Laume's Studio

I'm creatively frustrated. I want to be creative, but this heat wave has made me so ill and lethargic it's tough to do anything (have I already said this same phrase six dozen times?), much less something that requires making creative new synaptic connections in my heat soaked brain.

Still, there have been small moments.

I finished cleaning up my studio. It's not completely organized, but it's got empty flat surfaces on which to work, and all the fabric is accessible. That's saying a lot.

I spent an evening trying to decide on some new projects. Yes, I have old projects that are desperately in need of my attention, but let's not talk about those. No, really. Let's pretend I can't hear their pitiful cries. Let's ignore the guilt piling up in the to-do section of my head. So, anyway, as I was saying, la la la la I can't HEAR you, I was trying to decide on a theme/design for a new baby quilt for my newest grandbaby, due to arrive in late autumn or early winter. I was also trying to come up with some fun blocks to make using my Halloween blocks. I WANT TO PLAY WITH MY HALLOWEEN FABRICS!!!

I came up with a couple of ideas. Nothing I was sure enough about to actually start cutting fabric, but I'm getting close. What I really ended up confidently deciding after all that tiring pondering, is that in the last few years my focus has changed so dramatically that a lot of the fabrics I own are no longer the ones I want to work with - conversation prints and themed fabrics, no matter how perfectly wonderful they are, limit me to primarily traditional, or at very outside, wonky takes on traditional quilting designs.

I went to Reno on Tuesday to run some long put off errands and to hit the quilt shops in search of the new Halloween fabrics. Yes, I know, I just said I don't need anymore traditional fabrics. Do NOT ask me to be sensible and logical. It's too damn hot and I don't care if I'm contradicting myself and I just wanted to - OKAY!?!?

I did discover that I didn't really want or, as us fabric junkies are more apt to say, need all the new designs I found. I bought a few things. What's a half dozen more FQ's, eh? But instead of buying that print with cute pumpkins on it, what I really think I need is that great orange batik that I could use to make a pumpkin. As for all the cutesy stuff I've already got, I'm starting to think of uses other then quilts for it - bags, clothing, placemats..... anyone got any fast, fun ideas?

I came home all ready to start in on something, anything, but then felt sick again, partly from the heat, partly from a touch of food poisoning I think. Then a migraine laid me out yesterday. Nothing creative happening even in my imagination for the last couple of days.

Today is a teensy bit cooler. I think the high was only in the low 90's, quite a drop from our nonstop 100's. And after the weekend we're even supposed to drop down into the mid 80's! I can't tell you how exciting this news is to me!

Now, since I'm feeling well enough to actually get up and do something, I'm gonna. Get up and do something. It might be creative. It might be as basic as sweeping up the dead and dying piles of dust bunnies all over my house. Yes, even the dust bunnies have suffered from the heat - too hot for them to move quickly, many of them have been trampled where they've fallen in the middle of rooms. They may never recover their numbers after this weather catastrophe.

Oh, but before I leave you, my mom sent me a box of goodies, including a wonderful stack of scented, decorative soaps. I've got an orange grapefruit scented one beside the bathroom sink already, and a blue one with a wave design and silver sparkles in it in the shower. Only thing is, the sparkles are sort of scratchy. Not in a nice, grainy way, but in a slivery way. But it's pretty and smells good.

Speaking of sparkles, I went to Walmart today to buy some household items, including a new deodorant for myself, my old one is almost out. I couldn't find the one I normally buy, so I started sniffing new ones, testing for a scent I liked. I ended up getting a nonscented one, in case you have to know. Also matching citrus smoothie scented suave shampoo and conditioner. Anyway, I noticed they now have sparkle deodorant. You've got to be kidding me! I mean, I can totally understand sparkle make-up and sparkle hair gel and sparkle lotion. Fun. Cute. Silly. But does anyone really need sparkly underarms!?

And why am I talking about soap and deodorants in my art blog you ask? Well, because I wanted to show you the soaps. Aren't they pretty!?


Now I'm off to ........ uhm...... to...... DO SOMETHING!