Three Kitchen Fairies

All in good time

I have a stash of fabric that is not as big as other quilters'/crafters'. My stash has pretty little cuts that I found and bought just in case, and some leftovers. There is this other part of my stash that is made out of treasures. Yards and yard of fabrics I've been keeping for a special occasion, or that I haven't cut through just because some of those fabrics are too precious to be used. In that special pile of wonderful fabrics I have this:

"The Quilt-maker's Gift" fabric by Gail De Marcken for Benartex.  Have you ever heard about this book?? It's one of the fairies' favorite books. The illustrations are incredible beautiful and the story is such a lesson of generosity, compassion, and quilty-happiness. The fat quarters on top of it are the fabrics I'm choosing to mix with the Benartex fabric to make a throw size quilt for us. 

I've been holding up to this fabric for a couple of years. Then this summer while working at this block for the ATQB, and after our visit to the Sleeping Bear Dunes I felt inspired. I decided it was time to make something pretty out of it. The block I'm using this time is the bear paw. I'm kind of having a obsession with bears and bear stories. In both stories the bears are such loyal, loving, and grateful characters. The mother bear in the sleeping bear legend is full of hope waiting for her bears to finally get to the lake shore...All these elements makes a perfect quilt for covering my girls in those cold Michigan winter afternoons ahead of us. For the backing of the quilt I have a nice flannel printed with the I spy illustration that comes inside the jacket of the book.

So that's me and my special fabrics, I just have to wait to for the perfect project even if it takes years. 

On that note...guess what, I got these fabrics

 

Yummy Mendocino fabric...Did you know mermaids are fairies too? We read that they were the angels that fell in the water when some other bad, bad angels where expelled out of heaven.

I guess I'll cut through these in a couple more of years. In the meantime I'll spread them around me and look at them with fascination and them I'll fold them again to put them away...

Bloggers Quilt Festival!!

Amy the girl behind Park City Girl has come up with a brilliant idea. She's organizing a quilt festival on-line!!The idea is that on April 17th we'll have a chance to post about a finished quilt project, and share the story that goes with it. Imagine that, tons of inspiration!! Amy will have a list of the lovely bloggers participating so we can go around and take a good look at wonderful works of art. You can sign up here, and I will add her button on my side bar ...Oh!! I almost forgot the festival includes 7 giveaways sponsored by various fabric stores. Way to go Amy!! I'm looking forward to it!!

Inspired

Today I found the time to get out of the house. It was sunny and warm enough to go for a walk. I took my camera and my preschooler and headed down town.

I underestimated the power of spring getting into my head, the sun light was amazing, and there was color everywhere. Thanks Nathalie for the tip about the filter, I used it this time!

I took chances with the camera lens that I fear the most: the macro…After all, I need to learn how to use it.

 

 

I found tons of inspiration for quilting, and some paper piecing maybe??

 

Fabulous red, my favorite color; and well organized jars of marmalade.

I even had time to chase after her.

p.s. For more pictures click on my flick badge.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona...revisited.

Remember I asked you for your favorite movie at the time of the International Stash Busting Giveaway? You told me, and I made a list of all I have not watch yet. And, I did not tell you what my favorite movie is. Well, at the moment, it's Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." This is an old post from when I started blogging. I think most of my bloggy friend have not read it yet, so give it a try...I'll be back in a week or so, I'm off to Puerto Rico for a relaxing vacation. See you then. Enjoy!!

 

Oh my!! What a movie!. This is Woody Allen’s resurrection as a great cineaste, as an artist. For those who have not seen the movie: stop reading, watch the movie and come back to read my post. Those who already watched the movie feel free to keep reading, and to leave a comment telling me that I’m totally crazy or that I’m good at this.

First of all, the settings. Although I’ve never been to Barcelona, this movie takes you there in a wonderful tour of astonishing landmarks, and the most romantic settings. The music of Giulia and the Tellarines, still impossible to classify, totally set the mood of the laid back character of a summer vacation in Spain.

Let me state that Javier Bardem, besides being everything that a girl with a good pair of eyes would appreciate; is an amazing actor. He is totally able to camouflage himself into the character that he is in every movie.

As Juan Antonio, Javier Bardem personifies the perfect Latin lover: laid back, bohemian, romantic, and self centered artist. I think that he himself personalizes the demands of a happy, passionate and fulfilled (in every sense) life.

Vicky and Cristina are, on the other hand, two different elements that we find in practical life. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) uses her intelligence to get ahead. She has plans, and deadlines. She believes that she is even-tempered until she met Juan Antonio. Cristina (Scarlet Johanssen) is the kind of girl that is usually called immature and childish, and at the same time she is curious and adventurous. Cristina has a zest for life, a continuous self-soul search. This characteristic is usually gone in most of us by the time we have kids. From then on we become more Vickis than Cristinas.

I don’t know if Allen planned his film this way but the way I see “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is as a parody of life itself. Juan Antonio representing life itself demands freedom to express himself, to live. He represents new experiences, passion, and the unattainable perfect love. And Maria Elena challenges every bit of common sense in life with the most amazing display of tantrums thrown by a wild woman in love. I loved her dialogues half in English and half in Spanish. Oh!! I wish that speaking with that heavy accent would make us all Hispanic women beautiful and sexy like she is…

 

Obviously this film is lusciously sensual and sexy.

But if you try to get a moral from the story, I would say that “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is about the ability to turn things around. To try new things. To do what others call a “failure” like the marriage of Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, and turn it into and act of courage, like Juan Antonio did when he decided to have the woman who tried to kill him under his own roof. To go to where you have not been before and to find happiness. It’s about being able to bear unbearable passions in your heart and to canalize them into something amazing like the art of Juan Antonio and Maria Elena. Moreover like the art of Gaudi transcending through ages.

It is about saying “thanks but no thanks”, and not to settle for any less than your dreams and your desires. About perhaps not knowing what you want, but knowing what you don’t want. Like Cristina, just keep looking, keep trying, don’t stop dreaming of what life demands from us to give us who we are in return.

P.

A Royal Mail.

 

Last December I signed up for a swap, my first swap. Today I got this beautiful brooch from Michala. Isn't it pretty?  You can take at look at Michala's work here. Not only I like her finished works but also her drawings and paintings. She is an amazing artist. I have hardly seen artists that can translate their drawings and sketches into their artwork with such closeness.

I was so excited when I got it...I love the stamp on the envelope that reads "A Royal Mail," so special like in a fairy-tale...Michala sent it all the way from England. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean to land in my hands. It's still surreal to me to be living in such a technological era in which we can be read on the other side of the planet, and moreover exchange little touching gifts.

Thank you Michala!! I love it!!

P.

Dia de Muertos.

As I said a couple of days ago, I've been preparing for the "Day of the Dead", or "Dia de Muertos". It is also known as "All Saints Day," and it is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. I found the sugar skulls in San Diego, CA., the rest is pretty much an improvisation of the real elements that came out pretty good. The girls were so curious about the whole meaning of the altar, which is to remember the beloved ones that already departed from this world. My altar is quite heterogeneous since all our dead ones are from different parts of the world. We managed to add pictures from the early nineteen hundreds. They are the great-great-grandparents of my daughters. We have Spaniard, Syrian, Cantonese, Mexican, Peruvian, and Argentine ascendancy. The Frida and Diego's pictures are just an extra-special element that represents the liaison between Mexican art and the embrace of this Mexican tradition. OK enough talking.

 

 

 

At night we lit the candels. The altar looked so mystical...

 

The sugar skulls, the talks about our ancestors, the idea of life after death, gave my girls a new sense of tradition and trascendace. Ofelia was very pleased thinking that someday her children and the children of her children (as she said it) will set an altar for us, quite amazing how she grasped the concept.

Enjoy your weekend.

P.

Oh so many questions...

Ever since I started reading blogs I always wondered how it was done. I read blogs more or less for eighteen months before I ( or we) started my own blog. It has been almost four months, and twenty six posts. Ten comments total, and still loving it.

When I started my blog I felt compelled to ask questions to the bloggers I knew, and to the bloggers I read. I wanted to know simple things such “the proper protocol” among bloggers, or how to get the flickr batch. Some of them where nice enough to drop me a line, there was one lady who was way too snob to give me a nice enough answer …I just could not believe…

A couple of days ago I was not feeling positive about posting and waiting for comments, after all that’s what we all want: to make contact with amazing, creative people. We want to exchange ideas, partners for our creative journey, friendships…

Still afraid from my last experience, I found the courage to ask a lady blogger “how is it done.” This lady (a well established blogger) is a great writer, fantastic artist and crafter, and also a sweet mom. She has one of those blogs that most of us link as one of our favorites. She answered me, but not only that. She actually took a good look at my blog and gave me tons of advice about “how it is done.” I just want to publicly thank this person for being so generous with her time and her knowledge. Thank you so very much “lady blogger”!!! Your are so generous and awesome. I would like to send this little print your way as a token of my appreciation,

with humble gratitude

P.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

At the time of my mother’s visit, Jose and I took a chance to go out and enjoy ourselves like when we where “single. “

Paloma: How about a movie?

Jose: Chicks movie again?

Paloma: No, it’s called “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” it’s with Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Scarlet Johanssen.

Jose: (silent and looking not very convinced). You have a crush on Barden, you think he is handsome.

Paloma: You like Penelope Cruz, and besides she and Scarlet Johansson seemed to be having and affair.

Jose: OK (big smile on his face).

 

Oh my!! What a movie!. This is Woody Allen’s resurrection as a great cineaste, as an artist. For those who have not seen the movie: stop reading, watch the movie and come back to read my post. Those who already watched the movie feel free to keep reading, and to leave a comment telling me that I’m totally crazy or that I’m good at this.

First of all, the settings. Although I’ve never been to Barcelona, this movie takes you there in a wonderful tour of astonishing landmarks, and the most romantic settings. The music of Giulia and the Tellarines, still impossible to classify, totally set the mood of the laid back character of a summer vacation in Spain.

Let me state that Javier Bardem, besides being everything that a girl with a good pair of eyes would appreciate; is an amazing actor. He is totally able to camouflage himself into the character that he is in every movie.

As Juan Antonio, Javier Bardem personifies the perfect Latin lover: laid back, bohemian, romantic, and self centered artist. I think that he himself personalizes the demands of a happy, passionate and fulfilled (in every sense) life.

Vicky and Cristina are, on the other hand, two different elements that we find in practical life. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) uses her intelligence to get ahead. She has plans, and deadlines. She believes that she is even-tempered until she met Juan Antonio. Cristina (Scarlet Johanssen) is the kind of girl that is usually called immature and childish, and at the same time she is curious and adventurous. Cristina has a zest for life, a continuous self-soul search. This characteristic is usually gone in most of us by the time we have kids. From then on we become more Vickis than Cristinas.

I don’t know if Allen planned his film this way but the way I see “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is as a parody of life itself. Juan Antonio representing life itself demands freedom to express himself, to live. He represents new experiences, passion, and the unattainable perfect love. And Maria Elena challenges every bit of common sense in life with the most amazing display of tantrums thrown by a wild woman in love. I loved her dialogues half in English and half in Spanish. Oh!! I wish that speaking with that heavy accent would make us all Hispanic women beautiful and sexy like she is…

 

Obviously this film is lusciously sensual and sexy.

But if you try to get a moral from the story, I would say that “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is about the ability to turn things around. To try new things. To do what others call a “failure” like the marriage of Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, and turn it into and act of courage, like Juan Antonio did when he decided to have the woman who tried to kill him under his own roof. To go to where you have not been before and to find happiness. It’s about being able to bear unbearable passions in your heart and to canalize them into something amazing like the art of Juan Antonio and Maria Elena. Moreover like the art of Gaudi transcending through ages.

It is about saying “thanks but no thanks”, and not to settle for any less than your dreams and your desires. About perhaps not knowing what you want, but knowing what you don’t want. Like Cristina, just keep looking, keep trying, don’t stop dreaming of what life demands from us to give us who we are in return.

P.

Much more than I expected.

This week had its ups and downs. I had the feeling that not much was going on until I started to think about this blog. What to post about ? And even considering that I'm about to post just too many pictures, this is not everything that I have accomplished this week.

I finally finished stitching this mini-quilt. I wanted to see it framed because I'm not completely happy about wall-hanging-doll-size quilts.

It looks good to me...

The embroidery is from drawings made by my daughters. I love the idea of making their art work transcend together with mine. It's like been together forever.

I also worked hard on some totes for my store, and I finally got my woven labels. To make the story short, I did not notice when I ordered them that the company is in Thailand...It took almost four weeks, and tons of back and forth e-mails with the company in Bangkok.

And last but not least, I received a wonderful present that made the gray clouds of my busy week go away, and brightened my days. My sister in law Marta sent me fabrics, but not just fabrics. She sent me the fabrics from "The Quilt Maker's Gift" with the illustrations of Gail De Marcken on fabric. This book is one of my recommendations at my store. This is the book that started it all over again. My love for quilts, and my new beginning as an artist after having to leave my career due to maternity. Marta also sent me adorable fairy fabrics that will be sewn into something for the girls, pillow cases maybe?

This one is my absolute favorite...

Yeah, you can tell I"m bad at taking pictures. The fairy fabrics are amazing. They actually look like floral designs but there are fairies hiding here and there, mostly in the top fabric.

All these things, and the re-count of the other good stuff (that I don't post because it would be too much,) make me feel that I did well this week; after all it was not such a bad week. I guess it was a little bit about the frustration of having only two weeks left of summer vacation; and about life not letting me enjoy some precious moments.

Happy Friday !!

P.

Testing; testing

Hello Moms, artists, crafters, quilters, fun people, etc. My name is Paloma, and this is my first post in my brand new blog space "Three Kitchen Fairies." I'm an artist in waking up from a stand by of eight years aprox. by reason of motherhood. I became aware of this world two years ago. My friends and my loving husband encouraged me to do this, so let's see.

Now i'm going to try to learn how to post  with pictures and everything...

This is a test to link to an outside page... that I visit frequently.

Now the picture...

So long, until the next post! Paloma.