saying hello

I feel badly there has been no art or swaps here for quite some time now. We are still working on selling our home and it is hard in this market when you do not have a cookie-cutter house! But we are persevering, have dropped the price, have an Open House this Sunday, October 25th, from 12-2pm and we have been having showings as well. So there is hope. I so want to join my mom and dad in Florida. My dad recently had a PET scan to see how his liver cancer is doing and his Dr just told him, "Good news on PET/CT. Significantly improved. The damn stuff is working." - he is talking about xelota - the chemo my dad is doing. Dad has also done radiation.

Anyway, that is where i am, if any of you are still out there!! If you hang onto this link or email notification, one day i will announce a new swap! But not now : )) just checking in. Hope you are all well.

The image in the header is one of my own Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) from the Alpha Stamps Alice in Wonderland ATC Swap I hosted earlier this year. To see ALL of the ATCs follow this label.

Following up on the Shades of Spring Quiltie Swap

Rose Momsen, one of my swap participants sent me the following photos & descriptions:

"Front cover: image is paper appliqued from Melissa Sweet's Counting Birds Wall Cards by eeBoo Toys. I had dreams of making this image in fabric for my pages, so was happy to use it for the cover. It seems to embody the quiltie theme really well."

Yes! I received a lovely email from Rose Momsen in Point Roberts, Washington the other day. She had some photos to share with me, and she told me she had made a book out of her Robin's Egg Blue and Brown ~ Shades of Spring Quilties from our swap, that she loves. Rose said, "I thought the other quiltie artists would enjoy seeing what I did with their work."

Wow! I asked if she would mind writing a few sentences to share with us about her photos, and she did. Thank you so much, Rose! More on how she completed this project below all the photos.

" Top view of the fatbook. Calgary artist Anne St. Louis' page with ribbon tags can be seen reaching up."

"View of fatbook sitting open. It's a bit floppy to display like this, but you can see a bit of my spring landscape page this way."

"South Dakotan Sue Lee's page on the left says, "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'" And Martha Franklin, from Virginia did the dot ribbon framed, heart button leaved page on the right."

"The back of Anne's page on the left, and my Homage to Nancy Crow's Constructions Series on the right. That's some of the same Lonni Rossi brown/black print that I used for the outside spine on the cover."

"Beverley Teichrob from Victoria, BC did the page on the left (her front was a wonderful felt nest in a tree), and Sara Ellen Davis from Tennessee did the page on the right, with a vintage pin of a turquoise owl in the upper left corner."

"This is the inside of the front cover, with my business card and Lenna's card glued in place. You can see the over cast whip stitch clearly, where the signature of the quiltie pages is attached to the cover over the seam allowance. I used a blue thread to sew the quiltie pages together, and a brown thread to sew them to the covers, keeping with the same color theme. The page on the right is by Kate North, who lives outside London, England. Her page seemed to be a great introduction to the Spring theme of the swap, so I chose it for the first page.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! My book has pages from Kate North, Beverley Teichrob, Saraellen Davis, Lisa Mallette (Florida), Joellyn Quinn (Wisconsin), Anne St. Louis, Sue Lee, Martha Franklin, myself, and Dawn Sellers (Oregon)."

"It was great fun to participate in my first "Lenna Swap", the Robin's Egg Blue and Brown Spring Quilties from 2008. I knew I wanted to make a fabric fatbook out of mine, so I sent in two different sets of little quilts, kept one each of my pages, and swapped with the friend who got me to join, too, so I wound up with 12 pages for my book. I played with the page order for a long time, and then sewed the twelve pages together into a signature with a line of chain stitching across them in three places: top, middle, and bottom. I made a cover "envelope style" by piecing handdyed blue fabrics backed with interfacing, and found a great brown/black Lonni Rossi print for the book's spine. I slipped heavyweight coverstock paper into the front and back before assembling the cover, to give the book some body.

The cover's seam allowances are hidden inside the spine opening by hand whip stitching the signature over them, securing the pages to the book. There's a slit for a pocket in the inside back cover where I put copies of the emails and the directions for the swap. Here are pictures and comments. Thanks everyone who participated! Rose Momsen, Point Roberts, WA - geonrose@pointroberts.net"

~ Now, if anyone one else out there has also completed projects, or does finish projects using art from our previous swaps that you would like to share here, please email me. It would be fun to share what you have done with the rest of the viewers, especially as creative swaps are on hiatus now, and this blog is otherwise quiet. Thanks!

Hello! Remember the Alice in Wonderland ATC swap? (Alpha Stamps)

I received a lovely follow-up email from Donna Butcher in California today! She was one of the participants in our Alice in Wonderland ATC swap. Donna wrote, and I quote with her permission . . .
"I so appreciate your sharing all your artwork and all the time you have given to swaps! I am working on some UFO's and the one that is finished and I finally took some photos of to share is the collage I did from the Alice ATC Swap. I don't think the photo does it justice. I did it on a stretched canvas (16x20). I first used crackle paste on it and then painted and inked it to get the color and shadows I wanted. The big tree is paper with ribbon leaves. Then I added the ATC's and some other Alice images on transparencies. The little areas are filled in with various little gems like, a watch with workings, crowns, keys, a door knocker (which works), butterflies (that are shrink plastic), bugs, there are mushrooms (polymer clay) at the bottom edge among the dirt (distress Stickles and spheres) and leaves (cut paper). The outer edge is dark brown with checked ribbon around it. I cannot seem to get a picture that really does it justice. I love looking at it on the wall near my upstairs art desk. Just wanted to share with you a piece of art inspired by a swap of yours - thank you!"

Wow! Thank you, Donna! So great to hear from you and see this marvelous finished piece from one of our swaps. So creative! I love the tree that you've made and how you placed the Cheshire Cat ATC up on the limbs of the tree. Below are a couple of close-ups so you can see Donna's collage better -click on them for more detail. Does anyone recognize their own ATC in Donna's collage? What do you think?This swap wrapped up in February, 2009. I love seeing what Donna did with her returns!

On a personal note, since I have not been in touch for a while -- things are fine here with Steven & I in Connecticut. Our home has been on the market for just about 5 weeks now and we are getting a lot of interest, we've had a couple of Open Houses with good attendance and quite a number of showings. We are just waiting for an offer : ) and we simply need the right person to come along, so I am trying my best to be patient!! My dad has finished his radiation treatment on both lobes of his liver and he is still in remission. He has a gal bladder procedure to go through and is going through stress tests now to see if the time is right. I am looking at a few possibilities as far as homes near my parents, but we are not falling in love with anything until our home here in CT sells! Things are definitely quieter with no swaps to run or classes to teach, but I am keeping busy with moving preparations (mostly boring cleaning out!) and I have been creating a bit of art lately, which has been fun & kept my spirits up. I cannot promise anything as far as creative swaps is concerned because everything is up in the air too much, but know without a doubt that I miss you all!

. . . from lenna

Even though I am not currently hosting a swap, I am trying to feature your 12x12 quilts from our most recent swap on the home page in a rotating fashion.
I am still posting a little bit over on my creativelenna blog, in-between house showing appointments. I have some small works of art I have been able to do that I will share as soon as time allows . . . so, for now, I will see you over there instead!

Canceling the Canvas Swap

I'm so sorry to write tonight and let you know that I am canceling the last swap I had scheduled -- The 3 for 3 collage on canvas swap due in June. I had 14 participants register already and I will be refunding their registration payment via PayPal later tonight, as soon as I send this message to the blog! One participant has already sent in her canvases, and I will be mailing those back to you tomorrow, Martha.

Again, I apologize, but there is just too much going on in my life personally with selling our home and all that entails. I need to focus my attention on the process of moving to be near my parents and feel I cannot give this canvas swap the attention it needs.

So! You will find the creative swaps blog quiet for quite a while. I have no idea when our home will sell and when I will get back to hosting and I cannot even think of it now, so please don't ask! I know many of you thoroughly enjoyed the swaps and will miss them dearly. I want to thank you again for being with me on this journey. I rarely hear complaints, usually I hear the opposite, but . . . if you were ever unsatisfied with the swap and did not tell me, I want to thank you for remembering to take these exchanges as a chance to learn and grow, and be challenged to do your best work. Everyone has a different "level" and I have always tried my best to match you up with something you will appreciate, no matter what level you are. I feel the most important part of this is simply the challenge to be inspired and create; not what you receive. I have hosted art swaps for so long because I love to bring people together to create. I feel I have a gift to be able to do this - and I should use this gift when I can. Please find another outlet in the meantime - I can suggest ARTchix Studio for great challenges, swaps and free classes (some written by me!). I hope to see you again before too long. Thank you for your participation, support and wonderful art.

Most sincerely, Lenna

*Winner* of most creative 12x12 quilt . . . Cynthia Zdanzukas!

I have placed the winning 12x12 quilt in the header of the creative swaps blog to honor and congratulate Cynthia Zdanzukas from Connecticut! (Now removed to allow the rest of the quilts their limelight -but you can see it by clicking here).

Even though this was a very tough choice, I agreed with those of you who voted in the poll on the blog -- Cynthia's piece was the best! There were also 3 runners-up for most creative 12x12: Mary Zimany, Andrea Millington and Valerie Cowan. Congratulations to everyone who participated and for taking my prompts and really making the most of them. This 12x12 quilt swap has got to be my favorite swap I've hosted yet! : ) The artwork the participants produced was AMAZING!

I have swapped all the quilties out and packaged and mailed out 9 of the packages today . . . that is about 1/3 of the swap. I will finish packaging & sending the rest of the pieces tomorrow. This was an even swap and whomever quilt you've received has yours! It has been a real pleasure to host this swap.

Just so you know -on a personal note: We are quite busy now getting ready to list our home for sale, having our second tag sale, cleaning & sprucing up, meeting with the Realtor, going through our possessions, tossing & selling. Phew! It is all for a good cause. I will be going to visit my parents in Bradenton, Florida (where we plan to move after our house sells) May 8-12th and I look forward to the visit, as always. My dad is doing well, still in remission from his liver cancer and getting ready to have radiation on the other lobe of his liver. In the meantime he is making ME a new wooden canoe paddle - he recently gave one he made to Steven!! When I visit, my parents have a Realtor friend down there who has offered to show me some of the neighborhoods near my parents, where a few interesting things are for sale - just so we can get an idea. They may not be available later . . . . our house should go on the market around May 10th and we have no idea how long it will take to find a buyer. We are hoping it won't be too long as we'd like to be with my parents sooner, rather than later . . . . but we will just have to see! I am thinking positive and doing everything I can to make it happen.

CLICK ON ANY photo for a larger picture & more details!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #32: Lenna Andrews, Connecticut

My 12x12 quilt is the very last one to come in by yesterday's deadline. I have been busy getting ready for our first Moving/Tag Sale this weekend, working some at Stonewall Kitchen and cleaning up the house & yard in order to put our home on the market -- we talk to our real estate agent on Saturday. Phew! All for a good cause . . . our plan is to sell this home and move near my parents in Bradenton, FL. My dad is doing well considering he has liver cancer (still in remission) but Steven & I feel that this is simply what we need to do and want to do right now.

Anyway -- my quiltie. It is actually pretty simple and a little restrained for me! I used fabrics in my stash: a wonderful 5x5 Moda piece from The fat Quarter Shop - the green piece with pink roses, and lots of lovely flower & leaf beads (and leaf pins) from Alpha Stamps - go here to see these and more. I especially love the Glass Leaf Charm Sets and the Pearlized Leaf Stick Pins, yum! The olive green back of this quiltie is a recycled chemise, yes - I saved it even though I was not wearing it anymore because I so loved the fabric. It felt wonderful to use it for this project and then happily throw away the rest! I did some simple rubber stamping of favorite sayings: Make Art, It's the little things, and Follow your heart. I used Fabrico/VersaCraft ink pads & heat set the ink.

The most unusual thing I did which came to me while I was creating this piece, was to recycle a dried flower, a beautiful yellow rose I had been saving. I used Tacky glue to attach it to the fabric and then protected it from breakage by coating it with gel medium. I just had this wild idea that this rose was what this piece needed!

Thanks to everyone who participated and I am sorry for those that had to drop out . . . life happens. There will be another time! This was a wonderful, amazing creative swap! Please vote for your favorite quilt in the sidebar of the blog . . . . even though this is a one for one swap, it will take me probably about a week to swap. I will keep you posted when it is completed.

12x12 Fabric technique swap #31: Cynthia Zdanzukas, Connecticut

I think Cynthia's 12x12 quilt is so interesting! You must click on the photo above and read how she did this!! Thank you, Cynthia!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #30: Victoria Talcott Wormell, Connecticut

I love Victoria's techniques - click on the above photo to read! Plus, it was so fun to get to see her and catch up when she dropped this off yesterday. Thanks, Victoria!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #29: Anne Hartman, Iowa

Anne has used/recycled a fabric square (with the tulip) made by Fabienne Lunel. Fabienne has participated in swaps here too! : ) Both Fabienne and Anne wrote about this on their blogs . . . you'll find Anne's post here on her blog, and Fabienne's post here.

Thanks, Anne!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #28: Valerie Cowan, Scotland, UK

Absolutely wonderful, Val! Thank you.

A few more 12x12's are expected today, including mine (!) which is just getting finished! More photos to come in the next day or two . . .

12x12 Fabric technique swap #27: Andrea Millington, Cornwall, UK

Thank you so much, Andrea! wow.

12x12 Fabric technique swap #26: Misty Fredrick, Pennsylvania

Thank you, Misty : )

12x12 Fabric technique swap #25: Catherine van der Hoeff, The Netherlands

Thank you so much, Catherine - all the way from The Netherlands!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #24: Vicki Jacobs, Oregon

Thank you, Vicki!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #23: Kitty Mitchell, New York

Thank you, Kitty!!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #22: Suz Widecrantz, New Jersey

From Suz in New Jersey, we have a "rusted fabric" technique! There are more photos available on Suz's flickr account - check them out. Thanks, Suz!!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #21: Sharon Schutt, Indiana

Well, I took these pictures with a flash, and I think that Sharon has an even better photo on her blog ~ go there & check it out! You can also read more about Sharon's technique using alcohol inks on fabric. Thanks so much for participating, Sharon!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #20: Barbara Roberts, Florida

Barbara Roberts emailed me a wonderful description of how she made her 12x12 quilt, which I received today. I will quote it below. Barbara also sent photos - thank you so much Barbara!!! I received a total of 8 quilts today so that was very much appreciated. Please click on any of the photos above for more detail.

The base of my 12 x 12 is plastic bags! I first melted plastic bags together (with an iron, I think) and then needle felted organza on top. I free motion stitched the top to secure it further. I learned this technique in Shelagh Folgate’s Creative Challenge and she gave me permission to use this for this swap as long as I linked to her blog. (http://shelaghfolgate.blogspot.com). My problems with this was the first color of organza I used was too light and really washed out the piece, so I had to start over. The with the FME-which I am not an expert at-the thread kept breaking from going through the plastic.

I then made a transparency transfer using gel medium onto muslin. Behind this transfer I have Lutradur that I painted, foiled and then distressed with a heat gun. I finished it off with various embellishments and surrounded it with trim. I had never used Lutradur before and I loved working with it, although it presented its own set of challenges! The paint really absorbed into the Lutradur and I had to keep adding more because the surface looked white again. I used Misty Fuse for the foiling as I really like the webbing appearance it makes. My first attempt I used felt and foiled the felt and distressed it, but it looked too heavy for the piece. The Lutradur was just the look I was after!

I hope the receiver is happy with this piece, I enjoyed making it.
Barbara Roberts
Ft. Walton Beach, FL http://www.flickr.com/photos/craftirn

Thank you, Barbara! The texture of your quilt is amazing!! It almost feels like lace.

12x12 Fabric technique swap

The quilts have been slowly coming in and perhaps I will have an avalanche the next few days??!!
(Can you believe I received 8 on Monday!!) These are due in my hands on Wednesday -- April 22nd, 2009. I also believe that date marks 2 years for this blog? I think so! (yes) Anyway, I have received 19, and 3 (4) participants had to drop so I expect about 10 or maybe 12 more? I have not heard form some people at all so I can't be sure. I also signed up for this swap myself and mine has been started . . . . I have the benefit of delivering it to myself on the last day! I have a couple other Connecticut participants who will be dropping off their quiltes, and are already lamenting my move to Florida sometime in the future! They will have to mail their entries then for sure!!

Watch this spot. When it gets hectic I may not be able to email you individually to let you know your piece is here. Thanks!!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #19: Linda Garcia, New Mexico

WOW! From Linda Garcia in the "Land of Enchantment" (New Mexico) we have Linda's decidedly Southwest style 12x12 quiltie. Linda wrote me an email . . . one of many as she has been of great support during my dad's illness. In discussing her creative process Linda wrote . . .

"Yesterday I sent via priority mail my 12x12 Collage…..what I’ve learned over the years is that I feel comfortable with my style, the heartfelt peace of the Southwest—I get it! It’s me! I used everything that was left over from one project or another & nothing was purchased, ah, a “green moment.” You were a great incentive mi amiga! I'm a girl who was born on the West Coast, lived on the East Coast, moved to the rainy Northwest and now a woman living life to the fullest in the ol’ Southwest! Last fall my Mom told me that my Great-Grandfather also lived in Albuquerque, along with my Grandparents. This piece, Collage of la Tierra Encantada is a combination --the colors, my roots, fibers, sentiments and adornments! This project strayed a couple of times in my mind at night and what I imagined came out pretty close ---funny, I will dream of pieces."

I really love what Linda has made because she accepted my challenge for this swap and yet stayed true to herself. Bravo! This is Linda Garcia's 14th creative swap with me!!!!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #18: Kiki Finlayson, Oregon

From Kiki in Oregon, a wonderful 12x12 quilt honoring her grandmother. I love the colors and unusual details. Kiki tried ink-jet printing on fabric to print a photo and used paint sticks on fabric as new techniques. Click on the photo above to read more in detail! Thanks for participating in your 7th creative swap, Kiki. Just wonderful!

12x12 Fabric technique swap #17: Sharon Walworth. Rhode Island

From Sharon Walworth in Rhode Island, we have this beautifully stitched 12x12 quilt she calls Bonsai Square. Sharon refers to this piece as 'randomly constructed' on her label (click on above photo) but it looks very beautiful and structured to me! Sharon sent me an email to explain more how she created this lovely piece:

"I am hoping to embark on a series of journal quilts based around a theme of Mandalas, produced largely with batiks and hand dyes. This one was a sort of prototype, or first attempt, and I did learn a lot from it. My "safety net" was my reliance on machine embroidery. (I love Sharon's stitching!) I did take a few chances with fabric selections, and enjoyed playing with lumiere paints on a little lace scrap in the center of the piece.

In constructing my "leftovers" piece (see below), I included the rectangular scrap on which I experimented with stitch width, length, color, etc. (I think the leftover piece shows a little more freedom in my approach, eh?). Thanks for another great swap."

You are most welcome, Sharon! So glad to have you involved!

Here is the "leftover" piece Sharon made into a beautiful fabric postcard for me. Thank you!

notes from lenna

Just a reminder that the 12x12 quilts are due in my hands April 22nd - soon! That swap is full and will soon be wrapping up. It already has exceeded my expectations!
I especially wanted you to know that this will be the last swap I will schedule for a bit . . . . because in a few weeks, sometime in May of 2009, Steven & I are putting our home on the market. Yikes! Yes, and for a good reason . . . to move and be near my parents. I will keep you posted. It may take some time, but we are motivated! Just wanted you to know our plans . . .

Collage Swap on Canvas #1: Martha Franklin, Virginia

There are 2 current swaps at this time, the 12x12 quiltie swap (full) from which you have seen many pieces coming in, and the collage on canvas swap due June 10 (cancelled). Here is our first entry for the collage swap, from Martha Franklin in Virginia!

Martha used 5x5 stretched canvases -click on the photo above to read HOW Martha created her pieces. This is a 3 for 3 swap. Thank you, Martha for the extra collage! Martha themed her collage on the element of Love, specifically on the love that is found everywhere, from the earth to the moon and back.

Thanks for the great kick off to this swap, Martha.