Snow Again?

Another snow storm in Colorado! Personally, I think we've had more than our share this year. You know, I really can't complain about the moisture. Denver is dry and we need the moisture. This means more spring flowers and maybe a greener summer. Gardening here in the West is always a challenge.

I've been in my studio this week finishing special orders and contemplating new designs.
Just finished the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakaur. Interesting book. The movie version is being released in September, Sean Penn, Director. It was shot in many locations around the West where Carl and I have traveled and even some of our friends who "live" in the desert are extras in the movie. Can't wait to see it!

Sandstorms in the Desert

Listening to The Emperor is Naked Today-O by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer from Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol 2". Just returned from Palm Desert, California where I was one of eight featured designers at Earth Spirits, a funky little boutique, at their fashion week in conjunction with El Paseo Fashion Week. This was my second year. Instead of flying, this year we made it a road trip. My husband, Carl, and I love to travel the back roads.

Sand Dunes on Southern California Desert

It was cooler than I'd expected. In the deserts of Southern California we experienced vicious dust storms. The spa in Desert Hot Springs where we stayed expecting a hot soak, turned out to be a "cold" soak instead with high winds bending the palm trees almost in half.

On our way home we stopped in Phoenix and met an old friend of my husband's who is into jewelry making. She inspired me to incorporate beads on my garments.

Since returning to my studio, I've finished a one-of-a-kind fabulously artsy jacket for an incredible woman from Philadelphia who has more knowledge of art and artists than anyone I know. She'll wear it well! This jacket was labor intensive but in my opinion, the end result is worth the time and effort. The fabric is rayon chenille which I wove on my floor loom. The designs were painted onto the finished fabric with fiber reactive dyes. After the jacket was sewn, I added the glass beads.

Babies, Blankets & Bamboo

I'm a brand new grandma! Funny, I don't feel that old. Can't wait to see the new little baby boy, Brendan born on his due date, March 15. Here he is on his way home from the hospital.

I've always found it annoying when new grandmothers pulled out the baby pictures to show everyone. Now I finally get it! So now who's annoying everyone? Isn't he just the cutest baby you've ever seen!? Oh well, I'm just a bit biased.

Corey, my son and his wife Jenn, live in Pittsburgh. I won't get there until April which is truly a bummer. But I'm so looking forward to this next chapter of my life.

Of course I had to weave something for my little Brendan too. So I tried the new "bamboo yarn" -- oh so soft and yummy! I hand painted and wove it into a blanket to match the colors of his room. This is a great yarn and weaves into an extremely soft fabric. It's semi-medium weight which is perfect for a baby in the warmer months. It took the dye nicely too -- a little brighter than a cotton. The fabric feels like something between cotton and silk -- love it!

To order your own Bamboo yarn or kits to knit or weave, check out my friend Irene's company, Cotton Clouds www.cottonclouds.com and tell her I sent you.

My Blog -- the beginning!

Listening to In Paradisum by Sarah Brightman from the Eden album and wondering how to begin my blog. I really am going to do this blog thing. I'll try to update at least once a week since I'm never far from my laptop.

I have this crazy obsession with music. I can't work without it and I get extremely bored with same old, same old thus my trek to the library every couple weeks to see what's in that I haven't already heard. I love the library, don't you? Books and music for those of us with an insatiable appetite.