*Christine has some  delightful Altered Take Out Boxes over at Mad Cropper.  Also check out the Halloween Mini Project Book here.

*Tammy shows us a Beaded Halloween Card at Jewelry and Beading.  Her Candy For Kids Jewelry project features a Candi the Corn pin.  Scroll Tammy’s Jewelry and Beading blog for a number of Halloween designs in earrings, pins, and charms.

*Josh at Junk Creation gives us some ideas for Leftover Pumpkin.  He even has a recipe for Autumn Pumpkin Pie.

(Halloween design by Yvonne Russell of Home Biz Notes.)

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Potpourri of Halloween Ideas at the Arts & Design Channel

Here you’ll find numerous ideas for items you can  make for Halloween decorations and festivities.  I also contributed several “spooky” suggestions for for Halloween gatherings that quilters can enjoy, in Plan a Halloween or “Spooky” Quilting Bee.

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Halloween – the Topic of Arts & Design Showcase

The theme is Halloween or Day of the Dead crafts.  For more details on Noreen’s blog  about  linking your blog post, click here.

The showcase is scheduled for October 21.  Noreen would like all links and a short blurb by a deadline of October 19.

See you there!

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Arts & Design Showcase Open to All Quilters & Crafters

William Lehman, at Artist Hideout, has done a great job compiling this round-up.  You’ll want to check out these “live list about lists” from the various Arts & Design blogs.

My Quilting and Patchwork list involves 10 Quilting Sites & Blogs That Excite Me.

If you’d like your blog or web site included in my next list, simply leave a comment and let me know about it.  I think this would be fun to have as a monthly post…more frequently if I hear from more quilters, fabric artists and mixed media participants.

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Lists of Fabulous Information at September Showcase – Quilting & Patchwork Included

Here you’ll find many arts and crafty ideas for starting your holiday shopping and creating during Christmas in July season, thus getting a head start to avoid the last minute rush in December.

At Quilting and Patchwork, I’ve given a number of sites where you can find quilting patterns, supplies and ideas, along with books to read and help you create.  You’ll find these here at Quilters Think Christmas Thoughts in July.

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Quilting & Patchwork Participates in Christmas in July Channel Showcase

If you’re having problems with your photography, especially when it comes to using a digital camera, like I do, you might want to consider taking some tips from another Arts and Design blog, Digital Photography School.

If you visit Artist Hideout, William  Lehman will show you what not to do when taking photos of art work and why he finally hired a persona photographer when he wants great pictures…ones for which his camera phone won’t suffice.  Check out How to photograph your art work…and maybe how not to.

Do you have some tips for photographing quilting and fabric art?

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Photographing Your Quilting & Fabric Art

 The theme of “weddings”  seems appropriate since summer generally is a popular time for weddings in the northern hemisphere.  Also, there are weddings in our channel family! 

One of our bloggers, Chloe, is getting married, and her mom, Noreen, has been in the midst of preprations for two weddings this year…Chloe’s in August and her brother’s in May. Cyndi also had a wedding in the family; her son was married in June. 

Also, I imagine some of the Art and Design bloggers may have gotten married in June, or at least the summer months.  (My husband and I did in July, 47 years ago.)

This month, I’m hosting the Artists’ Showcase at Quilting and Patchwork.  Let’s see what creative ideas my colleagues here at Arts and Design have come up with. 

*June is wedding jewelry time.  Tammy at Beading and Jewelry, has devoted the entire month of June to wedding jewelry.  So she started out with an easy elastic pearl bracelet project! 

 *Wedding bells are ringing for real over at Layers Upon Layers, where Cyndi posted about her son’s June wedding.  It might not be mixed media art, but it sure was a mixed cast of characters.  (However, I was impressed with the color theme of the wedding; that was a work of art…Mary Emma’ comment)

*Christine, at Mad Cropper, has some interesting wedding themed ideas:  Wedding Layout Scraplift Idea  and Wedding Theme Related Scrapbook Embellishments.  Check these out for your wedding scrapbook memory book.

*Over at Stamping Mad, Katelyn has put together three different fast wedding card layouts that are simple, but elegant.  Like the gauzy effect?  Don’t throw out your used fabric softener sheets! 

*Chloe, at Tangled Thread, not only had her brother get married in May, she’s getting married in August.  Here are three ideas she has for wedding projects:

Make an easy and dressy embroidered shawl: http://www.tangledthread.com/easy-embroidered-shawl-tutorial/

Ideas for making your own personalized guestbook: http://www.tangledthread.com/weddings/

Make embroidered napkins as a bridal shower gift: http://www.tangledthread.com/embroidered-napkins/ http://www.tangledthread.com/part-two-of-embroidered-napkins/

*Mary Emma, at Quilting and Patchwork, discusses Wedding Quilts and More.  Wedding quilts have a long history, as well as creating memories in Mary Emma’s life.

*This is the summer of weddings for Noreen and her family.  She’s been posting about the wedding preparations over at Hankering for Yarn.  The yarn has been flying for both weddings!

*For those who like the shabby chic look, or just the idea of having something old and new in the same wedding accessory, this post by Josh, at Junk Creation, should do the trick.  If you wanted to get crazy, you could even throw in the something blue.  Then “borrow” something that’s never really given back and toss it in the pot to have all four in one trinket!  Check out his Something Old, Something New, Something…Both?

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Weddings Inspire Us for Theme Day at Arts and Design Channel

I wrote about flower quilts and art reminding me of quilting with my grandmother and the gardens at her Trails End Farm.

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Quilting & Patchwork Participates in May Arts & Design Showcase

I have photos of family gatherings.  Somehow the background for many was the flowers that grew in their gardens. 

(The Dresden Flower Graden book above also brings to mind the lovely dinnerware Nanny brought out for special meals we enjoyed around her dining table, the same table where she, my aunt, and a neighbor lady spread out quilts for tying.)

My daughter, Beth, has a tendency to create flower themes in her quilts and fabric art work.  Below is a piece of fabric she painted using some new techniques.  Of course, the resulting design resembled flowers and is one of my favorite pieces.

During this month of May, with flowers gathering into bloom, it seems appropriate that our theme at the Arts and Design channel is flowers, with Grandmother’s flowers and gardens coming to mind. 

(See more of Beth’s work at Meandering Threads.)

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Flower Garden Inspired Quilts Remind Me of Grandmother