Happy Easter!

Delaware Home and Garden Show

This fall I took some of my paintings to a gallery downtown.  The paintings were well received and I have sold several originals.  I also received a call from the Delaware Home and Garden Show.  They select 3 Delaware artists to feature at the show and I am very excited to be one of them!  It is a great fit because I mostly paint flowers and birds.  The show is next weekend and I am happily making preparations.  I am also doing my first art fair at the end of April!  It is here in Delaware and it is called The Bug and Bud Festival.  Although it's not crystal clear from the title, the theme of the fair is ladybugs and flowers, not creepy crawlies and beer.  Besides the two shows I am also working on more paintings for the gallery.  A busy month ahead and lots to look forward to!

Spring Cleaning

Decided it was time to spiff up the blog and give it a whole new look for spring.  Took a lot of trial and error, mostly error, but I think I have it up and running again.  I will probably do some more tinkering over the next month, but for now I can get back to the business of posting.  I have new work to post and a bit of news to share. 

Spring Fever

I was smitten when I saw this little robin project on a magazine cover.  I knew I had to make it the instant I saw it, even though a purse is something I have never attempted before.  I have embroidered since I was a little kid, so that was a breeze, but I was nervous about sewing something that had to fit a frame.  The instructions were clear and well written with lots of pictures, so I was very happy and kept telling the family " Hey look at me, I'm SEWING!"  Then in the final stretch I ran into a little problem.  I had convinced myself  I had the right frame, but actually it should be gently arched and not U-shaped.  Since this is the only one available in my town, I made it work.  So here is my slightly lumpy but still charming coin purse.  I was told I need to iron (gasp), so maybe I will order the right frame and give sewing another go.  If you would like to make one yourself, this is the magazine

and it has lots of other great projects.  So as it says, "thread your needle" and don't forget to iron!

Baby Shower

Here are the sweet little baby shoes I made to go with the sweater.  I used wool felt instead of the cheap stuff, but I think next time I will go a step further and use felted wool.  Felted wool is just a bit thicker.  I have a pretty fabric, gray with white flowers, it looks old fashioned; the plan was to make a sundress, but that didn't happen in time for the baby shower.  I will try to get it done this month.

So this is the shower gift package.  I painted a watercolor card inspired by Genine.  I would also like to make second dress in a pink vintage floral.  Let's just see when I get the first one done!

PS:  I couldn't get the link to work properly.  Genines' card is in her post on November 21, 2011.

My First Knitted Sweater

This is a huge TA DA moment for me, I have finished knitting an entire sweater!  Okay it's only a baby sweater, but it is done!  I made it for my new niece.  I also made the cutest little matching shoes out of wool felt that I will show you tomorrow. 



The top of this little matinee sweater is done in seed stitch.  The front has three mother of pearl buttons.  I actually knitted tiny buttons holes, and it all turned out!  I am still in shock.  I wasn't sure how long the sweater would take me so I made it in the sixth month size to be sure baby Erin could still wear it by the time I finished.  I'm not sure I quite have the technique right for sewing the pieces together but it isn't bad for my very first one.  Now maybe I will have the courage to finish the much easier sweater I started for myself fifteen years ago!

Must Float like Leaf on River of Life

I had planned a different post entirely, but the day has unfolded completely oblivious to MY plans, and the reoccuring theme seems to be weather.  Both the meterological sort and storms of personality.  I won't go into the storms of conflict that have blown in today, but I will report that it is supposed to snow here this afternoon.  Snow today, and 67 degrees by Thursday!  These photos are in my back log of things that have yet to be posted, so in celebration of today's potential snow, I figured this was my last chance to trot these winter themed pictures out.  February even had an extra day, and I still didn't manage to get these out from our last snow day.

Isn't he the cutest thing?  I'm going to take a page from this little guy,  even if storms blow in and land you in hot water,  I'm going to keep smiling and stay afloat.  Hope you find lots of little reasons to smile in your part of the world.

With gratitude for this day,

Alicia