Rain Delay

This is the street in front of our house that is sheer ice. Fed Ex, Refuse Collection trucks and the Postal Service trucks have all needed chains on their tires to navigate the neighborhood ice rinks, I mean streets!

School was cancelled along with several area businesses asking employees to stay home and off local roads due to icy, horrible weather conditions. Kids are even ice skating on neighborhood streets!

We've had unusual, crazy warm weather that's 40-50 degrees outside and it's been pouring rain. The bad news is that the temperatures are supposed to drop back to near normal that will be freezing all this moisture. Seems like a good time to be in the studio!

 This new strip quilt I am experimenting with has the perfect color palette that my new poppy pattern uses. I'm still deciding on the fabrics for the sample pattern I need to sew and photograph for the cover.

 This above photo is the second new pattern I'm working on. The idea for this pattern is to use scrap pieces of fabric for the flowers. I'm thinking of maybe putting these flowers on a white background with a bright border and finish.

 Below is the "Raven Lovers" gift basket that I'm donating to the 2013 Fire and Ice Ball -benefitting Covenant House Alaska! The items in the basket include an illustrated Raven art print "Lucky Ravens," metal Raven ornament, two Raven Art Quilt Patterns, limited edition Raven fabric AND a special Raven themed Art Quilt that I made using hand painted art cloth! "The 2013 Fire & Ice Ball will be held Saturday, January 19th, in the Anchorage Marriott Downtown ballroom. We hope you will consider joining us for an evening of dinner, dancing and exciting auction items!"

Going with the flow, or freeze, or family...

Crazy weather swings this week from the 21 below to 35 above and rain today have crushed my production schedule. Normally this rain is perfect for adding Nature’s patina to my steel work, but I had no pieces to put out since all week it's all I can do to keep the studio and shop safe and warm. Freezing rain and slick roads closed all of the universities and schools today. This doesn’t happen very often but my son and husband, who is a teacher, both did the happy dance this morning at 5:45 am when we got the call that school had been canceled. Roads were closed and the power was out in various parts of the city.

So much for my day that was scheduled for full-on production that was to be done alone. Oh well. Thank goodness I had picked up my order of steel and my pallet of clay and new shelves for the kiln were delivered both yesterday. As I get older I'm learning not only the value of patience, but the benefit of "going with the flow."

As the rain, wind, and even hail pelted the studio windows, I felt fortunate to be able to be to have an at-home studio that kept me off of the crazy slick roads, and spend the unseasonable blustery day with my family. I managed to finish up the detail work on a couple of sculptures, finished the Sea Otter for the KAKM Art Auction and finished some beading. I wrapped up early and cut the day short to do what we enjoy doing most on a rainy day…