Saturday, December 31, 2005

For my dear niece, Colleen

Hey, I found this and thought you might get a laugh out of it (you know, after our talk Friday night)...

Ah, to be an adult, and have another adult bawl you out for living your own life the way YOU want to. I have been there, done that many times with the person in question. It goes back many years!

Maybe it's time for a little thing called INTERVENTION - the next time they visit, I'll provide the drinks - bottled water only, and of course iced tea for you - and I'll have the body restraints available if needed, unless you have some saved from your years at the nursing home.

I enjoyed seeing you tonight! Say "Hi" to hubby..... Love, Aunt Julaine

Monday, December 19, 2005

Can you believe I won some chocolate for this quilt?...and below, a picture pun! ~ It's 2:15 in the morning!!!

Way back in '02, the ladies of PAQA in Chicago, set up a challenge! To go outside of your comfort zone, and create something that was a challenge to you. For me back then, it was many things...free-motion quilting, painting fabrics, working with sheers, and putting it altogether to represent "A Master's Work in Fiber - Starry Night"...

The size is the same as Vincent's interpretation of that night from his past. He painted it when he was living in the asylum. Depression and anguish, they said. The year was 1889.
Many things I have learned this year, after celebrating my 50th birthday back in January. Even though all my creative sides have come full circle and everyone tells me how much I've grown as an artist, sometimes you just have to "get it" yourself. I am a firm believer in these facts: that depression and illness can be both a hindrence AND a help in your ability/drive/passion to create - for me it was a brain aneurysm 4 1/2 years ago; joy and energy can hinder/help; and what about anger?
These emotions and life experiences are from an exercise in the book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"...of which I am using in my journaling class. Very powerful.

Getting back to the quilt, I actually got some votes on this - enough so I could pick out a prize...I went right for those Chocolate Rum Balls. But, alas, they were gone before I got home, so I couldn't share with my husband and son. Bad Julaine.....

And now, on a lighter note, check the pun below!



What is it? Post your answer, please!

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Christmas ornament ~ 1991

While going through all the boxes of ornaments and memories, we found these goodies...

And on the same day (see below)... Posted by Picasa

Mr. Excitement

The little boy is not so little anymore...
Jason, aka "DJ Mastershake" got his letter of acceptance for the Creative and Performing Arts Academy for next fall at Auburn High School. He'll be involved in dance, vocal music, and theater...
Jeff and I are very excited, relieved, and when your teenager shows you a HUGE SMILE, you know it's coming from deep inside... Posted by Picasa

Sunday, December 11, 2005

For our television viewing pleasure...

This is "The Carver" from "Niptuck" - a delicious, evil, strange, seductive program on the FX channel. Just wondering if anyone else out there in "Fiberspace" watches...

My DH thinks he knows the character's identity: "It's Matt, Sean and Julia's (no, Christian and Julia's) son," he says. Regular character, has a few problems, hmmmmm...

Our son visited the website (blog) tonight and learned a few things about the guy - even his taste in music! If you are a viewer, check it out - www.myspace.com/thecarver . Warning - beware some of the comments.

What I don't understand, I guess, is how a program like this is on the network that also owns Fox News Channel, home to all things conservative... (and idiotic) ~~~

Friday, December 09, 2005

"Blue skies...

smilin' at me. Nothing but blue skies do I see."

Okay, so now I have three pairs of socks on, because I took this photo in my Birkies outside with NO socks on. Make sense? - of course not, but I've been told that I am a bit impulsive.

Our neighborhood is full of tree-lined streets. From where I sit at the computer, and where I sit 'n bead or knit, I watch this old maple. One of the branches is particularly interesting, and I watch it every season to see what it's been up to. I know it has to be done, but I think the tree gets royaly p-o'd when the city comes to trim.

I've only done one quilt with a tree image on it, and that appeared in Quilting Arts magazine for fall 2005. Maybe if I were more confident in my drawing skills, I could do more. 2006 resolution maybe?

Here's a bit of info: did you know that the Druids believed that trees held the memories of people who walked by them? Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Why is it so hard sometimes...

to see them go? Is it because you're particularly proud of the way they turn out? Does it come from being very tired, and staying up late as the deadline approaches, sewing on those 200 plus beads. There wasn't any blood or sweat this time, but there were tears...

This is called "How Beautiful are the Feet no.5" - I delivered it to Kelly today, and she was thrilled! This is the latest in a sort of series - the first one was completed in 2002, and that was way before I started photographing my work.

I always say that I will visit my quilts that are in town, but I rarely do - letting go the first time is hard enough..... Posted by Picasa

Friday, December 02, 2005

The Creative Soul and Journaling

Five incredible women! In the photos below, you'll see some of their work from today's class.
A little new age music, a little meditation, and thoughts on peacefulness, anger, femininity, illness, energy, depression, joy, and personal traits helped all of these already creative women begin their art journals. They stamped, did frottage, image transfers, glued, painted tyvek, and didn't seem to mind that teacher gave them Astrobright cardstock pages (it's getting a little gloomy here in Illinois, you know) to work with.
I am very proud of them...
I honor Karen~Susan~Joy~Linda~Mary Lou~
Thank you..... Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa
 Posted by Picasa

Thursday, December 01, 2005

MEME: I can't live without...

Caity's request! Easy one - 4 glasses/day. It's as close to a Starbuck's iced mocha as humanly possible AND no hydrogenated oils! (thanks, Sherrie Spangler, muse, for getting me addicted). princessandthepea - Caity's blog- check it out!!!Posted by Picasa

Heather and the Little Boy!

Jason, our son (in the pink hoodie), found his old puffy vest, and decided to give our 15 year old Heather a ride around the house in it. Sorry the rest of his face is not in the pic, but he didn't think he looked presentable...

She enjoyed it and didn't want to get out of the vest. Can't you tell by how excited she looks? My DH and I still refer to the teenage son as the Little Boy when we talk to her about him, and watch her look for him. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, November 24, 2005

When last we checked in...

My studio looked like this ~ Posted by Picasa
Now it looks like this! Now I can finally get those quilts going...for the"Why is the Sky Blue" challenge, finish the next "How Beautiful are the Feet" piece for Kelly the podiatrist, and then there's maybe something for IQF-Chicago. Oh, the things I found...Oh the pins I stepped on...Lesson learned here, Julaine? Oh, I hope so...

I discovered the floor. I found the spot where the hot iron fell, and fried the carpet. My studio is only 8'x10' - so I had to move the "haven't been touched for a year" stash downstairs to the basement, and I had 6 full trash bags of junk to throw away, including (gasp) fabric!!!

As much as I was dreading the cleanup, I does feel great now that it's done. And now since it's officially Thanksgiving, my new and improved studio is just one of many things that I'm thankful for..... Posted by Picasa

Saturday, November 12, 2005

The Latest Photo Shoot

I have been getting the "nudge" to package my dyed and carded silk roving, so here goes...
The first pic shows the packages in which I have put 3 colors in each one - each "clump" of color is 12" of roving that I have brushed out, and is ready to be used...
Colors here: yellows, gold, oranges, fushsia, red, wine, lime, avocado, forest green, grey-toned blue (sorry, but I hate the name "country blue," sapphire, periwinkle, purples, bronze...
I've added a few things that I have made with the silk paper - a quilted, embellished amulet bag, a blue leafy thing, "cocoon"
beads, class sample that has been stamped, and my newest framed piece: novelty metallic animal print behind a mat, with a glorious burnt gold silk paper piece and fern charm mounted on top of it..... Posted by Picasa

should I be
creative with
this silk, or
just take it to
bed with me,
and cuddle up
to it?... Posted by Picasa
closeup
of bag...
orange,
sapphire
blue, and
dark
bronze ~
oh my, how
did that
label get in
this shot !!!

Friday, November 04, 2005


bowl of silk with a side order of bead soup... Posted by Picasa

silk paper bowl... Posted by Picasa

Something new made from silk paper ~

Oh, my!!! I really needed to create something tonight ~ I've been teaching silk paper making, and even as instructor, I must grow, and reach beyond the processes that I expect of my students. The silk bowl is beautiful, but very lightweight. I could spray it with some sort of sealer, but I prefer to leave it as is, because I wouldn't want to put anything inside of it anyway.....

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Autumn color ~

Nothing political here, just our beautiful burning bush ~we think about 58 years old~we just can't bring ourselves to doing a major trim on it~the birds love their moon-shaped feeder hanging from it. Yes, it's knarled and wild, but hey, so are we..... Posted by Picasa

Monday, October 31, 2005

The teenage son...

Jason, the crucifer, as he is called now! Another rite of passage for parents, and we're sure that Martin Luther would be proud. He didn't realize how heavy it was, and the closing hymn today was a long one - I was hoping that his big grin was coming from deep down in his soul, but I found out that his fellow confirmation classmates were smirking at him!

He's changing so much these days, in size and maturity (?) - last week we went to a meeting at the high school that he will be attending next fall. Tomorrow he auditions for the "Creative and Performing Arts Academy" that is at that school. He's trying out for dance, and is interested in the tech side of drama, but still has to recite something for the audition - it should work out, as he is quite the extrovert.....

We got silly in class and dyed our hair -

 Posted by Picasa

and maybe we shouldn't have cut it first ~

just kidding! These are really pix from my "Sensational Silk Paper" workshop -
This is Catherine's hand, and she's playing
with her beautiful blue mulberry roving.
In the super macro closeup above, we see
Cheryl's luscious lime...

Another student thinks I should market my dyed roving - hmmm...food for thought! I had 20 or so colors ready for class, and I think I can safely say that "extreme eye candy" would be a good way to describe the palette.....

Friday, October 28, 2005

An inspiration to us all...

I am delighted to announce that "Artful Quilters" from everywhere are taking on the challenge of the "Scary Studios" project !!! You must check out princessandthepea
to be truly inspired ~ what messes, what creative chaos ~ IT IS A THING OF BEAUTY !!!
Join us, won't you? See my post from Oct.18 if you're interested.....

Tuesday, October 25, 2005