Empty Bowls 2010

This Saturday, May 22, is the Sixth Annual Empty Bowls event at the Houston Contemporary Craft Center.   As in the past two years, I have made a fiber-art bowl to donate to this worthy cause and I've encouraged my fellow art quilters and fiber artists to do the same.

If you have a bowl to donate -- they started collecting them last week and will be glad to accept yours too!  Just drop it by HCCC before Saturday or click here for more details.

If you are in or near Houston, be sure to stop to browse the wonderful selection of bowls and stay for a tasty lunch consisting of a bowl of soup (naturally!) and your choice of one lovely bowl to keep.  Minimum donation is $25.00, although they have a select group of upgraded bowls (these are fabulous!).  Come in the afternoon and look for me or my boys as we will be there volunteering.

Final BJP, first series

At long last, I have finished my 12th Bead Journal Project Piece from the initial BJP challenge.  This challenge started long ago, in a galaxy not so far away ... and I'm tickled to announce that I've finally finished my first series of BJPs!!!

Here is my final BJP, following "April Showers", we have "May Flowers" ...

Being from Texas, my favorite wild flowers are bluebonnets.  The ones feature here are made with hot-glue-gun-squiggles, painted with Lumiere blues and held in place with additional beading.  One reason this BJP is so late in being completed is that I made then misplaced the glue-gun-squiggles for a few months.  I stitched this piece together quickly once I relocated the squiggles, so I could close the book on my first year of the Bead Journal Project.

I am thrilled I have completed my 12 pieces for this year-long commitment, even if took me much longer than the original 12 consecutive months. Now to finish with my second series .... we won't even talk about my third series just yet ... but I plan to get there .... eventually!

A new Challenge

My Beyond the Borders art quilt group has been working on a new challenge piece.... I've finished my piece and wanted to give you a tiny sneak ...

Can you figure out what classic story these detail shots illustrate?  (I'd love to post more photos of this challenge group quilt, but first we're hoping to enter it into a few quilt shows and exhibits).

While meeting our challenge guidelines, I was quite surprised to realize that I have also made a third in my short-lived "Big Foot" series -- what fun!  Perhaps I will make a few more to add to this series ....

Another Little Quilt Swap #4

A new swap is getting started by one of my U.K. friends, Kate North.  Kate is an experienced hostess and has hosted Another Little Quilt Swap three times already.

If you are interested in more information, please look at the blog dedicated to the ALQS-4 swap:

http://anotherlittlequiltswap.blogspot.com/

On the blog you will find:
        a)  the rules and guidelines set forth clearly;
        b)  a list of International quilters interested in the 4th swap;
        c)  all the quilts from previous ALQS swaps, too. 

Intrigued?  If yes, simply send Kate an email (links on her blog and the ALQS blog).  Then create a special quilt (or two!) for this swap.
If life intercedes in an unexpected way, never fear, as only those that finish their quilts and send proof (ie digital photos of said quilt) to Kate by the deadline will be eligible to swap.

April Fool Harvey

The beginnings of my silly April Fool's BJP.  Can you tell it is totally inspired by the goofy nose that fell off the "Groucho Marx costume glasses".

I was quite puzzled over what to do with this guy's mouth and eventually decided to add a moustache over a couple of big white buck teeth. Can't forget the bowtie, although I'm wishing it was lime green now!

Now he reminds me of Harvey, the invisible six-foot tall rabbit that only Jimmy Stewart could see in an old classic film.  Now wasn't that rabbit named Harvey?  Better still, what is the name of that old movie ...

My simple BJP for April 2009 is named April Fool Harvey and he makes me smile ... all the time!  too goofy!

For more information on the Bead Journal Project, click here.  Be sure to have time to browse as there is lots of eye-candy!

April Showers

Recently, I realized that I never completed the first year of the Bead Journal Project .... oh my oh my oh my, how is that possible?......once my surprise dissipated, I worked to complete the idea started back in 2007.  Here is my eleventh BJP:

 

April Showers

To see the previous ten pieces, click here.   Each piece of this series is 4" x 6" postcard size, landscape orientation.

Karey's CD

The Third ToteTuesday was another resounding success!  Over $3,329.00 was raised on this day alone, totalling the three ToteTuesdays to over $9,000!!!!!  Plus my two favorite totes were both purchased at Glorious Donation amounts (over & above the Go-for-the-Gold preset limits!)  Woo Hoo!!!

Best of all, Karey Bresenhan has turned her donation into a continuing gift as she is offering  copies of her CD of photographs of the flowers in Monet's Giverny gardens to anyone who donates $50.00 to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause.  Karey is the Honorary Chairperson of Fiberart For A Cause and has given her support to this effort in so many amazing ways!  Thank you Karey!!!

I have made my donation and can hardly wait for my CD to arrive.  Don't you want a copy of Karey's floral CD too?


If you would like a copy of the CD, follow these 3 steps:

1.  Make a $50 donation through Fiberart For A Cause here.
2.  Send an e-mail (Subject line:  KAREY B. CD) with your snail mail to  Virginia at Virginia(at)VirginiaSpiegel.com
3.  Virginia will forward your name/address on to Karey who will zip a CD out to you.  Easy Peasy.

Deadline to donate and order your one-of-a-kind CD is Sunday, February 28.

PLEASE NOTE:  Your $50 donation to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause includes the right to use any or all of the images, copyright free, for personal, non-commercial, non-exclusive use.  You DO have the right to use the images in quilts but not to produce multiple quilts of the same image for sale. You do not have the right to pattern the images or publish them in hard copy or online.

logo by Jeannelle McCall

Remember ...
The LAST ToteTuesday will take place next week, on Tuesday February 23, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Be sure to look at Virginia Spiegel's blog next Monday for a sneak preview of these last totes and artwork.

Last of all, Thank you to all the gracious donors supporting ToteTuesday 2010!