Moraart Studio: 2008

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Another Birthday another scarf

Benjamin, my son, turned 20 years old.
WOW! I knit him a special scarf.
It is mostly seed stitch with alittle design using alternating purl and knit.
It matches a hat I made last year.
And most of his wardrobe is black and white.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Finished my Mud Room

The Great Room is looking completed.
Still have a bunch of details in entire house-base board and paint.

Finished the tile in Mud room and laundry.
Premier Tile was more than a helpful resource of information.
http://www.premierfloors-gv.com/
I got a small amount of tile on Craigs List and decided to do a bigger space.
Loren (@ Premier) matched tile so I could do the laundry room and the mud room. ( Bobby was always smiling helpful too! --everyone there is so friendly).
Abbey @ Sons and Development was helpful with color.
http://www.sonsdevelopment.com/
It turned out the colors are reminiscent of our trip to New Mexico...just as she had suggested(the colors were of Sante Fe flair).
Get ahold of these names--Court Magician and Log Jam. We brought handmade tiles home from a Sante Fe artist. Decided to hang on the wall--as opposed to permanent on the floor.

Finished knit project

I gave a scarf to my bro for his B day.
He is modeling it in the photos.
I used two new stitched--the seed stitch and "my man stitch".

http://www.scarlet-zebra.com/free-patterns/patterns/

Fun and easy!

Giving Thanks

I give Thanks for my family!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Pathway

I felt like Cinderella on steroids the last few days.
Lots of scrubbing when you mortar and grout with small stones/ceramics.
Yvonne Dockter finished the tiles we commissioned her to create.
They are perfect! Colorful-yet sutle enough to tie into our designs.

The madrone leaves are glowing as if you are walking thru a forest of madrone trees.
I wish I had her do more of these.
I will seal the finished pathway sometime this week.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

November fourth two thousand and eight

Sierra voted for the first time.
As you remember she turned 18 in August.
We had many conversations about how important it was to take advantage of our 'Right to Vote'.
It's hard to understand the importance.
When I was 18--I did not vote--I was excited as a teen and then got caught up in life when it came to voting.
Think it was the year Reagan got into office for his second term.
I heard them say on the news that the 27 years gone bye has been a Republican looking (even though there have been democrats also). That would be when I could cast my first vote--24 years ago. I could have changed something with my vote!

Afterwards, we gave my Niece a charm bracelet that we made for her. She loved it! Here we are with my other niece and nephew.

Obama!

Can not tell you how much better I feel after the elections than I did for the past eight years!!!
I am sure many of you feel the same--since there was no question Obama was the vote of choice.
Now we hope that he does what he has said he'll do. How can the American people do to help him change things for the better?
How does one man do it all? Well Bush seems to have done a lot to mess things up!!!
Amazing the growth that has occurred in my life-time. In 1965 racism, segregation and lack of equal rights/to vote were fashion. I wish that we could do this in all areas!
Like Prop 8--what is this about?? I feel like we are playing the 'Sorry'. (Have any of you played this--were you go 6 spaces in one turn and then your next you get a card that says SORRY go back 7)

Monday, November 3, 2008

1972-1975

Looks as if I had lots on my mind then too!

My little brother in his theatrical debute.

Diego's Sleepy

Moving Back into our Home and Spending time with Family

Spending time with family is always fun. Ben is making fun of his Grandmother! After seeing Ben's relatively new studio...we went out for a very tasty lunch in Auburn. Emily is Ben's cute and very friendly girlfriend.

We moved a very heavy piece of furniture into our living room.

Not sure how much it weighs--but, trust me it is heavy.

It adds is a classy homy feeling. And our tv fits in the space inside the cabinet. Before we had the tv above our entertainment center.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

We are getting closer to some result from all our hard work!

Realizing every product was not as conscious as I would have liked.

Although, many product were either green(recycled or low VOC-chemicals).

For instance, in the bathrooms we used Craig's List to find discarded tiles, rocks from our fav places, No VOC American Pride paint purchased @local Son's and Development(Grass Valley on Idaho-Maryland), weathered wood foraged for towel bars, Greene board for underlayment, Aquamix--no VOC sealer, caulk is green, and light fixture that was purchased was handmade in WA. In the majority of the house we nailed local harvest and milled Madrone hardwood(wood from the Pendola Fire 2003 and milled by one of the oldest mills in Placer-Nevada County). I sealed and waxed with a very low VOC--mostly linseed and caranuba wax w. some driers. The entire house was painted with American Pride--Purchased local @Son's and Development. The BioShield Hardwood Products are purchased @Son's and Development too! Abbey, the main person who helped me @ this small local business, is very patient and helpful!

Bev will appreciate this--Most of our light fixtures were (fake cheap brass coated) painted to look like rusted metal. I still have many tile projects to finish, cabinets to spruce up, caulking, fixing a few base boards, moving books and furniture....

Monday, October 27, 2008

Oh yeah!

Oh Yeah

As of August....I have an 18 year old and a 19 1/2 year old.

My 19 year old is actually 19 1/2--almost 20. He tells me--remember when we would brag about getting older?

They are busy with their lives.

And they come back to me with love these days--enjoying spending time together.

I remember when I thought this day would never be here--empty nest...just Ma Ma bird...

Just me again to take care of.

Wierd to spend most of your adult life focusing on something that doesn't need focusing on much anymore.

That is where the energy comes from to rip my home apart---change results from energy created from friction caused by internal ciaos. It is very productive in my case!

New Madrone Floor is looking good!

I have been busy! The Floor is almost finished. I have to wax it today. Chose Bioshield as our finish. Two coats of Hard Oil # 9 and two coats of Wax #32.

Joined the Nevada County Fiber Guild

Like I mentioned in my last post.

I am enthusiastic about creating a Navajo Weaving.

I have been meaning to check out our local Fiber Guild as a knitter/crocheter.

Finally, my interests (and many friends who are members of the Guild)tipped me toward this

group.

First workshop as a new member was exceptional! Got a few photos. Wondering why I did not get a photo of everyones colors. I took a photo of my samples. We learned about natural dyes such as cochineal and Indigo. Cochineal has been talked about in the Navajo Weaving books over and over. It is a bright red. However ours turned a more pinky color. We used a mordant that my have influenced this. The water was maybe high in minerals--which probably effected the results.