Here’s the studio’s July contribution to Anna Maria Horner’s Rainbow Around the Block flood relief effort.  This square is made from some samples that we had left over from the Noah Two of a Kind fabric collection that I still sometimes see in stores (here, here, and here, for example).  It was a lot of fun.

I couldn’t decide between the elephants or the giraffes for the center square – because those two have always been my favorite, but as you can see the elephants won out.  I heard somewhere that elephants with raised trunks are good luck, so I’m hoping they’ll use their gifts to make this block fit well with the other contributions coming in from all over the country.

Here’s the flickr pool of some other quilt blocks that people have donated.  Sometimes during lunch I’ll watch one of these pools as a slide show to get inspiration – it’s very satisfying.

So, Julianna comes running into the studio and sets this little jewel (a) next to my computer saying with concern, “Mom, look at this.  What do you think it is?”

I suggested, “Is it chewed gum? How about wet paper? A cocoon? Yuk. Creepy. Get that away. I have no idea.”

I thought about making this post a contest and asking all of you to guess.  But, I just don’t think it’s guessable, so I’ll just have to tell you.  It’s one single puzzle piece from our summer puzzle, extracted from the mouth of our beloved dog and now puzzle-piece thief, Neville. Fascinatingly, the knowledge that there was one missing piece completely changed our puzzle-solving strategy.  We consider ourselves jigsaw ninjas around here, but this time, we noticed that we were not spending the normal amount of consideration time on any one opening, because any given position could be the spot for that one important freshly-chewed piece.  Because we gave up sooner each time, the solving of this puzzle dragged on and on.  We just weren’t up to our normal puzzle speed and agility. Nevertheless, we were finally able to finish it, and are happy to present our finished product for the summer of 2010 … no thanks to Neville.

Below: Cathy and Jules in the joyful early stages of puzzling before Neville’s crime.

Below: Neville at the puzzle table.  Since I am  his adoring “mom,” I think he has a look of remorse and great regret over his misconduct with a vow in his heart to change his ways.  Others in my family are pretty sure he is planning the next heist.

After I read Ellen’s Tea Tin Planter idea, I looked all over the house for a pretty tea tin, but alas, all of my teas came in cardboard packaging.  Then I remembered a very pretty tea tin that I had saved from a summer in Japan.  It’s color was not quite as soft and gentle as Ellen’s … in fact, it was a screaming bright orange.  But, our house is puncuated with orange all around, so I thought it might just work perfectly.

Process:

#1  Because I didn’t have any succulents growing roots in the closet like Ellen, I went to my favorite nearby nursery with tea tin in hand.

#2  Because this pepper plant was begging to be displayed from my matching tea tin, I decided to forego the succulent idea and snapped up the peppers, adding a potato vine as an accent.

#3  Because there would be no drainage, I filled the tea tin about half way with pebbles.

#4  Because pepper plants must need more drainage than that, it died.

#5  Because I am lucky and the potato plant is hearty, the bright limey leaves of my accent plant are thriving!

(You can probably gather from the description of my process that Ellen’s limited gardening skills might be genetic.)

Below:  My tea tin triumph (before the pepper plant expired) … with a mini succulent garden planted in the tea tin top.

Here’s an easy DIY/recycling project for summer: tiny tea-tin planters.

If you are better with plants than I am, which you probably are, you will undoubtedly have a million choices of sweet baby flowers that would be beautiful in a matching tea container; but alas, I can only manage to grow one thing – cacti – so here’s a little tutorial on transplanting succulent cuttings.

#1 cut off desired plant piece above a bud

#2 put it somewhere dry and forget about it

#3 remember it, a few months later, and surprise! it will have grown some roots

#4 plant in the tea-tin in some quick-draining soil and forget about it again until next time it needs another trim

(You can probably see from the instructions why I am not a great gardener, but thanks to a friend of ours who is a card-carrying member of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, this has been working out for me pretty well over the last few years.)

Below: Those little guys will plump up right away after you water them – I promise.  Here is a photo from the day of transplant.

And this is from a few weeks later:

And here’s a link to Harney & Sons, which not only makes lovely tins, but also sells nice tea.

Happy planting!

We reported on this summer phenomenon when everyone was visiting the California studio last summer, but here is a slice of the sweet reward from this year’s first big harvest.  Many thanks to my sweet husband who comes out of the bushes as if he has been in a blackberry war, while I delicately cull from the outskirts with my hanger and tupperware bowls.

Happy mid-July and full bright peak of summer!

Julianna gave these rose gloves to me for Mother’s Day and I LOVE them. Not a single thorn can get through the thick leather suede. They allow me to prune roses with reckless abandon.  I even wear them when whacking back our gigantic bougainvillea, which has super-gigantic thorns, and I return unscathed. Plus, they are fashionable, to boot.

See below: fierce thorns which were unable to pierce these hearty gloves.

If you are in the mood to be a proud American, I would like to recommend attending a good ol’ small town rodeo.  We did two weeks ago, and we came away singing, “I’m Proud to be an American …” and happily wiping the turkey-leg juice off of our faces with the sleeves of our shirts.  Okay, I admit it, my family lured me away from my drawing table with the promise of some excellent rodeo cuisine.  And, it worked.  We all piled into the car and headed to Stonewall, Texas (about an hour from Austin) for the Stonewall Peach JAMboree & Rodeo.

We were lucky enough to arrive in time for the crowning of the Stonewall Peach Queen.  (As you might guess Stonewall is known for mighty fine peaches.)  First, we watched the 2009 Peach Queen bid adieu (say so long) to her subjects, followed by the crowning of the new Queen and her court.  I was standing next to a group of precious little gals who were star struck with the beautiful princesses. Move over Cinderella, Ariel and Belle!  (See photo below: girls looking through the fence and over the cows to admire their new Queen.)

After all the heraldry was over, and before the cow pokin’ began, we made sure we didn’t miss our favorite rodeo foodie finds: juicy turkey legs, famous smoked sausage from Fredericksburg, crispyTexas taters (homemade potoato chips) and then we topped it all off with luscious peach ice cream.  It just doesn’t get any better than that!

And, lest you think it was just about the food, here are a few pictures of the very cool cowboys and cowgirls, as well as the beloved “animal athletes.”  Although we were delighted with Calf Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding, our favorite events were Wild Cow Milking and Mutton Bustin’.  (Of course, we love little lambies here at Cathy Heck Studio, so we are glad to report that the “mutton” do not actually get busted in the Mutton Bustin’ event.  :-)

I hope I have given you a hankerin’ to get yerself to a rodeo to get a good taste (literally and figuratively) of America, and if you do, don’t forget yer hat and yer boots!
Happy Fourth of July from our family to yours.

When I have the chance to step into Fishs Eddy, I feel as though I should get my sketch book out immediately and begin drawing repeat patterns … every item in this eye candy store is in repeat.  100 cups, 200 plates, 50 cake stands, 500 soy sauce holders. You name it, there are 100s of it … dishware of every kind in tidy rows, flowing from baskets, piled in corners and stacked to the ceiling.

One feels as though she has stumbled upon something between a restaurant supply store and a dish lover’s attic.  Aside from providing excellent sketch book fodder, the prices are great and the dishes are fun to touch … smooth and round and sturdy.

Many of the offerings are creamy white, ready to go anywhere and mix with anything.  But, there are plenty of buckets of colorful dishes to wake up your imagination.  In fact, you might find yourself planning a party just so you can say, “May I please have 100 of the tomato bisque plates … oh, and could you throw in 50 turquoise soy sauce dishes? Thank you.  We’re having a fiesta … with a japanese twist.”

“Excuse me, could you also add 5 cake plates, it’s actually a japanese fiesta … birthday party!”