There They Sit...

Has been a busy time of deadlines...

I know I had shared photos of projects
we were getting ready to work on...

They're on the back burner...simmering~
The laces all lined up on one of the studio sills...
Fabrics & papers in cupboards nearby~
Jars of buttons tucked between my brushes.
It will be a few weeks before I
can work on & share the craft projects...

I will share snippets of the paintings
as soon my Federal Copyright applications
are in Washington D.C.~

They'll be some of my favorite watercolors~
Birds!

Birthday Money...

Some people think it's less personal
to give money/check to kids for birthdays...
Our children love those gifts
because they can spend it on something
they will use, love or treasure forever!

Her last $8.00
A bit of scrubbing...
A piece of scrap fabric...

A true treasure...

Last $8.00...

Our girl LOVES chairs...
Any type of chair...as long as it is old!
We laugh often~
I LOVE tables!

We were on a hunt for a lamp piece today~
We looked in several shops...
It was almost "good news" when they
didn't have the part
because we could go to another shop!

She found this gem...
It has so many cute details~

My Little Art World...

A snippet of my studio

Once a hobby...
I love to paint in watercolor!
(Sometimes adding a little detail or texture
with colored pencils...)

Be creative.
Be unique.

~HAVE FUN~

Puddle Jumpers...

We cannot figure out why...
now that it has become so cold~
Where all the frogs are coming from
and going to?

No matter what time of day...
the past few weeks...
Frogs crossing the roads!

It seems like it is some sort of game.
They hear a car coming and all begin
to dash across, wait at the side~
'til they hear another car coming...
then they decide to hop back across.

They will soon need snow boots!

Picking Apples...

The apron would have been helpful...
but I would have never survived
wearing dresses.
I don't own a dress to this day.
Black slacks, trouser socks n' casual shoes
on bottom...nice, simple shirt on top.
I'm afraid I don't make a very stylish
impression at business meetings
until they open my portfolio.
:)
Then they stop looking at me...
and business continues on well!

As a child the vintage picture would
have been a bit different...
NO ladder...after all, apple trees aren't
nearly as tall as chestnut trees!
No standing on the ground waiting
for A BOY to hand one down.
I would have been in the tree with
my legs folded over a limb,
hanging upside down~
choking down the sour bites.

Some of our kids neighborhood friends
were all together playing apple
baseball the other day. Sounds wasteful,
but the early hail damaged a lot of the
fruit & worms got into soft spots easily.
They smelled very fragrant when
they walked inside!

It's so good to see young people laughing
and having fun...even if it's "sticky!"

Bitty Treasures...

Debra~ I found it!
Your charming little bowl inspired me
to search out a similar one I had found
in the bottom of a box from auction.

The auction "this n' that" box was stuffed full
of heavy old frames, stoneware,
antique kitchen utensils...etc.
There in the bottom...covered in dust
thick enough to make this little treasure
black...it sat! Chip free & charming!

I discovered the spoon for $.10 somewhere
else...can't you picture a wee little mouse
sipping some yummy stew? Napkin tucked
in a small curl at the tip of its tail?

On this chilly day~
I should invite a kind
critter in for tea!

October Welcome...

Happy Autumn!
"No spring nor summer beauty
hath such grace as I have seen
in one autumnal face~"
John Donne

"Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly
about the earth
seeking the successive autumns."
George Eliot

Perennial Cleaning...

This morning the flower beds were
shouting for attention...
I needed a bit of break from painting~
So I gathered up the shears, small rake
and our sweet lab & began chopping.

I can always tell when the perennial beds
need to be replanted~
Our mums don't come back strong and
full...they tend to send a sprig up
here and there.
Cutting down the peonies, iris, ever-blooming
geraniums, black eyed susans &
purple coneflowers~ there popped out a
few sweet little mums!
I finished up one bed & then went back for
the mums...bringing them in for a
few sweet arrangements~

Thought I'd share this one with you~
Hope you have a great day!

Natural Landscapes...

This is one of my favorite birdhouses...
The moss growing in the corners makes
it look professionally landscaped~
All trim and lush!

Tyvek Owl Project...

This is the backside of a stain on Tyvek

Two examples of Tyvek with ink coloring..
I just love the feathery texture!

These are the Tyvek envelopes
that I cut apart~

I took a full semester of resists, paper making,
batiks, silk dyeing etc. in college.
I remember SOME of it~
We didn't experiment with Tyvek.
(I wonder if it existed BACK THEN)

Tonight I decided to do a little experiment
with resists & this cool material.

I painted this owl for a spec project...
To make my experimenting a little faster
I decided to use him~

On the light table...saving time!

With the white acrylic ink applied...

Base coat of blue dye...

Close-up...cool texture!

Adding some watercolors...they don't seem
to saturate the paper well enough...
The permanent inks work better~

The finished Tyvek Owl.

He looks a bit washed out...
We'll find some use for him!

Vintage & Blue...

If you could see my studio right now...
WHAT A MESS!
Yet more IDEAS jumping around...

When I was working as a
watercolor artist/crafter/momma of wee ones
(pre-licensing)
I made the cutest snowmen from
white boys socks turned inside out~
tea/coffee dyed.

I used the toes through arch area of
our worn colored socks for hats~

Cut a thin strip of the top elastic part,
stretched it out & they made scarves.

Button eyes, carrot noses made from
Sculpy bake hard clay, real twig arms.

Wouldn't those snowman look dear in these
vintage melamine cups?

Maybe pin cushions?

Or...perhaps I should put them in the
kitchen cupboard & use them
for what they're meant to be...
I seem to break the
ceramic ones we have!
Teehee....
The more I break, the less I wash!

New Christmas Card...

This is one of my Christmas images~

Creative Papers by C.R.Gibson
made these beautiful cards!
The "light" has gold foil ~
spreading out with tone on tone
blue glitter to make the stars sparkle.

The scan below is the inside of the card...

I doodled on everything growing up!
In high school it was my dream
to have greeting cards~
What a HUGE blessing...to be able to share
the talents I've been given~
In such a personal way...

Hope you like them!

Christmas Products...

Magnet Works, Ltd.
Such wonderful quality!
We have two other designs with them &
more coming soon!

5 lbs. Lighter...

Here's our girl!
(Hubby would call her Momma's girl!)
(He's a cat guy...even after all these years)

I have brushed & brushed for two weeks...
We might be getting past
the HORRIBLE fall shed!
I think we've taken 5lbs. off her!

Seems like I could weave SOMETHING
with all that hair!
I toss it outdoors & know the birds will
eventually discover bits of it for nests.

She's a love...we adopted her from a
seeing eye dog program. She has bad hips
plus she's tiny for a Lab~
Perfect for our lives, our home & our hearts!