Quilt Exhibit Postcards

Click Image to Enlarge

I am playing around with a few different designs for postcards. I just taught myself this morning to use the Picasa FREE MAC program. In just a few minutes of downloading the program, I was importing images and placing text on them.......how fun is that!

I printed this image out on photo paper and it is much better than what you see on the screen here. I was afraid the white writing would be difficult to read, but on the printed version it is clearly visible.

I plan to send the image to an online printer and have postcards made. So.......please comment and let me know what you think of this first postcard. Anyone out there experienced in postcard design? I need to design a poster ......but Rome was not built in a day. The comment link is directly below this post. Hoping to hear from you soon.

In Computer Land,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

The Duke And The King vs Michael Jackson - "If You Ever Get Famous"

~Gold Cannot Be Pure, And People Cannot Be Perfect...But She Sings Like An Angel And Has The Platinums To Prove It~

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“I know I can be diva-ish sometimes, but I have to be in control. The nature of my life, the nature of what I do, is divadom, it really is.” -Mariah Carey

Definition Of "Diva":
di·va (dv)

NOUN:
pl. di·vas or di·ve (-v)
1. An operatic prima donna.
2. A very successful singer of nonoperatic music

She is literally the definition of a "Diva". She is also a woman who took control of her life and reached a level of success that is mind blowing. MC has had her personal and professional ups and downs and not only did she grow through them she improved through them.Nobody needs me to inform them of Mariah Carey's musical talent. Everybody knows. I am not a music industry publicist, I am a glamour industry makeup artist/blogger so I will instead school you on her position of HDIC (head Diva In Charge) in Divadom...

I have stated in a past blog that I am an unabashed Mariah supporter, however now I think we maybe glamour soul mates. Ok, that's a little dramatic but it's exactly what I thought when I found out she was shooting the video for "Obsessed" at my very favorite hotel "The Plaza Hotel" in NYC. It's the official preferred hotel of Glamour Whore.

As usual she looked amazing. Her new CD (due out in mid August)is named "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel" , and although it is true that no one is perfect, she certainly looked perfect...perfectly glamorous:



Introducing the "Star" of the "Obsessed" video...
Mz.Carey has a sense of humor. One Hint...look at "his" eyes. Look familiar?


And lastly...The cover art for "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel". Another positively platinum CD for MC.

http://www.mariahcarey.com/

"In this world, I call the shots and I think I know best." -Mariah Carey

Kisses Bitches...
Glamour Whore...xoxo

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

~B is For Blah, BET, Blah Blah Blah, and Beyonce~

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~I think fashion is about suspense and surprise and fantasy. It’s not about rules.~
-Wolfgang Joop

Well said Mr.Joop. Although last night's BET Award presentation was high on love and admiration, it was a red carpet fashion low. There wasn't one "OH-EM-GEE!!" fashion moment. Not one. I have no idea what happened. Are fashion stylists on strike and I didn't get the memo? Has the recession finally reached the red carpet? Whatever the reason, I was very disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that everyone looked bad per se it's just that there wasn't any jaw dropping ensembles. The few that looked nice, looked nice in the most safe boring of ways... and there were a few that just made me say "huh?" but nothing major.

However, the one person who took a fashion risk was ridiculed across the information super highway last night and today...Beyonce. The ever so talented Mz.B took to the stage to sing, like no other can, in a white leotard type ensemble with a sheer white robe. Halfway through her performance a dramatic white skirt was added. I personally think she looked, angelic, virginal and at the end, bridal. Say what you want, everyone is entitled to their opinion, however at least her outfit had some character and gave people something to talk about. I loved her performance and her stage wear. I even loved the dress she choose to wear on the red carpet but I will admit I could have lived without the shoes.

With not much to talk about in the way of wardrobe, hair and makeup, let's just get down to the pix of the few highlights...

BET's 106 and Park's Rocsi and Terrence. She looked good enough, pretty even but what was he thinking when putting on that tie? Glamour Whore's 1st "huh?" of the night...


Amerie. Love, love, loved the shoe booties and thought her makeup was fantastic.



Taraji Henson. One of the nights award winners. Modern and minimal. Nice.


Alicia Keys. The night's best dressed in my opinion.


Beyonce. Her red carpet look. As I said before, I love the dress but would have preferred a different choice of shoe. So I'm not showing them...lol.


Ciara. Nice enough...


Letoya Lunkett... One of the few looks I actually really liked.

Keri Hilson. My opinion on this look changes hourly so I will let you form your own opinion...


Amber Rose. For as simple as this ensemble is I actually really really like it. I understand it. She most likely wanted to be casual and comfortable without sacrificing style so she added a dash of color...very well done. Kanye however...I have no idea what he was thinking with those boots. Maybe he was trying to "man up" his image.


Now, for the only major fashion moment of the night, good or bad, it was dramatic...I personally LOVED IT!!


Kisses Bitches...
Glamour Whore...xoxo

~A Very Moving Moment~

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“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.

-Michael Jackson



At last night's 2009 BET Awards presentation it was quite evident that Michael Jackson was loved and admired deeply. Even though at times the tributes seemed like unorganized spectacles, they were performed with much love. The most moving moment of the night was at the very end when Mz.Janet Jackson made an appearance. Although she looked lovely as always, no makeup artist on the planet could do anything to disguise the grief on her face and sorrow in her eyes. It said alot about her character that during the most tragic time of her life, she managed to make an appearance for Michael's fans and to acknowledge the tributes. I know I wouldn't have been able to do it, she is a very strong woman and I am comforted by the knowledge that Michael's children have her as an Aunt.



~Rest In Peace Michael~

.



“And my goal in life is to give to the world what I was lucky to receive: the ecstasy of divine union through my music and my dance.” -Michael Jackson



Glamour Whore...xoxo

Idle Hands are the Devil's Playthings

And by the evidence of their new single "Loaded" The Idle Hands are a pretty fair rock and roll band, too. Check out how they stumbled into heavy rotation at our old pal Jim McGuinn's station The Current in Minneapolis.

Idle Hands, "Loaded"

Woven Sunshine Quilt............DONE

I had a day to myself today.............and it was a fun day!

Thread Shed, Music & Machine Quilting

My needs are few...

Click Images to Enlarge:

With the exception of the stem in the middle of the vines, this was all free motion quilting without any marking. If you click on the image and enlarge it.....you can see the faint white chalk line down the center of the vine. That line keeps me going in the right direction as I move across the quilt stitching 90 mph.

I LOVE these Chubby Crayons for marking. They are made by Miracle Chalk. I purchased mine at my local quiltshop: JanniLou Creations in Philomath, OR.

They are soft and yummy and glide over the fabric effortlessly.

The BEST part of Chubby Crayons is...........you just iron the chalk off when you are done! As soon as the heat from the iron touches the chalk......it disappears completely!

You can quit reading this post now if you like.......because that was the best part of it!

Here is a peek at some of the whimsical vine quilting on the woven background area.

I learned the whimsical vine motif from Patsy Thompson. I purchased her DVD's a couple of years ago........and my machine quilting has improved more than I had ever hoped.

I chose a botanical quilting motif for the background and it was a good fit. I am happy with the way it turned out.

After all the machine quilting was done.......I blocked the quilt.........and was ready to trim it up square. This 20 inch Ominigrip Square Up Ruler is the absolute best and most accurate for squaring up those corners. I am sorry I waited 15 years to get one.

This 2o inch ruler makes it easy to have perfectly square corners on your completed quilts.

Here is the Woven Sunshine Quilt all DONE and ready for a binding. I am looking at all this leftover green batik fabric..........hmmm.........I also have a lot of leftover black fabric........that might work for a binding? After 9 hours of quilting today I am done making decisions.......the binding fabric will have to wait for another day.

Good Night,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

~Glamour Whore Boycotts L'oreal/Garnier~

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"To live anywhere in the world today and be against equality because of race or color is like living in Alaska and being against snow." ~William Faulkner

June 25th 2009. That was date on Thursday the highest court in France upheld a 2007 verdict declaring cosmetic giant L'oreal/Garnier of racial discrimination. Seriously? Really? This is still going on in this day and age? There was a time when news like this would have made me sad. Not today. Today it makes me angry and disgusts me. I have read all the articles and court documents that were made public and have come to the conclusion that L'oreal/Garnier is a company run by executives that are no better than your average ignorant KKK member and in character of racists, they are cowards. Their racial discrimination policies weren't for the models peddling their goods, it was executives, secretaries, behind the scene employees.

The sales teams (known as hostesses) that they put together to promote their shampoos and products across the country were intentionally "all white". The requirements being:
Must be between 18-22 years old, wear a European size 38-42 and be BBR.

Apparently, BBR stands for “bleu, blanc, rouge” or French for “blue, white, red” the colors of their French flag which is also code for white people.

Seriously? BBR? "code for white people"??? They have codes? This is sounding more and more like a hate organization with cosmetics as their "front".

I don't know why I am so surprised. L'oreal/Garnier had already been accused and sued for age discrimination in California and there was the scandal a few months back when quite obviously lightened the color of Beyonce's skin in one of their ad campaigns.

I wonder what Beyonce, Kerry Washington,and Eva Longoria will have to say about this. They generated alot of sales for L'oreal/Garnier with their successful ad campaigns. Photos from these campaigns can be seen below.

I think what's bothering me the most is the hypocrisy. L'oreal/Garnier's racist executives do not want to see "non-whites" in their offices and and at the water cooler but they will create a line of cosmetics specifically for ethnic women (The HIP Line)??? I guess it's ok for "non-whites" to spend their hard earned money on L'oreal/Garnier, it's just not ok for them to work there. Disgusting.

FYI: They also still test on animals. That is a fact.
Race discrimination, age discrimination and animal testing. I will never again use/promote their products.

Here is a list of links that will further explain the lawsuit and L'oreal/Garnier's
disgusting and blatantly racist policies:

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2009/06/25/LOreal-discrimination-verdict-upheld/UPI-87521245950249/

http://blogs.bet.com/news/newsyoushouldknow/loreal-loses-discrimination-case/

http://bossip.com/125751/loreal-we-dont-want-black-women-selling-our-cosmetics/

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/business/article_212239854.shtml

The wildly successful ad campaigns starring Beyonce, Eva and Kerry. Not bad for "non-BBR's"

Beyonce: (The alleged "lightening" is glaringly obvious)

Eva:


Kerry:


"Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason." ~Abraham Joshua Heschel


Kisses Bitches...
Glamour Whore...xoxo

~MaryJane...The Remix~

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"I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty."
-Imelda Marcos

When I was just a mini glamette, around 7 or 8 years old my Daddy had a poultry market (yes, I said poultry market) and our neighbor was a good old fashioned "shoe maker", he also repaired and restored shoes nicely. I was at my the poultry market quite frequently, The Plaza had Eloise and "Derby Poultry" had me. The shoemaker was fond of me and one year when my father went in to buy me shoes for the up coming school year he gave him a pair of maryjanes made of camel colored leather. They were magnificent. Even thought they didn't match my uniform, I loved them because they were different from the shoes my classmates parents had purchased for them at the usual shoe store chains or department stores. I felt oh so cosmopolitan with my camel leather maryjanes and thus the love affair with shoes began...

My favorites are the usual suspects, Louboutin, Zanotti, Sergio Rossi, Jimmy Choo etc... Now, I want to be very clear, I am a HUGE admirer of the late great Yves Saint Laurent. I think him to be a fashion genius, and his designs are works of art. That being said, I usually associated him with couture clothing and looked to the afore mentioned "Shoe Gods" for my footwear but tonight I found my shoe soul mate...a "shoegasm" inducing modern remix of the maryjane. "The Tribute Pump" by YVES SAINT LAURENT. All I have to do to live happily ever after with the shoe I have waited my whole life for is give YSL the $660 dowry @ http://www.ysl.com/us/en/onlineBoutique/Women/Shoes/catalog-all.aspx

The Object Of My Desire: "The Tribute Pump"

My Shoe On The Side...Because A Girl Should Always Have A Backup Plan.
"The Tribute Slingback"

Kisses Bitches...
Glamour Whore...xoxo

Woven Sunshine......Machine Quilting

At this point all of the applique stitching is complete

Click Images to Enlarge:

The contrasting applique thread colors help define the separate sunflower petals, black crow and dead leaves at the bottom of the quilt.

The invisible thread applique stitching is barely visible in the background

This is the backside of the quilt top.....yes.....you are looking at batting.

I followed the instructions in the Simply Stunning Woven Quilts book...."fuse the woven strips to the batting." If I had it to do over again.......I would not have done this. It has left the quilt top very stiff and very difficult to manage under the sewing machine during the applique work.

Next time I will fuse the woven strips to a very, very thin piece of interfacing. I think the quilt top would be softer and more drape-able and easier to scrunch under the throat of the sewing machine.

This tape roller worked great to keep the threads and batting fibers cleaned off the quilt top as I worked on it.

The quilt sandwich has been spray basted and is now ready for machine quilting. I have chosen a lightweight bobbin thread that will blend in with the backing fabric.

Bobbin Thread: Bottom Line 60 wt. Taupe by Superior Threads

This leaves NO build up of threads on the backside of the quilt, even when you are heavily quilting.

I tightened the tension a bit on the bobbin to accommodate the thinner thread

Righty Tighty.....Lefty Loosey

I warmed up on a practice sandwich before I started on the quilt.

This is my favorite free motion foot.

The cut out circle gives me more visibility.

Sunflower BEFORE quilting

Sunflower AFTER quilting

Sunflower 2 ........ quilted

Burgundy red thread on the petals

Teddy brown thread on the center of the flower

Sunflower 3 ........ quilted

Quilting on some of the dead leaves at the bottom of the quilt

The quilting gives these leaves the definition that they were lacking earlier.

The machine quilting is complete on the sunflowers and leaves.

Today's threadwork is bringing this little quilt to life...

As I lean over my sewing machine to turn out the lights and call it a day....I give thanks for my little Thread Shed......thanks for my favorite guy who built this room with his two hands.......and thanks for living a beautiful farm life here in Western Oregon.

With Gratitude,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE