CLAY AND WATTLES

Creativity Revisited

On Saturday, Jean, Charlene and I loaded up in Paul's neat big truck and drove two hours away to Batesville to visit Richard's friend Linda. She has a lovely home and is fun to be with - I don't think she's ever met a stranger and we never lacked for anything to talk about. In fact, she, Jean and Charlene all had mutual acquantances over the state through county extension work (Linda, who was an agent in the 1970's) and 4H work (J and C's children). I didn't know anyone they talked about except Bobbie, our former agent here. A hometown state.

Linda showed us several cushion covers she makes and had ready to pack for a show in Ruston, Louisiana, later this week and weekend. They are really professional, neat, pretty and creative. The proverbs/sayings on the fronts of the cushions are hand embroidered by her. (That's not the right word, but I can't remember it right now. If someone knows what it is, leave it in comments. You know - the backstitch that you use to outline or stitch letters...) She had 42 ready to go in bright florals, muted pastels, and some fall rust-colored plaids. Her workroom is a wonderful collage of stacks of fabrics, a wonderful sewing machine to die for, and a chair cushion I just must order and which I've already found on QVC.

We had lunch at Elizabeth's downtown - a delicious chicken salad with fresh fruit, fabulous non-caloric, light, buttery rolls, honeyed butter, and a great house dressing. Since the rolls were so light and had so many yeasty holes, of course we could eat twice as many...

We each had this salad and Charlene had the 4-salad sampler, which included what we had in smaller portions, plus a green salad. After this wonderful lunch, courtesy of our hostess, we went to Marshal's, a huge warehouse of fabrics (wholesale and retail), with table after table of more material in every different weave, pattern and color than I have ever seen. It boggled our minds. Linda said she could spend hours in here just browsing, and I can see why. I would love to go back sometime just for the trip to this store. I bought several pieces including just remnants for bandanas for my baby Oscar. Three of the pieces were novelty prints I really liked that I thought I could use for altered books or journals. They would scan/photograph/copy well and paper versions of these could also be used in scrapbooks.

I've wanted a "studio" for some time and even had an area in the back yard chosen for Paul to build one for me! Oh, yes, to his great joy. But I think I'll turn the back bedroom into one, using a studio bed instead of the full-size bed we have there now, moving my sewing machine in there, and putting up shelves for storage of papers, paints, embellishments, fabrics. It may be just another "playhouse," but what fun to build! Sister Sher and I love to build playhouses! And when I retire, I'll have the time to actually play in it!

I scanned some of the fabrics and then played with the enhancements just on the little photo program I have. (I have to get the Photoshop reloaded!) Here are some of the originals and enhancements:

Original and sepia enhancement

Original and colorized enhancement (embossed)

The possibilities are endless!

I told Paul I wanted to go back to Marshal's. I could see the vision of my stacks of projects flash through his mind because he said without hesitation, "You'd just have it stacked up, honey." At least he said honey. This is Play! This is Fun! Now what to do with all these wonderful patterns and colors? Just using them as part of this blog is fun, but using them in journals some way would just consume hours and hours and keep me occupied. Reminds me of when I used to sit in Goobie's floor with scissors and paperdolls. As Sher says, "It's the process." I think I like the process, the getting ready, as well if not better than actually doing the project.

Thanks, Linda, for this tiny opening in the stuck door of creativity. At least I'm thinking about how much is out there. It really helps when what I see every day at work is payroll changes, insurance invoices, and wellness programs...