Above and Below The Waters -

 Here's what I'm up to in the Studio right now - I'm designing, printing, and assembling a group of Hand-Bound (actually, The Cinch Bound) Journals, with the theme of Above and Below The Waters. 

There are Blowfish:

And Octopusses...

You've already seen the Coral Bouquet, under construction:

And I couldn't resist pushing the Coral Branch design on out -

A flotilla of Sailboats:

More sailboats to come, but now I have to go to work!

I'll show you The Cinch Bookbinding Tool in action later on today - I'm off to the studio!

Saga of the Snapping Turtle

You know from reading this Blog that we have this pond on our property that attracts all sorts of wildlife.  And we love it.  There's lots of action, and you can read about our feisty little hawk HERE and Geese with Bad Behavior HERE.

Most of the time, it is a beautiful preserve for us to enjoy:

Like watching these wild Pond Lilies bloom every morning, and close up in the evening.

However.  For the better part of 10 years, we've suffered (along with our fish) a reclusive inhabitant who resides in the murky bottom and slaughters baby ducks and geese, our fish, and anything else he decides looks toothsome enough to eat.  Occasionally, he surfaces and scares us half to death with his evil looking beak and enormous head.  Years ago, we identified him as a Snapping Turtle, and research told us we HAD to get him out of the pond or he would kill everything.  Easier said than done.

He has provided my Husband with years and years of hunting activity...and on Thursday night, after the longest hunt in history, Husband snagged him with his innovative bait/trap, and we were able to man/woman-handle him into a big garbage can.

Check out the claws, the beak, and the horns on his tail...those yellow spurs tucked around his rear end!

We performed High Fives all over the yard.

And Whooped and Hollered.

Our pond critters were Safe At Last!

We loaded him into the truck and traveled some distance away to release him into an active creek.  He was mad as hell by the time we drug the can through the woods to the creek:

There is a bank in front of him, and he raced right toward it and tumbled down to the bottom rather than just climbing down.  Things were moving pretty fast here, as you can see by the camera blur.

He immediately took off for the water in a huff:

Take a look at that horned tail...can you believe this prehistoric creature was in our idyllic little pond??

He moved with great purpose toward the creek, and just dove in...

He was moving VERY fast at this point.

As soon as he got into deeper water, he paused in a little area and positioned himself so that he could look at us...which was just unnerving.

He is looking straight at us.  Scary.

We had to delay dinner for awhile to have celebratory drinks on the deck.

We emailed friends and family, who cheered our success, and congratulated us on having our peaceful pond back again...we discussed how to re-stock the pond.  I thought ahead to next Spring and a batch of wild baby Wood Ducks that didn't get eaten up by a vicious prehistoric monster.

And then this morning, when Husband went out to check the pump that aerates the pond, that same evil head popped up out of the water, and pinned him with the kind of glare that says, "You Are Now Officially On My S--t List, you idiot."  Same turtle, just tired and hungry.  And mad.  Mad.   

I checked the Snapping Turtle website and it says in fine print that after you have managed to trap your troublesome tenant, you're supposed to take it at least 10 miles away.  That is twice the height of Mt. Everest.

Back to the hunt.

News Flash!! News Flash!!

 

It wasn't the same turtle!  I think it is his wife!  I was just getting ready to publish this Post, when I heard Husband shout out to come and help.  I ran down to the pond and positioned my garbage can, while Husband manned the line and rake.  We're getting to be pros at this!

Here she is - smaller but even more furious than her mate:

She was Hissing at us, nonstop.

I declined to attend the release this time so that I could finish this post and get it published.  Do you think our pond is safe, NOW?

Please let that be the last one - Please?

Colorado Rocky Mountains in the Summer

How amazing is This?  My Husband drug me off to the Colorado Rocky Mountains...told me he had booked the flight, so find us a hotel.  And by golly, I did.  Can you believe this view?



This is the view from the Keystone Lodge upper balcony - and where we escaped to for a few days.  You simply cannot believe how gorgeous the Colorado Rocky Mountains are in the Summer!

 Although the sun is hot and brilliant (we are two miles closer to the sun than normal), in the shade it is chilly when the breeze stirs.  And last night, it was in the lower 40's!  How lovely is THAT?

We played on the mountain at Breckenridge Ski Resort today, and here are some shots of people doing what we did - we couldn't take pictures of ourselves, because the rides were too fast and furious.



This was a screaming fast ride that went on and on, down the slopes at Breckenridge.  From the top, where we boarded this sled, we could see all the Rocky Mountains around us.  It was sort of like the Olympic Luge, only not laying down.

 And here is a shot of the downhill Coaster, which made both of us scream and grab the brakes of our respective vehicles:



This was a blast, but was over 'way too fast, because the darn thing went about 80 miles an hour from the top of a slope and almost straight downhill.  Some loop the loops in the middle of the run, where I left my stomach and heart.

 Here's another shot - I never imagined last week that I would be piloting a roller coaster car down the slopes of the Rocky Mountains this week.  Just goes to show you - never get too comfortable in the quietness of the studio - an antsy-pantsy Husband can yank you right out of there!

Tonight, we're eating at the Snake River Saloon...this could get really interesting!

You seriously cannot do better than a get-away to the Colorado mountains in the Summer - do it!

New Fabric Pattern - A Cuppa Caffe' for the Fabric Contest

This speedy new computer just flew for me today, and the design for the Spoonflower "Coffee" contest is finished - but in three colours only - that's the rule!

Here's the one I entered in the Contest:

I designed a couple of other colorways, just to see if I liked them or not, but the Blue & Tan won out-

I love Red, White and Black together, but can't see this in practical application.

Here's the last one:

This ran a close second for me, but I'm not sure how many people would want a Pea-Green Coffee Bean in their Decor...

The contest voting opens around the end of next week - I do hope you will visit Spoonflower Fabric Printing and vote for your fave!

Beach Cottage Bookbinding Studio

While we were waiting for Baby Blakely to arrive, I have been busy figuring out how to use all my new Bookbinding tools, and I think I finally have a good start on the process.  

The Beach Cottage studio is a mess, with Book Parts laying around everwhere:

These are some of the patterns I am going to make fabric out of...works for Books, too!

My first Book was okay, but not exactly even from front to back cover:

This Mango image is meant to be printed on Linen and framed under glass...time to get it done, now that I see it again.  It took me weeks and weeks to create this image - and I just forgot about it!

Living at the Beach, I'm partial to Coastal and underwater images...and my all-time favorites are images of Coral Branches and Sea Fans.  So I designed the following image over a year ago, and it was the first one I experimented with by having Spoonflower print it up for me:

Gluing up the Book Covers is agonizing.  Pure T.   But I am pleased with the finished look.

Once I finally got happy with the front and back Book Covers, I was off to the races, and started assembling:

Don't you think this would make beautiful fabric for a Lula Belle Handbag??  Or Wallpaper for a Beach Cottage accent wall??  Or how about Gift Wrap??  I started with the Coral image, then put it in repeat with other components to make the pages.  You can visit my post on making a Pattern Repeat to see how to do this.

The inside pages are lined and blank, meant for journaling or note jots:

And, here is the back cover:

All Done!

Next up, the Pomegranate Book - but that will be after I go see Baby Blakely again.

I think it's time to get the sewing machine cranked up and Sew "Stuff" to these Book Covers; and layer them up - what do you think?

Our Miraculous New Baby Girl

After nine long months, our newest beautiful Grandchild was born just before 6:00 AM yesterday.  Baby Girl Blakely has been happily snoozing away in her Mom's tummy for weeks on end, and we thought she would never come out to meet us.  

With only a little prodding from the doctor, she decided to wake up and join the rest of the world a little faster than anyone expected after that long wait - so there was some pandemonium in the hospital halls as everyone raced to catch her before she jumped out on her own.

She was alert and ready to go, since her Mom never got any drugs to help her with the labor and delivery, and looked everyone straight in the eye to put us on notice that she intends to make her mark in this family right quick.

So with a little help from me, here is her first Blog:

Hello everyone out there...my name is Blakely.  I am pretty new at this, but I know I'll catch on quick.  First of all, I want you to meet my beautiful Mommy:

Don't you think she looks like me?

She thinks I may wind up being a Volleyball star, but we'll see...Dad is all for anything I do, but he's already told me that he's going to teach me how to fish so that I'll be Lady Angler of the Year in about 18 years.

This is my Grandpa and my cousin Caroline...she is so smart, so beautiful - and she's going to teach me how to do all the stuff she knows how to do. I can tell that she likes me already...and my Grandpa has already told me I can have anything I want - anything!

I think I'll ask for a new Jaguar and a cell phone.

I got pretty hungry while all the adults were taking pictures and talking about me and my snappy little entrance, so my Mimi helped me out a little bit...

She's my Mommy's Mom, so she already knows how to do this stuff.

This is my first day, and I've been through a lot.  I'm getting sleepy now.

So, I think I will take a little nap...I've got the rest of my life to tell you more about me, so there's no hurry right this minute... 

G'night, all.

 

Mountains, Clouds, Blogs & Being Passionate

We are famous for "Blasting Off" for a road trip on the absolute spur of the moment.  So when we got up on July 4th, stuck our arms outside to test the temperature (Hot) and humidity (Muggy) and considered that we had no coherent plan (again) for the July 4th Holiday, it was a lock that a Road Trip was imminent.  As in, immediately.

We went to the Blue Ridge Parkway last year and were delighted to find that even in August, the temperatures were lovely.  Not to mention that the view from the Pisgah Inn, on top of Mt. Pisgah, can be awe-inspiring when the clouds move in.   A quick call confirmed that they had two rooms left, and that there was a cold front coming.  After arranging for the room on the top floor (of course!) we roared out of town.


Upon arrival, we stepped out of the car to mist, clouds, and 64 degrees Fahrenheit, a solid 30 degrees cooler than the Coast!!  First thing I did was flee to the gift shop to purchase a sweatshirt.  With the forest still dripping after the storm, we slid through the foliage just to get wet and be chilly.  So refreshing, so lush! After a lovely dinner overlooking the valley below, we watched fireworks that were far, far below, then drifted to sleep under two blankets...


Next morning, this was the view from our balcony.  (I decided to do my photographs in Black and White for once)

Although the sun was brilliant, the clouds were gathering across the way.

Looking the other way, there was a stately old tree skeleton decorating the Horizon...

Two Winters ago, the temperatures were so frigid on the mountain that many trees simply died of the cold.  We were told that when the workers arrived to open the hotel for the Spring Season, it took over a week to clear all the fallen trees off the Parkway so that they could get to the hotel.  The forest is dotted now with these ghostly skeletons, which have a beauty of their own.

 After a vigorous morning of hiking for my husband, reading for me, and lunch, the storm clouds began to move in swiftly:

This is what I love about being on top of the mountain - you are literally residing in the clouds.

Since our balcony looked South, I was protected from the wind and rain, and could watch the storm in cozy safety.

You can see the swirl of the updrafts...

 The storm took its time, which was fine with me since I had a ringside seat to watch something that few people ever get to see - I could have watched all afternoon.

And then,  the storm gathered her skirts and marched off to the South:

You can see the steam already beginning to rise from the Valley in certain spots...

 I wanted to walk through the remnants of the clouds and feel the cool air, so I set off with my camera - and found so many happy plants, and  so many happy critters drinking down the raindrops!

After seeing all of this, walking in the clouds, and sleeping in the mists, I can hardly wait to get back in the studio and create something!

I spent my time on the mountain top resting, reading, and remembering how to See what I am looking at - a skill I quickly forget when Life intervenes.  But, this time, I was helped out not only by our trip to the Mountains, I was also inspired by a new Blog I found quite by accident while searching the internet for postings by Japanese writers.  I found Keiko, a story- teller from Nara, Japan.  And One Time One Meeting is her blog. 

Her inner eye is wide open and engaged, and her readers are treated to lovely photography which she uses to support her history and cultural lessons - which she is Passionate about.  My shoulders always come down from their perch up around my ears when I read her posts.  And I stop being guilty about being Passionate.  Because if one isn't, then why bother?

Now, I'm off to create something!     

Beach Cottage Renovation Finished!

After my two month hiatus to tend to the Beach Cottage renovation, I have GOT to get back to Textile and Graphic Design.  So that I don't feel like I left everyone in the middle of the road, here are some shots of our finished renovation - that I am just so in love with.  Pictures aren't hung yet, because I can't bear to put holes in the walls yet!  Maybe tomorrow.

The "sewing/create something" room is now totally white.  I took the old kitchen peninsula and made a cutting/pattern table out of it.  And, look at my new window by the sewing machine!

This is what it looked like before:

Big Change, there!

Kitchen all finished!

My yummy new tub, that USED to be my closet!

The mirrors tilt!

Wooden blinds coming tomorrow - do you remember how this looked a month ago?  Yikes!

This was the bathroom on May 24.  What a difference, huh?

 

 

 

 

 So much work, soooo much work.  But I am happy, happy, happy.  And now it is time to get back to Surface Design...graphics, textiles, Illustrator and Photoshop.  In my clean new house!

Beach Cottage Mahi Bowl Meal

The Beach Cottage renovation is virtually finished, and now all I have to do is find everything I packed away and try to integrate the old with the new.  Not to mention figuring out how to get used to operating the new equipment. 

We've never had gas cooking out here on the island, so after 28 years of preparing meals on an electric stove, here we go!  As promised, here is a recipe and photos of the yummy Mahi-Mahi that was presented to me by the Captain, and cooked up on my new gas range:

We actually call Mahi-Mahi by the East Coast name of Dolphin...in the Keys, they call it Dorado sometimes.  This is what the fish looks like, so that you don't confuse it with the Dolphin mammal, aka "Flipper"!

This is my oldest son with a big Bull Dolphin, aka Mahi, caught on an Ocean Isle Fishing Center boat.

Mahi recipes are all over the map, as it is a very sweet tasting fish which people love, and it also freezes beautifully.  We always freeze the filets or chunks in quart Zip-Loc bags, with the fish surrounded by water.  When I thawed out the fish for our Mahi Fish Bowl, I simply put the bag in fairly warm water until the fish/ice block could be removed from the bag.  Then I let the block sit in lukewarm water until the pieces could be pried apart without breaking.  Once they were pliable, I cut them into strips or chunks about 2 x 3 inches each.  


Mahi takes awhile to cook through, so it is easier to get a consistent texture if you cut it up into small pieces.  Like this:

This photo, used on several sites, shows the dark red bloodline - I ALWAYS remove the bloodline.

When we want to just chill out in front of the TV and watch Deadliest Catch, we've found that the best way to eat is simply out of a Bowl.  That is, everything piled into one bowl, so you can curl up in your favorite spot and not be spilling something off a flat plate when the Time Bandit takes a rogue wave.  


Keep it simple - a couple of main ingredients, with condiments or accents piled on the side, and all presented on top of steamed rice is about all you'll need, other than soy sauce and, for me - always - Rooster Sauce!  I can't eat without it.

This stuff is HOT.  It's made by a company named Huy Fong, out of California.  How it started is quite a story, and you can read about it Here.  The image came from their website, Huy Fong Foods.

But, back to the recipe.  Here are the ingredients for the Asian Flour:
     Self-Rising Flour - about a cup or so.  Sometimes I cut it with some cornstarch
     Sea Salt - you can sprinkle this on the fish, but I  just put it in the flour-not too much!
     Garlic Powder - to your taste, but not too much or it will overpower the Mahi
     Ginger Powder - about a teaspoon
     Black or Regular Roasted Sesame seeds - about a quarter cup
     Assi Brand Coarse Pepper Powder - a heaping tablespoon, at the minimum

You can get this at any Asian market - I use it in a lot of my cooking...including Pinto Beans!

For the oil, I use 2/3 Peanut Oil, 1/3 Olive Oil.  Just get it hot, dredge your Mahi in the flour, and slip it in.  Turn once after the first side has turned golden.  You know it's done when a fork inserted in the fish will turn easily...don't overcook, but be sure it is done through.  Some fish is good on the medium rare side, but not Mahi.

Here is my new range, going full blast on our Mahi Bowl Meal:

Meanwhile, just oven-blast some fresh broccoli:

Thaw out some frozen Tobiko (the roe of Flying Fish-available at Asian Markets) if you like, 

and re-hydrate some Seaweed or buy Seaweed Salad at your local Asian Market.  Scoop out some fresh steamed rice, put it in the bowl and top with your Mahi and other condiments.  

Turn on Deadliest Catch, pour the wine, grab your chopsticks and go!