'The Nine' I recently posted these on social media... the reaction was pretty fabulous.  So I thought they deserved a new blogspot  about their creation. Small pieces that are a quick stitch and  might teach you a new technique. That was how these started and  morphed into a wall of art that could be a visual trigger  for future canvases. Books are great,  but I'm extremely visual. I want to see how it looks in thread. When I first started working on painted canvases... I didn't always visualize how a stitch would  work in a given space.   Sometimes ..read more

 One day during a class I was teaching, a student said to me... 'you're just not afraid to try anything' This statement now floats through my brain often. I don't think I ever thought of it as a  'no fear' approach to designing. I tend to go after whatever will give me the result I have visualized in my head. So maybe no fear but there is way more  to it than that. For instance... I'm presently working on  'Marbles Two' My brain has been of two minds... this piece should be similar to Marbles One ...but How to make it different and challenge  my students to think out ..read more

 The end of May pretty much slid into June.  By mid June I felt like it should be July! Crazy life full of wonder.  Trip to see my grandchildren, trip to  Houston to teach my piece, Father and Son. The following weekend I had an art  opening one night and Zoom classes starting the next morning for my  Transformation piece. Whoosh! Since I seem to thrive on this behavior,  I'm not complaining. I made a big step about a month ago  to retire from working outside of my home. No more part time job,  I'm now full time ART! My new 'boss' is very dema ..read more

 When my daughter was small, she was gifted a  talking teddy bear, he was all about 'adventure'. To this day I hear his little recorded voice when I talk about adventure.  The voice was so full of  hope. My life continues to be a journey  with adventure around many corners. Hope for a new balance now is huge! Below are progress shots of my newest design. Sure to be an adventure when I start pulling fibers and stitching.  This all happened because Ruth posted  these cool glass beads she'd discovered on line.  That same evening I went down a  r ..read more

Getting back out there is going to be a slow,  steady process. The flying part was stressful.  Just no two ways about it. The teaching part,  FELT SO GOOD!! I had a small class of socially distanced students. The class was a complete departure from the norm. Why NOT? You could say I'm just rolling with it!  I presented the idea of a  "Choose Your Own Journey"  class platform to the owners of  The Needle Works last February and I'm infinitely glad for it. The perimeters were that each student  choose a piece from my line available through  ..read more

To say there is no moss growing here, would be an understatement. A busy bee I have been. At the end of last year I decided to enter a local show featuring 'Found Objects', through Ridge Art Association. Since I have a few,  my brain was formulating a  design where not only  could I use a few of these objects but I could also play with some new to me fibers. A win win.  Sadly, it did not get a mention in the  show but the other piece I entered did. So Yay and Yay! Since I truly enjoyed working this design,  it is getting it's moment to shine here. 'Wire an ..read more

Happy Holidays!  I just sent off a newsletter full of information  and happy occurrences during this time of isolation. If you wish to be included please send me your email address to akimberlydesign@gmail.com make the subject:  newsletter  First order of business in this post is to bow deeply for my typo in above newsletter. I can not believe I misspelled  Ruth Schmuff's last name!! We've only been friends and a force together in the industry for approximately 28 years! She texted me laughing out loud, that's a true friend! Next order of business... CLASSES!! Looki ..read more

 This year has been a test ... Growing up the TV would periodically go into 'TEST' mode. It was like the outer limits was taking over, it would buzz loudly ... a different screen would appear and ... the collective 'we' thought  nothing of it! I'm not sure what brought me to the above but it's been that kind of year and here we are at the end  of November. My focus has been to be  GRATEFUL To focus on what I have ... Like a new grandson! His two amazing siblings! My daughter and son, who both hold my heart. Having my Mom here! My family, my friends, my creativity and my wi ..read more

 To say it's been a different world, understatement comes to mind. As the title of this post implies, I'm looking forward with hope  for more balance. Safe, social distance smart classes are on the schedule. February will see me flying non stop to  Austin Texas to teach for  The Needle Works a different kind of experience we're calling 'Choose Your Own Journey' follow the link for more information. It's going to be great fun! February 19, 20 & 21, 2021 https://theneedleworks.com/class/choose-your-own-journey-with-kimberly-smith/ To keep the needles flying, Chandail ..read more

I'm only '62' but ... over the years I've learned ... one or two things here and there ... one important piece of information that was passed on to me when my two were littles ... 'you're only as good as your next piece' This hit me as harsh but I saw the truth in those words. So they immediately became motivational. This morning I watched a video clip a friend does on artists called 'Eye for Art' by Paul O'Neill The artist spoke of how a creative can feel a bit of a let down  when finishing a piece. My mind understood this and his next words resonated as well.  I can feel this wa ..read more