may know if you have been following me the past couple of years, I have been making coiled fabric bowls for awhile, then recently I took the process in a different direction and began making coiled bowls that I then coated with plaster and painted.  The first few were simple - create the bowl, coat it with plaster, paint with gesso, stamp on some designs, and seal.  I have also been working on more complex shapes involving multiple segments that had to be hand stitched together after I created them... all good ways to stretch and grow, creatively.  Well, I decided recently to take this process even further and try painting on one, as I would a canvas.  It's been quite awhile since I did much painting, but I envisioned something that I just had to try... worst case scenario, I could always paint over it if my idea didn't come to fruition.  Well, today I put the finishing touches on it, and I think I'll let it stay as is:


I used photos I took at Monument Valley in 2001 as my inspiration.  It was a little awkward painting on a curved shape, but I am pleased with how it turned out, and will probably try more in the future.  Now I just need to find some mesquite branches to put inside!  And I also need to plan another trip to Monument Valley... if you have never been, it's awesome!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Where has the time gone!

I can't believe I've let almost a month pass without a post... again!  Lots of projects keeping me busy, then the 4th yesterday... time to catch up!
First off, I was busy  writing a series of articles for "...And Then We Set It On Fire" about creating fabric with various surface design techniques:
Here's the end result - you can see how I got there if you follow the link and look for Round Robin, Solo Style posts.
I've also been doing some Autumn Leaves pieces using stamps I cut out of sponges:
And most recently, I did another plaster bowl and embellished with more sponge stamps, this time in shapes reminiscent of the southwest:

 
In between I had other things to do like housework (yuk!) and a trip to Phoenix.  Then yesterday, I got to ride on a float in our July 4th parade:
I took pix of the crowd along the way - lots of folks turned out for the event! 

And here I am (left) with a friend on the float, with my last minute painted sun visor... had great weather for the parade, followed by a nice monsoon storm to keep things cool!
Okay, time to get ready to visit the local nursery... now that Monsoon season is here, I can think about planting, and I need to find some trees!  Have a great July, and I hope to post more soon!