I will have handmade journals for sale, along with my scarves, at the Handmade Holiday Sale at WCU.
Each journal is made from screen printed, collaged papers.

Dynamic color, texture, and pattern in one of nature's creatures.  This is just one example of why the octopus is one of my primary artistic inspirations.

I've had some fun travels this summer that have inspired lots of artistic ideas.  I visited Glacier National Park in Montana.  While thoughts of Montana usually conjure up ideas  of the vastness of the landscape, I chose to absorb some of the smaller details.

I also visited the Pittsburgh Zoo.  The patterns of all the wildlife were awe-inspiring!

This summer I have had a few art opportunities!  In July, I was the featured artist at Signature Brew Coffee Co.  in Sylva, NC. 

I love how my organic compositions fit right in with the worn brick background. 

Also in July I took a book arts class at Penland.  It was called Bag of Tricks with fabulous instructor Margaret Couch Cogswell.  We learned how to create books out of fabric and paper collage.  Here are some of my goodies....

Gorgeous tree outside the studio

Winged friend...

I have a fun little article about my Octoprint Scarves in the Tuckasegee Reader.  Check it out!

And finally, I am participating in the ECU School of Art & Design Alumni Exhibition.  Art by more than 300 alumni representing all studio areas will be on view at three locations: Wellington B. Gray Gallery, Greenville Museum of Art, and Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge.  September 2 - October 1, 2011.  Yay!

This is a new variation on my dyed silk scarves.  These scarves are smaller and are embellished with charms and are to be worn on the wrist.  The charms can be chosen to represent personal symbolism.   I've made a few so far and had a great response.  What do you think?  Yeah, there's a purple theme going on right now.... I will be making other colors too!

I am also taking a summer class with Margaret at Penland!
  June 26 - July 8
  Margaret Couch Cogswell - Bag of Tricks 
  Expand your personal bookmaking bag  of tricks with alternative
  covers and a handful of simple and versatile  findings. Using collage and   layering techniques, we will explore  soft-cover cloth books as well as paper  bag painting for sturdy covers and pages. Bindings with endless possibilities  will  complement your innovative  covers. There is no wrong way in this class,  only an  opportunity to learn  new tricks.

Learn more about Penland classes here:
http://penland.org/classes/summer/summer_books_paper.html

Four new scarves have been born.  They are in the style of my Reptile Forest scarf, well, they are more like Psychedelic Reptiles!  These scarves are made from either silk habotai, crepe de chine, or rayon.  The predominant colors are orange, brown, pink, violet, and gold, with lime green edges. 

More new scarves can also be found on my Scarves Gallery page.