What's Goin' On

I'm sitting here writing this in the glass corner of the 14th floor on the corner of 8th and Juniper. The wind from Tropical Storm Fay is really blowing here in Atlanta, but we have no rain. The days have been busy and productive, but now we are taking a break in the city..........aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I finished this tee for my friend Dr Sock the other day:



gave it to her at our knitting group yesterday, and got orders for three more tees! WooHoo! The t-shirt arrives in my studio like a blank white canvas and then I have all the fun of mixing the colors and adding the motifs. What a great life! It's particularly fun when clients suggest their color palette (as Dr Sock did: she showed me a yummy skein of yarn and said 'go for it') and maybe a couple of favorite motifs, as Joey has done. My friend Karen knows just what she wants......knows it so well in fact that her daughter's mother-in-law literally bought the shirt off her back. So, I am making her another. Not to worry: I do aim to please!

Here's another that I completed last week:

I didn't photograph it as well as I painted it. You'd have to see it in person to really love it! Let me know if I can help you out too!

C and his friend Bob showed up the other afternoon and suggested that they add some new lighting and electrical outlets to my studio. I don't know about you, but I can always use more power! So, Wednesday morning they electrified a previously powerless corner of my work space.


I had intended to play around with a linen shirt/jacket of mine, in preparation for working on an order for Pat, using a favorite linen shirt of hers. Well, that wasn't going to happen! I didn't want to disturb the guys as they worked, and I could see that there was lots more organizing for me to do in the studio. Besides, I didn't want them touching any more of my stuff than they needed to, and I wanted to supervise their every move!

This wall needed my attention in the worst way:

I've gotten into the habit of mixing up jars of dye, labelling them, and then leaving them on my counterspace. Well, that only can last so long and then the counterspace is gone. My silk stretcher frames also needed new hangers, so while the extension ladders were there, I had C reposition the large hooks and I rehung the stretchers. I moved a baker's rack between my sink, washer and dye storage cupboard and then put all of my mixed dyes there.

Here's my countertop now, a bit more organized:

The microwave had been across the room, which made no sense at all. Now this almost looks like a kitchen! eww: scarey thought!!

You may have noticed this little poster hanging up on the wall amidst my silk stretchers


I keep that hanging as a very fond reminder of Martin, who originally built my studio space to refinish old wooden Chris Craft boats. I believe he could work on 5 at a time in this space. At that time, we lived next door and I can remember watching the construction of this building from my old sewing room. Little did I know then the hours of happiness that this space would eventually bring to me. Thank you Martin!

Here is the little corner that the guys electrified:

The table is on wheels, so that when I am discharging I can just wheel it out right into the doorway, giving me lots of exposure to fresh air. The surface is padded with carpet pad remnants (thanks Sherrie!), which makes stamping a breeze. And of course, Barker the studio dog is fending off potential invaders!

Speaking of the studio, these new dyeing shoes arrived in the mail yesterday:

They were on sale: half price! I've not owned a pair of Crocs before and now I know why they are so popular. I've barely had them off my feet since they arrived! I also picked up a navy blue pair, which will be great in the winter with jeans and some funkily knitted socks!

On our way to the condo last evening we stopped by the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market. I know, I know, that's not exactly on the way to Midtown from GainesVegas, but I just had to go and get some of this:


I think I've written before about this yummy goat milk cheese from Decimal Place Farm. I had read about it in the AJC and had asked Kristin to pick some up and give it a try. She had served it to us one evening, and we were all just raving about it. So yesterday was our turn! As Kristin's friend Sarah said, "It's barely out of the goat when you get to enjoy it"! Our cheese was made on Wednesday and we were stuffing ourselves with it on Thursday. MMMMMM Mary, the owner of Decimal Place, is delightful and very interesting. She says that the goats only ask two things: greens to eat (which keeps her farm tidied up) and to be milked twice a day (which keeps her busy making the wonderful cheeses). The bread that you see is Ciabatta from Bernhard's Bread Bakery in Marietta. We enjoyed chatting with Bernhard, a native of northern Germany near Hamburg, who has the most alluring accent. Check out his website and look at all of the yummy desserts he has to offer! Last night we enjoyed his Ciabatta sliced, toasted lightly and spread with some Decimal Place chevre. Early this morning I was lying in bed dreaming/thinking about grilling some eggplant and tomatoes, drizzling some lightly toasted Ciabatta with roasted garlic infused olive oil and topping it with the eggplant, tomatoes and some basil........now wouldn't that be a tastey treat! How many WW points, Gerrie? Actually, I don't think it's too bad!

OK, the whole city awaits us and it's a cool and incredibly breezy day, so I'm outta here!

PEACE