HOME IN THE STUDIO

playing in the studio

It really feels good to be back home playing in the studio.  Dream Designs has been to different craft fairs and although it was fun and we met lots of wonderful people I was tired and ready for a break.  Now I can concentrate on art quilting and other things.

This weekend Jay and I will be with family for our traditional Thanksgiving Free-For-All.  I love being with my brothers and sisters and although a couple of us will not be able to come this year, we truly will miss them.  There is a bit of a story behind this yearly gathering.

 One day my sister and I were reminiscing about family gatherings we enjoyed as children.  We had some real characters in our family; treasures to be sure.  In an Italian family, at least in our Italian family, the jokes would flow along with the vino.  And the food.....can we talk about the food?  Oh my God.  It was amazing and so delicious.  I can't remember one thing that was offered that we didn't like.  And so much of it!  The laughter was contagious and we knew what a good time we were going to have.  There were the aunts with lots of makeup, long nails and big hair.  I thought they were beauty queens for sure.  Then there were our uncles who were always giving us money when no-one was looking.  So many conversations going on at once.  It was grand. My sister and I decided that our children and their children should not miss out on family gatherings and so it was declared that Thanksgiving weekend was the Porrazzo (and anyone else who wants to join) fiasco,to be held yearly at Auntie Pam and Uncle Norm's house.  I have to say that it is one of the best ideas Pam and I have come up with so far.

Thank you Auntie Pam and Uncle Norm for allowing us to share and laugh until our sides hurt. But most of all, Thank you for being the loving family that you are.

May you always be happy,
May you always be healthy,
May there always be a circle of love around you both.

ART IS SO MAGICAL

No matter what I am doing, all I want to do is draw.  This is my latest Zendala.   I do something every night and in the morning.  It is so comforting.  The meditation of doing Zentangles TM  is deep and healing.  I cannot wait to begin teaching classes and sharing what I have learned and I can't wait to apply it to other areas of the art forms that I practice.

May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be at peace.

I AM CERTIFIED!!!!!

I can't even begin to describe the wonderful experience I have had for the last few days with Maria and Rick, Molly and Martha and the rest of the crew from Zentangle TM.  The group of people were amazing and the food was wonderful.  I met several women who I know will be lifelong connections.

Maria, me, and Rick

Rick and Marie have got to be two of the sweetest people I have ever
met. The artwork that they have created only surpasses their willingness to share their love of what they do and how they do it.  The seminar left me empowered and exhausted all at the same time.I don't know how others would describe their seminar experience but for me, when I was creating my tangles I was completely there.  Every part of me was in the moment.  It was like an energy that flowed from my brain, to my hand, through my pen.....to the beautiful paper and back again.  The flow of contemplative creativity opened up a new world for me.  A word to those who think this new "creative wave" is just doodling couldn't be more mistaken.

My Zentangle  done on a coaster from the Hotel Providence.

I am not sure how exactly, but drawing this was truly a meditation in ink.  I love it so much I wanted to take it home with me instead of giving it up to the hotel to be added to the ones they have been collecting.  The woman sitting next to me told me that I should let it go so it could be shared with others and of course she was right.  So I released any attachment to it and gladly added it to the rest of the amazing works of art that were also given to be framed and hung on the walls of the Hotel Providence.

It is getting late for me so I am going to say good night.  I will be dreaming of all the ways I can express my love for this new found art and the healing effects that it has.   Namaste

ZENTANGLE* CLASS IN 9 DAYS

The entire month of October vanished!!!  Yes, vanished.  I don't know what else to say about it.  I am barely ready for my ZenTangle class in Providence but I am very excited.  There are so many possibilities for its application beyond drawing but the concept is the same.  No matter what the application, it is a mindful meditation in action.  I will be blogging my experience as the class progresses.

In the meantime I am getting ready for another craft fair right after I come back from RI.  It will be a lot of fun but it will also mean that there is so much work to do.  Dream Designs will be at St. Judes Apostle Church in Wynantskill, NY on Saturday, November 16th.

 We will be showcasing our Christmas Collection along with our Gone Country Collection.  Some of our other collections include children's themes, wildlife, sports, and botanical.  Joanne and I hope to see you there

OUR FIRST DUSTING OF SNOW

November 3rd and snow already.  Hard to imagine and November promises to be extremely busy for me.  Not that the last few months haven't been busy with quilt shows and craft fairs.  But, this blog is not about writing about how time goes to fast.  Instead, the purpose is to share what I am doing with my time in the studio.  It has been busy here; so busy in fact, that I haven't had much computer time at all.  Here is a bit of what I have been doing........

In August we had a quilt show here in Windham, NY.  I had several entries but my favorite was the large quilt that I made for Jay.

Although the top took quite a long time to finish, the quilting itself did not take quite as long.  It was fun even though I am still learning the quirks of my long arm.  But I am getting there .  My goal is to start taking in quilts by the end of January.



Dream Designs is also going full bore.  Joanne and I are talking about putting our pillow cases up on Etsy.  I like the idea .  The craft/art fairs are a bit tough but they are inspiring.  In the meantime,  I am getting ready for my trip to Providence RI where I will get to create with other like minded artists.  Then when I come home, I will transfer what I have learned into beautiful art quilts.  Until then, keep creating!!!!!