MISTAKES ARE MERELY DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES

No, I haven't drowned in a sea of green tears after the Packer's loss on Sunday.  Okay, so they lost, at least it wasn't to da Bears!  Now they can concentrate on the big prize......so bring it on.....the Pack stumbled a bit.....got the loss out of the way....now onto bigger goals!

So, my heartfelt Packer Backer statement is out of the way....back to sewing...... 

Recently, I posted this pile of potential materials, along with two others, as I pulled together items for several new ideas I wanted to explore.

 I decided to start with this one.....I have no clue where I got this small (very stiff) painted fabric.  The colors are totally out of my comfort zone....as are the materials I've selected to work with.  That's good.....growth isn't possible without trying to expand knowledge.


So, after literally an hour + shuffling around pieces to highlight this cabochon, a plan was beginning to emerge.  Normally I thread baste a non-fusible stabilizer to the back of my work to support the bead work.  In this case, since needling is a pain, I opted to spray baste it to the back.  Oops.....I'm reminded WHY I don't like spray basting.....  A big glob shot out and of course migrated right to the area where I'd hand embroidered two hand dyed silk rectangles.  


Naturally, washing this junk out didn't work......so there it is.....ah ha......a design opportunity?!?

 This is how I planned to position the cabochon....

 ....but I considered relocating the stone to cover the stain......

.....nah, after studying the design, I realized it was off balance so instead I'm now playing with tiny pieces of various hand dyed silks....thinking that a touch of color over the stain might change the mistake into an inspirational design.


Let's see what happens next....

OH NO!!!!

Halftime.....Packers o Chiefs 6

Yikes!!!!

SANTA WEARS GREEN!

Today is such an appropriate day for this post.......why??  Well if you are a football fan you know why.....the Pack is back (though for some of us....the Pack is always alive and well, no matter what their record is.) Today all us Cheesehead/Packer backers will hold their collective breathe as the Packers try for a 14-0 record.

SANTA CAME EARLY TO THE STORI HOUSEHOLD......AND HE TOO WEARS GREEN.  We give thanks to our very, very thoughtful kids for such a perfect Christmas gift!.

 So, we get this UPS envelope.......

 .......Looking all legal and official......

......and behold.........what do we see......why, it's a GREEN BAY PACKER STOCK SHARE.  We are now official owners of the Packers!!!!


The Green Bay Packers, Inc. has been a been a publicly owned, nonprofit corporation since Aug. 18, 1923.  A total of 4,750,937 shares is owned by 112,158 stockholders, none of whom receives any dividend on the initial investment.  In fact, in this 5th (ever) round of stock sales more than 1K of stock was sold in 11 minutes. It's THE ONLY publicly owned NFL franchise in the country and that will assure the Packer will always remain in Green Bay, hopefully playing on real turf in an open air stadium (where football should be played)!!


Of course it's a glorified, yet treasured, piece of memorabilia since it can't be sold or traded. So what....we are OWNERS!!!  However, it does entitle the holder to purchase special "owner" items from the Packer Pro Shop, attend the annual stock holders meeting, AND purchase an "owners" Super Bowl Ring......just another reason to cheer on the Pack!  2011 Super Bowl Champs, I like the 'ring' of that!


GOOOOOOOooooooo PACK!!!

SO MANY IDEAS, SO LITTLE TIME

It's such a busy time of the year....and not conducive to lots of studio time. I'm in the midst of a large PTA challenge project that for the moment does not require handwork.  

Perhaps like many of you....I NEED handwork....feel lost without it in the evenings.  Ideas come easily to me....but yesterday when I vowed to gather supplies and get started on something....I found myself pulling piles and piles of materials and not able to decide what direction to take.

Here's my starting points.......your guess is as good as mine which one I'll pick up!  But I'll keep you posted....

HOTEL LIVING

All you faithful readers of this blog already know what a hotel snob I am..... I really appreciate a four (okay 5 is better) star hotel!  Well, who doesn't?  I've had a silly routine I follow ever since I started travel teaching that makes me laugh when in the worst places and more appreciative when housed in the best.

Before unpacking, and not necessarily in this order.....I check to make sure the toilet tank isn't running (which will drive me NUTS at night), make sure some fool hasn't set the clock radio to wake me up at 3:00 AM (unless of course I'm housed so far away from the airport that my wake up call for my flight home would be at that time...not unheard of).  I also make sure the hairdryer works (not a good thing to learn at 7:00 AM), that the AC/Heat work, that the TV remote is present, that there are hangers in the closet, that the drapes can be closed without leaving that strip of light from the parking lot. (But...that's why I pack two clothes pins.....to hold the drapes together!!)  You get the picture and perhaps I should stop admitting my craziness!  However, the first glance and sniff test might cause me to back out of the room and head back to the desk to be assigned another room. 

Okay so you get the picture......I make no excuses for my particular attitude...and will out and out refuse to stay in a motel with outsides entrances....a safety concern esp. for women staying alone.

 So this brings me to the subject of my blog today.....  My pal Connie gave me this cute book.  

 Click on the picture to enlarge the text.....you can purchase your own here.

I guess one could amuse themselves for hours with the suggestions in this book such as: Sugar Zen Garden (using sugar from the coffee tray), Soap Scrimshaw (carving figures into the bar of soap), and Shadow Animals (use a light source, a blank wall, and your hands.)


However, you'll need to be staying at a high end hotel to participate in many of the fun activities.  For instance: Minibar chess, Dental Floss Pom-poms (dental floss has never been provided in a Hampton Inn!), Room Service Memory Game (cover the tray with a towel and count to thirty....write down everything you can remember that was on the tray).  


A really funny one is how to make a Balcony Scarecrow...sit him on your bed, at your desk, or use a chair and place on your balcony.  It's created by using the guest hotel robe, a pillow case stuffed with a towel for the head, two more pillow cases stuffed with towels for the legs, fitted with hotel slippers....accessorize with an extra pair of eye glasses, and baseball cap or wig if you have one!


I've been subjecting hotel's to my own 5 star rating system for years......now I have added items to consider when doing my ratings......is there a hotel robe and slippers?!?!  Thanks Connie for the fun!!

CLEVER ORNAMENT

The holiday season creates just another reason for special gatherings for the small fiber groups I belong to.

Yesterday L.I.N.T. (Ladies in New Textiles) held our Christmas party.....one very special tradition is the exchange of hand made ornaments/gifts.

It's done via random drawing so I consider myself very luck to have selected the bag that contained this lovely ornament.  What a fabulous idea for creating an unusual and attractive gift.  It's a glass ornament filled with hand dyed wool roving!

A MOOooory CHRISTMAS

My friend Jackie has the knack of finding the greatest bovine related greeting cards.....seriously, I have stacks of them for every season & reason that she's lovingly sent.  Thank you Jackie!!!

The message inside:  Have an udderly Merry Christmas!!!  Now if that doesn't just say it all!!

PACKERS WIN, PACKERS WIN!!!!

What a great time it is in Packer nation.......with a 13-0 record and a playoff spot secured.

We are all so proud of MR. RODGERS.....who is such a class act.  The tributes keep coming and words are failing to describe this very special man and very special time.  If you are a fan....click here for your smile for today. 

Like most Packer fans....of course I'd like them to have an undefeated season...BUT.....the Super Bowl is the real prize....fingers crossed....

PTA WHITE ELEPHANE EXCHANGE - X RATED

Our PTA Christmas party always includes a white elephant exchange.....the process of which is a game where wrapped presents are chosen using a number system...stealing each other's open gifts is allowed when your number is called (instead of selecting a wrapped gift).  A gift can only move three times in each round of numbers called.....it gets wild!

The gifts range from nice items we all covet to the ridiculous and this year to Xrated.  Yes, I said Xrated!  I'm saving the best for last....read on...

 To kick off the festivities...this was one of the first gifts opened.......we are still laughing.....

Perhaps you can imagine what it's like to have 13 women together....all talking at once......so I never did get the story behind what may be a vintage clutch purse....and don't know who ended up with it, but I'd have gladly taken it home!

 I had the first number and in the bag I chose there were some beautiful marbleized fabrics made by Judy Simmons, plus some silly holiday head bands.  Connie Brown stole this gift from me......and being Connie...she immediately put on the two head bands and further embellished them with the boa that was also in the package.  She's wearing a light up Xmas tree bulb necklace that was "won" last year at our exchange.  You see why I love this group!!!  Such fun...

 This pattern was among a dozen others one of our members put together in her gift box.  I couldn't believe my eyes....what a small world.  The "No Sweat" shirt was designed by Kay Sorensen, a long time friend, whose work I admire & who guided me into joining my first quilt guild.  It was Keepsake Quilting's #1 selling pattern for a long time!

 So...then Lynne opens a gift containing one of those tacky crocheted baskets that was probably intended to hide toilet paper....but wait, that's not the funny part. She hauls out a painted plaster Father Christmas.....which was the brunt of some joking as well......

 ....and then......before we could recover from our laughing......our hostess runs into a different room and brings back one that she had on display.....awkward!

 Now the Xrated item......Linda Cantrell brought this doozy......and you can order your own from the website stated in the photo above.

 I've been trying for days to decide whether or not to show every detail but in the end I'm going to use words, rather than a photo.  So....what is it??  Mr. Hunk is on an ironing board cover......when the heat from a iron goes over the towel.....it disappears......and ya, you get it....something else appears.  Gen ended up with this gift....we know she's still ironing!

GO PACKERS!!!!!

PTA - DEC. SHOW AND TELL

It might be a busy time of the year but PTA members aren't idle!

 Lynne has been having fun dyeing pin whale cordoroy that she'll sew into pants. She found it easier to find the colors she likes to wear by dyeing them herself.....clever!

 Georgia Bonesteel is still crazy about her chickens......a fun hobby she started about a year ago.  This quilt will be her entry into our exhibit "Inspired By" which will premier in Feb. at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton Roads, VA.

 She also completed a HUGE quilt.......and quilted it on her Bernina home sewing machine!

 This wording was on the fabric.....we don't know what it says but love that she included it.

 Kate has the top of her "Inspired By" piece finished too......sorry I can't recall the name of her artist......though I should...it's a stunning piece.

 We got Kate to model this fur trimmed vintage wool coat.  Judy brought it to share.....apparently young adults are having theme parties where they bring & exchange vintage clothing.

 This is Barbara's "Inspired By" piece.....again if you will be attending the MidAtlantic Show......be sure to seek out our exhibit.....13 artists have created work that were inspired by 13 famous artists.

Jack of all trades - Gen - made this sparkly shawl......it's embellished with sequins....and was deliciously soft and cozy.