Patt with Two T's

Dinner with family....  Steven looking hostile... Matthew listening to Garret tell about work..... which often goes over my head Jeff pretending to help in the kitchen Brock getting dinner ready.  He's become a pretty good cook.  Marianne would be proud.  And surprised. Bees on the deck Had to have another bee man come take the big swarm (this wasn't the BIG one) and remove this one.  They added these guys to the existing hive, with newspaper in between the current residents and these so they wouldn't get involved in a hostile takeover.  Wish it was that easy with humans...  Then there's more Bad Art Night pictures...fun night once again.  No shots of what I was working on, so I'd better work on that.  I'm still decorating cigar boxes...  In the background besides those already mentioned are Nancy and Barbara and Beverly working in the foreground.  She always has the most interesting projects... My bracele...

I've never written about my dad, but he was such an influence both durng his lifetime and after his death 15 years ago.  I think about him often and find myself sounding just like him, especially these past few months when we had young kids here.  I would say something and realize, "Oh gawd, I just channeled Dad!"  The family--Mom, Brock, Jeff, Garret, Steven, Matthew, and I, which is the total of our small family--got together on Friday night to honor my sister, who died 10 years ago.  Her boys are wonderful men now--she'd be so proud of them.  When they were growing up, Dad would always find a way to make them laugh--and not just a little, but hugh belly laughs.  A favorite memory is playing Balderdash.  Dad could do a great 10 year old's definition of any word, which means including some kind of bathroom humor.   He adored those boys and was never happier than when he got to spend time with them. People who knew Dad loved him.  I...

 Okay, so it's not like winning an academy award or emmy...but I did get ribbons on everything I submitted, so that's not chopped liver, either.   What an old expression....   I was going to submit just my jewelry, but Matthew suggested I do more since I had to schlepp it over and pick it up, so I entered 1 knitting project and 4 weavings.  I got an honorable mention on one necklace and on my woven clutch purse.  Below is my cocoon, which they didn't hang as they told me they would--I hate seeing weaving all bundled up when it's something wearable.  I was going to complain to the woman who heads the home arts section of the fair, but didn't see her there.  But the cocoon took a 2nd place ribbon. I like my foot in the shot...cute.  These pictures were awful between the glass and the lighting... You can barely tell what this is--it's my rayon chenille striped scarf with a small row of beads...and it has a 2nd place ribbon too. I love this ...

The sun came through the fog yesterday for awhile at La Nebbia for our show.  I had a fun day--met and talked to many people and even sold a few things   Before the show even started, a family showed up and I started talking to the son who is in his early 30's.  He had a southern accent, turned out he's from Birmingham, so I told him I lived in the suburbs with a relative for about 6 months years ago...and he was from the same suburb.   Then I mentioned my cousin's husand being rabbi in a small town, and he is also Jewish.  Turns out someone Bruce and I met  when we were there together about 15 years ago was the best man at his grandmother's wedding!  So he walked me over to the car to introduce me to her, and she also remembers my cousin Ann!  They didn't know each other well, but she knew of her years ago.  Such a small world.   I got to use the big tent so didn't have to schlepp my canopy and sand bags.  What...

Just recently, I started decoupaging cigar boxes I have for carrying my jewelry to shows.  I always feel ambivalent about using them since I was a health teacher at one time, but they're very functional and easy to carry.  But who gets into decoupage now?  I missed that opportunity in the 60's or 70's when everyone was covering every object they could get their hands on.  Where art's concerned, I'm a late bloomer. I've collected cards from friends, students, and parents over the years that I collaged on my classroom bulletin board every year, so now I'm using them on the boxes.  The second box has a high-heeled shoe from a card that says, "Darling, don't be sensible."  I love using some of the sayings or greettngs from the cards as well as the pictures.  It also makes them special to me since the cards were kept for a reason. So here are two boxes I've done recently and the newest bracelets, finished i n the last two days (and I wonder wh...

 It's a good thing I love my cat....yesterday when I was spending way too much money at the gem and jewelry show, Farwell got frustrated by having to stay inside due to more rain and jumped up to get my newly knitted, not-yet-worn sweater off the loom.  He loves to grab hold with his teeth and knead my things--lucky me.  This barely has my scent on it, but he had at it.  I got home and the sweater was a twisted shape on the floor.  Fortunately, only one sleeve seems to have suffered minor damage, so I didn't kill the cat.  Plus, with all the colors and design, the little pull shouldn't really show. The sweater is knitted with Nora's Silk Garden, a blend of silk and wool.  Sounds lovely, but in reality, it can be pretty scratchy.  Living here, I might only be able to wear it 2-3 times a year.   Seriously, I'm just happy to have eliminated 10 skeins of yarn from my stash!  Then good friend Edelle sends me a box of her stash...