In Praise of Idleness

I love this article printed in the New York Times. Read it!

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/

Life is too short to be busy.

Freestyle embroidery

I took some cotton fabric, needles and embroidery floss with me to Mexico to practice handwork. I didn't use a pattern, just played with colors and shapes. I started with the palm tree, then waves and sun. I was inspired by the colors I was seeing and also the shapes of fruit in the market so I began stitching some freeform circles and oval shapes. I call it "doodling with thread".  This was a great project for airplanes and the beach. It doesn't take up much room and the whole deal fits easily in a purse or beach bag. So fun! I want to continue now that I'm home.

Muy Bueno Bucerias

I moved from Puerto Vallarta to Bucerias yesterday. It is a much slower pace and I am settling in. I like it here. Esta muy tranquilo! There is a fabulous, long beach with waves and surfers... food is great too.

The colors of Mexico

Hola! I'm in sunny Mexico where blue skies and sunshine are plentiful. This is a nice switch for a Seattle girl used to gray on gray. I spent a week in Puerto Vallarta and wandered the streets taking pictures. I also enjoyed some really good food which I'll tell you about in coming posts. Today I headed north to the small town of Bucerias. It has miles of unspoiled beaches and big waves with surfers. I'm having a hard time getting used to the lazy pace here after frenetic PV. A few days here will slow me down.

Designing a poster

I'm working on a poster for an art fair in the midwest. One of the requirements is that it has to have a goat on it. Here are a few of my ideas so far...I will have to add more text and details of the event but now I am in the experimentation phase. All images Copyright Diane Tchakirides

Painting with wool and heart felt

More needle felting samples. Painting with wool and making hearts.

I still have space in my Needle Felting Basics workshop on March 10 and Space to Create in Ballard. We'll be there from 1-4pm.
http://www.spacetocreate.net/701.html

Repetition