GOALS--REALLY?? WHO ME???

GOAL NO. 1 and first up for me this year:  finish Connor's quilt

GOAL NUMERO DEUX (;)): MAKE FOUR LABELS FOR MY GRANDS QUILTS
Now, why do I always balk at making these--they are so important and as these will be going away to college gifts, I NEED to make them....just sayin' guys....

GOAL TROIS:  FINALLY FINISH UP MY HEXAGON PROJECT: "MONET'S JARDIN"
And this is really stuck--(so stuck it's hanging in my "closet of shame"...calling my name).

GOAL FOUR: FINISH UP MY SNOW FLOWERS HEXAGON PIECE
Same problem--how to set it...applique or what (are you starting to see a pattern to these
 unfinished pieces....??Hmmmm???)

GOAL FIVE : MY LAST SIX CRAZY QUILT BLOCKS: this will be a Summer-on-the-Deck project (Summer will come----right? ;000)

GOAL SIX: KNITTING; finish my YOWZA shawl for myself--I gifted three so far--
and make some more socks as my two pair are showing wear...

THEN: I'm just not able to open my "drawer of shame" or riffle through my hanging pieces as--
in keeping with
                                    2016 's: "Julierose, the Medical Issues Years"

 (wait for it.................now that my eyes are so much better I....(Aaaaargh):
 I threw my back out yesterday a final insult to end up 2016!!)

But I think you get the idea--After Connor's big quilt, I will be not making any big quilts
this year (now, don't email me --if, well, if I do after all .......hahaha)

This will be the year of table runners, lap quilts, dolly quilts for my two little grandgirls,
small wall hangings and place mats, napkins  etc etc...

I may even learn how to FINALLY put in a zipper (be still my heart!!)

I am joining in with quilting jet girl on 17 finishes in 2017 (even though I don't list 17--figures!!)

hugs and

                                           HAPPY    NEW    YEAR
                     to all of you, my wonderful, generous and faithful followers...
                                           you all give me such JOY


ALSO the biggest thing is to USE UP MY STASH FABRICS!!!!!

NEW YEAR'S MAGICAL SPIRIT

                                      My latest attempt at colorbook shading..

I see her as the Spirit of Peace for all of our world
in the coming year....

hugs and
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FAITHFUL BLOGGING FRIENDS...

Julierose, La Blageuse (coloring-euse)

HEARTFELT TIDINGS TO YOU ALL

"THE HOLIEST OF ALL HOLIDAYS ARE THOSE KEPT BY OURSELVES
                                 IN SILENCE AND APART,
                                       THE SECRET ANNIVERSARIES OF THE HEART."

                                                      Henry Wadsworth Longfellow "Holidays"

It is with a grateful heart that I send you, all my blogging friends, this  warmest of wishes....
thank you for all your commenting, emails, and general uplifting support,
 and helpful---- just "being there" for me.

Hugs from Julierose, your Blageuse
 [now almost "eagle-eyed" ;)))  ]

ART JOURNALING GIFT

              Which is what I am doing these days...waiting for the "seeing eye" little bird....

(FYI: I will be going in for the 2nd eye surgery Dec 5th-- so....
 this is my present to you all....)

                                                              HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Hugs, Julierose, La blageuse

REMINISCENCE

 

                                      
MY NEW MIDORI COLLAGE BOOK

                               LOOKING BACK to move forward...

                     SONGS MY MOTHER USED TO SING TO ME --

The quote I used is from a D.H. Lawrence poem called

                         "The Piano"

"Softly, in the dusk,a woman is singing to me;
   Taking me back down the vista of years, til I see
    A child sitting under a piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
    And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.
 Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past."

When I saw this poem it brought back those very things that I did as a child; 
and right there and then, I knew that I had to save this memory . I can 
still hear  my father playing the piano and my mother singing and me under the big black piano...I used to fall asleep listening to them...

I water colored this page and collaged atop of it...

it is still difficult for me to to "SEE" well as my poor brain is distressed with 20/20 vision in one eye and very poor vision in the other, so the doctor tells me...and so...
I'll have to re-glue the ends of those words when I can see better
 (sorry for the blurry photos).

This is not perfect.......just like life itself....
but it reflects my sentiments and the state of my vision 
both literally and figuratively...for now....especially as my Mom's vision really failed at the end....it's been 17 months now that she has gone....

For all of you who have sent good wishes--I have come through my surgery well; and I want to tell you all how grateful I am for your good wishes and prayers...
(the next eye is due to be done December 5th.) 
Thank you all
so much....
See you (better, I hope--no pun intended--after the Holidays)

Hugs all 'round, love you all....
Julierose, La blageuse ( the one-eyed lady for now...)

BLOG BREAK

          Here are the beginnings of my Christmas greeting cards this year...(sorry for the glare!!)

I have made 6 of them so far ; they will be mounted on cardstock and mailed out in lovely scalloped kraft envelopes....

(For those of you who have asked: Torn pieces of an old French Grammar, stamped with archival black ink for the backgounds; trees from a magazine; and then Heidi Shine gold spray....all affixed with matte medium).  I truly enjoy putting these together each year...

{Last year was the only one that I just wasn't in the mood after Mom passed--but this year I am feeling better }

I have moved Helga to her resting area until after my eye surgery is over;
hung up the front ofConnor's quilt along with the backing fabrics and border pieces
 in my closet ready to be re-started in January;
and will be taking a respite until my eyesight has been taken care of.
I have a lot of glare issues and at this point cannot seem to see much with or without my glasses....ugh!!

I begin my pre-surgery drops on Halloween (my hubster said "Too bad you didn't
 have the surgery that day--you could be a Pirate ---'aaaaargh!!' " --
 he is such a comedian LOL).

 I will go in on Thursday for the op.
At this point I am sick of waiting around....and getting eyestrain headaches...

So, I will be taking a bit of a respite from posting--just a few weeks....
just so you know., guys
..
hugs,
I appreciate all of your encouraging comments and lovely messages throughout this year...

Hugs,
Julierose, La Blageuse (impatient-euse!!)

MIXED MEDIA FUN

Here is my 3rd page using a mix of different types of media....
The black is acrylic paint; then i washed her head and dress with watered down lavender acrylic before  coloring the rest in with  all Prismacolor Premium pencil work;  the sparkle-ey parts are Liquid Pearls....

this is a practice page to try out how i like using a mix of acrylics, and colored pencils on top of acrylic washes.  the acrylic gives the paper more "tooth" i.e. it is rougher and so you don't see the white dotty surface showing through...

Here is a little closer view of how the Liquid Pearls sparkles up her headressing.....(It you look closely at the actual brown hair, you can see some of the white dots as i did not use a wash over this part...

I used many light layers of colored pencil to get these effects....this has taken me about a week and one-half off and on....

I am not that happy with Mr. Owl--i think he needs more colors feathered in--
so i may work on him a bit more...

So, this was my Slow Sunday work...
hugs, Julierose (La Blageuse-coloring-euse) 
(Picture from "Enchanted Forest" coloring book)