Color & Skulls

judi patuti has delighted us all with Henry Alexander skull fabric perfect for Halloween. You don't even need to know how to sew to adorn yourself with this. Take a square, fold it in half from corner to corner, and make yourself a pirate's bandanna. Or sew yourself a simple trick or treat bag! The possibilities are endless.

Those gorgeous ribbons flying above the skull fabric are Shibori silk in drop dead colors. Select a crystal pendant from MAD Designs' bead collection and you've got yourself an incredible necklace in no time. More to come on the ribbons soon!

Foyers & Fall

When you walk into the home of an artist, there's usually a dead give away right inside the door! And so it is at my friend's house. She needle-felted the dresser scarf on hand-dyed silk creating wonderful whimsical birds and flowering trees:

And she always has seasonal vignettes around her lovely home. Halloween is one of her favorite holidays which makes sense because she is all about orange!
On this tray she has a needle felted pumpkin, a decorated orange take-out carton holding knitting needles, and screaming paper poppies. At a time when most of us are feeling financial pressure, it is wonderful to be reminded that you don't have to spend a lot of money to decorate. Gathering the small things you love and arranging them artfully will just make you happy. Right now, I am going to gather orange yarn from my stash in a big salad bowl on the dining room table. Ah, it's the simple things, isn't it?

On the Waterfront

When we saw this fishing boat pull up to the pier this morning, we thought for sure we were going to see fisherman offloading their catch. For all the times we've walked the waterfront, we've only had the pleasure of witnessing that once. Judy and I stood there, while guys stopped to join us, watching the workin' men hoist their catch out of the boat on winches. I just wanted to spit and jangle change in my pocket and make comments like... can you imagine pulling that baby out? Hah! Ya know, be one of the boys. Well, that didn't happen this morning. No catch. Disappointing!

We did, however, spot other wild life along the way.

It took us a little while to figure out what we were looking at when we saw this woman.

An alien, perhaps? What on earth is sticking out of her chest?

Ah, it's Pepper, a 9-month-old Jack Russell terrier going for a morning ride. Well, in her defense, there was a chill in the air.

Thanks to Pepper's mom for being kind enough to stop and pose for these pictures!

Walkabout Stars!

Man, was it happenin' at the Grove last night! We always look forward to the Harvest Walkabout which is usually our second busiest night out of the year (topped only by the Winter Walkabout in December).


This is Haley. It was her first Walkabout. Is she not the cutest little peanut?


And this pup, who gets the cutest-dog-in-the-whole-world award of the evening, is Jolie. When her owner put her on top of the table to get her picture, she spun around barking, looking just like a wind-up toy.

And last but not least, is J.C.(Jeffrey Craig...for real) of Junc Boutique, one of the most creative and talented people I've ever met. His theme for the evening was the 7 deadliest sins, which explains his lust t-shirt. Now about the barbed wire crown, well, like I said - he is one of the most creative people you will ever meet!

Seashells

Yesterday, we took Scout to run free at the beach in Del Mar where she first experienced the ocean as a puppy. While David and Scout played ball at the ocean's edge, I walked barefoot and automatically began looking for seashells, which is something I have done all my life. I saw three perfectly shaped sand dollars that were still alive. To a shell seeker, sand dollars are quite a find. The one pictured here is probably 20 years old. I found it in Del Mar when I first arrived in San Diego. Then, I realized that most of the shells pictured here, I have had my whole life. That means some of them could be over 40 years old! My father's beautiful hand picked some of these. They are from Cape Cod, Misquamicut Beach, Kittery, Old Saybrook, and a secluded beach on the Sea of Cortez. How amazing that every time I've moved (and I've moved a fair amount!), I have always brought them with me. They are my jewels, each one reminding me of where I have come from and where I have been.

Haute Handbags

It is with great pride that the Grove is selling the most recent issue of Haute Handbags because Val Hebert's incredible needle felted handbags made out of recycled wool are featured in it! When we opened the doors to the Grove in 2003, Val was the very first customer I taught to knit. She has become a friend over the years and I have watched her growth as an artist with amazement. Her sense of color and design is extraordinary, her workmanship...well, I don't think it can be duplicated, and her artistry...she has got it all going on!
So come on in to the Grove and support Val and other local artisans (the bags on the cover are done by a woman in Coronado)! Buy the Mag! Also, check out more of Val's art on her newly-designed website at www.ValsArtStudio.com!

Material World

Yesterday, at the Textile Show in L.A., I came face to face with this sticker on the door of a bathroom stall!



It delighted me!

As did this room full of aisles and aisles of silks. What a color and texture fix that was!

And the color forecasters reminded us of this all-important principle...



especially the part about collaboration & emotional connection.