RedBarn Studios

today was a good day for good deals……and to spend time with friends.

we (the pandoras of course) headed off to greensboro for the gingher factory sale happening this weekend (and next as well).   believe it or not….NO item was priced over $10!

WHAT!!!!!  you say

i kid you not, all those beautiful gingher quality scissors at prices from 50¢ – $5.50, not to mention $2 and $3 mats and rulers for 25¢ and 50¢!

my stash

i got doubles of some of them (maybe triples too…hee hee).   they also had 15″ and 18″ paper guillotines and i got one of the 18″ ones.

was just thinking the other day that i wish the paper cutter I have was just a tiny bit longer cause sometime i need the extra length to make a large cut…..and voila!  now i can.   btw…..i have to tell that IT was a mere $10!

feels like i’ve been to chicago and hit the oprah winfrey show jackpot…”and one for you, and one for you, and one for you” (so she always says when she socks it to her audience with a big gift).

the sale took place in the warehouse, we believe it was probably a distributing center rather than an actual factory.

above you can see all the trays and boxes on the tables set up around the room.   considering the prices it was a very civilized affair….no one rushing and grabbing.  we got what we wanted then stood in line.   and this time i did not spend the most (hee hee).

here’s susan with her stash…and there’s more on the floor and under her arm.   we carried it wherever it would fit on our person.

posing with our loot
(photo courtesy of susan brubaker knapp)

had a blast on the drive up to greenboro and back and  it was ever so great spending time with the ladies i love to hang out with.   we hadn’t done a road trip in a while so this was so worth the effort on every level.

toodles,

Tags: pandoras, road trip, stash by grace
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I had lots of small pieces (smaller than a fat 8th) of some of my older hand dyed fabrics and was in the mood for a little play. After I fused the fabrics I just started playing with shape and colour….one of my favorite things to do. When I play like this there is no end result in my head, just freely cutting, moving pieces around then carefully fusing down. 

I finished the larger piece (on the right) but had so much little bits left over that I just couldn’t stop…..so I made mini’s, 4 of then in all to go with the larger one. Whadya think…..did I get carried away?

I took it to a meeting I attended recently (more about that at another time but I’m smiling bout it) and one of the ladies popped out with its name. She said it reminded her of urban Miami with all the popping colours and structures. So there you have it “Urban Miami” and her four frolicking friends. I like!

See ya next time “In the Hayloft”,

Tags: Art, fiber art, hand dyes, stash by k grace howes
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Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been busy lately trying to get a quilt finished for an upcoming show’s deadline.

I have been dyeing some more fabrics though. Check them out at my hand dyes blog at www.artfulcreations.wordpress.com. Remember to bookmark this site or, better yet, sign up for the feed for it so you are one of the first to see and buy the new fabs available.

Here’s a preview of a few of them:

Sienna Burst

Rich Flame

Blue Rushes

Go on.  Go over and check them out, you know you can’t resist.

See ya next time “In the Hayloft”,

Tags: Art, artful creations, fiber art, hand dyed, stash, surface design by k grace howes
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Most of my friends know I have this pact with myself, to add one new book to my library every month. Some months I don’t buy any new ones at all but I do love it when a shiny new book arrives in the mail. YUMMY!!!!!!!

Most of the books I buy are reference books (as opposed to those that contain how-to-do-exactly-what-I-do tutorials).

That’s because I am in a learn, learn, learn phase and since going to workshops given by top artists is out of the question for me right now, I can take a lesson on some interesting technique thru their book.

So with that said you just have to check out my little library widget that I added on my sidebar! It’s just way too cute.

Take Katie Pasquini’s latest, “Color and Composition“. Such a great book that contains a slew of exercises to help you thru the two things that can stump a new quilt artist.

My latest purchase is “Mixed-Media Collage” by Holly Harrison. Holly takes you on a fantastic in-depth journey with five mixed-media artists, going thru step by step (though not a turorial) as the artists make a particular mixed-media piece their own unique way. She then lets you sit in on her interviews with them as they reveal thier thoughts on being artists. Way cool book!

I have always wanted to share the books I’m reading with you and now I get to thru my “Little Library Book Club”.

Happy reading!

Tags: book club, ponderings, stash by k grace howes
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