If a picture is worth ...

I learned about the art of paper cutting today in a session at the NewCAJE 5 conference that i am attending in Los Angeles this week.  Rachel Silverman taught the session titled "If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words..."  

Rachel introduced us to the history of Jewish paper cutting, then shared many of her original paper cut art.  Inspired by the examples she shared, we set out sketching our own unique pieces of this folk art.

First step is to draw your design, sketching lightly.  If you are including any script, be sure to sketch the letters backwards (in mirror image) as you are drawing on the back side of the paper.  Shade the areas of the design that you plan to cut out.  Then using an exacto knife, carefully cut (slice?) the edge is the shaded pieces, freeing your design.  

Before beginning to cut out the design, Rachel checked each design to be sure that areas that needed to be attached were.  She was an excellent teacher, assisting everyone - both those struggling and those that understood the concept right away.

For our class, Rachel brought plain blank typing paper to draw our designs on, inexpensive exacto knifes and larger pieces of corrugated cardboard to use as the cutting mat.  When I make my next paper cut piece, I can use one of my rotary mats instead of the cardboard. 

After the cutting away was complete, I auditioned several pieces of different colored papers (the 12"x12" scrapbook size), before selecting this brilliant blue.  I taped my chamsa carefully to the blue background. I plan to frame my piece, as a soon as I am home again.

This was a challenging and fun hands-on class.  I look forward to making my next piece of paper cut art...

Haight and Ashbury

aaahhh,

San Francisco.

Missing the cooler days, and chillier nights 

(but not the hordes of traveling tourists!)

I totally enjoyed the few days spent there earlier this summer with my family.

around Bandera

A few more sights to see around Bandera include the Apple Store in Medina (not to be confused with the computer Apple store!).

They have many tasty apple products, including apple ice cream and apple-flavored coffee beans!  Apple coffee is surprisingly good.

One of my favorites is their Three-Pound Apple Pie!  After all, Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!

You may sight some roaming buffalo, now called bison.  Will this simple fence really keep this guy from charging through?

A delicious lunch can be had in the Camp Verde General Store.  be aure tonsave time to browse and shop there too!  This is the former site of old Camp Verde, headquarters for the U.S. Camel Corps.  Did you know the U.S. Military even had a Camel Corps?  It was a short-lived experiment that lasted from 1856 to 1865.  The military camp was abandoned on April 1, 1869 (no April Foolin' either!).  Read mores about this military adventure here.

Last of all, is the fascinating old Silver Spur Dance Hall.  Nicknamed "Bandera's Forgotten Pearl", this dance hall was built in 1920 and survived the days of Prohibition.  Shown above are the romantic remains, now the site of weddings and other party gatherings.

How many more hidden gems are tucked away in this Hill Country of Texas?  I will share news on more as I find them.

Polly's Chapel

Polly's Chapel is a must see the next time you are traveling through Bandera, Texas.

This stone chapel was built by Polly Rodriguez, a founding father and pioneer in Bandera and in Texas.

It took Polly and neighbors three years (back in the 1880s) to build this chapel that holds 120 people.  The stone was hand quarried from the nearby creek and the wood framing was made from native cypress trees.

It is a Texas Historical Landmark and has served as a Methodist Church since its beginning.  In fact, Polly converted to the Methodist faith while building this chapel and served as the first preacher.  My friend, Dennis "Duke" Thompson also served as a preacher in this quaint chapel, officiating at more than one wedding.

The family of Rev. Jose Policarpo "Polly" Rodriguez (1829-1914) continue to maintain this chapel where weddings and other events are held.  If you are interested in booking an event here, contact the Polly Texas Pioneer Association.

If walls could talk, this chapel would definitely have many interesting tales to tell!

The challenge of something new

This year I found a few busy groups that keep me motivated to start and complete my projects.

There is "NewFO" which gives every participant the permission (or is it a dare?) to start a new project each month. Tempting as this group challenge sounds, I have not participated every month.  However that changes this month!  

For the month of August, 2014, I hereby declare my intent to begin a new project.  The one shown below.

I purchased this sweet ABC's of Parenting by Lizzie and Kate at the International Quilt Festival in 2012 (I think it was 2012 - or could it be 2011?).  I'd love to display it in my PreSchool classroom as a subtle and friendly lesson to all my wonderful parents (and grandparents) that pass through my classroom.  But all projects must be started before they can ever be finished and displayed, so this is the month to begin this one!

Since "A Lovely Year of Finishes" allows many challenges for their ongoing monthly finishing campaign, my goal is to finish at least one full letter (or letter phrase) of the project above this month, though hopefully I will finish even more.... And I am also challenging myself to finish one (or maybe two!) of my long standing red work embroidery projects. 

I'm not even sure when I began either of these two projects (shown above).  Or where the original patterns may be.  I like them both and want to focus some energies on finishing them.  They have been my companion during many teacher meetings and inservices the past few years, so I look forward to finding new projects to stitch on during these meetings in the future!

Click here to see me at # 32 in the Goal-Linky-Party for the August Lovely Year of Finishes Challenge. 

Check back at the end of the month to see how I've done with my double challenge.

Bindings are ON!

For my "Lovely Year of Finishes" this month, I challenged myself to finish quilts by adding the bindings onto these quilts.  Good news:  I have bound many quilts is month including two baby quilts for my new great nieces Ava Rose Nichols and Riley Kate Ragland.

The quilts are to be personalized by their parents as each little one reaches various "first" baby landmarks. The two quilts are identical, so I've shown the front of one and the back of the other.  (click here to see my linky in the finishes party of linkies!)

I also finished binding and labeling "Fields of Blue", a quilt made especially for my son Isaac. 

Isaac is helping with today's quilt photoshoot. Rainy weather made it a bit of a challenge. 

 Then the last quilt that I stitched on the binding this month is my Summer Red Baskets - I'm still pondering what its name will be....

Isn't the quilting divine?  Pam_Quiltaholic is the master quilter behind this wonderful stitching. A full image of the quilt is coming soon, when I feature it in its very own blog post.

Gone Quiltin...

On a recent roadtrip around Texas, I popped into this sweet quilt shop in the heart of Bandera, Texas.

Can you see the Singer sewing machine in the window?  I believe it is the very model that I learned to sew on many years ago!  

Although, on second thought, this might be a tad different from what my memory recalls....It might be time to visit my Dad again (the keeper of my Mom's ol' Singer....).