Burning Desire

After two winters with a plastic covered hole in the family room, we are getting a firplace. Dave is doing it himself. We were not quite in agreement over how the fireplace should be redone, and no progress was made until an agreement was reached. THis time, it took 2 years of someone to cave. In this case, it was me.
The motivation for the capitulation was Joseph's burning desire to get one of those Chimney Sweeping Logs he saw advertised on TV.
The cats are happy too. They didn't like the plastic. On windy evenings, the plastic would "breath" and creep them out. Ferm, cool and calm guy that he is, would just leave until he got used to it. Girl cat, on the other hand, would broadcast her unease and share it with anyone who didn't actually work at not getting sucked into it.
So now we are ready for grout.

Mystery Fruit

Our neighbors gave us this fruit at Thanksgiving. There were 3 of these and one persimon. I like persimons, but Dave won't eat them because they don't grow in New Hampshire and he never saw one until he came out here. Joseph won't eat them because Dave won't eat them. I didn't have to share the persimon.

We don't know what these are. I ate one, they are good. Tropical, no question. Very very good, with pale insides and small dark seeds. I ate the seeds too. Mild in the innermost, becoming tart near the outside. We discussed ripness, but if it was too green, it would have caused problems, it didn't.

The obvious thing would be to ask the neighbors, but we don't share a common language.

Of course, not even knowing WHAT fruit they are, Dave (and so Joe) won't eat them. That's good, I don't have to share them either. They can have the chocolate!

Happy Thanksgiving

I took this picutre a while ago. I had to. This is how turkeys can look in the spring when they start making new turkeys. They dont look like this in the fall, when we make all the construction paper and ceramic ones.

When I first saw turkeys like this in spring, I was so surprised! My school teachers always taught me that they look this way in November! I wonder how many of them acually knew?

These turkeys are right by Calavers Road in Ed Levin Park, part of the Santa Clara Regional Parks. The black fence is around Laguna Cemetery, an historical cememtary where many of the town founders are buried, or at least bought burial plots. Who know if they actually got burried there.

I have never heard any stories of ghost in that part of the park.

photoshop cat

Here is my first photoshopped picture. Photoshop is some pretty powerfull software and takes a while to learn. I have had so many other things goin on that it has been hard to find the time in big enough pieces.

So this is Afternoon Cat, one of my batiks. I framed it, and had enough presence of mind to photgraph it before I added the glass and had to deal with the glare. It wasnt quite square in the photograph, a little skewed in perpective. I learned how to fix that. I had to learn something called "layers" first.

And then there was a thread on it. I took the thread off before I framed it, but it was in the photo, so I had to figure out how to take it off.

And then there was the rug. Because the hanging wire goes on last, after the paper backing, I couldn't hang it to photograph it, I leaned it against the wall so the rug was at the bottom edge. I had to get the rug to look like it was wall, so the picture would look as it will when hanging.

This took a lot of playing around with different pics over the course of weeks, and reading the book and trying stuff out. But I got it.

That could happen only after I aquired the software. By that time, my computer engineer husband was working at home and I never got to use the computer, so I had to aquire my own. When I got it up and running, Jr. loaded his train town into it, within the first 24 hours, and crashed the hard drive. Start again!

I have been trying to frame the batiks on my website to sell as wall art. Being able to get the photos on the site is the longest and most difficult step. If you go there,
doublecatbatik.com
you will see that there are a few, but the photos are just plain and show the glare of the glass. Or you could just click on the banner down there.

This one is the best. I am on my way!

Christmas Ornament Swap

Already!
Some of us got together and made ornies to trade. For some people, the time of year between Christmases is a waiting period. Mostly, I'm a little bit of a scrooge, but I jumped in on this one to see if it might be remedied.

This is the ornament I recieved.
It was inspired by Janow, but smells like vanilla and coffee instead of dirty hair and a hole in the ozone layer.
I think it is fantastic even without the Christams tree, so I can enjoy it without haveing to 'go holidays'. Long live Scrooge.


This is the one I gave. I hope it is as well liked as my horse one.

It has two sides, and I have managed to get my computer to show both sides in one picture. I am still struggling with photoshop. The biggest hinderance is the lack of time I have to spend on it.

I have done two craft fairs this month and come out RED again. Way red. Last weekend I didn't sell anything over $5.00. Other vendors told me I need to concentrate more on items that I can sell for a few dollars. I said that's not what I want to do. Wal*Mart and Target can beat me anytime on the price of handcrafted knick knacks because they can buy materials by the truck load and their crafting hands pennies per hour. If I buy the stuff to make it with, I've already paid the retailers any profit.

I think I have to rethink my marketing. But I know that until I can spend more time on it, it won't work.

stitcthery kits

Michie of MyKai Creations and I have been working together to delelope so kits for people to make their own folk art stitcheries. We have started wit small one that an be coaster of candle mats. These are simple enough to do so that even begginners can make them as christmasn presents for teachers and Aunts.

A great indroduction to folk art for anyone to beging to get a feel for it before moving on to thier own desings, or jjust to have fun if they expect to spend some time waiting for soeont else to do there thing, like finish soccer proactive.

These are two desings we are working on now, hoipefully to be ready for the Holidays and the Selby Lane Boutique in San Jose next weekend.

A great indroduction to folk art for anyone to beging to get a feel for it before moving on to thier own desings, or jjust to have fun if they expect to spend some time waiting for soeont else to do there thing, like finish soccer proactive


The kits will come with ready to stitch coasters, an ample supply of thread, and a kneedle. Instructions, of course, thought they are quilt simple.



They are about the size of a CD. Intentional coffee staining, preferred by many prim artists, is left up to the stitcher. I still have a hard time doing this myself. It's not the technical difficulty, it's the emotional one.



Selby Lane Bouutique:

961 Selby Lane,
San Jose, CA 95127

Thursday Nocewmber 9th 4-8PM (by invitation only)
Friday November 10th 10-7 PM open to the public
Saturday November 12th 10-7 PM open to the public
Sunday November 12th 10-4 PM open to the public






Email me with this address: Cara@doublecatbatik.com
or visit my website by clicking on the Doublecatbatik banner

See it here!

The Neighborhood $230.00

Seven Flowers $230.00

I have two pices on display at The Little Table coffee shop. These are batik, a meduim that uses wax on fabric to resist the dye. They are hand embroidered onto ticking or batiked fabric to make the mat, rather that the traditional mat board. They are custom framed using archival quality glass.


Several other artists are also featured at The Little Table, which has not only coffee, tea and smoothies, but the most fantastic mouth watering lunch speicials around! (and snacks, I love snacks)


Visit thier blog:
Thelittletable.blogspot.com
there is a link to a map in case you need to find them easily. You can also call and ask about the special for the day (408)263-2268

As you may know, I work in many areas of textile art, including quilting and clothing. I am participating in a Holiday Bouitique this year, with many other artists and crafters. A great place to begin your holiday shopping, or in the case of a smart and lucky few, to finish!

Selby Lane Boutique:

961 Selby Lane,
San Jose, CA 95127

Thursday Nocewmber 9th 4-8PM (by invitation only)
Friday November 10th 10-7 PM open to the public
Saturday November 12th 10-7 PM open to the public
Sunday November 12th 10-4 PM open to the public








You can contact me the easy way by leaving a comment on my blog,
-or-
Email me with this address: Cara@doublecatbatik.com
or visit her wqebsite by clicking on the Doublecatbatik banner

Veldt Loops

Here is my latest quilt. It's a child's quilt, I havent measured it yet so I don't know the exact dimensions. I still need to clip the threads too. The back is pieced, so you can tell it is a unique one-of-a-kind blankie for that special little kid.
As soon as I get the threads clipped. I can add it to my web site.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip to the Tech Museum in downtown San Jose. If I can convince Dave, we may even take Light Rail from Great Mall.