This N That #18

There’s a tremendous amount of stuff going on.  Work related, art related, home related, just so much!  I hope you can bear with a few infrequent posts. 
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New York Comic Con is this weekend. Should be lots of fun. I always look for Japanese toys while I am there.  My favorite toys to collect at shows are these little guys
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Are you “putting your best face forward”?  Remember to join us here on the Quilting Arts forums!
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Halloween is coming, and my decorations will be going up shortly.  I do love Halloween so much.  Do you have a favorite Halloween decoration?  I would love to hear about it.
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Don’t forget about the Divas’ Gallery show at Naperville Art League from Oct 23rd to the 30th!  I will have 3 pieces in the show.

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Another year passes

I’m on vacation this week also, and have been enjoying the relaxing times I have spent at home with DH. I have not been sewing as much as I had expected, because my DH got a new video game for Christmas that I am enjoying watching unfold, probably as much as he is enjoying playing it. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the past year and am really looking forward to 2009.
I have decided to do another year of weekly quilts, but I have decided to challenge myself again with changing the size and continuing to do them in themed groups by month. The size for 2009 is 8 inches by 5 inches, landscape orientation. I have a theme already for January.
I got great presents for Christmas from the DearHusband, and he was even so thoughtful as to wrap my gifts in fabric! Plenty of things with which to make art this year, and some more Nohohon Zoku (Hidamari No Tami) for my office. I have the best collection of these now.
I have been doing plenty of Japanese culture research for some quilt themes this year. I love the idea of nengajo, New Year’s postcards that are supposed to arrive on Jan 1. This year is the year of the cow (or Ox), and it’s also the sign of my birth year too. I love some of the holidays and traditions of Japan.
Anyways, have a great New Years celebration, be safe, and see you again in 2009, with a lovely giveaway!

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Shrine to Nohohon Zoku

I love Nohohon Zoku (Hidamari No Tami) dolls from Japan. I collect them and put them in my office. I find most of them at the comic book shows my company sends me to. Gives me something to look for while I am there. I have about 10 of them now. This month’s journal shrine quilt is a funny little Nohohon Zoku. I outlined him in grey because I thought black would be too harsh for this little guy. I am particularly proud of the soft pallate and my satin stitching. Not a fan of the leaf quilting I attempted, but, what can one do? The below pic is just some of my Hidamari, including some other “solar” toys on my desk.

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