Blog Block Be Gone

I have had a bad case of Blog Block lately (winter blues - cold, dark, wanting only to hibernate) ... sooooooo, instead of blogging myself, I went looking at my favorite blogs and found an online class in something I have been wanting to get more into lately - art lettering (or lettering art - either way)!!!  The artist offering the online class is Joanne Z. Sharpe and the title of her blog is Whimspirations.  I love her lettering art and have been following her blog for a while.  She just announced the online class in the last few days.  It will be the perfect tonic to help me through the blahs that usually get worse in February when the days are not yet long enough, the weather is really cold, the holiday hubbub is long gone, and it is still too early to start gardening.


I have been wanting to add some of my favorite phrases/quotes to my art quilts, but am not real creative when it comes to lettering.  In fact, I have been called the human typewriter - I still print like I learned in 1st grade - very neat, tidy, engineering-like.  Very unimaginative.  But I have been trying to "doodle" artsy letters - getting more used to more swirly, asymmetrical penmanship - but still not comfortable with it.  This online course looks awesome, so come February I will hopefully become an art lettering (and art quilt making) fool !!!

One of my so called "art" lettering attempts

Here's to beating the Winter blues and Blog Block.  Just look for inspirations - or in this case Whimspirations - to give yourself a jump start.


Blessings,
Kat

Rescue Me from SAD Quilt

Weather getting colder, days getting shorter, body trying to go into hybernation. I am trying to force myself to keep going at night - TIME changed Sunday night, now my body is ready for bed at 6:30 or 7:00pm. This is the typical time of year when SAD (seasonal affective disorder) starts to set in, every year - and then ramps up to full blown status after the adrenaline rush of the holidays. This year, it seems to be starting earlier.

In the past, I have tried the "day" lights - nope! Have upped my vitamin D - nope! Miscellaneous other "cures' - nope! But, one thing that did work a few years ago was planning, starting and FINISHING a bright, wild, artsy quilt - cheerful, uplifting - made me want to work on it often, so I stayed busy at nights. Actually won 3rd place at the Central Oklahoma Quilt Guild show. Pretty nifty!

So, decided to start my search early for my Rescue-me-from-SAD quilt for this year. It helped that I went to the Houston International Quilt Show this last weekend and saw an infinite amount of SAD-busting quilt patterns and fabrics.  Here is one pattern by Alexia Marcelle Abeg that came home with me - of course it is made with Anna Maria Horner fabric - she rocks my world.

My adrenaline is going just thinking about it.
Blessings,
Kat

Gratitude Sunday - Staycation, I mean Vacation 2011

This weekend I am grateful for my vacation time (regardless of what I said in yesterday's blog) because -

Spent time with my hubby -

Spent time with Rascal and Sissy -

Got to see the beautiful Arkansas Ozarks (more vacation photos later) -

Started an art quilt -

Finished my living room curtains -

Finished 2 books, started 2 books (never can read just one at a time) -

And, am finally feeling better - just in time to go back to work!!!  GO FIGURE!!!
But I am thankful -
Kat

Grateful Sunday - A Blog Beginning