Take a class with Melly Testa, FREE!

Melly Testa is giving away a free spot in her next online class with Joggles!!! Get the details here and sign up, this looks like fun!

Wanna Get Away?

Well, I have some really exciting news! Frieda Anderson and I are going to be teaching on an 8 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera!!!!

Just think, next February when you are really tired of shivering and bundling up in layers and layers of clothes to brave the bitter cold outside, you could escape; to paint, fuse, quilt and make some art, soak up some rays and have day trips to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

Come on, spoil yourself and lets have some fun going south of the border together!

If you are interested contact Erin at Sew Many Places. We are gonna have so much fun, I would love to see you there!

The Drive to Wellington, New Zealand

I am finally getting to my last few pictures of my journey across the north island of New Zealand. The day had low clouds obscuring the mountains with patches of drizzly rain.

I went through several towns that looked like this with just a few older buildings on each side of the street. It felt a little like dropping into the past where life moved at a slower pace.

This is Kapiti island, just off shore from Paraparaumu, it is a protected native forest so there is no outside plant or animal life allowed.

Heading into the Wellington area, looked so much like California. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I was so drawn to New Zealand, I have lived in California more years than any where else.

I swear this could have been near where I used to live in Los Angeles.

I know parts of northern California that look just like this.

My last day in Wellington was spent going to Zealandia, the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a plant and animal reserve that is being restored to all native species.

Tucked in the branches below is a Tui or Parson bird. It has a lovely song and is also a fabulous mimic.

Some more lichen and moss.

This tagged lizard is a Tuatara, I was so excited to see one of these off the side of the path on our walk through the preserve. It was a pretty good sized lizard, probably 18 inches head to tail. They are considered a living fossil since they were around with the dinosaurs. New Zealand was unpopulated by humans or mammals for millennia, until first the Maori's arrived about 400 years ago then the European settlers in the 1800's.

I had a layover in the Auckland airport before heading home. I grabbed some lunch and finished it off with a lemon meltaway biscuit and a flat white served in a porcelain cup, not a paper to go cup like we so often have in the US. I think it is good practice; to stop, sit down and drink a beverage, instead of always doing it on the run, I am going to try to do that more often.

An interview with Stacy Hurt

Take a few minutes to watch Bonnie McCaffrie's podcast interview with my friend Stacy Hurt, showing many of her animal and fantasy themed quilts with lots of bling.

Pencil Case tutorial

My friend Melly Testa has a new tutorial up today for a stitched pencil case, check it out.

A day at the Antique Market

This weekend my kids and I walked over to the Chicago Antique Market to have a look around.

There are always so many things I see that I would love to have including this old tool box. The top three tiers open up for drill bits, but I could see filling those with colored pencils and all those little drawers below could house all kinds of art supplies.

These Japanese glass fishing floats reminded me of Terry Grants recent quilt featuring a lovely green glass ball on the sand. I found one of these on the beach in Northern California when I was a teenager, it was a lovely pale blue green color.

Following in the nautical theme there were all kinds of fixtures to outfit your home in steam punk fashion.

What is it about old medical equipment and cabinetry? This would be a cool addition to a studio.

Nice little painting on metal of Diego and Frieda.

A Jane LaFazio DVD Give a way

Go over to Lyric Kinards blog and leave a comment for a chance to win Jane LaFazio's dvd titled The Small Art Quilt.

I have 2 New Workshops at Create!

It looks like  Create is really taking off and classes are filling up. My workshop Tea and Ephemera filled last week and as a result of its popularity, another Tea & Ephemera class has been added on Thursday night!

Tea & Ephemera
Your mixed media cup will runneth over when you join me Thursday evening August 26th from 6-9 pm for tea. We will explore a number of ways to add visual texture and imagery to mixed media work with tea bags, yes, I said tea bags! rubber stamps, painted and printed fabric, paper scraps, paint sticks and colored pencils.

I am also thrilled to announce that I have another new workshop in the line up!

Fiesta Ornaments

Inspired by Mexican tin folk art, these fun and festive ornaments incorporate painting with textile paints, decorative stitching, embossing and sewing metal. Saturday August 28, 9am-4pm.

Register now. Lets make some art!

I am featured on the Dinner at Eight blog today

I have been  interviewed for the Dinner at Eight Artists blog, coinciding with the Beneath the Surface Exhibit that will be opening at IQF Long Beach July 23-25. My 3 of Swords quilt will be part of this traveling exhibit.

Purse pattern by Melly Testa

Melly Testa designed this cool purse and you can make one too, download the pattern here.