Fiber Art Traders Ornament Trade

I have been so busy that I haven't participated in many trades recently....but I have been moving my craft area out of the front room and into my own little studio! Woo hoo! Now....I would love to say it is a grand studio with space to do everything.... but in reality most walk in closets are bigger!

Ha! But it will be all mine...mine...mine...

Now the ornament I did manage to squeeze in was an icon I painted( we say wrote) a few years ago and I just scanned it and printed it onto transfer paper ....ironed it onto silk and embellished!

I love the saying "Expect Miracles" especially on those days that I really need one!

Not to be long winded....but I have been playing the Etsykids team 12 Days of Christmas game and having a blast! I won three gifts already! woo hoo! I will post those in a future blog post! Fun! And so cute!

Hay rides,pumpkin farms and apple cider

Fall is officially here!

I can tell because as I type, the wind is whipping outside....sounds kinda spo-o-oky!

The girls went to the pumpkin farm today...and then to Boo-at- the-zoo.

We had a blast!

My crazy fun girls!

Can you tell who is the ornery one???

Joyous Occasions!

Okay I must be getting older...

Actually I will be the big 4-0 in November and aside from the nagging "what have I done with my life?" feeling, I am actually looking forward to it! But then the other day happened....

My "baby" nephew (aka Monkey) got engaged to a wonderful girl.....

Where has the time gone??

so...Congrats Michael and Emily!!!

I wish you love and happiness forever!

I will post an engagement pic as soon as I get one! (hint)

MMMM FALL

Crisp leaves...warm apple cider....snuggly sweaters....

vibrant colors...hay rides....pumpkin patches...

Fall has quickly become my favorite season...

Fiber Art Traders just completed a giving tree leaf trade...I can't wait to receive mine so I can string them on to a garland and drape them to enjoy! There have been amazing leaves created and I can't wait for the mail!

I think this is one of the reasons I love being part of this great group of women! Its like Christmas every day and I actually look forward to getting the mail! But most of all because they are a great group of women from all over the world! How cool is that? Although we have never met...I actually care about them and consider them friends...which for me is huge...lol...I am one to have one or two very close friends and that is it...lol...

So...to my F.A.T. friends....happy Fall!

I"M BACK!

Wow! After two funerals and a joyous baptism, I can return to life as I knew it! Back to creating... and speaking of creating.....

I have finally listed things in my etsy shop!!! woo hoo!

http://www.heliosdesignstudio.etsy.com/

I have only had them for over a year I believe! What was stopping me from listing???

I am a perfectionist at times which is a baaad trait for me...stops me dead in my tracks..

frozen solid...

So anyway, I listed some rings I had made from a collection of antique buttons I purchased at a local antique store....

next I will be posting a few hair pins I created from vintage earrings....

and eventually I will start selling some of my art there...

This will be my new release...I will have something to do with what I make rather than letting it accumulate!

I have been tossing ideas around for an entry to a local fiber art show...

but ideas are worthless if there is no time to create ....so they will probably wait for another occasion.

I have a great idea for a series of art quilts....now to carve out the time....

Happy Birthday Fiber Art Traders!

I just posted picture for our party hat trade on Fiber Art Traders. We are celebrating the group's 3rd birthday. This was such a fun trade and I actually posted on time! Woo Hoo!

Tomorrow I will be outta here! My BFF/ sister and I are going to Chicago to hear an awesome singer from Greece! We soooo need this getaway! When we come back we will dive right into party preparations for her son's graduation....these two boys were like my own when they were little...now they could lift me and throw me across the road! But they will always be "Blakers" and "monkey" to me:) Happy Graduation Michael!

Collage Mania!

I am thrilled to find out that my collage for Collage Mania was acquired by my wonderful new friend Gabriela from Fiber Art Traders! I am more than thrilled it will be going to stay with her! I couldn't have asked for a better home for it! Thank you Gabriela!

Delicious

What a wonderful day it was....most moms I know look forward to the day the kids start back to school...I eagerly wait for the day the kids are free for summer....that is when I know they are all mine again:))).....mine to hang out with...play with ....or just sit in the yard and watch them squeal and giggle with their friends....which at my house is a daily event! I love grilling yummy summer food for all of them to inhale in between a game of tag and a meeting of the NBA club(no boys allowed!)...taking place in their very own "club" tent....(best investment ever!) And of course as you can see above....it is a time for bare feet....

Welcome back sunshine!

Collage Mania starts today!

Today is the first day of Collage Mania! Go shopping and support this cause! I am drooling over quite a few collages:)

Bookmark Trade

Tonight I posted these bookmarks for the F.A.T. bookmark trade! I had fun making them...I love this handprinted paper so much I almost kept one for myself!...They remind me of Santorini....whitewashed houses....crystal blue water and an evil eye for protection...lol......
I always have a touch of Greece in everything I create.
It is such a huge part of who I am:)

Sad, Sad day

Our kitty died in my arms today...she was over 20 years old and such a tough cookie...my husband and I have been together for 25 years and she has been with us from the beginning...
As a kitten she was hit by a car and crawled over to my husband who brought her home and nursed her back to health...she had broken hind legs and lower jaw. He taped popsicle sticks to her legs and we loved her better:) We never knew about her lower jaw until it had healed...crooked:)...she never seemed to age...she looked like a kitten even now as she lay in my arms....

Collage Mania II Submission

In memory of Carol Ann Hughes......

I just imagined what it would be like .....dancing with the stars....(real stars lol..not famous people) It is hard to see but there is a stream of stars that goes from her hand and wraps around the moon...

The bead of the dancer was a find from the garment district when I was a fashion student...I still love shopping there....

This collage is made of paper, wire, glass and metal beads, fabric.

I learned about this through the Fiber Art Traders.....hopefully it will be accepted by Virginia Spiegel....if not...I love it...I will hang it up!

Now it is time for sleep!

Beads! Beads! Beads!

These are my fiber beads for the Fiber Art Traders group. We had to make 5 sets of 5....this was more fun than I expected and soooo easy! Now my brain is spinning trying to think of how I want to use the beads I get in the mail!....Any ideas?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well from my years at St. Vincent -St. Mary High School, Home of the Fighting Irish and LeBron...lol...(although he was just a thought when I was there)...I am used to celebrating St. Patrick's Day....so today I got to wear all of my great pins from our Fiber Art Traders "Wearin' o the Green" trade! Even my daughters got to wear a pin to our parade!
Speaking of Fiber Art Traders....I recieved the greatest flat dolls from our last trade and the beautiful spring pages are arriving as I type! I will post pics as soon as I can figure out my darn scanner...it just decided to stop working!
I love this fabulous F.A.T. group of women! I feel like we have known each other forever!

soreness is setting in...

I have shoveled more snow in the past three days than I have shoveled in three years...so now I am feeling it...tomorrow will be interesting ha!
I recieved the most amazing dolls today from my F.A.T. friends! This was my absolute favorite trade! More on this tomorrow....

Baby its cold outside!

Ok so I went outside to shovel a small path for the mail to get here....ha!

The snow is almost to my knees! But...shovel I did.....and now I am back inside ready to work on my trades for Fiber Art Traders!

My kids are happily zoned out in front of Spongebob...it's my time to play!



My ladies for the Flat doll trade are eagerly waiting to go to their new homes! I loved this trade! I drooled over everyone's dolls and love the 3 that I am getting! They are awesome! This trade brought out the designer in me....sometimes I miss those days B.C. (before children)

....then reality hits and I remember what I didn't like about creating bridal and evening gowns:) that's another post for another day....I am off to play:)

A blizzard is the perfect weather for launching my blog!

Welcome to my slice of blogger heaven.... My place to share my daily adventures and blab about all of my loves in this life of mine....my family ...friends...and art! I am a Fashion designer who happens to loooove fiber art such as artquilts...this is where I am learning and having a blast along the way! Join me for this wonderful ride!....Welcome!