Merry Christmas!

And a Happy New Year!!

...blogging

Sometimes...life is just so full of great stuff to do that blogging goes by the way side.  My brother mentioned to me on the phone this evening that I've been absent.

I made him laugh when I told him that upon over hearing a conversation this week about grocery shopping for a big dinner... I was suddenly very aware of the fact that they were not talking about Thanksgiving but Christmas!!  For heavens sake, when was turkey day?? 
I'm not totally out of touch, I do have our little tree up and Brad has been joyfully adding to our little train layout.  Last night he worked for hours adding more color to the rocky landscape and glistening snow.  Tonight a trestle.  I'm hoping to film it and put it up here for all to see. 
Soon you'll get a peek at the newest Christmas art...but first I have to mail it out to family. 
For now, enjoy my silly reindeer.  Happy Christmas!

....this week

What a rough week....my Mac decided it no longer wants to turn on.  I push the button, the light faintly glows under my finger and goes out...then it won't even glow if pushed again.  I may haul it down to some HappyMac people I was told about to see if they can breath life back into it once more. 
Presently, I have had to convert to my sons PC.  I'm thrilled to have an option but really miss my Mac.  It's sort of like waking up in a different house, nothing is where you left it. 
A funny thing that happened this week...I was changing the water jug at work...muscling those jugs is a comedy act for me...it started to get away from me so I quickly dumped it on the despenser.  Whew, put my hands up in the air to declare victory and heard a clunk....my rings!  How?  It's still a mystery but there they were inside the despenser.  Needless to say, I've drank a lot of water this week and today was able to remove the jug and rescue my rings.  And no, I did not put a new jug on...rings off next time. 

The Wedding...

Looks like it is time for me to change up my short bio....I have two children, one now married to an amazing son-in-law and the other now driving and soon to graduate high school!  Life in the fast lane! 
The wedding was amazing, location, crew, wedding party, family, food, flowers, the weather even cooperated.  The bride was so very beautiful and the groom so very handsome.
Seeing family I've not seen in too many years, the 'OH' look on my face as my son remained on the task of escorting me was the reaction to seeing my cousins all grown up and looking just as surprised to see me! (all silver) 
I now have new family through this magical union of two equally amazing kindred spirits.  
What a day it was and what a wonderful new life of opportunities and friendships this has opened up for all of us to share in. 

....for my Mom

somebody is having a birthday today....

....today, my sweet 'mom-in-law' turned 80!  She didn't want anyone to know...but was fine by tonight when I arrived with cake and candles after work.  Above is our pup Chance, who worships the ground Gramma walks on.  So this was her card today.  His favorite toy is a ball with feet that he talks to often. 

It's a busy month for us. as they are moving to Florida shortly.  My daughter's wedding is in two weeks and there are a plethora of birthdays, including two on the day of the wedding.  I'll be drawing up a storm!  My sweet Mom's is this Saturday. 

Everyone have a great month.  I'll come up for air after Thanksgiving!

Finished!

...my daughters lace bridal shawl. I knit this out of cobweb weight yarn from Scotland. Her Grandmother brought it back for me when she was just little as I knew someday I would do this for her. It's light as a feather! Can't wait to see it draped over her shoulders.

Lists....

...the best thing about a list....crossing things off of it!

I've been working tirelessly on a cobweb weight lace shawl for my daughters wedding...I bound off the last row this past evening and will finish the edging today.

I've thoroughly enjoyed working on it but will definitely be relieved to place it into a gift box shortly. When I figure out how to photograph it to it's best advantage, I'll post a picture for all to see.
Hope everyone is having a great start to their week,

Thursday....

what I want to do....what I 'should' be doing...tonight, I played with my computer and one of my line drawings....

Life....

can be too busy. I can not believe I haven't posted in over a month! And I really don't have time to be sitting here tonight but am blown away that I've been so remiss.
I can say...I have finished a big commission project, delivered and was paid. Woohoo! I'm almost finished with another and have been steadily adding to the length of my daughters lace bridal shawl that I'm knitting.
Something new for you to go explore...I've not been totally remiss...go check out this website. ArtBizBlog.com It's a great read and you can sign up for her newsletter as well. At ArtBizCoach.com Some of us need a pinch to get moving at times.
Have a great holiday weekend.

Line Art....

...finished

I've a goal...many actually but the present one is to finish several projects that I've left to rest long enough. When I was publishing my designs...there was no resting, the deadlines loomed over me heavily. I've enjoyed not having them but it's time to give them back to myself...self motivation. It feels really great. Hugs to moi!
Above is a small piece that only needed the outside border zipped up. I call it "Nest". Approximately 5.5" x 4.75", I've used silk floss, silk hand painted ribbon, thread made from soy and colorful brads that were a blast to discover. Nest will be available in my ArtFire studio this week...have to get it matted! Matt will be titled and signed. All copyrights reserved by me. This is an original one of a kind needle art piece.

Dreams...

Blog Award...

... what an honor to be awarded by a fellow artisan. ColtPixy.com awarded this to me and several others, check out her blog so you can then click on all the great blogs she's stumbled across. I've also been tagged by LibertyDoll.blogspot.com. I'm going to list some favorite blogs of mine for you to go explore...then I'm supposed to list seven random facts about myself....we'll see how that goes. First some favorites...
5PreciousThings.blogspot.com (all the way from Scottland)
AllenCapoferri.blogspot.com (I can't seem to leave him a comment but love his art)
AndrewsReclaimed.blogspot.com (very cool bird, butterfly, bat houses)
ArtDollsbyNat.blogspot.com (random fact, I love handmade dolls)
Moonstone.tumblr.com (Moonstone.ArtFire.com an amazingly generous artisan)
ArtisticAbstraction.blogspot.com (another very cool, very colorful artist)
BeedeeBabee.blogspot.com (really pretty pieces you'll find here)
CatherinetteRings.blogspot.com (very cool Steampunk)
CottageGardenStudio.blogspot.com (namaste Sarah)
MichellePerkett.blogspot.com (she's a very whimsical artist)
JoyceStahl.blogspot.com (you have to go see her dolls, they'll make you giggle)
Kathleen-Coy.blogspot.com (you must go visit Cloud)
RainwolfStudios.blogspot.com (wish I could travel to all the places she's photographed)
ThatstheWaytheCupcakeCrumbles.blogspot.com (my niece! future pastry chef )
TheFairiesNest.blogspot.com (more amazing dolls..random fact, I love scifi fantasy books)
CarpeBiblio.com (my brother the bibliophile)
CeilingTrainKit.com (my other half...random fact...we have trains in almost every room here)
Whew...few other random facts...I'm quirky, colorful in my work, my hair started to turn silver at the tender age of ten, I could lay on the porch for hours watching for just one more shooting star, often hear myself wishing that sleep was not so important.
I'm hoping you'll all leave comments as you visit these blogs and let them know how wonderful they all are. Guess you can't do that with the .com's but they do have counters! Have a great week and enjoy doing a little internet exploring.

Movement II...

...Yes! I finished a new piece. I didn't quite stick to it as I said I wanted to in an earlier post but...I did finish...being distracted happens to be a huge part of my quirky nature. Go check it out in my ArtFire Studio, the above is just a portion of the bigger picture.
akimberlydesign.artfire.com

Happy Memorial Day!

My Mother reminded me that in times past, today was referred to as Decoration Day. Funny how things change over the years. I do remember being told this before but don't remember the reasons for the change.
We woke up to a beautiful blue sky this morning, birds were singing and life was happening! I hope everyone is able to celebrate today in their own way, we'll be catching up on chores....as we played all day yesterday.
We went to a Fiber Art show, beautiful work...then to a few galleries and walked around downtown Austin. It was a wonderful escape.
You can read more about the above here www.TexasFiberArts.org

Gorgeous Morning...

Beginning of another work week for me. At least it's pretty outside, cool crisp sunny morning. Goal this week is to keep going on the new pieces I started last week...to not get distracted and start something else!
Hope everyone is having a great week.

Swooosh....

Another week has just flown by me! I was so tired this a.m. that when the alarm went off....I dreamed it was Sunday and couldn't imagine why I had set my alarm. Thank goodness for small dogs with overwhelming desires to be let outside each a.m.!
Pictured above is one of my hand painted needlepoint canvas designs. If you're a stitcher, you'll understand when I say it comes with a stitch guide, so you too can have the above as shown. Contact me with any questions akimberlydesign

Happy Mom's Day!

Just think...a day to do whatever...where you don't have to come up with any clever excuses to yourself about why the wash can wait another day!
(the proud little Cardinal is courtesy of my dear friend Corliss Englert...she was about a foot away from this little guy...mom was being very patient)

...it's time

to stop and smell the Primroses...fini!

Movement...

Just listed in my ArtFire Studio and also my shop on Etsy. Took me long enough...kept thinking I would add more color but decided I really like it just like this!
akimberlydesign.ArtFire.com
akimberlydesign.Etsy.com

Working weekend...

I'm just back from a needlework market in Dallas. It was wonderful to see so many old friends. The show was a smaller form of the larger shows held twice a year by The National Needlework Association...it was cash n carry. They hold these in suite hotels...you display your product in the front of your room and have all the product available for customers to 'carry' home. It can be a rush...for many years I was on the display and sell end...this weekend I was with the shop I work for. It was great to be able to tour the rooms and visit. At the end of the day we went back to our room and relaxed, I stitched a little and worked on my Primroses ...still have some work ahead of me on this piece but much further along than I was. I'll update again soon.

Freeform...

This was a blast to stitch...no rules...for some this would send shivers down the spine. The word random can send some stitchers into therapy. For me, it's a free pass to play. I love to gather a pile of fibers in different mediums...hand painted and solid silks, beads, buttons, real metal...found some silk chenille for the above piece and chipped some smooth metal to use as beads. Like I wrote above...I had a blast. I'll be adding this piece and some similar to my studio soon. (click on the picture to zoom on details)

Peace....

It's so quiet here this a.m. except for my tapping on this computer....I had an ahhh moment last night...I finished a project! I love to 'paint' with thread, develop stitches and see colors come together on a canvas as I design a piece but sometimes...I actually 'paint' the canvas and proceed to stitch over it. This Peace sign was originally a custom piece...two years later I decided I needed one for myself. I'm hoping to make it into a tote bag for myself. The scan above doesn't do it justice...there are little peace signs all over it! You can zoom in...you might be able to see them better. Have a great week! Peace, Kimberly

...filling my time

There is always something I want to do...always...I never seem to have a moment where there just isn't anything on my mind. I tried yesterday, spent a lovely day at a spa with my daughter. It was fabulous but I heard her remind me a few times..."mom...we have no where we have to be today"...dadumdum. She was so right and we had a great time...just doing nothing. I even laid still long enough to get some sun....just a little crisp today, ouch. That's what I get for not being outside more often.
Today, I delivered some tassels I'd made for my accountant. Long overdue but have to brag...she had asked for red and green...all I could see was Christmas which meant not having them out year round. So I did them up a little different and then worried they wouldn't work in her new home. Well....after I handed them over, expressed my concern about them...she says, come look at my living room. I could not have made them match better if I'd known in advance. I was more surprised than she! Wish I'd had my camera but my battery was charging!
(click on image to see detail)

some feedback...

....I'm curious. The above is called "Peggy"....truly a doodle turned into art. I may have been sitting on the bus actually...can't remember for sure. Started with pencil, then pen and ink, then my magic colored pencils. I named it Peggy for a friend whom the colors reminded me of. What I'm curious about is it's popularity...she is consistently at the top of the hit list in my studio. I know why I like it but would love to hear others opinions.

Having Tea...

I love having tea...it can calm me down or wake me up! This past Saturday a friend and I stopped into our local Tea Shop, called The Tea Embassy. It's an amazing shop with all sorts of tea 'stuff' to explore.
While sitting there tasting the brew of the day, I saw that they sold a variety of cards...yes, it did dawn on me before I left to ask if they'd be interested in any cards I came up with. The owner said yes, brave soul not knowing me very well at all. I'm hoping he likes what I've come up with so far. The two shown here are just the first of several 'brewing' in my head.
Let me know what you think and do go check out their website.
www.teaembassy.com

...quick note

Before I head off to work...I've added a gadget at the bottom of this page...check it out! Some of my favorites, I'll change this up periodically...maybe theme it if time allows. Click on the thumbnails to go to each artists shop. Have a great weekend!

It's raining in Texas!

And my Primroses grew! It's been ever so dry here, depressingly dry. So everyone is thrilled with the rain. I didn't really even notice anyone stressing going into work this a.m. in the traffic that was not moving. There was this quiet calm that overtook me...everything looks so much better in the rain. Colors are richer, deeper...full of life. Spring is my all time favorite season, I love seeing the Redbuds pop open, the Bradford Pears are also coming to life along with the Wisteria trees. It's just gorgeous. So while I sat in the traffic, that was not moving....I was looking at everything turning that wonderful spring green I so love.

beginnings...

...of a new piece. It's really hard sometimes to make yourself sit down and work. After running several errands yesterday and enjoying a lunch that was lousy foodwise but great companywise. I came home to sit in my favorite chair and sketch. I'm not sure where this will take me yet but so far I'm liking it. I have a new box of watercolor pencils I'm itching to play with....

...people I find fascinating

artists I'm meeting along the way....
I feel very fortunate to have bumped into them via this amazing internet. Some have been so kind to feature my work on their blogs. One just announced that she has taken the plunge into being an artist full time. Oh how I wish I could do this also. Another just posted some wonderful links on how we could all improve our sales. One has a site totally dedicated to showcasing artists work. I hope you can take the time to visit these very talented/generous women and help me to pay back their kindnesses.
Here it is the weekend again...the weeks just fly by. Maybe with two days off, you can visit each of the links below. Have fun exploring, Kimberly

Kathleen Coy
ArtFire Artisans
Liberty Doll
Art Dolls by Nat
Jessica Doyle
Ninja Jenn

...a sheepy morning to you

Good Morning....another day in paradise. I can dream, can't I?! I'm thinking a beach, waves splashing on the sand....a good book. Of course, I'm just as happy to be off and running. I'll be delivering son and cake he baked for German class to school, then off to work.
I write stitch guides for hand painted needlepoint canvases...we are switching from hand written to computerized. Yesterday my eyes were crossed by the end of the day. I'm a Mac user, shop has all PC's....it's a whole different ballgame. Same program but nothing is where it is on mine at home! So this oldish dog, is learning some new tricks. Patience is indeed a virtue! Hope all of you have a great day in paradise too.
(Sheep is available in both ArtFire/Etsy as an ACEO, click in side windows to visit both)

....never a dull moment

This used to be my mantra but I've changed and try to take each day one moment at a time. Today was wonderful, gorgeous weather....had a dental appointment...no cavities! Stopped by my local yarn shop...which just happens to be in the same plaza as the dentist....and I bumped into two friends. What a happy coincidence. We were able to visit, which is a rare occasion for me.
I also do finishing for knitted garments...in my spare time. I was there to pick up a couple of jobs and she sweetly took me up on an offer to sell some of my cards in her shop. So it's been a great day.
On a different note... This morning in a forum someone was asking about where all her followers disappeared to and I just found out! When Blogger started this new follow/friend option...they switched everyone you follow to anonymously. For those of you who've not seen this...go to manage who you follow. Get a cuppa something because you have to do each one individually.
Anyway, just thought I'd pass that little piece of info on to those who follow me and might read this post. I didn't drop you, honest!

ArtFire Stimulus Package...

I was in the forums on ArtFire when I read about this great idea to try to stimulate the economy via our little community. I say 'little' but it is an ever increasing one. I'm not sure at this point just how many artists are participating. You can do a search for them by typing AFSP in the search window. Have some fun, go check out what's up for sale for some incredible prices. You never know what you might find! Above is my offering, four art cards for less than the price of one regularly priced card.
Use the Rapid Cart to purchase, no sign up necessary! ...or link below.
AFSP Limited Edition Art Card collection

I've started to write this post four times now. I'm realizing that the focus is just not there tonight. I somehow managed to put my back out, mind you, I was just walking! So it was a long day at work today trying to ignore it but also trying to be very careful how I moved. I think I wore myself out. So I offer a pretty cherry blossom and hope that every one is having a great week. We have flowering trees blooming here, they're all confused with the crazy weather. Maybe spring is just around the corner. Wishful day dreams.

Happy Dragon...

Ta da...in color...took me long enough. Poor guy was hanging off that precipice looking pretty pale for over a month.
Another happy note, it's raining! We just laid in bed this a.m. watching it cascade off the roof, the sound of it pounding on the rooftop was wonderful. It's stopped for the moment, hopefully it will continue for a few days as we really do need more.
Great way to start off the week, finished piece and rain!
You can purchase through my Rapid Cart to the left or by clicking the link below.
Avery's Dragon

Tassel Class...

Once upon a time, in a far away place (from Texas) I learned to make tassels. The place was Littleton, Massachusetts...the shop was called The World in Stitches. There were a lot of people that also wanted to learn this talent. So I began teaching. That was in 1990, a few years later after learning so much more than I knew in that first attempt, I wrote an instruction booklet full of all my gained knowledge, A Tassel Workshop Collection©. After self publishing, I taught all across the country from Falls Church, VA to Laguna Beach, CA. I've met so many wonderful stitcher's along the way. Below are pictures of a wonderful group of women in Georgetown, TX who also wanted to learn. They belong to The Embroiderers Guild of America and meet every month to share knowledge of their craft. The group is an extremely talented bunch and as you can see, they have a lot of fun. Even when facing a huge knot in a skein of perle coton! (I'm the silver haired one...with the black sweater!) This was how I spent my Monday night this week, I think we all had a great time.
You can see some of my painted wood tassels in my Etsy shop.
Photos by Corliss Englert

Wonderful dreary Monday!

There is a thick fog hanging over Texas today, that is promising some greatly needed rain. Yes! The weather guy was so happy he was giggling.
I'm supposed to be adding color to the dragon above today...instead I started something new, bad of me but the promise of rain and a good movie on a morning off...I couldn't help myself. So I snuggled down into my chair with a cup of tea, sketch pad, an array of pencils and a cherry blossom is blooming on my page.
My darling daughter is to be married to this great guy next spring. The chosen venue has a tree lined road leading up to it...cherry trees. So the theme seems to be heading in this direction...hence my muse for the day. This will not suit my son who's waiting for the color to 'bloom' on his dragon. Trouble is...I've forgotten what color he exactly requested. Stay tuned for an update of this edition.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well...if you're not into the big Heart Holiday...these are blank...you can use them for note cards easily. The designs were fun for me to create, hope some will find them fun to have, send or receive. They're also available as 4"x6" prints in my ArtFire studio or my Etsy shop.
To purchase click the link below:
Heart Collection 2009

So cool to be featured...

I feel very fortunate to have found such an amazing place to sell my art. I've been featured on another ArtFire artisan's site. She's been generous to feature many of us on her kaboodle page. Check us all out on www.kaboodle.com/libertydoll and www.libertydoll.blogspot.com
The design featured is called 'Fish', I originally designed this in needlepoint. In a former life I designed charted needle point. I often taught new pieces at The National Needle Association trade show markets. This piece was designed for a glass topped mini table from Sudberry House Designs. It resides with me now and I enjoy it greatly. The painted 'Fish' is available as an ACEO on ArtFire and Etsy.
Thank you again to Moonstone and Liberty Doll for giving me such a warm welcome.

The artists on ArtFire are so generous. One such is Moonstone of Moonstone Creations...she has set up a blog that tumbles ArtFire Artisians. Check it out...click link to the left.

Little bit more about me...

So...what I do beyond ArtFire/Etsy shops...I work full time for a needlepoint shop. In a prior life, I was a charted needlepoint artist but retired from the stress of deadlines. They were constant or I should say, I was constantly pressuring myself! Life is a bit more relaxed but being the type person that I am...I still have 'stuff' that I HAVE to do TODAY. Crazy what we do to ourselves. Above is one of my workspaces. I also design painted needlepoint canvases now and then. Recently I taught, through the shop, a couple of small ornaments. They were a huge hit and I'm still filling orders from the class. So when I'm not updating my studio/shop, I'm painting. When I'm not doing that, I'm snuggled up in a chair with my drawing pad and many colored pencils/markers. The latter being my favorite.