Welcome to Mountaintop Quilting Studio

This is where you find me exploring a variety of creative adventures mostly about but not limited to quilting. I'm a firm believer that one increases their creativity by being open to and playing with a variety of cretative endeavors ... at least that my excuse for today. Enjoy your sourjourn through my studio playroom. May you find encouragement and inspiration, and on occassion, a little pin-prick that may be thought-provoking or spark your imagination. Thank you for stopping by.

A project started at the beginning of the month as part of a workshop with Tangie Baxter at Scrapbook Graphics , the Count Your Blessings art journal is just one of the many activities contained in her Studio Box Workshop 3 . The kit has everything you need for a variety of ...

The best laid plans seem to go awry but enough already. Friends are calling. Emails come in daily. Facebook messages and notifications. Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I do believe life is beginning to slowly return to normal. Yes, the distractions are gradually beginning to dissipate. I say, ENOUGH ...

Winston Churchill: Never, never, never give up.

As I was journaling this morning I thought I might check in with the daily prompt generator and see what might be the suggested line of thought for the day.

TODAY'S PROMPT: "Know your limitations and be content with them. Too much ambition results in promotion to a job ...

Lyra is a piecing pattern designed by Debby Maddy. I was contacted by Kaye who has this quilt coming up quite quickly in her quilting que. She is quilting it for the shop who has plans for putting together several kits. Needless to say, we always want to do our ...

Today's post is about something I struggle with all the time ... the proverbial "to-do" list. I'll let you in on a little secret (shhh ... don't tell ... and ... I don't think I'm alone on the list.)

I hate lists! I hate making them; I hate having ...

Whether near or far ... as John Lennon said,

"I get by with a little help from my friends."

... know your craft ... practice your craft ...

... be innovative with your craft ...

Learn more about the Tarra and Bella.

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Are you pinner or a stapler or a tacker or a stitcher?

The question on the table this morning is ... the topic at hand is ... "how you attach your quilt back to the leaders." The innovation of quilters never ceases to amaze me. If there is a different way to ...

Every day for the last two weeks promptly at 1:00 I have been at my desk phone turned off and been treated to the most amazing and inspiring interviews with host Jennifer Lee as I participated in a video summit for right-brained business planners. You may have even seen ...

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It doesn't seem to matter how much experience you have; it doesn't seem to matter how much you know; it doesn't seem to matter how confident you are. When it comes to learning, presenting, teaching and sharing your passion, meeting new people, and experimenting with new techniques ...

In all the hustle bustle of the world, the chaotic noise. motion and commotion that surrounds us in our dailey lives, the sheer sensory overload that bombards us to the very  core of our souls, it is very easy to forget to listen to that little creative voice inside of ...

It's almost time to jump on the plane and head down to Geogia for our Southeast Statler Retreat. I'm so excited to be going and mingling with all the great people who will be there. So much to learn from each other. I love going to retreats and ...

I thought I might take today to share some of the great tips I've stumbled upon while out in the cyber quilting world lately. After all, that's part of the legacy and heritage of being in this wonderful community called "quilters." Sharing the latest tip; sharing a new ...

The secret to success and a long life ... in my humble opinion ...

•  
  • Laugh often
  • Dream big
  • and Reach for the stars.

So following along with this line of thinking nothing serious in the post today ... just pure silliness. I met Shaun the Sheep over the Christmas holidays and now he ...

One of the things I really enjoy about living in the Berkshires is how many more clear night skies we have than I experienced living in Oregon in the Portland metropolitan area. The reasons for this are … unlike the cloudy rainy Pacific Northwest, we are much drier even though we ...

Did you go read the article by Matt Gartland I posted yesterday? I was so taken with this sculpture. Usually I am not that excited about sculptures but this one really spoke to me ... the beauty and the passion ... the emotions it evokes. Chalk it up to the spirit of ...

A valentine wish for the Mister and he sent me flowers. Good man :)

Some new heart designs are going up in the store over the next week ... blocks, edge-to-edge patterns ... some fun fresh new stuff you want to add to your pattern library.

 And some food for thought on the ...

Not much time for blogging this week as you can see. Sandwiched in between snow storms and shoveling duties, I was pretty focused on the projects in the studio.

I started the week with babysitting joy in Boston, but when I came back to the Berkshires I was ready to ...

Having grown up on the Oregon coast and Mike in the Treasure Valley on the eastern border of Oregon between Oregon and Idaho, we both missed our views of the night sky. The city lights glow from Portland and surrounding areas pretty much dim our night-time stars into faded memories ...

After a quick trip into Boston to help out with babysitting duties - I know, it's rough being a grandma, but someone's gotta do it :) - I was ready for some chillaxin' time when I got back home. Eryn has been after me to watch Alice in Wonderland, and this ...

A photo thought to share: I am so proud of you ...

FOR TODAY: September 26th 2010

Outside my window: the whistle blows, the wheels rumble down the tracks; clang clang goes the crossing bell. It's the weekend Berkshire Sceniec Railway train making another trip. I hope Mike and I ...

A photo thought to share: Good-bye favorite summer shoes ... 

It's the best - that quiet time in the morning as the village is waking up - the quiet time before the house is astir. The clocks haven't started ticking yet. Time is my own.

Time to ponder and plan my day in my favorite sitting spot on my stoop ...

Hmmmm ... what is this?

Hmmmm ... what could the material be?

Hmmmm ... where would I be most likely to see something like this?

Hmmmm ... very inspiring ... how could I use this in my quilting art?

Hmmmm ... I want to reach out touch this texture.

Hmmmm ... who knew there could be so ...

Treating myself to some time for reflection, time to catch up with favorites in the blog world, and time to discover new blogs ... and I found The Simple Woman's Daybook blog site. I am fascinated with the simple approach for journaling and am going to give it a whirl ...

You can find the shape everywhere ... in art, in architecture, in nature, on the floor, on the wall, and used as a religious iconic motif.

Hexagons have been used as the shape of everything from the bath house to the shape of the pulpit. Tile artists create many different designs ...

An idea for a new study series has been percolating in my mind for several months now and I think I'm ready to make the commitment to bring it to fruition. Last Spring in response to a digital art challenge connected with the Alice film release I reread Alice ...

When I was 10 my most favorite possession was my library card. I loved our trips to the local library every two weeks. Such a tiny hole-in-the-wall kind of place with tightly packed shelves pressing in from all sides in a cozy kind of way. The air was filled with ...

There is a fine line in maintaining a balance in life whether we're talking personal, emotional, or career and our creative endeavors. Many times I find that I can get so caught up in the finished product I can easily loose sight of the process. How easy it is ...

Thoughts from my weekly photo walk. 

I am beginning to have several different visual journals organized around different concepts, techniques, and sometimes just STUFF. One of those visual journals is called BY THE NUMBERS. The idea is to find things in nature or life that happen naturally in a given ...

Time for an update on the progress we're making with the kitchen. It feels like home more and more each day. It's true what they say about the kitchen being the heart of the home. Not only was the house physically warmer when all the holes to the ...

Just a quick glimpse into my art/journal quilt planning journal. This is a copy of the page with notes and ideas ... first impressions ... how would I transform this concept into an art quilt. I find it really helps me to come closer to making the project REAL ... making it ...

We all have them ... those RULES OF LIFE that get us through the day-to-day routine. Our guiding principals to help us make the tough decisions. Some are basic values instrinsic in our nature grounded in family traditions and upbringing. They've been with us since birth. And then we discover ...

Time for updates on the kitchen ... remember the lady who bought a house with no kitchen? Yep, that's me ... 2 months now with no kitchen. But progress is being made. You can see my temporary sink which has been a life saver. Washing dishes in the bathroom sink was ...

This year I've made a commitment to myself to pursue my creative side with gusto and to that end I'm keeping a calendar journal. I'm using digital scrap booking to assemble thoughts, bits and pieces of ephemera, photos, clip art, memories ... all kinds of stuff. You'll ...

A Rough Landing ... is what happens when ... 95 pounds of dog bumps into you during that split-second you are airborn while running. We (our new dog and I) were out for a morning run the day after we got him. He left the house name Boris, and he came back ...

Time is running out for the completion of my journal quilt block for this month of April. Our word this month was "freedom" and the quote:

Happiness is Freedom; Freedom is Courage.

Our technique challenge: we're to visit our art supply cupboards and find materials that would work for ...

Click HERE to enlarge.

• Don't you think it strange when ... the snow is falling on the daffodils that just came out in bloom?
• Don't you think it strange when ... you see the snow falling and hear the tree frogs singing their mating calls?

And speaking of frogs ... Don ...

Click HERE to enlarge.

Does this describe your pattern library ... "One of the advantages of being disorganized is constantly making exciting discoveries." A quote from AA Milne, I can hear Winnie the Pooh's voice in my ear and his excitement over finding something new in his collection of STUFF ...

Click HERE to enlarge.

I'm very guilty of bringing the concept of multitasking to a whole new level. That can be a good thing and it can also be a bad thing. In a communications class I took once the instructor reminded us that most of the time "our ...

Have you ever notice the difference in the color of Spring Sunshine vs. Winter or Autumn Sunshine? I'm sure there is a scientific explanation as to what causes these differences ... something do with the angle of the rays of light from the sun and the tilt of the earth ...

I never thought I would say this, but being without internet is worse than being without chocolate!

Finishing up with the work of the day for Friday, I logged off about 3:00 AM Saturday deciding to call it a night. I had spent the last few hours entering new ...

Everyone has been making note of what great quilting weather we've been having with all of our wintery blast. Much posting of finished projects and crossing items off the UFO list. But not me ... I've been creating UFO's. Now that's not to say I don't ...

Surviving the Winter Blast of December 2008!

Hungry birds found the filled feeders and frequent them non-stop between snow showers.

Cedar berries and icy branches and needles.

Natural Christmas Greens

Snowy forest in the pasture ... at least 6" of snow with deeper drifts in places.

burried holly berry

Remember those ...

NOVEMBER

Time to be still ...

Time to listen to the inner voice ...

Time to reflect ...

                   ... on the past ... on the future ... on life ... 

November is a month ... to be still ... and walking the trail each morning is a good way to start each day. Enjoy a Feast of Thanksgiving of ...

Ahhhh, sight of relief. I've finished uploading all the new patterns into the catalog! Time for a break and fun stuff.

Just Playing: I visited a blog Spoolsewing last night and saw the cutest stuffed bird mobile. Look for Laura's post on May 24th. I stitched my practice ...

How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated!
I should hardly admire more if real stars fell
And lodged on my coat."
--Henry David Thoreau, 1856

Hasn't this been the strangest winter for weather here in the Pacific Northwest? Snow, rain, and then ...

Who can resist the playful antics and the face of a puppy? Certainly not me. My husband says I'm pretty much banned from visiting any pet store for fear I'll weaken and bring home a puppy. But as much as I love dogs, my dear friend Pat loves ...

Here it is the end of the second week in January and I have loved my "slow-down" time. My friend Marje of Quilt Design Northwest asked me some time back,

"Kay, when IS your slow time?"

When you have to think about what the answer might be to that question ...

What a wonderful last two days .. had lots of fun and got a little bit of work done, too. Today I tell you about the fun ... and tomorrow I'll tell you about and post pictures about the work. Just a little hint ... you'll want to be sure and ...