embroidery floss?

Do you stitch? My first craft was embroidery, taught by my grandmother. She gave me a little printed sampler in a small plastic hoop, and showed me a few stitches. I've always used the DMC floss, but sometimes I see samplers with really luscious, thick floss, and I'm wondering if people have recommendations. I saw a snippet from Teresa McFayden's blog, and am *so* imspired by her mixed media sampler. Time to dig out that hoop!

Dover Sampler

If you hop on over to the Dover Publication site, you can sign up for their weekly sampler of copyright free imagery. They have everything from paper doll costumes to coloring pages to vintage luggage tags. I save a few images from the sampler to my Dover file each week. Above a two recent ones. I doubt either of my boys wants a bo-peep dress for anything, but maybe for a pre-school project.. :) My favorite are the background patterns which you can recolor and use for just about anything!

Camp!

This week I signed myself up for camp! In Idaho! And I am so thrilled. Check out these inspiring women, and what they're up to in the Idaho mountains. I'm joining Melody Ross, her sister Kathy, and a group of other equally brave gals for 5 days of creating! The recommended art supply list is brief, but I think that's one rule I'll have to break. I can't wait for this retreat!

A quick, quiet page

Yesterday I took the stack of scrapbook pages and actually put them in an album. And filled it right up. The kids were so delighted to flip through the pages, eager for the next one featuring them, a favorite toy, or friend. So now we're sorting pages since they want their own separate books. Here's a page from Matthew's reminding myself to enjoy the little mouse before he's tucked away at school all day.

supplies: cardstock> Bazzill. patterned paper> Hambly. alphas> AC Thickers. stickers> Kaiser Craft, Chatterbox. brads> Oriental Trading, My Mind's Eye. ink> SEI. stamp> Stampin' Up. other stuff> old book page, butterfly & vintage trim, Prima florals, Jenni Bowlin accents.

Amateur marbeling

Borders Bookstore has this new collection of classics with gorgeous cover designs, so I'm visiting an old process...

A while back, I found myself a marbeling kit, and made my first batch of imperfectly marbeled pages. I love this process, the mess of it, the dry time, the textures. This weekend, I'm at it again, paying more attention to the palette, and mixing some custom colors. I thought these papers might make amazing frontispieces in my little handmade books, but I'm seeing that they may just work for scrapbooking too (if I can get the colors right). 'bye!

creatively promiscuous!

I've said it before, and I make no excuses: I *love* to make things. And I do jump from genre to genre now and again. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I've found a new tangent! Hand spun wool. Yep. Amazing stuff. Monica & I went to Stitches West today, and the wonderful folks at Snicklefritz Yarn had a sample of unbelievably, hand spun yarn. So I came home with some roving, and now am itching to find a drop spindle. I'm eager to get myself into a drop spindle class at either Urban Fauna or over in Berkeley to A Verb for Keeping Warm. {Worry not, scrapbooking friends, paper is still my craft passion}. xxoo

Fanfarlo!

Saw these guys last night at Great American Music Hall! So fun & absolutely great sound. {Thanks Julie!} Fanfarlo check 'em out. Enjoy!