Tell The Truth I must.

Sorry, There has been a lot of 'life' happening around here. I truly didn't have two minutes yesterday to write my follow up post. So here it is:

I took another queue from Maria when she said "that it was easy to lie when you included or expanded on a partial truth.

So #1 is obviously a lie, but I like the picture I was a senior in High School working at JCPenny and I dressed up as Tina Turner for Halloween!

# 2 is also a lie. I drove the mustang until the end of my senior year - then I had to give it up, because it wasn't mine it belonged to my Dad. I bought an old Ford Courier pick up truck for $500 which I drove off to college in. But the Mustang was Totaled by my Brother who was the next to drive it to High School.

#3 is a lie, But those are classmates of the required swim class my Senior year of High School.

And #5 is a lie, I was born in LA, was only there for a couple of days - then we did move back to Mexicali to live in my Grandmothers home (the picture is my Grandfathers home couldn't find a picture of my Grandmothers home) but we were only there until I was 4 years old. Then we move to Indio - where my mother has been in the same house since then - a very long time.

The Truth is # 4, I got pregnant when I was 20 years old, I didn't want to get married. My parents insisted. So we set a date for March 3rd (Stephanie was born June 8th). We (my parents and I prepared a wedding from top to bottom) But I never got a marriage license I didn't tell anyone until the day of (needless to say my father was upset). We exchanged words and rings and took pictures - My Mother in law wore a White dress so all the pictures where she is standing next to me all you see is white blob! (that's all I'll say about that) We ate food we ate cake, we danced and did all the other picture moments expected at a wedding. There are a few pictures where you can tell I'm a bit over 6 months pregnant. My father did force us to go down to the court house and get married before the baby was born. So that was my fake wedding.

"Creative Writer" Blogger Award

A friend Maria from Bubblegum and Duct Tape awarded me with the "Creative Writer" Award. It's taken me a couple of days to get this posted - sorry rough week and weekend. I'm hoping October will be better. Any ways:

Here are the rules:
I tell you five lies about myself and one truth. You can post a comment at the bottom of this post and let me know which one you think is the truthful one. On Wednesday, September 29th, I will reveal the truthful statement in a post.

Next, I'm supposed to select six of you to pass along this lovely award and you would write your very own post filled with creative lies. I think I'm going to follow her example and leave this open to whom ever wants to play. Just let me know that you will be taking the award and posting it in your blog and I will link your blog to my post when I reveal the truth on Wednesday.



1)I didn't go to college just out of High School instead I was a band roadie, I drove my truck around and followed bands such as Duran Duran, Cinderella, Queen and KISS!!

2) This picture is all that is left of a 1966 mustang convertible that I drove to High School because my senior year I totaled it!

3) I was part of the High school Champion swim team at Indio High School.

4) My first husband and I had a pretend wedding, We got dressed went to the church, took pictures and had a big dinner. But didn't really get married.

5) I was born and raised in Mexicali B.C. Mexico in the house that used to belong to my Grand father.

So which do you think is the truth. Sorry this was hard some are obviously not true.

What do you think??

San Marcos Design Retreat

We had a wonderful group of ladies join us for our Cochenille Design Retreat.

On Thursday Susan and I tag teamed it and taught a quick Garment Designer from beginning to end type work shop, Showing where all the menu's where what you used them for and then took some measurements. We work through the step by step on how to create a pattern for sewing or knitting and how to print, cut paste and tile the pages for sewing and how to read the Shaping instructions for knitting.

On Friday Susan put together a Day of Exploration in San Diego.

We started with Spirit of the Cloth - They have wonderful fabrics, Vintage fabric, Kimonos, Vintage Fabric, Cambodian, Japanese and Thai Silk. I loved the way she cut a piece of fabric, she finds a thread, pulls and follows it across the fabric and then cuts at her line. This insures the fabric is square and you don't have to loose fabric as you try to straighten yourself. It takes time, but definitely a lost art.




Then visited:

Lost City Beads

Shepherdess

The retreat participants picked up yarn and beads and lots of cool stuff to use for there accessories!

Those were all in the general area of Old Town San Diego.

We then traveled over to Carol Gardyne Boutique a wonderful shop in the Little Italy area of San Diego. She creates some wonderful Hand Painted Silk Scarves.




We then changed gears and visited the Quilt Visions Gallery and the Mingei International Museam.




Both had wonderful eye candy - color, history, fabric and inspiration.

Saturday Susan taught how to pattern draft by hand and with Garment Designer - Hats, Belts and bags.

The paticipants worked hard, had there hands full of projects and idea's.

Sunday Linda Medina showed us the many ways to embellish our Hats, Belts and Bags.








Here are a few of the decoupage books that the participants made for themselves to make notes about all the different things they learned at the retreat.



We had a wonderful time hosting such wonderful ladies, Thank you all for coming. We look forward to next years retreats, keep an eye on our events page for dates and locations, or email me info@cochenille.com to sign up for our monthly email news.

~Sonia Barton~

B2B-Day5: Why do you Blog?

This is really late, September has been a whirlwind of activities and emotions. Plus I've had Migraines every other day for the past couple of weeks, I haven't had that many Migraines in a long time, I was down to a few here and there. I guess it's time to go back to the Dr.

I did want to do the last day of this challenge:

Write about what blogging means to you. Why do you blog? What purpose does it serve you and how have you benefited from sharing a piece of yourself online this way?

I started my blog as a form of a learning to knit diary, the learning to knit quickly got set aside, and I started writing about day to day stuff, It was a way to feel validated. Most days I sit in front of the computer, answer phone calls and emails and at the end of the day end up feeling like I haven't accomplished anything. Today was really one of those days!




As I've been introduced to other blog's and wonderful community of blogger's - I want my blog to be so much more, I really want to learn to be a blogger that can post tutorials that will benefit other's in there crafts, and post inspiration pieces that will help others to say 'I can do that'. So my blog is currently in a transition. As I worked my way through the 31DBBB challenge I was able to keep to a schedule. I hope I can organize myself enough to be able to keep to a posting schedule. To help organize my brain and be able to bring a more defined purpose to my blog.

Women Who Inspire Me

This week I will be participating in a Back to Blogging challenge hosted by SITS girls for a chance to win an Electrolux Washer/Dryer set sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath and Florida Builder Appliances.

Each day this week there will be a writing prompt, Today's is: Women Who Inspire

All of these writing prompts have had a bet to do with emotion, which I'm not good at expressing. There are different women that inspire me to do and be different things. So for this I have chosen two that inspire me to be the best me in two different aspects of my life.

First Frida Khalo:

Her life was hard from the beginning. Around the age of 18 she was in a really bad accident that put her in a body cast for months - this is when her mother brought her a lap easel and she began to paint. Yet she never gave up. Nor did she expect pity during her times of trial. She lived with daily pain and yet managed to influence art, society, politics and culture (both US and Mexican).

She studied art to some degree but self taught herself many different mediums. Her life, her strength, her ability to self express her true emotions in her self portraits really inspire me.



And Second Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel:

She also had a tough beginning. When she was 12 years old her Mother died, and her father wasn't able to care for all the children, so she ended up at an Orphanage were she learned to be a seamstress. At the age of 18 she moved to Moulins to become a cabaret singer, shortly there after she became a mistress to Captain Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel, He financed her first shops. She started as a milliner and then moved into fashion.



Both of these women took tragic events in there lives and turned them into there strengths, they each learned to live, love and loose there loved one. Taking each and every trial and surviving it with strength and grace.

B2B-Day3: Why are men stubborn?

This week I will be participating in a Back to Blogging challenge hosted by SITS girls for a chance to win an Electrolux Washer/Dryer set sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath and Florida Builder Appliances.

Each day this week there will be a writing prompt, Today's is: A Post Title You Are Particularly Proud Of.

Here is mine, posted on Feb 15, 2008:




As most of the nation is nice and cold this day after Valentine's, and I don't have any new Fashion or Knitting news, I'll give you a good girl power story. We just recently started traveling as a family (probably because there is only one child left in the house) we decided to drive to Loveland Colorado to visit my brother in law and his family. As we left Indio (Palm Springs) California it started to rain, so I stopped about 30 miles out and asked my husband to change the windshield wipers. He insisted that they were still good. I stood my ground because I was the one that would be driving for 24 hours and didn't move until he changed my windshield wiper. We hit more rain, and then snow and more snow, and all the time he couldn't see anything out of his side of the windshield. The picture is actually at a good point, at times it would get a million times worse. But all the time I could see just fine. enjoy the pics, And remember stand your ground.

Sonia

I love this post and it's Title - It was one of the first couple of posts I did. If I were to write this now I would really expand on it, and add lots more pictures. (I don't have time tonight) I will try to redo it. I would have taken more pictures especially when the window was really bad - there was a point when his side had about an inch of snow on it and my side was clean! That was a great trip - I think I'm going to save my pennies for another one. That drive was so beautiful!

B2B-Day2: 101st Airborne Div. -Fort Campbell

This week I will be participating in a Back to Blogging challenge hosted by SITS girls for a chance to win an Electrolux Washer/Dryer set sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath and Florida Builder Appliances.

Each day this week there will be a writing prompt, Today's is: A Post You Wish More People Had Read.

Here is mine, posted on Nov 6, 2008:

101st Airborne Div. - Fort Campbell
I drove Michael to Fort Campbell very early Mon. Morning. It was dark, and there was a short blanket of fog. As we drove onto the base I could see ok thru the fog. There was lots of empty space between large buildings. I was focused on the directions Michael was giving me so that I wouldn't get lost on my way out, and out of the corner of my eye, I thought I had seen a small grouping of soldiers, poised in combat position. I recall seeing a grouping of helmets, and the points of guns, thru the fog. It was a strange feeling. It felt like I was driving thru the middle of a military operation. All I could think was - it can't be and if it is then they are training.

I dropped Michael off, and drove back to Nashville. The Sun came up as I was driving. And again all I could notice was the wonderful color scheme. I stopped and took some pictures. I thought to myself I can use these in an color excersice that Susan does, where you pull color from a picture.

So here it is before:



And the color scheme I pulled:

and another picture that would be good for the excersice.

Michael called around Noon, so I drove back out to Fort Campbell to pick him up. I couldn't stand the not knowing about what I saw that morning so I asked him. "Is there a field out here where I might have seen a Military exercise this morning, I remember seeing helmets and riffles thru the fog"

He said no, but there is a new memorial that has soldiers standing on a large grassy field. It's just around the corner, want to go. I said sure!

It wasn't the picture that I conjured in my head, but I can see how I would have taken key elements of the memorial and created a different vision in my mind.




Michael is part of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, they have had some high honors in most war's the US has been involved in.

The Marbel itchings were stunning:







And it was surrounded by soilder's names from all war's after WWII as they were new in WWII.





The statue's had such attention to detail that Michael was able to point at all the gear and tell me what everything was used for.


I was so glad that I asked. We then drove home (hotel) had lunch there, then went to the Mall and walked around. Then went to Target, and bought the game of life, we like board games. By then it was time for dinner so we went to dinner, and then came back home (hotel) and played the game of life. Michael and Stephanie wrestled they like to do that. They jumped on the bed. Like I said it feels like I still have 4 year olds. Then we went to bed, as I was going to have to drive Michael back to the base, before we drove out to the airport. We had two great days.

What follows for Michael is a tough adjustment period. He will be at Fort Campbell for 90 days before they let him get out. That will be a homecoming. Until then all we were able to due for him, is make him feel like home for a couple of days.

At this point I had been blogging for almost a year, I'm a very reserved person. My life is mine to deal with and not to be told around town, was and to some degree still is the way I think. Michael coming stateside after being in Iraq for 12 months was very emotional and I was having trouble telling people around me anything, so I chose to express some of it on the blog. This post gives a small insight as to my family life that's why I like it. but I love it because of the great history that exists on most military bases they are museums in and of themselves.

My Fist Post

This week I will be participating in a Back to Blogging challenge hosted by SITS girls for a chance to win an Electrolux Washer/Dryer set sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath and Florida Builder Appliances.

Each day this week there will be a writing prompt, Today's is: The First Post you Ever Wrote.

Here is mine, posted on Jan 27, 2008:

Getting Started


Well, here I go feet first. Last year I taught myself how to knit. I knit two scarves. This year I want to finish at least 2 sweaters by hand and learn to Machine Knit. I may be taking on to much but you can't reach the moon unless you shoot for the stars, and I think I'm aiming for pluto. I figure as long as I can keep my artistic side stimulated, I should be able to keep moving forward. Ravelry is great so much inspiration, I just need to make it a point to set some time and take a peek at least once a day. Creating a blog seems to be a good way to hold myself accountable at least once a week. So off we go on this year's journey.

- I knew absolutely nothing about blogging. And I don't think I was thinking that at some point I would want to grow it - definitely was not thinking to keep track of Analytics nor did I have SEO on my mind (which I still don't fully understand). I started as a simple write a paragraph or two about a goal that was made. I have yet to even start knitting the two sweaters I designed - They are designed the are patterned and swatched but still haven't casted on. I did knit a skirt! And a lot of scarves and purses. It was fun to see some of the old posts.

My Decoupage secrets

Ok, I'm going to give up my decoupage secrets. Every year I make a bag for the 'Cochenille Design Retreat' participants, but because this year they will be making bags, one more from me was not going to be any big whoopie!

So a retreat participant that has come almost every year for the past 20 years, suggested I bring materials so that we can decoupage a note book. Easy cheesy - I can put a spin on that.

First Big secret - you never want to print on white paper!!!! The white around the images makes things look cheap. Print on color paper.

If you find a nice 12 x 12 paper just cut it down and them put it in your printer.




Second Big secret - As soon as you put glue on a paper printed on an ink jet printers - It's going to smear!
Two options:
- print it out and take it to the copy center and make a copy (FYI if you are going to do this print it on White paper and bring your color paper with you to the copy center and hand it to them)
- The secret I have only told to a small group of people (until now) is you can spray it with Spray Adhesive, a fine full coat over the entire image. So you don't have to go to the copy center and you don't get smears!






Then pre-cut and layout your paper so that you know where you are going to put everything.


Then brush on a layer of Decoupage Sealer and Finish.




Arrange your papers on the decoupage glue on the notebook.

Third Big secret - Take a Brayer and run it across all your papers - press firmly - this will ooze out all the extra glue that makes the paper ripple when drying.


Then give it on overall layer of the Decoupage Glue Sealer and Finish.


When your done and it's all dry take a Exacto knife or a razor blade and cut off any excess paper that might be hanging off the edge.



and your done!