Positive Tip

I get a News letter from Jon Gordon Positive tips. I have to share . A good idea for starting the New Year. How being Positive can work out for us even when it seems like everything is going to hell in a hand basket. Check his stories out at- http://www.jongordon.com/blog/
If it is warm enough I may just have to jump in the Lake LOL! The gulf. It would be a custom to start ever year To take a leap of Faith. I have a friend that walks on hot coals Ummm. I like my feet.

Handmade Gift"s

I have been revisiting my passion to embroidery lately. A good friend of mine wanted pillow cases for her Daughters , and brought me the materials. Well I had to take it further and try monogram by hand. I had been studying, Mary Corbet over in her web sight Needle'n Tread.com. and got the great ideal to monogram there initials I consider my self a beginner as you can tell, by all all the mistakes. They loved them thought and everyone is wanting there own for spent the nights. they are fun to do and work up pretty quick take on a folk art look I sure do need to practice. I will have more to show off latter.

Visions Of Sugarplums

Sugarplums

3/4 c whole almonds or pistachios
1/2 c each finely chopped dried figs, dates, apricots
3 TB orange liqueur or orange juice
2 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves

Combine the ingredients in a food processor and pulse til the nuts are about the size of peppercorns and it begins to stick together. *

Form into 3 cm (1 inch) compact balls ~ around 32.

Place about 1/3 c sugar in a small bowl. Roll the sugarplums in the sugar, place on a piece of waxed paper. Chill til firm, then store in a container. Keeps 1 week at room temp., and two in the fridge.

An excellent and delicious post-run energy snack.

2 Sugarplums = 100 cal

I was plundering around and found this on Craftzine

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/arts/

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On My Tree

Some hand made ornaments thew the years.
The ribbon bird I learned to made when I was about 15 year old. A sweet Japanese lady show me how. I wish I could remember her name. I can't believe I payed attention enough to learn how. I have been making them every year sense. the one below is made with a hazel nut for the head, pine cone for the body, and leaves from my yard. The two in middle I made my first Christmas away from home out of stuff I had . My tree was a plant I had in my Apartment . The bird feeder one my dear friend Gween made I thought it was clever I am no much on plastic canvas but these are cool the little cups are from Sacrament from a church with bird feed inside. .

Origami Crane

Making Origami Cranes For Asian Theme /Christmas tree for a friend . I used 6x6 in square of Gold wrapping paper. Turned out nice. I am still working on taking better pictures maybe my eyes are out of focus. Getting in the mood now to decorate getting a late start.

Slow Going on Denim Quilt

Not very good Pictures . maybe you can tell whats
going on. I am sewing the seems down to frame the picture in the fabric. And embroidery around I am looking for B- C etc.. may be a balloon, cat. I did not like the ones I had more later..

Denim ABC Quilt

So far I have stitched 7 circles across and 7 down I may have to add more later after I put the fabric inserts
in the center of each circle and sew down the seems.

5 Things
My right to vote
Altoids mints
A nice drawing pen
A smiling face
A comfortable chair after standing two hours to vote

Denim ABC Quilt

First row

Albert Deans Show

Albert Deans Show last night was a great time, you can view pictures at

• www.ruddartcenter.org also his web site -www.jamesalbertdean.com

What I Did Today

I made splater paint table cloths to help dcorate the food table for Albert Deans Art show. I will post more later when I put it togeather. Taa Daaa

Embordery on stamped Quilt blocks

This stamped quilt block I inherited from Gween I just finished the embroidery cross stitch of 6 blocks I enjoyed working and remembering her. May she rest in Peace

I have found hiding in my stash these Quilt blocks that my dear friend Gween Wright (Grand mother to my son Ryan ) Had embroidered sometime in the 1970's I had to share. I hope to put together soon.may she rest in peace

FAST AS A RABBIT

This is what I have been up to . Need I say more Pictures speak loader than words .
5 things- Grandchildren, our pets, ice cream, washing machines, sewing machine

Today I am thinking I would start posting a daily 5 things I am grateful for at the end of that days post. . It is said that if you do so you will see a big change in your attitude, and well being. I have tried this in the past and it does work .

5 things
1. A nice hot bubble bath
2. My 3 kids
3 my husbands patients with me
4 .art supplies
5. pretty fabric

Scare Crows

Here are this years scarecrows from Dothan Botanical Gardens , My Friends Kat and Ruth won Way to go Girls.. Congratulations. Check them out- here too- http://www.rickystokesnews.com/cgi-bin/MyWeb/article_proc.pl?object=17533&category=26

What to do with a Sharpie

I love Sharpie markers, I have to fight to keep up with them as they seem to vanish around here.
Feel like redecorating check out What this person did with a sharpie.
//www.kentucky.com/147/story/532854.html

Scare Crows

Check out the Scare Crows At the Gardens. http://www.dabg.com/
There will be more posted for this year. My Friend Kat and Ruth entered one this year. How fun. HAVE FUN LOOKING!

Fall

Fall is in the air, and the sniffles are visiting me . When The peanuts are being dug up It sends me chasing my nose.
I have been looking around at some cool sites on the web, All the creative people in the world inspire me to get with it working. I let things , people get in the way as theyDo. One of the many i have enjoyed is .http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/ I love her work .
I have a lot of projects waiting for my attention I have a quilt cut out for my grand daughter. My daughters quilt waiting to be finished, Paintings to work on, Dolls to make, furniture to paint, mosaics to work on ,now I am working on an inherited empordery quilt block kit, from Grandma Wright. She did a lot of quilting, embordery, knitting,. She was very taletied in the needle arts. I sure miss her.
It is hard to do much when attended to my 3 year old energetic Grand Daughter visiting for a while. Having to get used to a little one has wore me out . been a long time. She is a Joy.

Reading a good book The Power of Now A guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, By Eckhart Tolle
I am having a lot of AAHAA moments, I hope stick In my brain. I know I will read it again and again. One being The one thing I can do now.
" When you create a problem, you create pain. All it takes is a simple choice, a simple decision: no matter what happens, I will create no more pain for myself I will create no more problems. it is a simple choice. You won't make that choice unless you are truly fed up with suffering unless you have truly had enough. And you won't be able to go through with it unless you access the power of the now If you create no more pain for yourself then you create no more pain for others. You no longer contaminate the beautiful Earth, your inner space, and the collective human psyche with the negativity of problem- making."
There is so much in this book to awaken you. In this life with so much negative energy flowing around. If we can only grasp it. I am trying to live in the now. Everyday a little putting the past to rest, It is gone and no more, not to worry so much about the future It is not yet. and to work towards what it is important NOW. Try to find the positive energy that I know is deep in me some where. Love to All, Paularay

Hide And Seek

We can often surprise ourself when we are in creative mode, I thought I would try to do a painting of my daughter from a picture of her hiding behind the Popcorn tree. I did it in sepia tones , My kids always played Hide and seek at night. I So miss those days
I Call This
HIDE AND SEEK

I finally got blogger to work. And thought I would up date. A lot has gone on, tragic things to go threw.
I came up with this painting from a doodle of the Popcorn tree that is in my front yard. Then came the Mocking Bird, because I was reading To Kill a Mocking Bird at the time. It could be me or my Daughter in the tree. One of my painting buddies said I should be careful of the placement of elements in my painting ( the hole in the tree.) From that the name became-
THEM YOUR EGGS OR MINE?
We got a good laugh I need to work on my picture taking skills as I cut the birds tail off
Enjoy.

Fathers Day

In Tribute to my Dear Dad who past away this last April. He is sure missed. I know he will no longer suffer the pains that life had brought him. That he is in a better place.
He had a Keen since of humor, always telling jokes and rhymes to everyones name. He was always helping those in need, he would go with out to help others. I Love you Dad.
Paula- ma wallah ma tee legged Mala
Tee legged tye legged, bow legged Paula

And Thats the way it Goes, First Your Money then your cloths!

My muse spilt

I have been over whelmed with family episodes. I will not go into . My creative muse spilt , and took a vacation because of every thing. I don't blame her for fleeing, I am trying to settle her back into some kind of Motivation. So many Ideals in my head. What to do first. I hope to work on unfinished projects and get them off my back. Seems as when ya think ya are going to be free to be creative Life reality's swoop in and take a grip on ya. I should work on better work Habits I guess.
I am getting a very late start on a garden. I hope to work on that this weekend. with the price of gas and food and just every thing it is a good excuse to stay home and work on the neglected everything. hope to get back to blogging once again I have been working on some things as soon as I can get, them finished , Pictures taken and loaded.

Black and white show

Hello, I have not posted in a while been jammed up busy had a temporary JOB , the holidays and just a lot on the table to clear up. I Entered the Black and White show at the Ann Rudd Gallery down tow,n this last Saturday had a great time Check out the link www.ruddartcenter.org 2008 Black and white show. my piece is next to the sculpture of a priest and nun on page 3 . An abstract called Zen Garden. I also did the center piece for the food table with the birds. I hope to have more time to post and do more art soon.