Garden Baby

If you happened to read Tammy's blog today, she mentioned that we spent some time yesterday brainstorming new directions to artistically take hooking. We both are interested in mixed media and collage type art, but consider ourselves to be hookers at heart. Today I played around with my wool and hook and came up with this little piece. The tiny, sweet porcelain doll was given to me by my friend Katie. The pearls are part of a dainty old bracelet I picked up at Leola's, and the frame is a cheap plastic one that my mother gold-leafed sometime back. I hooked a miniature garden scene and attached the doll and pearls. Fun to stretch and play around with something different!

This And That

Time to share, and yes, yes it's more roses.....I KNOW that you must think I'm completely obsessed, and to tell you the truth... I'm not, and actually quite tired of hooking roses. But, while hooking rose bags over the past few months, my mind has been seeing a pretty rose rug for somewhere in my home. I did take a break and hook my little yard scene in the previous post, and then started this rug. This will be in front of a faux fireplace piece that I've acquired. It's color is what I call a "dirty red". I'd show you a picture, but want to wait until it's in the house, dusted with finished rug in front. I currently have a chair that's being reupholstered to go with the rug and fireplace. It's a very old platform rocker that sat in the Flint, Michigan opera house (passed down in my mother's family). The fabric print is a wonderful combination of tiny palm trees and hibiscus flowers using the sage green, dirty red, a little peach, gold, and teal.

Next is a picture of things that inspire, motivate, and make me happy. This is a little spot on a table that I hook at. It may look familiar to you from other postings. There's a rug I did last year when I was all jazzed about the apple green and rose color combination. The kitty is a very old piece that was mom's. A few little books, old and new. My hooking tools....the corner of a pretty vintage Shawnee flower pot in that same luscious green with a few of my mother's Ukrainian eggs (she did the art). The brown glass bowl/vase was done by a glass artist friend that I got my hubby for Christmas. Behind is a painting done of our pond by my friend, and fabulous painter, Alisha.

Yesterday I took an outing to Leola's and made a few happy little purchases. Kristy was just unpacking a box that was full of darling Valentine and other misc. vintage postcards. All dating back around 1905 through 1930. I snapped up these four!

Enough of this and that....time for some badly need yoga and relaxation. Hope your weekend has been restful and happy.

Outside My Kitchen Window

This little mat is finally done (although, I do have some work to do on the back). I really don't know where it will go, but that's always a problem with me. I get an idea that has nothing to do with any special spot for it in my home, draw, start grabbing wool, and generally begin to create my work while making a huge mess that pretty much surrounds my working area until I'm done. But, my house is quite eclectic and there's usually a place for just about anything. I'm getting ready to draw off my next piece. It will be a larger rug that will have it's own spot, and actual color planning is involved! Oh.......a moment to explain my color choices on this piece and several of my other picture rugs. I start with an idea in my head of a place I'm fond of that I would like to create pictorially with wool. These spots, so far, are around my home. As for color, there's usually a piece of wool in my cupboard that just keeps calling me. In this case, it was the bright greens I used for the ground. Everything else revolves around that. I have a very hard time staying with softer primitive colors, but for my next rug I'm hoping to use a calmer color palette. We'll see what evolves..........

Redbuds and Ribbons!

Continuing work on this little piece. I used pink ribbon on the upper left tree. It really came out looking just like a redbud! I'm so happy because that is the tree you would see looking out my kitchen window. I just never know what kind of effect I will get when hooking materials other than wool. I realize that the background is a bit over powering, but love the drama of it. I keep going back and re-hooking areas and out-lining others so the blues don't completely take over.

Please Indulge

My husband's grandchildren were here all last week visiting. I know that's probably the last thing you would want to see, but please indulge me with this happy little post....

Princess Ava

Graham with new Christmas binoculars.

Poppa Jim with Graham heading out on the trail at the Nature Center.