Biking at the Biltmore

My hubby and I like to bike ride...nothing challenging...just fun. We have annual passes to the Biltmore Estate where they have some nice biking trails - nice and flat and run along the French Broad River.

  The other day was picture perfect weather so off we went...

 This is one of the trails we take...

You can see the estate behind me (upper left)...also see some other beautiful sights along the way.

 The day wouldn't be complete without having lunch so we ate at Cedrics which is part of the estate. The Vanderbilts had a dog named Cedric and named a restaurant after him...along with a bronze statue....must be nice..Everything is all decorated and music playing for Christmas...Hope we can slip Thanksgiving in there somewhere along the way. A lovely, somewhat healthy day (except for the Reuban sandwiches)!

Dillsboro and Dogs

This time of years means lots of outings for my hubby and I......We love the fall, the color and the weather. Recently we took a ride to Dillsboro which is a quaint little town in NC with little shops and home to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. It was a beautiful day and we had such fun walking around, looking for Santa Claus ornaments and enjoying the hustle bustle of people. The train makes a stop in Dillsboro for 1 1/2 hours where passengers can shop and shop they do.

We happen to be in the Christmas Shop when throngs on people came pouring in...eager to buy something holiday-ish. I found out they were on a stop from their ride and had limited shopping time. That makes for a lot of impulse shopping...

A highlight for me and my son was happening onto the 2 most beautiful sheep dogs. They were immaculately groomed, super friendly and obviously very well taken care of.

After lunch, it was onto the Blue Ridge Parkway which runs through Asheville...we are so lucky to have this national treasure.

At one point we were at 6053 feet elevation.....brrrrrr..cold.

There was still a bit of color which was beautiful.

 The mountains are glorious and serve as wonderful inspiration for so much of what I like to create.

The levels of shadows and values are just breathtaking...pictures can never capture their true beauty. Below is Devils Courthouse...red line points to where people climb to. We often see "little dots" moving around.

And here is the prize for the day....icicles which formed over weeds making them look like long spikey pieces of glass. We were so high up, much colder and this was our reward.

I've already done quilts with pictures of icicles...the challenge will be to create icicles out of fabric  somehow..I'm thinking of Angelina

Thie beautiful rock is "Looking Glass rock" which is easy to see why with its smooth surface....so much beautiful inspiration for quilts...A great day.

A Magic Moment for Nana

My granddaughter and daughter recently came for a visit. My granddaughter - Audrey, who just turned 7 attended Heritage Day sponsored by the Southern
Highland Craft Guild. One of the events was a quilting demo and frame where children of all ages were invited to take some stitches...Audrey really liked it and later on asked me to teach her to sew...Well, those were precious words to me and as I went to get a needle and some thread, she said...Oh no Nana, I want to sew on your machine.

Well gulp...! I quickly moved the speed control to slow, got her some fabric to practice on and she was off and running. 

She has never been near a sewing machine but quickly learned the balance wheel, the power foot and presser foot...like a little duck to water. 

I stood behind her every second to make sure little fingers didn't get near the needle.

 She practiced a little and was soon ready to make something. She chose her fabric and made a pillow and a pocketbook

What a cool little kid....she was so proud of herself and I couldn't be prouder.....As a child I loved to sew and was thrilled every time my mother would pull out fabric from her scrap box and hand them to me. It has given me many hours of happiness and I'm hoping the same for Audrey.

After our sewing session, we went to see the horses and

laid on our neighbors hammock, looked at the treetops and made up silly stories...A most magical day. These moments are the best part of life.
My blog has been silent for a while as I've been away on a river cruise, something my hubby and I always wanted to do.  I have some great pics to share which I plan to use as inspiration for a series I'm thinking about....Til next time.

A Day with the Monkey

Meet my granddaughter....she's 3 1/2.

 She's adorable. She's very busy.... AND She loves my studio.

 She loves making messes with stuff. I have a big design wall and a while back, decided to make some felt shapes. She now has the biggest flannel board ever.

 She also likes to go hunting in my cabinets and drawers. She found these - a Halloween purchase. I thought they would be great for deconsructive screen printing. Audrey thought they would be perfect on the design wall...hmmmm and where to put the little daisy flowers in her hand...

right next to each house and tree......Silly Nana!!!!

And her favorite is the 2 drawers filled with "stuff" I use for deconstructive screen printing. What a fun mess to jump in and swirl around...and she can't hurt anything. As a matter of fact, sometimes getting it messed up makes it more interesting in the printing process.
So...did we have fun.....? YES....did we make a mess?... YES and do I miss that little monkey...?  A BIG YES....but I can't say I'm not pooped by the end of the week and ready to get back to some serious sewing!

Tea and Silk Screens if you Please

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter took myself and her mother in law - Jan to a tea at the St. Regis Hotel  in Atlanta, GA. It was a belated Mother's day gift as unbeknownst to my daughter, that date is booked a year in advance. This was almost better as it was so relaxing, we had our choice of tables and such a lovely treat.

  The hotel is beautiful and luxurious and made us feel so special.

 Little nesting areas of couches and comfy chairs for eating, talking and sipping .

 We started off with a glass of champagne, then had our choice of many different teas. I ordered the house blend, a little flowery and so delicious. Little cakes and sandwiches were brought out. I don't think I had a favorite, had to have a bite of each - no dinner that night!

 We loved walking around, the lobby was beautiful.

Our tea was on the second floor looking down and the staircase

 - like something from a movie.

 One of the most fun parts was checking out the Ladies room. It was gorgeous...and the tiles...

I was taking photos like crazy to make them into what else....

 a silk screen. The photo of this tile was put in photoshop and made into a photocopy using a filter. Now all I need is a lazer copy to be able to run it through my Thermofax.

 For each tile I took, I turned them into both a photocopy and something called "find edges" - one of the filters.

 This is "find edges" of the tile above it. I think it will make an interesting screen.

 And this one I really liked the veining on, a little heavier but interesting. So here it is in

"find edges".
All in all, a great day, spent with people I love, great goodies to munch on, champagne and tea and even an unexpected source for imagery for my quilts - wow, doesn't get any better!