Forgot to include these two pictures.

This is one of the Two rugs that won.. and I forgot to include Ellie Beck and her wonderful purse she made...everyone loved her purse at the hook in!  I love how she made the handle with braided wool... It was very nice!  I am inspired to create a handbag now!

My first Hook In!!!

Just got back from my first rug hook in!  The Cream City Rug Hookers put this on every year in West Allis, WI.  about an hour and 1/2 from home...it wasnt an all day afair..we stayed only about 4 hours and didnt hook at all...there was too much else to do!  I just wanted to network...meet people...see other people work on their rugs and see what they have made and what they are working on.  I had a fantastic time...it just made me want to go home and get hooking!  I loved this Jack Russel Terrior Rug above...isnt it fantastic?  I voted on the rug above (which didnt photograph well)...of one my favorite spots in Wisconsin to hike..Its the one above with the rock formations...I just loved the originality of it...it could be made better in a few ways...it lacked definition in some spots...some things got a bit muddy and you couldnt tell what exactly you were looking at.....however, for me the originality of it is what I loved....the composition...the subject matter..the colors....What surprised me was that a rug designed by Deanne Fitzpatrick won the best of show here.....I really couldnt believe how little they all cared about originality!?  I mean it was done well...and I DID love it also...I would hang it my home...I love Deanne's designs...but I feel originality should be encouraged more.  I am a newby so who gives two hoots what I think...I am sorry I dont have the names of the artists on the rugs above...The lady peeking over her rug with the apple tree...she is going to be new rug friend of mine...she lives close to me....just the nicest lady!! I will let you know what her name and more about this fascinating lady later!  I felt like I was sitting next to someone who could really impart some wise wisdom to me ...not only about rug hooking...but life too!  The woman with the purse that she created is Ellie Beck...she was my driver today.  I just met her and she also lives close to me...so I am sure we will see each other again as well.  I met lots of people that are interested in coming to my new guild that I am trying to create here in Stoughton at my gallery....I really think this will be getting off the ground soon...We could hook right in the gallery but I would really like the classroom to be finished first so we have really good task lighting if needed. ( My idea of a perfect place really for a guild meeting would be in front of a roaring fireplace....no matter what time of year!)  But alas I have no fireplace at the gallery...kay serra serra...  More later!  Happy Hooking!

Had to show you some more of my pictures!

This is my hustband Tim and I enjoying some spring time outside...and the rest are more pictures of my botanical garden trip .  I can see all them ( except the robin and us)...as a rug someday!!!  It feels exciting to think of my next rug allready..makes me want to get my first one done!  I am thinking of doing some birds as a rug though...I made a list of all the things I love that I could use as inspiration for a rug...and birds was high on the list..,of course botanical themes are popular with me...hostas are my favorite...so I know I have to do a rug of hostas...If I do a bird rug...for some reason I am thinking my first bird rug will be of doves....I have a lot of other people's pictures of doves but I wanted to try to get my own pictures of doves to use....I dont know if this is possible as I do not see them very often to take pics of them....so I may have to use other people's photos for detail and compile my own composition.  I always think big when I am thinking of doing paintings and rugs ...I am starting to think..that I should cut everything in half than the usual large size I think of doing initially..and do smaller rugs and paintings. That way I can finish them quicker and change what I am working on more often..keeping my interest higher!  Also...they fit better on walls...not everyone has such huge spaces on their walls for a large rug to be dispayed.

My Day off yesterday!

I have been wanting to go to our botanical gardens...so yesterday was my day off...and I took tons of pictures for ideas for rug and painting designs... I just downloaded a few ...really happy with how they turned out..I had always heard that non sunny days are better for taking pictures outside of flowers etc...I love these 3 a lot!  They may turn into a rug someday! 

Having trouble having ambition....with the clouds..sky....

I havent felt like hooking for some reason...had to make myself work on it for awhile today...I am not very ambitious or eager to work on the sky...I like more definate objects..they are more fun and easier to see if you are doing things right!  The sky is more obscure and lots of color changes....and kind of chaos...so not as fun for me...but I will muddle through it...pretty soon I am going to give myself a break and do the other bird...that to me was more fun... Not sure if I am going to do the words or not....To My Valentine..We'll see!  Today was a beautiful day...I had to work at the gallery so I didnt get to be in the sunshine.....but I hooked some so thats good!!!

This is a really good book to read!

I am almost done reading this book .  It is especially poignant to me as my children are almost exaclty the same age as hers...I too am experience the empty nest thing. One graduating college in May..as well as one just finishing her first year in high school and another one that will be on to college after one more year of high school...Point is....like Katrina we miss our babies...we miss what it meant to be a hands on Mommy...needed in the way you are when your kids were younger...and no more....at least not in the same way at all....I feel she understands my bittersweet thoughts the same way...wistfullness...and uncertainty....and yes hope....but it is just the book I needed to read right now...Even if your kids are a bit younger or older already...I think you will be able to relate to her....I sit with my journal and write almost everything down...there is just such juicy tidbits of thoughts and quotes and feelings....that I dont want to forget!  If you read this...grab your journal too...journal on one leg...the book on the other!  Enjoy!

I am at a standstill for the last week!

I was going pretty strong for awhile there...and then I guess I needed a break.  This is a slow process isnt it?  There is no hurrying...its all about patience....and the journey...Rug hooking is time consuming and slow and sometimes painful!  On the other hand it is much faster than say...cross stitch...of which I have tons of unfinished projects under my bed!  Rug hooking ...at least in the cuts that I am doing...is really quite fast compared to that...you can cover quite a bit of backing in a few hours....if you are diligently working. In that comparison I like how I can finish for the day....and really see a difference!  I am finding that I have to look at this totally different than painting.  At first, I thought it would be like painting with wool....but it really is not like painting...I cant grab the exact right color I want...I cant quickly create the color I need by blending the paints...I cant blend on my "canvas" or backing...You have to look at it differently...more in blocks of color..more abstractly...I tend to be a realistic painter...and detailed...so this for me is a learning experience.  Seeing the blocks of color and the shapes the colors make besides the actual "forms" or objects that have obvious shape in the rug....This is good for me in so many ways!   I am finished for the day working at my desk and now I am going to spend the next 45 min. hooking before I go home.  Happy Hooking!