One day while I was searching the Internet I discovered an amazing quilter. I am honored that Paula chose to work with some of my French Brights fabric/by Clothworks in her beautiful works of art.
I was so excited I even purchased this lovely kitchen wallpocket. Please stop by her website, she has many wonderful hand quilted creations you can purchase. She has coordinated other fabric designs into this piece below. I love how she married those fabrics together and made them all "sing" with the French Brights.
Paula has shared a little bit about her creation in her own words. "When I saw the fabric "French Brights" by Sue Zipkin, I loved it so much I just had to figure out what to make with it. I felt like they were a work of art that would bring joy and color to the corner of a room, but also cozy and useful for everyday. So, I designed kitchen wall pockets. They can be in a kitchen, bedroom or office space. You can use them as a bulletin board with pins in the quilting or leave notes and lists in the pockets. To me, they combined function and fun. I pulled out bins and bins of fabrics to find just the right border strips to enhace each flower arrangement. I had to build one layer after the other because I could not tell what was needed until the previous layer was in place. I wanted the borders to be in tune with the spirit of the center panels. It was truly fun.
All my creations are original designs. I start with a fabric I love or idea for a particular type of item and see what evolves. I never know how it will turn out until it is done.
I have serious allergies, asthma, and sensitivities to many common everyday chemicals ( called MCS, multiple chemical sensitivity). I cannot go into normal environments like stores, people's homes, public places because of exposure to fragrances, pesticides, car fumes, and many things that most people tolerate. If I do I get seriously sick. So I am have been trying to get a home business going making quilts, wall hangings, bags and other items. Plus I babysit my grandson Max (famously featured on the site) www.PaulaOriginals.com"
We went to the "The Japanese Autumn Garden" show at the The New York Botanical Garden. What a wonderful day we had. Below is a beautiful Japanese maple. I love the way the delicate leaves dance.
I find it challenging to capture spider chrysanthemums with my lens, this is the kind of flower that must be viewed up close and personal.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!!
Although I will not be attending Quilt market I am able to share a little preview of this lovely quilt creation By Stephanie Sims that will be at the show. She created this sweet thing with my Baby Buggies collection by Clothworks. Here's to a fabulous market for all! I just adore those butterflies.
I went to Maine for the first time this year. I have been hearing for years how special it is. I have to agree Maine has that certain something. I only got a taste of what Maine has to offer, we stayed in the Bar Harbor/Acadia area. The tide-pools in Maine were incredible. I could spend hours searching them and never get bored. The colors were subtle often muted, not like the tropics, yet as you studied a spot you would see many little hidden worlds. I love hidden worlds in nature.
I have created color palletes to go with some of my pictures. I was totally inspired by my friend and colleague Brenda Pinnick. I see my photos in a very new light, thanks to Brenda.
I am not sure what these are called below, my husband who is a science teacher
kept telling me at the time. I just loved the pink tones and the smooth pearl like feeling to them .
When staying in the Bar Harbor area of Maine you must check out the cool boat tours. We went on Lulu Lobster Boat . I learned a lot about lobsters, more then I needed to know. Captain John was a lot of fun and very informative. However he sure did trick me. I learned that lobsters do not get rabies, Captain John had a good laugh at my expense. You can find some more interesting lobstering History here.
We also went on Diver Ed’s Dive-In Theater tour . What a treat that was. Diver Ed actually goes diving and you get to watch his underwater activities on a screen on the boat. He then brings back all kinds of sea creatures that you can touch and enjoy. I had no idea that starfish came in so many fashion colors!
In case you're wondering did I have any Lobster, well yes. I did. It is Maine. I found the best lobster at the " lobster pounds " the lobster pounds I found had the best prices on the lobster however if you're looking for fancy schmancy decor this is NOT for you. Atmosphere is important to me but at $ 4.50 a pound. I can get over this. Many of the touristy restaurants in Maine are not doing the industry a favor by over charging for their lobster when wholesale prices are so low says a fisherman we spoke to. I found this interesting article that talks about the state of the industry.
This was really fun. We had a wonderful breakfast at this funky bed and breakfast called 2 Cats and when my pancake was served I discovered it was on one my dinnerware designs Tuscan Gardens by Sango . I noticed a chip in the plate and thought to myself this reminds me of the plates i use in my home. I took a second look and discovered it was my plate.
We got to see one of the most incredible Sunsets at Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.
A lovely lighthouse
On the way home we stopped in Boston. Some photos from the Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science.