Note Cards March 2016

Our paper craft group met last month to make some note cards for ourselves and for the Outreach Committee of our community.  We also sell the cards to residents in the clubhouse.

Here's a card for a masculine birthday or Father's Day.

This is a great masculine card too.

Or a thank you for a beach house weekend?

This is a bright greeting for Spring.

And a Mother's Day card for May.

So fun to get together--and craft--and create!

And they're useful also.

Wonder what designs and techniques we'll come up with in April?

Baby Violet's New Quilt

This new quilt shines in the shadow of the windowpanes as the sun sets today.

All the shades of violet are included:   Robert Kaufman's Spot On Collection in Pindot Violet for the banding and Medium Dot Violet to surround the middle panel of Timeless Treasure's Cats in violet that appears more purple to me.  The pattern includes flowers, butterflies and hearts in lilac.  I used bunnies to celebrate Easter and to include a fabric from one of her sister's quilts. The end panels are Fancy Free Window Pane in violet. The backing is a Michael Miller fabric designed by Violet Craft for the Brambleberry Ridge collection.  The design is Flight Twilight on lavender with white birds. 

It's just a violet fantasy and I can't wait to wrap her in it.

Sweet dreams, Baby Violet!

Carrot Toss bags

Carrot-shaped bean bags ready to be sewn up tight!

Filled with rice so I'll be sewing tiny stitches--maybe twice around?

Pysanky Egg Decorating

 I was fortunate to learn this batik-like art of decorating eggs for Easter from a Laurel Ridge neighbor and good friend who has Ukrainian origins.  She taught a class of about ten people how to apply the pure beeswax with a traditional Kistka.  We followed a beginner's pysanka design of oval egg shapes, round tear drops, pine branches and a star, following Irena's step-by-step directions.  After each application of wax design with the Kistka, we used a different colored dye bath.

The last dye bath was black.

At the end, we heated the egg over a candle flame to remove the wax which covered much of the egg.

Our design appeared in full color and geometry.

Each color and design has a meaning.

The finished pysanky stands for life, hope, happiness, 

and rebirth.

The egg is not blown or hard-boiled.

It is not edible, but much more than decorative due to its symbolic meaning.

It is very fragile but the inside does dry out eventually.

It was awesome to participate in this workshop

using the traditional methods of Ukrainian pysanky.