Loose Ends

Maine...Massachusetts and now Wisconsin....sometimes even I get confused where I'm at.  But I am in Wisconsin now visiting my friend Becky for several days then will spend time with family for my nephew's wedding celebration at the end of the week. I hope to post a little something most every day...but I might miss a day here and there.

I wrote the draft of this post yesterday as I was packing and tying up loose ends in Lexington....just little things I wanted to share.

One of my loose ends was finishing the "Selfie" puzzle. I had been dreading the browns and tans of the fur...and was making no progress the last couple of times I sat down.  But I sorted the remaining pieces by shape....and was able to get it finished between my chores.

This puzzle was from my sister LaVonn....and it's her son wedding we are celebrating. 

I also put together a quick card for #29.  

Way back when I took the Consciously Creative class with Philippa Stanton I picked up paper and other trash as I was looking for found objects.  I wanted to do something with them at the time so I sewed them together creating a crazy collage. Then it just sat until today when I sliced off a 3 x 5 piece and sewed it onto card #29.  Now it's a good memory and a splash of trashy color.

 

I made card #28 before I left Maine and it featured folded blue squares from catalogs that I never did anything with. I started with a simple grid.

Then I layered more squares diagonally to add some interest.

I added stitching which I wasn't that wild about....I liked it better before or I should have done it diagonally.  But that's the nice thing about these cards...you make them and move on.  I'm moving on.

I may or may not make cards while I'm away but there's a good connection story to tell about these cards once I'm at Becky's.  I made myself a little travel kit with a few past project bits....but we'll see what the week brings. It won't be a priority...but Becky has a lot of supplies and likes to fiddle with artsy stuff too so you never know. And I know I'll catch up when I get back so it's all good.  There's no stopping me now...I'm going to make it to 100!

Gardens

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay cover 295 acres. The grounds are filled with zillions of flowers and plants, amazing sculptures, and interesting water features.  I chose just a few photos to post here....but created a Steller Story with many many more.  Click this link...and take a little tour tapping through the photos if you're interested.

https://steller.co/s/9cWEwgS773H

There are lovely paths through the gardens and woods making it just a delight to explore all the colors and textures.                                                                                        

I started a modest little garden at the end of the stone wall in the backyard in Portland.  I'm keeping it simple with mostly woodland plants and now a little natural garden art.

I just looked up the tall yellow dandelion type flower that's in the left corner....it's called called meadow hawkweed and I think I need to get rid of it because it's invasive and can smother everything. 

Jolee found this awesome piece of driftwood when she was visiting last fall. I tried bracing it between the trees...but it kept falling out.  I finally picked up a metal rod...drilled a hole...and now it's an art piece in the garden.

Paul and I found the long driftwood piece at the beach....it's loaded with barnacles and interesting texture. I see a driftwood theme starting.

It's a work in progress...there's some scruff to clean up and I'll gradually add more plants but it's a start. It's hard to see in the picture...but there's a nice view from the patio off there to the right. It's better in person....so come on over and sit with me.

Splash of Color

Today was a transition day.  Paul took me to Portsmouth to pick up my fixed car and I drove back to Lexington keeping my fingers crossed the whole way.  I spent most of the day in the gardens and outdoor chores and sorting 2 weeks of mail.  I also had a delightful visit with Anita on her porch and am so grateful I have such good friends everywhere I go.

I still haven't had time to go through my Botanical Garden photos but this splash of color on the way home is worth sharing.  There are dozens of shops like this along the coast of Maine.  The colorful buoys drew us in and all three of us found a little something....everything was 50% off the already reasonable prices.  I spent $6 on a few more things for my rainbow collections.

I didn't realized until I was working on this post that I actually took a mirror selfie in this photo below.  

 "A Maine lobsterman's buoy is the nautical equivalent of a medieval knight's coat of arms. Each lobsterman paints his own design in his own color scheme on his buoys in order to mark his trap territory. The buoys are often brightly colored so as to be easily spotted amidst the ocean's churning waves. You'll see those same bright colors on lobster boats, which are required by law to display their buoy colors."  found here

Rainbow Collections

Today was a field trip day with my dear friends Patsy and Jane.  We spent the morning at the Botanical Gardens in Boothbay....and the rest of the day making our way back south stopping here and there along the way.  It will take me a little time to sort through my photos and I'm too tired tonight....but it was a magical day at a magical place so you will hear more about it soon.

I actually wrote this post as a draft a day or so ago....but some days there's just too much to say.  It is really possible to have too much joy in a day?  But now I get to share it on an evening when I'm tired.

I'm quite taken with Janice's window box....such a great splash of color. I love the interesting diagonal window...the wreath...the ferns...the whole thing just works.  Nice job Janice!

I wonder if I'll ever get too old for putting things in rainbow order.  I hope think not.



When I was at the farmer's market with Janice a few weeks ago I bought these sweet little flowers hand made from pinecone petals.  I have a hard time finding purple things for my rainbow collections....so I knew I could use them.

This was the view of them down into my bag?

I've had this little collection of pottery under my cross stitch for quite some time and now it feels complete with a few of the purple pinecone flowers in the vase.

And this little arrangement in my kitchen window was missing a pop of purple....not any more.  It seems fitting that this little rainbow collection features Kermit who is famous for his rendition of Rainbow Connection.  

Life is Good

The second round of rain lilies are on the way....

...and we had lobster for dinner.  Life is good.

I found this little tree doodle in a sketchbook....and in about 3 minutes it became card #26.  Honoring past projects is partly what this 100 days is all about.....and sometimes it just requires stitching.

Tomorrow is an outing day with friends so I worked ahead and played with circles this evening for card #27.  I have several pages like this with painted and decorated polka dots.

For #27 I cut them out...then in half and made a bumpy zig zag pattern....I think it's fun and whimsical!

Here's a polka dot project I did years ago for a Pinterest inspired shared journal....the post can be found here.  

Something New....

It's not really all that big of a problem when your car is broken down and you're stuck at your vacation home with an art studio.  I just had to readjust my planning for all the things I need to do this week before an upcoming trip.  More on that later.

With some of my "found" time I did clean a closet I've been putting off for over a year and I played with something new and something blue (and green).

I treated myself to a new set of watercolors from Art Philosophy.  They came in a sweet little tin and are the colors of the sea and appropriately called "Currents."
       

After I put all the colors samples on the card....my first project was this little wreath.

For better or worse....I couldn't help but add a few little polka dots from a sheet of wrapping paper from Treehouse Toys in Portland where my son Sam used to work.  I've saved every inch of it over the years from little things Sam would buy me and wrap at the store. So I guess it's actually something old and something new and something blue (and green).

Yesterday's card was also blues and greens.  It's actually a photograph I took of a pile of batik fabrics that I digitally altered using the Waterlogue app on my phone. I know it's kind of cheating watercolor....but only if you're  claiming it's actual watercolor. It's all just joyful puttering play....so it's all good.

Here's the printed page it came from along with other photographed fabric Waterlogue experiments....you might see some of them appear on other cards. I love the stripes.

Today I did a little assemblage using collage paper I got from Lynne. I added some stars from my favorite "Sun Stars and Moon" calendars and a little outline stitching....quick and simple.  

Lynne's collage is quite lovely held up to the light. I still have more for another project.....and some other fun papers from her experiments too.  #25 means that I'm one quarter of the way towards my 100 days....I've got this!

Not Quite the Plan

There are several things I could post about tonight...it was a great day. I could post about a delightful early morning swim...or breakfast with our oldest son Nate who we don't see all that often....or creative puttering in the studio.  Instead I'm posting about how my day ended....not quite how I planned.

After dinner I headed back to Lexington.  The plan was to stay a day or two to tend to the gardens and other chores, visit some friends, and get organized for an upcoming trip.  I got 1/2 way and my car started acting a little funny and I was able to get off in the breakdown lane before it completely died.  Thank goodness for cell phones...and thank goodness for AAA.  My car is now at a shop in Portsmouth....and I'm back in Portland. Not quite the plan....but it could have been worse.

While I was waiting for Paul to pick me up I enjoyed a lovely sunset from the parking lot of the Ford dealership.  Not quite the plan...but it could have been worse. Sunsets are a good thing no matter where you are.

Seas the Day!

Paul and I were lucky enough to be invited for a sail this evening with our dear friends Janice and Jay. I love this view as you walk down to the dock.....you just know some very special is in store for you. 

Sunsets from the water always seem better....it was a beautiful evening from start to finish.  

And I even pocketed a napkin...Seas the Day! 

After my color explosion yesterday...I was compelled to go neutral today.  I've collected lots of papers from music, books, maps, junk mail etc.  I collaged a background....and auditioned a few things from my stash as a focal point.

In the end I decided to use a simple plant cut out that's been floating around my studio. I bought this tiny bowl at a craft show a year or so ago and had a great conversation with the artist about her process. She showed me how she cuts her designs out of paper and uses them as a template. Of course I came right home and cut out all kinds of plants....and this is the first time I've used one.

Assemblage

When I first started this 100 day index card project I knew assemblage was going to be my focus. 

I've been gathering bits of this and that for most of my adult life....especially interesting and/or colorful papers of all kinds. I am reminded that I don't throw away I think has potential.

Here's a catch up on the last three days of cards.

This color wheel was in one of my bins....including the brochure I cut it from.                                                    

I picked it up at the "Quilts and Color" exhibit back in 2014 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There were hundreds of them sitting around as we were leaving and since it was nearly the last day they let me take a handful.                                                                                  

 

This bird, cut from a Christmas card has been floating around for years waiting for just the right time to use it. I think it's beautiful...and paired with the color wheel makes for a simple and joyful assemblage for #21. There's something about it that actually feels hopeful....for anything we might want to hope for.

#20 started off with an assembled border of black and white circle scraps. I did some doodling in the middle that I didn't like because the boarder just got lost. So I cut out the center and backed it with the Hallelujah Chorus I brought home from a Sunday bulletin insert.

In complete contrast I'm fully aware that today's card is a ridiculous over the top color explosion.

I edged a card a few days ago with washi tape and it sat around because I didn't know what to do with the center.

This afternoon I decided to cut up an experiment I did a month or so ago using these Neocolor crayons I inherited from Connie. They color like crayons...but can be blended with water. This was the first time I had played with them....and they were kind of fun.

I cut the rainbow into strips and sewed them onto the card with a fairly random pattern.                                                                                                               

I do think #21 and #22 make for a bright happy pair.

Let's see what assemblage tomorrow brings.