Inspiration Along the Journey

Greetings friends - happy weekend! I am back from my quick trip up to northern Illinois to visit my momma and second dad...and I thought I would quickly drop in to share some photos of my journey. It was a good trip, minus the standard (extensive) train delays. They live in a lovely lakeside home with incredible wildlife, birds and gardens. We spent most of our time at the house, working/playing outside...but we did make a trip up to Wisconsin to a favorite apple orchard (Ten Eyck Orchard). We also took the pontoon boat out for a trip all around the lake....and I did a little painting at my mom's artist easel. It was a good, quiet, artistic week...and here are a plethora of photos I took...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit - I hope you feel happy and inspired! I will be back on September 20th with my latest project tutorial for Therm O Web (you can see it on the Therm O Web Blog on Tuesday, September 19th)...it is an autumn/Halloween project with a bit of magic. I hope you stop back soon...

A Bird, a Basket, and a Squirrel...

Today was a rather gloomy day, but inside my studio has been bright and cheerful! I have been stitching all evening, working on another new design/model for Just CrossStitch Magazine (for an autumn issue). I also was blessed to spend my afternoon with some wonderful, colorful fabrics, as I cut and prepared another 45 zippered project bags for sewing. Orders have been coming in steadily and I am grateful for more happy time in my studio....just wait until to you see the all the special needlework finishing I have been working on for my clients...some absolutely gorgeous pieces!!

I have plenty of completed projects to share with you, as time allows - but today I thought I would share some creative eye candy from my recent birthday...I will provide details with the photos, if they are available. 

These top two images are of an incredible mixed media bird - I wish I had more information for you - unfortunately, I do not have the artists name (if you know, please do drop me a note!)...but it really is spectacular! It was created with all sorts of materials and sits on (what looks to be) a vintage candle holder or stand. It is quite large in size and I had a heck of a time photographing it, so you could see the details....my images don't even come close to doing it justice. I haven't found the perfect home for it just yet - I have been auditioning places...right now it is on a shelf in my sewing room, where it is continually bringing me joy...

How cute is this stitched squirrel?!...and the round, concave tray is to die for...
plus I was given all sorts of little sewing gifts to keep in it...

So first - the basket - it is a Mini Organizer Basket from 1803 Ohio Farm Baskets
https://www.etsy.com/shop/1803ohiofarmbaskets
It is incredible quality, a lovely size, and the PERFECT gift!
The "sew" piece on the front is a needleminder from one of my
favorite artists, Michelle L. Palmer - her pen and ink works are FABULOUS!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MichellePalmer
You also see a scissor fob and three packages of hand-dyed rick rack...

How gorgeous is this framed piece?! - I ♥ it!!
The rick rack spools are from Riley Blake Designs.

 

Quiltfolk magazine - SWOON!
I received a couple back issues and a subscription...if you are not familiar
 with this magazine (each one is like a book and is advertisement free - high
quality paper and cover - no patterns), it celebrates the people and the
stories behind the stitches - it is BEAUTIFUL!
https://www.quiltfolk.com/

Stationery and Sewing Tin Set by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet
You can find it here: https://www.fatquartershop.com/red-stationery-and-sewing-tin

Needle Case Slide Top Tin from Clayworks by Kim Detmers
Yes, the top of this tin is (3D) polymer clay and it is LOVELY!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Claybykim

So those are just a few creative things and artists I wanted to share with you - thank you to my dear friends and family that gifted me these heartfelt presents! Each one brings me joy and inspires me to create...

Magical Masterpiece - Desert View Watchtower

Today I (finally) have more photos to share from my recent trip to Arizona/Utah...I don't want to be that annoying person that shares a million photos from a trip that no one has much interest in; therefore, it has taken me some time to decide how much I want to share and the context. I took in an unbelievable amount of artistic beauty...and this location definitely deserves an entire post of it's own - the Desert View Watchtower, located on the South Rim near the eastern edge of Grand Canyon. These are, in my opinion, extremely inspiring images...and while I tried to capture the incredible details and artistry with my camera lens, these photos don't even begin to give this stunning stone tower justice.

First a little about the architect, artists, and history of this grand landmark...

The Desert View Watchtower was designed by Mary Colter (if you don't know who she is, Google her!), a prolific American interior designer and architect...and if you've been to the Grand Canyon, chances are, you have seen her breathtaking designs (Hopi House, Hermit's Rest, the Bright Angel Lodge complex, Phantom Ranch buildings, and Lookout Studio, to name a few...and yes, she decorated the famous El Tovar Hotel). To me, her style was admirable - blending her buildings into their surroundings mixing multiple styles, elements, and materials...she beautifully combined Native American art, Spanish Colonial Style, Mission Revival Style, and Southwestern elements. The more I research her history and her work, the more I am inspired...she has given me a new found love of Native American craftsmanship and motifs.

The historic Watchtower is a four-story, 70-foot stone building completed in 1932. The carefully arranged texture mixture of stones, rock, mortar, and concrete somewhat resembles an over-sized Ancestral Puebloan tower...and it overlooks the south rim of the Grand Canyon with spectacular views of the Colorado River and the Painted Desert. The tower interior is decorated with bold and beautiful murals painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie and detailed petroglyph-style motifs by Fred Greer. I could go on and on (and on and on) about this marvelous structure and the picture perfect details inside and out (like the vast array of irregular window sizes - bringing in the optimum amount of light and providing amazing views...and the fireplace that left me speechless) but there is plenty of written information, if you wish to study it further. For now, I will share a selection of my favorite photos...and just maybe, you will find them as magical as I do...

Just a note...
Long time readers of my blog may remember a post I did back on August 31, 2014 when my husband I visited the Grand Canyon and the Desert View Watchtower...back then, the tower housed a large retail shop and it was like a tourist market inside (very crowded and uncomfortable and you couldn't see any of the brilliant wall murals). In 2015, the National Park Service took over the tower and has worked hard to restore the structure to Mary Colter's vision, removing the commercial marketplace. On this visit, we arrived shortly after 8:00 AM when the entrance opens and before the crowds arrived, giving me the prime opportunity take photos and admire the magnificence.

Finally, for those who have 10 minutes and would like to learn more about Mary Colter and the Desert View Watchtower, here is an excellent video from the National Park Service...
If you can't see the video here, visit this link: https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=6AF7C29B-155D-451F-67ED6E0546596E5B