Yarn bombing and other crafts

I have become a part of several different artist groups over the past few months.  This group is by

far the most fun ;)  I have been asked to participate in a Yarn Bombing in an adjacent town.  Since I am just learning crochet I thought this would be a great way to practice stitches.  I am having lots of fun working with strange combinations I would not usually put together.  It has helped me get out of my safety zone.  This piece when finished will be 15 x 41 inches!  If you are not familiar with what this is I am adding a link to some examples. http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/yarn%20bombing 

While working on my piece today I sat on my front porch and listened to Major Pettigrews Last Stand.  Since I am doing so much sewing and it doesn't leave me much time to read I have decide to listen to some of the books on my Goodreads list of books to read.  This list is growing ever longer since I keep looking at their suggestions! 

I have been very neglectful of my blog of late because of all the sewing and reading and other art pursuits.  Who knew you could be so busy when unemployed! I have also negelected my Etsy store so I am making a committment here that I will fill it up by the middle of July.  I have items I just need to photograph so I am going to do this this weekend.  Here are some things I have been busy with.

These are the pillows made from vintage tablecloths that I have not put in local shops.  These will be in my Etsy store soon.

 I also joined an ATC (artist trading card) group and these are some I have made but may not trade but put in my shop as Aceo's  I am having a lot of fun making these small pieces of art.

 This is a digital ATC I made to trade. The theme was sun, moon, stars

This one everyone had to use the little girl's image they provided.  I did this one digital and printed it on fabric.

 These are the cards I received in the swap with the little girls image.

This is another version I did for the sun, moon, stars.

I hope you have been inspired to do something crafty this weekend!

I have been busy reading!

I have been spending a lot of time reading lately.  I finished my crafting deadlines for local shows and have enough stock so I am taking a bit of a break.  I am also trying to organize my craft space so I don't want to start any new projects until that is done. 

I am going to post the last 3 books I have read.  I hope you find something here to add to your summer reading list!

I received The Butterfly Sister as an Early Review book.  I glanced at the other reviews before I started and saw the 1^st review was not so positive so I didn’t finish reading any of the reviews so I would not be biased.  As I started reading I did keep looking for something to not like.  The story is about a young woman who dropped out of college her senior year because of a disastrous relationship with her professor, a failed suicide and then a friend goes missing.  The author Miss Hansen includes love, betrayal, mental illness and literature to create this mystery story.  At one point I felt like I was watching Criminal Minds!  I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed this book and wanted to read it whenever I had some free time.  I ended up reading it in 3 days which is not usual for me. I average 1 to 2 weeks on a book because I like to enjoy my reading time and not hurry through.  This is not a deep read or anything that really makes you think but it did make me want to read about the authors mentioned and possibly read their books, which is always a plus for me.  In the beginning I do feel like the relationship is cliché and predictable but as the story unfolds there are several twist and turns to keep you going as the story unfolds. It definitely does not end up where I thought it would.  She ends this book in a great way! All in all I gave it a 4 because I really did enjoy this book.

This is a novel written by a local author I just met a few months ago. I would have to say this book put me in mind of the Mitford Series type genre with some mystery added. It is about a Quaker Campus Minister Ruthalice Michels, the people she encounters on her campus in a small Ohio town and the ways she seems to get involved in some interesting situations. It kept my interest and I did enjoy it very much. Patricia touched on several subjects that give you pause for thought which is always important to me when I am reading a book. I wish she had a different cover, it really doesn't have anything to do with the story but this was her first published book. She has a 2nd in the series in the process. I am looking forward to it!

I picked this book up 2nd hand. I have read Kaye's books before and I thought it sounded like an interesting story. After reading some of the reviews I was worried but I really did enjoy this book. I always enjoy reading about people who lived through difficulties but come out better for them and I think this is one of those type books. If you want everything to be sunshine and roses then do not read this book. The graphic descriptions of the civil war experience could also bother some but I felt it gave a good feeling of what life was like for those living near the fighting. If I learn something new or come to a better understanding of something then I feel the book was worth at least a 3. If I kept wanting to find time to read it gets a 4. I reserve 5's for books that I will never forget and this wasn't quite that inspiring but still worth my time.

I found this lovely book in a 2nd hand book store.  I am reading this at a leisurely pace as I enjoy my gardening this summer.  Katharine is a hoot and I know I would have liked her very much!

I have always wanted to read Thomas Merton but just could not squeeze him in.  I am reading No Man is an Island in my devotional time and enjoying it.  He is a deep thinker and this is not a book to rush through.