Usually, the holidays are a change of pace time for me — a departure from the routine. This year, I have had to keep working in the studio straight through, taking little breaks for merry making. And so, starting a new year does not seem so momentous this time around. I have not had time to assess the past year and think about 2009. Last night while waiting for the concert to begin, I jotted down some goals/resolutions, aspirations.

1. Eat and cook slower. We are a family of chow hounds. We love food, and we all eat too fast. Perhaps, it was being the oldest of 5 kids!! I also want to do more cooking from scratch as I did when I had a family to feed on a limited budget.
2. Create an urban garden that will provide through the summer and fall.
3. Increase my daily steps to a minimum of 12,000 and work towards 15,000.
4. Keep it simple at home. Continue to rid my space and my life of things that I no longer use or need.
5. Work out a strategy for entering shows so that I am not doing so much at the last minute.
6. Apply to be a SAQA PAM. (Studio Art Quilt Association Professional Artist Member)
7. Enter at least 2 SAQA shows
8. Read for fun.
9. Have more dates with Mr C
10. Continue to create my own textiles through surface design techniques.
11. Become a better artist through study, practice and critiques.
12. Spend quality time with M & M (Oh, that will be so hard)

Two things are on the horizon: I am taking another online class, this time with Laura Cater Woods, titled: Idea to Image. It starts next week. I really got so much from my class with Liz Berg. I think online classes are a great way to learn design and techniques. Judy Coates Perez is teaching an online Color Theory Class. I would love to take that, too. My friend, Judy, is taking a monoprinting class from Susan Sorrell. I think the online classes are a very attractive way to learn without spending a bundle and lugging supplies to another location.

I am also going to start working through “Finding Your Own Visual Language”, by Jane Dunnewold, Claire Benn and Leslie Morgan. I might not get to that until late in the month or February.

I also want to start a series based on abstracting trees.

Well, that should keep me busy.

Want to see what I did yesterday?

I decided to do another scarf for Virginia’s invitational reverse auction. I had some liquid procion dyes left from a class I took eons ago. I didn’t even know if they were still viable. I mixed up some chemical water and did squirt bottles of true red, turquoise, yellow and black. I tied a charmeuse scarf around a large pvc pice, scrunched it and squirted it with the dyes. I wanted to make sure that I got strong color so I decided to steam it. I have never steamed anything at home. I have had these things waiting:

I wrapped the silk scarf in newsprint:

Here is is steaming away:

I steamed it for 30 minutes. I was absolutely amazed that there was very little dye to wash out.

You know how I love a little glitter and glam. I wanted to just have a spattering of gold foil over the scarf, but how to do that? Ah, Bo Nash bonding powder. I sprinkled it on in small areas and then foiled. It looks very elegant.

Here is a detail:

So, if you have made it this far (ahem), which scarf should go into the auction?

I must get to bed. M & M are here and will be up early for hot cocoa and waffles.