tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188179152024-03-06T23:28:51.997-08:00paperdollpostDebbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.comBlogger380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-15283278608572458592012-02-01T18:52:00.001-08:002012-02-01T18:56:17.971-08:00True Confessions TuesdayI did not read one single book in the whole year of 2011. <br /><br />Oh sure, I read stuff. Magazines, poached bits and pieces of books at B&N, textbooks, odds and ends...but no entire fiction or nonfiction book.<br /><br />I couldn't. I read FOUR whole books in 2010.<br /><br />It's not that I don't like to read. I love a well-written piece of literature, but reading just seems so unproductive and indulgent.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-53404800669821587712011-12-01T16:36:00.000-08:002011-12-01T16:40:26.199-08:00Hello December<a href="http://www.melanietesta.com/mtype/archives/2011/11/rockstar-boro.html">http://www.melanietesta.com/mtype/archives/2011/11/rockstar-boro.html</a><br /><br /><br />I'm doing this stitch-along on a thifted black blazer.<br /><br /><br />What Rockstar Means to Me:<br />black<br />sequins<br />glitter<br />skulls<br />hearts<br />wings<br />excess<br />animal print<br />crosses<br />roses<br />ruffles<br />refusing to take "no" for an answer<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/debbicrane/6430509683/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/debbicrane/6430509683/</a>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-64709270744794202382011-10-27T10:52:00.000-07:002011-10-27T11:18:28.072-07:00Sugar Skulls Coloring SheetC:\Documents and Settings\admin\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.MSO\WordWebPagePreview\ACF278EC.mhtDebbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-26324286367248908852011-08-06T05:23:00.000-07:002011-08-06T05:37:01.055-07:00Thirty-six<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcTY_s97qVfNaBaMsrEz-Q7vPM_EJZk8qZJzdgPdX6mzegnNp75iEBO_cErHiyPkIETnsvIhf92M3eDssUhygdTs2EGziD6Qhbn-REa9IfoHHUVflMUAvGcyUEIL7124WKgZN/s1600/36.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 399px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637717853110678754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcTY_s97qVfNaBaMsrEz-Q7vPM_EJZk8qZJzdgPdX6mzegnNp75iEBO_cErHiyPkIETnsvIhf92M3eDssUhygdTs2EGziD6Qhbn-REa9IfoHHUVflMUAvGcyUEIL7124WKgZN/s400/36.jpg" /></a> The granny square count now stands at thirty-six. If this were going to be a baby afghan, I could stop right now and start putting them together, but it's not for a baby; it's for me, so onward.<br />I must finish it it. The importance of finishing what I begin became very clear to me a few weeks ago. It <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">occurred</span> to me that if I don't finish a project, it's totally disrespectful to the money I spent on the materials, the hours invested up to the stopping point ( time I could have spent doing something for somebody else) and the materials themselves. A big pile of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">unfinished </span>work seems very selfish to me. <br /><br />Tomorrow, we move Whitley to school. I feel fine about it. Really. I'm not worried or freaking out at all. People keep asking me if I'm okay. And I say yes. Because I keep thinking of all the parents who have lost kids from illness or accident or Some Other Bad Thing and think those moms would give anything under the sun to be taking their kids to college, but they were robbed. It would be totally selfish of me to not embrace this experience. Whit is smart and talented and college is where she belongs. I'm not going to wreck it for her by being upset.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-5096615545407398322011-08-01T11:13:00.000-07:002011-08-01T11:29:49.563-07:00With a pin stuck in her heart<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BUXp1p43KlSoHs-v47UX4xYqJ5e-dxLwO7dlflbllF-i5dWDyuI-BIWZWm1VpnWX_BiG3BAP7uXidUk5GRSflGKDHC2D8BM15Qx0Amh8TPkUSAD8kch50r2HiAS1bpukwm_f/s1600/Flossie%252C+Jr.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635953194116756802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_BUXp1p43KlSoHs-v47UX4xYqJ5e-dxLwO7dlflbllF-i5dWDyuI-BIWZWm1VpnWX_BiG3BAP7uXidUk5GRSflGKDHC2D8BM15Qx0Amh8TPkUSAD8kch50r2HiAS1bpukwm_f/s400/Flossie%252C+Jr.jpg" /></a> <br />This is not a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">voo</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">doo</span> doll, unless you want it to be. It's a little embroidered <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">ragdoll</span> I made right after I got home from the aforementioned embroidery class. I HAD to ( for reasons that shall remain a mystery) make a doll as soon as I could. This only took minutes here and there over a couple of days and gave me the idea for a bigger doll, perhaps a series of dolls, that I'm working on now. After I finished her, I stuck my needle in her head. Later, I was cutting out some pattern pieces and I stuck my pins in her just because she was handy. Maybe it's Good Stitching <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Voo</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">doo</span>. Her name is Flossie Junior.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygqr3OfA7Matg_m0FLF2YrKe5M2sBhNOpoK_JFwfTH8mU4YSc9rduq5wHTdQxz-ZJpeuPUFYBqkRJduJsHABhR1DivXtAsI-cS8iwnQD-a5FZpTaL3V476DsEIzsW4Lv9O1iZ/s1600/cake.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635953019157652930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygqr3OfA7Matg_m0FLF2YrKe5M2sBhNOpoK_JFwfTH8mU4YSc9rduq5wHTdQxz-ZJpeuPUFYBqkRJduJsHABhR1DivXtAsI-cS8iwnQD-a5FZpTaL3V476DsEIzsW4Lv9O1iZ/s400/cake.jpg" /></a> Today the oldest baby bird turns nineteen. She asked for a carrot cake. Here it is. She officially leaves the nest Sunday.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdszErs016qo43AIZVosO7NUf0tUZZRA0hrGd45rbkSrheTaD2J094O25B5q2RQxlOoRH2hm0DIKUg2qLQIODE_QcbZVpQvcomgpn-0jfKG_d1ZOnVw0FKS3GhIGjkMUIOAk4/s1600/grannies.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635952889657385218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdszErs016qo43AIZVosO7NUf0tUZZRA0hrGd45rbkSrheTaD2J094O25B5q2RQxlOoRH2hm0DIKUg2qLQIODE_QcbZVpQvcomgpn-0jfKG_d1ZOnVw0FKS3GhIGjkMUIOAk4/s400/grannies.jpg" /></a> Here are my thirty-two grannies, not in afghan order, just laid down together, out in the sun for a preview. I think eight squares by ten squares will make a good sized throw. As I work, my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">squares</span> are getting so much better. I can't believe I lived so long without knowing how to crochet. <br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-56778712595827491922011-07-27T04:59:00.000-07:002011-07-30T08:33:10.052-07:00More on Stitching<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ04lJ__XQAwLK7tPyo8t_ND8FlSDS3vLDeZlJRbqvRRn4dY7Y0z5sWX86YfFC9dq9EBSex5d9jH8ZipqOLMZqDNDDOAHWa2FaQpeifdzx9s64nd3FWLYPAeaKkBuwl8CX7R65/s1600/sampler_open.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 395px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635164750443843762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ04lJ__XQAwLK7tPyo8t_ND8FlSDS3vLDeZlJRbqvRRn4dY7Y0z5sWX86YfFC9dq9EBSex5d9jH8ZipqOLMZqDNDDOAHWa2FaQpeifdzx9s64nd3FWLYPAeaKkBuwl8CX7R65/s400/sampler_open.jpg" /></a> This sampler, 12" x 12", was made in my class at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.arrowmont.org"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Arrowmont</span></span> </a>week before last. It folds into a little book. It was my big project for the week. The assignment had to do with memory and prophecy. All the numbers and symbols in this piece have particular significance to me; funny because I never make things with much personal meaning. I've always thought that I purposely avoid telling much about myself in my work because everybody has their own issues - many much worse than mine - and my stories really aren't that interesting or tragic or important. I am beginning to think, however, that I haven't told my stories because I want to avoid them. I want to avoid what I think and believe to be true about myself. It's too painful. <br />Perhaps it's time to be truthful, even if it sounds silly to you. Good work, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">transcendent</span> work is always that - truthful. I have not been producing good work lately because I haven't told the whole truth. I do want to make good work, above all. Struggling at the moment with making Art and making stuff, like crochet and clothes. I can't seem to marry the two. They aren't even dating at this point.<br />This little sampler is not a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">sampler</span> in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">traditional</span> sense of learning and mastering stitches. It's a sampler of my beliefs and stories I tell myself about me and my life. It looks whimsical, doesn't it? A person-who-was-not-in-my-class remarked to me that she could make a book like that for her grandson. It's not a toy. It's more like a charm, like physical representations of superstitions or something like that. I used 6 strands of DMC on most things, so it's very tactile, especially the 6 and 7. Anyway, I've been home from Arrowmont two weeks and remain utterly vexed by the stitch.<br /><br />I have begun a doll, aptly named Flossie, covered entirely in embroidery. The granny sqaure count is at 27. I would like it to be 30 by days end. We shall see. I also MUST make a new calender/planner book for myself for the coming school year.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-51231170561097809252011-07-22T12:06:00.000-07:002011-07-22T12:12:55.182-07:00On film..."Write it all down. Just the truth. No rhymes, no embellishments, no adjectives. "<br /><br />This line, in a nutshell, is why Atonement is a good film.<br /><br />The first time we hear it, it is spoken by Robbie, in the apartment with Cecelia, where Nursegirl Briony has found them. Briony has realized the extreme error of her ways and wishes to correct the wrong as best she can.<br /><br />The last time we hear it, it is spoken by Elderly Briony...by the time you realize you have heard those exact words earlier in the film and who spoke them...you begin to reel toward the conclusion that Briony too soon divulges. And you know what she is going to say before she says it.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-71267716877330529702011-07-18T15:28:00.000-07:002011-07-18T15:41:58.826-07:00What a letdown...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7uDwXTXo7VRnz-Kr7KQe_SmZ8H99bCcV-vE8eHZzQluVMjYkGuZJLuh2lFHp3_6lxcOArmTXRBEszKMGdMil5rAw8Sp954akc_ngrmN57LcNrTlxKQjU77kSHz8Rud5_V5dX/s1600/badge.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 351px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630823509185273986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7uDwXTXo7VRnz-Kr7KQe_SmZ8H99bCcV-vE8eHZzQluVMjYkGuZJLuh2lFHp3_6lxcOArmTXRBEszKMGdMil5rAw8Sp954akc_ngrmN57LcNrTlxKQjU77kSHz8Rud5_V5dX/s400/badge.jpg" /></a> About 48 hours ago I got a jolt. I returned home from a week at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.arrowmont.org"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Arrowmont</span></a>. I have felt this jolt before... eight times, I think. What's so jarring about home? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Don't get me wrong; I love the people here. But I know all their stories. Nobody here will say anything that will send me into fits of laughter for days. Nobody here will make something that inspires me. Nobody here will gush over my work. Nobody here will read a poem about a color. <br /><br />They will, however, ask me why I am so tired after sitting around and sewing for a week. It wasn't just sitting and stitching; it was changing. Sitting there and changing. Moving around the furniture in my brain. That's hard work. <br /><br />When I show people what I made, they say, "That's all?" because they are accustomed to me bringing home a big stack of books I make at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Arrowmont</span>. Embroidery is different. Yes, that's all. I can't show them what I thought about. I can't <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">convince</span> them that there is a revolution going on at the tip of the needle. <br /><br />Irritating.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-20466167322347565032011-07-09T18:45:00.000-07:002011-07-09T19:05:51.550-07:00Progress...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCcUxV_p9OzzgFER9yWgB7ElDT1fRvOLLBkk0PADpmHaOWLZq5ZIYcFg-AKfxjS2LzUdoCf7s3hqICp1KxiRyue1zKthPo2MiK6Bc5XfgwC_-RfIvvXvUf_HcT7Tj03a1EQLs/s1600/grannies1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627538464137817634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCcUxV_p9OzzgFER9yWgB7ElDT1fRvOLLBkk0PADpmHaOWLZq5ZIYcFg-AKfxjS2LzUdoCf7s3hqICp1KxiRyue1zKthPo2MiK6Bc5XfgwC_-RfIvvXvUf_HcT7Tj03a1EQLs/s400/grannies1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqthyphenhyphenuQSJdlAE87KqpIr9HS9JgHB0cEbdGLWVN9QsmiZSnzvoDIsIFdWlWllYoZ6nNeymp74J02kD7TRgapuybevuQLEnB8lEIXFfkpyLOzvBMfp8Wm3aHhTYWEf4wzKKpsBt/s1600/grannies2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 394px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627538116779681458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqthyphenhyphenuQSJdlAE87KqpIr9HS9JgHB0cEbdGLWVN9QsmiZSnzvoDIsIFdWlWllYoZ6nNeymp74J02kD7TRgapuybevuQLEnB8lEIXFfkpyLOzvBMfp8Wm3aHhTYWEf4wzKKpsBt/s400/grannies2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I remain utterly vexed by granny squares. The Afghan has begun and I'm plotting more square-based projects. I feel as though I'm cheating on my Real Art - you know, the books and dolls and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">whatknots</span> - with the Time Eating Yarn. The top photo was taken Wednesday. The second photo moments ago. They're not stitched together. I was just seeing how they looked together.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Pretty good, I think.</div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-205854758361853812011-07-02T11:31:00.000-07:002011-07-02T11:34:47.867-07:00Ooooooh, Look!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpse2ZeeYoxztmilWdKUBzLG0JnUt0imkedXj0lSv5188qjtwCTx_ly4r2rp-bFuCBTdxNr7Yu9yqLrNW-Y0l41Ee61e8xvyfV-Phwlvc_0LfU0_dV_WQuP29lEvxejGWJfQ-/s1600/switchingcolors.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624825073493656386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpse2ZeeYoxztmilWdKUBzLG0JnUt0imkedXj0lSv5188qjtwCTx_ly4r2rp-bFuCBTdxNr7Yu9yqLrNW-Y0l41Ee61e8xvyfV-Phwlvc_0LfU0_dV_WQuP29lEvxejGWJfQ-/s400/switchingcolors.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>I CAN SWITCH COLORS!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Well, it's obvious. I'm going to have to make an afghan.</div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-41191660952831835722011-07-01T15:15:00.000-07:002011-07-01T15:30:44.928-07:00The Learning Curve of SquaresFor months - since I taught myself to crochet in January - I've wanted to learn how to make granny squares. I've looked at patterns in books, but it's a secret language. I saw <a href="http://http//cocorosetextiles.blogspot.com/2011/06/dilemma.html">this</a> today and it sealed the deal - I was learning today. Period. So I went to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Youtube</span> and watched some videos and tried and tried and:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYlhc-EFQ3xmn9SehcbBbFcsjV_-8NXxmTfTm0bLEgYIsQUmB73ZufftGdw71RwK8q4nVVMz9mCvk9H-WFeh70KsfhQOrJJANzBMBKH9UOc8w0k25aeS3IPN0hZFOSRkBnPXu/s1600/grannies.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 115px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624513024352886610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYlhc-EFQ3xmn9SehcbBbFcsjV_-8NXxmTfTm0bLEgYIsQUmB73ZufftGdw71RwK8q4nVVMz9mCvk9H-WFeh70KsfhQOrJJANzBMBKH9UOc8w0k25aeS3IPN0hZFOSRkBnPXu/s400/grannies.jpg" /></a> Here are the squares I have so far. The first two are a little wonky. These are the only two yarn colors I had at home.<br /><br />I worked on the little brown book yesterday evening and this morning. No words yet, but I know what it's going to say. Something that I think about all the time...and you probably do, too, if you make things and read magazines.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsAmldK7MZCtaAzfC6pFN1srrTpmplJtpXF1m9om2wvnrL1zER23tcGQkqCf3DAL1r83qSazhMWamnWkTJefTUvwdxnnszyn585r76JI96b1iVAjnZIz7yFWz_9cgybG22mbC/s1600/pageone.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624512875821200610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsAmldK7MZCtaAzfC6pFN1srrTpmplJtpXF1m9om2wvnrL1zER23tcGQkqCf3DAL1r83qSazhMWamnWkTJefTUvwdxnnszyn585r76JI96b1iVAjnZIz7yFWz_9cgybG22mbC/s400/pageone.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgUluyHgN-LOfUaPgGhcmzgEV3T4wUj6B75yOj-vYMrnHL7lume8W2wExVQOjw4I84eT0cVruegajB-kE01nMjVmT-_JXPY8FhbxWiGTZClCeK9zLgAKPWdkad_0WN10GnFz7/s1600/pagetwothree.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624512671271321058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgUluyHgN-LOfUaPgGhcmzgEV3T4wUj6B75yOj-vYMrnHL7lume8W2wExVQOjw4I84eT0cVruegajB-kE01nMjVmT-_JXPY8FhbxWiGTZClCeK9zLgAKPWdkad_0WN10GnFz7/s400/pagetwothree.jpg" /></a><br />The striped paper was in a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Victorias</span> Secret sack at Christmas time a couple of years ago and I saved it. The color theme is making me think of Water for Elephants - the book, NOT the movie. I don't think Edward had the right profile. Literally, his side view gives me the creeps.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-88877689852793310872011-06-30T08:47:00.000-07:002011-06-30T09:07:52.673-07:00Working on this...This is the way I like to work:<br /><br />Get an idea...from a book or magazine or movie or wherever<br />Go shopping through my stuff and pull out everything that speaks to the color theme in my head<br />Start making..<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624041032358032706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj19Q7pqf-O9q2rXII5TjKPt4bp4e2EX9TJwwkGW48iu8U6_as6RPbuPAM_xe0AtDtA-IHWYPSntMuT3rUx35A9zux_JmdlFZmhbhbct7Gm6cLtsQA8qjEw6Oi7YXKgTXeRFh/s400/materials.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624043328382469874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8Z3NlW5FZlWaEEzk2WCabW9F_RGoi6L1xEcb-LpoerYsppFOjFw2WLf5PsY-wISccZDplj3YwkcpQhFy5sc1i2vJIA60e6YcPHUpI96iaDPiYRHTlfEWWOmONmzyuuCvm4eU/s400/patternpages.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624043018177169074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIg-sjDC0xrSk1AqGe7wXUh-mNqUq_9chbL7ARp7eCsOn7i2Lqp0yhqQXzusjMbeaVtUEVsrZZ1hOTHoxqr7T13hlTb_6Gl6uanKH_T7CJbVNcDVHvnPkgPSe9O9KjuJl399B1/s400/painted+pages.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuoz5bdTiYYr4H70Nbje5_La4wi5nZRUvFl0zTzqYDnTcW9iE_xtKqqqB6G77m6htxerrhXbQvcur-INKPT-ukt49EJ_JH5QtYuuAETtDXj-NO5h9x3wWKSmyuTC-ClMhv-36/s1600/cover1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624042624852708306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuoz5bdTiYYr4H70Nbje5_La4wi5nZRUvFl0zTzqYDnTcW9iE_xtKqqqB6G77m6htxerrhXbQvcur-INKPT-ukt49EJ_JH5QtYuuAETtDXj-NO5h9x3wWKSmyuTC-ClMhv-36/s400/cover1.jpg" /></a><br />This is less than 24 hrs into the process of making this book. Oh, I've done lots of other things in that 24 hour period, but this is what I have been making. The color pallette came to me fully formed, but the content is still unclear.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I gave myself the challenge of making this entire book from stuff I already own - I can't buy anything new.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I haven't worked in this pallette for a long time. I used to, and it feels very familiar, like a language I already know.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-23103813071980934382011-06-10T11:42:00.000-07:002011-06-10T11:47:14.247-07:00Freeform Stitchin'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz40MW9ZzOWCKjPEnN5U_YRMTXUeNtnuVH77IuV5dG_RFjpm4w_dGDAX65a-NfA8ZfAsL3UZm6H-YaIvVmBEVPBqdjVWjdlczld965d62MtHKPuORd1Mjo1BfTLsYH4FrSh7Km/s1600/freestitches.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616664512799544882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz40MW9ZzOWCKjPEnN5U_YRMTXUeNtnuVH77IuV5dG_RFjpm4w_dGDAX65a-NfA8ZfAsL3UZm6H-YaIvVmBEVPBqdjVWjdlczld965d62MtHKPuORd1Mjo1BfTLsYH4FrSh7Km/s400/freestitches.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>No plan, no pattern...just toughening up my fingers for <a href="http://http//www.arrowmont.org/workshops/nick-deford/48-embroidery-an-exploration-of-the-stitch">Nick DeFord's embroidery class </a>at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.arrowmont.org">Arrowmont,</a> which begins one month from today.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-1312510090261472522011-01-24T18:52:00.000-08:002011-01-24T19:26:56.374-08:00Crochet Madness<div>Saturday I decided I needed to learn to crochet. Sunday I watched two videos on youtube. Monday :<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565959742757158466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBbUK2yL-L55qqp1BYE2ijJ7FHQj-jvv6DteGu_PVGy4ZIPSezzfSw1scGmedGXquFAWUk5lGgh9HbvjwfgAYObjy2a-X3cZ-566YhiLrzmzfMP9visUXjSHe_rfK8nSpgZgL/s400/crochet.jpg" /></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-29562079963733780642011-01-21T16:50:00.000-08:002011-01-21T16:53:23.440-08:00Snow Day Craft<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77I13Z_N7S13o_A7fiFDI7p0eTRHtimfPATv8AZVWBsndCkr6-QNG6YuoZbZRUsFUJqE1cywqG-IucGHkGjGvqwMks0r9XMMlB376Mh6pSm2Ha1S4wjEGNDIYj326cuBZbNmX/s1600/snowhearts.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564806629783552866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77I13Z_N7S13o_A7fiFDI7p0eTRHtimfPATv8AZVWBsndCkr6-QNG6YuoZbZRUsFUJqE1cywqG-IucGHkGjGvqwMks0r9XMMlB376Mh6pSm2Ha1S4wjEGNDIYj326cuBZbNmX/s400/snowhearts.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Velvet hearts, handmade and ready to hang. <a href="http://http//www.etsy.com/shop/debbicrane?ref=seller_info"> For sale.</a></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-72978650413064542022011-01-09T10:08:00.000-08:002011-01-09T10:18:32.797-08:00College...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BHo5lMbxvEpIo8R4T8M3lsVpASJA8sOHKPMgjkVsiBBHvtzZMlTbA3QPuysmBIxyAJ7bB18JFMNFUpa4qwGCgrTxnpDiStcPldOZqACnyjsyvHUFq1pMcj2nBbPEVP13OKD_/s1600/courtneywhitbailey.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560252174269459202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BHo5lMbxvEpIo8R4T8M3lsVpASJA8sOHKPMgjkVsiBBHvtzZMlTbA3QPuysmBIxyAJ7bB18JFMNFUpa4qwGCgrTxnpDiStcPldOZqACnyjsyvHUFq1pMcj2nBbPEVP13OKD_/s400/courtneywhitbailey.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Among the Big Stuff that will happen in 2011 is that Whitley will start college. The recruiting process was gutwrenching for all of us. I can't tell you how many nights I woke up with my hands in fists, numb and asleep. We just didn't know how it was going to work out. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Whit's number one thing was playing soccer for four more years. There were lost of schools interested, but it really shook out to four schools: Manchester, Franklin, Earlham and Marian. All of them are private liberal arts colleges. And quite pricey. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Marian entered the sweepstakes late, but they won.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.muknights.com/article/1838.php">http://www.muknights.com/article/1838.php</a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>SO exciting to see my kid's name on a college website. I'll keep you posted.</div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-71096926519446855092011-01-06T16:31:00.000-08:002011-01-06T16:50:25.772-08:00Sketchbook Challenge<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExgugXGt6rsg4T7ZvKmho27l-GYUb60Eg1wBiKnn4HmfhxoIpk5BAex0yqsT1x_E0Z5tp3RiVZupsgiC-p2y8ecD1VtbrordCwgc_qVO3hwOgrMvrC01MHeOR7n5qAKAOKfSj/s1600/highly_prized_1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559237968759354338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExgugXGt6rsg4T7ZvKmho27l-GYUb60Eg1wBiKnn4HmfhxoIpk5BAex0yqsT1x_E0Z5tp3RiVZupsgiC-p2y8ecD1VtbrordCwgc_qVO3hwOgrMvrC01MHeOR7n5qAKAOKfSj/s400/highly_prized_1.jpg" /></a> The January theme for the <a href="http://http//sketchbookchallenge.blogspot.com/">Sketchbook Challenge </a>is "Highly Prized". Here's my first page. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zig</span> Pen and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Prismacolor</span> on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">cardstock</span>, 8 1/2" x 11". So I decided to do loose pages and bind them flag style at the end of the month.<br /><br />What do Sunflowers have to do with Highly Prized? Here's how it came about: I saw a bit of an episode of the Andy Griffith Show wherein Aunt Bea enters her prize rose in some kind of contest against that snooty lady. I like sunflowers, so that's what I drew. Somehow to me, having a theme means I need to make finished pieces and sketchbook means drawing. Art <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">journaling</span> means All The Other Stuff. To me. Just me. That's not like a law or a rule or anything. <br /><br />It looks unfinished. I planned to write something in the ribbons on the sides, but I don't want to wreck the whole thing, so I'm holding off on that. For now.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-1964627472635291032010-12-27T08:12:00.000-08:002010-12-27T08:23:18.726-08:00Has it really been six months?Well, yes, it has been. I tried to start a different blog, but it fell flat. It was a stupid idea, really, wasn't it? I mean, if I wasn't writing here, why in the world would I think I could magically write under another title, on a different background? <br /><br />Since we last talked, I have read the first two <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Twilights</span>, had knee <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">surgery</span> and gone on more college visits than I care to recount here. <br /><br />I realize I have a full 5 days before I need to commit to this, but there is no time like the present. I think I need to get more organized about this blog thing. It was easy when I first started the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Paperdoll</span> Post. It was to show my year-long project of making a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">paperdoll</span> every day for a year. After that, I lost my way. What did I really have to say, anyway? I'm not doing year-long projects anymore. Seems like a lot of people are now. When I first did it in 2004, some people thought I was crazy. Some people didn't believe I had actually done it. I am. I did.<br />Oh - the commitment - I bought a notebook and divided it into months and started planning my 2011 posts. I am shooting for 4 posts a week. One about the Sketchbook Challenge, one about an ongoing project I'm working on, one about a finished project and maybe one about home <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">dec</span> - we're on the interior redo at the moment.<br /><br />Lofty goal, I know, but I must do this. No...I want to do this. So I guess you'll just have to read it.<br /><br />The 25<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> of every month will be a Christmas project. Start early. Avoid the last minute rush.<br /><br />Happy New Year.<br /><br />Love,<br />Debbi<br /><br />ps - I am team Jacob.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-25208792061569397322010-06-26T05:28:00.000-07:002010-06-26T05:30:18.065-07:00<div>This is a meaningless sample post to show my f-i-l how easy this is.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.yahoo.com/">http://www.yahoo.com/</a></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487058631407225346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpX500tpzISd8UQEJmv_IbKgsxwovTCwrZy85KYJ0jxxfL1_v1XjDe6LffSYmxcfowAaSVfPJz75_8e92_k4Bq04f4ocn6obuSJARRLgvPUYoRQlcFg6XyLxdNUW1HFtIOipWW/s400/MVC-005S.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-18574394371005282532010-06-13T11:41:00.000-07:002010-06-13T11:58:14.408-07:00Summer...My summer break finally started on Tuesday. I think this is the latest we have ever been in school around here. We always get out in May, but we have a new Supt. of Public Instruction who says 180 days means 180 days, so we had to make up Every. Single. Snow. Day. In years past we have been able to do a one-for-two deal. So this was the closest I have ever been to having my birthday during school. I turned 43 on Wednesday. It's okay, 43. Here are the journal pages I did on my birthday:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482331805073423410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3csRhuRjYwL9lrdoy27H58GB2P1ShgFqQd7vKdpB19-IlS94obJLru8s5Ky1QcQPY4efnOx9UwaRCKwn6Q6Gheok-cNMJHXQ7JJbFxzutDF7YgZLXi1uXe01aVgSngosAEpS/s320/june9.jpg" /><br />Yep...I'm back <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">journaling</span>. I go on and off with it. I was doing really well for January and most of February, but then I got derailed. I was writing so many worries in my journal that it was no fun! It became a total downer and a way to test my life. I would write down everything I was freaking out about and then keep going over the list until everything was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">resolved</span> (or not). But I wanted to make cool art books, not monuments to my neuroses, so I quit. Then I had a great idea for a new book structure. I made one and started working in it June 1. It is a worry-free zone. <br /><br />The book is pictured with a newly planted <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">hosta</span>. Remember last fall when we did the big <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">reno</span> at the house? It didn't get finished until November, so we left the landscaping for this summer. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">hosta</span> is in a new shade bed JR and I put in on Memorial Day. The wheels turn around here...they just turn slowly. I limited my summer to do list to only 25 items. I have a good start on it, but there are some things that have to be done before I can do other things on the list - like a yard sale - hate 'em, but it's time...we have so much excess stuff. <br /><br />Court goes to Speed Camp for 3 days this week. She is so pumped for it. Doesn't sprinting around an asphalt oval in 90 degree heat for hours on end sound like fun? To her, yes; it's heaven on earth. Truthfully, I'm thrilled she has a passion. Passion seems lacking in too many people, not just kids, these days. More passion for one's talent - that's what the world needs.Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-63795127114458224652010-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:002010-04-25T11:44:54.273-07:00Two Projects<div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464142851702774754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrpB-yUiv9Atxro55zG0EPdE6epPOZqDyjy3mwCeePcT_pBHwxjMqNN2wVvb1B6yXRl6noX0lDGLCyBTnpgDSH2J2sJSknUlcZXchQqIT3bqJZCGMp10b4geYUsPOBOYT-3Hx/s320/all4prom.jpg" /> Logan Barrett, Whitley, Courtney and Andrew <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Solliday</span>. In our new orange foyer. Looking precious. This was taken at around 2:45 on Saturday, April 17. Prom. The end product of two months of asking, thinking, planning, shopping and doing. Worth it. It was like a very long and complicated mixed media project.</div><br /><div>If you know me, you know that worrying is my part-time job...my low-paying part-time job with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">sucky</span> hours, like 2:00 - 4:00am. So if you know me, you would think that me sending my little girls out the door in separate cars with separate boys at three o'clock in the afternoon for essentially an all-night date would be a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Worrypalooza</span>. But you would be wrong. This is the truth: I did not worry one bit about any of them. I know both of the boys a little - they've both spent a few hours holding down the couch in the family room and I have never seen their names in the police log for speeding. And I know my girls a lot and I trust them. So there, Worry, take <em>that.</em></div><div><em></em> </div><div>And thanks to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Barretts</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sollidays</span> for raising nice young men. I keep thinking I'm lucky to have daughters who are lovely inside and out and that these boys asked, but then I realize I'm not lucky at all. I am blessed.</div><br /><div><em></em>I was actually inspired to make a little picture book. For the first time in I think months, I actually FELT like making something. What a relief. I started it Monday and finished it last night. I love a finished book, don't you? Here are some of the pages in progress. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464146360562813106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqKgEjJ8qbNNVoZsCbT1aFaUF_d6uxZqZI5N8d9qlBOBHAuBpydJWl6ZDum0qfUiBboOPqHu1HPB0lWf7V1r-qNjb9aLmcBL61GxuVkBojYN4bCuxHEevRALt4_isP0RUcAlr/s320/prombook.jpg" /></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-11763726740359819012010-03-25T19:35:00.000-07:002010-03-25T19:45:57.612-07:00Where I've been...where I am ...where I am going. I have kind of abandoned this blog, haven't I? I really didn't mean to. I have spent 2010 so far on a roller coaster of emotion. No, nothing big has happened in my life. No real crisis of any kind. <br /><br /> I have this habit - a lifelong habit - that I must kick. It's sucking all the color and flavor out of me. I fixate on things - not literal objects, but situations. I spend hours and hours trying to read the tea leaves and then more hours brewing pots and pots of tea until the leaves say what I want them to.<br /><br /> I guess it boils down to a couple of core issues:<br />1. I fear that I will drop the ball...that all the sign I should do something are right there in front of me and I will, from sheer stupidity, miss them and wreck my Whole Life.<br /><br />2. A lack of faith.<br /><br /> I am spinning my wheels creatively because I cannot focus on art when I am mentally writing a script for a Lifetime movie based on an inconsequential exchange with a stranger at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">WalMart</span>.<br /><br /> This is just a season I must endure. I know it will pass. I must be patient with myself and ride this out. <br /><br /> Until then...Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-77658412128264444962010-03-11T03:42:00.000-08:002010-03-11T03:46:12.135-08:00Spring Break Art Classes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrENmj4HPFuk5OMCUG04S8wtvwHz7IGGx8ErNTyYIlXdF95Vjh0k4PF1aoP7zMlynThB5ecTO7EfBcSdL7Yl8zIHZNFwKMyvELVN5VvhuDt2Ko29u2aSxrhv2oheu1_-HFZNn/s1600-h/mmartwwork+002.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447341202111606690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrENmj4HPFuk5OMCUG04S8wtvwHz7IGGx8ErNTyYIlXdF95Vjh0k4PF1aoP7zMlynThB5ecTO7EfBcSdL7Yl8zIHZNFwKMyvELVN5VvhuDt2Ko29u2aSxrhv2oheu1_-HFZNn/s200/mmartwwork+002.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyzmjhicEUVVPS2k3JUj2s8ndv9XCpfm95UtWXt8qqEJ-xddCU2O8lIFt3QBqbNVsF0_441hadCqCsHkx0y3qnSpP8wFIkEUkIQFu79llRul3QRD1p4SkIxnj-8CKUwXMHHR9/s1600-h/mmartwwork+001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447341044398665122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyzmjhicEUVVPS2k3JUj2s8ndv9XCpfm95UtWXt8qqEJ-xddCU2O8lIFt3QBqbNVsF0_441hadCqCsHkx0y3qnSpP8wFIkEUkIQFu79llRul3QRD1p4SkIxnj-8CKUwXMHHR9/s200/mmartwwork+001.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div> More Info to Come...stay tuned...</div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-43758176963679115872010-01-23T13:11:00.000-08:002010-01-23T13:12:24.396-08:00From my January Journal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk6XB1CO35mBVXQM1PX5gUnrddJgm0C97RjrPfApCcJXOTxmMERXDwjL6bo_q99IgkpShXsLZ_KdnoVF4FGIdIP-DfJe8GYBxgiU3QT1pIwF88x8IYE_fltD9ytzGV1kzcYYn/s1600-h/Debbi's+pics+055.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430046080813033282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGk6XB1CO35mBVXQM1PX5gUnrddJgm0C97RjrPfApCcJXOTxmMERXDwjL6bo_q99IgkpShXsLZ_KdnoVF4FGIdIP-DfJe8GYBxgiU3QT1pIwF88x8IYE_fltD9ytzGV1kzcYYn/s400/Debbi's+pics+055.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18817915.post-18152219231115616012010-01-09T05:06:00.000-08:002010-01-09T05:53:17.605-08:00New Year, New Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFwR5_c1cJNb4xbdRmFxxRJNivcQclZtCB1Ex7toRXMNapWgXI4gkejZXj1bmMoR3aXExpT925yN2PHfyX2TEIasXWiBxK_XkPoIQaVUoqMCsQvbfY9Z8bKJjDpgriT9EVFby/s1600-h/Snow_day_journals_!.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424734129213258450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFwR5_c1cJNb4xbdRmFxxRJNivcQclZtCB1Ex7toRXMNapWgXI4gkejZXj1bmMoR3aXExpT925yN2PHfyX2TEIasXWiBxK_XkPoIQaVUoqMCsQvbfY9Z8bKJjDpgriT9EVFby/s200/Snow_day_journals_!.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxTeLlYm2ltVDsWrUYVUFY6XaHHBMDTWxkcIp0hsInFR5Vgy3BdAqHqxW5bgvSsF6oqbk08Q2wFdfAwz3P-EOJOg1_yQsiipdTx16OnnHvKyydCeSYACE3gpafDG8Cb3V9tUP/s1600-h/Snow_day_journals.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424733901170358194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxTeLlYm2ltVDsWrUYVUFY6XaHHBMDTWxkcIp0hsInFR5Vgy3BdAqHqxW5bgvSsF6oqbk08Q2wFdfAwz3P-EOJOg1_yQsiipdTx16OnnHvKyydCeSYACE3gpafDG8Cb3V9tUP/s200/Snow_day_journals.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Wow! It's 2010 and I don't want to believe it. Too many big things will happen this year; things I am not ready for...Courtney will get her drivers license, Whitley will turn 18, have her senior pictures taken, start her senior year of high school, and, gasp, play her final high school soccer season. Mommy's not ready. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div>As some of you know, I did year-long art challenges for five years, beginning in 2004 with the Purse Book Project. I took last year off for a variety of reasons, the main one being that the projects had lost a certain amount of their <em>soul. </em>I was doing it for the sake of saying I had, for the sake of the challenge, not for the art.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have to tell you, it was strange not to have that thing I had to do every day. I often felt I had forgotten something or had one one black shoe and one brown shoe...like something wasn't right. So for 2010, I hope to find a balance of sorts; a gentler year-long project that will benefit me in some way other than having created another monument to my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">stubbornness</span> in the form of a stack of 365 useless objects.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Art Journals, right? Everybody does it. I see so many incredible pages online from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Teesha</span> Moore, Judy Wise, Kelly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kilmer</span> and so many others and it makes me want to art journal. So I make a book - that's the easy part - and start to fill it, but then I don't like it for any number of reasons, so I abandon the journal and give up on the idea of art <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">journaling</span> for a few months. I mean, maybe it just isn't for me, right? I can't do everything; nobody can. So maybe I file Art <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Journaling</span> in the same mental folder as wearing a size 0 skinny jean, the one labeled "It Ain't <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Happenin</span>', Sister".</div><div><br /><br /></div><div>It seems just plain wrong that I can make all kinds of books from the old ways Gothic to a single-sheet and not be able to fill them. So this is the year that I conquer Art <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Journaling</span>. I know I need help. I need an expert. I signed up for <a href="http://www.kellykilmer.blogspot.com/">Kelly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Kilmer's</span> </a>online class "A Life Made by Hand" to get started. I made this little book - a simple hardback pamphlet for my first book. Not too many pages and lots of space built into the spine to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">accommodate</span> collages on the pages. The image on the cover came from philosophy packaging. I decided to number my books, with the modest goal of filling one per month this year.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424732487583505586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3L7f0hLfG_5X9No0w1f1zYzvn_q0wpcgOqrOVReaj0THyt-mjmwt7bgVOjYB_pIKKr_ANtrQLWtj-DdWUlVVqFaxJUs30gH5PH8-6sYruF0ZfBJDGp9f3DFu9Yc0qxZ0eMAX/s320/journal_one1.jpg" border="0" /><br />I love the way this little book went together, so I made a few more. We had two snow days and I couldn't waste them cleaning. They don't have cover embellishment yet. Not sure which one I'll use next. Those are pictured at the top of this post. These books were all made from materials I had on hand at home. The pages are white <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">cardstock</span> of a Very Pedestrian Variety. Two of the books are made from full 8'5 x 11 sheets and the smaller ones are half-sheets. One is folded the tall way, the other <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">width wise</span>. Very economical. That has always been a peeve of mine in bookbinding - all those off cuts! Strange sizes of paper that I save, but never use. NO SCRAPS, I say, in 2010! <div></div><div>I'm working in my book every day and using the prompts from Kelly's class. It's January 9<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">th</span> and my journal isn't in the landfill yet. Maybe there's hope.<br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Debbi Cranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02019859408234678857noreply@blogger.com4