July!

And just like that it's July!  

Right before I left for my trip...and sticking with my theme of whatever is on my table....I stitched part of my recent blob watercolor to Becky's July calendar page.  

These next few days in Madison will be filled with time with dear friends.  

Contrast

Last evening as I was walking across my lawn a teeny tiny purple flower caught my eye....it was just glowing in the setting sun. My plant app told me it was "strict blue-eyed grass"...and not actually a grass at all, but in the iris family. 

I had to stand in the shade to photograph it...and it was hard to get my camera to focus on something that small. I was smitten with this single....tiny perfect bloom....a beautiful contrast to the green and somewhat scrappy grass.

I took this photo this morning...and fell in love again because yesterday I didn't see the fabulous little stripes or the details in this precious center.

After happy hour this afternoon I wanted to show Paul...and just like that it had shriveled up and was gone.

I'm so glad I paused to look...then go back and look again. It's always worth it! 

This morning while Paul and I were walking one of our regular routes this amazing wisteria caught my eye. I've probably seen it before...but it's like I was seeing it for the first time. It was stunning!

What instantly struck me, however, was the contrast of these very robust and showy blooms against the single tiny blue-eyed grass bloom from last evening. Both beautiful in their own way....and I actually think my heart leans towards the blue-eyed grass.

One of my quiet creative projects over the past week or so was Becky's June calendar page...and she just got it today....FOUR days early! In keeping with my theme of whatever is on my table I used more of my strip scraps...and some of my recent scribble flowers.

The envelope liner is a catalog page 
that as just sitting on my table!

And I'm chuckling because it actually pairs nicely with this photo from my early morning swim. My toes could be the flowers and that red striped umbrella in the background matches the one contrasted red stripe strip in the collage with the fencing and the colors mirroring the rest of the collage strips. You can't make this stuff up. Ha ha...actually I just did. We see what we want to see.  

  

On My Table

I can't believe it's almost April...and tomorrow is Easter! Time does seem to fly these days.

After I met with Ida and Sally....I used what was left from Tuesday at the Table to make the April calendar page for Becky....and I got it in the mail early!  Seemed just right since my theme this year is whatever is on my table.

I cut a piece from my example master board...and used several of the tissue doodles that I had on hand. 

April calendar page ✔

On my table upstairs.....I added more leaves and some black and white pen doodles to my recent collage. 

I'm not sure I love it....the second set of cutout leaves are too big. I used the same leaves for both gelli prints...but I wish I would have chosen something else like palm leaves. Oh well.  

I do think it's better....or at least more interesting now.  

 

And I did add the birds to the grid collage page....and did an experiment with paper cuts. It's always tricky glueing down delicate papercuts.

So this time I put fusible webbing on the back of the paper before I cut out the circles....and all I had to do was iron it on the collage.  It worked perfectly.  

There are times that I might not want to iron on top of a collage....so I'm going to do this with caution.  

One more sitting and this colorful puzzle will be done.  

I'm saving it for Easter morning.

Vision

Jim, our handman stopped by yesterday with something he built for me.  He primed it...and I put a finish coat of paint on today...and I'm pretty excited about installing it.  It's something I've been thinking about since we bought the condo 6 1/2 years ago....and I can't wait to see if it matches the vision in my head.

It's clearly a ladder type thing....but do you have any idea what I'm going to use it for?  Here are a few hints:

1. It was inspired by my sister Angie.

2. It will solve a problem because of a decision I made in this condo.

3. It will allow me to display a colorful collection of things I love.

I also worked on my doodle glazing piece today.  It may be done...but the more layers of glaze here and there...the more depth it will have.

Do you see the touch of gold? (I had to take the photo at an angle to turn the light on.)

And that odd shape at the bottom is a cutout covering up a big misstep. Shhhh.

I don't know what happened at the end of February....but I completely forgot about Becky's March calendar page.  She's been traveling....and gets home today...so maybe she'll barely notice that it's late.

Continuing my theme of whatever is on my table...I scrambled to get something in the mail yesterday.  

I had one last piece of a woody pencils/gelli print sitting right there....along with my page of fusible joy tags.  So simple and sweet.....March is on the way!

Welcome home Becky and David!

I'm going to sift through the other things on my table and start working on April's!  

Other Things

There are things to celebrate today....and most of them don't have anything to do with Valentine's Day.  I know that's a thing today....but not as big of a thing as these other things.

Our family celebrated Nate's (our oldest) birthday this morning with a simple breakfast at Margie's place.....I love it when we're all together.  Nate's birthday is actually on Groundhog's Day...but he was sick over his birthday so today was the day!

Nate has grown into quite am amazing young man and Paul and I are so proud of him.  He has overcome some pretty difficult obstacles in his life including cancer...and I believe he is stronger....and more grateful for because of it all.  

It's also my sister Nancy's birthday today!  And if you had to be born on a holiday...Valentine's Day is the one! Happy Birthday Nancy!

This is something I made for her back in 2015...the background is made from punched sky and sea photos from a vacation that she and her husband took to Brazil. 

You can see a whole year of calendar pages I did for her with photos from their trip here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-brazilian-birthday.html I had a blast playing with the photos!

After at least 10 years....Nancy and I  decided that it was time for my yearly calendar to come to an end.

Because she she shares a birthday with Valentine's Day....hearts were often a theme.

Nancy also loves hands....beautiful images of hands.  

And that was a fun theme too!  

I'm also celebrating the fact that I actually did the homework on blooms and bleeds with enough success to understand how different techniques can be used to get different effects. 

I will practice these techniques again and again.  I want to really own them.

And....it may be Valentine's Day....but it's also Ash Wednesday....and that's my segue into celebrating my very favorite thing person.  

Paul is retired...but he's going to work tonight to do an Ash Wednesday service.  He has been a Bridge Pastor for a small church in Scarborough for a while now...just doing Sunday services and special ones like tonight. I'm so proud of him for finding opportunities in retirement to continue to use his crazy mad preacher skills....and I'm so appreciative for all he does for me and our family.

Paul is my biggest cheerleader.  He supports everything I do no matter how big of a mess I make.

And there is no one I would rather have by my side....

through this that...and other things.

A Pile of Scraps

Becky sent me this quote a few days ago:  

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." Henry Ward Beecher

I couldn't agree more....I do try and find joy in simple...everyday...and common things.  But I chuckled as I reworked the quote for the purposes of this post to say that the art of simple joy lies in the power of extracting an idea from a pile of common scraps.

I've been trimming things up for a couple of weeks now...and I finally had to pause and sort through the precious little scraps looking for useful bits and pieces. I had to make room so I could do more trimming.

This is what my cutting table looked like last night....I sorted through all of it looking for gems.  And you'll never guess what little scrap caught my eye to use first. You might not even notice it.

There at the bottom of the photo was one piece of gold thread....and I can't even remember what project it was from.  I just couldn't throw it away....so I wrapped it around one of my collage hearts....and secured it with a layer of glue on the pieced background.

I trimmed it up and it became a unique scrappy Art Heart with a little shimmery texture.

Speaking of scraps....I try and use every scrap of a collage so I cut the tiny hearts from the corners and spaces.

You can't really stitch around these tiny hearts (I tried).....but you can stitch across them. I think this is a sweet trio.

This whole piece is just a few inches.

And I'm pretty sure Becky got my February calendar page....and if you remember the theme for this year is "whatever is on my table." 

Of course there were Art Hearts on my table.....and I found a little fusible tree leftover from another project.  

I think it's a sweet little combo for February 2024!

Birthday Blobs

This is the time of year that signs of fall start popping up here and there.

Random leaves turning colors....acorns dropping in the backyard....

and cool mornings and evenings.  I love it.

Sumac is one of the first to turn...and I love the variety of colors.

Paul even picked up a found object in fall colors.  It looks like wire...but it's plastic so doesn't bend....I'm quite fond of it.

I can't believe September is right around the corner.  September and October are my favorite months....so bring it on.  I've spent nearly 1/2 of August being sick....so I'm ready for a change of the calendar.

But September also means I have a 2024 reader calendar to assemble for Liz's September birthday....and I had to get the September 2023 calendar page in the mail to Becky.

Becky gave me Terry Runyan's book Painting Happiness last summer...and her 2023 calendar has been inspired by Terry's work.   

I'm often finishing them at the last minute...and forget to take photos so have not posted about them very much.  They're not masterpieces....but I've had fun with it. 

But with September looming....and in the midst of my COVID fog.....

I was inspired by one of Terry's recent  Instagram posts and made Becky some birthday blob cupcakes.  Terry often starts with watercolor blobs that she turns into birds and other whimsical images.

https://www.instagram.com/terryrunyan/

I think the touches of gold are just right for 

Becky's birthday month calendar page.

And I found the perfect scrapbook paper for the envelope liner.  

It's like an envelope full of confetti cupcake sprinkles.

Or maybe they're confetti blobs!

Sealed With A Snippet

We had another one of those beautiful sunsets last night that changed by the minute......and I love this view out our patio doors. 

Sometimes I just tickle myself. OK....there might be a better way to phrase that....  but it's gotta be a good thing when you can make yourself chuckle.

That's what happened this morning as I was closing up the giveaway envelopes and it dawned on me to "seal them with a snippet."

Here's a few of them....I hope they don't fall off!

Bonus points for anyone who recognizes where this snippet came from.

I've blogged about this resource a few times over the years......it's still one of my favorite things to cut up.  The answer will be at the end.

I got this delightful handmade card from Susan today. These funky feathered friends were inspired by the whimsical art of Terry Runyan.  Her work is colorful and playful....featuring cats, birds, flowers...and big hair!

https://www.instagram.com/terryrunyan/

A page from the book about "blob birds."

I have followed Terry's art on Instagram for years....so how delighted was I when Becky gave me her book when I visited last summer. 

Who doesn't want to paint happiness! 

Becky is one of the people I make a calendar for....so I decided this year's would be inspired by Terry's Painting Happiness Book.

I did the first 6 months as a Christmas gift.....and didn't even take one photo.  I asked Becky to send me this one....because I wanted to share them after getting Susan's card. I'm not really all that proud of them....but I was pretty tickled with the connection with Susan.  Maybe I'll be proud of the next 6!

The little snippet came from my favorite calendar I used for years and years when the kids were growing up. You can read about it here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/04/sun-stars-and-moon.html  I told you every snippet has a story.

Shiny Objects

Nancy's December calendar page is going to be late....I just lost track of time. 

 

I'm letting myself get lost in whatever is in front of me.  I've spent hours rearranging shelves and handling and sorting little piles of painted papers and fabulous fodder as I try and organize my studio.....yet it doesn't' even look any different (yet).  I'm giving myself permission to watch art how-to videos....or Netflix....or get absorbed and sidetracked in whatever happens to be the shiny thing of the moment. 

That's how the striped card happened. I was cleaning off work table...and came across a pile of painter paper off cuts from previous projects...and was compelled to glue them all together.  

I want to head into the rest of this holiday season with a calm spirit and grateful heart.  Whatever gets done gets done....and whatever shiny object grabs my attention is going to get it. And....I'm going to enjoy it all.

The theme of Nancy's calendar this year has been handwritten hearts....and once again the background is our sister Angie's handwriting.  I even found a line from her writing that said "here in my heart."

The scrap card is a little goofy....but I did try and use some of the lessons learned from the last one.  

I tried to use the design rule of thirds and I did do a light whitewash over the whole piece which unified the collage and knocked down some of the bright colors.  I added the little green squiggle cutout at the end....just because I found it.  It was probably better without it....but there it is.  

I'm understanding just now as I write this that IT was one of those shiny objects that grabbed my attention!  Now I love it there.

I do want to share my new favorite tool for collaging.  I went to an art store looking for a hand held squeegee type thing to smooth out collage work and pull paint across the page.  They didn't have one....but I picked up this spatula thing.....and didn't start using it until recently.  

Acrylic paint and the mediums I use for gluing and collaging are plastics and should NOT go down the drain.  I'm being careful to clean my brushes really well BEFORE I actually take them to the sink. 

But I'm finding this spatula perfect for much of my collage work...and it's super easy to clean.  I can spread the matt medium on the substrate...smooth down the paper....and cover it with a top coat all with this tool.  Then I can scrape off the extra into the container and just wipe it clean with a rag.  And I use the same rags until they can stand up on their own before I throw them away.