Heather Eddy Art

Just a few projects I've been working on that will be in the shop soon...

I love looking at books where they make fiddly things with fabric. It's an enjoyable challenge to take anything that can be made with fabric and then make it with paper. I found this book called Kanzashi in Bloom (at my library ) which shows you how to make three simple flower petal shapes from squares of paper. You make up several petals and sew them together to make flowers. I have been making up dozens of petals and figuring out different ways to make pins from them. Although I don't like hot glue as a major element in art, it has a purpose here in small amounts. After I sew the petals together, I dab a bit of glue on the back to hold the centers together firmly. I then sew the flowers to fabric covered pin-back badges I have made. Although they won't hold up forever if they are treated roughly, paper is remarkably strong. I wore the first one I made to church a couple of weeks ago. Of course, that is the day that Kiff wanted to sit on my lap and bang his fifty-pou

I'm folding books again! This is a design based on a folk heart shape - more of an elongated form...

The other day we had a family bring in a sad donation. They had boxes of books and magazines from their mom's house. They were cleaning it out because she was going into a rest home. I am a bit jaded about this after all these years of working in the library. People bring us boxes of books thinking that Every. Single. One. Is. A. Treasure. They aren't. Libraries are contemporary institutions. We don't warehouse dusty tomes. That's only in the movies, folks. We have standards about what we keep and what we don't. Believe it or not: WE THROW THINGS AWAY. It's called weeding and it's my favorite job at the library. Anyway, they were sad and so was I, but for a different reason The haul looked like garbage. Then I moved a box and saw magazines. My heart sank a little further. We NEVER add magazines to the library collection. Why people give these to us is just a groaner to me. But then I saw what they were:  Do you remember Victoria magazine from the 80&#

  It's my birthday today. I decided to ask Brian for a special gift - Time for Me. I've asked that I have a couple of hours to myself on Wednesday evenings where I'm not expected (or asked) to join in activities with him or anyone else. I need time to work on my projects without guilt. I don't know if I'll ever feel guilt-free about doing my own thing, but it's a start.  At work today I was treated to a homemade strawberry buttermilk cake with a THICK layer of cream cheese frosting. My patrons were so kind and all wished me Happy Birthday (because when they asked how I was doing I told them IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I'M HAVING A GREAT DAY! - shameless self-promotion, I know). Then Brian made fried chicken for dinner and I am looking forward to a visit from my sister April this weekend...  All in all, an excellent day. Maybe I can talk my hubby into turning in early... :)

Kern County is also known as the Golden Empire. A lot of the stores and local thingies around here use the words 'Kern' or 'Kern County' or 'Golden' or 'Empire' or any combination of "Kern County Golden Empire." (see note at bottom) in the names of their businesses. It gets old after a while... ANYWAY - our family went on a spontaneous trip this past weekend to the river which is just a few miles up the canyon from our house. With all the snow this past winter, the river was running fast and furious. We found a few places along the river that didn't look like we'd all be swept away in an instant so that we could shoot slingshots and collect rocks for our back patio fireplace. I kept Kiff on a leash the whole time because he's so much of a daredevil he'd go out in the water in no time and I'd be less one son. (And one heart) Look! Gold(en Empire- get it?)! At $1500/oz, maybe I should learn to pan for it... The sand alon

People who have worked for the library like to stay in touch even after they go elsewhere (as long as they weren't fired). One particular woman, Elaine, came in every week. She had the most beautiful long blond hair. One day she came in with a cute shorter cut. Her daughter was in beauty school and had shorn her locks... I began to notice other women and their hair. Women actually spent money on their hair. I am really against high-maintenance lifestyles (hair, nails, waxing, etc.), but thought: Hmm... maybe I should do something real with mine. The gray has started to grow in. Although I *love* the color of my hair, the gray is going to age me right into the librarian stereotype. Therefore, goal number 73 was "get my hair done professionally." I began asking around to all of my fellow library workers. The prices of hair-doing made me blanch. Still, I wanted to see if getting my hair done by someone other than myself would make a difference. But I was going to have

One of the best things about working in libraries is the relationships you can cultivate with your patrons. In one of my libraries is a frequent patron who raises chickens as a way of dealing with empty-nest issues (chickens? empty nest? hahahahahaha!). I mentioned I'd like to try organic eggs because I'd heard they were fuller tasting. She brought me in an 18-count pack the next time she picked up books. This week I've interviewed for a job I do not want. I've gotten a tooth pulled. I've not slept well. I've had a weekend that was spent waiting and waiting and waiting for people and not getting enough accomplished. I'm going into this next week hoping to feel more settled mentally. And then I want to use my fancy new eggs.

This is a strange bread - only slightly chocolate, but kinda sour-tasting (the buttermilk). I used it to make french toast. Yummity yum yum. Chocolate Buttermilk Bread 1 1/4 C water 3 T butter 1/4 C buttermilk powder 3 C bread flour 1 1/2 T cocoa powder 1 t salt 2 T sugar 1/2 T yeast 3 oz chopped dark chocolate Put all ingredients (minus chocolate) in bread machine on sweet bread setting. At the beep, add the chocolate. Make french toast with the end product:

We ate meat pies. We bought toy swords. We watched a giant do freaky things .  Please notice that the giant has money stapled to his body. Eew! We watched caber-tosses. I saw kilts galore. Brian wore a kilt. And I knew what was under my husband's kilt. Brian's probably only one percent Scottish, but oh that one percent...