tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210619112024-03-19T07:52:51.158-04:00ArtgirlzAllison and Tracy Stilwell share views of the studio, garden, as they whirl through their lives...building Artgirlz Nation ,selling Artgirlz Rubber Stamps, wool felt beads, digging gardens, keeping up with the families,watching trash tv, pondering politics and the state of the world...Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-69445378565857810902010-07-29T12:55:00.000-04:002010-07-29T12:55:07.566-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJJ2CoyZxH2RqZ2As0BFWUHzrHTtIGKypohruP09QyP4UIWXJSYiBLETJXcfJ6DI2acd5AokodO4k5Ni1BTk0q_CVIcPgcCLZmFBKgj-IzVrXvTh_k04KM-DwX_fNFoEVsH6cBA/s1600/shadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJJ2CoyZxH2RqZ2As0BFWUHzrHTtIGKypohruP09QyP4UIWXJSYiBLETJXcfJ6DI2acd5AokodO4k5Ni1BTk0q_CVIcPgcCLZmFBKgj-IzVrXvTh_k04KM-DwX_fNFoEVsH6cBA/s400/shadow.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Summer Greetings from Steamy Rhode Island! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Allison and I are both working on the transition from our Artgirlz life back to that of individuals. It has been a lot of contemplation and work, trying on ideas, organizing piles and I am happy and relieved to say that I (Tracy) finally launched a new <a href="http://www.tracystilwell.blogspot.com/">blog</a> this week. I kept trying to come up with a clever new name but ended up keeping it simple (I often forget that approach) and went with my name...Tracy Stilwell. The best thing is that I know how to spell it!! </div><div style="text-align: center;">I invite you to check it out, become a friend, tell your friends, add a link....you know all of those things. I have been organizing ideas for fall classes here in my studio...former Artgirlz World Headquarters and will share that info as soon as it is ready.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to prep some photos of my Blueberry Pin Cushion for the <a href="http://tracystilwell.blogspot.com/">New and Exciting Tracy Stilwell Blog</a>. Hope to see you there!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Stay cool and keep making great stuff!!</div><div style="text-align: center;">xxx</div><div style="text-align: center;">T</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCMxqLLEkpfX9pAawnXjNfelCsSFeOBIG6Cpc_DX8IGsf9kuvIEDl-3OQIxLEc6t4b1bxBoE-fjWVqNo60rXTYCSIXPd99bzsApg5kWYLf4ufi5crowTvCMUkuEWpKKu6GPQJXg/s1600/watchyourstep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCMxqLLEkpfX9pAawnXjNfelCsSFeOBIG6Cpc_DX8IGsf9kuvIEDl-3OQIxLEc6t4b1bxBoE-fjWVqNo60rXTYCSIXPd99bzsApg5kWYLf4ufi5crowTvCMUkuEWpKKu6GPQJXg/s320/watchyourstep.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com105tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-27663307128583995372010-06-16T12:51:00.000-04:002010-06-16T12:51:27.050-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv5PzxTY_PdrQnkg_l-_5xbvdE5Lx31sLYt2WtSCGV7rsprXr41t8yhJs9strsW7jNJrP_7BVzUtvqsj0Dpu6OYYTuRaMnANX1HvFPnXq1F-u6BR3nko4jTDm5HFR0wLcPObu-Q/s1600/paintinaday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv5PzxTY_PdrQnkg_l-_5xbvdE5Lx31sLYt2WtSCGV7rsprXr41t8yhJs9strsW7jNJrP_7BVzUtvqsj0Dpu6OYYTuRaMnANX1HvFPnXq1F-u6BR3nko4jTDm5HFR0wLcPObu-Q/s320/paintinaday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcng6GxS3dl4dJzsiotR3-Hx-9QCUkCqWTt2Di738Js89JR3uX3y7jDilySIQX8PsDvUpMQ4PL3yRlTs68bWUiigHMkX6Y2ME7nbYUgUHSFpmhB4Ae_1hA4QRJRNaYl2F0o9P8IA/s1600/paint2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcng6GxS3dl4dJzsiotR3-Hx-9QCUkCqWTt2Di738Js89JR3uX3y7jDilySIQX8PsDvUpMQ4PL3yRlTs68bWUiigHMkX6Y2ME7nbYUgUHSFpmhB4Ae_1hA4QRJRNaYl2F0o9P8IA/s320/paint2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the best things about going to the Squam Art Workshops was just having the time to sit materials and play. The first day I did "Painting in a Day" with <a href="http://www.creativethursday.com/">Marisa Haedike</a>. After voicing fears and hopes, we picked up brushes, paint and a great 6x6 wooden canvas and got to it. There was painting, collaging, sharing, and satisfaction! Perhaps it was the green tree environment that brought out the greeny paints...I had a wonderful time layering colors, paints, crayons, chalks...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLejwJ6LMBP3SqFljM2R2YaBaaPEqSeKRbk6Ay3bGXRz5qaWKgibgvmOpaph7EV6RI0OnZEkjz6ZVmurKwfrLMT7SRsU0iKKs7VcIGkrpl0ZyjK4hHQiQ4vr_ePwVMOpXKE4d7vQ/s1600/book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLejwJ6LMBP3SqFljM2R2YaBaaPEqSeKRbk6Ay3bGXRz5qaWKgibgvmOpaph7EV6RI0OnZEkjz6ZVmurKwfrLMT7SRsU0iKKs7VcIGkrpl0ZyjK4hHQiQ4vr_ePwVMOpXKE4d7vQ/s320/book.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The following day Marisa was joined by teacher <a href="http://www.christinemasonmiller.com/">Christine Mason Miller</a> and they taught us about putting books together. Most participants started with an old book that taken apart and reassembled with new innards. I brought three stitched pages that were started pre-Artgirlz. They have been sitting patiently for 6 years or so and got to go to camp. I made two book signatures out of wool felt, hand made paper and a piece of felted sweater. They were sandwiched with the stitched pieces that I brought along.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismK6FAMQzrYHONMz9fipmZGRR-8MpyCvOmWh0RFyqeqZKubTKY9ZiflI_dJ_l_tB_wM31JwE_1Q-tXw3h3K0VyS-mF7EOnr8KZvbVncGYS3PnPiToYJ9ZBvluqL7IPajmqtMpQw/s1600/book1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismK6FAMQzrYHONMz9fipmZGRR-8MpyCvOmWh0RFyqeqZKubTKY9ZiflI_dJ_l_tB_wM31JwE_1Q-tXw3h3K0VyS-mF7EOnr8KZvbVncGYS3PnPiToYJ9ZBvluqL7IPajmqtMpQw/s320/book1.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I took a very fast and fun mobile class with <a href="http://lizzyhouse.typepad.com/">Lizzy House</a>. There were whimsical colorful items hanging all over the place. I immediately made some for home. Have to get better pics...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Meanwhile Back Home</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFu52OaTSKvKpVBnMJCUBQgAdz1mKc0C_ezWNIIex8C2E23x6-lPq1Q8FK-wHw2wFg6g8Drd4iEDzysuErklsMHCyeuIpcsbk6I-DvFZFA9qpiF7hwdf_BsFxOL71wb31ToDIdww/s1600/paperbluegirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFu52OaTSKvKpVBnMJCUBQgAdz1mKc0C_ezWNIIex8C2E23x6-lPq1Q8FK-wHw2wFg6g8Drd4iEDzysuErklsMHCyeuIpcsbk6I-DvFZFA9qpiF7hwdf_BsFxOL71wb31ToDIdww/s400/paperbluegirl.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The newest at home project was started a couple of weeks ago with Miss Linda. We started with a piece of muslin, used Modge Podge and or gel medium to apply tissue paper, paper and fabric scraps. I got back to it this week and went over it with some paints and gesso applied with an old hotel key or credit card. You can see the layer in the background. The face is stitched paper. Flowers applied with gel medium. She is a work in progress and will patiently await my return from Seattle. Heading out tomorrow morning with Sue for a vacation, graduation/wedding combo!! Midge and Al will be holding down the farm!!</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-49890031473744757442010-06-15T10:56:00.000-04:002010-06-15T10:56:05.920-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnxGO8iVNp_Hq6w4V_3YSqxd6ZxmQ39p-HBzqsjCNFwhELR5XViaK6XTw_gfsJiAdx2xQoeEaBlWQlubSSPAy1Scyty7ueHlASviCU8xaTY6g7LJzBYObtLiyTf0Mr_qZ5ODS7w/s1600/thelake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnxGO8iVNp_Hq6w4V_3YSqxd6ZxmQ39p-HBzqsjCNFwhELR5XViaK6XTw_gfsJiAdx2xQoeEaBlWQlubSSPAy1Scyty7ueHlASviCU8xaTY6g7LJzBYObtLiyTf0Mr_qZ5ODS7w/s400/thelake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I left for Squam Lake, NH early on June 2nd. I was headed for <a href="http://www.squamartworkshops.com/">Squam Art Workshops</a>. The sessions were primarily focused on knitting, but there was also a mix of other options including mixed media, stitching, pattern making, yoga and painting to name a few. The event was beautifully orchestrated by Elizabeth MacCrellish and crew on the grounds of the Rockywold-Deephaven Camps. As a stitcher it was amazing to watch the "knitters" enjoy the evening programs with needles flying and some never even taking a glance at the work!!! The link above has further links to the peeps that were teaching and entertaining.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was feeling humble, inspired, excited, wired and exhausted. It was a great place to take it in the energy, take a class, focus on something for more than 10 minutes, see what's going on. No teaching or selling!</div><div style="text-align: center;">and then there were the roommates from Mapleshade...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbiPNouw-xFCIOsT_F4OXPPpQxd7uiXew1AZXifG_RUAsAYuXruELMnYo0uWZDcP49JEbypvPrNNT-kACZEO3XMY9g0YcKFN1k4oMhgGpMi4YsIpodtOXh3FWxisyxp-A-4janw/s1600/leslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbiPNouw-xFCIOsT_F4OXPPpQxd7uiXew1AZXifG_RUAsAYuXruELMnYo0uWZDcP49JEbypvPrNNT-kACZEO3XMY9g0YcKFN1k4oMhgGpMi4YsIpodtOXh3FWxisyxp-A-4janw/s320/leslie.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSMgZ5IUAxvTtRLn_GzZ4-etbD1xOm_cFiwXx6Yat26AabmcZY6vK0Y-SpRFAJntt9RP_iihW1Stt6PrYlryFBEVqiIQDtwTbjXQ_bofpgWMKYE2_T9BSY1P4p8qCDSXnGJibMA/s1600/connie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSMgZ5IUAxvTtRLn_GzZ4-etbD1xOm_cFiwXx6Yat26AabmcZY6vK0Y-SpRFAJntt9RP_iihW1Stt6PrYlryFBEVqiIQDtwTbjXQ_bofpgWMKYE2_T9BSY1P4p8qCDSXnGJibMA/s320/connie.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Connie in from NJ with her coffee pot and Leslie (practicing her spinning) from the great Southwest met at Burning Man...who would have guessed? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Polly (drove in from western MA) and Dominique our French Speaking Canadian brought laughs and stories of their adventures!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKtR9AzlziIkK3pQP21eOVb2M1w6dgb_GjarZnxHMNlD-sLdxo0eMa_lHiNJzGvIqvMePsDPovojguBj7IiTBw-XxU8lgPmrCUPpfzn-TJRP57EcpgNhZAsfzs4RTq5x8MMk2Qw/s1600/pollydomin" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKtR9AzlziIkK3pQP21eOVb2M1w6dgb_GjarZnxHMNlD-sLdxo0eMa_lHiNJzGvIqvMePsDPovojguBj7IiTBw-XxU8lgPmrCUPpfzn-TJRP57EcpgNhZAsfzs4RTq5x8MMk2Qw/s320/pollydomin" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mona a former local and now from Portland OR joined me on my porch sleeping location for coffee and chat very early each morning</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCitQvsHZAvMEwnAONzvI5sBvvive2KEKxbnayOZYwwQazXsYwo_Fq2Y-QsFfrtSsBaslq2YRGgy8cmrblsmghL747blrc1vMPqpvAwLbo6VQ8QyCf5xwDe0XKKY4Z77G93HUdg/s1600/mona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCitQvsHZAvMEwnAONzvI5sBvvive2KEKxbnayOZYwwQazXsYwo_Fq2Y-QsFfrtSsBaslq2YRGgy8cmrblsmghL747blrc1vMPqpvAwLbo6VQ8QyCf5xwDe0XKKY4Z77G93HUdg/s320/mona.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dynamic trio below includes singer <a href="http://www.jonathabrooke.com/jonatha/journal/">Jonatha Brooke</a>, new best buddy Polly, and <a href="http://www.jengray.com/">Jen Grey</a>. All three are fashion inspirations! Polly even brought her Muck boots to camp!! Clearly she rocks!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Allison and I used to rock out to Jonatha and our sewing machines when our studio was in Newport and we were the Weird Sisters...listening to her music over and over and over! ( I am listening right now!) I was a pleasure to hear her sing in person (and practice from her porch next door) and meet her little bad self around the paths of camp. Ms. Grey is another light beam and bundle of energy that was busy behind the scenes making everything fluffy and beautiful! It is so good for me to get out of the house and sweat pants every now and then!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKV5AbzQyYDK2ywTy6BnHR4HzvfB_-Pc7qxGYT_3lDHEUfF8RQXg0hrqyE74C3A2flqwYsldeqLGlWWaDdB3-l0WHnbYJAmKXOuIXWEke0W-K_BZih8iFGTaf43oq3xp0vJ60KQ/s1600/jonatha,polly,jen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKV5AbzQyYDK2ywTy6BnHR4HzvfB_-Pc7qxGYT_3lDHEUfF8RQXg0hrqyE74C3A2flqwYsldeqLGlWWaDdB3-l0WHnbYJAmKXOuIXWEke0W-K_BZih8iFGTaf43oq3xp0vJ60KQ/s320/jonatha,polly,jen.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I will post info on the classes that I took tomorrow!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Packing for Seattle...</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-83336381972710226442010-06-01T11:29:00.000-04:002010-06-01T11:29:11.034-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHRJRq-J5sgh3U7AzhRrBHagE0JiV4tPczuVjIvHfrWgUd3y7MojCmFB_WtFcF4e-bZkwhY392W0W4K3ShhO16NqvjAyseDk34M6nJT9MmaUkcLvBjZV_5F2MjVftlCRM9rhQPA/s1600/paintingroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHRJRq-J5sgh3U7AzhRrBHagE0JiV4tPczuVjIvHfrWgUd3y7MojCmFB_WtFcF4e-bZkwhY392W0W4K3ShhO16NqvjAyseDk34M6nJT9MmaUkcLvBjZV_5F2MjVftlCRM9rhQPA/s400/paintingroom.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">OMG, I can't believe that it is June 1st...and we haven't checked in here since March...Did more inside painting and have been sculpting the garden most recently. I've actually had time to sit down at my sewing machine and stitch!!! What a miracle!! And, I had fun and satisfaction!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBFBhekYZ6nN340nW3vGtscm-YqIoj1jAuIFEssaZFX-ofQMJW9y5nyiUjHKgIen5acyCYUVhR-tkVDEM_zLB3tUxldaeCGwLsOF25q4TBRC5MW7Dwmi9mMFIFBzrnx6HwM_vKg/s1600/atomicmomjacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBFBhekYZ6nN340nW3vGtscm-YqIoj1jAuIFEssaZFX-ofQMJW9y5nyiUjHKgIen5acyCYUVhR-tkVDEM_zLB3tUxldaeCGwLsOF25q4TBRC5MW7Dwmi9mMFIFBzrnx6HwM_vKg/s400/atomicmomjacket.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sue and I went to NYC with our friend MT Silvia to see a sneak preview of her movie <a href="http://www.atomicmom.org/">"Atomic Mom"</a>. It prompted me to finally do the jacket that I promised her. She had a great light weight wool jacket that I stitched the name of the movie, text from the website and a picture of her mom. All were pleased with the results and the movie is an amazing piece of work! Check out her website if you haven't already!! There is also a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZXVzgtvoWo">trailer</a> for the movie on YouTube!! Nice work MT! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
I had fun doing a "found by the side of the road" chair for Sue's B'day but I haven't taken any pics of it yet. I am getting ready to go to NH for 3 day event...<a href="http://www.squamartworkshops.com/">Squam Art Workshops</a>. I am very excited to just be taking some classes, relaxing, meeting new peeps...no teaching, no selling for a change. It is hard to leave my girl, the chickens and the gardens but I think it is a good thing! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Will take pics of the chair and post it. It is one of my favorite things...</div><div style="text-align: center;">xxx</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-90902919874164131372010-03-10T14:50:00.000-05:002010-03-10T14:50:53.759-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhme_fkYaboqi_fJmJUG0_-vn9Ht6x4K7KqMKXf75VcxgSS_P1yQIju-_CyLtgxKs60SUcBDkUUoARzjrr88DqBqmyj2n0T9D4RUFjRKE_tzqFOrzM5O0fpR2T-ypJdC_IlFAQZ-A/s1600-h/painted-eye-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhme_fkYaboqi_fJmJUG0_-vn9Ht6x4K7KqMKXf75VcxgSS_P1yQIju-_CyLtgxKs60SUcBDkUUoARzjrr88DqBqmyj2n0T9D4RUFjRKE_tzqFOrzM5O0fpR2T-ypJdC_IlFAQZ-A/s320/painted-eye-blog.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> WOW it's March. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It has been cold here in Florida and no one from up north wants to hear my complaining. </div><div style="text-align: center;">But I didn't move far away from those I love to have cold weather here in sunny Florida.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have been busy entering information into Artgirlz books to be able to close them soon. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It is still a bit sad except the extra time I have to do creative stuff. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Imagine that. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZQqv22aP7B2aoXZPEIvttbH4mWE4I-HCn_oqbavllgN3thCn_vtd5RmFMedYz8mRTySlHYFrkcueWdG_9IxcWAVsJnL8yse14dXPq0JVviO8EEDfeUgxXMjxzU7B1YBgZPFkWA/s1600-h/dollar-chair-before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZQqv22aP7B2aoXZPEIvttbH4mWE4I-HCn_oqbavllgN3thCn_vtd5RmFMedYz8mRTySlHYFrkcueWdG_9IxcWAVsJnL8yse14dXPq0JVviO8EEDfeUgxXMjxzU7B1YBgZPFkWA/s320/dollar-chair-before.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Midge and I loved going to estate sales when we first moved here.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Bargains usually abound because the kids want to sell all their parents junk and get back home. </div><div style="text-align: center;">One of our first finds was this mid century chair we purchased for a $1. </div><div style="text-align: center;">We refer to it as our dollar chair. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, in perfect Artgirl style, not knowing what I was doing, </div><div style="text-align: center;"> I reupholstered the dollar chair.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I painted the legs and arms black. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I covered the icky old chair with polyfil and then covered that with muslin. </div><div style="text-align: center;">That allowed me to work out some of the problems. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwK1Tkvq1KaWdZflJUP0rCr7FB2QPXG6ePPyPo0AzIHNDQajfbv6wxhiOPKEiIqcCOoEG-f88xKmGEs7sasGbAG6NvHy01MS-kQbyhc8bnjxWjGQoWNbtbQNcaRRbg_rTvti4Ew/s1600-h/dollar-chair-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwK1Tkvq1KaWdZflJUP0rCr7FB2QPXG6ePPyPo0AzIHNDQajfbv6wxhiOPKEiIqcCOoEG-f88xKmGEs7sasGbAG6NvHy01MS-kQbyhc8bnjxWjGQoWNbtbQNcaRRbg_rTvti4Ew/s320/dollar-chair-after.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not being patient was one of the them. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Not having enough fabric was another. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Tracy and I rarely buy more than a half yard. </div><div style="text-align: center;">But with the help of Google I found more fabric at <a href="http://www.ciaspalette.com/">Cia's Palette.</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">She even had the heavier weight I was looking for. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqASJaR3zLo1H-aMjTcDTi8IVec1JVag5GggTo6XU_FBefzsCxtEeetGSlpZEGub9BqT8l2j6n54cgeQlvwUwu84LEauYRJZB6Fvd8HQCwo-FKrsdSlkBDHH_9sTl8VJ9b6TeFlg/s1600-h/DSC_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqASJaR3zLo1H-aMjTcDTi8IVec1JVag5GggTo6XU_FBefzsCxtEeetGSlpZEGub9BqT8l2j6n54cgeQlvwUwu84LEauYRJZB6Fvd8HQCwo-FKrsdSlkBDHH_9sTl8VJ9b6TeFlg/s320/DSC_0118.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The red cotton ball fringe was the perfect kitschy topping. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I also wanted to add some of the color from chair to the rest of the living room </div><div style="text-align: center;">so I worked up this big pillow with a giant flower.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It still needs some finishing touches like filling </div><div style="text-align: center;">and definitely some red ball fringe.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBteUe4q_ir6DKB0aNNXHKcXbiGyFUIaFQI9jkHaGklDLE0HZE5SugQdQi9iAGQa2JqAVL9xx_S4V82LYae-UPycPVvVcjkmt3HIxqdTB9tp0le-yggCvcB74nGnzOByNDxOu0A/s1600-h/pillow-flower-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBteUe4q_ir6DKB0aNNXHKcXbiGyFUIaFQI9jkHaGklDLE0HZE5SugQdQi9iAGQa2JqAVL9xx_S4V82LYae-UPycPVvVcjkmt3HIxqdTB9tp0le-yggCvcB74nGnzOByNDxOu0A/s320/pillow-flower-blog.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-17421255520353964892010-02-25T11:38:00.000-05:002010-02-25T11:38:04.506-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4h-8PaIgde_n_u-s-7JYON-e5fnl2XPkWQAOb1WTiVuMalggXIfWnzEvSCXC6H1PM4PJB4BMPd9K_28hfDHgHwBlloS_Fgn5-aEPfuguoK9cuUhFkvuSZEDzjPEqe4AHfsTi8w/s1600-h/bathgirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4h-8PaIgde_n_u-s-7JYON-e5fnl2XPkWQAOb1WTiVuMalggXIfWnzEvSCXC6H1PM4PJB4BMPd9K_28hfDHgHwBlloS_Fgn5-aEPfuguoK9cuUhFkvuSZEDzjPEqe4AHfsTi8w/s320/bathgirl.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The frustrating and disappointing news is that our "deal" fell through...aakkkkkkkk...</div><div style="text-align: center;">attempting to take a zen, calm, stay in the moment mode I realize that I have hit the Artgirlz Wall...</div><div style="text-align: center;">coming up with the next step seems exhausting...</div><div style="text-align: center;">so an <i>emergency vacation</i> is in order...</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sue and I are off to Providence (just up the road a piece) until Sunday. She will actually commute to work tomorrow and I will have a day in our fancy hotel to do what ever I want...away from the house...will leave in a couple of hours...Christy will be our loyal and competent chicken/rabbit sitter!<br />
As thoughts of my, our, the biz future whirl around my busy brain we have </div><div style="text-align: center;">been doing one of the things we do best...painting a room! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_L6Qx3SxrBxmeC2GsgM-O-aqIqpeL4l417xV4JyAZsuvt-sdJ9potMkYIFgurw36TXDaA8vvG-lbBQLUc1HpsktTvMZpWxq5CwZ_poxbilZKEeWBxd-1tCmXO57kTnea1z7yY5g/s1600-h/bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_L6Qx3SxrBxmeC2GsgM-O-aqIqpeL4l417xV4JyAZsuvt-sdJ9potMkYIFgurw36TXDaA8vvG-lbBQLUc1HpsktTvMZpWxq5CwZ_poxbilZKEeWBxd-1tCmXO57kTnea1z7yY5g/s320/bath.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the bathroom connected to our bedroom which has had a recent lovely pink update!! The bathroom is lavender...well was...and we picked out a dark red paint. This was the first time I had used a tinted primer...what a miracle thing that is!! Nor did I know that it would be grey...<br />
The lovely little girl pictured above lives in the corner of the bathtub tile project... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonInnHr0MEAMILNHkoyNUizkgcoqoTPEqX6mZ2Y5PuT5zVFpvE9tzfmTIOtTr1_uT5ihwOCpUDPfFY2S493aIs3KyENAkXuSJF_Ru8ZS-IwaBdqSX1h-gux4IqxZy6ddTFC6Aeg/s1600-h/bath2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonInnHr0MEAMILNHkoyNUizkgcoqoTPEqX6mZ2Y5PuT5zVFpvE9tzfmTIOtTr1_uT5ihwOCpUDPfFY2S493aIs3KyENAkXuSJF_Ru8ZS-IwaBdqSX1h-gux4IqxZy6ddTFC6Aeg/s320/bath2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bathrooms are small but extremely tedious to paint...and we had to be very careful around the little tiles above the sink and around the tub. Nothing like painting your bathroom with a quarter inch brush!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidO8rU0OIdtBlNMF0NQLUw7s8yGA4FhtfgvDBMiPZJSv6TAAUS-EHV43M2U26_nh3Ep8zZD5GUFDfuzPqIlZfpL2d_qQZJtRaiQQKFMYzSZbt-V7KDF_G88Q9WUtryGtu4kU_hmw/s1600-h/bath3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidO8rU0OIdtBlNMF0NQLUw7s8yGA4FhtfgvDBMiPZJSv6TAAUS-EHV43M2U26_nh3Ep8zZD5GUFDfuzPqIlZfpL2d_qQZJtRaiQQKFMYzSZbt-V7KDF_G88Q9WUtryGtu4kU_hmw/s320/bath3.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The toilet is right by the short red wall front left.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To the right of the sink is an open area...like a cupboard without doors...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Both very challenging paint areas...but...4 dayz later...</div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9octjM9ZVi6v7POa0tX9_qsvPC32TjeVCms5UXeuzXJgaaZLFPtjX6D-E6JgHb_YWgw1Q6iH0yIzeOJnipHO_dWt7vxxUD3n-IgHTOwGpjetp5aoTXA_J4ZMN8atmSkPVTFyig/s1600-h/Bathdone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9octjM9ZVi6v7POa0tX9_qsvPC32TjeVCms5UXeuzXJgaaZLFPtjX6D-E6JgHb_YWgw1Q6iH0yIzeOJnipHO_dWt7vxxUD3n-IgHTOwGpjetp5aoTXA_J4ZMN8atmSkPVTFyig/s320/Bathdone.jpg" /></a> <br />
<br />
So off to do a few sniggley things for the biz, put our travel goodies together and will head off to take a break from the action.<br />
Thanks again to all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1267114377549"></span><span id="goog_1267114377550"></span></div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-85089223060173546152010-02-15T07:55:00.000-05:002010-02-15T07:55:35.926-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAEXuJltUzytTJZeYgaSSRJ081G11bEP7dpKa3vrxxai1X6-7ctOuWb12v86LpduWO2BVBmkQXxEUuYMmaqVURMnT7x3061lf0d2qtyBfDgKyT_znn-oLWpSobWDrh78UjtsqOw/s1600-h/girlline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAEXuJltUzytTJZeYgaSSRJ081G11bEP7dpKa3vrxxai1X6-7ctOuWb12v86LpduWO2BVBmkQXxEUuYMmaqVURMnT7x3061lf0d2qtyBfDgKyT_znn-oLWpSobWDrh78UjtsqOw/s400/girlline.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I just took what was left of our product off of the website...not much I am happy and sad to say...</div><div style="text-align: center;">We have officially entered a new phase! I don't know how to thank everyone for their support and kind words. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42GMjA7bubFMqeZqwkBjKM3df2pPGBUHUulEoKHuPN8A6RGrGmfSNYYhJ1jV8M9GGmJFDQ04IG-Tg5OwutdJkvy_p4NCg88s90uLLaoryjVcvBiGMnBER1dvC4BUb1jA0Y1EMMA/s1600-h/Al1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42GMjA7bubFMqeZqwkBjKM3df2pPGBUHUulEoKHuPN8A6RGrGmfSNYYhJ1jV8M9GGmJFDQ04IG-Tg5OwutdJkvy_p4NCg88s90uLLaoryjVcvBiGMnBER1dvC4BUb1jA0Y1EMMA/s200/Al1.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And since it is Presidents Day I thought that I would do a brief bit about the President of Artgirlz (Pictured above)! I don't remember just how Big Al became the President...Maybe it was because her name started with "A" or because she is taller, or because she is bossy or because she is the smartest but President she has been and a fine one at that! We have had our moments, but considering, they have been very few...we could barely stop doing product development...ideas always flying around with no time or money to carry them out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwLVS_-uoEzx3D4JkSool-y_aCzQFDa9VhuUwntUuJpIfQi8dKqytJLxVqvIKcxKbiP3TYua_n2El9NstipfgmNpa0ZtWxUppFZSNdznPgBuV1Cl4XOe_6o6PysYlt8hZ4zVdQg/s1600-h/Al5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwLVS_-uoEzx3D4JkSool-y_aCzQFDa9VhuUwntUuJpIfQi8dKqytJLxVqvIKcxKbiP3TYua_n2El9NstipfgmNpa0ZtWxUppFZSNdznPgBuV1Cl4XOe_6o6PysYlt8hZ4zVdQg/s320/Al5.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We flew many miles, ate piles of bad food, drank gallons of Starbucks, put lots and lots of product in bags, spent hours at the computers together. She spent more time than I can personally imagine putting numbers into QuickBooks and making spreadsheets. She mixed easily with the rich and famous! She made upc codes...phone calls...crunched numbers for gross margins, discounts, shipping, ordering. </div><div style="text-align: center;">She was at her best standing behind me telling me where to move little shapes here and there as I put packaging, copy, catalog sheets together!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXS-uNpMaAnuiLSIv6e8O8ceWjqxG2c1RPUXcYfJTEuCAJSu7CisRMiG8QgmSn8_m4hUIiccZSrnKTtR1H_lHz913SSPmNqehykEJM7GMzK96FvICJn5Rw_0zPnAvBjJj7wPoDAw/s1600-h/al4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXS-uNpMaAnuiLSIv6e8O8ceWjqxG2c1RPUXcYfJTEuCAJSu7CisRMiG8QgmSn8_m4hUIiccZSrnKTtR1H_lHz913SSPmNqehykEJM7GMzK96FvICJn5Rw_0zPnAvBjJj7wPoDAw/s320/al4.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Always on top of fashion and never missing fashion forward moment even at the airports of the world! What's better than a "Best Tail in Town" Rhode Island sweatshirt!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZa6vvkQMGdG18Q1KSiKQrp6mo-UYeyetRPMjjky6QdV4GfzpzaCQAyBWSVKswwVmZ9BW-Pn82o23vNo2FTMRhSWB3TN_JPRFi0TFQaEnpYg3-GBno-37hutCuWQVvpGsF1IE_4g/s1600-h/al3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZa6vvkQMGdG18Q1KSiKQrp6mo-UYeyetRPMjjky6QdV4GfzpzaCQAyBWSVKswwVmZ9BW-Pn82o23vNo2FTMRhSWB3TN_JPRFi0TFQaEnpYg3-GBno-37hutCuWQVvpGsF1IE_4g/s320/al3.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Always an artistic inspiration I miss her very much and am grateful that we took the chance to take this adventure together. Our mother would have proud!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">xxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooo </div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-54746411859094096232010-02-12T14:30:00.000-05:002010-02-12T14:30:31.350-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVA0gFpan7qx2L87kJHwwmoQC6uzfE8h12uyBL-EdOVPImXSlJDTKYNxHhC3UNSpeQZcBp8q6G2f1QoK71hrY6hrRmI26BKM9yHptwfgaHy8zXvx3ecf9bEKPDmvKrnxbdzOWnw/s1600-h/3hearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVA0gFpan7qx2L87kJHwwmoQC6uzfE8h12uyBL-EdOVPImXSlJDTKYNxHhC3UNSpeQZcBp8q6G2f1QoK71hrY6hrRmI26BKM9yHptwfgaHy8zXvx3ecf9bEKPDmvKrnxbdzOWnw/s400/3hearts.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Valentine's Day to all of our lovlies!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have been shipping, organizing, cleaning, and have to venture out into the cold to the post office.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sending lots of love out into the world!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">xxxxxxxx</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-71322839522426504032010-02-09T12:56:00.000-05:002010-02-09T12:56:24.030-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFz6Sj64Zyo_jA9czP0kYZyc8Pqate19TKgYmFgKasrWgRQ_jo8fD8pNpvMaD6QFK46AvDCqQ2fBE1oWtZ70GxsK76rjSUGgOLpYrv2X5DXaA5l_RJpaNftO7Wl5QOvUKFTH5ag/s1600-h/snwgirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFz6Sj64Zyo_jA9czP0kYZyc8Pqate19TKgYmFgKasrWgRQ_jo8fD8pNpvMaD6QFK46AvDCqQ2fBE1oWtZ70GxsK76rjSUGgOLpYrv2X5DXaA5l_RJpaNftO7Wl5QOvUKFTH5ag/s320/snwgirl.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Greetings Earthlings! Oh No, Oh Yes...What will I dooooooooo?????</div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">Artgirlz</div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">will </div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">stop selling at</div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">Midnight</div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;">Valentine's Day.</div><div style="text-align: center;">We still don't know what the next step is going to be. We are waiting patiently...sort of. </div><div style="text-align: center;">We will let you know as soon as we know!! </div><div style="text-align: center;">Actually Allison and Midge are driving (as I write) to Jacksonville, FL to see the Black Eyed Peas in concert tonight! That should be a great shaking up of the senses!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the mean time, we in the great northeast are awaiting a snow storm and putting bundles of Artgirlz Goodies together. <a href="http://www.artgirlz.com/">Linda is cutting felt and collecting little gems to combine and send out into the world. They will be tied together for your creative pleasure.</a> Just let me say that we are down to it...I don't think that I can conjure up too many more...Sue is taking care of nagging little details with credit cards and Paypal, and doing some shipping...I can hear the tape ripping off of the roll.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kpUg6d7XEFGPFk6V1zEfEwb0U3ZFrVa3jQUocQS5OTkWWL7BQ2xqMAcYqvIJLYUnZYW_vUS8hAJIIzJR3EtdxdA8PgSd-WZKuj0RruYyHTedjrvkD5W36XHvXnEQXMP_rtKfKg/s1600-h/lindacutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kpUg6d7XEFGPFk6V1zEfEwb0U3ZFrVa3jQUocQS5OTkWWL7BQ2xqMAcYqvIJLYUnZYW_vUS8hAJIIzJR3EtdxdA8PgSd-WZKuj0RruYyHTedjrvkD5W36XHvXnEQXMP_rtKfKg/s320/lindacutting.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I have been enjoying working on a sweater that I started when Artgirlz was just a glint in our eyeballs and hadn't touched since...except to move the basket around when necessary. I visited our local yarn shop and with some guidance jumped right back into knitting and pearling. It has been very relaxing and a soothing way to get back to making things. I have missed having a project to take along with me .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHkxf5eyluv_bWFx2K7MC2qVfbP3hpA54tVzWxvcTmH8tKMc9Q9rslsv6oebt3kPcOW7RwPD835yGsuEhUVljYFHx5r-ltBrEzOZm_HpmtFwjyfOi-ybd2RNDyWTa_fL47A7ceg/s1600-h/sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHkxf5eyluv_bWFx2K7MC2qVfbP3hpA54tVzWxvcTmH8tKMc9Q9rslsv6oebt3kPcOW7RwPD835yGsuEhUVljYFHx5r-ltBrEzOZm_HpmtFwjyfOi-ybd2RNDyWTa_fL47A7ceg/s320/sweater.jpg" /></a></div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-4590519048495721582010-02-02T15:29:00.000-05:002010-02-02T15:29:54.078-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc9tzdRpFWUUkk0CoAtzdorXtTmWomDq_D5LP4p6ZKcoqGGnNzlLr8-l09yMzOAh9FI3bAAT6hoZWxcmxqpWONHzbX7MgSBeY563T-m25_ylzaZ21B16U7spbMc5LuEOAz80gKg/s1600-h/tps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc9tzdRpFWUUkk0CoAtzdorXtTmWomDq_D5LP4p6ZKcoqGGnNzlLr8-l09yMzOAh9FI3bAAT6hoZWxcmxqpWONHzbX7MgSBeY563T-m25_ylzaZ21B16U7spbMc5LuEOAz80gKg/s400/tps.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I don't know why Sue and Linda were laughing at yet another one of my "clearly I don't live in Florida outfits"! What's better than striped fingerless gloves with a skulls and bows with coordinated stripy dotty hat...inside...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">so it was the chicklet pictured here that went to the bank yesterday and paid off our business loan!!! We are $%#@***&^ psyched about that situation!!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and it is the same one that is picking hundreds of charms one by one (with the back up of the two mentioned above) trying to get it right...packing orders, inputting everyone's addy and printing the labels, visiting our friendly post office and answering emails, and getting cc info and fixing glitches, making charm orders trying to keep ahead of the game, staying calm and in the moment most of the time...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I just want to assure everyone that we won't be "going away" until everyone is happy, so if you have an "issue" please don't fret!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We continue to be very touched by the support and love that has been flowing our way! Thanks again and we will be keeping everyone informed about any important news!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">xxoo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-11540175984555942192010-01-30T10:00:00.000-05:002010-01-30T10:00:03.534-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqcPuWkkxwYFc_7h0bCNrHWBy4j33m47Ru7hU2-YJhPlyJw__bPA1-IczF52Ygn2zP8Rfc-zpvQG0PMLSw6amOLjx-NJ0Fclp3AtBrv1YMBcuMdVxQo4jwlfUy_UmBv82KY5oaw/s1600-h/reclineinggirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqcPuWkkxwYFc_7h0bCNrHWBy4j33m47Ru7hU2-YJhPlyJw__bPA1-IczF52Ygn2zP8Rfc-zpvQG0PMLSw6amOLjx-NJ0Fclp3AtBrv1YMBcuMdVxQo4jwlfUy_UmBv82KY5oaw/s400/reclineinggirl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Wow is all that I can say...I have been picking and packing charms and beads for dayzzzzzzzz...that is the good news and I want to thank everyone for all of your support and so many kind and encouraging words!! Practicing being in the moment and practicing gratitude!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We wanted everyone to know that we are working on a deal to keep the wool product and our zany charms out in the world. It is the goal to #1 come up with an agreement and #2 make the transition as quickly and cleanly as possible. We will keep Artgirlz Nation informed as we get details!! This is a particularly important opportunity to practice the above mentioned items!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the mean time, we will decide just what to do with the shrinking pile of goodies left in the Artgirlz Mother Stash!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDld-v9kLT34TrQIdd8nOXXZCgECdc2R8VqgQNtdHxj-cb4LFjxa_RMEoWzUtoYmd9PWdEptkEaUYPl-o2KoI7ZD_gpdWBRR6BF7kBOJVtdg_UpSMRvWTwRKYFspfkZkDyMHzzmQ/s1600-h/spiritgirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDld-v9kLT34TrQIdd8nOXXZCgECdc2R8VqgQNtdHxj-cb4LFjxa_RMEoWzUtoYmd9PWdEptkEaUYPl-o2KoI7ZD_gpdWBRR6BF7kBOJVtdg_UpSMRvWTwRKYFspfkZkDyMHzzmQ/s320/spiritgirl.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Allison is teaching a class in Florida this morning...I am sorry that I don't know the name of the Bernina Dealer, but she can fill you in on all of the details! I am sure that it will be a wonderful experience for all!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am taking a break from shipping today and I am going to clean the house...it is 8 degrees outside and the house is screaming for a dust rag and vacuum!!! Who knew it had 2 "u's"!!???</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTsYLXfqocag45lGGw1EI47UoPBBcKyegIRAHIospRPZe6Eo6xw4-vhogJI6xCXaqZYBOy1QVVncEGwSkEt3AviXEqLQgVq_EZjGgHym_e5KscPwYBCF_jSBYOy3jQ5lFgzbHXA/s1600-h/search.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTsYLXfqocag45lGGw1EI47UoPBBcKyegIRAHIospRPZe6Eo6xw4-vhogJI6xCXaqZYBOy1QVVncEGwSkEt3AviXEqLQgVq_EZjGgHym_e5KscPwYBCF_jSBYOy3jQ5lFgzbHXA/s400/search.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">So stay tuned...thanks so much!! We love you!!!</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-51665939564335014932010-01-17T16:24:00.001-05:002010-01-17T16:25:57.028-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkVmApMMmuQNUb7CMs0tDzVlxpBP8f41k6rAdFW4GgtzfBZQDRGbHcvI6vwdhUJjQH66ejdD4Z6waiNMo3R78rtMrUJLnQfBQo9rRJxJga09MYHqOZXuQrBa8jtJH5tVk1gQ5pA/s1600-h/tandacha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkVmApMMmuQNUb7CMs0tDzVlxpBP8f41k6rAdFW4GgtzfBZQDRGbHcvI6vwdhUJjQH66ejdD4Z6waiNMo3R78rtMrUJLnQfBQo9rRJxJga09MYHqOZXuQrBa8jtJH5tVk1gQ5pA/s320/tandacha.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think that I have been avoiding writing this little paragraph relating to the ending chapters of Artgirlz as we have grown to know and love it! MANY people have worked LONG hours to help us get things in and out of the doors. We have traveled far and wide...met amazing talented, funny, smart, irreverent, hardworking folks always willing to share, support, advise...and to all of you I am very grateful.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">It seems like I was always exhausted quickly moving from one event onto the preparations for the next...designing and producing products, catalogs, dealing with import issues, pricing, shipping, websites, email, customer service issues, photographs, blogs, class proposals, class prep, class teaching, clean up and shlepping of materials...setting up booths, cc machines, cash registers, products, give always, business cards, membership cards, bags, props, price tags, samples, snacks, pens, accounting, money in money out...packing up booths and organizing the shipping of the goods back to world headquarters...filling out the paper for each box leaving on the pallet...airplanes, taxis, hotels, convention centers, bad food, too many snacks, no exercise, no oxygen... <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Trying to stay emotionally stable...hoping, wishing, expecting, not getting, getting, trying another way...<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eBv-KEM6-igafonhkYpxvr_WTOkggIMQY3ZtFOvEUIR92uKc43rPnddDSlRJ2mnkS1tRCCPekQcnRzu8EwN8GiCRs1sx7mzcL4d6nbFvNVAvJE9R0f1lj_gOYL3N7ad2_OFpEg/s1600-h/blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eBv-KEM6-igafonhkYpxvr_WTOkggIMQY3ZtFOvEUIR92uKc43rPnddDSlRJ2mnkS1tRCCPekQcnRzu8EwN8GiCRs1sx7mzcL4d6nbFvNVAvJE9R0f1lj_gOYL3N7ad2_OFpEg/s320/blue.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">So now that the decision has been made to close the business, I have been organizing and counting product that is left...Al has been working on a proposal to keep Artgirlz Charms out in the world...time will tell on that one...so it seem like the next step is to put what we have on sale. What a perfect opportunity for the creatives of the world to add to their ever shifting pile of supplies!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Although we don't know exactly what we will be doing next, we will still be around doing our thing and keeping you posted right here! We will actually have "time" to do creative things...something that has been hard to come by!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Stay warm. Thanks for all of the support and love that we have received over the last 6 years!!!!<br />
Stay Tuned!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.artgirlz.com/">Check out our 30% Off Sale!!! </a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiAixzlyUtXH4k4MrETScrlUKnLn8iMhUH5dBm5MWoB1cc1IY31mcYjhhdCfCv5R_l-FabIruCMM7vPYHGFatbiHSJxdRagzTfcsqVTH-v3wkwzbWfZjrN90Ry2Ul1oPMTP2UBA/s1600-h/wrapping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiAixzlyUtXH4k4MrETScrlUKnLn8iMhUH5dBm5MWoB1cc1IY31mcYjhhdCfCv5R_l-FabIruCMM7vPYHGFatbiHSJxdRagzTfcsqVTH-v3wkwzbWfZjrN90Ry2Ul1oPMTP2UBA/s320/wrapping.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-36582156236235278512010-01-13T11:05:00.000-05:002010-01-13T11:05:33.911-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3twqpR3lJo8R2f-2RemJkIL28oFz17CqFqUrgGLgY2yexhIbNd6-BgSxrAJRlthCPtPKQxpUxlS_C6uikZwWpjXy7-8hfDVlHnz0YXeKbXByS_u-MYxpg4sc2dQAl-hAMMTWEQ/s1600-h/beth's-flowers-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> January has been flying by. Baby sister Beth has been visiting again. We spent lots of time crafting so that she would have lots of ideas to take to Alaska.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3twqpR3lJo8R2f-2RemJkIL28oFz17CqFqUrgGLgY2yexhIbNd6-BgSxrAJRlthCPtPKQxpUxlS_C6uikZwWpjXy7-8hfDVlHnz0YXeKbXByS_u-MYxpg4sc2dQAl-hAMMTWEQ/s1600-h/beth's-flowers-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3twqpR3lJo8R2f-2RemJkIL28oFz17CqFqUrgGLgY2yexhIbNd6-BgSxrAJRlthCPtPKQxpUxlS_C6uikZwWpjXy7-8hfDVlHnz0YXeKbXByS_u-MYxpg4sc2dQAl-hAMMTWEQ/s320/beth's-flowers-blog.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Beth's biggest project was a sweater she wanted to make for her grandbaby, Ivy. She had purchased a 100% wool sweater at a thrift shop and washed it well in hot water. We used one of Ivy's coats for a simple pattern. We marked it with large basting stitches and used our wonderful Bernina aurora 440 to lay a decorative stitch along the basting and then cut a quarter inch from the stitch. It was fun and simple and the hardest part was getting the courage to cut it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdomSoMb-5k9miF1t1JVtWgP_UK8DRR7EnRVTrvISSkKUteIwQHNlbOcVGGslezDStVnXwkB9-UZDk531pUA7bRZY5Fv4_vQ0hIvcvF55fHkKovSrdbej1_d7yxVqqSrnpXVx9A/s1600-h/beth's-sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdomSoMb-5k9miF1t1JVtWgP_UK8DRR7EnRVTrvISSkKUteIwQHNlbOcVGGslezDStVnXwkB9-UZDk531pUA7bRZY5Fv4_vQ0hIvcvF55fHkKovSrdbej1_d7yxVqqSrnpXVx9A/s320/beth's-sweater.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixz6xgb6nUGuLYka2XocYooLnQvSAFpM-NsYy7WalNSKdQqmFND8V84geNUDAK6XHrvzhDXphqzLNL5qixnwTnVuup9tVlug2hTUTvN2Ub1BXwZnNPUV8xyJofrYny9jNC2WNFw/s1600-h/ivy's-bunnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Beth spent the evenings chatting and adding a blanket stitch around the edges.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">She added a piece of felt for a pocket and embellished the front with felt flowers and leaves. <br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixz6xgb6nUGuLYka2XocYooLnQvSAFpM-NsYy7WalNSKdQqmFND8V84geNUDAK6XHrvzhDXphqzLNL5qixnwTnVuup9tVlug2hTUTvN2Ub1BXwZnNPUV8xyJofrYny9jNC2WNFw/s1600-h/ivy's-bunnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixz6xgb6nUGuLYka2XocYooLnQvSAFpM-NsYy7WalNSKdQqmFND8V84geNUDAK6XHrvzhDXphqzLNL5qixnwTnVuup9tVlug2hTUTvN2Ub1BXwZnNPUV8xyJofrYny9jNC2WNFw/s320/ivy's-bunnie.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I took the scraps and made a simple bunny rabbit. I needle felted her eyes and nose and embroidered a big smile. The bunny insisted on having a sparkly skirt for dancing but if her new mom Ivy is anything like her grandmother and her sisters the skirt will end up as a curtain in one of her forts. <br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-87560980031020369512010-01-04T13:25:00.000-05:002010-01-04T13:25:09.134-05:00<div style="text-align: center;">Wow, It is hard to beleive that we are entering the next decade already. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were all sitting tight, waiting for the start of this new century hoping the tech world didn't implode because of the huge date change.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzU5ZdIRt6I5QLwzksyOAGu5Mckq7YB-ZOEsANmma-6YGXwR06_28TBx7sgOeeOjUGc32ZAvY65OAzM4A_LnZ7MmRhIjtNLcLicTDRZJCz-2JkHRmAuDoLAvbQhE2y55fwSZJuw/s1600-h/blog-girlz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzU5ZdIRt6I5QLwzksyOAGu5Mckq7YB-ZOEsANmma-6YGXwR06_28TBx7sgOeeOjUGc32ZAvY65OAzM4A_LnZ7MmRhIjtNLcLicTDRZJCz-2JkHRmAuDoLAvbQhE2y55fwSZJuw/s320/blog-girlz.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And sadly as we head into this next decade, Tracy and I will be closing Artgirlz Inc.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It has been a great ride. We have met so many wonderful people and had many life changing experiences so that it has made this a very difficult decision. But times are hard and we are a bit weary of struggling and waiting for things to pick up.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Be on the look out for our news letter so that you will be in the know about all of the upcoming sales.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We don't have any big plans for our future but you can bet it will be full of art and scary babies.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It is also hard to write about the loss this weekend of Sue's father,<br />
C. Shepard Desillier.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Those of us that loved him called him Shep. A wonderful family patriarch who lovingly embraced our nutty Stilwell family. He was an institution in his small community of Watch Hill RI.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">He was wise, kind and inquisitive.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdX8eunmTbp8T2wd2SNlvykQwxYl1PGTjjevGXn5vnWMw6iBFmnzTOZWQOskQUAee4utY3JtfFruGGn1CcLwIebxyLhIpIT2c4g_a_yWFcDGkBIOSOsFhNp0m0rOCDoX7RgT_Xw/s1600-h/shep+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdX8eunmTbp8T2wd2SNlvykQwxYl1PGTjjevGXn5vnWMw6iBFmnzTOZWQOskQUAee4utY3JtfFruGGn1CcLwIebxyLhIpIT2c4g_a_yWFcDGkBIOSOsFhNp0m0rOCDoX7RgT_Xw/s320/shep+blog.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> We will miss you Shep.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-22947601600992375682009-12-18T13:27:00.000-05:002009-12-18T13:27:37.377-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QCRrC62P_MUU-f1clIuB1kgMPm5mSJ5CKeCvWCkPaN3zbMwhyTBsBKKMflPrq169g_QfLvAzwm7xJWIRFx3JW6FhgUjUn5EXAQwNaHGaTFrpRldwA3YzD36PcZTB5VLL9y2YSA/s1600-h/Rosie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QCRrC62P_MUU-f1clIuB1kgMPm5mSJ5CKeCvWCkPaN3zbMwhyTBsBKKMflPrq169g_QfLvAzwm7xJWIRFx3JW6FhgUjUn5EXAQwNaHGaTFrpRldwA3YzD36PcZTB5VLL9y2YSA/s400/Rosie1.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">One of our favorite employees, Rosie and her mom Laura have been chosen as finalists in a contest sponsored by <a href="http://my.allpeoplequilt.com/app/voting/index.jsp;jsessionid=FYW0QQDR4LIEECQCEARCCZQ?id=/templatedata/apq/voting/data/1260978921140.xml&sid=2">Better Homes and Gardens</a>...folks have to register to vote at the website and then vote for them and they are behind!!!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Website isn't the most user friendly but these are the instructions that Rosie posted for her friends!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Finals Voting period is December 16th- 21st.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
* You can vote once per day per log-in<br />
<a href="http://my.allpeoplequilt.com/app/voting/index.jsp?id=/templatedata/apq/voting/data/1260978921140.xml&sid=2">* Go to the site </a><br />
* Look for our team:<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">VOTE for "A Hoot Garden" by Rosie and Laura<br />
* Our quilts are pink with owls of course!!! See attached photos.<br />
* Register to VOTE! Remember your password so you can vote everyday!!!<br />
* Please note: Step 2 of registration asks for your address- you do not need to provide this info- once you complete Step 1 and create an ID and PW, you are all set to go to the link above and vote!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There are a few steps to take but if you knew Rosie, you would take them happily!!<br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-6937715028450083032009-12-16T15:03:00.000-05:002009-12-16T15:03:45.452-05:00Wow, it has been a wild non stop month. I am back in Florida after closing the books, enjoying Thanksgiving with the family and doing the Foundry in Little Rhody. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rEd99VUbcoVxCYyNL9Vj42iA33L7L6YuGQC6dW0VM7YMcD2VOy14BdR4v7w1dVIHFiznD4X_y6PAMyrEpklnA655pzB83TnmeBJhjPc_N6T332niyZyh6qer7RqDEZ-O73cPlg/s1600-h/green-tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rEd99VUbcoVxCYyNL9Vj42iA33L7L6YuGQC6dW0VM7YMcD2VOy14BdR4v7w1dVIHFiznD4X_y6PAMyrEpklnA655pzB83TnmeBJhjPc_N6T332niyZyh6qer7RqDEZ-O73cPlg/s320/green-tree.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Midge and I got rid of so much when we moved that it left us with very little Christmas stuff. So now we have a two foot green foil tree and a cloth wreath that our daughter Sara made. We thought we should step it up a bit because we are having Midgies family here for Christmas dinner with a special visit from our daughter Beth from California.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqsYTliT2tGTQLLFFPMY7wVcVWTnace6KmJ6C-8BvBFz0sG-YS0VkQvvvUU15Oj8sxzMko_ReWQdHBmY9xiYoRSpa_I90S6zEmbp9WUy7fZQJJ7ql1ciNOmMpl09ZZFjFAwIUcg/s1600-h/chain-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdR9uHD5yWBNqJxeJFVMR0wiAC7eht-IE3ODVKe3RI__BVE-iOrriNH6wIsWL5v3XzSLAAmSdI1DjfMRaKjyMuenLB17IvNETl5XefZdQpRuST3IPR6CBX8hyphenhyphenw7OFO1DfOC5gLg/s1600-h/paper-chain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdR9uHD5yWBNqJxeJFVMR0wiAC7eht-IE3ODVKe3RI__BVE-iOrriNH6wIsWL5v3XzSLAAmSdI1DjfMRaKjyMuenLB17IvNETl5XefZdQpRuST3IPR6CBX8hyphenhyphenw7OFO1DfOC5gLg/s400/paper-chain.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We didn't wanted go out and consume so we looked around and noticed we had an abundance of paper scraps. Ahh Haaa ...... paper chains. So we spent last weekend around the dining table equipted with a paper cutter and stapler and worked up about 100 ft of artgirlie chain. We draped it around our living and dining rooms and it added the perfect touch of celebration. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqsYTliT2tGTQLLFFPMY7wVcVWTnace6KmJ6C-8BvBFz0sG-YS0VkQvvvUU15Oj8sxzMko_ReWQdHBmY9xiYoRSpa_I90S6zEmbp9WUy7fZQJJ7ql1ciNOmMpl09ZZFjFAwIUcg/s1600-h/chain-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqsYTliT2tGTQLLFFPMY7wVcVWTnace6KmJ6C-8BvBFz0sG-YS0VkQvvvUU15Oj8sxzMko_ReWQdHBmY9xiYoRSpa_I90S6zEmbp9WUy7fZQJJ7ql1ciNOmMpl09ZZFjFAwIUcg/s320/chain-09.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We took a bike ride around the neighborhood to see if we could find some greens we could abscond with to give a boost to our decorating. No luck, there just aren't a lot of pine trees in this neck of the woods. So, you can imagine how happy were to find a night of wreath making with the <a href="http://www.fnps.org/pages/chapters/chapterpg.php?keyword=Conradina">local native plant society</a>. We arrived to find piles of local flora to make great holiday decor. It was nice to break out of our Yankee box and make old things with new material.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEogDr0FwIpl7oFZbZJHASJBviD1YCX7hazUVanDwJICSmqsvPpXxLuZAQ1l14sdRYsNgUYeRcPnpoQyN3W06dGh0Roq-nd0uRo1D-_WUodtES_X7QB6uy6z3jIjGZ_2EzKe-7Og/s1600-h/fla-wreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEogDr0FwIpl7oFZbZJHASJBviD1YCX7hazUVanDwJICSmqsvPpXxLuZAQ1l14sdRYsNgUYeRcPnpoQyN3W06dGh0Roq-nd0uRo1D-_WUodtES_X7QB6uy6z3jIjGZ_2EzKe-7Og/s320/fla-wreath.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Midge made a center piece for our holiday table and I made a wreath. We had a great time, met some like minded people and will be looking forward to future Florida holiday decorating with new eyes.Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-17947523689727291852009-11-30T10:02:00.000-05:002009-11-30T10:02:44.086-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilX4uPwXRA8mDdfDnFBzcLyXZ-4lp38M3ymsTXcYedpiTbXvP67SoxliFMwGw6fk1HW0V4E-K3u3CPKaxDUM2TDtCoXUh0sPXeWKbqDhYA1mj8he68jcUeWGKTgMmEF9BAUw4lGQ/s1600/Striptreefinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilX4uPwXRA8mDdfDnFBzcLyXZ-4lp38M3ymsTXcYedpiTbXvP67SoxliFMwGw6fk1HW0V4E-K3u3CPKaxDUM2TDtCoXUh0sPXeWKbqDhYA1mj8he68jcUeWGKTgMmEF9BAUw4lGQ/s640/Striptreefinal.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With Trees being an important icon for many folks this time of year, we have come up with a couple of variations to add to your creative collection. Variations on the theme are easy.<br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOBsbqvqRvZ6amvqYMH3xV3E1cL1KfXxNe0OfLbgEr7q9vjhZ3dbFLya-ZBuVQ_z57WEtpc1sVAUjt3Mwi8TSRqKSEI_lVjyUHrlzZL9s79qU3hGmukzYpgLQCwM8RbCt59E28g/s1600/Strip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOBsbqvqRvZ6amvqYMH3xV3E1cL1KfXxNe0OfLbgEr7q9vjhZ3dbFLya-ZBuVQ_z57WEtpc1sVAUjt3Mwi8TSRqKSEI_lVjyUHrlzZL9s79qU3hGmukzYpgLQCwM8RbCt59E28g/s320/Strip.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-abKlKUcxvdyqfM9VQR_4yK-gyvBFxfus0KUkgu9d6rVbejJif2CVIjnHPJUKCl6EwWf53-LKoiyI4oSdKppNz0_w-sztTXzsDDY3uRB7ywNKjBFQb98H4upoBMresc7_wwP3Fw/s1600/Stringmeas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-abKlKUcxvdyqfM9VQR_4yK-gyvBFxfus0KUkgu9d6rVbejJif2CVIjnHPJUKCl6EwWf53-LKoiyI4oSdKppNz0_w-sztTXzsDDY3uRB7ywNKjBFQb98H4upoBMresc7_wwP3Fw/s200/Stringmeas.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>STRIPPY TREE<br />
• Make yourself a pile of fabric strips, just ripped apart...1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long or so.<br />
<br />
• Starting at the top of the cone, wrap a piece of string or yarn around the cone to determine the length of your finished strip wrap.<br />
<br />
• Sew the small strips onto the long piece to create a fringe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiH5_pWYNoGPluE5AGc1NBLddd7bq7xvPbgxdCNUhO9rgKSTK-g2fIoag1X43j1R2QinTEOu2U0rjaV9aqTGh8BWIkQmE8A3PDSGZBGocgsqUplPc6OqWRP203C3B23cCJGdzpcA/s1600/stripspiral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiH5_pWYNoGPluE5AGc1NBLddd7bq7xvPbgxdCNUhO9rgKSTK-g2fIoag1X43j1R2QinTEOu2U0rjaV9aqTGh8BWIkQmE8A3PDSGZBGocgsqUplPc6OqWRP203C3B23cCJGdzpcA/s320/stripspiral.jpg" /></a><br />
• Once you have finished your long piece of fringe, start at the top point and attach to the green cone. You can stitch or glue this step. Check photo at the top of the page.<br />
• Felt beads added to the fringe add more color and texture. Just place the tree on a dowel or stick to create a trunk. This beauty has an embellished stitched star at the top! I placed our tree trunk in a jar filled with colorful beads.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb19zkVks6i1ZBrDm_2GULmlyVUnuuN0uc8fzA8URKjvyZhJlu6T0mU9ql2Nq2qz0sdF01s58EVX-JOWnCBbToggqFGzwNCfzAsD7J_Bmr6ZVUro3c-pUidCuZdBbpXZCPO_CvFQ/s1600/treefinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb19zkVks6i1ZBrDm_2GULmlyVUnuuN0uc8fzA8URKjvyZhJlu6T0mU9ql2Nq2qz0sdF01s58EVX-JOWnCBbToggqFGzwNCfzAsD7J_Bmr6ZVUro3c-pUidCuZdBbpXZCPO_CvFQ/s400/treefinal.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
• FOR ANOTHER LOOK, try zig zagging 3 or 4 lengths of yarn together.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVZQewS0CwTUcWz_gX8jWiceJQNXfMh6Vavd3Ds7OMUHrhXcW65NwLOrGNIp4p-VU0vAEtTXrXEfU6UE2vqOzd2scbjHVS_ByczkggNxEG85g3XBo4I08fOrFnWJ1ST8eL7FORA/s1600/yarnwrap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVZQewS0CwTUcWz_gX8jWiceJQNXfMh6Vavd3Ds7OMUHrhXcW65NwLOrGNIp4p-VU0vAEtTXrXEfU6UE2vqOzd2scbjHVS_ByczkggNxEG85g3XBo4I08fOrFnWJ1ST8eL7FORA/s200/yarnwrap.jpg" /></a>• Using the long strip as a base, tie or stitch yarn fringe along the length.<br />
• Embellish yarns with wool felt beads and sequins.<br />
• Tie pieces around the tree.<br />
• Cut a piece of cardboard or foam core to create a circle that will fit inside the bottom of the cone. This will keep the tree base "round". Make a hole in the center about the size of a pencil.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7u3xTCrcqG8lqtsD1h2TpQ4yUjy3SPAjmugG2jMlK5nkFXNC0UwAoTd8bWsoClInKwanq9ikJQiDp5pV2THsYdxwDUtS7QPZ_wd2JHUGu9fs8hjwqSlAwAno6UrqUNSiwo9bImA/s1600/Bottomview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7u3xTCrcqG8lqtsD1h2TpQ4yUjy3SPAjmugG2jMlK5nkFXNC0UwAoTd8bWsoClInKwanq9ikJQiDp5pV2THsYdxwDUtS7QPZ_wd2JHUGu9fs8hjwqSlAwAno6UrqUNSiwo9bImA/s200/Bottomview.jpg" /></a>• Drill a hole in a small wooden round to create a "trunk" with a small straight stick or dowel. Secure dowel in the base.<br />
• Place trunk through the hole in the bottom and set the tree onto the trunk.<br />
• Place embellished yarn on the tree. <br />
• Top off with felt star!<br />
• Make another one and enjoy.<br />
<br />
LITTLE PINS<br />
<br />
Our <a href="http://www.artgirlz.com/Artgirlz_Mini_Christmas_Tree_Pin_Kit_p/28409kw.htm">Artgirlz Mini Tree Pin Kits</a> come with all of the goodies needed to make an embellished tree pin. Or, mix things up by making simple little trees with <a href="http://www.artgirlz.com/category_s/11.htm">Artgirlz Mini Cones</a> and a piece of twig! Green, purple, red...trees of many colors!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZS-c4Fct1Y9BhwxJVlBVDpnh22Qrr_ZV5H9vcI6yWEkeCRd8O0s46isZD9DvDy1VGelyJfXlp_Vv8l6Xhs9ZIDeeJ5K40U_59lXmR8MD_GZ3DXoQmFLmLCsG4meQ7NxLPFAAsA/s1600/2minitrees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZS-c4Fct1Y9BhwxJVlBVDpnh22Qrr_ZV5H9vcI6yWEkeCRd8O0s46isZD9DvDy1VGelyJfXlp_Vv8l6Xhs9ZIDeeJ5K40U_59lXmR8MD_GZ3DXoQmFLmLCsG4meQ7NxLPFAAsA/s320/2minitrees.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-14445966624492246612009-11-24T14:28:00.001-05:002009-11-24T14:39:07.051-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEctFryrPmE9SrRrB6kblzO41SfxCgKKzeLMnyYvE0lmMcBpQQuylmMtq-GPaE9Y2e8iYz4DOf0A-2yjTWWgjd0B5-tTHD1vvVcQoiIficD_AwqRSMF6C24NpsIVTMbn7gJva2w/s1600/feltstrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEctFryrPmE9SrRrB6kblzO41SfxCgKKzeLMnyYvE0lmMcBpQQuylmMtq-GPaE9Y2e8iYz4DOf0A-2yjTWWgjd0B5-tTHD1vvVcQoiIficD_AwqRSMF6C24NpsIVTMbn7gJva2w/s400/feltstrip.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I decided to put a piece together using our <a href="http://www.artgirlz.com/category_s/37.htm">4"x4" felt squares</a>. The felt is actually a variety of blends of rayon and wool...depending on the color. I decided to make six simple shapes and put them together to create a hanging decoration that could hang on your door, the wall, or in a window.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Pair the colors together. Just move them around until you are happy with the combos.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Use colored pencils to draw the shapes onto the felt once you've decided on your colors.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Set the sewing machine on a medium width tight zig zag.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Stitch around your shape leaving an opening for stuffing.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJF7z0PHsxT7Sw6I6rKQvZMY-0fmDZNouqAFoLQLIIPsFWDF8lXngGOltBN_BZWAqkXmaZYhztOWqUTafiiqj2hTTDSZ4Mb14rQ0PNa0dOFGjpDPSMvKYTVqySSIUgDdAEYDRdQ/s1600/feltstrip1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJF7z0PHsxT7Sw6I6rKQvZMY-0fmDZNouqAFoLQLIIPsFWDF8lXngGOltBN_BZWAqkXmaZYhztOWqUTafiiqj2hTTDSZ4Mb14rQ0PNa0dOFGjpDPSMvKYTVqySSIUgDdAEYDRdQ/s320/feltstrip1.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Trim around your finished shape. You can cut a decorative border shape, use pinking shears or just create a clean cut around the zig zag.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFrKgU7miqnmVvsJxMwfknVt5zqSJIGuP1c9MYYe1lBbafC6MkgFKt3IlgqDo9ciEHRpfLcxoo8UnUjheBALgYUunnyE2_uS7X2UnWNQ8yerjlX1K2rDvZ5O32P8DnkB_rMzxcw/s1600/feltstrip2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFrKgU7miqnmVvsJxMwfknVt5zqSJIGuP1c9MYYe1lBbafC6MkgFKt3IlgqDo9ciEHRpfLcxoo8UnUjheBALgYUunnyE2_uS7X2UnWNQ8yerjlX1K2rDvZ5O32P8DnkB_rMzxcw/s400/feltstrip2.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Stuff your shapes lightly with polyfil. Finish stitching around the shape. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSPSKE2LqLQkK9Bz6DX8GheLSMls8yXL7v_APr7MSqTmzpGMMeWDJhzbOXBRy7Ubsnz1XPFNSj_2R3QAABwIWYLQbpJ2vUkPt2F7inDqJQ6qti0-UakpDqmOGnhdDU64STRl0hw/s1600/feltstrip3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSPSKE2LqLQkK9Bz6DX8GheLSMls8yXL7v_APr7MSqTmzpGMMeWDJhzbOXBRy7Ubsnz1XPFNSj_2R3QAABwIWYLQbpJ2vUkPt2F7inDqJQ6qti0-UakpDqmOGnhdDU64STRl0hw/s320/feltstrip3.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Use your longest needle to go through each shape adding wool felt beads between each piece.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• These of course could be embellished for dayz with beads, sequins, fibers, bells and whistles!!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• Rather than string them together, use them as decorations for your tree or fancy tags for packages.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">LINDA'S HAND WORK <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXZwHjKKoAvTli5Y8FWGM8I-z3URSwSvbQqnEyntwW4JEE9dpeZZxtOFudrnHFLQwmSczO5-_QDcfYvC1qtzMs7VkY03JC99yKGYv5wgvBpE23wAUjZe0FB5INHspQoFM_s-okg/s1600/papershapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXZwHjKKoAvTli5Y8FWGM8I-z3URSwSvbQqnEyntwW4JEE9dpeZZxtOFudrnHFLQwmSczO5-_QDcfYvC1qtzMs7VkY03JC99yKGYv5wgvBpE23wAUjZe0FB5INHspQoFM_s-okg/s320/papershapes.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Miss Linda in all of her wisdom made up some shapes out of recycled cardboard.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">She cut out her felt shapes and proceeded to stitch them together with a very wonderful blanket stitch.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As usual, her layering and textured stitching make for a wonderful little felt nugget! This piece includes a small felt bead and flower.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoQs4ay03rVmLJVx758aRIUaeGoYysO8u6ZXmDb6Zslm-DTnJoiBGOCRr7CNtqirZ32LKl0WHYW6xdee0x-IXBQGCHAByK3QllmJHYtJ08JP7bS0fYpjX42V1Y_hXJSYmDSvffg/s1600/Lindasflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoQs4ay03rVmLJVx758aRIUaeGoYysO8u6ZXmDb6Zslm-DTnJoiBGOCRr7CNtqirZ32LKl0WHYW6xdee0x-IXBQGCHAByK3QllmJHYtJ08JP7bS0fYpjX42V1Y_hXJSYmDSvffg/s320/Lindasflower.jpg" /></a>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-35041169370631055422009-11-23T14:43:00.002-05:002009-11-23T14:44:53.426-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Name Tags for Your Holiday Table!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXreEUqX6aHdmbDpoMmgjDxUIQkDLZXrnHrHJZfkgdZUT5idDCOXYKM4wTLtfd0froCPNPAKo2RLep2IVs1F5-Ys4eTG8YcqRsKhmBX7N2o7p8HNY4fO79MZJ-7W6CKU-CkES1tg/s400/Nametag1.jpg" /><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you are having a dinner anytime soon, you might want to make some place cards like these great pieces that Linda Willis..."our" Linda...whipped up! She collected some hand made paper, Artgirlz scraps, wool felt beads, wool flowers, fibers and beautiful old fabric leaves. She mixed and matched all of the ingredients and came up with three examples.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">You could mix and match styles...make multiples of the same style. They will add texture to your table and will help guide friends and family to their assigned seats. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrQuD8GjBKOkFbtAIR4vAGSPHBOLmxKT4bIVUrvFgwnQEnkwmcSKAmZMj9usclgOcQxHNoBFBQIpzgqkjgQ4saopS9ikBTo-iXTGXz-hAEzAlBVVCQ86CjjCE10k5XAB3pwp66A/s1600/nametag2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrQuD8GjBKOkFbtAIR4vAGSPHBOLmxKT4bIVUrvFgwnQEnkwmcSKAmZMj9usclgOcQxHNoBFBQIpzgqkjgQ4saopS9ikBTo-iXTGXz-hAEzAlBVVCQ86CjjCE10k5XAB3pwp66A/s400/nametag2.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-33111009403848254042009-11-20T15:13:00.000-05:002009-11-20T15:13:46.862-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Stockings, Stockings, Stockings!!!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSFo-wIQJ22KA74tJGMZpNE45TS5ze2SNDWS8139Ss4U9YOSglT5Iu8VWP8lqAMrsOgqE4Q7SrA_1qOs4KThuB__cdQVmhDAeoNJSBih9tKcLz3AlQZ3clCV7uqoO5SRN89y7Xw/s400/blue.jpg" /><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We are going to share a pattern, images and tips for making some Artgirly Holiday Stockings! The piece shown above is made with Artgirlz Patchy Fabric and lined with a piece of cotton. This gives the stocking an interesting surface with visual interest and texture. The top was folded down with an added beaded fringe. One of the nice things about this shape, is that it can be made up in any size and used as table decorations, or super sized for the mantle!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCO1ds4-fj30csYmav4EqKzwXF7Hwk9DPlEXbzceeuvk3AWXwBm95-W1mIlt5GkazNpbK4L0MWdvTL9yH7aeDWpg3z0SN714uxhk8jcmugZj0hw9umlT4rMFJ3W_Y-HOwCY_cBA/s1600/redbw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCO1ds4-fj30csYmav4EqKzwXF7Hwk9DPlEXbzceeuvk3AWXwBm95-W1mIlt5GkazNpbK4L0MWdvTL9yH7aeDWpg3z0SN714uxhk8jcmugZj0hw9umlT4rMFJ3W_Y-HOwCY_cBA/s320/redbw" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By stepping out and using some non-traditional fabrics you can twist the feel of the work. The stocking shown above has a fringe made of small white wool beads and a mix of small glass beads. This particular piece is only 6.5" high with a 2" fold. <br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The stocking below was constructed out of a piece of black felt and the finished size is 12". By using felt, you avoid the necessity of a lining. Just cut your shape, embellish before stitching keeping the edges clear for stitching the two sides together. The body of this piece is embellished with wool flowers and beads. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLtxS4WLUjhaYJSpJpPJURJdj5a7re-TXbkA7mtsYMk1ugMoLouG6u7HIN7r5xZ9QZaFVCWWU1fVX2bscrVnzRp2cZcDF5NSSCsW9k1MRqUCe8GpmMN-fSh8diKSnLNdwPsOctA/s1600/Blackfelt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLtxS4WLUjhaYJSpJpPJURJdj5a7re-TXbkA7mtsYMk1ugMoLouG6u7HIN7r5xZ9QZaFVCWWU1fVX2bscrVnzRp2cZcDF5NSSCsW9k1MRqUCe8GpmMN-fSh8diKSnLNdwPsOctA/s320/Blackfelt1.jpg" /> </a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The other side of the stocking is hand embroidered with standard embroidery thread. The toe and heel are embellished with wool hearts and flowers. The top fringe is constructed with torn strips of of cloth and yarn sewn onto a strip that would fit around the top of the stocking. The strips are further embellished with wool felt beads. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fp0_ft4ss_EVPNzizAjFGoltqCN5pcN7AfwyKp1o-sIGmGiVsz8kgJyggkKYqOGS57ImGWyWzVS-MUS0VTmiKR6F8k5Wv4phSc9jnBZzfq2OrSaSd_KyZLeSLJL0kKEXpT4v8Q/s1600/Blackfelt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fp0_ft4ss_EVPNzizAjFGoltqCN5pcN7AfwyKp1o-sIGmGiVsz8kgJyggkKYqOGS57ImGWyWzVS-MUS0VTmiKR6F8k5Wv4phSc9jnBZzfq2OrSaSd_KyZLeSLJL0kKEXpT4v8Q/s400/Blackfelt2.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Al made this Super Duper Santa Friendly Stocking that measures 20" long and 10" across the top! You could expect a load of goodies to fill this puppy! The best part of this piece is the snow people and cloth bead fringe around the top cuff.<br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ehjkSulmIA1_-7VqiwgtItEXm5xFw9lu4jF5cKa8Dw4lWGBmNALWBTCuiUcuYxaGLaM4WJmW4n2oZFb3B4XeP6St_yCMUSpYDS-jiZ1zExkxFxnCNFT0dyr_Y1ikb3Hkv_36gg/s1600/patchfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ehjkSulmIA1_-7VqiwgtItEXm5xFw9lu4jF5cKa8Dw4lWGBmNALWBTCuiUcuYxaGLaM4WJmW4n2oZFb3B4XeP6St_yCMUSpYDS-jiZ1zExkxFxnCNFT0dyr_Y1ikb3Hkv_36gg/s320/patchfinal.jpg" /> </a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To make the beads, just roll scraps of your patchy fabric and wrap with wire, metallic threads or ribbon. They can be as long or short as you want. Simple or complex...<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.artgirlz.com/Downloadables_s/95.htm">We have a pattern and directions available for you to download. </a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBGxKHIzkmKSJGivgBF3_v0YormUqYYueD-HzyFnXO68vvvD8f4cFviON62VTZYsrbgOzv9sSRzN-PXerLUCgcfGnIJl14TDeZ7-GmjYTxYyIOnoKPmHXXbBpCR3WXV-6Bh2UBw/s1600/detailsnowman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBGxKHIzkmKSJGivgBF3_v0YormUqYYueD-HzyFnXO68vvvD8f4cFviON62VTZYsrbgOzv9sSRzN-PXerLUCgcfGnIJl14TDeZ7-GmjYTxYyIOnoKPmHXXbBpCR3WXV-6Bh2UBw/s320/detailsnowman.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-17013092231938914752009-11-18T07:32:00.000-05:002009-11-18T07:32:26.882-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUGb2x4OC2iHIjpL9wwtg44sFCtxe7Kp_7jqT9EO1iKRRUxxPkPKAqRaL5mtr50COs96F_W4y_rSI_sOUYFwhAzXOa9uzdURrJ2IZqsnssLwgUuHj74_C-TSdfb_iNRvA9eI7_w/s1600/napkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUGb2x4OC2iHIjpL9wwtg44sFCtxe7Kp_7jqT9EO1iKRRUxxPkPKAqRaL5mtr50COs96F_W4y_rSI_sOUYFwhAzXOa9uzdURrJ2IZqsnssLwgUuHj74_C-TSdfb_iNRvA9eI7_w/s320/napkin.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Well Allison flew in from Florida yesterday and we all arrived at Artgirlz World Headquarters around dinner time. Lots of work to do to prep for the Foundry Show that opens in a couple of weeks. Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner and most of us will probably be setting tables and feeding friends and family, Linda whipped up this very easy and very colorful Napkin Wrap!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XK3cjdNlvUswwdiZJ9hjH1n_Uksk7u_5GdTLwN7W7-sDzWwETZfViAvaDlXXgNs7wGi8rwptHvHieX436WKp0d8ff_S-TyamgLDQcgSDGwURbWUJhxTSXpX5OfimtLwKXahOsg/s1600/napcloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XK3cjdNlvUswwdiZJ9hjH1n_Uksk7u_5GdTLwN7W7-sDzWwETZfViAvaDlXXgNs7wGi8rwptHvHieX436WKp0d8ff_S-TyamgLDQcgSDGwURbWUJhxTSXpX5OfimtLwKXahOsg/s320/napcloseup.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>She used a strip of cotton that was stitched ( 12-15 inches), turned right sides out as the base. To eliminate the machine sewing step, you could also use ribbon or trim.<br />
<br />
Gather your fancy yarns and fabric scraps (tear strips) and make a pom-pom. Stitch the yarn bunch onto the middle of your tie and add a wool felt bead or two by going up through the middle of the bead and back down to the tie.<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1258546197042"></span><span id="goog_1258546197043"></span>Repeat to secure the layers and you will have yourself a very festive addition to your table!!<br />
<br />
Any non-traditional Thanksgiving festivities going on out there?Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-13878767423694928072009-11-12T12:16:00.001-05:002009-11-12T12:17:42.720-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoad1BUZ7a2EKjZEX817tQdmlUHalL2_Xl20pAm4Xt70wuoYTlcJHaOOHXQByobKZpLgD8I4zkgCbtXEDyatY12bOHRfkw41UOEahPL0uwzhGQeM6v1O6KY3tpP2e0IkSt2FzePA/s1600-h/beadedwoolbd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEy0MfKTMV5eBdlutB-EzcNuH1rxlCt-v6ODB8xhVlfjFDfMB4B1WVg88eR_mo7BDpQGXURY5bz_ntqDeWprWV2HEZc_pDptVFqJMN9s_2iWrUMPiiZ804O3SzBepZ7KUniSjI2g/s1600-h/alclasp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEy0MfKTMV5eBdlutB-EzcNuH1rxlCt-v6ODB8xhVlfjFDfMB4B1WVg88eR_mo7BDpQGXURY5bz_ntqDeWprWV2HEZc_pDptVFqJMN9s_2iWrUMPiiZ804O3SzBepZ7KUniSjI2g/s320/alclasp.jpg" /></a> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am trying to keep all of the jiggly feelings that arise this time of year at a distance. One of the things that can bring them on is preparing for our <a href="http://www.foundryshow.com/">The Foundry Show.</a> It is always stressful. This year we thought we were set because we had the same booth space as last year. We didn't have to reinvent our booth. No problem. This week as Tracy left the last foundry meeting, one of our fellow artists screamed across the room "Oh, we changed your booth space." Damn it! Back to the drawing board. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I always need a project to do while I watch bad reality TV or a Patriots football game. God forbid I rest and relax. Recently the project has been sewing a lot of <a href="http://www.artgirlz.com/Handmade_Pins_s/7.htm">Curious Mind and Menopausal Maven</a> pins for the foundry. So to take a break from that, I started needle felting polka dots on beads. I added polkadots to different sizes and colors. Last week I incorporated them in a necklace.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo2-m5zg1aa3L67XH9l8AJP3sTMJ9o1uV27XBpqQ3CfvHd0k9buIgNI9kqZrtaTi_KbypQbEz38iFtAl2ECobusCgf8AEFjsU8D-nr39bmTdKSofFtpouIfPhzq0vtbS08Id3lA/s1600-h/alneck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo2-m5zg1aa3L67XH9l8AJP3sTMJ9o1uV27XBpqQ3CfvHd0k9buIgNI9kqZrtaTi_KbypQbEz38iFtAl2ECobusCgf8AEFjsU8D-nr39bmTdKSofFtpouIfPhzq0vtbS08Id3lA/s320/alneck.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9SeNbeUVrrFFE73q67x-a4Mak-g7jruOKotTdKLyaGXmbfm3opw9rhh6n4GhAxoCrqLkL6Pu8o2dilFROpmV1x_cjKXWiz03DeZG_8TvE-TMLjgp4WcpJM3xS3XCDTy7NlPH3A/s1600-h/yarn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To make the necklace I sewed three pcs of yarn together with a zig zag stitch to string them on. I made enough for three strands. For a wider strand with more texture you need to make sure one of the yarns is bulky.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9SeNbeUVrrFFE73q67x-a4Mak-g7jruOKotTdKLyaGXmbfm3opw9rhh6n4GhAxoCrqLkL6Pu8o2dilFROpmV1x_cjKXWiz03DeZG_8TvE-TMLjgp4WcpJM3xS3XCDTy7NlPH3A/s1600-h/yarn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9SeNbeUVrrFFE73q67x-a4Mak-g7jruOKotTdKLyaGXmbfm3opw9rhh6n4GhAxoCrqLkL6Pu8o2dilFROpmV1x_cjKXWiz03DeZG_8TvE-TMLjgp4WcpJM3xS3XCDTy7NlPH3A/s320/yarn.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Give it a try and experiment with different yarns until you get something you like. The rejected ones always get used in another project. I made it long enough so I could just knot the three strands together and still get it over my head and then I didn't have to deal with a closure. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9SeNbeUVrrFFE73q67x-a4Mak-g7jruOKotTdKLyaGXmbfm3opw9rhh6n4GhAxoCrqLkL6Pu8o2dilFROpmV1x_cjKXWiz03DeZG_8TvE-TMLjgp4WcpJM3xS3XCDTy7NlPH3A/s1600-h/yarn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To start building the necklace, I knotted three strands together. I kept adding beads on all three strands at once. Occasionally, I would twist one yarn around the other or string two yarns in one bead. If you give it a try, you need to keep in mind how it will lie around your neck. I gave it a bit of pop by incorporating a strand of black and white "e" beads. To finish it off I just knotted all of the strands together.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYknOjz6w7_LoI5lNmFxqDEuCwqNu1fxQMsgznJwqP8Br0h7PzNGtg1JGWDTGvsKk9PeEIusA3pzTRQA8xCq9Nzm__NzsL6BySFaOCrHN40h7JjGd1P08Ty9kG454ID_Y-0B3_A/s1600-h/bead-yarn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Tip: Make your own needle to get the yarns through the beads. Fold a 12" pc of wire in half, stick it through the bead hole until the wire sticks out of the other end. Put your yarns through the loop and pull them through the bead.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYknOjz6w7_LoI5lNmFxqDEuCwqNu1fxQMsgznJwqP8Br0h7PzNGtg1JGWDTGvsKk9PeEIusA3pzTRQA8xCq9Nzm__NzsL6BySFaOCrHN40h7JjGd1P08Ty9kG454ID_Y-0B3_A/s1600-h/bead-yarn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GB0YgNC2Xk0WKYoziTF3pculylXNgS6aRCgu4jRGk02WiWwBJBXrNTHBCdMnG9bISCE6esZ3Q_CEboNT9Z1SkNlWcW5FqHXRAMyQdtiJLn-_yyhblEZ-LyTFUngMtZgwLZuAag/s1600-h/thread+a+bead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GB0YgNC2Xk0WKYoziTF3pculylXNgS6aRCgu4jRGk02WiWwBJBXrNTHBCdMnG9bISCE6esZ3Q_CEboNT9Z1SkNlWcW5FqHXRAMyQdtiJLn-_yyhblEZ-LyTFUngMtZgwLZuAag/s320/thread+a+bead.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To add another look I embellished the felt beads with seed beads. It makes them look like small lampwork beads.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5q4Ukff3PnOT8Bn1LbPtBwTgjtQLoDVyerayIl718FsQQme2e25m6N-BbZVxRZMWdReAgLg_JFeaK-UpTFfBhQIZN9WVVqXcVVLAbQQT3vhY3Zmgt_bFMPfVGs6hSe_ZfGuKV7w/s1600-h/albrace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5q4Ukff3PnOT8Bn1LbPtBwTgjtQLoDVyerayIl718FsQQme2e25m6N-BbZVxRZMWdReAgLg_JFeaK-UpTFfBhQIZN9WVVqXcVVLAbQQT3vhY3Zmgt_bFMPfVGs6hSe_ZfGuKV7w/s320/albrace.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I used the same technique to make a bracelet only I added a closure.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Voila! ...an ensemble.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-49673228220444405222009-11-04T09:44:00.001-05:002009-11-04T09:45:01.310-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zqcTRYR6tAmP3WpIb1Vy2g02eQVehYJ23mvgBa_y7SsE_vIe2TsN9P9pxqcynaUTKYjQkx7oQ87iPky85Cyh1KfmrMCnEpfVg6Jz3GW-7enQi8VOMHMHOM2cgTIJLnUoGbSuHw/s1600-h/bracelet-lezette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zqcTRYR6tAmP3WpIb1Vy2g02eQVehYJ23mvgBa_y7SsE_vIe2TsN9P9pxqcynaUTKYjQkx7oQ87iPky85Cyh1KfmrMCnEpfVg6Jz3GW-7enQi8VOMHMHOM2cgTIJLnUoGbSuHw/s400/bracelet-lezette.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I just spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get a Twitter and Facebook link onto this blog and I feel like I have fallen into the dark ages because I can't seem to get it. So I will move on with the day and do things that I already know at the moment!!<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We received this wonderful photo of the charm bracelet from <a href="http://www.childrenscornerstore.com/merchandise.html">Lezette Thomason</a> last week!!! We met Lezette in Chicago last Feb at a gathering of Bernina Teacher Reunion. She designs children's clothing and has written books about smocking, crazy quilting, doll clothes. Her talents are clearly much wider than the world of kiddy clothes!! Thanks for the beautiful work!!<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Neighbor, friend and artist Kate Bussey stopped by last week and bought some roving. The next day I found these wonderful little acorns hanging on my door! If you are in the Southern New England area, her little store... <i>Mills Creek Natural Market</i> 4436 Old Post Rd<i>,</i> Charlestown, RI is a wonderful collection of handmade, organic lotions, clothing, jewelry and munchies!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i74B1rdBO98WxQqid3p7a3YmAcN4XJiSska68CPSyr0xv_Vbvit3IH1G7p8R8zwjiY2b6gHKK9F0ZcpvjpRe1-SdjBY5FAq9wzUGaCBrMvvbRqxvUd2DPIeInX1WTT5YsL_W5g/s1600-h/acorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i74B1rdBO98WxQqid3p7a3YmAcN4XJiSska68CPSyr0xv_Vbvit3IH1G7p8R8zwjiY2b6gHKK9F0ZcpvjpRe1-SdjBY5FAq9wzUGaCBrMvvbRqxvUd2DPIeInX1WTT5YsL_W5g/s320/acorn.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Off to World Headquarters to continue organizing and making things up. Blogspot seems to have a new editing format and where is the $#@& spellcheck???<br />
</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-31798806912274714752009-10-30T12:27:00.007-04:002009-10-30T12:38:32.247-04:00<i></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPHXVNQnIFGPjPsr-yz7D4AMUCNHk11IRFHyfjPxf6AKgKAtGMtlCFrDcmCafOUB9Uj9dNRO4cF0zcDx19McIpz3GQPzNEAH80wWO8mZBnodKKbuvKPi2IlDHhUZXMwgABz8stQ/s1600-h/venice-dome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPHXVNQnIFGPjPsr-yz7D4AMUCNHk11IRFHyfjPxf6AKgKAtGMtlCFrDcmCafOUB9Uj9dNRO4cF0zcDx19McIpz3GQPzNEAH80wWO8mZBnodKKbuvKPi2IlDHhUZXMwgABz8stQ/s320/venice-dome.jpg" /></a></i><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I am almost back to normal from my trip to Venice, Italy. Midge and I went for about a week and it was just incredible. Every where we looked or traveled was filled with awe inspiring age and beauty. It was so magical it gave you a feeling of Disney but the good news was it was all very real.</i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIx9NkdMlHydWMKEQGqjmgGOZnvVS07B7OGauMrIlPeCL1ZI3JDUenlfRSV9J8ke2aY37GII-FqHfwj2MOe842h4K-o0R3hbREjWuhIFhjg-iGHfX8rz6dvOiBDOARYKtS9Lyzg/s1600-h/venice-canal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIx9NkdMlHydWMKEQGqjmgGOZnvVS07B7OGauMrIlPeCL1ZI3JDUenlfRSV9J8ke2aY37GII-FqHfwj2MOe842h4K-o0R3hbREjWuhIFhjg-iGHfX8rz6dvOiBDOARYKtS9Lyzg/s320/venice-canal.jpg" /></a></i><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>We were lucky to find an apartment to rent from HomeAway.com, so we had our very own Venice studio. It was in a perfect neighborhood with a canal and bridge just outside our window.</i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKd-IxUnMzNVJXeTrKsH-MWTAFVe9v0jTPdHqyVlDA9hlHMhdXdcCkw8snSDrhY9mosXylx6UG7-M1X_z_i5ZDWnfPyP29MIDGqDc_NNuNL2vppAPtlIYAq1M5SG7AfLQBsRFMw/s1600-h/venice-our-canal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKd-IxUnMzNVJXeTrKsH-MWTAFVe9v0jTPdHqyVlDA9hlHMhdXdcCkw8snSDrhY9mosXylx6UG7-M1X_z_i5ZDWnfPyP29MIDGqDc_NNuNL2vppAPtlIYAq1M5SG7AfLQBsRFMw/s320/venice-our-canal.jpg" /></a></i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> The studio was in the Dorsoduro section, away from </i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>the hustle and bustle of tourists and it was just a short block </i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>from a sunset walk along the Zaterre.</i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> It was dreamy.</i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> Our little studio had a full kitchen so we shopped at the local market and cooked at home while we watched the world go by on our bridge.</i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOChsS0pNdyhI85V57yTicA_BqVDo-CMsKCJiEsC6AJ2-V1QsuqiDFsYU600IvByU2x90vxqlEHfF8Qp_PPc_Mb8j7di1LBVZuLRqHKPYWZBJFooti7U-TJMfh3kFosJ8AVdpQg/s1600-h/vence+al+shopping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOChsS0pNdyhI85V57yTicA_BqVDo-CMsKCJiEsC6AJ2-V1QsuqiDFsYU600IvByU2x90vxqlEHfF8Qp_PPc_Mb8j7di1LBVZuLRqHKPYWZBJFooti7U-TJMfh3kFosJ8AVdpQg/s320/vence+al+shopping.jpg" /></a></i><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The city is all about water. </i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>There are no cars.</i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> Everything is delivered by boat through the canals. Police, ambulance, UPS, postmen and even some markets moved and did all their business on the canals. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAWpwnZ2oJVjKbK0MGXdEyGAeDgWOb4iBS336gxf-xaaW-pvupRqG7Mb9YXLXgU4YMBM91nZQnshs_4lW8jacMHTqsI2K2EVnf7gUrmTJ4jNHg4qR9rgIkd3uMCTpPLQeooqQYA/s1600-h/Vence-reflections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSR8zjduDP1WDofbftM6kx-4A3BFYoQONVYCsW6Dd-NKADVtqMqWv78pXMx5PsbmSrVarbvYAYqvCDLL3HC_nKcM1kXwyAOslNzGxpswVZZ_8jE3BXbm7gDznyJGOpMB-idmbp7Q/s1600-h/venice-red-house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSR8zjduDP1WDofbftM6kx-4A3BFYoQONVYCsW6Dd-NKADVtqMqWv78pXMx5PsbmSrVarbvYAYqvCDLL3HC_nKcM1kXwyAOslNzGxpswVZZ_8jE3BXbm7gDznyJGOpMB-idmbp7Q/s320/venice-red-house.jpg" /></a></i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>We spent hours walking from place to place, enjoying being lost and then finding our way. It seemed that every turn held some new, but incredibly old site to take in. We went from museum to museum trying to take it all in so we would remember it all when we were back home. It was a biennial year so there was modern art everywhere. The contemporary art displayed through the old city was quite wonderfully paradoxical. </i><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAWpwnZ2oJVjKbK0MGXdEyGAeDgWOb4iBS336gxf-xaaW-pvupRqG7Mb9YXLXgU4YMBM91nZQnshs_4lW8jacMHTqsI2K2EVnf7gUrmTJ4jNHg4qR9rgIkd3uMCTpPLQeooqQYA/s1600-h/Vence-reflections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAWpwnZ2oJVjKbK0MGXdEyGAeDgWOb4iBS336gxf-xaaW-pvupRqG7Mb9YXLXgU4YMBM91nZQnshs_4lW8jacMHTqsI2K2EVnf7gUrmTJ4jNHg4qR9rgIkd3uMCTpPLQeooqQYA/s320/Vence-reflections.jpg" /></a></i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>It was a fantastic trip of a life time and I can't wait to do another one! <br />
</i><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAWpwnZ2oJVjKbK0MGXdEyGAeDgWOb4iBS336gxf-xaaW-pvupRqG7Mb9YXLXgU4YMBM91nZQnshs_4lW8jacMHTqsI2K2EVnf7gUrmTJ4jNHg4qR9rgIkd3uMCTpPLQeooqQYA/s1600-h/Vence-reflections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21061911.post-8132574431799776442009-10-23T11:03:00.001-04:002009-10-23T11:44:14.390-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiWlA_01h3TWQ-WIKGEeN1m6DA7sWj9aA0t9lzYaTFfvfy91Y3-po4wnvHQZnqYA1MDeligFYed9IZODi9_QLc5loKXtaCheWw_OzXW0yT5tJLcGtH_yvUG_V4pMR19k1KfyPaw/s1600-h/feltflw1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiWlA_01h3TWQ-WIKGEeN1m6DA7sWj9aA0t9lzYaTFfvfy91Y3-po4wnvHQZnqYA1MDeligFYed9IZODi9_QLc5loKXtaCheWw_OzXW0yT5tJLcGtH_yvUG_V4pMR19k1KfyPaw/s400/feltflw1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395514527536550066" border="0" /></a>October 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> I took off with my car filled with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Artgirlz</span> goodies and headed for Cromwell, CT and a weekend of learning, sharing and fun at <a href="http://www.art-is-you.com/">Art Is...You</a>. We weren't officially on the teaching list because we thought that we would at this years Quilt Market...but we weren't and off I went to assist our Linda Willis with her classes, make new friends, sell a few <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Artgirlz</span> goodies and to take a wet felting class with the amazing <a href="http://festivefibers.com/page/ffworkshops.htm">Nicole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chazaud</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Telaar</span></a>. Her <a href="http://www.festivefibers.blogspot.com/">blog</a> is filled with more wonderful color and delicious visuals!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Linda's Classes went very well...folks were excited, doing great work, and most importantly pleased with themselves. We had a lot of laughs, shared stories, met new best friends and urged people to trust their visions!<br /><br />I was very excited about taking a one day felt flower making class. The morning of the class I had the privilege of talking with Nicole at breakfast. We shared biz stories and experiences and hope to do some skill sharing sometime soon! The class was set up by the hotel pool and under the glass dome, giving the feeling of a tropical location. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xIz_klaRSHkJxlUNyigd9p83poa8hZxyAj85JirGChXh2hNWSHwxWvBq1t5heeduPqFoaD5dWa7etZEFnhYn4Ctq4M7yIe0YqEAHTu7AEZJ8Eg5Wft1YeeCT0Vv4gFONjoIzzg/s1600-h/Feltflowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xIz_klaRSHkJxlUNyigd9p83poa8hZxyAj85JirGChXh2hNWSHwxWvBq1t5heeduPqFoaD5dWa7etZEFnhYn4Ctq4M7yIe0YqEAHTu7AEZJ8Eg5Wft1YeeCT0Vv4gFONjoIzzg/s400/Feltflowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395528679073338466" border="0" /></a>The first task was to make a long thin snake shape with little flower buds at the end.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-dqcQwK9khNPuEp6iifpEqm4mAUmoeQywVN7jKdY3zp7RCsB5J0jg4QRlkeF2PKZgNB9k_ZGvEp1hm4nXKptpM7Dj7O8jUvVbiJP9e7zSFr29F8JReNUjFPCen4gYbqU1I07PQ/s1600-h/twoflowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-dqcQwK9khNPuEp6iifpEqm4mAUmoeQywVN7jKdY3zp7RCsB5J0jg4QRlkeF2PKZgNB9k_ZGvEp1hm4nXKptpM7Dj7O8jUvVbiJP9e7zSFr29F8JReNUjFPCen4gYbqU1I07PQ/s320/twoflowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395819402590165698" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Once that was done, we went on to the bigger flower project. The pictures above show set up for the flowers. It was then combos of water, soap, rubbing, rolling, shaping, oohing and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">aahing</span>.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VFOcaCq-gE9juS-B6YmptuArUw9CYhuNvC8b72DVzM02ADVomgn949_bHyzYGMV46Ig8nzJIeC5dficTsPzT4ZMaieOcGVhlgvIhBRqaeb4VXgWZVdhlKQYYhXHzH8G32qZycg/s1600-h/feltflw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VFOcaCq-gE9juS-B6YmptuArUw9CYhuNvC8b72DVzM02ADVomgn949_bHyzYGMV46Ig8nzJIeC5dficTsPzT4ZMaieOcGVhlgvIhBRqaeb4VXgWZVdhlKQYYhXHzH8G32qZycg/s400/feltflw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395798070571413826" border="0" /></a>We each made flower components and were "supposed" to put it together and bead them in the afternoon. I don't know what I was doing...making more doodles or something...the leaves were made the next day as I peeked in on the Wool Felt Bag Class.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerAwtt6OUs4MPK-kdSVQ9tbPlWsvbCqGU-lTUeeKUqjDEFeeVzjozY58gYkfHNt4vPdWKLGz7E7ZTqnr1moCwCEqBfRDPQ9sJAWacYiSDOMnFXS8UPnjUZ6V1XlS5cTkGyAKXsg/s1600-h/feltflw2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerAwtt6OUs4MPK-kdSVQ9tbPlWsvbCqGU-lTUeeKUqjDEFeeVzjozY58gYkfHNt4vPdWKLGz7E7ZTqnr1moCwCEqBfRDPQ9sJAWacYiSDOMnFXS8UPnjUZ6V1XlS5cTkGyAKXsg/s400/feltflw2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395798828263912338" border="0" /></a>I was very grateful to be taking a class and learning something new. Thanks to all that made it possible!! There are more pictures on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Nicole's</span> <a href="http://www.festivefibers.blogspot.com/">blog</a>!!!!<br /><br /></div>Tracy Stilwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15344478191304501626noreply@blogger.com5