Crazy Shoes!

No copy needed.....I admire the creativity and imagination, and the quality appears to be high, but would you want to walk in any of these?

What Will They Think of Next?

British-born artist Ivan Lovatt forms sculptures out of chicken wire!

This koala is my favorite!

It's Not Only the Girls in My Family......

who have art talent!  These two were drawn/painted by my oldest grandson, age 17, and I am surprised at how good he is! My daughter took the photos with her cell phone, so they are not the greatest quality - but I think they are terrific anyway!

I can tell you that he is much handsomer than his self portrait would appear. He did such  a good job on the hands - hands are the hardest thing to draw well. I started college as an art major, so I'd like to think that they got their talent from me. Their mother was always good at art too, as was their uncle. But they didn't keep up with their art - and I am really hoping that the grandchildren will!

Carolina Fiberfest + A Blogger Meet-up

Vicki, of A Mark on My Wall, teaching this pretty young lady how to dye a silk scarf, at the Carolina Fiberfest, held last weekend at The NC State Fairgrounds. This is the third time I have started this post - only to have it partially disappear - so I sure hope this time is the charm!  Apparently, it is not to be, my last two paragraphs disappeared before my eyes. Suffice it to say I was very pleased to meet and spend time with Vicki, and you would do well to visit her blogs posts and read back into the archives. You are sure to be glad you did. I have to leave now - so I will try to resume this post later.

3:30 pm:    Dare I try again?

When I went to the fairgrounds, I was surprised to see hundred of cars and a whole bunch of people. I didn't know that in addition to the Fiberfest, there was a NC Festival going on there all weekend. It was almost as busy as the state fair in October;  there were rides, food vendors, displays, a tractor parade, etc. and it was 90* in the shade - which didn't seem to dissuade people from attending.I had to park about 1/2 mile from the gates, so I was very grateful when a shuttle picked me up in the parking lot. I found Vicki's building, and walked up while she was teaching the young girl how to dye the silk scarf. It was an interesting demo. There was a basket of finished scarves, and I found a beautiful one I couldn't live without.

Vicki took a break; we got something to eat and walked around the building looking at all the beautiful wool, mohair, alpaca for sale, as well as items made with all these things. There were knitters, weavers, spinners, felters and dyers, and I got a lesson in alpaca fibers. She is so knowledgeable about all things wool. I used to weave, so it was interesting to me. I never learned to knit, but Vicki says she can remedy that in short order! I would love the opportunity to learn.

If you have had a long-time blog friend, you know how badly you would like to meet them in person. From almost the first post I read of Vicki's, I felt we could be kindred spirits. I have 'known' her for over five years now, and we have quite a few blog friends in common. Being able to meet her in person was never thought to be a possibility, until she moved to NC last year. Although she is over 4 hours away, she had the connections to attend this fiber fair, making it possible for us to get together. I have admired her for her savvy, her intelligence, her wit and her expertise in so many things. I have known few people who have their fingers in so many different pies. Vicki gets an idea and acts to make it happen, while so many of us (me included) just wish it could be. I have now met quite a few bloggers; some local and some from afar, but I will always be grateful for this opportunity. Now if I could just have remembered two things:  to have remembered to ask all the questions I had in my mind and to have someone take a photo of the two of us together!

Double Yuck + Butterfly Love

Double Yuck! It looks like a cesspool. It will be a while before anyone can swim in that! I love having a pool until something like this happens. There were holes/slits in the cover, so the rain water and gunk mixed with the pool water below - et voila - a complete mess. The pool guys will be back today to clean it.

My eleven year old granddaughter gave me her butterfly painting and I LOVE it!! Rainbows and butterflies - what's not to love?It kinda takes the sting out of the mess in the pool.

Budding Artists, Part Two

Thanks for all the nice comments about the art in yesterday's post. Today's three paintings were done by my 11-year-old granddaughter. I was amazed at the details, and very proud of this one as well.

I love this one, and I'm sorry that they have been folded (they should have been rolled). The colors are wonderful, aren't they?

Such a wistful-looking sheep. I love the color selection here too - most unexpected! Perhaps in 25 years, people will be lauding the two sisters from North Carolina who paint so well, and going to museums to see their work!

Budding Artists, Part One

I went to visit my daughter and her family yesterday and I was blown away when my 14 year old granddaughter showed me some of her work from art class. If you look closely, you'll see "John, Paul, George and Ringo - and the yellow submarine!

This is her self portrait (she's much prettier). She is a swimmer and soccer player, and I'd add artist to those descriptions!! Please join me in urging her to keep up with her art. Her mom didn't, and she was almost as talented.

Tomorrow, I will show you what her 11 year old sister can do. They both make me say  WOW!

Christmas 2010: The Capital City Club and Brier Creek

The main lobby tree at The Capital City Club

The lobby wreath  (Too bad about that huge copier!)

The entrance to the bar.

The Ballroom Lobby tree at Brier Creek Country Club. I made the large wreath at the Capital City Club, but the trees were joint efforts of 5-6 people.

Christmas 2010, Part One

The 15 foot tree in the lobby of The Cardinal Club

Looking up the stairs...

This wreath  is six feet in diameter. (EDIT: it takes two men and a "cherry picker" to hang it.) After it was up, I went up in the cherry picker to "fluff" the ribbon streamers - I LOVE going up in the cherry picker!!

A lobby wreath...The Cardinal Club was our second installation

 this season. 

More tomorrow.

Tuesday at the Flower Shuttle + Broken Glass

There were lots of pretty flowers on Tuesday; the remainders of many weddings and unsold bunches from groceries, etc. The arrangement above consists of roses, purple lisianthus and green/blue hydrangea.



This one has roses, carnations, pale yellow lisianthus and the name of the purple flower escapes me at the moment (just as many things do, nowadays!)



This one was really fun! A mug with polka-dot lavender hearts and circles; so I used red roses, pale lavender mums, myrtle and lily grass.

Life is very busy. Dentist's and doctor's appointments for both of us, physical therapy for mr. kenju, my birthday to celebrate, book club,  and many weddings in October (thank Heavens!) The weather has been quixotic; hot and sunny one day, cloudy and rainy the next and then a mixture of the two. I still have roses hanging on for dear life, petunias blooming and a geranium that thinks it is June instead of October and is ready to burst into bloom again. The lantana is still producing flowers as well. I suspect they will get a rude awakening someday soon, when it turns cold and the first frost appears. It can't be far away.

We got a rude awakening yesterday around 4pm, when it started raining buckets-ful and a freaky gust of wind turned over our deck umbrella, taking along with it the glass-topped table we've had for almost 30 years.  

The table has broken twice before, and since we had chairs and a chaise lounge to match, we had the glass replaced (at a heavy cost.) This time, I am putting the kibosh on that!!  I have vowed we will have a wooden top made and paint it to match the table - or I'll buy a new table and stay away from glass in any form!! It's always something, isn't it?   

Halloween is coming.....and you'll no doubt need....



a pumpkin. Will you carve yours like these?  
I sure won't!
My pumpkins are lucky to get carved at all. This one is called  "I've got my eye on you!"





Artist Ray Villafane began carving pumpkins on a lark for his art students in a small rural school district in Michigan. The hobby changed his life as he gained a viral following online and unlocked his genuine love of sculpting. Here are images of pumpkin carvings Villafane created over the past five years.





Aren't they just fabulous?? I have a few more to show you tomorrow.What's your favorite?

Unbelievable: What Some Can Do....

...what some can do with trash!!

I got these in email, and I have no idea who made them.