Hello, friends! Here is a little bit about life around here right now: What are you working on? I've been experimenting with collograph. I don't have the right supplies, so I've run into a little bit of trouble, but I'm enjoying myself. I'll share more about it soon! What are you loving? Christmas lights! It's dark by 4:30pm around here and I have to say that the Christmas lights make it a lot less depressing. Plus my little guy says, "Oooo, light," every single time we pass a house with Christmas lights. It's really sweet. How is the little guy?... Read more →

Hey friends! I'm delighted to once again be teaching a class for my friend Nat Kalbach's mega online course, Creative JumpStart. This year's theme is "Creating Connections" and don't we all need a bit of that nowadays? It's quite an impressive line up of teachers -- probably some names you know and some that are new to you. Personally, I'm excited about some of the quilty people on the list like Jane LaFazio & Drew Steinbrecher. Both of them make quilts and do surface design work. One of the pleasures of a big class like this is discovering fresh new... Read more →

As I mentioned to weekly newsletter subscribers several weeks ago, I was hoping to make the time to create some sort of non-fire related Hanukkah countdown thing for my son. Well, I finally figured out a simple project that would work for his age and interest level, but still work for us as a family down the road. Plus, it's pretty. Inside each of the little houses is a small toy and a piece of Hanukkah gelt. After we light the candles each night, he can untie the bow on top of the appropriately labeled little house to release the... Read more →

To all who celebrate, a very Happy Thanksgiving from us to you! I hope these photos give you a little giggle. He was not in the mood for a photo! Time is the most lovely gift that any of us can give another human being. So, thank you for taking the time to read this blog, leave comments, buy artwork, take classes...I appreciate all of it! Thank you!!! Read more →

Here's an idea for your Thanksgiving table: sun printed napkins. Sun printing is a surface design technique where you allow the heat and light of the sun to help you dye your fabric. Besides sunlight, it requires stencils or masks to create the pattern. You can learn more about sun printing (even without the sun) in my online class all about it. Class is $25 with lifetime access, and the technique works on paper as well as fabric. I used cloth napkins I bought online, but you can also print fabric yardage and make your own napkins. Here's a look... Read more →

I stumbled upon this YouTube video yesterday and it made me think. Give it a watch: I do remember the first time I saw art that provoked an emotional reaction in me. It was in Norway at Vigeland Park. It was pre-phone camera and pre-blog, so I found this photo online to share with you today: On that day, I walked amongst the giant statues and suddenly started weeping. And yet, I remember showing photos of the sculpture to my Father and he didn't understand why I liked it so much. I thought, "Well photos don't do it justice." But... Read more →

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Hopefully you're anticipating good company and delicious food on Thursday. I have always loved adding fancy DIY place cards to my holiday table. Here are a few of my favorites from the blog archives: 2013 - City Skyline Place Cards (tutorial is here) 2017 - Leaf Place Cards (original post) 2018 - Egg Place Cards (original post) 2013 - Stamped Place Cards (original post) 2014 - Pop Up Place Cards (0riginal post) 2015 - Playing Card Place Cards (video tutorial is here) 2010 - Butterfly Place Cards (tutorial is here) 2019 - Paper Flower... Read more →

As you know, I have been hosting an annual carve-a-stamp-a-day challenge (aka #CarveDecember) in December since 2014! The challenge will continue for FREE this December. It's time to order your rubber! :) As always, everyone is welcome to join. New stamp carvers will develop their skills quickly and experienced stamp carvers will sharpen those skills. Everyone will connect with new friends. Here are the basics: Carve a stamp. Print it. Post the print to instagram. Use the hashtag #CarveDecember. Here is a quick side note about the hashtag. A wholesaler of carved stones has been spamming the tag for months... Read more →

Hello! Yesterday we had a very fun Book Club stream, chatting about my book, Carve Stamp Play. I also did a complete step-by-step demo of carving a stamp (in real time) during the stream. For those of you who have never carved or need a refresher, you might find it useful. Here's the replay of the live event: Links: Speedy Carve Speedball Carving Tool Stamp Carving Super Bundle Permapaque Markers And a few things I made during the stream: #CarveDecember 2021 information will be posted in tomorrow's blog post! The next Book Club will be on January 12, 2022 at... Read more →

I'm going to be giving a lecture on Surface Design in Quilting at the Watertown Public Library tonight. The event is free, but reservations are required. Here's the flyer for the event: If you're interested in learning more about Surface Design on fabric, here are four tutorial videos I've shared over the years, specifically about printing/painting on fabric: I'm going to tell you the most important things to remember about painting/stamping/drawing/printing/etc. on fabric. If you're not going to wash the fabric, then anything goes. Use any art supply in your stash and have fun! If you are going to wash... Read more →