The weather has been glorious--breezy and warm with more than enough sun--and even I can't complain. So we've moved our workspace outside for as much of the day as possible.     Crafty cherubs are usually nearby begging to participate as crafty cherubs do. Like yesterday ...

I went to the library tonight, but I didn't manage to look at any books. Instead, I just sat at a desk with my sketchbook and came up with ideas. This is part of one of them. Does it make me a nerd that I wish the library was open late on Fridays so I could spend every evening there? And if it does,...

If you're on Facebook, then you know about the memes that go around just like in the blogging world. Right now, it seems like everyone I know is posting 25 Random Things About Me and since a guilty conscience and nothing to do one night compelled me to spend about 3 hours coming up with th...

     I have really been enjoying continuing my visual arts self-education, and have continued reading books on color, composition, collage, pastels, tapestry, etc etc.  But I have missed knitting.  I picked up the Swirl stole project again and have finished anothe...

Ben Adler at The Atlantic writes: Why stimulus spending should go to public art In their search to find programs upon which to rest the complaint that the stimulus bill is too generous, some conservatives have seized upon one of their favorite whipping boys: the arts. "Even [House Republicans] can't...

The clouds above the city blackened. Eubert Haische withdrew a collapsible umbrella from his trousers and hurried to the sidewalk, boots scattering concrete. The overcast blanketed the street in shadow. Then the rain began, sticky, fist-sized bolts that beat against the awning over his head and spla...

She inspected her sac, reassured to find three lamps still remaining. In the three days since departing the small city at the shaft's base, she had found herself increasingly forgetful of what she had taken with her. Running out of light halfway up the shaft might not seal her fate, but the prospect...

Found while rummaging my hard-drive for abortive original fiction: The lobby was cramped and sad with decay, a fungal museum of twentieth century architectural tropes. The ceiling leaked slime and the overhead lights had been replaced with bare 40-watt bulbs. Ancient fans set them swaying; the room ...

Brett's mother's quilt top is finished. Although it's composed almost entirely of prints from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden and Bijoux collections, I think my favorite part are Tula Pink's four birds from Nest.  They give the whole thing a touch of whimsy.  (I was going...

I've started the next Booktown mystery, RECIPE FOR MURDER. After four days of "work," I haven't made as much progress as I'd like. I always have a hard time "getting into" the book. I guess that's because I don't have......