StudioEmmy: S N O W . . .

It seems like I would be over having to write about snow, but we are still getting snow EVERY day! It falls like fine mountain snow and really piles up. Because my car is a convertible, and rear wheel drive, I have not driven it in months. As you can see by the photo of my car at the end of this post, it will be a while before it is dug out or driven in good weather!

This past week, I was tagged in Face Book by my friend and fellow quilter, Elaine, as part of the artist’s challenge. It was a good experience and a good exercise in looking back at some of the projects I have worked on in the past. I have been less inclined to sew and quilt lately, but seeing some of my work, and the all of the work other artists posted has given me some drive to get back to it! And the weather is giving me the perfect reason to stay indoors. I have been sharing my sewing room with the visiting nurses who have been stopping by a few times a week to check on me. I set them up in there because there is a lot of table space and good lighting. I realized today, though, that it has kept me from sewing because there are boxes and things all over the place that they have been using. I moved it all to my big cutting table so now I can reclaim my machine table as my own. J Stay tuned to see if I really do accomplish some sewing in the next week or two! If I don’t sew at the machine, there is plenty of hand sewing and even some hand quilting that needs to be done. I don’t want to even begin to count my UFO’s . . . because it might be somewhere in the range of twenty unfinished objects, and in all stages of undoneness. But . . sometimes it is just more fun to begin a new project! Not that I need to defend myself; . . . but . . . , in my own defense, I have been trying hard to work on projects that are right in front of me, or within reach in the stash closet. That is not so easy for me, because they are sometimes not the project I would choose. But, being a grown up requires grown up behavior . . . even when it comes to sewing, quilting, and paper crafting! I often recall something that Pastor Rick Warren said about having extra things, like clothes and household goods. He said it is sinful to have things that we are not using that could be used by someone else. My husband I have tried to pass things on to others and when we heard that, it made it even more important for us to move things out that we no longer wanted or used. I need to mindful of the craft supplies that I have. I managed to pack up a grocery bag of yarn and paper craft things one day and donated it to 4-H for their summer camp arts and crafts projects. I can do much more of that! I just need to find the places that need my extras.

Enough of my rambling . . . I want you to be able to read thru this without falling asleep! I have my usual gallery of things I made this past week to show you. There is not a lot because I have been in a bit of a creative rut. In part, it is due to the fact that I love to make Valentines Day cards, but don’t really have a lot of people to send them to! So, I made some and stashed them away for next year. Here are a few of the things I made this past week:

I made this Valentine using the birdcage die that I am so fond of . . .

. . . and an envelope to match . . .

I made this card for someone I have been thinking about . . .

(The roses did not photograph well . . I made them with the same paper as the card front!)

. . . and an envelope box to go with it . . .

I stamped the envelope box interior with fleur des lis to match the card.

I am a bit behind this year in getting a jar altered to hold our 2015 goals .

I fussy cut the paper from a DCWV's Coral Couture stack.

I like how it turned out.

I think I could have used a smaller jar, though.

If we ever filled this jar with our goals, it would take more than one year to accomplish them!

Here is a close up of the lid

I have never done something like this before and like the effect.

Oh, and here is another card I made. I was attempting to do something a little more masculine.

I am not sure about this one. It looks like I have gone a little country-western!

That is about it for what has been happening at Studio Emmy the past week or so. Since we have so much snow, it has been OK with me to be inside. Just look at my car . . . yes . . . there IS a car under there!