Day 49:  I try to bring my reusable coffee cup with me where ever I go, but inevitably I somethimes forget and end up with the disposible kind.  So today I used a couple of them for my project.  At first, I thought it was going to be too simple and uninteresting to cut the sides down to make a sun shape, but the more I worked on it, the more I liked it.  I liked how adding several layers of the triangle shapes added to its complexity.  For some reason, I envision this as becoming part of a larger piece of art at some point.  I've been thinking of making a sculptural wall hanging out of toilet paper tubes and it seems like this might end up a part of that.

Day 49:  I bought a pillow a few years ago that was covered in a beautiful patchwork pattern of different colors of orange.  It was starting to wear out and tear along the seams, and the zipper on the side was completely broken.  I decided to recover it, and although this fabric is a new piece of fabric, it was a remnant left over from something else (I bought it at a yard sale), and I am giving this pillow a new life.  I absolutely love pillows, and it feels good to have a new one that I made myself.

Day 50:  I have had the idea for another bike tube bracelet ever since I completed the last one.  I wanted to make it by braiding strips of tire tube.  It was far more difficult that I thought it would be.  I used eight strips altogether and secured the ends by sewing a smaller strip of tire tube accross the weave.  It was hard to get the bracelet to have an even uniform look.  I also added a couple of small straight strips to join the ends together and to give it the ability to stretch, because once it is woven, the tire tube doesn't have as much give.  I like the end result okay, but it seems a little big for me.  I hope I'll find someone who likes it to give it to.

Day 51: Today was my friend Diane's memorial (whom I mentioned in previous posts) and I felt completely exhausted after a full day of setting up for it, meeting her friends who travelled here to Taos from other places, and laughing, crying and remembering Diane together.  It was a beautiful day, but I didn't have a lot left in me for creating something.  The project for today was extremely simple.  I made a vase for some of the flowers I took home.  I just cut off the top of a milk carton, stapled the top in a bit to create a smaller opening, and voila! a beautiful vase!  (I do want to mention that Diane was such an amazing musician and songwriter, and that her creativity and her ability to live life so fully, has given me so much strength and inspiration to stick with my own creative journey.  Love you, Diane!!!)