Lovely Vintage Textile

I wanted to share this lovely piece of embroidery I bought at an antique market last weekend. It is actually a little pouch that was used by ladies to hold their handkerchief. I just love the softness of the colors and the placement of the design.
I have it hanging by my work table. When I look up it feels a bit like looking through a window at wildflowers blowing in the breeze...

My New Studio Space

I've had a hectic week, thus no posting for a while! With one of my daughters moving out a spare room was created. I was sorry to see her go however it meant I could move my 'studio' from the dining room up to it's own contained space. Three coats of white paint later I have a fresh blank canvas of a room to create in! I am still getting used to having a well set up space; so organized with 3 set-ups; one for sewing, one for card making and one for the computer. I still need to adorn the walls with some favorite artwork although I don't want to add too much at this point. The calmness is refreshing and I can focus on the color in the work I am doing.

My Brilliant Grandmother

My wonderful grandmother, Emme, was a painter. She was the greatest influence on my life, as I was growing up. She began painting later in life, when she was in her 40's. Her portraits and still life's have a quality that I love. She captures the mood, the quietness of her subjects as they pose for her. These were painted in the 1940's and are very evocative of the period. The light and shadow make up the structure of her subjects and thus have a slightly impressionistic feel.
My family and I are blessed to have many of her paintings in our home. They will continue to be heirloom pieces that will be passed down through the generations.

Fabulous Bookcase

Recently I have been on a re-decorating mission at our house. The kids aren't little anymore and it's O.K. to have an adult space now. I began by taking everything away, repainted, stained the floors and then edited in a big way and only brought back what was essential & beautiful. However, what I felt we needed was one, unifying piece to hold our things in, that kept the look calm and grounded.
One day while out and about I saw this piece in a unique store that sold interesting imported furniture and objects. I immediately could visualize it in the room; my husband was more practical and measured and wondered.... but I prevailed and here it is! I enjoy it every day in that it keeps the space from ever looking cluttered or disjointed. The older I get the more harmony I feel I need in my surroundings...

Musical Cowboy

I'm still on the cowboy theme, (see following Treasury post) and here is a further example of Vintage American West barkcloth fabric. Here I have used it in a fabric collage picture. I do these from time to time and then make cards from the image. I am also in the process of a designing a nice way to mount this to sell as an original artwork.
After cutting various elements out of different fabrics I stitched them together and proceeded to add trims and brass charms to further enhance the composition. The vintage Lee riveted button was the final crowning focal point!

Front Page Treasury

It is always a thrill to be in an Etsy Front Page Treasury! Here, my 'Western Cuff' is part of TeaCupElephant's 'Hey, I'm No Square' treasury list.
It is quite a unique narrative piece, depicting a couple of cowboys. If you read an earlier post in this blog, on the history of barkcloth, it mentions how this American West motif was popular in the 1940's.
As of now the cuff has still not sold although it has many hearts on the Etsy site. I guess it is waiting for that perfect buyer to come along... (just click on the photo to see a larger image size).