Things to Inspire the Artist Within YOU

I just read that 15%  of all Americans are on food stamps. I just taught in Troy Montana and learned that their food bank was in trouble and clearly many people there and other places I have been lately are out of work or worse and last week I heard that the Coeur d'Alene Idaho food bank is  also in trouble. I have to my food bank before I left but now I am planning on writing checks to the two other food banks to share the blessings that I have (jobs teaching and selling books). The thought of others now having enough to eat for their familie's makes me want to share and I am in hopes that by sharing some of the people who are blessed will pass that along to others. No matter where you live, please pass along some of your blessings to others and ask them to pass along their blessings...this surely makes the world a better place for all of us. We are blessed to be a blessing and if you are not sharing your blessings, you are missing out.
Below are some images that I thought you might like and that inspire me and hopefully YOU.

Aren't we lucky that  we can SEE and enjoy the things our eyes can delight in. Such a wonderful thing to discover new ideas through our eyes.

 I love images of women doing different things.

 Turkeys are always something to make us smile and the colors of feathers and the silly way they walk all to delight us along with the taste!

 Freddy Moran had this on her table years ago and I always loved the image of the table cloth, the pottery and the pumpkins....she has such a talent with designing

 One of my most favorite people is Emily who owns Tasuti Zoo one of my most favortie shops! I usually get a photo with her once a year at least-she is kind first off and talented in art second...I admire her wonderful spirit.

 Fower Power quilts continue to inspire me...love these blocks and beginnings of a beautiful quilt....if you don't have the book, you would love doing these....

I have been teaching my wreath class alot lately and it is fun to see what people add on their wreaths to create something wonderful for their holiday (Christmas) walls

 This is my friend Kathy who is working on a Christmas Tree quilt she started in one of my classes...Kathy is extremely talented in quilting and I admire her style and kindness

A nice Atlanta girl offers a photo of her tree as it progresses in class-what fun!

 This is in the Seattle airport and I love the images when I am hurrying off to the next plane gate....

 I am so thankful that now I have time to work on quilts, and work on designs for Timeless Treasures (I LOVE this company). I want to do some bold bright and exciting prints to make wonderful quilts with!

 I am sharing this photo of Freddy's entry hall and my friends Susanne and Jeanne...can you imagine having a tree in your entry? I would love that in my imaginary world....

 Christmas Stars give light and ideas of images for quilts as does this adorable Polish angel....Maybe you might think about these images in a way you could use them for a fabulous quilt or craft of some kind

 Here is a class with my wreath photo....Nice girls who made a wreath of their own and hopefully now, they are done and hanging.

Some things to make YOU Smile Before I Drive Back Home in the Snow....

Happy Turkey preparation week....I will be home in plenty of time to bake and clean and make my share of the meal with Son's in-laws....such fun.
Don't forget to keep your thankful gratitiude list going to bring you the gift of creativity. This was an important lesson I learned in the best art class I ever took.

Just In Time for Thankful Month...Isn't this wonderful?

Thank you Francie!

Mel sent me this card and I think it is delightful-Can you imagine this as a quilt story with YOUR friend?

Roxanne's shop in Carpinteria on Maple a Delight to visit and enjoy

Here is a wall at Roxann'es quilt shop that makes any quilt look sensational! Such fun and such great stuff to buy!

 I love dots and this wall was so pretty....

 I didn't think I like this color pink until I saw this darling wall and the place I got to sign books- "order please-ONE MALT and a Cherry Coke plus a Huge plate of fries and catsup!" And...."where is that book about dieting"

One friend that stopped by to say "hello" told me "the good old days are back when I come and shop at Roxannes! I totally understand what she was saying...my heart was happy the entire time I was there and Roxanne, is thoughtful and kind and has great friends and a darling daughter who works there.

The jewelry is something else with positive sayings and Roxanne's special little angel in some of them, I bought some nice things to wear as I travel...so many happy things in this shop and so many nice gift ideas too

A close look shows my friend Wendy Price's tags for quilts here....if you don't have them you should-they are darling tags to sew onto your quilts. They are called Tag-It-On. And below are beaded fish...always fun and colorful!

This is thankful Month as you all know and I encourage everyone to keep a journal of at least ten to fifteen things you are thankful for each day. This makes any artist more aware and gives you new insite on how blessed you are in your everyday life. I am happier with a simple cracker and some tea than I am with a banquet....a little music, some wheat crackers, photos of loved ones and friends, some fat quarters, flowers and hand cream make me giddy. Today I am most thankful for a warm home, beautiful leaves on my lawn, a nice husband who never complains about his trips to the airport, beef stew on my stove, berry pie, warm socks, a nice blanket on my bed, the color turquoise, the smell of the cold air, dear quilting friends I meet on the road, someone who laughs, a nice cousin named Linda Georgeson Gates, a car to get me where I need to go and most of all today SLEEP-
Tomorrow I give away fabric packets to four lucky people who posted comments and belong to my followers list here

OUT OF THE BOX WITH EASY BLOCKS-Buy this book for great fun and CREATIVITY and WIN some AWESOME FABRIC

 Above, Mel and I do School House at Market together. How nice to share the fun and the excitement that we love with the projects in the new book! So simple, so quick and so creative!

I wish you could see these chicks in person. They are so pretty and would make the perfect baby quilt for any little darling....boy or girl and as I said they are quick and they are fun!

The book contains TWO alphabets and it is fun to see what people create with them. As many of you know, I have been doing words in quilts for years.....and names in quilts make for a lasting momento for someone you love....

 OK, everyone knows I LOVE cats and always have. I thought that plaid cats would be super in this book and I put together this quilt quickly using the hoochy mama method I do with all of my quilts...it is fun to see little kids smile when they see this quilt and in my workshops,  often show how to make the cats and we all laugh at the sheer whimsy and joy they behold!

Living in Washington I love coffe and a pot and coffee cups seemed a great idea...here I chose a French Fabric and some crystals for bling to make this fun wallhanging....I can't have enough French things in my house...I love everything French...except liver pate'

Mel did this fun cow with the sock tongue and in the book it is explained how to do the pieced background. Now, the other thing is what we call the COW PHENOMENA. We started with a purple cow in the book. Soon, Mel did a Holy Cow and then I did a cow town and then our friends started doing them and my friend Dawn Tonioli did six cow quilts and said she may never do anything else but cow quilts....Now we have a whole show called "Cow Parade" that will be at Road to California in January and at the Minnesota quilt show in June....25 wonderful (and counting) Cow quilts with play on words for each one...all different and all fabulous! If you haven't done a cow, you should....only about 2 1/2 hours to do one and then the fun of the theme and embellishments....it is hard to make only one. I am on my 4th and so is Mel and our other friends are on their second and third ones....

I will be at the Santa Barbara Quilt guild this week enjoying the members, the beauty and fun and State Street and hope you can come to the meeting and see wonderful quilts in person. Also, you can get a book from Roxanne's quilt shop in Carpinteria and get my signature on Saturday. Would love to meet you there! Come and get a pin.

Our friend Susan Typpi did Panamoo Canal and Eilene Hamiltopn did BOOVine..... So cute and so much fun! I am delighted with the way the book worked out and the creativity it gives for all levels of quilters....
And best? The smiles it brings too.
    I am sitting on a pile of Paula Nadelstern fabric that has great light givers in it. I am going to choose four names  from people who leave a comment and I will send out a bundle to these 4 people and a new cow pin- Please comment and join this blog and you will be in the running and glad you did it since the prize is multiple yards.... I will be back in town on the weekend and giving it away (in the mail) the beginning of the week!

Two Ways to Think About This......Plus giving Thanks,,,,

Anyone who knows me knows I adore Bakelite jewelry. I can't afford the expensive bracelets I admit but I can dream. When I was younger and in my 20's I collected depression glass. I used to have dreams I was swimming and under the water in the sand was hundreds of pieces of rare depression glass. I am over that but since then I have the same dream about bakelite but it washes ashore and no one but me is around.

    Now with it being Thankful month and all I am trying to do my best to enjoy and give THANKS for things that are not things. Then I met Les and Loretta at Market and first of all they were so charming and nice I couldn't help but talk to them for over an hour. Les remembers "American Hurrah", a quilt shop in Manhatten that bought and sold quilts before it was fashionable. I met Joel and his wife in the late 70's....there were alot of things that Les and I remembered or had in common. I told him it was a divine appointment. If you loved Bakelite this is your place....look at these wonderful polka dot bracelets! SO cool. This guys knows more about bakelite than anyone I have ever met and he has many books from the 20's, 30's and 40's on the subject. Such a nice thing to meet someone and learn so much! I was truly inspired and so far no dreams of found treasures of colorful bakelite but I am sure it is going to happen.

If you are in the market, he knows his stuff and his prices are the best out there. Tell him I sent you please....he is alot of fun and his wife Loretta has a beautiful accent and a beautiful voice and is super nice. They are a great couple.

I was so moved by one of the comments left here...it made such an impression on me and I am so happy to think about it.
"If you were only provided with the things that you thanked God for yesterday, what would you have today?" THAT is going to be my mantra.....it is changing the way I pray along the way in my travels. Wanted to share it again in case you missed it.

Quilt Market 2011 Provides nice friends and beautiful quilts!

This hippie was a Texas trims salesman from Tx....a very nice guy with a shirt of all Tx teams...Mary Lou and Mel grab him for a photo.....

Cool quilt- I love anything with fruit!

And I like anything with flowers

And I like color and weird shapes!

Above Jennifer Sampou is back and designing and lives in Mexico for now and had wonderful fun color in her booth and milagros around her neck and a fun attitude! Pretty cool right?

Hey lucky me, I ran into Susan-here is her info-she writes a great blog and is so NICE and she is a great quilter too!  http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/ Susan Brubaker...

Love outhouses because they remind me of times when I was little visiting my Grandparents and their friends in Canada....

I adore any quilt that this lady does.....it kind of reminds me of my stuff only her is her style...she is a great story teller isn't she? So happy, so free and so colorful. Wish she lived next door. I think her name is something like Bodi Gardner.....

This reminded me of my grandsons....it doesn't look like them but it is three boys....boys are so special. Loved this quilt.
I leave for MN at 5am in the morning so I won't be adding anything for a few days until I get back home. I plan on alot of nice people this week and my hotel is across from the Mall of America so I get new underwear. I think that is all I bought the last time...pretty funny.
This is Thankful Month. Think about your many blessings and consider have a little gratitude notebook around. The more you are thankful, the more you realize how many actualy blessings you have. We are blessed to be a blessing. if you are ignoring this, you are only hurting yourself. Want to be a better artist and more important, a better person, try the gratitude journal. All good artists know this is the secret....those that are thankful for their gifts, receive more.
Please check out "Mary Lou and Cherries Too" for more photos and info on two great retreats that I am doing next year!