Ruby Tuesday on Wednesday

Ruby Tuesday"The little ruby red that could"

Tacoma, Seattle, It's all Good!

(Port of Tacoma by night from Curt's Bedroom)

Alright, more pictures of my mini scouting trip. My stay in Brown's Point was a feast for the eyes. The view is something that could never get old. With the motion of the water the light plays and the scenery is ever changing, the mutation of the each hour adds to the equation. Add a really nice house with a friendly owner whose dog is named after Edgar Martinez (a magnificent black Labrador with the best disposition) who took the time for a liquid Sunset cruise in his 1951 Chris Craft, and opened up his house so Curt and I could invite about 30 + people for a party and you have a recipe for something for me to remember forever. I was lucky enough to see my friends Bunny and Mimi few times (Pike Place Market for lunch and some shopping at De Laurenti and few friendly booths) as well as seeing Rikki and Don and meet wonderful people that work with Curt. We had an excellent dinner at Lark restaurant on Capitol Hill in Seattle with la Chaine des Rotisseurs.

Back at home now and trying to reacquaint myself with my surroundings, go through my list of things to do. Busy bee once more.

Taking the back way to get back

When it was time to get back to Tacoma, I tagged along Emily and Travis through Sisters, OR, following the McKenzie River, Eugene and King Estate Winery. What a gorgeous day it was. We parted ways afterthat and I went back North stopping at my friend's Bonnie for a little bit in Vancouver, WA for a couple of hours, arriving around midnight after loosing myself twice around the port... no comment except maybe... "Thank you Enstar!!!! "

Since then I have had some more fun seeing Cindy L. for dinner at Indochine last night. Delicious. This morning I went to see Bunny and Mimi in West Seattle at a French Bakery "Bakery Nouveau"(then ling takes you to their blog). Pain au chocolat for me. Of course! It was raining today (first day since I got here) and Gaia and I took a stroll in the old town in Tacoma looking at housesJust fabulous time. The air was salty and "vivifiant". I could live here. Will I ever get here? Well that remains to be seen but today I was.

Around the Bend, OR

Just few days outside of the chill of Alaska is a trip back to reality. Back to where Spring is happening in full force.

(Camelia's in the yard)

(Mt Rainier in all it's glory)

(Inside Curt's temporary abode)
So I landing on time in Sea-Tac and after a night at Curt's home away from home with skyline views of Tacoma from his bedroom we took the road south east to get to Bend Oregon where Emily and Travis leave. It is a beautiful town build around the bending Deschutes river. It is one of those charming town with turn of the century mini and not so mini houses well preserved with studios on their backyards. There is a park following the water. Just a breath of freshair. The temperature is very pleasant during the days with freezing nights. Very healthy it seems.
So we went around town for a little shopping, a little eating, a little beer tasting (Deschutes Brewery Co. ), a little movie going at McMenamins "the Blind Side" (good one by the way), a little hiking at the Smith's Rock (outside of Redmond, OR) where rock climbers take over it's multiple routes overlooking the crooked river down below. (monkey head aove) A really beautiful area. The light was reflecting the colors of the season onto the surface of the chilly water. What a sight.

So a nice break from the few stressful past weeks.
Peace at last.

Moody Monday

Moody Monday: Domestic

"Trapped"

Fiber Festival 2010 in Anchorage Alaska

More pictures were added to this folder from Picassa
from the Alaska Fiber Festival 2010

Enigma

I just adore this Utube video of the group Enigma
"Return to Innocence"

The Eye of the Beholder

"The Eye of the Beholder", the title for this 2010 Fashion Show, organized by the Alaska Fiber Festival and Art Service North, was just an event not to be missed this year. Amazing things happened, I was under the spell the minute I set foot in the Sheraton's Ball Room. An enchanted world was greeting me where the decor was one of the grand palaces in my story books. The food was displayed on tables with a live person in the center in costumed butterflies or flowers gliding around the room. Big sculptural mask and a gigantic cape by artist David Edelfsen along the walls gave that extra dimension that your imagination needed to be transported in this new world. Few people on stilts meandering among the guests. The upbeat music was exhilarating. That was just the beginning. The tables and chairs were positioned to face the elevated runway and it there were no bad seat as promised. Big screens were in logistic locations around the ballroom to give you psychedelic designs moving with the music. The show was split in section depicting different categories:
Alaska, Under the Sea, Garden, Collections, All Dressed Up, Heavy Metal, Up Town, Women, Fantasy. The awards were given at the end of the show by Janie Odgers who masterminded this whole Alaska Fiver Festival idea along Gail Ramsey and Debbie Boyce.
One of the emcee "Mee Mee" was an over 6 foot tall with tall shoes Flamboyant Drag Queen working as a bartender for Mad Myrna's bar next door to the Sheraton. One of the most fun bar in town by the way.
So now on with my bad pictures. We could not use flashes understandably and the models were very up beat. I took mini movies of certain pieces but can't figure out how to make it to turn a quarter of the way to make it standing up right. (any ideas???).

Enjoy the blurr.

Fiber Festival Classes and misc.

So after an excellent Quilt Walk and Show at Virtu the Anchorage Fiber Festival 2010 has been the fun time that I expected. Sunday I had a class with Kathyanne White who taught us to print on about anything flat that can be fed to a regular printer. There is hardly any limit and that was just a big double sided sliding door opening in my brain. The things that I am going to try to print on... you shall see. Anyway my favorite print so far was of an image of dry weeds that I took in France few years back that I printed on wood veneer. That picture just glows. It adds depth and a shine that is so sensuous, just gorgeous stuff. Would love to try on cherry wood veneer.

Anyway on Monday and Tuesday it was play day in the Texture class (same teacher) and the whole class exploded with fun little creation. I must say that I wasn't really drawn into that type of things and I ended up with things that are quite mediocre. My last piece is by far my favorite and something that I am going to explore a bit more. I do like metal and that gave me a whole new support for my pieces.

Take a look at some of the colorful work created there.

This one by Nathalie Motten:

One by Linda Knox:

Linda multitasking: listening to the teacher as she eats a piece of brownie. It takes talent to focus.

Carol Taylor is another teacher having workshops at the AFF and her class also added colors to their palette. It was with pleasure that we realized that we could purchase some gorgeous yarn and thread in her classroom.

Rachel Clark was teaching her class on how to sew garments and she gave a splendid lecture as usual at the Museum. Her coats are amazing and she knows how to captivate an audience by her words too.

So overall it is the best of time in Anchorage. More to come with the Fashion show on Thursday night and the Show at the Conocco Atrium this weekend. Come and check it out. It is not too late to get your ticket to the Fashion Show.

Three, four days of grey....

After three or four days of grey I am having a need for bright beautiful colors. Where is the sun, where are the warm days of summer, the blue sea, the green grass, the blooms. So I went to dig in my box of tricks. Here that is better and that is sizzling, I remember the heat and the overload of colors. How wonderful it is . So for few minutes I close my eyes and I am back once more. That will do for now.

Ruby Tuesday

A jewel of the sea for this Ruby Tuesday taking in Monaco at the Aquarium.

Award Ribbons for the Alaska Fiber Festival

Here they are. Terry, Diana, Della and I worked on this project for the Alaska Fiber Festival. Except a red felt backing for one of them they are done and I am going to deliver them tomorrow. Just feeling fabulous to be done with this.

The Theme this year is "Architecture" "Archi- Texture". I printed old sketches of arches on organza in pairs so that blue and red ribbons would match for each category. Then the rest was built on as we worked.

Take a peek:

1st and 2nd Place Parka Challenge

1st and 2nd Place Wearable Art Challenge Ribbons

1st and 2nd place Art Quilt Challenge ribbons

Finally the Winner Doll Challenge and the Viewer's Choice Award Ribbons