This is the classroom, all set up, with the sample quilt hanging. The class is Speed Piecing, at Quilts Unlimited, the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild weekend of fun classes. See people hard at work below.

One person making her blocks.

Everybody at work.

A set of blocks almost done.

Don't they look pretty?

Different colors make a big change of appearance.

A different setting, looks like a garden.

Renewable Energy, Texas Sunflowers

This is my entry for the International Quilt Festival 2012. Tomorrow it will go off on it's journey, and I'll see it again in a year. During that time I may forget a little how it looks, so it will be a nice surprise when it returns. This is much easier than sending a child off to school.

 Tiny Details, grouted in chocolate brown. Inspired by slides of microscopic life.

 Jewel in the Garden

 Path in the Woods

 Key to My Heart

Grandson Ted's capital T

 Tiny Details, part of the themed mosaic series. This shows an up close look at little designs that may not be seen at a glance, like a microscopic slide.

Jewels in the Garden, theme mosaic series. A hummingbird tile  illustrates the gem like quality of life in a garden.
Numbers 147, 148.

Two new bracelets, made for a class at 212 Arts. Numbers 145, 146.

A New Man, first in a series of themed mosaics.

 Long Hot Summer, second in themed series.

 Beach Delights, third in theme series.

Path in the Woods, not yet grouted, fourth in theme series. Number 144 for the year.

8 year old Jack made this, see the smiling face?

12 year old Ted made this. He will grout it soon.

This is the bluebird of happiness, grouted.
I am up to 140 pieces made this year.

  Turtle mosaic, grouted.

White lily on dark red, grouted.







                                                                           Central Posy, grouted.

A new turtle mosaic, made today. It will show up better after grouting. The board is partly painted, and doesn't show contrast well now. It's about 4 by 8 inches.
I made more progress on basement today. It's about 25% done being organized. I have to go through a lot of fabric next. Today I worked on the paper arts area. Got rid of another couple boxes.
The first day I worked on all the accumulated things we stuck downstairs when we didn't know where to put them. There is more to do there too. And I want to go through all the holiday decorations, and edit. And the long ago moved out kids stuff, and the toys, and knickknacks, and my mom's sewing stuff,...
Maybe it's only 10% done.

 This is most of my glass collection, cleaned, cut and contained.

 This is my mosaic work table, now clear enough to use. You should have seen it before the clearing session.

This is how I celebrated my progress, by making a bluebird of happiness.

More basement cleaning today. Just by putting things on shelves, it looks better. There was a big mess on the floor. Again, not much tossing out, but lots of organizing. How hard it is to decide to get rid of some things. I may never do paper art collages, but I have a pile of stuff, just in case. And I have a game called Dictionary Trivia, which has cool pieces that look like the Thinker statue. Probably will never play it, but the cards are interesting too, with absurd words and definitions. Maybe I'll keep the pieces, and give the board and cards to another stuff archivist. Tired back, sore feet.
Did another section of the bird house mosaic.

I spent a couple hours cleaning the basement today. Specifically, my mosaic work room aka the furnace room. I took out a bag of trash, mostly from the rubbish can that has been there for a while. Two cardboard boxes are now empty, and can be recycled. The tabletop has an area open for working. I already made use of it, distraction is my middle name. I started my bird house challenge, which is not due for months.
I have a long curvy gourd, snakelike, that needs a home, and someone to paint it. Know anyone like that?

I spent hours today cleaning and cutting mosaic glass. I was given some, and while sorting it, I decided to do all of my glass. All the pieces bigger than 6 inches, I cut down. And I am using plastic boxes with lids to keep it all clean. Now all I have to do is clean the workroom, so I can put it away. This showed up some holes in my rainbow of colors. I will need to get more reds, and oranges, and black.
I am feeling like I'm being swallowed by clutter. If I don't post for a while, send me a note to see if I survived it.

I think Sam the Elf is about done now.

This is the fairy tale mushroom house that got me started. It was a fun fast project.











Then I made a little cottage for an elf, who was scolding a dragon above it. There was a giant caterpillar in the garden, and the dragon wanted to get it.








An elf musician serenading a mermaid was inspired by an old book of fairy tales.











Then I decided to make Sam the Elf, who gives my grandkids treasure hunts, with candy money as the prize. He is not yet done. There will be a bunch of leafy branches above him. 133-136

I made the moon on a red sky. Ted made the rocket, Jack made the castle. They are my grandsons. We used a box of tiny scrap glass pieces.
132

This is me, the happy smiler. My painting won 1st Place in 2 D art, in the Earth, A Closer View exhibit. I wish I had pictures of all the others to show you. But I will list names.

Best of Show- Karen Losey for a felted hat, Royal Wedding 2
1st Place 3 D art- Kathy Renberg for a silver and gatorade bottle necklace, Untitled
2nd Place 2 D art- Holly Kreag, for a felted arrangement of pieces
2nd Place 3 D art- Lynne Friman for an encaustic painting, Sea Anemones

Honorable Mention- Brooks Hinerman for an art quilt, Plants from Seeds from Outer Space
Honorable Mention- Cindy Baxter for a construction, Galileos' Occhiolino
Big Congratulations to all, and thank you so much for making it a beautiful show. You can still see Earth, A Closer View at the Saline Public library, July 2 to July 30.

A quilt for Poki, my granddog. His true love just moved to California with him, to be with her true love. I started this quilt at the Albuquerque airport, after my last visit there. Number 131 for the year.

This ceramic fish was made by my 12 year old grandson, Ted. Don't you love the way he captured the essence of the fish? It's about 8 " long, and 5" wide. Cool touch, having blood on the teeth.

This is a painting done by my eleven year old grandson, Thomas. It's so full of expression,, I just love it. It's about 12" square. Done with paint, and pastels. This was a birthday gift for me. He knows just what I wanted.

I'm warning you now, these are doodles from my journal. They may be evidence of a deranged mind, or inspired frolicking of a sane one. In either case, I can't stop. Number 130