All bobbins are not created equal, as I found out last night when trying to fill a bobbin for my little old fashioned , sometimes working, Singer/Merritt sewing machine. One bobbin is thinner than the other one so it wouldn't fit when the cover was closed and another one wouldn't go in at all. I guess I only have 1 bobbin that fits this machine, Yikes!!! How long have I been sewing? Only since I was about..... never mind it has been about 40 years. Oh my, that's hard to say after another birthday this past weekend. After setting them all (3) side by side I realized that there was a major difference so I am thinking that I need to get a few more of those little guys for good measure. All my quilting friends are probably sitting there, reading this in disbelief, right girls? You know who you are. I will get there one day at a time and take these baby steps along the way. My machine did help me make this new cuff although some of it had to be sewn by hand since my needle didn't want to go through all this material. Any suggestions anyone? On the UP side. . .
wait until you all see my closure on this one. A few of us were discussing this on Tuesday and then I showed Jen one of my most recent finds. Her response "closure!". So off I went to adapt that item to my cuff and as soon as it is complete, you will see it.

Look! I can draw! I just started doing this and I am having way too much fun. Drawing on these new 6 x 6 papers from Basic Grey makes it feel so easy. I used a black Stabilo pencil along with a very cool white gel pen from Sanford... the Signo UM 153 white gel pen. Love love love it. I am using that for highlights and outlines and it really makes a difference in my work. I really never drew much but with Katie Kendrick coming this weekend, I have been "pre-inspired" !

This is how it all starts with a basket of fabric scraps, mesh ribbon, painted fabric from a class with Gabe Cyr and some ideas that have been churning for the past few days. I loved that organza that I had painted with Lumiere and knew that some day it would serve a very good purpose. The colors were bright, festive and full of energy, unlike my very pensive mood on Sunday afternoon spent on the back porch.
I felt that the cuff needed some altering this time by changing the size, so the first thing I did was to cut it in half lengthwise. Now I had
cuff only 1-1/2" wide which opened up a whole new canvas for me.
The colors of the southwest popped up when I began to use some of the
Sari Ribbon packs and chose some luscious colors to work with.
You can see in that photo that it starts fairly rough with a
simple weaving of fabrics. I also added some of the rusty fabric
that I created a couple of weeks ago. Silver Art Girl Charms seemed to be the finishing touch! I love it.

Just one week from today Katie Kendrick
(top photo)will be here in Saluda teaching to an enthusiastic crowd of artists. Those in attendance are coming from as far away as Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee as well as North and South Carolina. We are all eagerly awaiting Katie and I sure am eager to take the drawing class on Friday. Ever since I received the issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and read her article about using your non dominant hand, I was hooked. I had even heard of Katie Kendrick before that. Shame on me. That's ok because I, at least know who she is now, and SHE is coming to Random Arts, right here in Saluda.
One of my dear friends, Katie Marley (bottom photo) is offering a room for Katie while she is here in Saluda. Isn't that sweet of her? When we stayed at her house in Orlando she was the ultimate hostess, providing us with everything we would have ever needed. Now she will be offering the same royal treatment to our teacher, right here in Saluda in the mountain retreat. Thanks Katie.
(Not to confuse Katie Marley, our friend with Katie Kendrick, our teacher from Seattle)

Quilters and those that appreciate hand made quilts are the most generous and thoughtful people, don't you think? I was talking to a woman from Blowing Rock today in my shop and I mentioned that we were going to Blowing Rock in Sept for the Believe in Yourself Retreat with Kristi Steiner and Susan Edmonson. One thing led to another and I somehow invited myself and Jen to visit her home there. I know, I know but she was very gracious and gave me her phone number etc and told me be sure to come by and she would show me her great grandmother's quilts. How awesome is that? Another example of the generosity of those connections made with quilters. Of course I offered to bring a bottle of wine so we could sit, sip and enjoy the vistas of her mountaintop retreat.

North Carolina Quilt Symposium 2008 here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the mail today arrived our invitation and registration for the symposium in Wilmington, NC for next June. WE were invited to be a vendor! Of course, of course we will be there in full color with all of our "assorted goods for creative mindfulness." Details of this event will be continuously posted to our blog and web site but in the meantime look for us in Hendersonville NC for the quilt show there at the end of June. This just gives us one more thing to look forward to in our "adventures on the road".

NEW!!!! RANDOM ARTS T-SHIRT COMING SOON....... Shhhhhh, it's a secret.

I finished my cuff and I love the way it turned out. All those rusted fabrics that I created 2 weeks ago worked really well in this color scheme. I even rusted that piece of eyelet tape and used it as a trim on one end. A vintage metal button with a leaf imprint served me well when I applied it over some rusted scrim. That photo transfer idea kept coming back to me and I knew I had to use it in some way on this piece so it found a happy home along with the other vintage items. Velcro become the closure since it is difficult to make buttonholes in this mesh. Maybe someone more experienced in sewing can find a way to make that happen. All in all I am pleased with the finished project however I still want to add more layers and maybe even do another piece of mesh on top of the first one. Stay tuned and try some for yourself. It is quite fun and it's easy and fast.

My new ideas for the wrist cuffs have been "percolating"for the last several days so I knew it was time to get started on this before I went stark raving mad, or forgot everything I thought of.
The process of working with color always intrigues me, especially when I have so much to choose from. It is definitely a "process". Using the mesh ribbon as a base, I decided to leave it the neutral color for the rich autumn color scheme that I had in mind. That seems to work well providing me an even, non-obtrusive base. Once I chose sari ribbons that I wanted I began to weave it through the holes of the mesh randomly. No need to go through every hole since you will stitch it later with your sewing machine. (the sewing machine is not a necessity but a lovely option for embellishment) I love using the machine because it tightens everything up a bit.
Now I lay all of my other color coordinated embellishments out on the work table and "take a look at what I have". Wow, I didn't know that I had so many things to choose from... well.... maybe I did. So, off I go deciding what fiber, what button, what bead, what ribbon etc. and how to lay it out. That's the fun part. Actually the whole thing is fun and I can see how I could become drawn to this fabric thing.
This is how far I have gotten on my cuff so this is all I can share right now. I encourage you to try it too and just see the possibilities in this. I am thinking about doing this for my 6" Tree Collage swap with our altered diva ladies. I have to do 12 so each person gets one and if I sew them together and do the weaving and sew on top of it, I think that it will pass for a quilt square. Now, to figure out how to weave the tree into it and as I think about that I am sure I will get more ideas.

Chandra Thomason is the winner!

• We "randomly" chose a name from the list of those that sent comments to our blog in May. . . and Chandra's name was drawn. We met Chandra at Art and Soul in VA the beginning of May and she has stayed connected to us through our blog and her blog "the next 40 years". You can win too, just by commenting on our blog as many times as you want. First of all we love to hear from you and secondly, you have an opportunity to win something very cool from Random Arts and thirdly, you will get more comments on your blog or web site. How cool is that? She is the one who made the really cool earrings and gave me a pair at Art and Soul. Seeeeee.....

Our "leftover fabrics" projects never end. That natural toned, wire mesh ribbon that we have been creating with, has traveled with us to Myrtle Beach, St. Marys, and Charlotte to inspire all those that saw first hand,just what we can do with that ribbon. Jen created hers by painting the ribbon Citron Green Lumiere and weaving complimentary fabric, ribbons, buttons and beads while I used the natural color and added rayon ribbons, mother of pearl buttons and a variety of frabjous fibers.
Christina Eckert from Wisconsin visited our shop in early April was inspired to create hers when she got home with beautiful blue silk ribbons, beads and fibers. Thank you Christina.
Then today, Susie Hursey came in and showed us what she has been doing . . .and it isn't a cuff. She saw the ribbon & she created ... a belt. You can she how she wove scrap dupioni silk fabrics & Renaissance Ribbons on the mesh ribbon that she dyed brown with rit dye. How deep and luscious is that brown? Susie is not quite finished with her belt as she plans to add several colorful embellishments from her own "robin's egg blue" collection at home.

Look at those shoes... completely covered with colorful beads! How could I not take a picture of Sophie's shoes? If her shoe habit is this bad at the age of 7 what can she expect at 25? How girly are these? I would wear those if they made them for adults or I could sit and bead them myself when I have nothing to do. hmmmmmm. Maybe I could get Sophie to help now that she will be out of school for the summer.
My ATC swap cards have been mailed in to Chrysti in Raleigh for the "Get your doodle on" swap. Doodling really isn't my thing but she was so enthusiastic about the doodling that I just had to join in. She is enthusiastic about all her art and she has this positive energy that goes on and on and on. Once I started, I realized that I was NOT a doodler. Oh well, it was a stretch for me with a lot of practicing and stressing, of course, to get to the "finish line". I guess that I take things too literally and my expectations are quite high. So, I started with some copies of some drawing from an old readers digest large print and started doodling over the top of those, adding extras, using colors, including some of my own doodles along the the way. Is that cheating? Drawing over drawing? I don't think so because I altered what was there, added my own and "kicked it up a notch". One of my first experiences in the art world, that I remember, at the age of 6 or so was taking drawing classes from someone in the neighborhood. She set up easels for us along with charcoal pencils and the interesting smelling eraser. Loved it and still do to this day. Thank you Chrysti for getting me going.
Katie Kendrick, mixed media artist, will be here in June to teach intuitive face drawing and mixed media collage and I am hoping that I can be a part of those classes. I always choose instructors that I want to learn from but never get an opportunity to get in. This time I will make every effort to do that. I need to do it.... for me!

Yesterday was special. Kristi Steiner
and Susan Edmonson, the two gals that host Believe in Yourself Retreats in Blowing Rock, NC stopped by my shop on their way to the Quilt Symosium in Mars Hill, NC. Both are teachers there this weekend along with many other creative women . I am so sure it will be a beautiful weekend for everyone involved. Both Jen and I made time for a very special and relaxing lunch with lots of catching up on Kristi's workshops in Orvieto, Italy, Susan's continuous quilt teaching adventures and Jen's upcoming trip to Sweden and Germany. Whew! Not enough time to hear everything from each of us.
After lunch Susan presented me with a very unique sewn fabric and bead cuff that she made especially for me. I think I got so excited when I saw the first one that she made that she somehow "knew" I needed one. Maybe we can get her to come and teach this to us. Keep your fingers crossed. You can use photo transfers instead of stamps for the focal point or you can use one of your favorite embellishments. It is so awesome. Thank you Susan. I love you.

I tried and I tried but it just didn't happen,then I started pulling the trash out of the garbage can. In the bottom, I knew, that I tossed the whole container of vinegar, fabric and steel wool. What?You ask, was I doing with all that mess in the first place? Well, 4 of us in the Altered Art group wanted to try our hand at rusting,,, so we did. But on Tuesday it was still just a dirty mess with smidgeons of steel wool floating around and attaching itself to the fabric. Yucky and smelly.
I thought I might save it but instead I threw it all in the trash can. On Thursday I dug deep to the bottom of the can, through all that other trash only to find it. Sure enough, it all rusted through and through. Now what lovely project deserves these beautifully colored fabrics? hmmmm. Maybe some pages in Meg's altered book? Hmmm .... nice idea, I think that I will write it down and sketch it out so I don't forget.
I guess impatience was the one key ingredient that kept me from seeing that fabric turn rusty. I just didn't add enough of that to the mix.

In order to let all of you have a sneak peek at last weekend's festivities here, I am adding a few more photos of our time spent with Michael DeMeng. What a genuine, sharing and knowledgeable instructor, who took time with each and every person and critiqued with kindness and positive instruction for completing their projects. Success comes in the way of comments from our participants.
"I had a wonderful time and have raved to everyone about the workshops and the shop. I have really tried to encourage the TN Stampers in the Knoxville area to check out the jewel in their back yard!" from Lynn Roberts in Columbia TN
"Checked your blog and saw the photos! Reminders of a great class! We had fun. I'm still finishing my box and Claire took the info she learned and created a very unique and special piece for me for Mother's Day. Thanks for the opportunity!" from Ginger Brame in Raleigh

"Thank you so much for a wonderful Saturday. We had such a great time! Thank you so much for a wonderful Saturday. We had such a great time! I will snap a picture of our finished projects and email them to you in the next couple of days." From Sheila Carpenter in Charlotte, NC.










From top to bottom . . .
Denise Henderson listens as Michael shares some suggestions
Michael prepares to critique each project with the class
Cathey Stoney uses the dremel with all the right safety equipment
Cindy Trobaugh of Morristown, TN shows off her Retablo
Wayne Thornley of Columbia SC has got a great start to his project
Wanda Marsh from Charlotte has just about completed her Cigar Box Retablo

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.