Ripening Cherries

This is the first time in several years that I have a hope of getting some cherries from this tree. Once it got too big to net, the birds stripped it clean before the cherries fully ripened. I got many responses to my post about how to keep the birds at bay. Tried many things like hanging strips of white fabric, hanging pie plates so that they bang, wrapping with sheer curtains, etc. However, the one that worked, was hanging rubber snakes from the branches. So far this is working GREAT. The birds feast on the high branches and the snakes protect the fruit I can reach.

The value of art in our lives.

This came in today's "Daily Good". I feel compelled to share it with those who may not get this lovely missive.


"June 23, 2008


Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation. It favors no race. It acknowledges no class. It speaks to our need to heal, reveal and transform. It transcends our ordinary lives and lets us imagine what is possible. It creates a dialogue between individuals, and communication between communities. It allows us to see and to listen to each other. --Richard Kamler

Peace on a Billboard:
Seeing Peace: Artists Collaborate with the United Nations, is a visionary initiative that brings the imagination, through the presence of the artist, to the table of the General Assembly of the UN. The goal is to embed the creative process into the great global dialogues of the day. Former Secretary of Defense of the United States, Robert McNamara, commenting on wars of the 20th century, wrote: "In retrospect, we can now understand these catastrophes for what they were: essentially the products of a failure of the imagination." Seeing Peace was born out of an understanding that this failure is the missing link in most institutional responses to conflict and hostility in the world. In this video, Seeing Peace Billboard Project, ten artists from around the world are invited to create billboards for peace throughout San Francisco.


Be The Change:
Imagine a creative way to See Peace in your own life that you can share with others."


video at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zktZ2CBi1B8



More info on the billboard project at

http://peacebillboards.org/



Please share any ideas for Peace projects.

I believe the way to peace is through peace, not through war.

birds in cherry tree

My cherry tree limbs are so loaded with cherries that they are dipping so much that it is impossible to walk under them. However, am I ever going to get any cherries? The birds are feasting. Nothing seems to deter them. I have white fabric strips dangling from limbs plus my metal butterfly cutouts. Does anyone know anything that will really keep the birds away? Ideas appreciated.

roses

I hosted my dear friend Maxine for a birthday lunch. She brought these amazing dahalias and the most fragrant roses from her garden. I just wish I could share the the lovely smells. Just pretend you can smell the delicious scent. It fragrants my whole den/sleeping space.

Another pillow=strip pieced

I made the strip sets last fall. I put them aside while I was working on the quilt for my Mom; then I was involved in the black and white quilt. Now I decided I needed to finish the pillow before I moved on. Of course during the hiatus, I forgot what I was going to do with the strip sets. LOL. They are from the book, "Strips that Sizzle" or something by that name. The book was a loner that I also returned last fall, so I just winged it. It is my second favorite pillow so far. Comments appreciated.







The finished pillow cover plus how it looks on my day bed.

art of the heart

Just finished stitching down the pieces for a paper pieced crazy quilt heart of my own design.



After I ripped out the paper, I noticed the edges went in all directions. LOL. I then very carefully stitched it to a piece of pellon I had on hand. Now my question, I want to do some fancy stitches. I have some examples of how to stitch. I've been thinking about using embroidery floss. If I do the stitches now, the ends will be buried in the middle of the sandwich. If I wait until the back is on, how do I hide the ends? I think the knot would be too big to pull through. If I put the back on last, how do I secure it to the front other than at the sides?

Grow as an Artist

Following is a link to a wonderful writing by Aaron.
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http://www.singleservingphoto.com/2007/09/08/grow-as-an-artist/
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title of the article: Grow as an Artist
Posted by Aaron on September 8th, 2007
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Still a GREAT read!
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There are three major ways to grow as an artist; to strengthen your aesthetic senses and the quality of your work:
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Emulate the work of artists you admire,
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Experiment on your own, exploring the subject matter that interests you, and
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Participate in critique
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