School supplies... back-to-school... it brings back fond memories. Kids here don't get list of supplies for school... they don't take anything of their own. Every year, I mourn the fact that they don't know the joy of shopping for fresh supplies for the first day back.

But, some places still do! And these two bags were a custom-order for two special elementary school students. I had fun making them, and I hope they love them!

The story of collaboration continues, and the small quilt above (a "Lovee") was just finished as a commission. This is one of a line of art quilts we are doing... many, many birdhouses. But many other things, as well. We'll be listing things at Here2There at Etsy in coming weeks. The first Birdhouse lovee though... oh... it's so so so pretty. I can say that because, really, Gooma8x put this one together (using birdhouses we each made). I'll show my first one, hopefully, next week!

I've been wanting to take time to make this series forever, and so, I'm glad to finally have given it a go. There are a few guinea pigs on my table, but these make me smile! See this set of 3 at Here2There.

Well, really... it was probably just a matter of time... a logical adaptation of what I do with pen ... and paper... and fabric... and somehow tying it all together and spinning it just a bit. These are fully of whimsy.

Did you ever see Spirited Away? For some reason, that movie comes to mind as I build these fabric-collage birdhouses.

These are others are available in the joint shop. Check out what we're doing at Here2There.

Oh, no! I've become one of those people that walks around the grocery talking into thin air... the recent passing of the hands-free law in California means a Bluetooth earpiece made its way into my hands (okay, I had to buy it)... and I love it. Not only can I talk while I shop now, but I can also talk while I sew or iron or cut things out or even fill up water balloons in the back yard!

I'm, unfortunately, not able to talk while I spend time on the job boards looking ...

I probably did talk on the phone at some point or other while laying out the pieces that went into this pillow. Isn't it sweet? It is one of a set of photo pillows I'm working on right now. I love the colors of this one.

It's birdhouses all the time around here right now... well... birdhouses and photo pillows... it's true. But, I have to say, these birdhouses make me smile! This is the top of a small quilt I collaborated on with Gooma8x and that we recently finished for Here2There. Every time I see it from afar in this way, I get this feeling of walking a maze somehow... of a yellow-brick road... that's not yellow! I don't know. But, it does make me smile.

Gooma8x is out of town for a bit, which puts a serious crimp in even remote collaboration! This is one of the larger Lovee "tops" I have finished that is now folded up and stored in a baggy to go out in the mail when she returns. One of several!

Tall skinny birdhouses... they're fun!

I had to clean off the table a bit this weekend so that a meeting that needed to happen could happen. It was, I must admit, quite a challenge... to clear off even 70% of it. I probably shouldn't admit that... but it has become my workspace, really. So, I cleared it... and the meeting happened. And then, there is that wonderful span of time where the table is clear... and even as you start laying things out... there's a beauty to it... a structure... a sparseness (versus the sometimes chaotic clutter of creative process). This morning, I walked in to take a photo of something else I finished last week, and I was struck by the span of the table crossing to the bin of greens propped by the window... there's a wonderful tonal continuity to it somehow... three projects here... all almost complete. Nice. Satisfying. Soothing to the eye.

Happy Monday.

So, this is what happens when you work with custom color... you hear "green, gold, and maroon..." and you're off and running... but then later you realize those same exact colors could go a very different way. I finished up a (beautiful) guinea pig photo pillow today that uses a much softer combination of these colors. But... I liked this set, too... there's something striking and bold and yet inviting about them. So, a perfect frame for one of the new bird sketches. I'll show the other pillow soon, too.

New stuff in the Here2There shop.

I showed one iteration of the green/gold/maroon color scheme the other day. After my customer (one of you! and my trusted guinea pig for this process!) selected this softer color scheme, the bolder one took wings with one of my birds. And this one now frames a family photo - and I hope it becomes a cherished piece in the house. I really do. I love the softness of this and the interplay of colors. And, I love, love, love this new background fabric I used here.

These are, of course, at Here2There, but I'm showing them off just because this "is" right now the work I'm doing.... and loving.

I'm working on a set of 5 pillows for someone, 4 of which feature the same photo... but each is for a different person (a gift) and so each has been requested in a different color scheme. It's amazing to watch how the whole thing is transformed each time with new and different colors... and I know that each scheme will be perfect and special for the recipient. I love that. And I love the range of possibility in how it all plays out. Endless variety... endless fun... endlessly satisfying.