Minneapolis meanderings

The textile center in Minneapolis is fabulous! I spent three hours just randomly accessing books in the 60,000 book library. These purses were hanging on the wall across from the library. There is a wonderful gallery with a great show: "Nothing New". If you are in the area, go see it! (pics from that tomorrow)

Loved these purses and took some pics to share with you, dear reader! Hope you can figure out the makers from the attributions on the left.
http://www.textilecentermn.org/

My friend, Laura B., and I were in town for the ISGB Gathering. I just had to see this place and the Book Arts Center. Missed some good demos at the Gathering, but no regrets! It was a fab day and I got in a lovely walk too! Downtown Minneapolis is beautiful this time of year. My friend Laura, who is from Washington state, had never seen the Mississippi before. Her first view was early evening with an almost full moon!

Off to Minneapolois

Tomorrow morning I leave for Minneapolis and the International Society of Glass Beadmakers convention, the "Gathering". A very cool four days. We will get demos by some of the top glass beadmakers, do a museum tour by bus, shop, enjoy a banquet with auction afterwards, and shop some more. Can't wait to see my friend, Laura Bowker, and her new beads.

She has been spending time in Italy, Murano, Italy, studying with a master beadmaker. Her new beads are amazing and I can't wait to hold them in my hands! I will post some photos when I get back.

These beads are some from a few years ago since I haven't been making a lot of beads, or at least none worth taking a picture of! BTW, have you noticed that the new digital cameras are 10 megapixel? Wowzer! Got to get a new one before I go...

Dear readers, I hope you are well today and feel inspired to try something new. Do something that you don't think will work - and learn from doing it. Learn from the process. It might open your eyes to something unexpected!!

Working with Green, healing the heart

Mid July, and it is devil hot here in South Florida! Everything is green since we had 7 inches of rain in June, which we desperately needed. Lake Okeechobee is almost 20 inches low, and we have been having to ration water. My Ruellas are blooming beautifully again, they make me smile. What hibiscus has bloomed, the green iguanas have been eating. We have at least three, maybe more, and a new young one this year. They love hibiscus flowers, I do not begrudge them these. The iguanas are a fabulous green themselves, so beautifully prehistoric!

The green pendant I bought at Offerings in Vermont at the end of May, with my new friend Linda. It needed something more than just a silver chain, so I created a green freshwater pearl and mother-of-pearl blister pearls necklace, what do you think? It looks good against black.

Green is one of the colors representing the heart chakra. Since I lost some very good friends last year, green for me is healing. Breathing in, I pull in all the pain from people around me. Breathing out, I return only compassion and love.

Dear reader, may you be blessed with peaceful feelings.

Fabric from Trash 2 Treasures

Wow! Can you believe all this fabric for free? Can you imagine that they were all going to go to the dump? Can't wait to try painting on all the beautiful white on white pieces, maybe you will want some pieces for your stash! There are sample pieces, small pieces, remnants and also some large yardage pieces.

And there was a whole bin of faux leather pieces. Will have to get a leather needle for my machine. Some pieces came with grommets in them, I'm thinking handbags for those! Could just tie some handles thru the holes...

Dear reader, hope you are well. You may have heard about the terrible crash of a twin engine plane into a couple houses near Sanford Florida. The day before another twin engine plane crashed, killing the pilot and co-pilot. The pilot was a friend of my husband and a very cool guy, Bob Cunningham. He had 37 years experience flying. Have to say that this shook my confidence in learning to fly. But I went and took my lesson, and fly patterns and faced my fears. Isn't that what life is about - learning to face your fears and growing stronger?