The Michael DeMeng creative weekend is all but a faded memory as we all try and recover from a jam packed few days with Michael and 50+ awesome artists. Some came from as far away as Fort Lauderdale, FL and Ocean Isle, SC and Myrtle Beach, SC, Phoenix, AZ, Atlanta, GA, Nashville, TN and Athens, GA... It was truly an amazing Mothers Day weekend as 4 sets of mothers and daughters joined together to attend our assemblage workshops along with 50 other artists. The festivities began on Thursday evening with Michael doing a reading from his new book, The Secrets of Rusty Things, due out in July. After 2 days of liquid nails, found objects & critiques from Michael, this successful & fun-filled weekend came to an end. As a finale to this amazing event,we enjoyed a delightful dinner at Flight in Hendersonville,NC with Michael, Cheryl Prater & her husband, Mark and Christ Werst from Atlanta.

Ok, here we go. I have more pictures of us at the show at Art and Soul Retreat in Hampton, VA. Thanks to Clara Boza and her quick thinking, she got some "action shots". See all the people in our booth? See all the new customers buying our "assorted goods for creative mindfulness". We were burning out the rolls of paper in the adding machine & in the cash register. It was all we could do to keep up with the sales. They loved us and especially our wholey paper, watch part packs, liver of sulfur, ink jet transfer packs,rust and iron refinishers, D-ring tape, mica, lace tape, cloth paper scissors, woven cuff material(see picture of the cuff that I am wearing. All I did was cut the cuff material to size, wove fabric scraps through the holes ( not all of them, just random ones,) add some ribbon, some buttons and some beads and presto--- you have a completed cuff. You can do it too, with that stash of fabric that you already have laying around. Add some great ribbon and there you go! A great new piece of jewelry and unique to you!

Art and Soul in VA is but a memory now as I unwind and unpack whatever is left from our successful adventure. Wow! What a crowd of enthusiastic and creative women I met this past weekend. Unbelievable to say the least. Everyone, eager and willing to learn, share & express themselves creatively without fear.
Vendor night was a flurry of activity from the time the doors opened at 7pm until we shut down at 10pm. What craziness to try and answer questions, complete the sales and be sure to thank everyone who stopped by to purchase our "assorted goods". Top sellers for us was by far the wholey paper and recycled sari silk ribbons, followed closely by mica packs, the latest issue of CPS, vintage watch parts those little lead alphabet letters.
But with a good night rest, the car packed & ready to head back to Saluda on Sunday morning, all we could talk about was what a great time we had and the really cool people that we met.
Trading cards (atc) were everywhere, and quite a few people did the charm swap and were wearing their necklaces. Very, very cool. As for me I traded one card with Cindy Trobaugh and received a pair of handmade beaded earrings from Chandra Thompson.
Susan Edmonson created an awesome quilted art cuff that she graciously allowed me to wear on Saturday.
So, back home to North Carolina with eager anticipation of Michael DeMeng's classes here on Friday and Saturday. But before we start classes we party at our shop on Thursday night for an artist show and sale with Michael. Whew! I hope that I can make it through another jam packed week of things to do.

Now... the car is packed and ready to go with room for luggage. How about that? Just as the rain decided to fall upon us the final box was loaded into my little matrix. Just a tad bit of room left for an overnight bag.
We are so excited to get there but a side trip to Chipotle in Winston Salem is a must. This great mexican fast food restaurant that started in Denver, Co in 1993. It grew and grew and now the same fabulous, grain fed chicken and veggie stock foods can be found all over the country. Thank goodness for Chipotle. Yum Yum Yum. What an awesome break in the middle of a road trip. Soon I hear there will be one in Charlotte at Sharon Amity & Randolph Rd.
Now that's only 1-1/2 hrs away from Saluda. Here we are at a Chipotle in Orlando back in February after we worked the Creative Palette Convention in St. Marys, Georgia. HAD to locate the nearest ones while traveling. The quest for the nearest Chipotle continues as we travel to Virginia for Art and Soul. Sorry Richmond, you are not in the line of travel.

Only 2 days until I leave for Art and Soul in Hampton, Virginia. Everything is packed and ready to go except my luggage. Do you think that I might need some luggage for the weekend? It’s always a challenge to see what fits into our Toyota Matrix. Maybe the luggage might just have to stay here in Saluda. Jen and I have been busy since the Charlotte Quilt Show getting all the boxes packed and we “think” we are all set. On Thursday we will try it out to see just what fits and. . . what doesn’t. The saga of packing the car to be continued…


Cheryl Prater’s blog is all about her new line of rubber stamps that she is developing. You might want to go there and tell her what you think. These will be sold exclusively through Random Arts & by the way, all of you who are attending Michael DeMeng’s Head Sea Scroll workshop will get to meet this wild and crazy gal Cheryl Prater then. Cheryl is featured again in the newest Cloth Paper Scissors issue #12 and will be here to teach the Modular Mini Collage (page66) using the wholey paper, Bazzill Chips and other goodies on Sept 22nd . This journey for Cheryl all began with her commitment to do a 1.5" square piece of art each and every day beginning in 2007. As it evolved, her small daily projects became the building blocks for larger pieces. All of this and more can be seen in May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors which is now available at our shop.

And the very first WINNER of our giveaway for April's comment is. . . . . . .
e.beck. I am not sure if it's Emily, or Elizabeth, Eliza, Emma, or Etta, or Elaine but it doesn't really matter because this happy artist won a vintage bingo card that is so unique and so unusual that she will want to hold on to it and never use it. I hope not because I really want to see what kind of happy art she will make with it. Congratulations e.beck for commenting on my blog. I thoroughly enjoy seeing what you "happily" do every day. Thank you.

Leave comments and win! At the end of each month I will be choosing a "random" name from those that left comments and sending them "assorted goods" from Random Arts. Don't miss out on a great item coming your way, but you have to leave a comment to enter.

This is what I woke up to on Sunday morning in Saluda. Blooming Azaleas, wild phlox & Lunaria. What sharp contrast from the rugged west where earthy brown tones dominate the landscape and little splotches of green appear along with teeny tiny wildflower accents. But in the mountains here it is alive with color and it's just another form of inspiration for me.
My relationship with gardening runs deep from my earliest memory as a child when my grandfather gave me a pack of radish seeds. I even remember where I planted them in my back yard and watching each day to see what happened over night and pulling them out of the ground and eating them one by one. Ever since that early childhood moment, gardening and being at one with the earth has stayed with me. There have been times when it was absent from where I was at the time, but it was always buried somewhere deep inside of me. Now it pulls me closer and closer to being free to be me.
As I planted new trees and prepared the soil I zoned into a place of serenity. Nothing else mattered at the time. Pulling weeds, laying mulch and raking all served it's purpose to bring me back to my space in North Carolina. The place never really matters much as long as I am doing what I love. It started in Dyer, Indiana as a child and took me to California, Arizona, back to Munster,Indiana and then to Saluda, North Carolina where in turn my roots are planted in the deep rich southern soil.

Montana is history, at least for a few months and right now my main focus it to get to Art and Soul in Hampton, VA this next weekend for the big 3 hour sale. One of the very coolest things that we will have to sell is the wholey paper in 9 x 12 packs. Cheryl Prater has done lots of cool projects with this paper including a spread in the latest Cloth Paper Scissors. She also demonstrated the paper at the latest mixed media event in Chicago for Make it University. Be sure to check out her blog for her latest art work.
Other than the wholey paper, we will have sari ribbon, ink jet transfers packs, ink jet transparency packs, random assorted goods new to everyone, Chinese Brush Pens, Japanese Screw Punches, metal and acrylic letters, vintage assorts, Fast to Fuse, a large assortment of blank board books including the house, copper mesh, assorted metal/copper and art glass grab bags, and much much more.
See you there...

more awesome moments in Yellowstone. . .
From the steaming geysers to following buffalo on the road to soaking in the Boiling River at dusk, Montana is all about the outdoors, wildlife and the big big sky. Each day is filled with a new adventure such as feeding the horses, hiking in the wild, eating at some really good places such as Looies Down Under, Mackenzie River Pizza, wine at Plonk and of course a cozy night spent at Chico Hot Springs in Pray, MT. Guess what? NO sales tax in Montana so that means I should be shopping, too.

The colors of Yellowstone...

Today started with a little drizzle and cloudy skies but the excitement first thing was the golden eagle in the tree across the street. Can you see it without my zoom lens? Really, it's there. Later on we saw the bald eagle and a red tailed hawk in the same tree.
After the "let's walk outside and see it" event early this morning we were off to get apples to feed the horses, although the drizzle and mud kept us from staying too, too, long. THEY were hungry.









Late in the afternoon I walked down Main Street in downtown Bozeman. peaking into the antique shops hoping to find that special something & into card shops looking for the perfect card or paper & clothing stores, just because and then serendipitously into Bear Comforts quilt shop
where I met the lovely store owner Lisa Carter.
I was in heaven with all those colors and textures, oh, oh, oh. How long can I stay? How much can I buy? So sorry, we are about to close. "that's ok,I can shop fast". Moda, batiks, hoffman..... love it.
On to the Home Page Cafe' for a little internet access and blogging.Here I am taking a picture of myself in photo booth on my MacBook. Since it looked so bad I had to do a little reimaging with Apples Photo Booth effect and saturation tools. Believe me it looks a lot better than when I took it. Use your imagination, if you will.
I looked sort of scary before but now you have to read between the lines or look between the colors, I can only think of the possibilities with these effects. That means from here on out you will be seeing bazaar effects appearing on this blog. What has happened to me? This conservative state of Montana might just throw me out.
The night is still young as I drop into Looies underground at 101 E. Main Street in Bozeman to wait on my daughter to get off work. It's all about food wherever I go with her. I won't be surprised if I gain 10 pounds this week.

Doesn't everyone know how much I love country western music and country bars in the middle of nowhere? hmmmm, neither did I but by the looks of the pictures I might be having a darn good time at Stacey's Old Faithful Bar in Gallatin Gateway, Montana. And get a look at that 80 something heart throb on the guitar. He is dressed for action, isn't he?

Unfortunately for me I just wasn't dressed the part for one of the last of it's kind country bars in the Bozeman area. Everything is gentrifying here and this is one of the last hold outs. Everyone from cowboys to ranchers to college kids to normal people like me frequent this hot spot for music on Friday and Saturday nights. Last night it was Victoria's Secret Agents. I know, I know. That was the name of this group with a steel guitar and all. I just found out what that was from the cowboy next to us, Eddie. I thought that the guy was playing a piano. Boy do I have a lot to learn.
Today was a hike to the top of the M. which is Montana State University, Bozeman area where everyone goes to hike. My daughter, Jonquil told me it would be easy, it wasn't. For her it is since she works out everyday and runs marathons, but I did it and I was glad that I did. Here is the source of my inspiration... if they can do it so can I. Telling myself that I had all the time in the world to do it helped too.
Don't forget to leave comments and win! I will be choosing a "random" name at the end of each month and sending something special to that winner. So comments are always welcome.
Until tomorrow.

Greetings from Bozeman, Montana... I didn't waste any time immersing myself into day to day life here. First stop mexican food at la tinga. Oh yes. the best kept secret in bozeman right on main street. Authentic rice and beans burrito for both of us. yum yum. Off to meet Chris Olsztyn, owner of BT Timberworks , to pick up a restored antique door transformed into a dining table. We learned about the old world oxidation process for "staining" wood using potassium permanganate. Once the medium is applied to the wood, oxygen changes the color from a red to a deep rich mahogany color. This is an amazing process and I kept wondering how I can work this process into collage or assemblage or even fabric, huh? It is quite a substantial dyeing process. Not only does he work primarily with reclaimed wood such as frasier fir, ( he said that is what america was built with) he has a complete metal working facility on site. Much of his work is timber frame, however his shop also builds huge tables and railings for some of the biggest ranches in the west.



As I wondered around his property several things became photo worthy, such as this dumpster of goodies.... Is there something in there that I need? Another thing caught my eye and I couldn't leave without taking this picture of this very simple handle attached to this metal. Not a work of art for anyone else but it certainly makes for a great picture.
After a little rest back at Jonquil's house we headed to Plonk, a wine bar on Main Street in Bozeman. THIS is "the place to be" in Bozeman ( if there is such a place) and of course, like mother like daughter we talk to everyone. For some reason I turned to the 4 people sitting next to us and asked them if they lived here . Only one said that he did and one lived in Great Falls and was partner in a law firm there but he went to Bozeman High School and was native american and grew up on a reservation, played football, got a scholorship on football at Dartmouth and the rest is history... Jack Manning, law partner with offices in Great Falls, Canada, Europe and Asia.

In case some of you haven't met Jen, here she is. She was an energetic customer who loved what our store was all about. When the timing was right she started working here part time and then 4 days a week.... until she and husband decided it was time to have a baby. Torsten is now 2-1/2 yrs old and is a ball of fire... just like her. Now she works one day a week but I think that for most of us her one day is equal to 3.
Recently Jen and I started working on using a woven wired ribbon about 3 inches wide to use as a cuff.

Since we started we have sold tons of the ribbon and had a multitude of ideas on how to use it as well. My thought was to sew pieces together for a purse, or amulet bag. someone else suggested belts. Right now I am sticking with a cuff since I can work on it in my small space without any trouble. The first one I did with red ribbon and then we found the natural. What we like about the natural is that we can paint it with lumiere. Jen painted hers with Citron Lumiere and proceeded to weave batiks and ribbons through the fibers. Finishing touches are metallic threads, buttons, beads and a closure. We love it. Any one up for a challenge? We certainly can see the possibilities, can you?

My old sewing machine with straight and zig zag will get a real workout again with my latest project...I found another jacket to alter with some of the fabrics that I found at the quilt shows and other trips and this is the beginning of my adventure with this one. It's almost like working on a collage with paints and paper since there is a blank canvas of a jacket and i can go in any direction. I just lay pieces out in various places an start pinning. Eventually I will add more lace, antique buttons, maybe some beads and of course this great chenille that I sell in the store, in 1/2" widths. It comes in a roll in many colors and you just sew it on (or when altering books, glue it on) then "fluff" it up by washing it or brushing it. I usually add 3 or more layers to give it more texture.The finishing touch is always those antique buttons that I am saving for just the right project. The saga of the altered jacket will be continued but in the meantime -
Leave comments and win! I will be choosing a name from those who left comments and sending them a great gift from us at Random Arts. It's real simple to enter... just leave a comment with your name and email and at the end of each month we will choose a name and .... presto - YOU could be a winner.

brrrrrrrr, winnnnnnnndy brrrrrrrrrrrr This is so unlike all the Aprils' that we have experienced in the past 13 yrs here in western nc. It may as well be Chicago. Trees have blown over and closed streets all over town and half of Saluda is out of power. Fortunately for us, Random Arts is up and running as far as I know. Last night as we drove through a partially dark downtown, lights in our shop were dimly glowing. A good thing.
On May 19th this year Saluda will host it's annual Art Festival and we have over 70 artists that are participating this year. It will be an all day event free to the public so we invite each and every one of you to try and attend. This has a real success for us in the past and welcome you all back to experience the large number of musical venues as well. You can visit Saluda Lifestyles for details of our big party.
Prior to that on May 10th, we will host a Michael DeMeng artist show and sale at 7pm and everyone is invited to meet the artist and view his work. This will be held at our shop, so mark your calendar for that as well.

Here's Paul flying Friday afternoon in Hendersonville, NC with his buddy Todd. One day it's a plane next day it's a helicopter. Did I want to go? Yes, but I was too busy doing the grocery shopping. what kind of excuse is that? Not sure, but I have done it in Las Vegas 2 years ago with my daughter, her boyfriend and paul. It was the most amazing thing i had ever done and encourage others to do so as well. Lifting off the ground is the first magical moment, then hovering along the run way until it's clear and then the ground gets further and further away and before you know it you are high above the las vegas strip heading for the grand canyon. 8 of us shared this magnificent trip along with the music in our headphones from Rocky.... One minute we are in the mountains and then all of sudden the bottom drops out and we atop the grand canyon of the world. Although Paul wasn't atop the grand canyon on friday he said it was the most spectacular feeling.

I have a new look on my blog. I like it better but I still do not know how to access all the features. Like, how do I get my picture on the side bar? I am having a little trouble with that one and I want to know how to do it all before I go to Montana this week. Each day I hope to take you to a distant place ( not too, too far) through my travels. Be sure to leave comments. Yesterday Tony told me how those that leave comments on his blog have the opportunity to win something every month like a bead or a charm that they handcrafted. I will be doing the same but in order to win you have to leave a comment. It could be as simple as " I read your blog, love the picture" with your name.
More pictures of yesterdays class are added today. The energy was so captivating and Lisa is such a patient, generous, humble and encouraging instructor. We hope to have her back in August for a 2 day workshop with Green Girl Studios. ( I think I said that in my previous blog)
Oh well. it's early and my coffee hasn't started working yet.
Now that my kiln is set up and I have a griddle for warming and Jen knows how to work it we are seriously thinking about setting up a pmc group here that will meet once a month. The details haven't been worked out but I am extremely anxious to start this process since I have never been able to take a class. With a kiln in place I will also be able to fire pieces that you create at $20 a firing. So, what that means is you can create all that you want, bring them in and get them fired. I might set a "firing date" once a month as well so everyone will have a chance to get their pieces in to me. Anyone wanting to learn pmc can contact me via email or blog or phone or coming in. Communication.... there is no excuse any more.......