Friday Night Thunderstorm Embroidery

i made this bookmark on a whim last week i think(?) and i realized i really needed more practice so...

i made this tonight for some practice. this printed fabric is a design that i had printed at Philadelphia University.

it was raining cats and dogs outside today and the tree across the street from us fell over!


bad picture that was taken from the upstairs window of my backyard being rained on like crazy

today's obsession: the tarot

i have been interested in tarot cards for a very long time, and found them important for life lessons and how to deal with problems. my dad used to read them for people but stopped a long time ago; i remember getting my first set at the pennsylvania renaissance faire when i was in 6th grade i think. i've been getting back into them recently and bought a new set and a new book. the rider or waite deck (pictured here) is perhaps the most universal and the illustrations are amazing. i would love to do a print based on tarot cards someday.

wish you were here: new zealand

new zealand, a place that has been at the top of my list for ages, will never leave it's cozy spot of number... 3. i mean, who doesn't want to go to the "adventure capital of the world" or where they shot Lord of the Rings? that makes seychelles number 4 i'd have to say ( i posted it last week?) these are some shots of the other island of fire and ice from National Geographic, i especially love the one below (that one for some reason really makes me want to go there).

it would be a great place to study nature and natural patterns. it's full of beautiful rock formations, odd creatures, and intricate maori art objects. again... some day kathleen, some day...

chunnel engraving

i found this awesome engraving in National Geographic magazine from a few years back, and was a compliment to a piece they were doing on the chunnel between england and france. the article in the mag was not that interesting ( i usually only look at the pictures, i know i'm like a child) but i saw this on the margins of the page. it is an 18th or 19th century engraving from england on the fear of french invasion by digging a tunnel under the english channel. i just thought this was quite fantastic. i love old engravings, tin types, photography, etc, i think they are so amazing. there is a great blog called BibliOdyssey  that features drawings and prints just of that sort, i actually have the book of their pictures i bought from barnes & noble. anyway, if you like this, you should check them out, they are one of my favorite blogs. 

rediscovered me

after flipping through my old sketchbook today i found a few self-portraits mostly from 2007. here's what i found and what i once drew. i also did a couple drawings of my legs, they are they favorite series i've done i think. after looking through these i hope to continue. it would give me something to do at least.

wish you were here: seychelles

more like "i wish i was there." a few years ago i had an awesome calendar and for one month it was a picture of seychelles, the little nation of islands in the indian ocean, off madagascar and i was instantly mesmerized. the rocks there are what really captured my interest, they are so sculptural and the water in the picture was almost ethereal, it was out of this world. 




                                                                                     one day, kathleen, one day...

trying out a terrarium

terrible pictures, i know. not a lot of light in my room for this one and the flash made it look even worse. i've been having a little fascination with terrariums lately and i was at michael's today so i'd thought i'd give one a try. i really like the apothecary jars so i got one that was relatively cheap, some stones, moss, a little bird's nest and some fake bird eggs. i really wanted a little plant in there (because that's the point of a terrarium) but this jar is a little too small for one. hopefully i can get one in there soon enough. but i think it will do for now.