Here are some photos of the ice storm we had here last week. We were lucky that it wasn't any heavier. These photos were taken 2 days after the ice- it stayed longer than usual-- So beautiful!!
Our view to the south, covered in white....
Some Sedum heads coated with frosen drips.
Our Linden Tree against the sky.
A little Japanese Pine in my front garden with it's glassy coat.
I caught the diamond-like sparkles on these branches.
The curly willow really looks great iced over.
Some curly willow branches with the blue sky.
Drooping Birch branches...
My work area by the front door- a wire table- from this angle it looked totally topped in ice..
The storm gave me a couple ideas for a new batch of rocky pieces.... I now have ice-like beads and white stones to play with for snowy, icy rocks.... I'll see what happens!
Yesterday, I was wandering through the forums at Etsy, and came across a discussion with some great business information. AlloverArt , another Etsy shop owner, mentioned information about growing a business that she put on her blog. This information is very timely for me, as I am trying to figure out just how to get my business back on track. Some days I feel like I am "splattering" myself all over the place trying to figure out what I should be doing.
Four Tips On Growing A Business In Today's Marketplace is a great little article at Allover Art's Blog. The information there really has given me hope that I may be headed in the right direction is some ways, and also gave me more things to think about doing. I'll let her article say what I can't get out of my head today- Check out the article by clicking the link above, and then check out AlloverArt's Etsy Shop with her great hand painted pendants and pet portraits. Her paintings are fantastic! A few examples are below.
Here are some more gift items I have available at my other sites.... Here are some screen shots of a few of my Andrus Gardens Quilts Website, showing my pages of mini quilts and postcards.Here are a few Art Quilts available at my AndrusGardensArt Etsy Shop:
There is still time to ship for Christmas before delivery..... Any order with a shipping charge of over $5 will be sent by USPS Priority to get to you even faster.
I now have 3 shops at Etsy.com, a great place to find handmade items for anyone. My original shop- AndrusGardensQuilts.Etsy.com has my hand beaded, quilted jewelry, notebook covers, sunprinted fabric bookmarks,note cards of my quilts and more.
Each cover also has a pocket to hold a pen or pencil, and the closure of ribbons that wrap around decorative buttons allow for the addition of any extra thickness from those extra bits and papers in the pockets. This previous post shows one of the covers inside and out.
The best part about these covers is that when you use up one notebook, just remove it and put a new one in the cover. Each cover is a One-Of-A-Kind piece of useful artwork. Available Here at my Etsy shop.
If you know a bookworm or two- My bookmarks made from my sunprinted fabrics are great to add to a gift of a book!
If you are looking for a quilt to cuddle or snuggle with, check out some of the items available at some of the great shops that are members of the Etsy Quiltsy Team. Here is a link to the newest items listed.
Garden Trellis Quilt from OriginalsbyLauren
Cute Poodles Noel Christmas Quilt by SFOQuilter
Pastel Leaf and Geometric Shapes Wall Hanging by sojournquilts
Check out these and more! I will feature a few more goodies in a future post...
These days have been getting busier and busier.... Hard to keep up with where I'm supposed to be, and what I need to do.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day at the Langdon-Pratt Mansion on Lake street in Elmira, NY. I along with many other artists have works on display for sale through the holiday season. Cezanne IV is a show and sale of works of many artist members of the Community Arts of Elmira. The group is also working on restoring the historic building that houses the show. There is much information about the history of the mansion on the group's website.
To find a bit more about some of the artists, check the Artist Links page of the Community Arts website.
Here is a display of some of fused glass jewelry- pendants and earrings by Carol Ayers. I took a workshop from her and got to play with glass too, and had a blast! I find the warm glass work similar to my quilting, but the "pretty" layer) is on the inside, under clear or pale colors of glass. There are so many possibilities, and "some day" I plan to be able to get a kiln and do my own playing with glass. I definitely have a lot to learn!
The show is open to the public on Tuesdays from 11AM to 4PM, Thursdays from 11 AM to 6 PM, and Saturdays from 11AM to 4 PM. The website also has information for anyone who may want to visit by appointment.
As the building continues to be restored, there will be more and more activities there. There are workshops available to take in various art media, and if you are interested in learning how to do something that does not have a workshop scheduled, just give us an idea of what you would like to see available to learn, more will be added as time goes on. I also hope to be able to do some teaching there in the future.
If you are in the Elmira area on one of our open days, be sure to stop in and say hi to whoever is working that day!! You might even find me!
It seemed like a never ending task, but I finally got the second wreath order finished with the help of Ken the last couple days of production. The second order needed to have all the wreaths decorated with velvet bows, pine cones and red berries. I spent a lot of TV time making bows, while Ken put wires on pine cones.
Here is most of the order ready for pick-up. There are 5 wreaths in each stack. The floor is covered from one side to the other- 12' wide space. 50 wreaths and 49 swags here, and 26 larger wreaths in another room.
Here are the stacks of swags- 30-32" long bunches of assorted greens with bow on top, and cones and berries. Ken made and decorated all of these- I made the bows, and cut a few boughs, but he did the rest. That kept me from having to pull an all-nighter or two. He spent a whole day and a night doing these and cutting tips for me to use in wreaths.
Now I just have a couple small wreath orders and grave blankets to make. It should only take about a day to do those, so I will be able to get back to quilts.
The last photo shows the unfinished rocky pieces on the design wall. The Rudbeckia piece is finished along with the top of the left section as the ACEO that are shown in a previous post. The left piece was cut into 3 ACEO's- the two lower pieces are what are almost done. The Echnacea on the Rocks piece is now quilted and ready for its beading, the green and purple fabrics on the sides of this are from my Elizabeth Busch class- went perfectly with the photo. I should have these finished in the next day or so.
The little pieces on the lower left of this photo are what I cut out from where the flower photos went into the larger pieces. I am not sure just what I will be doing with those little chunks- I have more flowers printed in purples and yellow to play with.
Thanksgiving is past, and the stores are probably now filled with crowds of shoppers...I am not one of those shoppers this year, or most years-- too many people packed in the stores. I also have to keep working on the wreath order that is due Sunday. Thankfully, Ken decided to help out today to get things done faster. I still have 40 more wreaths to make, and lots of decorating to do. Only 50 more bows to make!!!
Items available at my Etsy Art Quilts Shop:
I'm a little behind getting this announcement here, but taking my lunch break to get it done... giving my hands a little break...
Many shops at Etsy are having Black Friday through Cyber Monday sales and specials, including mine. At any of my shops, I am giving away a free print of one of my quilts with any purchase over $20. My reproduction prints are photos of quilts I have made, printed with archival inks on quality Strathmore watercolor paper. Anyone purchasing $20 or more in my Etsy Quilted Gifts shop, or my Etsy Fibers shop with some fabric and supplies, will receive a Free 3.5x5" print in a 5x7" mat. Any purchase from my Etsy Art Quilts shop will earn you a Free 5x7" print in a 8x10" mat. Each shop has a listing for the prints showing some available designs- all you need to do is leave me a note in the comment from buyer area when checking out- Do Not Add the prints as an item or you will be charged for it. If you have any questions, just contact me.
Items available at my Etsy Quilted Gifts shop:
Not only am I offering this at my Etsy shops, I am also offering the Free Prints from My Andrus Gardens Quilts Website-- The information is on the front page. I am offering the Free Prints from my Website through Dec. 12, so you have more time to decide what to purchase. Just remember that all of my quilts and jewelry items are OOAK, and I am not able to reproduce them (except as a print).
Items available at my Website:
Each of my Etsy shops and my Website have different items available, so check each one of them out! Here is a group of the smaller prints available, and some of the larger ones here.
If you are looking for other Etsy Shops that are offering specialsthis weekend, check out the Promotions Forum to see what shops are offering. There is something for everyone without battling the crowds.
Now back to my previously scheduled wreath order...... I'll be adding a few more ideas for you in coming posts.
Good Thanksgiving Morning!!
Today is a great time to remember and give thanks for all our blessings. We should be remembering them every day, but Thanksgiving is the day most remember to do this-- at least I hope you do... This has been another really trying year for me... each year I think that things have to get better, and they don't seem to improve that much, but new challenges always appear. This year, my greenhouse job flared up my fibro so bad that I know I won't try to do that much again.... The summer brought depression caused by slow recuperation from the busy spring, and major artistic blocks.
Looking back-- Things I have to be thankful for--
*I had the chance to play with many flowers and plants while working in the spring.
*My little granddaughter was born in May.
*I was able to attend 2- week long classes with great teachers in June and July. I felt like I wasted the opportunities I was given by feeling I didn't accomplish enough in each class.... I began my struggle with the recurring rocks and mud.... That caused much of my depression.
*I have now come to enjoy playing with my "mud and rocks" fabrics and the rocky pieces that have resulted from combining what I learned in my classes and those fabrics.
*Son #1 and his family have returned to the area, so I get to see my grandkids. My grandson even likes to come to my house now, even though I end up being a "couch grandma" due to bad fibro days.
*Sons #2 and 3 are doing well in their chosen fields in the military-- I do worry about Zack(#2) going to Iraq in January, but I have no choice as to where he goes.
*My husband has had fairly steady work, and slowly some financial junk is being overcome.
*I have been able to bring in some income with lectures, teaching and selling my quilts.
**We have a wonderful church family, that helps us remember our blessings all year long.
I can get down just like anyone, but am trying to remember all that I have to be thankful for..... Also..Some of the things that have caused the most depression and worry, have really ended up being the start of something much better. There is a reason we go through all of the stuff that comes our way~~~ if not for the bad times, we wouldn't appreciate the good times as much, or find ourselves going in new directions that are better than we could have imagined!
Here's hoping everyone out there remembers to count your blessings... especially when it doesn't seem like there are many... They are there!
I've been buried in evergreen branches and pine pitch for more than the past week. So far I have gotten one order of wreaths made and picked up. I am now working on order #2 that will be picked up this coming Sunday afternoon. The first order only needed plain wreaths, the second one needs them all decorated with red bows, berries and pinecones. Most of the wreaths I make are sold to groups that re-sell them to raise funds.
This is the machine I use for the wreaths. The rings have metal prongs like big staples that are clamped onto the little bouquets of evergreens that make up the wreath. I stomp the pedal, the wire is bent over.
Next is a wreath completed, with pinecones and berries added. This got a bow before it was delivered to it's new home.
The last of the wreath workshop photos- A new load of greens were delivered just before the end of the day..... Looks like I didn't do anything at all. I did get 15 more wreaths done, but they are in a cold room, ready for decorating after all are constructed.
And now for the Rocks!!!! I have been taking a few minutes here and there to play with some more of my rocky art quilts. After being depressed by the rocks in my head during the summer and early fall, I am now beginning to enjoy doing these. The beading is really enjoyable- I'm now collecting gemstone chips, small "bead bugs", and other mossy, muddy colored beads to play with.
This is available for purchase at my Etsy Art Shop, and is 8"x10" in size.
Now that this is done, I better get back to my wreaths.... lots more to do in the next 4 days.
Another rainy day in PA, here. Today is the day i was supposed to start making Christmas wreaths for an order that is being picked up a week from today. My hands give me a lot of pain when I do too many in a day, so I try to spread out the work without beginning too early. These wreaths will be really fresh, because the greens won't be cut till tomorrow- To wet to cut today. I wanted them done yesterday, but that didn't happen.
I have also added 2 more pages to my website. Some of my 8"x10" Sunprint Mini Quilts now are on display and available for sale in their new page- another will be there soon with my simpler ones that same size. I also now have a page to answer the question "What do you do with those??" My Care and Display of Quilts page shows and tells how to care for your art quilts, and different display ideas for them.
Sherbet Fern is available on the 8x10" Suprint Series 1 Page, and Beside the Door is an example of a quilt mounted on a fabric covered artist canvas- one of the ways to display little quilts. "Beside the Door" is available for purchase at my Etsy Art Shop.
Well, with the rainy, warm day out there, I am off to the studio to play with my "rocks and mud".
Where did the summer go?? All of a sudden the Christmas ads are on TV, and Thanksgiving is around the corner. Personally, I wish Thanksgiving got more press than it gets. It seems to get swept under the rug..... As soon as Halloween is over, Christmas is the main holiday pushed. Thanksgiving gets overlooked by too many.
I do believe that giving thanks should be done daily, but the one major day here in the US that it is thought of, really should be remembered. I don't usually get on a soapbox, but this one thing that has bothered me for many years. Growing up, Christmas music and ads weren't that prevalent until after Thanksgiving. Now it seem as soon a Halloween is barely over the Christmas trees and displays are up in stores everywhere. The only good thing about this is that if you want to purchase a new table cloth or decorations for your Thanksgiving, they usually are on clearance way ahead of the day- just don't wait too late, or you'll miss them.
