The Geekend That Was, 9/29

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Well, it's been a while since I did one of these updates! I still haven't gotten all the London and Oxford pictures sorted, but at least they've all been transferred to one computer!

This weekend we complemented our London and Oxford tours of art by catching the last day that Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring (among other works) was being exhibited at the High Museum.

 

Of course, no pictures were allowed in the exhibition. But between this one and a couple museums we went to in London, we've now seen the majority of his works. Michael said we should make up a scorecard and check off the last few. =)

After the exhibition we were both really tired from the week, so we took a little pick-me-up to the deck.

 

It was a gorgeous Fall day and perfect weather for a little tea on the deck. I think we should implement a tea hour here in the States during working hours!

Sunday and Monday I was very fortunate to have the opportunity of taking a class with Jane Nicholas. I have been "on call" for jury duty for the past week, so I was really sweating whether or not I'd be able to make it to the class on Monday. I have to call in EVERY NIGHT to see if I need to come in the next day. Bleah. Anyway, when I signed up for the class, I kind of missed the part where I was signing up for the ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE one. So when I read that Saturday night, I kind of panicked and only got about 5 hours of sleep. And I also showed up at the wrong location and was about 20 minutes late for class. Fabulous first impression I make there. But it all turned out OK. I did also severely overestimate the size of the project. It's way tinier than I thought!! Here's what I got done during the two days of class (and a little "homework" Saturday night):

 

Notice the size 28 petite needle in the upper left-hand corner! It was a crazy two days. Also, there were FAMOUS PEOPLE in my class. Janice Love, ya'll!! IN MY CLASS!! I almost passed out when I saw her nametag. She's very nice and had a crazy piece of Elizabethan needlework with her. Of course, I forgot my camera both days!! And also, Barbara Rakosnik! "Fortunately" I didn't realize who she was until later or I'd probably have made more of an idiot out of myself.

JiffNotes
If there's one thing I love, it's taking needlework classes. And I may or may not have squeed a little when I finished that blue beetle...SO CUTE!

Theme-a-licious Sampler September Wrap-Up

I did get some more done on Tocatta!

Absolutely not getting done this year. But I'm having lots of fun doing it, so it's all good.

I'm afraid the only ornament I stitched was in blank verse...get it? Cause I didn't stitch one? So the linen is blank? And blank verse is a kind of poetry? Yeah, it's definitely not funny if you have to explain it that much....

Now let's all march regally into...

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Opulent October

It's time to don your tiaras and bring the bling! Stitch on projects with sparkly fibers, beads or charms.

Ornament Theme
bells

I have a number of projects that can qualify for this theme! At the beginning of the year, I was hoping that I'd be beading Dancer, but we all know that's not going to happen. I'll stitch in some of her metallics instead. Who knows what else I'll pull from the pile...maybe even Les Rubans!

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So how did your Sampler September go? Did you sample a lot of WIPs, or did you sample different parts of one? Please add your link below (to your wrap up post), and visit some other Themers if you can (everyone loves comments and encouragement!) We'll check-in on October 15th to see if you've been blinded by all the bling!

Imaginary Worlds, or, 13 Reasons to go to the Botanical Gardens Now

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I know you're all waiting on London pictures, but this post has been in the queue for a while. If I don't get it out now, you won't have time to go see ...

Imaginary Worlds is the current exhibition at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, now through October. As if the Garden wasn't fabulous enough during Summer, you get the added bonus of seeing these intriguing large floral sculptures and learning about mosaiculture. This is the first time mosaiculture has been exhibited in the United States on this scale!

1. Butterflies

 

I took these pictures the week after the exhibition opened, so they have filled in a bit since then.

2. Unicorn!

 

Love the hair!

3. It's so FLUFFY!!

He almost looks real, but this guy is actually about 6 feet (2 m) tall.

4. More fabulous hair

 

One of my favorite sculptures is the Earth spirit. I found out last time we went that someone had donated her, so she'll be staying after the rest of the exhibition is taken down. Hooray!! You can see they've left room for her hair to "grow in". She really looks wonderful by the Cascade Garden...this area wasn't very well planted before, in our opinion, so she is a very welcome addition.

5. Get up close and personal with an ogre

 

6 & 7. Keep your distance

 

I would not want to get up close and personal with these guys, but they sure look great from afar. They actually do look great up close, too.

 

8 - 10. Fruit salad

 

These three cheerful guys were out in the open early in the season. They are now nearly covered up with papaya trees and other food sources! (They're located in the edible garden area near the outdoor kitchen.)

11. Punk rock frogs

 

And this little guy, located inside the Day Center has grown so much "hair" he looks like a punk rocker! Unfortunately, I completely forgot my camera last time we went, so I can't show you. This is what he looked like at the beginning of the season. I'll take pictures next time we go, not to worry!

12. Sushi ballet

 

These fish are spinning in the fountain area.

13. Bunnies, bunnies, it must be bunnies!

 

These guys are really hiding in some tall grass now. I'm glad I got to see them when they were a little less shy. =)

 

JiffNotes
Visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden soon! If you go in October, you'll also get to see Scarecrows in the Garden.

Theme-a-licious Sampler September Check-in

Well, I haven't had a lot of time to work on much of anything this month, but I did get a little work in on Tocata I.

I am woefully behind...it may not get done this year. Random Thoughts took me two years, so I'm not sure why I thought I could get this one done in a year!

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So are you sampling lots of projects? Or is it back to basics with your ABCs? Please add your link below (to your check in post), and visit some other Themers if you can (everyone loves comments and encouragement!) Our next post will be on the 30th of September, when we'll wrap up Sampler September and talk about Opulent October!

Miss Me?

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I bet some of you didn't even know I was gone, eh? It seems a little strange to make a great public post that our place is going to be empty for two weeks, so I was vague about when we were going. Last Sunday we got back from two weeks in London (and Oxford). I had to go back to work the next day, and I was greeted with the news that I had a deadline at 10 AM the next morning! Jet lag and instant stress don't go great together, in case you were wondering. Anyway, the trip was wonderful, and I'm starting to go through the approximately 4,000 pictures I took. Eventually a small fraction of them will show up here. =)

JiffNotes
Back from two weeks in London!