I'm Spinning!

Mom has always told us not to spin because as a little girl she ended up with a concussion when she spinned and fell down, hitting a table. Another time when she spinned and fell, she broke her collar bone from the way she landed.

But I'm not practicing that kind of spinning. The kind I'm doing earns her approval. A few months ago a friend taught me how to spin. At the time I was borrowing another friend's spinning wheel, and went to another place to use it. By doing that I was able to practice, but now I am pleased to announce that God has blessed me with a spinning wheel of my very own! A friend fixed it up and sold it to me. I think the color of the wood and its extra details are so nice. It will be good for spinning in a cabin during a re-enactment. I've been buying my wool already carded and clean but I want to work on cleaning and carding my own wool. Please let me know if you know of a place where I could find wool, raw or clean, for a good deal.

He Makes Dreams Come True

Dad is a freelance outdoor writer.

Dad and I on our way to California. He went fishing. I attended a World Wide Pressed Flower Guild conference.

First we saw the sequoia trees.

Dad makes dreams come true. He brought me to California for the World Wide Pressed Flower Guild conference in 2008. He used to draw pictures with me when I was a toddler. Now he counsels me in my art business. Dad has helped me write receipts for pictures sold and has stayed with me through long show days when nobody came by. Dad gives me opinions on pictures when I'm having a hard time deciding on something or something doesn't look quit right. He helps me discern what shows I should do and how I should price my work. Thirty-two hours after we got home from our family trip to Michigan, Dad went back north to Ohio. He went so he could bring my younger brother, Nathaniel, to a dulcimer competition (By the way, Nathaniel won first place!!!). Yes, Dad makes dreams come true. I don't know why God gave me such a good Dad but I'm sure glad he did.

Sketching

Sketching is one of my new projects. My drawing teacher thinks I really need to look at things- not just assume that I know what they look like. So I've been assigned sketching. Hopefully it will help me be more observant. I, along with my family, are leaving for a trip up north this Thursday. We'll be gone for about a week so I won't be blogging- I'll be sketching. Along with visiting relatives I'm going to a World Wide Pressed Flower Guild gathering where I'll be taking classes and will be able to talk to pressers who have been pressing much longer than I.

My Room Smells Like A Thrift Store

I had two jean skirts and a pair of pants that I didn't like and so I cut them into pieces. After mixing up my pieces I sewed several of them back together into a skirt, using a sewing machine. I sewed the little flowers on by hand. I used the top of one of the skirts for a waist. That way I didn’t need to mess with zippers or buttons or anything. I want to make more of theses skirts to be able to wear around the house. They're practical. Because of the textures and colors I don’t think stains will show up to badly on them. Mom, Autumn and I went to the thrift store where we bought all sorts of frumpy jean jumpers and pants to turn into skirts- hence my room ended up smelling like a thrift store.