A Very Merry Christmas Celebration!

 

What a wonderful Christmas party we had this year! It was the best ever, thanks to Barbara for generously opening her beautiful art studio, which was festively decorated with holiday decorations. It has been several years since we have been able to have a Christmas party, due to bad weather and to Covid restrictions and concerns. And even though a wild rainstorm was predicted, the Rain Gods mercifully held back the deluge until after we had safely arrived inside and lifted the heavy rain and wind when it was time to leave. 

Barbara was most generous in supplying the major portion of the meal by serving a delicious Chicken Pot Pie, other accompaniments and treats, and a fabulous Cheesecake, plus individual favors in tiny tabletop sleighs. Some members also contributed some savory and sweet items that created an amazing feast.

And then, Barbara went above and beyond by leading us in a tutorial for making very beautiful tiny and delicate paper shoes and supplying the materials to make them. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH, Barbara, for making all this possible and for bringing so much joy to everyone. 

Calendar 

 January 8, (Saturday), 11 A.M. at Marcella's. Drop-in Social Get-together will be from 11:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Business Meeting will start at 1:30 P.M. Please bring your completed challenge item from Sharon's enrichment.

A Glorius Day in Barbara's Studio 

Below is a photo of some of various sizes of paper shoes Barbara has made.

And... above are examples of the fantastic creations she has made using bits and pieces of the vintage fabrics, trims, buttons, and papers. Her studio is a virtual inspirational art gallery.

While not all of us completed our slippers before it was time to leave, we are excited to be able to use the patterns and knowledge to finish these and to make more in the future. Once again, thank you Barbara for a very special day.

Anne, Caroline and Jennifer

Sally, Betts and Marcella

Caroline and Jennifer brought candy cane paper gingerbread men for everyone, as well as mozzarella cheese sticks decorated as snowmen. How fun is that!

This is one of the individual favors Barbara gave to each of us.

Former member Kelly, who has been on a four-month stay in London with her husband, sent us a photo of this intricate thread- embroidered portrait she has recently completed. Her work is truly amazing!

Rosie, our dear member in La Quinta, just sent a photo of 4 of the 20 individual and unique watercolor paintings she has just completed and turned into Christmas cards. They are certain to bring joy to their recipients. 

BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE FOR A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A NEW YEAR FILLED WITH JOY AND HOURS SPENT CRAFTING AND CREATING!

SEE YOU IN 2023

November 2022 Meeting

 

We were treated to delightful stories about buttons, as Betts shared her astonishing collection with great humor and expertise during the enrichment session. Her button cards are works of art that document history. Betts gave each of us a gift—a bag of supplies and instructions and ideas to make a button card. She also gave us a chance to rummage through her "poke box." What a treasure! Above are sample button cards Bett's has made.

Calendar 

 December 10, 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. (Saturday) Christmas Party at Barbara's Studio.  Barbara will lead us in celebrating the holiday season and also teach us to make a dainty paper shoe. Please bring a pair of scissors. You may bring a snack or something to share if you so desire.

January 8, (Saturday), 11 A.M. at Marcella's. Drop-in Social Get-together will be from 11:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Business Meeting will start at 1:30 P.M. Please bring your completed challenge item from Sharon's enrichment.

Enrichment by Betts

Here are more samples of the button cards Betts has created by adding various collaged items from her stash.  

Here are more ideas for button embellishment. The very old book is a treasure she found at a flea market in Paris. Thank you, Betts, for your enlightenment and inspiration. 

Show and Tell

Geri displayed her collection of Halloween pins, some that she has collected and some that she has personally created. 

And Geri also shared examples of the exquisite greeting cards she has assembled so beautifully.

Betts brought some dolls that she has collected and some that she has made. She generously and freely offered them to members.

This is a photo of one of Donna's recent watercolor paintings.

 Caroline recently discovered some fabric in her stash that she had purchased a long time ago and used it to create this patchwork jacket. A very lovely and artistic creation.

 Jennifer framed this fabric nativity scene and then used some twisted metal mesh and wire, and fabric to make the hanger.

Barbara recently traveled to England for a class on hand stitchery conducted by Anna Corbas. She found the lovely old postcard in a small antique shop in Rye, UK for the journal, top right. She made the English stitcher pouch on the top left in a class by Mandy Patullo. And the dainty dress made from fabrics and trims was just for fun.  

Bonnie displayed her organizational skills by showing us how she has created reference samples that show her inventory of colors, rubber stamps, buttons and papers. That is ultimate organization!

Rosie and her daughter, Leslie, joined together to make 26 pints of guava jam. They had to de-seed the fruit before cooking, which was very time consuming. The jam turned out delicious! With the labels and colorful fabric covers, they will make wonderful Christmas presents. 

Rosie, who lives in La Quinta, has been participating in a local group to make kits for the "Dress a Girl Around the World" program. Here are examples of the finished dresses. The design has been updated since the Phoebes volunteered and sent many dresses to Africa. The dresses now have pockets, and a doll is also included.  Sally finished 5 new portrait and collage designs and used them as journal covers. Another great idea for gifts. 

Sue completed her gnome, plus another tiny, attached gnome. Note how she used the sock design for the facial features. She also made some little gnomes on sticks and created and beautifully painted the winged heart, part of a project she shared with her granddaughters. 

This is Sue's colorful Dia Des Los Muertas doll, 

aptly dressed for the occasion!

A 35th Anniversary Phoebe Celebration!

Did you know that gnomes are all the rage? If you visit the Etsy Web site, you will discover that dozens of people are making and selling them right now. 

Diasy, our resident art teacher, volunteered to lead enrichment this month and brought a big collection of socks in many sizes and colors to choose from. She then instructed us on how to turn them into lovable, whimsical gnomes. We are anxiously awaiting the appearance of the completed ones at the next meeting.

Calendar 

November 12, (Saturday), 11 A.M. at Marcella's. Betts will be bringing kits and part of her vast collection of fabulous buttons and will conduct a make-it-and-take-it enrichment session. Drop-in Social Get-together will be from 11:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Business Meeting will start at 1:30 P.M. Please bring your completed Gnomes from the last meeting.

 December 10, 11 A.M. (Saturday) Christmas Party at Barbara's Studio.  Barbara will lead us in celebrating the holiday season and also teach us to make a dainty paper shoe. Watch for details in the Phoebe Newsletter and the meeting minutes.

Show and Tell

 Shawn is shown beside the amazing memorial quilt she created in memory of the famous and much revered quilter and teacher, Roberta Horton. It will be displayed, along with 99 other Horton memorial quilts at the Pacific International Quilt Festival, then continue to travel around the country in the coming months.

Shawn is modeling this soft, warm "Teddy Bear Coat" made by Caroline from a piece of Geri's fabric. A great garment to cuddle up in during the coming cold winter months.

Sharon gathered up some of the many beautiful acrylic paintings she completed during the pandemic. Here are six examples that are painted on canvas. We hope she will continue to bring more to show us how she used those long days to create original works of art. 

Donna brought three small needle-sculpted cloth dolls she had previously made. The ones on either side are the results of a Christine Shively class she attended in Petaluma a few years ago. The highlight was learning from Christine how to make the felt flowers that adorn their hair. The center doll is a design Donna created to honor the Japanese Harajuku girls, who dress up as little "Lolita's" and capture attention on Tokyo streets by wearing lots of lace, ruffles, bows and pastels. 

We all miss you, Rosie, but we are glad you can join us on Zoom and also share some of the creative projects you have been working on. Above are beautiful dominos that Rosie has painted with alcohol inks. 

Rosie has recently joined a sewing group that is volunteering to "Dress a Girl Around the World." Not only are they making the dresses, but they are also sewing cloth dolls to accompany each dress. Here is a sample of the dolls Rosie has been making.

The most time-consuming part is sewing the hair on the doll heads.

She is also making baby dolls that are swaddled in little blankets. 

Caroline discovered some UFOs (unfinished objects) that she is now working on to complete. They are designed to carry cell phones or other items. She has been very successful in selling some of them. 

Sue always astounds us with her doll-making creativity. Her sculpted polymer clay heads are always terrific.

Kathy is already experienced in making gnomes. She has currently been busy making these cute tiny bear gnomes to give away as Christmas presents. 

Randy, Sue's husband, accompanied her on the long drive to our celebration. He is shown here working on one of the Hawaiian feather headdresses he has made over the years, many of which are currently residing in museums. To make them historically accurate, he uses the same materials used by his ancestors as much as possible. Some vines are not easily accessible these days and are now replaced by woven reeds. But the designs, the other materials and the techniques are centuries old. It is a very exacting and time-consuming process.

Show and Tell

The challenge for this month was to make a card that would celebrate Autumn, Halloween, or Thanksgiving holidays. They were to be hidden in brown bags and randomly exchanged. Here are samples of the wonderful results.