2nd Covid Shot and Other Ramblings

While I feel very strongly about getting the Covid vaccine, this second dose has kicked my butt! Combining this with my other health problems has equaled a viciously crappy day. My hope is tomorrow will be better.

My mother-in-law moved into her new place at the senior living center. She has a lovely studio apartment. She has her microwave and a small refrigerator, but the meals are all taken care of. Truly, it’s a charming place which doesn’t feel at all “nursing home”. They have other buildings which the resident will be moved to as their health needs increase. It’s a lovely place. I hope she’s very happy there.

Because Mom moved, she told all of us if we wanted anything to come and get it. Well, I did that this afternoon after my nap. I had wanted the pink Depression glass, which I got. Her kitchen is much better stocked than mine so I took some huge soup pots, utensils, and mixing bowls. I also took her recipe box, it’s filled with recipes she wrote out herself. Several of the things I took were for my kids. Each one will get two or three things from their grandmother.

Yesterday, after my Covid shot, Laurie and I stopped by an estate sale. I found some really great stuff there. Nothing was priced, so you just made an offer on what you wanted. We found a box which held what I thought was a stack of vintage ladies hankies. I bought the box for 10 bucks.

As it turns out, that box held far more vintage hankies than expected. Far more. There were 137 vintage linen and cotton ladies hankies. Laurie had wondered if perhaps the family had owned a store at one point in their lives and this was extra stock. This seems a reasonable thought as many of the hankies had price tags on them: 43 cents. So you can tell they were very vintage.

After washing them, I spent over an hour ironing them all. Three didn’t make it though the delicate wash cycle in my machine. These were purchased for art journals, so I can still use them. Just in different ways than I planned.

There was a large mat cutter, which the husband had used to mat his photographs. I bought that, along with a ATG tape gun. Both will be huge helps in matting my paintings. There was a bunch of other stuff too. I nearly bought a samurai sword, but realized we’d just have to pack it up anyway. But it would have looked spectacular with my dragons.

A week or so ago, Laurie and I went to Michaels. I bought a rolling three tiered cart with additional storage hanging from each tier. There is also a peg board and a small metal divided box which hangs on that too. This has been an outstanding purchase.

One side of hanging pieces are intended to hold wrapping paper. So the top and center are rectangular metal bars attached to the side of the cart. Since that’s not what I needed, I altered Velveta cheese boxes. I cut one shorter and made the end from the side piece. Then I covered both with black and white contact paper. (I added glue to the boxes before I wrapped them.) They fit perfectly in the open space in the center. These are held in place with binder clips onto the bar. I’ve filled them with additional glue sticks, tape, ink pads and blenders, and other odds and ends. The top bar holds my blow dryer and heat tool. The lowest part, which has a bottom, holds my mediums and liquid glues.

While I’m not finished with the painting I’m doing of the house, it is coming along. Some dry brushing and details and up it goes. I can’t remember a painting which has taken me longer.

Seriously.

It’s freakin nuts.

Altered Art Practice

With my broken printer (fussy cuts) and my emptied workroom, I’ve been limited with arting options. I’ve turned to adult coloring. I finished the Secret Garden coloring book and began a second one today. The Secret Garden book took about two days and my recently reviewed Art-N-Fly colored pencils, here, are getting used up quickly.

While coloring is a fine way to create art, I’ve always used it to try new color combinations out before using them in an art project. I also use the finished pages in art journaling. Which makes it more of a pre-art project for me.

That I’ve already finished an entire coloring book seems a ominous start to my newly, albeit temporarily, altered art practice. If I’m running through one book in two days, I’m going to be buying coloring books every other week. Not to mention colored pencils. (And this was completed while watching TV with Scott. It’s not like I spent all day coloring or anything…)

Another limited supply art form is bible journaling. If bible journaling isn’t your particular cup of tea, you can do the same thing using meaningful poems, music, or a book which has touched your heart. These can be individual pages which you later combine into an art journal or binder.

Sketching is another option for those with limited space or supplies. You need paper, a pencil, eraser and pencil sharpener. This is also great practice for determining tonal values. So if you’re in the same boat I am, there are still arting options you can pursue. Use whatever you have and create anyway. Some of my best stuff was made with recycled materials and my kids crayons and paints. Good grief, I’ve painted with coffee and koolaid.

So, never give up on your art. No matter your limitations. You owe it to yourself.

Turning Point, Thank You and the Challenge

Today I had my pain clinic appointment. My hope is this is the turning point on the past four weeks of wretchedness for me.

Laurie made two quilts for me; the king-sized one for Anthony’s bedroom and a wall or lap quilt using fabric from my parents old cottage. Both are absolutely spectacular. The king-sized quilt is made from a multitude of scrap fabrics. It’s a log cabin, laid out in the Barn raising pattern. These quilts are treasures because Laurie made them for me.

We had Nancy, who has a long arm machine, quilt them. The end result is better than I could have dreamed! The king-sized quilt is an all over scrolly type pattern, the small one is cherries. The fabric from the cottage is yellow with red cherries and that’s the main fabric in the wall quilt. The other squares are from a black fabric with teapots and tea cups. I have a teapot collection, started for me by my Grandma. (I had teapot tile in our backsplash in the kitchen before our remodel) Laurie took care oof the pattern design for each. She just brought them over.

Laurie gave me the quilting as a Christmas gift! She’s the most thoughtful and wonderful person on earth! I’ve been scraping and saving to be able to pay Nancy for the quilting on both, but haven’t saved enough to pay for them yet. This is truly a special and wonderful gift my dear friend Laurie has given me. (She knows our financial struggles.) Now they are doubly special. I can hardly wait to see them in our new home in Arizona, when we finally build it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Laurie, you are just the best bestie ever! You know how much you mean to me, right? Because I adore you and if you ever need to bury a body-I’ve got the shovel. If you need defending-hey, hold my pearls, I’ve got you. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on-I’ve got two slightly damaged, but perfectly functional. And, it goes without saying really, I would truly do anything for you.

Anything. Let’s not forget the above mentioned shovel…You are one of the best things that ever happened to me and I thank the Lord for the day we first met. It seems we were destined to connect on a deep, meaningful level. Friendships like this are rare and special. I want you to know just how much I treasure you and our friendship. I honestly don’t know how I’d make it through my days without you.

So, as I mentioned, these last few weeks have been a struggle for me. I’ve been distracting myself by doing the 3 in 30 Alphabet challenge. I’m up to letter Q. Not bad for a couple days work, really. So I typed out everything I’d made so far, as my “first round” of the challenge. My new computer began updating and poof, the document was gone. I’m starting over again. It only took a bit over an hour to write everything out, so it’s not a big deal. I’m keeping the stuff I make, along with the list of Alphabet options and the examples from each letter. This may be something I do on my YouTube channel, once it’s up and running.

That is, if I can ever figure it out. It cant be that difficult-I’ve seen some of the dumbest people ever on YouTube and they manage to make it work. If they can do it, so can I!

At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Art On!

This past year has been devastating in so many ways. And the chaos continues as I write this. No matter what happens with this election, the world will keep spinning. The sun will keep rising. Children will laugh. There will be music. There will be good books. There will be flowers. And there will be art.

The last several weeks have been particularly challenging for me, as it’s Fall. Fall and Spring are the worst times of the year for my health stuff. We’ve had wind-which is a huge problem for me-rain, snow, sleet, hail and, of course, wildly varying temperatures. This adds up to me unable to do most everyday tasks. In this time of change and challenge, I choose to spend my days creating. This distracts me, which is my go-to coping mechanism. If I can stay busy enough, I can keep the worst of it at bay. So I’ve been keeping busy.

I’ve made two (failed) paint pours. But even though the pours were lousy, the drying paint skins are magnificent. These can be used in all sorts of ways: jewelry, embellishments, mixed media canvases, covering books, boxes and tables, cut into pieces and used in paintings. And the list can go on.

Of course I made several art journals. I am trying to make examples of journals using all sorts of recycled items. So far I’ve made one from a large envelope, a file folder, a cereal box, a toilet paper tube, an old book, and one from several old cards. I need to remember to make one from junk mail, an old magazine, playing cards and travel brochures. These will be examples to show my newbies on my YouTube channel.

Oh, off topic: Great news! Scott bought a different computer for me! It’s no longer a paperweight. This means I can set up my channel. Which will focus on frugal arting of all kinds. That is, of course, if I can figure out how to do that. It’s a computer thing which, as we know, is my nemesis.

I also coffee dyed a lot of paper. This time I dyed my new purchases from Shabbydabbydoodah . These were the Gypsy Rose and Bees Knees kits, among others. Truthfully, I have a whole lot of Tina’s digitals. I have bought many of the fussy cuts/add-ins, then buy the coordinating background pages if I want to complete the kit. Some of her kits include everything; background patterned papers, add-ins and fussy cuts. And Tina packs her kits with large amounts of fun stuff to play with: envelopes, mini-file folders, large and small fussy cuts of all kinds. Which is something I like. I have never come close to using everything in her kits in one journal. Not even her mini kits. There’s lot’s of variety too.

And, finally, I’ve made collage books. One is finished, and I’m 2/3rds finished with the second. I grabbed some large, old hardcover DIY books I was planning to donate and went to town with them. I glue two pages together for thickness and then add scraps of all kinds to the page. This second book has focused on pages with a similar color story. So, for example, my last page was tan, russet and mustard. Five different patterns combined with coffee dyed paper. Very earthy and perfect for Fall pages.

So my friends, no matter your feelings about what’s going on in the world today, get your art on. It helps you cope emotionally, offers creative escape, and gives you something productive to do.

Which is much better than being glued to the news 24/7.

A Couple of Arting Weeks

Both Scott and I are getting burned out with home projects. He’s been clearing out the ripped down barn and shed, and the difference is astonishing in the look of our house. I’m thrilled with the changes.

Our weather has been nasty, which means my ability to do much on the house has been very limited. I painted a couple pieces of trim, cleared out the paint and tools from the dining room and that’s about it. I spent my time in my (greatly reduced) workroom.

I made a complete art journal using the Gosford Green kit by Shabbydabbydoodah. (Lately I’ve been picking up quite a few of Tina’s digitals. I really like them all.) I tried to follow along with her videos using this kit but I launched into my own thing anyway. Which is fine, of course. My actual goal was trying to follow along with a YouTuber so I could evaluate how to make videos for beginners. While I really enjoyed Tina’s series I just wasn’t able to prevent myself from doing my own thing.

Not that that’s a bad thing. At all. I certainly hope my future viewers do exactly that. I ended up with a charming journal. Similar to Tina’s with several of my own bits and bobs thrown in. And this kit is truly lovely to work with. I enjoyed the project thoroughly. The end result was beautiful. Very nicely coordinated. The extras and fussy cuts are versital and can be used to make all sorts of fun add-ins. Tina was using her physical Gosford Green kit which she was offering on her Etsy site. This included wall paper, lace, and extras. I used the digital kit and added those things not included in it from my stash.

This was a fun project which let me unleash some pent up creativity. I used up several pieces of white lace, green ribbon, green beaded trim and gold sparkle gems. The wall paper, which Tina used as her main patterned paper in the physical kit, was replaced by tan with a small green pattern. Three on cream card stock and five on copy paper. I printed two sets of the Gosford Green background papers, one set on cream card stock and one on copy paper. I printed two sets of the elements, as I did the background papers.

The main signatures were made from coffee dyed card stock, copy paper, music sheets, book pages, tracing paper and ledger sheets. The cover was a large used shipping envelope which I sealed shut and covered with the tan and green printed paper. I stitched the signatures in using double thickness of twine in a three hole pamphlet stitch. I made several gathered ruffles from white scrap fabric. I used several long pieces of binding and ribbon to make more. This gave me a variety of colors, widths and lengths to choose from. Since gold was my accent, I cut apart a double layered gold and white lace, giving me two long, flat strips. These were used to decorate tags and pockets. The “header” piece which held the two layers together was also used. This very thin bit of lace worked perfectly on the edges of tags and as a bit of detail on plain pages.

Although many would toss the small scraps from a project like this, I kept them all. I used the triangle pieces cut from the top of a rectangle to make a tag as corners on booklets and pockets. The excess trimmed from belly bands were used as mini tags. The scraps from patterned paper were used as border trim on pages and tags. The small excess pieces from the ribbons and ruffles were used on pockets and journal cards. Every bit of scrap was saved and used in the journal. And the results are beautifully coordinated and charming.

The Gosford Green kit has turned out to be one of my favorite projects. I encourage you to check out Shabbydabbydoodah’s Etsy store and her YouTube channel. Tina is a delight and I really enjoy her creative take on journal making.

In Spite of a Slow Start

10 finished projects today. All for a new art journal. A couple oldies but goodies:

• Layering one identical image over top of another. I used this to make a tuck spot and a corner. Both were fairly intricate floral designs. I printed two of each. One was the page, one for the add in. I glued the second to left over card stock and cut out. I put foam tape at the far edges and pressed onto the top of the page, over the identical image. So both the tuck spot and the opposite page’s lower corner have the elevated image which holds tags and a booklet.
• Using the leftovers I made clusters, both sewn and glued. I added leftover thread, bits of ribbon, slivers of paper…they turned out cute and coordinate with the journal.
• Doilies. Cheap, easy to find and they add a lot to an embellishment or page.
• Fussy cuts. These can be images from magazines, books, or patterned papers. I fussy cut while watching T.V. at night with my husband. It’s good therapy for my hands and gives me an abundance of images to use in art journaling.

It was a refreshing experience, working on my art. I guess I needed a break from the house remodeling. And I was resting both the shoulder and the leg, which made Scott happy. My past tendency is to think whatever surgical procedure I’ve had fixed the problem, so I’m good to go. And I launch into life as if I have not had surgery at all. This has resulted in some unfortunate things like split incisions, bleeding, and, ultimately, lengthier recoveries. In the case of the ankle, it caused permanent damage which I still feel today. 25 years later. But as I’ve learned from my past mistakes, I truly try not to over do it now. And I have greatly improved in this area. Unfortunately, not enough in my husband’s opinion. Nevertheless, I haven’t had to go back in for damage done by over doing it in quite a few years…Which is impressive for me.

Really, I should reward myself with jewelry because I’ve done so well…

Now I’m back to work. On the house or my art, I haven’t decided yet. I guess I’ll see where my mood takes me.

Contrary to My Usual

Response to injury and surgery, I’m actually taking it easy. Letting everything have a few days rest to heal up before I jump back into working on the house. But, obviously, I can’t sit around and do nothing.

That’s just crazy talk.

So I’m practicing making You-Tube videos, without actually filming them. Just getting comfortable talking to invisible viewers as if they’re sitting in the room with me. And I thought I’d start with something simple: the 3 in 30 challenge.

This is using the letters of the alphabet to pick your supply or technique, then making three things in 30 minutes. For example, A might be acetate, acrylic paint, alcohol inks, alcohol markers, altered anything, antiqued…You get the idea. So for the letter A, I used acrylic paint. I made a painted journal cover, painted over a printed image, and made acrylic paint backgrounds for tags and journal cards. This one was very easy and I had time left over.

The letter B is buttons. And I blew the time away on the first project. Which shouldn’t have taken long, in my mind. But in reality it took 29 minutes. I made button cards. Simple premise: stamp 3×5 index cards with a background image, sew 6 buttons onto the card. Add ribbon to top of card. Well, yeah. That should have been quick and easy. I completely forgot to pick the buttons, gather the needle and thread, find the stamps I wanted to use and plan for the actual time it takes to sew buttons onto card. I skipped the ribbon.

So I began the second “B” project, which is a lunch bag, folded into thirds, which opens to make a booklet which will be closed with a button. Another disastrous time sucker. I needed to cut printed paper into the size of each section, front and back. Glue onto the paper bag. Make the pockets to hold the tags and mini-books, glue and/or sew the whole thing, then add the closure: a button and twine. I haven’t gotten to the third B project which is scrap clusters using a button.

I am either way to ambitious with my projects or I totally suck at time management. Since I work fast, my guess is I’m to ambitious. And I should have gathered everything prior to starting the timer. That was a mistake.

In spite of my obvious failures, this is quite fun. You just jump in there and play. I could have picked book pages for the letter B and folded three into different pockets in three minutes. Or used pages over index cards to make journal cards. Or used them in paper waterfalls, tuck spots, belly bands or borders. None of these would have taken a half hour to do, even if I did several of each…

So if you want to play along, go for it. But remember more intricate projects will take longer to complete. If using a timer freaks you out, don’t do that. Just work as quickly as you can to make three things. The whole point of this challenge is to let go and have fun.

Daily Art Continues

Although our 2018 Daily Art Challenge has come to an end, I continue to make art daily.  This has been my practice for a couple of years now, and the results have been very beneficial.

As I’ve mentioned before, I choose a subject to study for the year rather than make a New Years resolution.  Last years choice was hand lettering.  While I have worked on this, I don’t feel my skill level is where I would like it to be.  So I will continue to work on this skill, and I’m adding mixed media art as my area of study this year.  There are several new techniques, materials and projects I hope to try in the coming year and will be sharing the projects and results here with you.

My first project involves paint techniques.  My thought is to try these on some old furniture and cheap wood items easily found at secondhand stores.  Other projects involve resin.  Still others include the use of beads and metal.  I have quite a list of ideas and am anxious to get started.  My largest project idea is for a sculpture.

My hope is we all have a creative and inspiring New Year.  There is so many art options to explore!  Let’s get messy and make uniquely beautiful art today!

Scrap Marathon Concluded

I just finished cleaning up my huge mess from a couple days of scrap paper marathoning.  I was sucessful in empting my huge acordian file folder of scraps, several plastic envelope folders, and eight zip lock bags filled with a variety of stuff.  All in all, I used up a ton of bits and pieces, and odds and ends.  I made 48 scrap clusters and 78 hidden paperclip embelishments, in addition to a couple other random things.

While it took almost an hour to pull everything back together, it was worth it.  I feel great having used up nearly all my scraps. Once everything was back in order, I went through my remaining scraps and purged.  I pitched everything I’m sick of, which was also quite satisfying.

A couple decisions:  I’m no longer keeping scraps smaller than 2 x 2″.  I’m not keeping scraps of stuff I don’t like.  In fact, if I don’t like the stuff I’m getting rid of it altogether.

One thing that’s important to remember is to use your stuff when you buy it.  Patterned paper and fabric go out of style.  Some tools fall out of favor for new stuff- decorative edged scissors is an example.  Styles change and we change as artists. Buying an abundance of stuff when we first start with a new medium is common, but often not wise.  Take it from someone who dives into something new with both feet.  Then I get sick of it before I’ve used up the supplies I bought.

Stick with materials and supplies which can do many things for you.  Watercolor paints will work with watercolor painting, art journaling, mixed media work.  Stamps which are versatile like circles, sentiments, an all over background script, swirls and patterns can be used in all sorts of applications.  Letter stamps, floral and leaf stamps, non-specific patterned stencils, solid colored cardstock, alcohol-based markers and colored pencils are all great buys.  Cutsie stamps like a mouse peaking from a Christmas stocking are very specific and not useful for much other than holiday cards or layouts.  Unless you plan to make 50 cards with that stamp, you’re better off getting some less holiday centered.  Swirls, stars, circles, and neutral nature stamps can be used in holiday, birthday, get well soon and thinking of you cards, as well as for art journaling.

It’s fun to buy new goodies.  And you can spend your money on anything you choose.  I’m merely suggesting you purchase supplies that will serve you well for years to come.  Because the truth is, if I had known then what I know now, I wouldn’t be going through a stash built over the past 30 years and getting rid of so much of it.

 

 

Opportunity Knocketh

This time of year provides countless recyclable packaging options.  Today we’re focusing on making storage for our work space.

Shoe boxes, cardboard, packaging candy comes in all provide great possibilities for storage.  I have several suggestions you can use to make your work area more organized for nothing.  Let’s begin:

1. Boxes come in all shapes and sizes.  If you have several of one type, say shoe boxes for example, you can create cohesive looking storage.
2. Cover them with the same color paper-I suggest kraft paper- and add a label to the front of each telling you what’s stored inside.
3. Use the tops as trays for storing things like mini ink pads, colored pencils, markers, die cuts and stickers.  You can make a storage shelf unit with foam core or a cardboard box and slide the trays in and out as needed.
4. Use larger cardboard boxes on their side.  Add cardboard or foamcore to divide into sections.  Store cardstock and patterened papers.
5. I’ve made cardboard furniture by gluing cardboard together for added strength.
6. Use the plastic divided trays candy comes in for small embellishment storage.  Glue flimsy trays to a piece of posterboard, cardboard or foamcore for extra durability.

The reason I suggest covering your storage in the same color paper is to make it look cohesive.  You can, obviously, collage scrap papers to the boxes if you prefer.  Either will increase the boxes strength.  You can line the boxes with posterboard if they aren’t strong enough.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to use the abundance of recyclable materials this holiday season provides.  If you gather carefully, you may have enough to last you through to next years holiday.