Yard Sale Treasure

When I was but a young bride with a new baby, my husband received orders to Guam. At the time I had no idea where or what Guam was but we entered into the adventure with wide eyes and open minds. While there I did a ton of growing up, had my first civilian job that started a trend in advertising, and had a second baby.

One of the things we learned about the South Pacific culture was one of their vices is called a Betel nut. It is a rather ordinary looking green nut found on certain palm trees that the locals wrap in a leaf with lime powder and chew as a stimulant. It does terrible things to their teeth and was deemed off limits to the military personnel.

I had forgotten all about them until recently at a local yard sale when I found this wonderful little box that just screamed out to have notions displayed in it. As I paid my $3, the owner proceeded to tell me what it was and I knew exactly what she was talking about. This is a Betel Nut Box to store the various components needed to chew Betel Nut.

I never tried it and never wanted to but I will most definately enjoy using this fantastic little box to put my own wonderful treasures (vices: thread, etc.) into.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse 150th Anniversary

To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse in North Carolina, they will be holding a juried art and photography show. I decided to enter one of my Threadscapes and this time I changed it up a bit. Instead of using one of my photographs, I chose to try my hand at painting instead. The picture above shows the piece once it was painted and you can see the threads laying across it while I choose which threads will work the best.
Going back to painting has been on my list for awhile now and this seemed the perfect opportunity to do so. Once the paint was set (acrylic mixed with textile medium) and the threads were chosen, it was time to take it to the machine and do my magic. I am very pleased with how it turned out and hope that whoever is jurying the art show will feel the same. I will be thousands of feet in the air on my way to St. Louis while this is happening and so I won't have time to fret over it until later.
Some are surprised to find that I don't decorate with lighthouses since my husband is in the Coast Guard. I was in the CG at one time as well and that is how we met. So even though I do not decorate with them, I have a huge respect for the men who have served them for so long before automation....my father being one of them. Although he didn't get to serve in one of the traditional ones as he would have liked, he spent a total of 4 years on 2 separate lighthouse platforms out in the middle of the ocean before they were automated as well.
We are a Coast Guard family and so I painted this lighthouse and entered this show in honor of all the lighthouse keepers and their families.

"Majestic"

If you are in the area, please go visit the show at the Core Sound Museum, Harker's Island, NC. It runs from Oct 10th- Nov 1st

Online Studio Tour

WELCOME to the studio of NESTLINGS by Robin. I have been wanting to do this for quite some time and pairing up with the Quilting Arts community was just the push I needed....as well as some time to get it a bit neater.
For the past 6 years I have been extremely fortunate to have a dedicated space to work and it has allowed me to accomplish so much.

This is my stash of fabric....ok, only part of it:0 The rest is below in a giant pile on the floor and in another bookcase over with the supplies and some under a table-you get the idea, right? I love fabric and it keeps finding ways into little nooks and crannies of my studio, but it just brightens my day when I walk in and need to look for something.

This is my cutting station with my award winning 'Ladybug Invasion' hanging over it. There are 13 hand beaded, movable ladybugs on it that are just too much fun!

This is my sewing station complete with rainbows of thread and beads. Above the bead box is a wonderful painting by an artist friend, Jean Baardsen. It was gifted to me and I love the bright red flowers. Next to it is my little owl that I made when I was 9 or 10 years old. It was the first cross stitch project I ever did and proudly hung in my grandparent's house for 30 years before I received it back. Now it serves as a sweet reminder of how far I have come.

Here are my bookcases full of supplies: books, magazines, threads, paints, more beads, etc. I use UFOs to cover up some of the messy shelves and they inspire me.

For years I worked in the dining room and on the dining room table with the family shoved to one end for meals. I know there are still some of us that do that and it makes me even more appreciative of my space. Even so, don't ever let space or lack of squash the creative spirit within all of us.

I hope you enjoyed this small peek into my world and of the other artists on the list. Have a wonderful weekend!