Snowflakes, Grosbeaks, & a bit of Barcelona

I've been working on snowflakes for my friend Christy's Irish dance dress. I started with the simple one first, just to see how it would go with this unusual material, & it didn't go too bad. I decided after this one though to use black Totally Stable instead of white, because the blue fabric is a little transparent, & I think the black behind it looks better. I am leaving the stabilizer in place. It would be a nightmare to try & remove it from this stretchy fabric. Si I guess it's dry clean only.
This snowflake is a stylized French horn, as Christy plays the French horn. Below I've blocked it for you so you can see it better.

Next are wee-bitty fairies, cause don't you know they come from Ireland!
See them there?
Next are just some birds.

Simple.

And speaking of birds....these guys entertained us during dinner today.

He kept digging his beak down in the snow,

& his girlfriend came too.

Aren't they a cute couple?

I'm back to my usual set up, with my mouse pad to the side of the computer instead of on top of it. Much easier to type this way.

Kim commented on it in my last post. It was a souvenir from my favorite place in Barcelona, Spain. The Palau De La Musica Catalana.

The ceiling in the auditorium is the most fantastic stained glass I've ever seen in my life. When you stand under it & look straight up you see this beautiful image of the sun, but from the balcony you see the picture above, where that sun looks like it's going to drip. It was one of the most inspiring places I've ever been in my life. I thank God & Husqvarna Viking every day for that opportunity.

Oh, & the other thing I did today.. I made my reservations & bought my tickets for my Whidbey Island trip in April-May. I'll be teaching (hopefully there will be students), & then taking classes from Rayna Gillman the following week. Can't Wait! I also get to see my kids in Seattle too!

& here's one of those silly things that's fun to do when you don't feel like doing anything productive!

I found the link on Kim's post.
I apparently am an INFP

The IdealistYou are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

What's" Your Personality Type?

Life Happens

Well, I think we're back on track. The Pineapple Express wind blew most of the night last night, taking care of the drips . Warren had gotten a roof rake, & pulled off a lot of snow, in an attempt to get rid of the ice dam that was causing it to rain inside our living room. I had disconnected the computer to get it out of harm's way.We had to move everything away from the north wall. I finally got it hooked back up, but for some reason couldn't get on line with the old configuration of wires. I ended up plugging a USB port into my DSL box to get on line, which I never had to do before. The biggest problem with this configuration is that I have to unplug my printer to plug in my camera. Before I was able to leave myplug in for the camera. Oh well, at least it's working.
These sweet little surprises came in the mail this week from Sandy. I'm not sure why she sent 2, but I do love them. They're my favorite colors. I have several in these shades now. Thanks Sandy!
Another package that came was a gift from my DS & DDIL. These are going to hang over the larger window & closet doorway in my studio. Now all I have to do if figure out what I want to hang on them.

I finally finished the Iron cozy. I now think I have the best dressed Iron in town!

The face is a little gardian sprite, to help keep my studio safe.

Did you notice the little mousy?

I thought I'd add him for my DD Michelle, who loves all the little furry creatures.

These next few pictures are some of my thread painted jewelry, & mostly I was playing with another of my new lenses, to see how much detail I can get.

The problem with this lense is if it isn't a flat surface, the background will be blurry....

but look at the detail!

This last is the first snowflake cut for my young friend Christy's Irish Dance Dress. It took me about 2 hours to cut this snowflake. Hmmmm...how many more do I need to cut?

I also made a muslin of the dress bodice. Now all I need is Christy to come try it on to fit it, then I can actually start working on the dress!