Altered Books of Susan Lenz

Have you experienced The Altered Book Videos of Susan Lenz? You must. I'm speechless. My favorite of hers so far: Becoming an Artist and "Black God" is just incredible too. * Have your sound ON as the music is part of the 'experience'. Susan is a prolific, extremely talented, emotionally-jarring fiber and mixed media artist!

Lutradur and Lace

The newest online zine for fiber, paper, mixed media maniacs Fibre & Stitch is LOADED with step-by-step innovative fibre and mixed media techniques! Like this lutradur & lace technique made with scraps of cotton lace, lutradur, and scrim (a glamorous name for cheesecloth) I had so much fun laying elements out and going Luminier paint crazy with this one. The fabric makes lovely postcards, book covers, elegant bags and who knows what else. I needed postcards to catch up pcs for swaps and this makes lovely cards! Carol is an F&S artist and shares her wonderful technique in the premier issue.F&S is full of Free Projects like the one I really want to make next..... Mag's Flexi Bag! Lutradur and lace may be too stiff for that project but www.textiletales.blogspot.com gives other Beautiful bag projects in F&S to make with Lutradur & Lace. The full piece before I fashioned postcards from it. I will be making much more of this!

Love it!

Denim Postcards

A denim postcard for a Fiber Art Friend. Those are leaves, not rotten banana peels like lil stitch thinks. This was my 2nd attempt and who ever thought fiber postcards could be so hard to come up with? I didn't, but they are sometimes! This girly one was going to be SO cool and I was so excited that i chopped her perfect chin off with the rotary cutter making her nowhere near the 4x6' needed. I didn't cry but i wanted to...

Hair Cut

I cut my hair so I thought it was time to update my blog profile pic! Or should I use this one? Hmm...i dunno. I look a little intense. Ew or like my first attempt at a polymer clay doll head. I'm saving this guy for Halloween!!

Dolling Up the Divas!

Trudi putting on her lips in mi casa at our MaterialGirls NW Playgroup. It was more of a "spa" experience!

Mary getting beautimus at our monthly hair-therapy happy hour and HairSay! You are so foxy AND famous now Mary!

Laura performs a manicure and creates real nails on her hot-lookin gypsy challenge doll using Diamond Glaze by Judikins, then glitzes them up!
Neva teaches us how to improve our soles at Material Girls this morning. She gave us secrets of making feet and some of them are pretty crafty...like look at the bare-towed foot. Looks real huh!

PSYCH!!! It's an amputee and I now have the confidence to try a foot like hers, no that I know Neva's Sole Secrets : 0!
Laura's incredible doll made with multiple techniques. She used Paverpol, Luminier Metallic paints, over a crocheted piece to create the texture on her lower body. Just a gorgeous doll and talented artist!

Susan's Motown Mermaid stretched right out on the my coffee table and crunked up the jams while we admired her extreme divaness! After dollclub, Mary and I headed over to Archiver's Stamping Mecca in Katy which you can see on my new blog, Retail Therapy

Texas 1015 Onion Nirvana & Mango Salsa Recipe

As a young thing, I worked as a Salad Bar Manager in a grocery store just after moving from Nederland, Tx to the big ole city of Houston. Armondo, my boss asked me to prepare "Pico de gallo" with the old tomatoes that our customers wouldn't buy. "What?!" I'd never heard of such a dish. "You want me to chop up tomatoes, onion, cilantro and serano peppers and then people eat that?!" I had grown up just 88 miles from Houston and the closest thing to Mexican food I'd ever gotten was Casa Ole. Houston has better Mexican, Latin, Cuban, South American....you name it restaurants than anywhere I've eaten in Mexico or the US (that I've been to anyway).

So, tonight I bit right into a sweet Texas 1015 onion and my whole life passed before me. 1015s taste as close to candy as an onion can get and mixed in my mango pico, well it was truly orgasmic. Grandmas and aunts would freeze them in bunches and use them in their holiday dishes they're so good. This recipe is basic Pico de gallo but with mango and jicima and Texas 1015s. Great on fajitas, as a salad with cucumber, or straight out of the bowl with chips!
Chopped Ripe Tomatoes - 8

Texas 1015 onion - (or white onion, Vidalia onions a great substitution)- 1 or 2

One Medium Jicama - peeled and chopped (The jícama [hee-kuh-muh, hik-uh-] (or yam bean) plant is a vine native to the tropical Americas . The root's exterior is yellow and papery, while its inside is creamy white with a crisp texture that resembles that of a raw potato or pear. The flavour is sweet and starchy, reminiscent of some apples. It is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon or lime juice and powdered chili.






3/4 cup Cilantro - chopped

2-3 Serrano peppers chopped - or jalapenos chopped to taste

1 big mango. Peeled and chopped

Juice of 1 fresh squeezed lime.


I prepare this the night before serving and add chopped avocado just before eating.

Mui Bien!!!

Opal People

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There's something about foreign landscapes that draws you in. The gorgeous colors of an Indian sari, the soft sands of the desert, the red of a monk's robe and the blue of a tropical ocean, the green and purple of a grapevine and the golden fur of a lion's mane, you revel in it all. Even when you're at home, you bring the many beautiful parts of the world to you, surrounding yourself with glimpses of exotic places.


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Studio Chaos

I'm in need of serious organizational therapy. This sewing/collage/altered book/utee burning studio has gotten WAY outa control. I'm only sharing this with you because it will motivate me to post an 'after' picture. My Material Girls Doll Club NW Playgroup ladies are coming over for a playgroup Sunday and the studio tour will be closed for repairs unless I get my stitch together and whip it in shape. Let me know if you can spot a very expensive Bernina anywhere in here. Buddy, the dolled-up feline wearing a designer build-a-bear gown...

UTEE and Opals attempt on Fabric

I started experimenting with opalettes from After Midnight Stamps and thought i'd melt some onto fabric and stamp a design into it. The design didn't show up, so I melted it again and again and threw one of the UTEE faces on and tried to adhere it with more heat. The face melted and distorted so I'm considering heating it up and trying something again. This was going to be a postcard for a Fiber Art Friend but i think it's too weird. We were having Akumal Beach withdrawals so yesterday we headed to Galveston for a beach, fried oyster, shrimp and Shiner Bock fix.

And a quick tour of Galveston's oldest cemetary.
And I've started a new blog called RetailTherapy for chronicling Houston area local artsy supply haunts and included Galveston's Hendley Market as the first stop.