It's a Wrap!

It's nice to have a few projects completed. I was pretty happy with the way the Sunflower painting and the quilt turned out so I headed back to the house and made this new valance for the dining room. I joked at the time that I was "making space" in there because I used a space patterned fabric to compliment the Star Trek collectors plates that decorate the walls in there. It's amazing what turns up when you're sorting through things and "downsizing " isn't it? Luckily most of the things I've "found" seem to go nicely together. It's also kind of nice to get down to just a few of your favorite things and really enjoy your space.

Sunflowers

Somehow I've always felt that sooner or later I'd have to try my hand at sunflowers too. I tried working with live ones but had a number of problem with nature (too many bees) and neighbors (letting their dog run loose in my yard then chasing it and yelling when they realized I'd noticed it) I got so frustrated that I destroyed the painting (although it had been going well and was well on it's way to being finished). Anyway, I thought I'd give it a try from the photos I'd shot of the yard and garden and these pictures show the beginning of that journey. I'm not sure how long I'll be working on this one but it's peaceful (and safe) in the studio and I'm pleased with the progress so far. I'm hoping to get some input and ideas on how (or if) to proceed from your comments so please take a minute to let me know what you think. Thanks.

A Brighter Day

It's been cold, wet & gray out for days so it was nice to see the sun return even briefly. It's nice to see that red horse done and the improvement in the weather allowed me to spray it with a clear finish coat so I can't wait to see the look on a certain some one's face when they get it this Christmas. Well, it was so great to see the sun out again that I moved both the drawing table and the easel to take better advantage of the natural light. The piece on the easel is a background I'm working up for that sunflower painting I've been wanting to do from the photos I shot of my garden this summer. I made an attempt to paint the actual flowers but they drew a lot of bees and kept being knocked over by the breeze so I just wasn't able to work with them. Working with the photos should be much easier, I'll let you know...

Both sides now

Somehow I always think of things in terms of song lyrics or random clips of movie dialogue, it's not very original but it makes me laugh and seems to entertain some of you folks as well.
I'm still working on that orange dala horse and what appears to be totally random or play is actually a chance for me to practice different brushstrokes, balance and composition as I'm planning a couple of other projects. It's surprising how much time all of this takes but it's pleasant.

Horse of a different color

As I sort through things in the studio there were a couple of Swedish Dala horses dropped off by a friend years ago which finally got my attention. I decided to take a more traditional approach on the red one and " play "a bit with the orange one which probably won't surprise him a bit. I just finished the red one yeaterday and it's already got a home but as you can see I'm likely to be working on that orange one for quite a while yet, Thanks Ron. Yes, Karen that cigar box is up next. No real plan for it yet probably just a few flowers and leaves here and there where the varnish is thin and a clear coat over the top. That poor chair to the left needs some attention too. I keep changing my mind and it's had several incarnations already...but it's been fun !

Last years effort

I did this small acrylic painting (on the left side of this shot) from a photo of last years plants up against the house. If you've been following this blog you already know that I've got a lot of photos of this years garden to work with, now can you guess which sorts of flowers or plants I'll paint next?

Getting started

Now that everything is rounded up in one place I'm beginning to wonder what I was thinking, I suddenly realized (Duh...it took long enough) that I've spent 42 years painting everything that came my way simply because I enjoy painting and it makes me feel better. Is that really a good enough reason to get obsessed with a hobby to the exclusion of everything else? Probably not but having done so I find myself looking at each of the pieces in a new way: 1. where did it come from? 2. What can or should I do with it? 3. where will it go? I was so "into" what I was doing that I never stopped to think about it. ..

Life's a birch

...at least it was today. The birch tree had been dying for some time but we decided it needed to come down when large chunks of branches began to fall off. We weren't too worried about our yard but it was next to the neighbors driveway and since no one was parked there this morning my husband cut it down and into firewood while I shot these pictures and stacked the wood.
Of course the whole time I'm picking up wood I'm thinking craft projects. I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone, so far the top ideas are: holiday centerpiece, bird feeders (the type you drill out and put suet balls or plugs in) and...well, I'm still thinking...everything seems to be art supplies these days and I wonder why I don't put some of that effort into other things like a career that actually pays. That really would be "making something out of nothing". Stay tuned I'll keep you posted on my progress.

My favorite table

I" found "these while hunting up some old photos for one of my cousins. I sold this table years ago but was reminded both of the one friend that built it and another friend that bought it as well as the years between them that I worked and reworked it, loved it and used it. It's funny how our favorite people and things in life come together in unexpected ways ...each one adds something wonderful to the mix. That table went with me to 3 different homes and so did all the great people that have supported and encouraged me through it all. Thanks so much. I hope you enjoyed seeing these pictures as much as I enjoyed telling you about them.

Creeping Craft Monster

No, I don't mean that guy in the photo....It's what I call it when a few projects turn into a few more and fill so many rooms that they've finally spread to another whole building (or as much of a building as we've been able to put together so far).
These crochet potholders are a great first project for anyone that wants to learn to crochet and I'm always helping someone get started on them. Right now I'm just making a few for my own kitchen because the last batch of them wore out ( after YEARS of use).
My house is only 604 square foot so you can run out of room in here pretty fast. It felt great to send all of the painting things out to the studio and have a bit of company in the dining room for a change. It still feels a bit like having company in your sock drawer but it gets a little better all of the time and I'm looking forward to helping people with all sorts of projects soon.

hippie season

Ha, Ha, Made you look... Somehow it sounded more fun than just calling it fall or the change of seasons here...and speaking of seasons (an old favorite tea brand comes to mind) I find myself wondering when and how to pick and process the rose hips for tea. Like most years when the time gets away from me I'll probably just leave them for the animals as my little urban experiment here is actually certified wildlife habitat. I'm indoors more days now and took a pile of discarded jeans and other denim that people keep sending me into this small quilt which I bound with a strip of patchwork left over from another project so I feel like the new season is off to a good start here and I hope it is for you as well

Walnuts

You can see the size of the problem around here when you notice how much taller those trees are than any of the buildings around here and it's surprising the speed the walnuts can pick up on the way to the ground so it looks like it will be a while before we're having campfires again (without wearing hard hats anyway ; ) Another problem is that I have no idea what to do with them ...I don't even eat walnuts and all of the trees need trimming (one of them needs to be cut down too) but on the bright side it does kind of make me laugh to think of the Laura Ingals Wilder books and my own little "Walnut Grove" with my "little House in the big woods". I hope something made you smile today too.

Very vine indeed

I walked into the room an thought it was kind of neat the way the leaves vines I'd painted on the wall blended in with the potted plant on my bookcase so I thought I'd share them here and you can help me decide whether or not I should keep on with my little experiment in wall finishes. I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it.

I like it vine or leaf it alone

This is the third in the series of cigar boxes I've been working on. Each time I try something a little different and get a bit more practice with various subjects and techniques that interest me. I'm grateful to Karen for bringing them by and hope they work out well for both of us.

Recycled cigar boxes

I'm decorating some cigar boxes for a friend to market at a quilt event. This mixed media piece is the first. I've added wood bits and embroidered appliques over the acrylic paints and had a bit of fun painting some of the flowers from my garden on it as well. I'm painting vines on a larger one now and haven't quite decided what I'll add to it yet ...

Keeping Busy

An afgahn like this is always a challenge. Strips and blocks in different sizes made by dozens of peolple , some pieces were knitted and were some crochet in colors that porbably shouldn't be in the same room, let alone the same afghan but they needed to come together in a way that would share the warmth, energy and heart of the "Busy Hands for Love" crochet club with someone in need of comfort. (the group donates items to several differnt charities) I'm just glad I could help.

To market, to market...

If you click on my photos you can see them full screen and get an idea of the texture and depth of the brushstrokes and other paint work (palete knives,fingers,sticks,spoons etc.)

I listed these 2 paintings for sale in the neighborhood today. Can't keep tripping over them forever and in a 604 square foot house 44 paintings are just too,too many to deal with and I've decided that I need to get out of my own way both literally and figuratively so I can make better decisions when it comes to life, hobbies and finances, Wish Me Luck!

Seconds

Today was all about second chances, these rosebushes are blooming for the second time this summer and I pulled everything out of the strawberry box, got rid of the weeds , trimmed the strwberries and replanted them for next year. The people that think gardening is boring haven't been around them enough to realize that they change almost everyday and there's always something else happening. It's a lot of work but I really enjoyed it this season.

Letters from my front yard

We took a few minutes to share summer morning with you. Doug put the video together and I shot the pictures while drawing pictures on some letters for his Aunts. Yes, I'd grown and arranged the flowers I was drawing too.

My favorite things this morning

Isn't it amazing how much things change from day to day when you step back and look at things around the yard and garden? I loved the way the sun was filtering through the trees and the way that light green chair shows up so much better in the corner than the bench did. (don't worry about the bench, it's very happy hanging out on the patio these days) Everything fits somewhere, it just takes some doing to find just the right place for everything and the season is short so I keep at it whenever the weather allows. I'm going to cut that sunflower today so that I've got something to work from as I paint a bird feeder and a couple of other small wood projects. I may even put them on a dala horse...

Art is for the birds

...at least this is. While working around the garden I'd been cleaning and refilling bird feeders and decided some of the old, plain wood ones could use brightening up ( it also helps hide nails and flaws in the wood) Anyway, it was fun and I enjoy the look of them again so all that remains is to see whether or not the birds like them too.

Dead grill act two

What do you do with an old grill That's rusting through after only 15 or 20 years of use? If you're like most people you pay someone to haul it away but by now you know I'm NOT most people (and pretty glad of that I must say ; ) Anyway, I decided that what made it bad for grilling made It perfect for planting,after all, it's got plenty of drainage holes. I rounded up some hosta, violets and lily of the valley that had run wild in the yard and I'm calling it good for now. The lid sits on the ground in front old the ruins of an old brick and stone bar-b-q and the base of the grill sits behind it. From the patio you can't even tell that those planters were ever anything else and until I can manage to do anything else back there I take comfort in the fact that rich people hire someone to build them a stone ruin to give there garden character, apparently all the character this place needs is this one and her shovel.

One potato, two potato

Well, today was payback time for the fingerling potatoes I'd given my best patio planter, container mix , time and attention. I'm an impatient girl and was wanting that planter for flowers and other plants so I dumped the potatoes and let them take care of lunch (time for them to take care of me).

Some meals I've boiled them, sometimes I roast them but today we were in a cheeseburger mood so I made fries. Not the healthiest way to cook them but they were fresh and raised totally without chemicals so as the old song goes "two out of three ain't bad".

Now I'm excited about the new things I'm planting and the fries were delicious so life doesn't get better than that today.

Anything that gives you food, exercise and something to look forward to can't be all bad.

Who knows, tomorrow could get interesting...

I Love it when a plan comes together

While sorting through things today I came across a flour sack dish towel. I can't recall where that came from but I grabbed a pencil and drew a picture on it which allowed me to use an embroidery hoop from one friend and the embroidery floss that another gal had given me to give myself a present that I'll enjoy using for a long time.

If you're the sort that enjoys getting something for free you can see why I was excited about this. If not it wouldn't really matter because you wouldn't be reading this anyway.

Well, there was one more of those towels and I guess I'll draw an Iris on that one.

I don't know too many other people that still embroider these days - do you?