Little Gem

Anything I let go of creates space for something new.

I've had this cover of a Quilting Arts Magazine in my stash for years. I adore the colors and design and I decided it would make a lovely mini joy journal cover for the Free Little Art Library. I actually like the back with the words as much...if not more than the front! 

Per usual.....I lined the cover with fused fabric for strength.

And this overlapping tissue paper experiment made for a fun first page. 

It's colorful...but also a blank slate for more.

So I'm including a little packet of snippets to get someone started. 

When I was going through my snippet bins (I have several) I found this little paper-cut from a calendar page and I loved the little gold accents...which were the letters of the name of the month. It was a good color...and it mirrored the shapes in the tissue page. 

I didn't want to add too much to the journal....but this little gem had to go in. 

I made a little info card to include and tucked in the snippets and it's ready to go. I'll make a couple more of these and I'll drop them off at the Little Art Library for someone to discover. 

It's a Start!

It's not about being good at creativity, it's about creativity being good for you! 

Marita and I took a walk this morning and came across this amazing wildflower garden filled with Sweet William. It stopped us in our tracks.

Every shade of pink was represented!

Speaking of pink....I got a start on my concertina....and it probably won't surprise you that I am going to work through the full color spectrum. I started with PINK (for Kimberly).....and am transitioning to red. I'm thinking I might add a little white and/or black to that overpowering pink background. So far I have used fabric, watercolor, colored pencil, a couple black pens, alcohol markers and pages from a book and catalog. 

I just finished the red in my rainbow puzzle....and am transitioning to orange.

I think this counts as my rainbow for today!

Look what I got in the mail... a lovely handmade tag from Roseanne. It will certainly find a good home in one of my journals! Thanks Roseanne!

Blue

Subtitle: That's Exactly What I'll Do! 

It rained most of the day today...but I'm celebrating blue. 

This blue sky was from a few days ago...but what an amazing cloud formation it was! 

And while Sue and John were visiting....Sue and I played around with a few cyanotypes....this one of a fern with some vinegar spots

Here's the fern at the bottom which is growing like crazy...and there's a lot of new growth on my foxtail fern. 

I spent most of the afternoon in the studio. I came across this sunflower stencil cyanotype and decided it would make a nice cut out journal cover. Here's the front and back.

I used a mix of papers and pockets...mostly in shades of blue. I hope to make a handful of these for the free little art library in Falmouth and I will include snippets and collage fodder.

Today rainbow is a Dotty collage inspired by my rainbow collage I posted yesterday. I couldn't love it more and seeing it again inspires me to try something a little more organic like this. Maybe I'll make a small one for a joy journal cover! Yes...that's exactly what I'll do.

Summer Project

Butterfly Weed is one of my very favorite early summer plants to watch. I don't have one...but there's one in our neighborhood that I walk by almost every day. 

Every single stage is so special. The tight green buds turn to bright orange balls which open to fabulous flowers with tiny yellow centers. It makes my heart sing. 

I acquired a large watercolor pad from a friend and cut and folded a couple of concertina/accordion books a while back. I have several things in mind....but it was time to do something with one of them. Completely inspired by an Instagram post by Connie Fong I used my stencils to trace overlapping designs on one side.

I wondered whether I wanted to color....paint or doodle....so I decided to all three.  I'm also going to add collage and fabric elements. It's going to be a quiet...ongoing summer project.

This was a collage I did back 2024 for Color week of the Conscious Creativity Class with Philippa Stanton. I love it enough to revisit the wonky technique. 

Sacred Pause

Rachel Hodgens describes the Solstice as the sacred pause before the shift in direction and seasonal energy. 

Rainbow image from the Maine Needs Instagram page.

After a wonderful whirlwind of a visit with John and Sue I feel like today has been a sacred pause before a shift in my energy. Spring is a when I focus on my gardens....and as of late I have have been tending my home. 

I'm just going to embrace this sacred pause...and see where the shift and the new season takes me.

We were gifted an especially fabulous ceramic tile from John and Sue. I absolutely love it!

I'm Thankful for dear friends ✓

I'm Grateful for precious time with them ✓ 

I'm Blessed to have a home that is comfortable ✓

Happy Solstice!

Centerpiece

Our house good friends John and Sue arrived today....and we had an absolutely joy-filled day. 

I wrote the draft of this post this morning before they arrived:
 I could have bought flowers for the dining room table....but instead I'm using some of our found objects as the centerpiece. 

I'm certain there's a rainbow in there!

I can always count on Lynn Giunta for a rainbow...and a little joy.

Rainbows

Tomorrow is Pride Day in Portland....so Patty and I are celebrating the rainbows in our yards. 

I adore her parade of rainbow pigs in her back yard! I grew up on a pig farm in Wisconsin so I have a penchant for pigs. And you know how I feel about rainbows.

And I love the rainbows at my front door. Patty gave me the vintage metal red laundry basket on the right.....it's now one of my favorite planters. 

All are welcome here!

I've been experimenting with lighter weight papers for cyanotype so I can cut things out easier. For this one I used one of my stencils on rice paper. My first try was a failure because it ripped apart when I rinsed it. The second time I treated it like tissue paper and left it on the glass while I CAREFUlLY rinsed the chemicals out...then let it dry right on the glass without touching it. Once it was dry it was easy to handle and cut. 

I mounted it on a page from one of my vintage manuscript books. 
I wondered if I should have fussy the lower part...but I kind of like the dark blue accent. 

Places and Spaces

Sometimes joy looks like dusting and vacuuming places and spaces in the condo that haven't been touched in a while. We have house guests coming Saturday into Sunday....and I using it as an excuse to do a deep  clean. I didn't do any slow doodling today....but I slow cleaned almost all day long on this rainy day.

This rainbow vessel collection on my mother's antique desk in my dining room is one of my favorite spaces...and now it's all dusted. I did the spectrum cross stitch back in 2012 and it still makes me smile....as does my colorful handmade lampshade on Linda's vintage lamp.

There were also places and spaces in the day where I puttered on a few other things....like my puzzle. I thought I would give this view of my puzzle table from the living with the rainbow display in the background. The puzzle table is smack dab in the middle of our large living space...and that seems just right. When I'm sitting at the table I can see out the patio doors and watch the weather and the birds.

And THIS happened late this afternoon. Emily (my goddaughter) finally opened her Joy Journal while we Facetimed. It was pure JOY! You can get a glimpse inside her crazy joy journal here in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2026/04/a-glimpse-inside.html

A Beauty

What a beautiful and joy-filled day. Home chores in the morning....a downtown shopping trip with Patty this afternoon....then a delightful happy hour and dinner with Paul on the patio. 

And look what I found in my front yard! Isn't it a beauty! 

At first I thought it was some sort of a ball sitting in the grass....but when I tried to kick it...it didn't move. 

I know mushrooms are good for the soil so I really embrace them. But it I left it.... it would eventually end up a slimy brown mess. 

 

So I picked it....appreciated its beauty....and recycled it in the woods. Do you see the heart on the side?

And here's another rainbow from the past as I was getting ready to stitch this batik piece.

It's OK

My morning walk took me by a lovely garden filled with foxglove. 

My photos weren't that great because the sun was too bright....but this closeup made me laugh out loud! Do you know what it reminded me of?

Those dreaded chin hairs! 

 

A week or so ago I started this rainbow puzzle. I sorted the pieces into my box tops and started putting the border together.....and within minutes decided I needed to let this one go.

The pieces didn't fit together easily...making it more or a chore than a joy. So I dumped it all back in the box and added it to my thrift pile. It's OK to stop...and just let it go. 

Someone might like it....so it's in my donation pile.

After that I did these two quick and easy rainbow order puzzles. The first one is a 75 piece mini from Philippa...and second is a 300 Shelfie puzzle from my sister. It's OK to do something easy.

Now I've started this fabulous Pencil Rainbow puzzle from Philippa.

Speaking of Philippa....she posted this photo a week or more ago....doesn't it just ooze joy! And doesn't it look like the artist that assembled this colorful pencil collection! If you want to see what joy looks like in action...check out her video from the same photo shoot: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYnVFelAoO_/