A Calmer Time

It has certainly been a long time since I've posted to my blog. Occasionally the necessities of life get in the way and it's difficult to resume the old practices. In April I had knee replacement surgery on the right knee. Although God truly blessed me with a quick recovery and an easy rehabilitation, the initial surgery was difficult on this "old body."

Last month I had my final cataract removed from the left eye. That's a quick and easy surgery and it's great to have improved vision. Enough about me, however, and more regarding the fun things.

November 3 -7 was the Houston International Quilt Festival and we were honored to have our WTWW ArtBras and wall hangings on exhibit. Quilts, Inc. did a remarkable job setting up the exhibit and their work was amazing. Our gratitude and heartfelt thanks for showcasing our art in such a wonderful manner.

It's always great seeing old friends and making new ones. I always look forward to representing CQMagOnline at the Festival and finding new tools and techniques for our art. I have some great articles for the upcoming issues and hope you will log on and take a look.

This is our 2010 Fan wall hanging assembled by Stephanie Novatski.
What an amazing job she did - it's an exquisite piece. Photos do not do justice to the beauty of this beautiful crazy quilt.

On the right is our 2009 Rose wall hanging. Each of our wall hangings are donated to a breast cancer center. This one will be donated to Methodist Hospital Breast Cancer Center in honor of Jan Campbell. You can see her ArtBra on the cover of our 2011 Calendar. Calendars can be ordered through the ArtBra website and we encourage you to support this very worthwhile cause.

WTWW 2011 ArtBra Calendar - A Work in Progress

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted. But I do have a good excuse and thought I would share. First let me tell you about Victoria Adams Brown, a dear friend and mentor. A number of years ago she started the WTWW Foundation and invited me to design an ArtBra for exhibition. I believe that was in 2004 and we are still going strong.

I've blogged a lot about my past designs but thought I would share with you my newest bra which I call " Chrysalis." It is inspired by three wonderful women who have experienced the ravages of breast cancer and turned it into a positive experience.

With each one I was reminded of the monarch butterfly and its life cycle. From the darkness of the cocoon (which can be likened to the months of surgery, rehabilitation and often times chemotherapy) emerges the beautiful butterfly. These women have emerged from their cocoon with a new beauty and grace both inside and out.

Brenda Wilson, Vic's sister, designed a beautiful butterfly which she kindly gave me permission to use in my designs. Brenda is a breast cancer survivor, spokesperson and advocate. The magnificent wings of the butterfly sit atop a body shaped like a pink ribbon bow - the well-known symbol for breast cancer. I have taken her beautiful design and re-created it with beads. I hope you will enjoy the photos of my progress.

Brooke Exley Long, owner of Hanah/Artemis Silks donated the beautiful shibori fabric that covers the bra. I've used Hanah silk ribbon to make the zinnias and burnished silk leaves.

The branch the cocoon hangs on is made with the Diva Custom Cordmaker designed and sold by Connie James, owner of Fibergoddess.

We are excited about introducing the 2011 ArtBra Calendar and hope that everyone will purchase a calendar to support this very worth while cause. The ArtBras and wall hangings will be on exhibit at the Houston International Quilt Festival this Fall.

I can't close without telling you about the two other women who have so inspired me. Jan Campbell was diagnosed with breast cancer almost a year ago. She was my first crazy quilt instructor, another wonderful mentor, and one of my dearest friends. She has designed her first ArtBra this year named "Are They Real?" You can see it on Vic's blog.

And last but certainly not least; Linda Cauble. I met Linda at the Houston Quilt Festival last year. Her story is amazing! She required a bone marrow transplant and her recovery was complicated by these issues. But what a beautiful lady she is. She is the owner of A Beaded Road and sells the most beautiful shawls.

Thanks for stopping by my blog - please visit often. I've linked all the websites so just move your cursor over the names and businesses. Don't forget to order your 2011 ArtBra Calendar. They make wonderful gifts.

Many Thanks

I had a wonderful time participating in the One World One Heart event hosted my Lisa Swifka of the Whimsical Bohemian. Thank you Lisa and to all who visited my blog and left comments. I hope you will visit often.

I can't tell you how excited I was when I received four emails saying I had won. It's hard to imagine actually being chosen four times but I am so thrilled. I want to thank the following bloggers:

Louise Little Tete A Tete Thank you Louise for the beautiful lampwork bead. I have received it and it is gorgeous.


Piece Alex emailed saying I had won this beautiful rose necklace. This will be another treasure since I love anything with roses. Thank you Alex!


Javableue & Cie Isn't this cabochon ring fabulous? I can't believe I won this beautiful gift as well.



Mana Moon Studios

This is a gorgeous beaded key chain and I am thrilled to have won this as well. This was indeed a good year for me and I cannot thank these wonderful bloggers enough.

I hope Lisa will repeat this event next year. I will definitely participate and offer more than one giveaway. It's fun to give and equally fun to receive. It definitely brightens the day to receive a beautiful surprise in the mail. My sister once told me when you receive surprises it's God's way of saying He loves you. This adds a special meaning to these special gifts.

Once again - thank you Lisa and many thanks to these four special bloggers.

The Winner Is.....................

I am so pleased to announce the winner of my OWOH giveaway: Marie from Art From My Heart. I have contacted Marie by email and will be mailing her gift as soon as I hear from her. Congratulations, Marie, I hope you will enjoy your gift.

I've had a great time riding the magic carpet and visiting bloggers from all over the world. What a wonderful vision Lisa had. Without this event I would never had the opportunity to meet so many talented and creative artists.

A special thanks to Lisa and to all who visited my blog and signed in. I hope you will visit often and keep in touch.

One World One Heart

Welcome old friends and new...I'm glad you've taken time out of your busy day to visit my blog and I hope you will return often. Last year I came across this wonderful blogging adventure called One World One Heart. It was so much fun visiting new blogs and signing up for fabulous gifts. I decided I just had to participate in 2010...so here I am.

The Concept of OWOH: Lisa Swifka, owner and host, explains this concept much better than I ever could so I will quote her: "This is an International Event that transcends geographical location, socio economics, political affiliations, religious beliefs...it's a coming together like the giant community we are on this planet. If only it took a simple giveaway to create Peace everywhere. In the meantime, hear we give from our hearts. We are not solving the world's problems nor are we curing anything, nor or we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through our blogging."

How to participate:

All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog ...nothing more. Your comment must have a way to link back to you or you must include your email address. I need to be able to contact you if you win. Only one comment per person will be included in the drawing.

The deadline for adding your comment is Sunday, February 14th. at 6pm CST. The winner will be posted on Monday, February 15.

My Giveaway:

The winner will received this felted wool needle case with hand-dyed silk ribbon embellishments. The necklace is hand-beaded with Swarovski bicones. Please note: The scissors are not included.

I hope you will visit all the wonderful bloggers who are participating this year. You will find the complete list here: OWOH Have fun everyone!

What I LIke to Do

Thought I would post several photos of "what I like to do." The first two photos are my blocks for our 2010 wall hanging for breast cancer awareness. See the sidebar Flickr link for all the blocks.







This is one of the motifs on my "Opposites Attract" ArtBra design.









Here is one of the silk ribbon flowers I use on one of my needlecase designs.




And my billfold design:



Also the very first purse I made about eight years ago.









This is a large covered button with silk ribbon embroidery and a beaded picot stitch.

Tell Me What You Think

I've been playing with my blog layout and I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied. I will let it stay this way for the time being and perhaps change it later.

On the right side I've added the Flickr site for our yearly ArtBra Ladies Wallhanging. We are beginning our fan blocks for this year and the color theme is jewel tones. I hope you will take a few minutes to log on and see what we have done so far.

We are a closed group and not accepting new members at this time. We do, however, enjoy sharing our work. This is our fifth annual wall hanging. Each year the wall hanging is donated to a cancer center.

If you are interested in creating an ArtBra for 2011 please log onto the Way to Women's Wellness Website (WTWW) for all the information regarding submitting your design. Pictured here is the 2010 ArtBra Calendar.

Read about all the designers for the 2010 calendar and while you're there order a copy. They would make great Valentine's gifts.

***********

One World One Heart: I invite you to log onto this site and read all about this yearly event. There are many bloggers who will participate and give away some wonderful prizes. Watch for my post later this month announcing my prize. I hope you will join in the fun and in the process meet some wonderful bloggers.