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.

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!

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!

Well... I think it may be my favorite ever. I love most of them... but this is the first time I have this "oh... this is the one I'd want" response. The irony is... there is nothing in my house in these colors. But... as many of you know... these colors are sort of "me" in some way. Ahhh,well... this one makes me smile.

It's also an evolution of what I'm doing... larger... less formal style... envelope back so easily removable... and I love, love, love the "green dot" home dec strips at the top and bottom. The back of this one... an olive green home-dec with dragonflies on it. Sweet!

I mentioned these before... that I'm going to be offering custom-pieced photo pillows this fall... perfect for holidays, weddings, baby showers, or just because. I've got orders for a small number of them already, and I'm going to soon open it up and start taking orders. No, I don't expect to be knocked down by the numbers of you who want a pillow. But, it's the kind of gift I would give... and the kind of gift that will be treasured and loved.

So, I'm in need of a few guinea pigs... The one shown above is a prototype... and made in colors my mom wanted. It's also a looser style than I've been making... and it's envelope style, so the cover is removable.

I need to make a few more prototypes to finalize my process for taking this kind of custom order and to finalize the sizing I want to use and offer for these photo pillows.

I would like to find one or two people who would like to place an order for a custom pillow and are willing to be among the first to place an order for a photo pillow... and are willing for me to use photos of their finished photo pillow in my own marketing materials. In return for guinea-pigging, I'll make your photo pillow at a good reduced rate... around 30% off. (The photo pillows will sell at OamyOamy at Etsy for roughly what the bird art pillows are selling for.... $65-75. Currently, I know I'll be offering the rectangular size shown above and maybe one that is approximately 17" square. Colors: you'll tell me the main colors!

If you are interested in being one of the one or two to get one "first" and at a reduced rate... let me know, and I'll give you more specifics.

Curious about the photo requirements? You would need to supply a single high-resolution photo... the source file must be at least 4x6 inches, high-res. Right now, I plan to do B/W prints... if you send a color photo,I'll convert it to B/W. Photo can be emailed or sent to me on CD.

Any other questions? Let me know!

See that? That's "Bird Quilt 1"... a first collaborative piece i worked on with Gooma8x. I'm so excited to be able to show it off!

We worked on this (mostly) remotely... but I got a chance to meet Gooma8x recently, and Episode 109 of the CMP contains the interview she graciously did with me while she was in the Bay Area.

You can see some of Gooma8x's work at Etsy, at Flickr, and on her Web site.

SOLD!

I didn't realize I had the camera set to B/W when I snapped a recent in-process shot... amazing how it gives a new look at what's going on with the tones, fabrics, prints!

Followed by this one:

But last week, there was this:

Really. When you are doing something you love. Something you finish... and you stand back... and you admire... and you smile. Really... it's perfect. This one... I struggled with it at many points, but in the end, I twisted and turned and coaxed things... and I love it.

Episode 108 of the CMP is recorded... and will be live in another day or so. End-o-summer has complicated the way I fit these things in! But, Episode 109 is already underway... I'll be hinting about it at the end of Episode 108. I got to spend time working with (and learning from) someone I very much admire from the CMP circle... and I can't wait to share with you how it went, show you photos of the first project we've collaborated on, and so on. But... that's next week. This week... it's all about "change."

But, some things... remain the same... like bird art... and bird pillows. It's never too late to discover what you love. I'm realizing that... and so... maybe change isn't all bad. There's a lot of change going on... and I'm feeling a bit like this:

But, I'm trying to stay balanced. And... I guess... finding my birds last year... was "change"... at its best. It's all about perspective!

As you heard me mention on the CMP, I sold almost all of the pillows I made this summer at an art show... but I'm back at work, and things are going up at Etsy for the fall. I'll be announcing the availability -- and showing a sample -- of custom-order photo pillows soon... very soon... thinking holiday thoughts... My mom wants one... forget my art... she wants a photo of the boys... and so... an OAmyOAmy patchwork strip pillow... is underway.

I've been quiet, but step by step, I'm finding my way.

If you are interested... in any of these or in something specific in terms of color or pattern, let me know. You can reach me at oamyoamy AT gmail DOT com

I'll post these this evening ... I do sort of hate the "first come first serve" approach. Sorry!

All of the ones I'll be listing are visible at Flickr.