A Sue Bleiweiss journal!

OK, OK, I did buy myself ANOTHER Christmas present ... I just couldn't help myself.  Fiber artist  Sue Bleiweiss makes the most wonderful sketchbooks and watercolor journals, and I've been wanting another one for several years.  Here's the one I bought from her etsy shop and received yesterday.

Here's the package as I received it.  I can't tell you how wonderful it is
to receive such a beautifully wrapped package ... it just adds so much to the occasion.

Even the back of the package has interest -- fun stickers.  I almost hated to open it!

And finally, here is the gorgeous journal, Sue Bleiweiss style!

There are handy pockets in both the front and back covers, with more loose pages of
watercolor paper.  The teeny tiny "keychain" booklet was just the icing on the cake!
Thank you, Sue!

I'd been wanting a journal with watercolor pages in it for some time, but never got around to making my own, and not wanting to spend any money.  I finally realized that I would treasure Sue's journal for many years, and was well worth the price.  Her sketchbooks and journals are ALWAYS on my "wish list".

Corvid #8 by Virginia Spiegel

I was excited to receive my Christmas present to myself today ... Virginia Spiegel's "Corvid #8", which she sold to help Four-Legged Friends, a no-kill animal shelter.  She and Karen Stiehl Osborn (another one of my favorite artists) are having a Holiday Pop-Up Sale.

One thing I love about receiving artwork from Virginia is the care and love she uses in packaging and shipping. 

Here's a picture of the package after I took it out of the mailing container:

Package as received.  (Bouncer is checking it out.)

"Corvid #8", plus Virginia's hand-made thank-you note.

 Thank you, Virginia ... I absolutely love it!

Rituals exhibit to travel to The Netherlands

The catalog from the Rituals show is available here.

The invitational exhibit "Rituals" (created by Dinner@Eight's Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison) was so well received at the Houston International Quilt Festival this October/November 2012 that it will fly across the pond to the 'Open European Quilt Championships' in the Netherlands. Show dates are May 3-5, 2013.  My "Kissing the Cat Goodnight" is part of the exhibit, and I'm thrilled that it will get to see the Netherlands, even if I don't!

Kissing the Cat Goodnight, 24" x 60"

Need a sports-themed gift?

My friend Sharon Dixon is well-known for her beautiful t-shirt quilts.  One thing I love about them is that they are soft and comfy, not stiff like some people make them.  She also does some unusual block settings that make them even more unique.

Now she has a new version of the t-shirt quilt that only requires ONE t-shirt.  If you have a favorite team or are in need of a great gift for a loved one, she now offers this one (with your own t-shirt in the center):

(Sorry, Sharon says that the popcorn, beer, and husband are not included.)

Of course, the colors and fabrics would be coordinated with your t-shirt.  See her website or her  Etsy shop for more details.

Maggie's latest painted shoes

My friend Maggie Winfield has been up to her tricks again ... this time with adorable funky-face shoes.  I love these with a passion!  (I have it on good authority that she will be showing up at Quilt Festival with purple hair, too.)

Maggie's latest painted shoes

More painted shoes

More painted shoes ... this time, some for me!  I love my Merrell slides for summer (in fact, I tend to wear them almost year-round in Hot Old San Antonio), and actually indulged in painting a new (instead of old) pair this time.

I almost forgot to photograph the shoes before they were painted!

There's nothing like being comfortable and artful at the same time!

Painted Shoes for Customer

I just shipped off another pair of hand-painted Z-Coil shoes for a Texas customer.  She liked some of the ones she saw on my blog, and wanted something similar.

The Z-Coils that she sent me were black, and she wanted a light grey, so they first had to be over-painted.  This took a base coat, 3 coats of light grey, and after the artwork was done in black ink, 3 sheer coats of sealer.  Each step is not difficult (except the artwork), just time-consuming ... because each coat has to be completely dry before another coat can be added.  I think they turned out nicely.

Side view ... oops, I forgot to put the sole liners back in before taking the pictures!

I like the Z-Coil logo, so I recreated it on the heels.

Front view,  masked for sealant application.  (The camera flash blew out some of the detail on the front, but the base color is truer than in the other pictures.)

The finished shoes.  She should have them in a few days, I hope she likes them!

(In case you're wondering, the shoes say:  "Tragically Cool & Incredibly Hip"; and "Awaiting Additional Inspiration.")

Even MORE pictures from Fiber Art 2012

OK, buckle your seat belts for more gorgeous fiber art!

Oriental Dream by Joanne Toschepe

Growth Spurt by Cheryl Elms

Some Golden Daybreak by Iva Jensen

Stand Out by Laura Beehler

Eternity in an Hour (Doors of Perception series) by Linda Teddlie Minton

Seeing Sea by Liz Napier

Ready to Take Flight by Lynn A Luukinen

Iva Jensen, one of my favorite Houston people, with her Murmurs from Mali

Steps (art cloth) by Laura Beehler

Afternoon Swim by Lisa Mittler

Pretty Prickly I by Liz Napier
(My flash added all that white stuff ... it's actually more vivid than this photo shows.)

Reflection (detail) by Naomi Wanjiku
(This is a 2-part framed piece, but unfortunately, the other half of my photo was ruined by glass reflections.)

Stars Aligned Prickly Pear by Susie Monday

The Quiet Hunter  (8x10) by Linda Teddlie Minton

Under Pressure (detail) by Laura Beehler
Another gorgeous piece of art cloth that I could never get close enough to shoot the whole thing.

Shared Secrets by Naomi Wanjiku

To the Nines by Suzanne Selb White

The Rainbow by Naomi Wanjiku

Tsunami by Laura Beehler
(If I allowed myself to have a personal favorite, this would be a front-runner!)

Susie Monday and her Up, Up and Away

Remembrance by Suzanne Selb White

My photos can only do a poor amount of justice to these works of fiber art, and there are more that I didn't get a good picture of.  If you get a chance, be sure to see them in person (all artwork is also for sale) at the New Braunfels Art Gallery, 239 West San Antonio Street, New Braunfels, TX. 78130.  (Phone number is 830-629-8022.)

Once again, a big thanks to Laura Ann Beehler and Leila Reynolds for their hard work in putting this show together.

More pics from the NBAL show ...

Here are more of the fiber artworks that can be seen at the New Braunfels Art Gallery through the month of August.

A Matter of Perspective (Budmouser) by Linda Teddlie Minton

Cross Culture by Cheryl Elms

Pot Holder Goes to Guatemala by Georgia Zwartjes

Murmurs from Mali by Iva Jensen

Nova by Joanne Tschoepe

Spirit Guide by Laura Beehler
(I'm sorry I didn't get names for the woven pots - updates are welcome!)

Memory Forgotten by Liz Napier

Nothing is Certain by Lynn A Luukinen

Exposed, by Naomi Wanjiku

Copper Galaxy, by Sandra Elbel Taylor

Fiesta by Sherry Tolar

Mirage by Suzanne Selb White

Pear Dreaming of Pear by Susie Monday

Still more pictures to come ... check back soon!