keeping it fun...

Me and Johnny Bravo hard at work here.  

This guy has lived on my desk devotedly for years,
makes me smile.

Duck!

Several ducks!  The lakes here are abundant with feathered friends.  My darling daughter took this picture, her caption....

"Mom getting to know the locals."

These quackers were adorable.  We had just parked across the street and before I had one foot out of the car, they were chatting us up, stepping off the curb into traffic!  Luckily people around here know this to be an all to often occurrence.  Traffic stopped, we rushed across and they followed still chatting us up.  I will definitely have something to give them next time.  

After several visits...finally a Mandarin.
Courtesy of Whitney's fine photography capture.  Yay!
These little guys were very camera shy.

A lot of nesting going on, we counted three eggs in this gals nest.  Dad was patrolling closely.

Promise....no more birds for a while.  More finished Biscornu soon!  

nice when a plan comes together...

The fabric arrived and YES! it's perfect.  Sometimes this is a 2nd/3rd try kind of thing, so maybe I'm getting better at this color matching.  My screen shot looks great, then the fabric comes and the color is so very wrong.  Now I design, print, tweak, print, tweak more....print again.  Then submit, say a prayer, maybe a few, and wait for the mail to deliver the perfect piece.  

Lily Pond Biscornu with fabric
a Kimberly design ©2013
Can you believe we're looking at June here!  There is that swooshing noise again, time flies!

My sweet Mom was wanting a Bottlebrush bush .  She was so excited to find the above at the market one Saturday morning.  I kept looking at it, wondering why it didn't look like the one I'd had a few years ago, another yard, another life.  

So we started researching on the web.  Turns out this is a Fairyduster, we love it!  

About a day or so before Mother's Day it started putting forth all these little raspberry looking pods.  Mother's Day morning, Voila!  It was covered with little fuchsia powder puffs. How fun to go out and find all this color.  

I love elephants!  I especially love them when they are gifts!  My darling daughter gave this very special tea cup to me for Mom's Day.  It's a Jonathan Adler, see me smiling.  

It's happily taking up residence most days on the red table by the purple stitching chair.  Just one of the many Smile Spots I've created in my cozy nest here.  

inspiration....

Isn't he awesome.

Can you see it?

Proud parents. 

Papa was so puffed...reminds me of my Swan below.
 

'Swan'
[card design adapting to canvas soon]
a Kimberly design©2012

I know, it's Wednesday already!

I started a part time job & work on Mondays.  So posting just flew out of my mind.  I do have something to show.  Guess I should go take a picture of it, huh?  

Almost ready for finishing.  Just need that centerpiece.
Lily Pond Biscornu
a Kimberly design ©2013

Couched wire and beading.  I love effects that are so very cool without  losing your mind  in the doing.
a Kimberly design ©2013

Little gold picots, I stared at these gold dots for a good while, then Voila!
a Kimberly design ©2013

I had a hard time cutting this up, would have made a great table cloth.
Paisley Biscornu Fabric design
a Kimberly design ©2013

Petals & Leaves...

This lily pad is floating in a pond full of sparkle.  Wait until you see what I do with the ripples in that water.  

Having too much fun as usual. 

Lily Pond Biscornu
six in a series of seven designs
a Kimberly design copyright 2013

Lily Pond Biscornu
a Kimberly design copyright 2013

So excited !

Remember this?  I'm totally enthralled by this bloom.  I know this happens but not to any orchid I've ever had, most just wither over time, leaves turn yellow, and fall off with a sad clunk.  

Not this one!  

January 2011

April 2013

Happy Spring !

Coolness...

Great way to end a busy week.  Fini !

Have to admit ... I really didn't know how this one was going to turn out.  There were a few areas that I stared at, walked away from, came back to, and Voila!  That creative channel was there, whew!

And I loved putting a tassel to it.  Paprika Pi worked up a custom bead that complimented this little gem perfectly.  

Paisley Biscornu sporting a tassel !
a Kimberly design
copyright 2013

Paisley Biscornu 
a Kimberly design
copyright 2013

Paisley Biscornu
a Kimberly design
copyright 2013

Hand Crafted Custom Bead from 
Paprika Pi !

being 'present'

Being 'present' is a daily work in progress for me.  I read this today and I really liked it...

I am an open channel of creative energy.
a Kimberly design copyright 2010

Once upon a time....

I rode the bus to and from work...it was a long ride.  In the mornings I had the lovely & entertaining Gwen to chat with but on the way home it was just long.  So I would stitch or pull out my sketch book.  I'd stitch small 'stuff'.  Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with this stuff.  

Pictured below is one version I came up with on a weekend spent with my son.  I asked him what he wanted to do, being a man of many words ... 'art'.  He chose to paint a large canvas at my desk and I pushed myself into the corner of the sofa with my rapidograph.  

This is what evolved. 

'Below the Surface'
a Kimberly design copyright 2011

'Below the Surface'
a Kimberly design copyright 2011
Work some swirls with watered down acrylics, have fun drawing squiggle art over the paint shapes.

Miter/press raw edges to the back, mount on foam core [which I painted], & place on top of art.  Then mount in a shadow box frame.  Then sit back & have another 'Tada' moment.

'Flowers in the Sky'
Art Card by Kimberly
also on the 'bus'

Love this...

A friend told me I was delusional....

I almost fell off my dragon!

'Avery's Dragon'
Kimberly 2008

check check check

Shipped to The Needle Works

'Knot Garden' biscornu three of seven in the series
a Kimberly design copyright 2013

On the paint table....

'Swirling Hearts' biscornu four of seven in the series
a Kimberly design copyright 2013

On the frame...almost fini!  

'Paisley' biscornu five of seven in the series
a Kimberly design copyright 2013

I'm at a sticking point, odd thing for a women who works with needles to say :-)  All but two little spots to stitch and my brain went blank.  Not to worry ... it will happen shortly as I can't wait to trim those two tufts of Turkey Work!  

I've been busy....

...it's great to be busy.  Really, it is.  There are times when I'd like to collapse into a beach chair, preferably at the beach.  Some sand, some surf, a warm breeze, ahh just a day dream for the moment but it will happen!

For now, thought you'd like to see a different slant on what to do with a small square of finished needlepoint. I'd had this piece for 'awhile'.

"Little Something" a Kimberly design 

I stitched this from one of my own free handouts I designed forever ago.  It's worked all in Soie Perlee silk with the edges beaded.  [I'm presently hunting for a copy to offer here for you but can not locate it just yet.]

"Little Something" mounted on sliding top wooden box.
Embellished further with fun line art.  

Inside this wooden box in an endless supply of cards with my art on them.  This was my Christmas gift to my Mom this year.  It was prompted after several different trips to every store that was offering BOGO's for greeting cards.  While I was in a fit of giggles over the many trips, this was serious business to Mom.  

Now she need not ever worry as every time she uses a card another magically appears inside her card box.  

'Melissa Shirley Design'

Isn't he wonderful!?!  I finished stitching him a month or two ago.  He's off to the finisher tomorrow with this fabulous Kaffe Fassett fabric and some fun bullion cord I made.  Can't wait to see him all 'done up'.