take a blond to the museum day.....

If you want a good laugh at my expense, take me to a museum.
I can't believe I'm admitting to this but here goes.
My friend Karen & I wanted to go see the Illuminated St. .Johns Bible voumes exhibited at the Naples Art Museum and the corresponding calligraphy exhibit, we each had a break in our schedules and so hopped over there to see it.
The Bibles are so beautiful and we wished we could turn the pages to see more. What an incredible work of art. If you ever get a chance to see them - go.
The accompanying calligraphy exhibit was also fabulous and included some of the work of the same artists that worked on the bibles. There were also several pieces by renowned calligrapher Denis Brown and many other calligraphers and book artists. I really enjoyed it and may have to go back again.
We then headed over to the Chihuly exhibit. The Museum has several large Chihuly pieces on permanent display along with a Chihuly ceiling but today we found out there was also a special exhibit going on with what they were calling his current work.
Now mind you, I have been to this museum many, many times and I guess I'm just going to have to chalk this up to a blond moment, make that double blond because Karen didn't catch it either.
We were walking around the exhibits and admiring the "new" pieces when I said to Karen "these are all from 1941, why are they calling them new?"
She replied " no kidding" As luck would have it I finally came to the realization (after the second room) that on the title plaques, - we were looking at the year of his birth! OMG...thank goodness we didn't ask the docent why the works were all from 1941.
What can I say...if you need a laugh take a blond to the museum!
By the way.....Dale Chihuly's current works are fabulous and stunning and current!

The pictures here are from another outing to the new Catholic university town of Ava Maria that is only a short distance from us. The two pictures are of the church that is in the town center. It is a remarkable Church (obviously modeled after a bishops mitre).  The sanctuary inside is beautiful but the day my DH & I visited there a wedding was underway so no pics inside to share.

Have fun and read all plaques carefully  :)

Button-button Thursday - out of shape???

No not you, my buttons.
As I was enjoying a few meditative moments digging through my button boxes I found very few that weren't round. With modern buttons, especially novelty buttons,  the sky's the limit when it comes to odd and varied shapes. Now, I don't profess to having an extensive assortment of button styles, (most are probably form the 30's to present, although there are a few that may be older).
But these are the few that were, in my little button world - out of shape. They are all kind of interesting, I think that I like the green ones and the mother of pearl the best. Are odd shape buttons a more recent phenomenom or do I just have boring buttons?

Whilst browsing about online I found a couple of button sites that may interest you. The Button Emporium is an online shop that offers an oodle of new buttons in all sorts of colors, styles, and "out of shape" buttons too. This next site makes me want to hop a plane to New York city today! I have a feeling that a visit to this adorable shop Tender Buttons would dramatically add to my "collection".
If you are out traveling perhaps you'll want to stop and see Dalton Stevens the Button King in  Bishopville South Carolina. Here's a you tube clip to check out - Button King.
Well, after watching that clip, I feel better knowing that I have a long, long, long way to go to before anyone can stick me with the moniker - button queen.

Monkeying around

Today was a total goof off day. Started out with an early lunch with my BFF's  followed by a trip to Barnes & Noble where I ran into an old friend. I used to read about his adventures when I was little and so I was thrilled to see him in person...or should I say to see him in monkey? Does he look familiar to you?
My friends helped critique a small art quilt I have started and I am always grateful for their feedback and ideas. After a leisurely chat there it was then off to take a peek at a new quilt shop, and yes fabric was purchased. I found a really nice background fabric from the fusions collection by Robert Kaufmann. I got the vanilla colorway and I should have bought more than I did. Oh well, an excuse to go again?
Then I got home, bundled up in warmer clothes, and then me and my DH picked up some friends and headed off to the county fair for a night of fun and junk food. We had our first taste of deep fried Oreo's and oh yes - the are very yummy. I'm going to have to take an extra long walk tomorrow.

Tomorrow of course is Valentines Day and perhaps we'll go see Avatar before it leaves the big screen.
I heard it was a must see and we both like sci-fi anyway.
Goodness, with all this goofing off I'm going to have to put work double hard come Monday, but it's worth it..... life goes by quickly, so play like you mean it and have a wonderful Valentines Day doing something you love.

button - button Thursdays

Who's got the button?
Do you like buttons?
Do you collect them, use them, display them?
Do you have oodles of buttons or just a modest few?

I love a good button collection. When my mother-in-law passed away about 9 years ago I inherited her button boxes. I have one tin from her with mostly white and mother of pearl buttons, and then a small cigar box that is filled with all sorts and sizes and snaps etc.

Then recently, sadly, my friend Marti's mother passed away and Marti generously gifted me her mothers button tin. I am still delving into the tin and discovering new buttons each time.



I am going to come up with a unique project for some of these fabulous buttons so they don't languish their existence away in a tin.

In the meantime I am going to declare Thursdays here "Button Blog Thursday" and share all things buttons with you. This weeks button blog is for Marti...... with a big button thank you!