Growing Boy

We took Cody to the vet yesterday to be neutered. He's doing just fine and, believe it or not, he weighs 75lbs now!!

No wonder our backs hurt from wrestling around with him.

He's as sweet as ever and still loves to CHEW, CHEW, CHEW! His current favorites are pig ears. Nasty stuff!

Workshop with Esterita

This is how it all starts - controlled chaos! I had an absolute blast in the Esterita Austin 3-day workshop that Robin, Joan and I coordinated here on Maui. I was going to do a still life, but at the last minute decided to do a turtle instead.



Here is a look at the start of the project. At least you can tell it's a turtle! I've been working on it a little bit each night this week so I'll post an updated picture soon. I'll probably start the threadwork this weekend. BTW, Esterita's Misty Fuse is the GREATEST STUFF EVER! Wait until you see the tulle and things I'll add to the background with the black fuse. I especially like the fact that there is no paper attached and you can use every single bit - no waste.

It was wonderful to have three entire days to do nothing but work on a quilting project! I've never taken more than a one-day class before. We're planning to make this an annual event. Yeah!

SOLD!

Hula Kahiko was sold at the Viewpoints Gallery show yesterday, so she is going to a new home.

I am so thrilled! I haven't found out who the new owner is, but will likely find out soon.

There's nothing quite like seeing that little red dot next to your piece in a show.

Happy Valentine's Day to me!

Class Project #3

How exciting is box drawing? Well, it started out a little mundane, but you keep working and working and this is what you get.

It's funny, with a quilt (most anyway), you finish the quilt, put the sleeve and binding on, and you're done. With drawing you can refine and refine and refine. You could refine forever!

No class next week, but the week after we'll be drawing on bigger paper and our subject will be an old pair of cowboy boots.

Viewpoints Gallery Show

I did my demo Saturday at the gallery. I had lots of visitors and the time went quickly. I didn't do any stitching, instead I showed visitors how I started from a digital photo, made the pattern, then turned it into a quilt (Cliff's Notes version).

This first photo shows my Lei Roselani quilt graced by pottery (Sandy Vitarelli), and a painting by Joyce Clark on the left and Betty Hay Freeland on the right.

The second photo shows Hula Kahiko, with basketry by Susan Kilmer and Fiama von Schuetze, wood vessels by Keola Sequeira and Michael P. Smith, sculpture by Ilene Kratka, and paintings by Suzy Papanikolas. It's such a thrill to be included with some of Maui's most talented and esteemed artists!!

The show is beautifully hung and has very special mana (spirit) that virtually permeates the gallery. You can see more artwork at the Viewpoints Gallery website.

Several ladies from the quilt guild stopped by, and a couple of people stopped in just to talk quilting because they knew I would be there (how cool is that!) - they saw the item in the invitation. Lynn and Chris Curtis even brought me a lei - Lynn is on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Maui where I work. It was such a surprise and all made for a very nice day.

The opening last Saturday was fabulous. I think there were about 250 people there - it was standing room only! I received three lei - carnations from Keri, orchids from my Mom, and one from Joelle and Oliver from the gallery. It's customary to give lei for special occasions in Hawaii - and oh so special to receive them.

Ginger Hides Out

This is Ginger's escape hatch. She squeezes through the steps onto the kayaks to get away from Cody. She's one smart cat!

Cody loves to chew on her (not hard, though) and she get's all "goobered up" with Cody spit. YUCK!

Hiking with Cody

Saturday morning we took Cody back up to Olinda for a hike through the forest. He really loves it up there and so do we. It's cool and quiet and Cody enjoys a safe place where he can be off the leash. Of course, we keep our eyes out for other folks and dogs (so does he - haha!). It's calm and peaceful up there. We were really bundled up, too, with jackets, etc., but I don't have a picture of that. It was probably in the low 60's, but not unusual for the time of year or the altitude (approximately 4,000 ft.).

Today's Coffee Order

Venti nonfat no-foam vanilla latte from Starbucks.

So there.

I am tired and cranky today despite a good night's sleep, so coffee was definitely on the menu this morning. I do have to say, the team at the Starbucks at Maui Marketplace is exceptional. They obviously enjoy working together, are always cheerful and absolutely exude good customer service. I am going to make a point today to contact the store manager and let them know they are doing an outstanding job.

Have you told someone they are doing a good (or great) job lately? Imagine all the complaints companies get and how special a compliment would be.

Just thinking about it makes me feel less cranky.

I'm sure better things are in store for the weekend!

Picture for Esterita's workshop

This is the photo I'm going to use for Esterita Austin's 3-day workshop here on Maui next week. I can't wait!

Class Project #2

This is the picture from my Tuesday night drawing class. We were drawing transparent and opaque glass. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out!

Cody Sleeps

It's hard to believe that this dynamo ever sleeps! He is partial to soft spots, though, when he's ready to drop. He has a new dog bed from Costco, but seems to prefer the couch!

Kula Sunset

This quilt was a Christmas gift for Jeff and Debbie (Bruce's brother and his wife). I just gave it to them last night because it took longer to finish than I thought. Debbie really likes the monstera leaf and features them in her work: she is a painter.

The leaves are hand appliqued and the quilt is machine quilted. I used Superior Threads "Glitter" on the leaves for a little sparkle. What a great thread!

If you look close you can see the "ghost" leaves I quilted in the background. Sorry for the awkward picture - it's more square than it looks. I've got to work on that.

I Saw the Light...

and the medium, and the dark! This is my first drawing from my class with Kit Gentry. I did get some help with the shading on the larger sphere, but I did the rest myself.

I'm really enjoying the class. We are doing everything with charcoal which is very forgiving. I could even erase this whole picture with a chamois and start over (but I'm not going to).

Next week we are drawing transparent glass. I can't wait for that one!

Getting Big!

He's not going to be able to do this much longer! Cody's probably already pushing 50 lbs. All I know is that he's too heavy for me to pick up anymore. I figured that out when I hurt my back yesterday. UGH! I'm feeling better today, though, so no worries.