Are YOU my Valentine?

This week's snow event left me exactly where I wanted to be: at home in my messy, messy studio making Valentines.

I found a print of Japanese lady portraits at Jo-Ann's that reminds me of ATCs. I mounted the fabric on Timtex, cut each portrait out, finished the edges, and made an effort to use up some of that bling I'm storing. The featured card was quilted, painted, couched, beaded (via glue), and more (that's when I added the tassels). I finished 15 Valentines and now have to contemplate who is worthy enough to receive such original art.

A couple of weeks ago Mike (husband and employee of the Foreign Service) was offered his last overseas assignment and it was made official last week. We will be leaving for three years in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July. Mike is excited about the Jewish community there and I expect him to start growing pay’ahs next month. I, however, will still not convert since it's a sin for Humanists to take up any other religion. And then there’s the shetl thing...

Housing is furnished (Every house gets the same furniture inventory. We will take a few items to make it work for us such as my entire studio) and is supposedly comfortable. There is an APO in Helsinki and mail is shipped down by truck twice a week. I will be supplementing our local shopping via the Internet, or vice-versa. I’ve read other things in the post report but have learned to take those with a grain of salt, or less, since the people who write those things have no idea what’s really important. Tell me, please, where are the quilt shops? (Thought: AMBER!!! There will be a quilt with amber!)

We do not want to rent out our paid-off house (too many problems with irresponsible tenants and with moving our Chinese antiques that would most likely end up as piles of 200 hundred-year-old kindling) but realize leaving it vacant has just as many problems. We have invited a Foreign Service officer posted to DC to be our house-sitter and are hoping this works out for all of us. If it doesn’t, expect a flare!

In the meantime, I am stocking up on items that will be horribly expensive in Europe. This does not include a specific effort to collect art supplies since I will not be curbing my impulse buying at crafts stores. My legitimate shopping for household essentials is creating the kind of pre-packout disaster that only State Dept. employees can fully understand. In spite of the fact that there is no where to put this stuff, I’m enjoying the cash therapy and can’t wait for my next paycheck to add to the chaos.

Inspiration

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." --Jack London

What do I usually do to club inspiration? I journal and blog: morning pages are my best source of complex ideas. I list: free-association shows me what's on my mind and gives me some concrete examples to work with. I meditate: sitting still and in the moment can be beneficial as well. I have a white noise machine that's supposed to generate productive brain waves. I must use that more often. I wish I would be comfortable doodling and sketching. Perhaps I should just do it and see what happens.

I'm going through a tough patch right now and can't settle down: lots of stress, lots of unwelcome distractions. My head feels like it's filled with mashed potatoes; my stomach is on the churn cycle. I haven't slept for a long time. It's very peculiar then that I'm getting ideas without the quiet that I usually need. Maybe my angst is my kiva and the resulting visions will be award-winning projects.

Today I will turn off the world and live without the stress and distractions. We'll see what bubbles to the surface.

Mono Printing on Gel

Self-victimization is a sad thing. Need somebody for a presentation on anything remotely related to quilting? Just whisper in my direction. It won't matter if I'm an expert: I KNOW can fake it (having memorized the 260 arts and craft books in my library and having given up many decades ago planning lessons for my day job). When reality sets in, I will then beat myself up over not actually being an expert on a subject I've volunteered to speak on for 45 minutes. But I'll appear for free (operative work volunteer) and ya gets what ya pays for.

For example, when my friend Jean said she needed a few speakers to fill in her programs schedule for the year, I volunteered to demo mono-printing for the fine ladies of HQU. I don't know much about it, actually, but I've been in audiences where the speaker knows less about her subject than I do about smearing paint on muslin. Still, I should actually know something about the process.

To that end, I bought Rayna Gilman's book (a legitimate reason to buy a book!) and her DVD (belt and suspenders--just in case I forget how to read directions and interpret the diagrams) and have practiced most of the techniques therein.

The fabric is BORING and wants some rubberstamping and detailing here and there. Once I have tweaked the fabric to my satisfaction, I'll be able to speak, smear, doodle and stamp for 30 minutes.