Doodling and Coloring

I was excited to come home to my first pink rain lily blooms! The foliage is still filling in...but it always throws up a few teaser blooms early in the season. It's loving the summer weather.

Right behind it...the Bowman's root is in full bloom...and my sweet little yellow day lilies are  starting to bloom. I love my June garden.

Before we had headed to Deer Isle....I did a little slow doodling on the patio. 

I drew the whimsical little Bowman's root stars over and over. It was meditative and relaxing.

I took it with me in the car....and using a few colored pencils colored in the flowers. Not sure what's next with this...but doodling and coloring is good for the soul.

Remembering Margie

Today marks the one year anniversary of Margie's death....we miss her dearly. 

For those of you new to the blog...Margie was my mother-in-law who moved to Maine from Colorado back in 2018 so Paul and I could look after her during her end of life years. It was a privilege to have her in our lives on almost a daily basis for all those years.

I want to start by saying thank you again for all the cards and words of encouragement that were sent during that difficult last month of her life. My blog family really came through on my call for community...and that continues to bring me great joy.

Margie's favorite meal was breakfast. For years she enjoyed going out...but in her final years her preference was to have waffles at the condo with as many family members who could gather. 

Today...Paul and I went out for breakfast and talked about the joy that she brought into our lives. She would have been pleased.

Margie was an active volunteer and advocate for peace and justice. She supported and looked out for those who were struggling...always offering a helping hand or a generous donation.

In honor of her service, Paul and I put in a shift together at Maine Needs this afternoon. She would have smiled at the thought of Paul shopping for onesies.

I used cards that were sent to her for my Words of Encouragement fundraising project. I was able to purchase over 500 pairs of underwear for Maine Needs....so it was extra special to be there today.

Margie loved to color...so in memory of her, here are a few of the montages I put together over the years that featured one of  her coloring pages paired and the beauty that was around me at the time. It's been a really good day....remembering Margie.

Delight

I have been quietly looking for this folder of Margie's coloring in my studio for over a year...probably longer. I had it in my possession at one time....making copies to shrink and turn into cards and using pieces and parts of a few originals to make more cards. Margie sent a lot of cards....she was the best card sender of anyone I know!

But I must have given it back to her at one point. I remember now that she was thinking about making her own cards and I wanted her to have her own stash of papers back. I'm so glad I found it in one of the boxes we brought home. I was giddy with delight! 

I'll figure out some fun things to do with these over these next years.

And the even better side story is that Margie also had her current coloring books and her vast assortment of colored pencils and markers at her apartment. Making quick decisions (in the middle of my covid bout) we bundled it all up and gave it to Sam to use in the middle school special education classroom where he works. 

Most students need calming projects during some of their classroom time and coloring is a favorite one. 

Almost immediately Margie's stash was in the mix and quickly became some of the student's favorites. Sam was able to share this with his grandma while she was still alive....she was so pleased.

Joyful delight!

Evening Light

I love the way the evening light was shining on my puzzle last evening....

...it made the colors really glow.

I'm still having fun with this one!

I'm so delighted that I'm going to have new daylily blooms every day for a while...they're so cheery.

It was a good afternoon for painting on the patio. Well...in some ways not really. The paint dried way to fast so the results were not as good as the setting and experience. But it certainly was enjoyable.

I visited Margie this morning...and she's been busy.  Here are some of her recent coloring pages. She's really on a roll...and having a great time!

This is her work in progress.

And although I'm mostly I'm going to work directly on the cards....today was a good day to just stitch something on my day 11 ICAD.  

This watercolor mandal has been hanging around the studio for a while...and now it has a home.

Good Day For Coloring

There seems to be something new blooming almost every day in the June gardens.

My Bowman's root from my sister Nancy is blooming...it's such a handsome airy plant. The slender dark pink buds open to delicate light pink star-shaped flowers...and they just make me smile. 

This little sprig is going on my window sill. I love the little buds just the way they are...but maybe they'll open in my window. 

And look at this peony I saw on my walk.

And my yellow daylilies are just covered in buds and the first one opened up today. I counted at least 50 on my little cluster of plants. 

Today's card was a simple stip of fused fabric scraps.  

And I wanted to try Maryanne's doodle technique again...this time in my watercolor journal. It was a good day for coloring.

I used the same markers I used on the card. The color is a little intense...so I'm going to do the opposite page with regular watercolor. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day for painting. 

Color and Blooms

Paul and I jumped at the chance to spend a fews day at some friends' getaway home in Strafford, Vermont. It's due west of Portland as the crow flies...but it's certainly not a straight line to get here.

We took the quickest way on this end going south then north and west. We'll take the scenic route through the white Mountains on our way home on Thursday...and I'm looking forward to that.

It's also day 4 of the ICAD challenge. I knew what I wanted to do...so I prepped a card ahead of time with gesso and drew in the black geometric design with a black permanent marker.

Then I colored it in with watercolor markers....which was a little tough in the car. But it was a good way to pass some time on the highway while Paul was singing along with Bob Dylan on the radio.

It was inspired by artist Maryanne Shakyhand who is a master at these intricate designs. You can find her here on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/maryanneshakyhand/

After I finished the coloring...I went over the black lines again....also a little tricky in the car. 

Still on my roll with my day 4 of the ICAD challenge!

Then we settled into Dana and Sean's beautiful home...in a spectacular setting. 

How lucky are we! So much to soak in and explore. There's color and blooms everywhere and an amazing creek running through the property. 

Details

We have been working on pool renovations at our condo complex for quite sometime...and today was our grand opening celebration. 

Being on the pool committee there were lots of details to tend to all along the way. And today there were balloons to pick up...brownies to make...and things to set up and spiff up. 

We have a new cedar privacy fence, new pavers and mostly new landscaping. 

I live right across the street...

...so it's easy for me to pop over for early morning swims. I's just a delight.....and I am fully aware of how lucky I am.

But other than helping to water the new plantings....that project is behind me now.....which hopefully means more time for art! But I did have a nice visit with Margie this morning and was able to enjoy some of her art. 

I was tickled to see her recent finished coloring page on the right...and one in progress on the left.

They are fairly large pages...and I'm going to try and shrink the image down to make some cards for her to send. She's one of the best note writers I know!

I love the color scheme she chose. Well done Margie! 

She's got a nice little set up with a rolling cart with all her supplies...

and the sorted fall colors on the left are all ready for the next project...which is going to be fabulous!!!

And here's maybe the most useful art found object in a while...a piece of tyvek I found alongside the road.

Bonus points for anyone who knows what I'm going to use it for!

Rainbow Delight!

There's nothing that brightens a busy day better than a rainbow. 

Margie has been coloring again...and we were both pretty tickled that she colored this page in rainbow order! It's just a delight! Well done Margie!

Color and Cut

We're expecting some remnants of Hurricane Lee tomorrow. It's always interesting to watch a storm pass through and it sounds like wind may be the major issue. I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere.  

I have several blooms and more buds coming on my white rain lily....so I think I'll bring it inside tonight so it doesn't get blown around.

It's been a good year for this precious plant!

Becky sent me this photo today of the mother plant in Wisconsin.

It's blooming for the first time this summer...and I see more buds on hers too!

So what do you do with your pile of zinnia doodles?  

You color and cut them out. I started with more traditional colors...

then moved on to colors that weren't.  Why not!  I may add more shading and texture as I add them to cards. It was kind of relaxing!

Another lovely zinnia bloom in progress from our morning walk.