Improvised

Brenda got my card today so I can share my first 4x6 project. It only took 4 days to travel from the mail slot at my condo....to her mailbox in Wisconsin.  I think that's pretty impressive.  

Although I had to improvise....this card was absolutely inspired by the art of Sally Brandl who I follow on Instagram.   Sally does amazing geometric patterns and designs that combine stitching and watercolor....worth checking out.

https://www.instagram.com/sallybrandlwatercolors/ 

I had prepared a little basket of supplies to take to Lexington to make this first card last weekend but I left it in Maine. And like I mentioned in a previous post I was really itching to get started so that's when I wrestled up a few supplies and improvised....then finished it up when I got back in my studio last week.

To get started I pierced some holes in the cardstock to creating the chevron pattern.  Although I did some measuring I didn't want it to be perfect....so I intentionally made it a little wonky.

I didn't have watercolors in Lexington...but I did have colored pencils.  I stitched a little...then randomly colored a little.  It may have looked better to have a little planning with the colors...but this is what I did. At first I thought it was just going to be an experiment....but then I realized that's what these card exchanges are for.....so Brenda gets my improvised experiment.

I wanted to leave a couple of spaces blank....but I kept forgetting so I placed a scrap of fabric on top while I was coloring.

One of the problems with using colored pencil is that I got a "rubbing" of the threads from the back....which wouldn't happen with watercolor.   This is how the colored pencil looked before I blended.

This is how it looked after I used a tiny bit of baby oil on the end of a Q-tip to smooth out the color.

The back is messy and chaotic.....kind of like the pandemic.  I didn't even think about the back at first....then realized I could stitch so I wasn't crossing over coloring spaces.  But then I kept forgetting to do that. Oy! I also didn't want any lumpy knots so every time I started and stopped a piece of thread I taped it down.  I couldn't find my scotch tape....so I used little pieces of packaging tape....I improvised supplies all along the way with this piece. 

I do like how the chevron pattern looks a little dimensional.  After taking this photo I tried to add a little shading to emphasise the hills and valleys....but that was a mistake. So it goes.

I've already finished and mailed my second card to Becky.  I used the same technique but with watercolors this time and a different pattern and I'll be able to share it later in the week. 

We're off and running with our 4x6 exchange....and it's going to be a fun journey.

Best Moment

This social media post someone made me laugh: 

This one made me sad:

This one was reassuring:

It was a glorious breezy late summer day!  This view on my walk this morning made me pause....there seemed to be so many layers of color and texture.....such a peaceful scene.

And look what took a field trip to Lexington.  I couldn't bear to leave the 5 buds behind in Portland....so I took my white rain lilies on the road and enjoyed keeping an eye on them all day long. Joy sometimes looks like this.

But I think the best moment all day long was when I got this photo in a text from my neighbor Sandy who lives across from me at the condo.  She started reading my blog recently and knew I would appreciate this beautifully imperfect bright red leaf she picked up on her front walk this week. I'm guessing she'll have wabi-sabi things drying on her window sill all fall!

Joy most certainly looks like this.

On Second Thought

After talking to Becky today we decided that I shouldn't write about the art cards I'm sending until after she and Brenda get them each week.  So we'll see how long it takes my first card to get to Madison...then I can share it. It makes perfect sense.....but it's the only artsy creative thing I've done recently and I've even started my second one....but I guess it's back to celebrating Mother Nature.  And she's always worth celebrating! It won't be long before she'll turn her beautiful fall colors and then get tucked in for the winter....so I should enjoy her while I still can.

Paul and I saw this mushroom mound on a walk....it looked like a potato....or a rock.

I thought this two toned acorn was adorable!

And this beauty was in my garden.

And the bees are loving the tall verbena I planted on the other side of our fence.  The monarchs love it too...but I've only seen one so far.

The coral bell is as purple and pretty as ever and I continue to be impressed with the yellow moonbeam coreopsis.  I was an avid deadheader all summer and it's been going strong since the beginning of July.  This time of year so many perennial gardens are starting to look tired.  But my garden, which is mostly full of textures of greens, still looks as pretty and lush as it did in June.

  

Something New

"And suddenly you know....it's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." Meister Eckhart

I've started an art exchange project with my friend Becky and her friend Brenda....both from Wisconsin. Brenda is an artist and knitter and knows of me through my blog and she and Becky often get together to make art.  Becky thought it would be fun if the three of us started a weekly exchange to encourage our creative practice...connect us through art.....and help support the post office.  

When I was visiting Becky last summer she gave me a box of 4x6 file cards that would have otherwise been thrown away at her work...but she knew they were worth saving.  I was in the middle of my 100 day project at the time where I was using the smaller ones....so she thought they might come in handy....for both of us.

I have fond memories of my 100 day project! I enjoyed making every card and I flip through them now and again to revisit that journey.

http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2019/09/100-days.html

We've decided to use these 4x6 cards as the base for our exchanges. We'll be on a three week rotation and this was week one and I've already sent my first one on to Brenda.  Week two I'll send one to Becky and I'll keep week three.  Then we'll repeat....over and over until we decide to stop.  There are no rules....no expectations...and we're just going to keep it simple and create something.

I'll write about it tomorrow because everyone should have theirs in the mail by then....so Saturdays is likely when I'll share what I've been up to on this new little project.

Beautiful Blues

This is the last of the branches I found with empty acorn caps....but I'm going to keep my eye out for more.  This one was inspired by the beautiful blues of yesterday's hydrangea.  

I brought the dried wreath petals to Maine to add to my wabi-sabi collection.

I couldn't be more excited to report that there are actually 5 blooms coming on the white rain lily. I know it's getting a little old hearing about it....but here I go again.

It was a busy day doing this a little of this and a little of that....

but it was a quiet evening on the patio with beautiful blues...and a little pink in the night sky.

Night Sky

"When it's over, I want my life to be a bride married to amazement."  

Mary Oliver

I spent most of last evening sitting on our back patio in Lexington.  The humidity was lifting and there was a nice breeze.  I wrote my blog post and got busy with other things...head down on my computer screen.  As it started to get dusky (my favorite time of day) I happened to look up....

...and saw the moon perfectly framed in an opening in the branches against a stunning night sky.  A good reminder to pay attention and be present wherever I am....and always remember to look up.

I don't have the right camera to do the scene justice....but once I tried I closed my computer, set down my phone and enjoyed the beautiful evening and the marvelous night sky.

What a difference a day makes....the air was cool and breezy today....almost fall like and I love it!  

I'm celebrating hydrangea again today.  This blossom in front of my house is turning a beautiful dusty purple and the textures are amazing!

And these beauties are completely dry...and still lovely shades of blues and purples.

Janet and I admired these blossoms on our walk....there's just something about hydrangea that makes me pause.

One Of The Many Reasons....

....I love my husband.  

I'm in Lexington and Paul is at the condo and I asked him to keep an eye on the new rain lily bloom....it was just barely starting when I left on Sunday evening. These are the photographs he sent me today. This one opened up pretty quickly!

He also has been paying attention and knows I sometimes frame my feet in the photo.  He's humoring me here....but he's also honoring me....and I love that about him. He was probably chuckling when he took the photo (ratty old sneaker slippers and all) and I chuckled when I got it.  One of the many reasons he's a keeper.

And because he REALLY knows me he remembered to look closely and found two more blooms....maybe even three.  This white rain lily is on a roll and I couldn't be more excited.

I've moved most of my art and craft supplies to Maine.....probably a little too soon.  We were supposed to be moving to Maine full time around November 1st....but Paul's retirement has been delayed because of the pandemic.  More on that another time. But I found a few makeshift supplies that allowed me to do a little experiment today....and I'll be reporting on it in a few days.  It was mostly a cleaning and sorting day and I set the timer and worked for an hour then crafted for a little bit.  I did this off and on all day and it was good motivation.....and helped me stay focused on the main task. 

This may not look like anything now....but this little piece of card stock was transformed with a few simple supplies.

It Was Time

I'm back in Lexington for a few days....and thanks to Anne and Dana we have a colorful and important sign in our yard.  It was time.

This patch of Black Eyed Susans in Lexington Center is in its prime. Lexington does a great job with its public spaces..... and It's always a pleasure to walk through town.

Five....

 ....that's how many days the white rain lily bloom lasted.  

It was still beautiful as it shriveled up in a wabi-sabi kind of way.

But do you see what I see?  Another bloom is coming!  Nature just keeps on giving.

And how beautiful is this wabi-sabi touch of fall.  Pretty darn beautiful!

And these giant sunflowers against the bright blue sky at a local garden center captured my heart! They had to be 7 or 8 feet tall.  

Wooly Leaf

Ever since I made that second Swirls of Color project in the leaf design....I've wanted to try another one.  I was curious how it would work with wool......so I've been working on an experiment for a few days. The first one can be seen here in this post: http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/07/learning-curve.html

I'm just starting to add some hand embellishments....but this is where I ended today.  Some of the yarns appear brighter in this photo than they really are....and there are things I most certainly will do differently next time.  That's always the way it goes.  The piece is 5 x 7.

Here's my process:

I drew out my pattern on a piece of heavy stabilizer.

I made some little pattern pieces using tracing paper and I cut the pieces out of wool. I was able to mush them together better together when I added the stitching but I did tack them down with a fabric glue stick.

Using some decorative stitches on my machine I stitched down all the raw edges.

Next I added yarn pieces over the seams couching them with another decorative machine stitch.  In the end it might have been better to couch these by hand....because the machine stitching flattened out the yarns more than I would have liked.  But I do think it's an interesting effect.

I think the seam towards the bottom left with the dark blue yarn and the black swirl design is my favorite.  I'm not so sure about the glass beads with the wool.....but that's what experimenting is for!

The framing was done digitally and helps me with the visualizing and planning.  I think there's potential here!