Happy Spring????

Happy Spring????  

I'm starting to worry that once again we'll bypass spring and head right into summer.  I like that little break in-between so I can slowly transition my closet as each day gets warmer.

April was a good month for art and inspiration.  The first week of April we attended the Art Expo in New York City at Pier 94.  I love New York.  I never tire of all there is to do there and all of the excitement in the air just walking around the city.

The Expo is a place where you can meet and talk to famous artists from all over the world.  They all converge here once a year to exhibit their work.  Some are well known and others are showing their work for the first time but everyone is hungry for people and companies to buy their art.  I have never met an artist who didn't like to talk about what they do so it's always interesting to hear how they create their magnificent pieces.

Don't wonder or ask what this is - IT IS WHAT IT IS!   

My husband found this guy painting in a harness.  The circular work of art was beautiful!

I can directly link two things I learned at this Expo to the state our economy.  Unlike other years the prices of the art work was dramatically lower.  We could never buy any of the art here before but this year almost all of it was affordable.  By affordable I mean a good amount of it was under $5,000.  That isn't affordable for me but for a person who is interested in investing in a beautiful painting or whatever the prices were pretty reasonable.  In the past everything was $10,000 and above. 

My daughter fell in love with this tile by an artist in Canada.  He was so nice and took a lot of time explaining exactly how he created it.  He signed it and gave her his email address so if she ever wants to add pieces to it he will personally create them for her.

I met a wonderful artist named Jane Elissa who's specialty is collages.  She had a menagerie of 

bags of all sizes and so many neat things I knew I had to buy something(s) but couldn't decide.  This pillow was it.  I love it.

She signed the back and if we could have had lunch together we would never have run out of things to talk about!

Before I left I did see one more thing I couldn't resist!

This clutch bag!  It's wonderful.  I have all kinds of bags and I loved them all but just couldn't do another traditional bag or tote BUT this little work of art is a conversation piece and goes with everything.  I think I'm going to wear it to my daughter's college graduation in a few weeks!  It even has a chain if I want to wear it over my shoulder.

Last weekend I went to the Connecticut Piecemakers Quilt Guild show at the Crown Plaza in Southbury.  It was fun and as always inspiring!  It's just time that's in the way of all of this quilting.  There were a lot of these quilted jackets on display all over the place.

Once again, my favorite crazy quilts.  Making one is one of the hundreds of things on my bucket list!

I didn't realize how beautiful this quilt was until I looked closer...

and saw all of the applique and bead work.

The colors of the batiks are beautiful in this quilt.

Love this quilt.  Dreamy and fun and I think probably anyone can try it with some success.  Not as amazing as this but probably pretty nice.

Frogs - I have to make a little table topper like this.  From this photo you can see exactly where to place the triangles to make the frogs!!

There are always tons of stars at quilt shows.

Almost every quilt show has this Christmas tree too.  Every quilter walks by and says I saw this panel at such and such a place!  I saw it last summer in Amish Country.  It was lit up with the lighting kit that you can attach to the back.  A lady admiring it next to me said she made it with the lights and it makes a great wall hanging for the holidays.

Yes we can!  We just need time!

There was so much to see in this quilt you really had to look at it for a while to grasp it all.

Love these fans.  Want to make one!

Dresden plates are wonderful.  I have a lot of 30's fabric.  I am considering using it to make a quilt like this.  Who wouldn't have pleasant dreams going to sleep on a winter night with this on the bed.

Blue and white is always a classic.  Nothing else needs to be said.

You couldn't have thought our visit wouldn't include houses!  My all time favorite. 

I got up good and close for this one BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE IT!

This looks like a Prim wall hanging.  I love Prims!

The steps are so cool in this little wall hanging.  Reminds me of two quilt books I have that I never did anything with.

What a wonderful summer wall hanging!

How adorable is this!

SO we come upon this adorable table runner.  Mind you the entire time we are walking around we are trying to talk ourselves out of everything.  I am very happy I didn't buy that chicken quilt kit!  I had to really try hard to convince myself that they were CHICKENS!

These flowers were another story.  We lingered around and then walked away only to go by it a few more times.  The last time we picked up the book and almost decided we had to have the whole deal-the material, the book and anything else we needed to make this runner.

Look at it!!  I am a sucker for anything with buttons!

While I had one hand in my pocketbook rummaging around for my wallet Anne was reading the book.  Thankfully she read the directions and concluded all you have to do is cut out the shape of a flower.  Sew two fabrics right sides together and turn them inside out.  Then keep attaching them as long as you want to make it.  Embellish with buttons!  Thanks, Anne!  You saved the day on that one!

So the next free few minutes I had I made these really cute and so useful thread-catchers.  I saw the pattern a long time ago somewhere but I came across a tutorial on Gingerbread Snowflake's blog recently that was so simple, quick and easy I decided to give them a try.  I used to use a piece of batting to catch all my loose threads but now that I have these I can keep one in my work space at home and the other in my little carry all. Next time I make one I will make it a little bigger because then you can put scraps of fabric in it too.

All the pattern is is a triangle that is equal on all sides.  Sew it, turn it, and then fold down the three points.  Sew up where the bottom and the points meet and tack down the points with buttons.  Here's the link to the tutorial:

 http://needlingthings.blogspot.com/2011/08/triangular-ort-thread-catcher.html

Remember my wine bottle lights? How could you forget them! I've posted so many photos of them.  More are coming-I'm waiting for hubby to drill the holes!  It's on his honey-do list-at the bottom with everything else. They cost nothing to make because I had everything I decorated them with.  And with a coupon from JoAnn's the lights were about $5 or less.  

Well, the other day I was in JoAnn's and what did I come across but this LOVELY bottle light!  $35!!  I went home and showed my family and said see you may think I am loony sometimes making these things BUT I think my $5 bottles are a million times better looking than these.  That sun decoration is made of cheap paper and the bow isn't even good raffia.

One last note to end our visit!  Remember I posted the photo of the wreath below.  It's the one I made for my front door.  Well, you won't believe it but the other day I noticed the bottom part of the door had white stains running down it.  This morning I finally had time to open the door to see what the heck it is.  Apparently my wreath is so nice it's attracting birds and you know what birds do when they land on something!!!  My husband took one look at the whole white mess and said he thought I might have done too good a job making that wreath look inviting!  I was upset I didn't take a photo but he assured me once they find a cushy place they will be back!  I'll keep you posted!