An art doll

A UFO finished. That always feel good.
Several months ago I took a beginning art doll class with Beth Ann Williams and at the end of the class I took home a doll body on a wooden skewer.
She didn't tell me who she wanted to be so I put her with the rest of my UFO's and once in a while I'd run across her and still ....... nothing.
I spent 3 years living in Libya (before Kadaffi) and was evacuated out of there during the 6 day war in the 60's. We ended up going back there after 3 months in which my Sister Jean and her husband and family opened their already busy home to me and my 3 children. All of a sudden, while looking at an old newspaper picture of me and the kids arriving at the air port in New York, it dawned on me that Fatima was calling me from my UFO bin.
Starting at puberty the typical Libyan woman put on her baracan, allowing only one eye to be exposed whenever they were out of the home. They generally held it in their teeth, leaving their hands free to take care of their children or gather bundles of fire wood to carry on their heads or on the back of a donkey. Once in a while I'd catch a glimpse of them and what was under the baracan, especially when they would be on their way to a family wedding or other important event and I'd see a flash of their pretty clothes and jewelry or henna markings on their forheads when they passed. I used to give them aspirin for their occasional tooth aches and so they considered me a friend.
They would look around to make sure I was the only one who would see them and then release the baracan so that it opened and they would smile and wave and show off just a bit.
Such pretty, hard working women and girls that wore everything valuable to them under that simple covering.
So......meet Fatima. My art doll who finally spoke to me.

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Fun art pins

I love making these little cuties. They are a fun art pin that I've seen here and there in magazines/books....and just had to make some ----plus, I gave them a house to live in. Getting into that first house can be very difficult.

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Tyvek beads

I made these beads from Tyvek paper that had been colored using Shiva oil stiks....yes, stiks is how Shiva spells it.
Fun and easy to make for such a dramatic result. I'll be using them for future embellishments.

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My clothesline purse

I just completed a purse made by using cotton clothesline that I wrapped in 1" strips of cotton batik. I've also made some small bowls and coasters using the same thing. Guess it's kinda the "hot" thing and I wasn't going to be happy till I tried making the purse and lining it. What, after all, is a purse without a lining and several pockets to put our "things" in.

So, here's the result. I included a picture of the start of it for those who don't know what the heck I'm talking about.

BEING 70

The following are exerpts taken from an article written by author Barbara Holland, author of "When all the World was Young" (Bloomsbury, 2005). It has put into words better than I could ever do it.
"My 70th birthday didn't feel as breezy as my 60th, not half as cocky and capable. Face it, 70 is old. For a woman, the only plus side is that we can stop worrying about how we look: we look old, and suddenly there's not much use spending time, money and energy on our looks. Just try to make sure our clothes are buttoned and zipped and our hair is combed before we go out. Forget all those creams and colorings. It's a relief, in way.We accept limits. Limits are always nasty, but we hold our noses and swallow them anyway. Meeting challenges is said to be good for us, but how often must we meet the same challenges, overcome the same obstacles? How often do we have to climb Everest? Is it time to look for someplace easier to live? Admit limits?All of us, waking up in the morning, forget for a moment where we are and decide to paint the living room ceiling or go pony trekking in Iceland. By the time we've brushed our teeth we remember that we'll have to be content with ceilings already painted and treks already taken.They make good musing. I know we aren't supposed to dawdle around in the past, they tell us it's healthier to live for the moment, to look to the future. But the future shrinks:how will our great-grandchildren turn out, what will happen with global warming? We'll never know. One of these springs, and then for many more springs, the wild rhododendrons by the chimney will bloom and I won't see them. It's annoying. The past, though, expands, and what we've already done improves the view. It lifts us up a bit higher every year. Great granite building blocks under us, all those people and places, summers and winters, everything we've learned and the songs we remember, all solid to climb up and stand on for a grand view of our world. Our personal, hand-made world.
All happy people have self-protective memories, but if we'd rather be miserable, we can choose to haul along with us the tears and betrayals, missed chances, and lost loves. We can remember not the happy trip to Mexico with a friend and the margaritas we drank, but only that the friend is now dead and the margaritas now give us heartburn.We can do what we like with our past. It's ours, and we've earned it. We can stand on top of it, taller than most, and admire our view.

SPRUCING UP AN OLD THING--AND I DON'T MEAN ME!

This is an old black fleece vest that I needle felted a quick design on. I figured if I goofed up the vest it would be no great loss as the darned thing is getting nubby and picks up everything but men !!!! Trust me.....at my age.....that's not a problem.
I teach embellishing classes for beginners on needle felting and like to show them what's possible and within their reach with just a bit of yarn and roving.

"COMING HOME"-WALL ART QUILT

I've just finished this piece. I call it "Coming Home" and it will be my entry in my art group's showing in mid August. It's not complex or fancy, nor is it abstract. I like my pieces to tell a story. Coming home can mean many things to many people. The gulls come home in the evening, children seeking comfort or aid come home to their parents, we all end up coming home in the end (where ever home is for us).

So....anyway....this is it.....like my sister says, "kiss it up to God and send it out".

I tried to make the center glow out beyond the confines of the picture and into the border.

It measures 15x17".

This is all done with un altered fabric. The background fabric in the picture is hand dyed, but not by me. It was the inspiration for the piece.