A Little Give a Way

Well Fall winds and chills are upon us.   A friend up in Michigan just called and said so far they have had 20, yes 20 pickup loads of leaves to dispose up.  Now I do have to be thankful we don't have hardly any trees.  See there is always an upside to everything.   I think !!!

Ok I am tardy in my give a way, I wanted to do something for the 25,ooo views.  That didn't happen, then for 30,000 views,   still tardy so I finally finished what I was working on for you.  

Please just comment on my other blog, that is one celebrating.    Here is the link to it my friends
http://annettegraves.blogspot.com/2013/10/better-late-than-never-give-way.html
when I draw your name please please please let me know you address.  A deal?    Remember we have a high tech method of choosing.  I write the names on a piece of paper and then throw the names on the floor and Eldon  -DH-picks one.    Now when you do let me know your address I have to view and approve messages, those darn spammers,  so I will not show it to the world.  

 

So here you go, my give a way.  It is an 8x8 inch block and you may use it for a journal cover, throw darts at it or whatever you choose.  I just wanted to say thank you for popping onto my blog and seeing and reading my Nana words and art.  

 

Let's do this until  October the 30th.   I tried using colors that are softer and would go with most anyone's taste.

 

Good luck to you all and thanks for seeing what is going on in my world today. 

 

XOXOXO

Annette

Another Faerie going to Ciggie World

Well my Faeries are still being created.  So far I have 5 more Faeries now in the works.   It is funny sometimes I do better when I have several things going.   Right now we have the Fall clean up going outside.   Not much raking of the leaves yet, ours are still green. BUT we are lucky, when the wind blows from the North the leaves just wander down the street and lands where they choose.   I am feeling  they land in an empty field not to far from us.  It is probably where all the tumble weeds come to see us in the Spring so I guess it is a pay back.  Our leaves for the empty fields tumbleweeds.  

 

This afternoon we trimmed all of the Bougainvillea, which we hate because they are blooming so beautiful right now.  But so far twice we have had to cover everything with sheets to protect from the frost.   Which is a kiss of death to our tender outside plants.   I cut and trimmed and Eldon hauled it all to the dumpster in the alley.  A team mission.  

 

BUT  the most interesting happening right now is we are having the most giant "DOG HOUSE" built.   Well, really really not a dog house or a green house but Eldon calls it a green house and I call it a dog house.   We have a covered patio ( enclosed already on 3 sides and has a roof ) and are enclosing it in all glass with a doggie door and a unit for right now that heats and cools.  Gotta keep the furbabies comfy.   They don't know they are outside babies.  so we don't tell them.   We bought new beds for the occasion and I bought some animal print to cover them with.   In the morning they are coming to finish up that project.  So then we can mark off one more thing on our list.   When it is finished I promise to show you.   Probably in the Spring we will decorate it to something light and airy.   It is not giant but will work for us. the furbabies and the plants.  

 

I had big thought to do this faerie step by step, but during all this I forgot.   I did remember though when about half way through.  

 

 

 

 

I was proud that I thought of making a sample card of the colors of my twinkling H2O's.    Perfect for my faeries.   With the minerals in them and the twinkles in them.   

 

Here she is with part of the background done.    They just develop as they want.   I don't really plan them at all, just go with the flow.

 

 

Here she is all finished and ready to be made into cards and ciggies with the next batch of faeries.   I did have to laugh at the little Love Bird, it just kind of plumped up nicely or had it's fluffy feather suit on.   This one was a fun painting to do.  

 

 

 

 

There you go for today.  Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

 

                                                     

                                                           OXXOOX

                                                            Annette

 



 

 

 

 

A Little of This and That

Hello and happy October.  Just wanted to share my CQJP square for October.   I love doing these.  What am I going to do with them?  Only they know, LOL and a big LOL.  I am serious.  I am thinking some kind of little books like I saw some do last year on the blog.   I am already thinking what am I going to do for next year?  But not to worry my head about that, they will speak to me when they are good and ready.

So here is October, I loved using the little shells on here my good faerie sent to me.   I had the lace and just played.   Thank you Kathy Shaw for hosting this for us the CQJP.. 

 

 

Just keeping on keeping on, love that saying.   I know the months of the year do that.   They just float into our lives and float out.  You think yikes where in the world did that month go?   The changing of the seasons  is Mother Natures way of reminding us that they just keep on keeping on.

                                                                                                                                               

 You know I love the changing of the seasons, each one has it's own little personality. You  look forward to each and every one but then glad when they are over and looking to the next season to float into our lives.   So welcome Fall and all of your beautiful colors you share        with us.                                                                                                                                                         

 

Sometimes in my art I feel the same way, I don't know about y'all.   When I start a new art    piece I love the blankness of the canvas or page.  Here is like a new beginning and just love  seeing what will develop.     What story is waiting to be unveiled and what colors will emerge on it.   Even when I do my crazy quilting I never plan what I am going to do.   Oh I start with an image but then off it goes to develop how it wants to be.   The same way with my faeries     when I create them.                                                                                                                                   

 

 

I start with the eyes and then start playing with them and seeing what colors they want to     be.  Yes I talk about them like they are real and have their own personalities.                               

 

 

This sweetie was taken from a photograph of a dear friends granddaughter.  I did another    one of her but think she is hiding on the computer somewhere.   You know how the                computers do-hide things from us.    She normally doesn't wear bangs but this one wanted   bangs so bangs she got.   I do their faces in pastels and seems to make their faces so smooth and delicate. Then "Katie bar the door" on whatever else I use on the background and            sometimes the hair.   Lots of drips and splats and fancy curly queues and whatever else         develops.                                                                                                                                                                   

 

Now case in point , this little faerie didn't want to be painted.   You know how it goes sometimes when you start drawing  an art piece, nothing goes right about it.   So I erased her face and  so the bottom of the stack she went.   Well the other day I pulled her out and she just went together so well and colors just danced on the page.  Some of the colors I haven't used before but she went together like she was suppose to.

                                                                                                                   

 

Now if I hadn't of done the keeping on keeping on she would not have been created.   So that is my story and I am sticking to it.

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

Happy Fall Y'all

 

XOXOXO

Annette

 

Busting at the Seams

Happy September already !!!!!! The leaves will start turning and the weather a tad cooler unless we have an Indian summer.   School has started and I can smell the fall cooking and baking in the air.  Yummy.   I think I have shared that Fall is my favorite time of year flowers are still mostly pretty and the grass is still mostly green and it is not hotter than a red hot pistol.   The blooms at the tops of cotton should be turning red  and the crops are getting ready to harvest.    Fall was always a busy busy time when we farmed our cotton and peanuts. 

 

Now busting at the seams could mean that our house is jammed  packed with stuff, not here after moving and then moving again it is pretty scant here even the closets EXCEPT for my art room.  Course if I knew what I really wanted to do in that direction for the next 25 years I might could cull out something.  I don't see that happening in this century anyway.    Or I could be busting out of the seams in clothes, nope not today anyway.   Maybe after I cook all the fall goodies, naw not even then.    

 

I am busting at the seams with pride and feeling good today.    I just had to share this with you and if you don't know about Pat Winter's magazine ----well you are in for some wonderful "eye candy" when you purchase one. 

 

As you know I started Crazy Quilting last year and flat out fell in love with it.   Then my faeries came to say Annette get busy and draw girl, so they have been drawn and more coming.  However they dictate to be drawn.  Everytime I draw one I think oh Ben Konis, whom I took art classes with several times would be proud.   I finally got the eyes, noses and lips down.  Bet being photographer for 24 years had to have helped.  Surely it did .

 

 

So the Faeries became ciggies, you know the cute little pics we use in Crazy Quilting.  

 

Well enough babbling about this gotta show the pics and you know a picture is worth a 1000 words so just pretend you are reading that many words while looking at the pictures. 

 

 

 

 

The beautiful cover photograph is from Sandra Krystalowich from Alberta Canada.  Is this not the most beautiful colors and stitching ever?   Oh wait, it gets better with each page and from gals all over the world. 

 

 

Now I don't know if you have ever had to write sometime about yourself but people this is tough.  I thought where do I start? What do people want to know?  I don't want to bore the readers to death you know and have them nod off asleep.    So I just dove in head first and started writing about me.  Nothing fancy just me, myself and I.   Of course I had to have a picture of myself but I am not complete if I don't have a picture of the loves of my life.  Hubby and our two wonderful grands.  Sorry Addison the glare got ya in the pic. 

 

Ok now you see why I am busting at the seams.  My sweet little faeries are smiling at you and sprinkling some faerie dust on you .  

 

 

I had to include Tisha's Needle Art Studio where I get probably 95% of my pretties, which reminds me gotta order some stuff.  LOL   She knows so much of what you need and she is like the man I use to buy my photography equipment from.  I would tell him what I wanted to do and he would send me exactly what I needed. I never worried one iota  if he was sending the wrong thing and I don't worry about what Tisha sends either.

 

Here is a link to the magazine and of course you may buy Pat's other magazines they are so pretty.  

 http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/614457?__r=84546

 

Now on the other side of my "page" Pat had shown how to create a night light.  Tisha has the blanks so I had to try it.  Was a quick little project while we watched the Texas Rangers Baseball game-go Rangers!   Sorry. 

Here is the backside of the nightlight and no it is not a clothes pin forest.  Promise.  Course one time we were in Oregon and they had Popular trees growing as close as these clothes pins and we asked why. Well----- the cut the every few years I am thinking 8 and make cardboard out of them.  I just never thought of where cardboard came from, just from a tree but now I know. 

 

I had to use one of my faeries and the little bird was a gift and fit perfect in the Night light cover. 

 

Here it is in the sunlight with the dangles that are from Tishas.

 

 

Here it is doing it's little job glowing at night so I don't stump my toe on a step stool I use to get on our bed.  Man that hurts doesn't it?

 

There you go and thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.     My traditional and digi blog is a comin.    Promise.

 

XOXOXO

Annette

The 18 inch Rule

Well lots of things have different names like in this instance glasses aka specs  or eyes or whatever else the names come up with.  Cases, pouches, holders   (the holders is my name for them)  sometimes they are called the little do dads that hold my eyes. 

Now sometimes these "eyes" are on top of my head, beside my end table or on top of some stuff I am sewing.  Right now they are sort of Wally World specs but trust me they have rhinestones and bling on them.  I bought them at a needle work shop and of course had to have them with savorski crystals on them.   A lot of the time they are lost, yes lost.  Laughing their heads off saying " she can't find me yatta yatta yatta".   They could be sticking their tongues out if they had them.    I use the 18 inch rule a lot.  Now what is that you may ask?   Usually what you have lost is within 18 inches from where you are standing or were sitting.  I kid you not.  Or when you walk in a room 18 inches from the doorway.  I don't know if that is as far as they can run but that is usually where they are. 

Ok enough about my eyes today.  

I have been infatuated with the Day of the Dead fabric art.  Or Dia de los Muertos.    It even prompted me to open an Etsy shop.  Yes a cyber shop if you will.  What am I going to do next in this fast moving new fangled world?

  So here is my DoD pretty. 

 

Part of the embellishment on the front. They eyes, better to see with you my dear. Sorry had to say that. 

 

Another angle of one of the front skulls.   Love all the beads they just bring the whole piece to life.

 

 

The whole front are these not colorful and fun? 

 

 

 

 I had to add a pocket to the back, a girl cannot have to many pockets to hold treasures.

 

There you go my case, pouch or whatever you want to call it.   

 

I just wanted to show you and wish you a safe Labor Day , I use to take it to heart.  Labor Day and we would clean out the garage and whatever little projects we had.  Labor-work?  Get it?

 

Next blog post might be long but it is one that I have felt in my heart to talk about.   It will be about art----TRADITIONAL and DIGITAL.   I think you will find it interesting.  I am thinking it may take me a while to write it.   Remember I am not an author just me.

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is happening in my world.

 

XOXOXO

Annette

CQing and cloud shapes

We went to the accountant today and it is never a bad experience, well when we have to write the tax check but that is life isn't it?   He is about an hour away in another town and have used him for over 30 years.  So he can read my handwriting, he does say he has to study it for a while but gets the hang of it.  I am left handed and it slants to the right and sometimes I get carried away with the curly queues in it.   Yes I still write with a pencil and pen.   I do, promise.    He  knows how I think sort of.  That is scary trust  me.   Maybe he and Hubby can figure out how I think.  
 
The sky was a beautiful blue and full full full of the prettiest clouds so light and fluffy and just a tease of anything wet falling from them. This is West Texas you know and we don't get the wet stuff a lot.   Anyway the clouds were beautiful just beautiful and could see all kinds of shapes in them.   Dogs running, sharks, dolphins, fish with big pretty tails, teddy bears and angels to name a few.  I love watching the clouds we get, they are so fluffy like marshmallow crème or some fluffy frosting you could dig your finger into.   Just floating around changing shapes constantly.  I like to think the angels are changing them constantly but I really think it is Mz. Mother Nature with the winds. 
 
It is funny you are looking at the clouds and as  we are whizzing down the road they change almost instantly.  I think I even saw Abraham Lincoln pop in there once.   I guess you could see ugly things but I like to think they are angel creations and just a treat for us to see.   Now did you take some pictures Annette?   Of course not, I didn't bring my camera.  I did have the cell phone but didn't have grandson here to help me figure that out, to me it is a phone and a texting thingies.  No one showed me how to do the texting I figured that one out myself but unfortunately my texting  fingers don't always type correctly.   Grandson says I have Nana language.    Could be, you know we Nanas.     I have other things to clutter my mind that to live and breathe with the phone.  I know that probably sounds old fashioned but I am old enough that I can think that way if I want to.  Really!!!!
 
When we got home of course the clouds  floated mostly away but there were a few out there.  Would love to hear from you of what you see.  

 

These were not as full of things as the ones driving with us were but still pretty.

 

Could the bigger one be a dog on it's back waiting to have it's tummy rubbed?

 

 

Please excuse the neighbors part dead or part alive tree.  It is hanging in there trying to live.

 

 

 

 

I have been doing a little CQing and this is the newest DoD clasp purse.   I had to add some fun ribbons on the side, it is a celebration and I knew it just needed them.  

 

Here is the back of the clasp with a little pocket on the back and has one inside also.  My fancy smancy  dime store glasses are in the pocket.  I have to admit I have to were them at the end of the day when doing my beading. 

 

There you go my Monday doings.   1/2 half of our work week is over.  Bank and accountant  the first half and tomorrow mowing the second half.

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

 

XOXOOX

Annette

Friday Night Lights and CQ Art

Friday Night Lights and CQ Art

The school bells will be ringing soon.  It will be the time when the kids and teachers are fresh for the school year.  Fall sports will be going on and in Texas, the Friday Night Lights will shine proudly in every little town around.  Friday night High School Football is a strong tradition here in Texas and I am sure other places.  I am only familiar with the Texas tradition though, but would love to hear about y'alls  Friday night school functions.   You could always find where the football field was in any town but the giant lights.  They would light up the whole area.  Saying here we are come on over.     We don't go to these any more, we did go a few years after our daughters graduated but just wasn't the same.  Not that we didn't enjoy seeing all the young kids in the activities but just wasn't the same. 

Our daughters were in the band and that is the half time show of the football games.   Such excitement and we always looked forward to the tunes they played and the formations they formed with their straight lines .  Always with precision.   The French Horn and Clarinet were the instruments that we were familiar with that our daughters played.   I was always amazed at how one band director could teach all those students to play the horns, teach them to march and all at the same time.   

Now I don't have a clue where this post came from it was not where I was going this morning but here it is.  

I have been doing some of the Day of the Dead fabric art and have sold my first one.   Crazy Quilt style with the DoD style.  The bright colors and just the fun of the whole pieces.   Now my faeries are just taking a week's break but  I will be back in the saddle with them soon.  I mean I even have new pastel pencils to break in and they are calling my name.   "Annette come play with us and see what you create".   New art supplies are like new shoes, you have to wear them and see how you feel wearing them.   Running faster if you have new tennis shoes and jumping higher.  I am sure my new pencils will have the same effect on me. Don't you?

 

So here is my DoD purse, I have just almost sort of finished two.  

 

Front of the purse, it is like 8 inches long and 6 1/2 inches wide at the bottom a fun size to hold things ladies carry and has a pocket inside and on the back.  Hey it is ready for most anything. 

 

Close up of some of the bead work.  I do love doing the bead work on any Crazy Quilting.  I piece it together and put the pretties on it and then it seems to come to life when the beads come into the picture.  I have a drawer full of the beads.  I think I need a hoist to lift it at times.   I have been truly blessed because the majority of the beads have been gifts.   Oh I have bought a few odds and ends of the weird colors I use sometimes.  

 

The back of the purse.

There you go  what I have been up to lately.  Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.  

                                                              
                                                                XOXOXO
                                                                 Annette