Busy weekend....

Besides being Earl's birthday it was Melissa's big birthday bash.

They will be talking about this event for awhile. It was full of lots of happy people and fun going-ons with a few surprises added in. Susan along with her crew of mostly Ray and Armando...did an amazing amount of work. And it all turned out beautifully! ...as you can see...








There was a song sung to Melissa by none other than Sean Cassidy. Most the women at this event said they had his poster up in their bedrooms when they were teens.....Melissa's husband and his back up singers did a rendition of "Do Run Run"....Lots of good toasts and fabulous performances by her son, Bear.

Sunday for Earl's birthday we took Madison for her first beach day. She loved it! We finished off with a great meal at Brothers. Earl had his long awaited prime rib dinner complements of Joe, Jill and Madison.

Madison and her new tricks

I survived the weekend...

2 beautiful days ...but I am exhausted! I still have not unloaded the car....2 events back to back is hard on old people like me. I had to miss the fireworks and sleep...not like me at all. I love fireworks! But I met some great people and visited with some friends. Thanks everyone who stopped by my spot in SB and Shell Beach. I guess I got my pic in the SB News Press today. Jill picked one up for me but I have not seen it. I have a "ringer" customer, Penny, in the photo too.
Now it is time to start up my acrylic painting classes at the Art Clinic again. Carol is doing a metal clay class and we are having a felting class on Sunday the 12 with Barbara Carr. I can hardly wait!

I am back....

physically anyway....still exhausted....I am the last to post from the ArtFiberFest posse of Mary, Charolette, Pam and I. So go check out their lovely posts and I will write more after this weekend. I have a show in Santa Barbara Sat. and Shell Beach Sunday with too small of an inventory...yikes! Anyway I want to say I had a really great time at AFF. New amazing friends and warm re-acquaintances with old friend. And of course Mary is so great to travel with. She likes the same things I do. We did get lost several times but it just added to the adventure.
I had amazing students.
Emily, Reenie and Alma made the class a real treat. I had a really fun time with Reenie at some nearby garage sales. I think anyone would have fun with her...she is so fun and super sweet. And of course there are not enough adjectives to describe how great Teesha and Tracy are.....they work so hard so we can all have this amazing experience. I love them both....


On the home front...Earl is on his way home from his NewBeetle show in Roswell and visit with his folks in Cortez, CO. He called from Barstow. It looks like the mothership missed him again...but by this photo, it was close.


These are my latest sockies....

One more hug...

before I take off for FiberFest....Please don't forget me Madison while I am gone.

I went to a class get together in Santa Paula Saturday, the Gerry Griffin Memorial kegger, with childhood buddy Billie Jean. We had such a good time! It feels more like a family reunion than a class reunion thing. Thanks again Birkys for opening up your great home for us all. I did not take too many pics. I did not think of it until it was almost dark. For any of my classmates: I think my biggest surprise was to see Ronnie Everett there..aka Bamboo...Anyway I always leave those events feeling lucky I had such a great chilhood and...that I survived it!

more of the co-lab....

This is the new doll Tara made. She is trying to cozy up to Captain Nimrod.....

This is the treatment Tara did to the portfolios that hold the double sided art. I have to do my part...but it will have to wait til after FiberFest and the July 4th show I have in Santa Barbara.

I just love these little things! They say they are for mayonnaise. The banana is a tiny flat spoon thing...also from Tara.

A quick post

My big news is I am teaching at ArtFest next year!!! ...Trees of Mystery. I will post pics later.
Here is an Earl update. You see him here in the shirt he and LE did for the Roswell trip end of the month. I think we have finally started on the road to normal eating.....so he is feeling stronger now and will be able to return to work in July as planned we think.

This is part of the co-lab Tara and I have been working on...did I already post this? If so it is good to visit it again. I have more pic to post but will probably get busy on that when I get back from FiberFest and the July 4t show is over....As for AFF...Mary and I are doing our road trip again. This time we are only going as far as Portland. We are both teaching, vending and I am taking classes too. I am hoping LE can make it down for a visit. I am teaching a custom apron class...basically make an apron to suit your personal needs from a pair of Levis...and paint it. I am looking forward to teaching this class. Teesha said I have some awesome students!

...and of course a pic of Maddie with Grandpa...


I liked this email funny:

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape,
So I got my doctor's permission to
Join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour But, by the time I got my leotards on, The class was over.

Here is what Madison is up to

Art and Soul

Penny, Susan B B. and I went to Asilomar this week for a 3 day art retreat. It was great. Easy drive, outstanding teachers, relaxing atmosphere and fun travel-mates. I had great tablemates: Liz, Dana and the oh so fabulous Penny. It was great to catch up with some old friends: Bee, Catherine, and Michael...and meet some new friends. I had Richard Salley for found object bezels,
Judy Wise for encaustic

and Stephanie Lee for a painting on cracked plaster technique.
I loved it all. We stopped in Pacific Grove before we checked in and went to our fave fabric store, Back Porch and then checked out a beautiful shop
called Diamonds and Rust.
On the way home, after breakfast in Carmel at Katey's Kitchen, we tracked down a lovely shop in Carmel Valley called Tancredi and Morgan. I would like to visit this area again. We saw lots of cool stuff.

AND today...I got a package from the fabulous Tara! We are working on a co-lab that is sooooo fun. I will add some pics soon...but Tara did the most exciting doll, portfolio and painting for me......now the burden is on me...yikes!

T and T in the house...

That is code for Tracy and Teesha Moore...they are stopping by the Art Clinic Wed. afternoon. If you are in the area stop by and say Hello....

This girl needs a name...Any ideas?

a peak at what I am working on....

This is a ArtFest proposal idea I am working on. I am just showing you a little part of it. I have 2 other things in the works. This part is always tougher than I think it is going to be so I am a little overwhelmed right now...

I have a busy week ahead but I wanted to give an Earl update. He is doing really good. We thought this chemo round would be tougher but it has actually been the easiest one so far....and it is the last! The 2 rounds after the surgery were just to make sure they got it all. He will have a scan on the 15th which they do not expect to see anything and he is done with all that! He is eating more and more normal things and his taste buds are coming back so that is helping. He is really excited about his trip to Roswell end of June. All the Newbeetle people are meeting there for a reunion. This the 10th year that they have caravaned there from all over the states and Canada to see if the mother ship comes...It is a fun time.... newbeetle enthusiasts

in case you need to see something really cute....

...here she is! Little Miss in-to-everything- walkin'- 4 teeth Maddie!
What the heck here is one more.....

Our little get away...

Jill, Earl, baby and I went to Los Gatos Sunday so Jill and I could take a 2 day journal making class. Earl came to baby sit..Madison came for our entertainment. It was a great class with DJ Pettit. Cindy O'Leary was the organizer of this premier Art Journey class. Jill and I talked all way home about what a great event it was. It was a great group of artists. A few I knew from ArtFest. Los Gatos is such a cute town. There were 5 baby shops in 2 blocks. We went to a great shop called Vintage on Santa Cruz. Lots of good restaurants and cute houses to look at. Baby was not crazy about being in her car seat for 4 hours...but we made it.
This is the journal in the works with the work of my tablemates.
Here is the finished journal...well almost finished.


We came home to another awful fire in Santa Barbara. Jill's work lost power and she came home early. Earl and Jill have workmates that are in areas that are in danger. Tomorrow they will tell which houses were lost.

Also here is the journal from ArtFest.
This was Carla Sonheim's Junk mail journal class.