Soldered Soul Shrines

This past week I treated myself & my mother to one of Lauri Grimshaw-Cox's art classes. After I took one of her soldering classes in January, I've been waiting eagerly to take her soul shrine class. It's probably one of her hardest classes, but it's incredibly rewarding. Inside each of our soldered shrines, we have tucked in personal treasures.

This is my mother's soul shrine dedicated to my sweet grandmother..

 Inside is my grandmother's wedding band, an angel wing, mother & daughter pearls, and more..

And this is my soul shrine dedicated to my soul mate and daughters..

Inside is the key to my heart, a mother's charm, two pink pearls for my lovely angels, and a grey pearl for my hubby.

This was an amazing technique class and in the end we've created such a sentimental piece of art. Lauri does not often list this class and it fills up quick, so I highly recommend joining her newsletter and signing up for the next time it is offered.

I can not wait to make another one! Her classes always fill me with such inspiration and renewed love for soldering.

Mother's Day Bonanza!

I am incredibly lucky that I was able to celebrate Mother's Day with my parents & family. My mother and I have had such fun all week and we are now counting the days till we leave for Quilt Market. It seemed extravagant to have presents in addition to our fun activities, but we love to make presents for each other.

This year I treated my mother to a gardening theme gift...

 I found this gardening tote pattern on Sew, Mama, Sew. I *loved* this pattern! It's well written and so much fun. It's perfect for trying a number of fabrics and some room to try a new freemotion quilting pattern.
I think this tote would be awesome for a couple of uses - it has a very sturdy & large inner compartment as well as 3 outside pockets.

Kiddo painted a flower pot and gifted some pansy flower seeds. We also put together a custom notebook from Tiny Prints. The journal was a great deal and I am sure I will be buying some more in the future!

My parents & husband gave me lots of tea related gifts though they didn't collaborate on it. I can't wait to try  out my brand new beautiful teapot from my husband & daughters! My mother bought us twin teacups sets - one for each of us. So even though we are separated states away, we can share a cuppa tea together. Aww..

And my favorite gift from my mother of course is one made by her hands..

Love it.. I hung it on my wall about 5 seconds after I opened it...

I hope that you had a wonderful Mother's Day! I hope those that you have loved and cared for gave you an extra bit of sweetness..

So Amazing, It's Scary

I have a love/hate relationship with horror movies. Now if we are talking Hitchcock, well, I love all of his work. He was a genius! I don't think there is a movie of his that I don't madly love. My all time favorite? Vertigo.. I could talk forever about all the psychology of love, loss, and obsession wound in that film. My next favorite? The Birds...

Then last month the fabulous embroidery site, Feeling Stitchy, featured the amazing art of Drop Dead Quirky . How incredible is this depiction of "The Shining"..

and then I had to see more, so I snooped on over to her Flickr page..and saw this...

I was in love. The way she captured the eerie tone with thread was beyond amazing.

And then, and then, and then...

I have no words. Well, actually I do. I told my husband I would marry that fiber art if I could. It's so amazing, I can't take it.

I've begun checking her Flickr site everyday to see if there is a new fabulously scary piece.

What piece do you think she should do next?
I was going to ask her to do the clown from "It", but didn't want to seem all pushy..
Like by magic, it was her next piece!!

How wicked is that?? I never really liked clowns...I'm pretty sure if I bought this, I would have to tuck it in the freezer each night so I wouldn't be afraid of it all night.

I'm just utterly amazed and inspired by her work..

I'll have to think some piece I could commission that wouldn't make me hide under the covers!

(P.S. These pictures are from her personal Flickr page, if you want to Pin - please credit Drop Dead Quirky. Thanks!)

Tattoo Iconic Mother Wreath

I posted about this wreath last year. I still love this wreath and will be placing it on our door later today. I'm still without a tattoo even though I have created a design I would love to have on my upper back..and I have plans for it later this year, but that's for another post.

Even if you aren't a fan of body art, I still think this a fun wreath for Mother's Day!

Summertime, Summertime, Summertime

I have so many projects in the works right now, it is a bit crazy. And almost all of which I can not show pictures..yet. This is impossibly hard for a chronic oversharer. ACK! 

I am still alive and well. I thought I would share what the beginning of our summer looks like.

Nope, I'm not pregnant again. That is not pureed food for a baby...it's for everyone! While I'm not a fan of hiding veggies in foods because I think kids need to make the connection of a healthy life with a healthy diet, I do think it's great to pump up some foods. One of my favorite things right now is to add about 1/2 cup of pureed cauliflower to our egg scramble.. Yummy!

 Lots and lots of gardening! This is our first year in a long time when I'm able to get some yard work done with the girls. We won't mention Baby's fistful of EZseed in the mouth and my panic (all is well). Kiddo is the best gardening helper and loves watching our veggie garden grow. (there is no picture of her because her attire is usually just undies..)

And some secret surprises for a special teacher at Kiddo's school. I'm becoming such a fan of the Courthouse Steps motif!

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of a fabulous summer...