Tomato Red

With tomato red as our next color challenge, I started digging through my large assortment of red fabrics.  It's amazing how different the shades of one color can be.  I selected these reds based loosely on the color of the delicious Tomato Basil Soup that is served at Nordstroms.

Garden in a Bowl

I have never planted succulents before but the little mixed bowls they sell at the nursery always look so interesting.  So, I decided to create my own little garden.

I added some stones from around my yard to the display and I think this bowl turned out just perfect.

Urban Art

This knitted stem with leaves appeared on the stop sign at the foot of our hill a few weeks ago.

People have since started adding little embellishments to this whimsical and creative street art.

These knitted masterpieces are mysteriously appearing around San Diego but sadly, we read in the local paper that the city will be removing them.

I will miss this work of art, it puts a smile on my face.

Crazy Quilt

I wanted to share this beautiful quilt my sister's friend Frankie is making.  She started with old silk dresses from her grandmother and has been working on it for years.  She has collected the lace from trips to Europe, added embellishments and spent hours on decorative hand stitching.  It is breathtaking!

Frankie plans to give this to her granddaughter someday - a wonderful family heirloom in the making.

Rust

The latest color challenge selection from "15 minutes play" is rust.  I was surprised at how many rust colored fabrics I have in my stash.  They are scraps from autumn quilts I made years ago and I'm happy to put them to good use again. 

It's always fun to find the next color challenge on Wednesday mornings, only 4 more to go.

A Little Bit of Texas

I packed my small Moleskine watercolor journal to take to Texas and was able paint a little between the fun, busy schedule my sister had planned for us.  This is an old terra cotta bowl that once belonged to our mother, it is filled with a wonderful variety of home grown tomatoes given to us by Marcia's friend Mary.

Mexican Hat wildflowers were in full bloom everywhere we went.  I love their color and shape, they really look like mini sombreros.

I had a wonderful vacation, thank you Marcia!

Yellow, Orange, Blue

These are the latest 3 colors from 15 minutes play's color challenge.  I love digging through my stash to find the perfect fabric and can't wait until Wednesday when the next color is announced!

Mauve, ochre, avocado green, peach, bright yellow, bright orange and dusty blue . . . what is next?

Finally!

While visiting my sister Marcia in Texas, I was finally able to give her the finished quilt I promised her last Christmas.

I had it professionally quilted by Michaelanne, the owner of Flossie's Quilting, a very talented long arm quilter here in San Diego.  I am so happy with how it turned out.

My sister loves her new quilt and it looks great in her Texas living room.

Guest Artist

I will be returning home from Texas on Friday, May 18th but in the meantime:  I am a guest artist on artfabrik.blogspot.com  Laura has shared my little round quilt and watercolor map that was inspired by her pattern.  I am very honored.

Howdy Y'all

I leave for Texas this morning to spend 9 days visiting my sister.  We always have a great time shopping, exploring and eating way too much!  My husband will stay home and have a great time cooking, cleaning, laundry and taking care of the kitties!

Watercolor Map

In watercolor class last week, we were to paint a map, any kind of map we wanted.  I struggled trying to recreate my childhood home and neighborhood but I was very unhappy with the results.  I ended up with a whimsical little village in the round.

I based it on a small quilt I had made in 2010 using a pattern by Laura Wasilowski.  I will add some sky and sunshine and my little map will be complete.

More

More is better when it comes to fabrics, at least that's my excuse!!

The Finished Project

In our watercolor class, we were instructed to create a patterned watercolor page.  I chose bright Hawaiian shirts.  Next, Jane gave us a sheet of vellum to use as a top layer.  I added a lei colored in pencil.

I couldn't resist adding these cute 32 cent aloha shirt stamps - the perfect finish for this fun project. 

Happy May Day

Wishing you bright, happy blooms today and always.