Finally finished!

Back in July, (yes, July), I took on a project which was a bit foreign to me: painting a mural. It took longer than I anticipated, but wasn't as difficult as I envisioned.  I am really proud of the "Wild about Christ" mural I painted in the nursery at my church.

Art everyday! (Well, almost..,,)

At the beginning of the month I challenged myself to work on my art everyday.  I remember my mother saying, "Are you sure you want to set such a rigid goal?  I don't want you to be disappointed if it doesn't happen." Well, if there is one thing I have begun to learn in this first seven months of motherhood, it is that you do what you can when you can.  I am learning to go with the flow.  Although I haven't created every day this month, I have worked on my art much more than I have in previous months. I'm proud to say that I will have two-maybe three 9" X 12" journal quilts that will be exhibited in the Texas SAQA booth at the International Quilt Festval in Houston in less than two weeks.  Now, that's something I am truly proud of!

Day One

Today was the first day of the October Challenge.  I have been working on a nursery jungle mural at my church, and today, I made a lot of progress.  I think I have about three more hours of work to go and it will be complete.  I also picked some some possible photos for inspiration and made a couple of sketches for some journal quilts.  I'd say that is a good start to my challenge. 

Challenge

I have decided to challenge myself during the month of October.  Each day, I must work on my art--even if it's just for 15 minutes.  My goal, of course, is to get to an hour every day.  Wish me luck!

I'm so excited!

I haven't had (or shall I say made) time to post lately--there's always so much going on!  This time we'll blame it on getting used to being back in the classroom after a 5-month maternity hiatus. Anyhoo, imagine my surprise when I discovered that my SAQA benefit auction quilt had sold! This was the best news I've heard in a while.  It has really fueled me to create--and not just jot down ideas and sketches in my sketchbook. 

Mariposa Series

I really enjoyed this process, so I am going to do more.  This is the first in a series of butterflies that I am making.  I made this one for the SAQA Benefit Auction which will take place this fall.  It is based on a photo of the Red Peacock butterfly that was photographed at the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, TX.

Photo Inspired

I am finally in a position to create at will.  With the baby, and then the end of the school year, and finally moving into our house, I haven't had the time or energy to bring my creative desires to fruition.  I am hoping this is just the catalyst I need! 

About a year ago, I created this quilt for my husband in honor of our first wedding anniversary.  I like to call this technique "Coloring Book Quilting".