Fall Florals

Cold Weather Projects

In between putting the garden down for the winter I've been crocheting and donating more of these hats. I got 2 out of the purple yarn I had and I'm working the last of the skein into stripes with some of the other bits of yarn I had on hand.

With all of the other projects we're doing don't forget that it's always cold somewhere in the world and take some time to make something warm to share. Some organizations will even provide you with patterns or yarn to make the things you'll be donating.

I think I actually like the striped one better-how about you?

Projects like this make me feel that the time was well spent in spite of the way that most people react. For some reason when they see a fat woman crocheting they seem to assume that you've got the approximate I.Q. of a piece of furniture. Somehow it doesn't dawn on them that anyone who can take a hook and a piece of yarn and turn it into anything they want is probably smarter than they are.

Updates on the weeks projects

I guess you're wondering where I've been. A lot of the time has been spent on Zazzle seeing what sorts of products the new watercolor paintings look good on.

I spent quite a lot of time decorating the senior center with all of the leaves that I'd made from watercolors and card stock. I also took the tablecloth and new centerpiece that I'd make over there so that more people can enjoy them.

Back in the dining room sorting and organizing continues and 2 bags of "stuff" went to the local thrift store. Of course I stop often to stick odd bits of pictures, catalog pictures and other things together to make my letters fun for everyone. It's the sort of break that energizes me and keeps the rest of the job in here from being tedious.

I wander out in the garden from time to time to pick things up and get them put away for the season but all of the leaves falling on my tea table make me sad. We'll miss our outdoor home this winter and I think our friends will miss it too.

There's mending and sewing to be done and  scads of dull and boring housework to do so I'll close this now before I depress us all.

I think I'll head to Zazzle and make myself a nice coffee cup and take a break.

I'm wishing you pleasant and productive days ahead and lots of fun too.

Bird watching from my window

Fall colors card and envelope sets

This started as a photo of the trees, bushes and vines outside my studio window...OK, we never did get the studio put in so it's really what I see when I go to the coffee machine in the dining room where I do most of my art and crafts these days at the table.

I bordered the photo with card stock and mounted it to a watercolor note card that I drew and painted on.

This is the design that I came up with on the corner of the envelope.

I'm experimenting with additional borders and treatment ideas on my products on Zazzle.

This one started with the centerpiece left over from the Halloween Tea, a blank watercolor envelope, watercolors and ink.

 

 

Painting and cutting paper decorations for fall

The photos I'm working with were taken right from my studio window, the fake flowers are from dollar tee and the cardboard leaves were 25 years old torn on the back and poked full of holes. Somehow I needed to take what I had and decorate a whole building.

I started with some marked and stained watercolor paper and traced around the cardboard leaves, being careful to lay them down in a way to take advantage of where the existing bits of color were. It was fun to relax and just paint a few random bits of color to fill them in.

The fun came when I cut them out and put them in the copy machine. I got lots of different effects by making a copy on photo paper, some on regular card stock  and a few on different colors of card stock. The assortment of different looks are kind of nice together and will be mixed with plain/solid color card stock in orange and gold.

I hate to think what the ink and various papers cost me but i had them on hand and it will brighten things up a lot in the building I'm decorating.

Now that I've got all of this made I can move on to some watercolor paintings based on my photos so that I can decorate the envelopes and get these cards out in the mail.

The next project after that will be to do some drawings based on the centerpiece before I give that away too.

Everyone brought cheese and repaired the faucet at the Halloween Tea

Sometimes you just have to laugh at life and all of the plans we make. My company arrived just as I was getting the food laid out on the table and they dropped a hostess gift, a computer project,4 kinds of cheese, muffins and yogurt in the middle of it which of course changed things a lot. I never got the chance to set the salad out and in the middle of the mayhem (three different deliveries and a phone call) and I discovered that the shrimp ring hadn't been thawed.
Ordinarily this would not be a problem, you can thaw it in minutes under running water but there hasn't been any running water in the kitchen for over a week while we were waiting for parts to repair the faucet unless you count the 2 inches of water shooting EVERYWHERE  and rolling down the basement stairs when the shut off valve under the sink gave out. (more about that on Doug's blog). The good news is the parts arrived, the bad news is that he installed them DURING THE PARTY.
Anyway, there were suddenly 5 kinds of cheese and a computer project(which of course is another story) in the middle of the table for the salami taste test. (same brand but one package of lite and one reduced sodium) It was interesting to compare the numbers and most preferred the lite and there was also the question of  whether or not to cancel our pie taste test ( one regular and one diabetic friendly version) after the muffins and having spent our morning baking.
The crackers (for those of us who still eat them) were a number of different choices and I was surprised to find that my favorite was Blue Diamond Natural Almond Nut Thins which are a nut and rice cracker snack.
the calorie count per serving was the same as Back to Nature Spinach and Roasted Garlic Crackers but you only get 6 of the wheat crackers per serving as opposed to 16 of the rice ones. I don't know about you but if I'm trying to diet a larger portion is going to help me feel like I'm eating more and being deprived less so I was excited about that as well as the fact that they are gluten free which is important to a lot of people these days too.
What does any of this have to do with gardening or painting?... which of course are the main subjects of this blog. Actually a couple of things, if the weather had been better we'd have headed to the garden to pick rose hips to make tea with (you can use fresh ones, chopped and boiled) and now that the party is over I get my work table back and have and least 3 painting projects I'll be working on.
What's next? Follow the blog and find out. There's always something going on around here and generally lots of things at once. Thanks for stopping by to visit with me, come again soon.
The big excitement for me right now is that I just discovered that Zazzle is going to do wrapping paper and I can't wait to see some of my designs on it!!!

Setting the Halloween Tea Table

It's a little hard to tell from this photo but the extra skeletons are poked in here and there in the centerpiece.

It's also hard to tell from this photo but the skeletons sitting on the teacups have teacups, teapots, spoons and a tiny charm of a tea bag wired on to them...and are wearing black bow ties to dress things up a bit.

Entertaining is a multi purpose room is always a challenge because there are lots of things around that have nothing to do with the party.

The flowers and skeleton will come off the table when the food comes in.
Today's Menu:
tea
shrimp ring
salad
meat and cheese tray
crackers
sliced apples
pumpkin pie

Yes, I spent as much on the food as I did on the decorations but I've been looking forward to this party for a long time. I'll post again soon and let you know how it went.
                                                                                                             

25 cent Halloween Party Favors

It's amazing what a bit of scrap paper and some creativity can do! These parachute skeletons can be great fun if your guests get bored so at 4 for a dollar I thought I'd find a way to make them a cute part of the table decorations.

1. start by cutting the 4 toys apart.
2. trim the cardboard and plastic around them in the shape of a coffin
3. use double stick tape to attach it to black paper or card stock
4. trim to shape
5. attach to orange paper or card stock with double stick tape or glue
6. trim to shape
7. enjoy the fun

Today's Card and Envelope Designs

As always I start with a blank watercolor card and envelope then begin to look for odd bits of paper or photos around my work table and studio space.

1. Add photo and bits of scrap paper to the card.
2. Fill remaining space with drawings or paintings inspired by the photo.
3. Do a matching drawing or painting in the lower left hand corner of the envelope.
4. Give it away as is, sell it or do what I usually do - write a letter on it and drop it in the mail.
5. Enjoy both personal satisfaction and a few comments or compliments from others.

Any way you look at it, it's time well spent and a great use of the resources on hand. This one just took an old picture, scrap paper, watercolor paints and a marker.

I don't know where this little scrap of floral paper came from but I thought I'd have a little bit of fun with it. I used pencil and marker on the card and watercolor paints and marker on the envelope. Yes, this is already in the outgoing mail. It's been quite a day around here and it was nice to be able to share it with a couple of people who really know what I'm going through these days.

Fall color from the computer, the view from my window

Most of the leaves are from this birch tree and the neighbors maples and oak. While everyone else would be raking them up I walk around out there trying to find some really pretty ones to scan or paint.

It's pretty easy to see why a lot of people loose patience with artists. We just don't look at the world the way that everyone else does. When I watch TV I notice the soundtrack, the set design or the way it's shot, I hardly notice the characters or the action in the rest of the program.

Leaves and fall color from the studio window

Every year I think I should clean this mess up and trim it back a bit but a lot of birds and animal live or take shelter in it and I just don't have the heart to disturb them.

There are so many types of trees, bushes vines and other plants in here it makes an interesting show when they begin to turn colors.

Who knows, someday they might be the inspiration for a painting or two.

14 dollar and 51 cent Decorating for a Halloween Tea for Three

This dishtowels will be a take home gift after the party. I still haven't decided whether or not to use them as place mats when I set the table. They have chef's knives on them and were on clearance at Target for 88 cents each and they reminded me of the knives in slasher movies so I thought they'd fit nicely with the Halloween theme. They'd be a nice souvenir of the party and everyone can always use an extra dishtowel.

cost: 2.64

These paper plates and napkins came from dollar tree for a dollar a package if we only use one for each of us the cost for this party will be 30 cents. I purchased brown cups and saucers at a thrift store for 10 cents each that should go nicely with these, they're real dishes so they'll last for years.

cost: 90 cents

This tablecloth was from Walmart. The reason I chose this design is that it went well with the paper plates and napkins and I can use what's left again at Thanksgiving. Depending on how you figure things it makes it less than 2.00 per holiday.

cost: 3.97

Here are the makings for a centerpiece from dollar tree. it can be used for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. That's more like 2.50 per holiday.

cost: 5.00

I think you'll agree that you'd have to pay a LOT more than 5.00 for this an arrangement like this almost anywhere.

 This jointed skeleton will be laid out across the table and was purchased at Dollar Tree
cost: 1.00

 These little skeletons were also purchased at dollar tree. I took the garland apart and plan to sit the jointed skeletons on the saucers, leaning up against the cups. The leftover one will be worked into the centerpiece.

cost: 1.00

The decorations will go together in a flash and then I can get on with planning the menu.

Today's envelope art

This one is pencil, watercolor and ink. It went with a card that had photos of some of my floral paintings and other garden inspired art and crafts on it.

Designing invitations for a Halloween tea

This is one of the first times I've tried designing anything special for Halloween. The only reason I'm doing it is for the friends will be joining me for tea. I painted these on envelopes for the invitations.