We had a wonderful Christmas celebration

We drove all day through yucky rain, yet I'm glad to state it was NOT snow or ice. ;-) and we are home.
I found out my last handmade Christmas present made it's way to the recipient today so I can now post photos of what I managed to paint the week before my trip to MI.
I began making nanny chairs along with matching baby quilts about 6 years ago. The first two recipients were my nieces Christy and Carrie. The baby quilts w/matching hand painted "time out chairs" as we nick-named them due to the then popular 'Nannie TV Show' were for their girls Riley and Mya.
Since then I have made I think about 9 sets?? Well my nephew Ryan has a new son Mason and I made the baby quilt and it was given as the shower gift but I still owed them the chair.
So here it is along with a second chair I painted as a surprise Christmas gift for another couple:

I was in a time crunch so sadly set up shop in my dining room

yup my dining room

At the same time was working on another chair in my basement work area.
Notice my sketch book below with my ideas for while I work.

Mason's chair matches fabric from a baby quilt

I had picked up this bench a while ago
always had a feeling it could become something special
little did I know my son's good friends would have twins someday ;-)
So how's this for a "double time out chair" haha?
Got to say "better them then me "
I heard tonight it matches their room. ;-)

This is Mason's time out chair completed.

This is my grand-daughter "Charlotte" on Christmas day trying Mason's chair out

but let me clarify she was NOT in time out ;-)

So as I mentioned we are back home in VA, hubby and I had a wonderful Christmas holiday.
Next weekend we get to head to PA to see the rest of our grandchildren to celebrate with them a belated Christmas and a Happy New Year (we're baby sitting)….please stay tuned….

Yay! Reporting the Handmade gifts were appreciated by all...

So Christmas 2011 has come and gone ;-( but happily can post that the creations I was able to complete in time to be given as gifts this year were well received…so now I can finally post some photos…
but my first photo is of something handmade that I was lucky enough to have received…mine is the red and green tree and the brown with gold belongs to Heather and Brian (my youngest son) both were made by Heather's mom Kim, I am so excited to have received one of the 6 she made this year.

Wine cork Christmas trees created by Kim
Next I will post a few photos of some of my creations along with a few photos of some of the recipients…

My wine cork creation for Brian and Heather  (their wine corks)

This photo canvas was actually my hubby's creation for son JB, photos from his "Tough Mudder "2011 race.

Son Brian's Rock concert t-shirt quilt

Brian demonstrating how comfy the quilt is.

Heather's t-shirt quilt with soft 'minky' backing

Nieces Christy and Carrie received two of my shibori silk scarves

Will end the post with photo of my favorite my mom with her special request lap quilt /special size just for her.

We had a wonderful Christmas, hope you all did too!

It's holiday gift giving time…so tell me please

Do you enjoy making gifts for your families or friends?
Are you lucky enough to have family that enjoys receiving your creations?
I can always remember enjoying an opportunity to make items to give as gifts since I was young, fast forward a little and I became a poor college art student and family members proceeded to be stuck with handmade creations from me possibly a batik, a weaving, stain glassed items… I guess it became tiring to some of my family members because I can still remember the year it was announced "No more handmade gifts please" from that day forth all gift exchanges were to be bought not handmade.  Since I was basically the only member of my immediate family that made gifts I always knew who the comment was mostly directed to.  ;-(
Fortunate for me my children have always enjoyed receiving handmade creations from their mother in fact so much so that some years it has become a joke between us to see what mom can come up with or some years there are even requests or directives.  I ENJOY coming up with new hand made items to give as gifts.
Here are a couple examples:

painting my grandson's name paintings

my first baby quilt and matching chair 6-7 years ago

So as per my usual I have been busy making gifts for this holiday season.
Sadly I was not able to complete a couple quilts I had hoped to give out over the holidays due to an unexpected 3 weeks in Mi late November/early December but happily [for me] I did manage to get most of my projects or gifts completed…

shibori stitched hand dyed silk

pole wrapped shibori hand dyed silk

I will give some of my hand dyed silk scarves as gifts to family members of mine that do enjoy receiving hand made items.  I AM Wishing everyone a very MERY CHRISTMAS and a Joyous NEW YEAR.

PS: To this day I also remember NOT to burden the family member/s who made the request " Please NO more handmade gifts, store bought only " ;-)

Sometimes life can kick you in the stomach

It's been a while since my last post and as the subject line states….sometimes life CAN kick you in the stomach. The weekend before Thanksgiving my mother who is 87 fell and sadly broke her femur bone of her right leg, just above her knee replacement. Suddenly there was emergency surgery to be scheduled, my father who is 90 had to be considered since my mother is his full time caretaker. They have been married for 66 years. So my sister flew in from FL and I flew in from VA to MI where one of my other sister's was holding down the fort so to speak. The next 3 weeks of my life I barely care to remember.

Mom's leg = 75 staples

Thankfully my mother made it through her surgery and will NOW be convalescing most likely in a rehab/nursing home for 90-120 days. We quickly had to move them out of their senior apartment and my dad is presently staying in a dementia care center.

Dad visiting with Mom

Dad saying goodnight before I took him back to his new residence

So I spent Thanksgiving in MI with my lovely nieces Carrie and Christy's families along with my dad
and my hubby spent Thanksgiving in PA with my son JB, his wife Claire and our grand-daughter Charlotte at Claire's folks Wendy and Ian's lovely home.

Handsome hubby w/ Son JB,Wife Claire and our grand-daughter Charlotte
Thanksgiving in PA 2011

My dad and niece Carrie and her daughter Rayna
Thanksgiving in MI 2011

The morning after Thanksgiving my husband attended without me a home inspection for the home we were very excited to be in the process of purchasing.  Early Monday morning he left to Hawaii for his business trip minus me ;-( which actually hurt him more then me because he desperately wanted to be in MI helping us.
Well fast forward 3 weeks later…my braincells are shot, I'm back in VA and I am so behind being ready for the Holidays. Doubtful there will be cards sent out this year and very sad to report the home my husband and I were very excited about finally finding to purchase hit a few glitches with us cross country from each other and then the seller's realtor so as stated "SOMETIMES life does kick you in the stomach" but take it from me you just need to try hard to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and Trust that the Lord has your back.
So it's been back to the studio for me…thankfully I have finished putting the binding on two of the quilts I had started before I rushed to MI along with a good start on completing a few other Christmas projects meant to be presents. I can post this one since sadly I know my mom is without internet presently so she will not see if before she receives it for Christmas. She requested I make her a special sized quilt for her to use in her recliner should come in handy presently while she is in wheelchair. ;-( recovering.

Mom's new quilt
Christmas present 2011

Special sized quilt requested by Mom

So back to the studio tomorrow for me….that is after I first get a haircut so I feel like a person again ;-)
Nothing like creating Art to make one's soul feel better!