Field Trip Friday

Our destination: Stowe, Vermont....a little off our field trip map.

Paul is performing a wedding in Stowe this weekend....what a beautiful drive through the Green Mountains this morning.






I loved the splash of color with a view at a rest stop along the way.

The wedding is in a field just behind this row of bee balm...let's hope for good weather.

It's A Start

You gotta' start somewhere.



I took a box of red fused fabrics to Maine so I could get a start on my Folt Bolt project for August. An all red project is going to be a challenge.

I started by making a little fused stripy fabric....it helped to get my gears grinding.

I can't get geraniums out of my head. And...if I'm honest I think I've liked the pieces I've done with more abstract plants or flowers....but I'll still play around with geranium petals and try not to be so literal. I am going to have to come up with a way to get some lighter reds mixed into the background. I might be able to collage some neutral fabrics and do some sort of a treatment with paints or pan pastels to get them reddish.  But of course I didn't have any of that with me....so it will have to wait. 

I love this piece of red tatting made by Paul's grandmother Gunderson. I've been saving it....but I should use it sometime and this project seems like a good opportunity.

Dorothy taught me how to tat...she was so tickled that I had interest. It's kind of tricky...but I did learn to tat a basic piece of lace.


This little pile doesn't look like much yet....but it's a start.

Problem Solving

An incredible evening sky from the patio in Maine.

A little creative problem solving today helping Janice get a program formatted and printed for Rachel's wedding this weekend. We may not have done it the easiest way....but we got there! And we had a good time.

Fuzzy Orbs

I'm quite fond of these fuzzy purple thistle orbs found 

in Jane's garden....

...and this seed pod on a datura plant Anita pointed out down town. The bloom on this plant is a lovely large white trumpet....but you gotta' love the seed pod....a fabulous fuzzy orb!

Ever Changing

There are a few gardens Anita and I like to check out on our morning walks and I'm grateful she remembers where they are. I actually started a draft about this garden back in June when the clematis was in it's full glory but I never finished it because other things presented themselves to write about. But this morning we enjoyed round two of this ever changing fence line garden.  It's easy to just walk by....but each time we paused and celebrated the colors and blooms.    

Here is what I wrote in June: 

This fence line garden is one of my favorites...the clematis and hydrangea are in their full glory. There will be different blooms all season long and is quite a treat for us walkers.

Here are some photos from today.  Last October I wrote about the coleus and dahlia explosion in this same garden. It's clearly one of our favorites.

A mid summer clematis and a beautiful mass of cone flowers is so pretty along the picket fence.

I'm not a big gladiola fan....but the colors are intense and the blooms are amazing when you take a close look.

 

A tiny clematis?  I think so. It was so dainty and sweet and I love the two tones of pink.

I planted some New Guinea impatiens for the first time this year. Next time I'll look for variegated because these are lovely and will coordinate nicely with my rain lilies.  

Speaking of rain lilies......they took a little break but looks what's coming at my house!

The summer is rounding the corner....but the gardens are still going strong!

Illumination Night

I listened to an interview on NPR this afternoon with Elizabeth Warren, our Massachusetts Senator and came away with an enlightening little tidbit! Instead of making a "to do list" Elizabeth makes "get to do list." That changes everything! By just thinking of how lucky we are that we "get to do" things....it can shift our attitude about them.

Last night I "got to" hang out with my good friend Jane and her family and friends at their seaside home. The evening started with a lobster feast....and ended walking the streets of Ocean Park for "Illumination Night."

Every year around this time the neighborhoods pull together and light up their little town using Christmas and novelty lights, candles, glow-in-the dark trinkets...and just about anything else you can think of.  Every year Jane's family does some creative installation on the front of their house and this year it was an octopus.

It wasn't quite dark when I took this photo....but it gives you a better perspective of the size.  They create it on chicken wire on the ground...then raise it up and attach it to the front of the house.  They certainly get the prize for the most fun.

There was a festive vibe all around town....the streets and porches were full of happy people and kids. I love events like this where communities pull together to make something happen....for the sake of tradition and just the fun of it.  

Although there was the threat of rain all night we did get a glimpse of the nearly full moon through the clouds.  The ocean is just over those dunes and the beach was filled with people and illuminated with light. Holes were dug in the sand and candles could be placed in honor of those who were in need of a prayer.

Thanks Jane for including me in on your illumination night festivities!

Festive Octopus

So where was I tonight  that had a 15 foot octopus on the front of their house? The answer will have to wait...I just got home from Maine and it's time for bed. But it was a fun and festive evening!

Lighthouses Part Two

Here's how the digital lighthouses were put together. Janice and Rachel described an idea and I came up with a way to make it happen. I enjoy a good creative challenge. 

I sandwiched foam core board between the two lighthouse images. It was easier for me to puzzle together smaller pieces of foam core than cut out a larger shape....or least that's what I told myself. I wanted there to be plenty of stability and this was pretty easy.

You can see why I printed a map on the back...I didn't like seeing the stark white back of the card stock showing through the gap. This seemed to be a reasonably easy solution...and you can also see why a blue border on the back might have been nice that I mentioned in the yesterday's post.                                     

We brainstormed ways to make stands and driftwood was the perfect solution. These are all pieces picked up on Willard Beach....just steps away from Spring Point....how fitting. And even more fitting is that the flowers on the tables will be in pewter mugs commemorating Rachel's grandfather's winning boat races.    

A wooden skewer was just the right size to poke into the foam core. I cut them down to make little pegs that I glued into holes drilled into the driftwood.

And there you have it.....a handmade table marker using a grandfather's nautical chart and driftwood from a beach just steps away from the wedding venue. Mission accomplished!

Some of my favorites are tucked in the back and sit on longer pieces of driftwood. Here are some of those in another photo.

Lighthouses...Part One

Digital lighthouses to be exact.

I mentioned about a month ago that I was going to tackle a digital art project for my friend Rachel's wedding. She is the daughter of Jay and Janice who I just sailed with recently. The wedding is a little more than a week away and I'm in full blown production mode.  Here's how the project got started....I'll report in on the finish in the next couple of days.

The task was to create 18 lighthouses to sit on the tables at the reception...each with a name of a Maine or New Jersey lighthouse. The bride is from Maine and the groom is from New Jersey.

I started with a photograph of a nautical chart of Casco Bay actually used by Rachel's grandfather. I found a simple shape of a lighthouse and overlaid the image onto the map.



I blocked out as much of the map as I could so I wouldn't waste ink. Next I printed each lighthouse onto card stock changing the name 18 times. I made the text boxes translucent so they could be easily read and the map would show through just a bit. I used a wide dark blue border so I could easily cut it out and create a defined frame. I placed a compass rose at Spring Point where the wedding will be held...which, by the way, is less than a mile from where I used to live in South Portland.

I created a mirror image of each lighthouse because it needed to be two sided....so that's actually 36 printed lighthouses.

I created a document with all the names...and checked and double checked for spelling and accuracy.  But still....I make no guarantees that they are 100% correct.  Art should have flaws anyway. If you find one....don't tell me. But then again...I could just make another one.

This is not all of them.

Before I cut them out I copied a more simple map on the back....you'll see why in the next post. I experimented with a blue border on this side two but it was too tricky to get it to line up perfectly to match the front. Stay tuned for part two.

Keep It Simple

The work has paused at the condo....and it's a welcome break from all the hustle and bustle of the last several weeks. There's more to do....but there's time. 

I still haven't hung one picture on the newly painted walls...which may seem a bit surprising for those of you who know me.  But there's a cheerful and comfortable vibe even without art....and it's feeling more and more like home.

Rest assured there will be art...but "keep is simple" is my new mantra.  I'm going to try.

Farmer's Market Rainbow

It makes me smile when beautiful images and artwork flow through my social media feed. This farmer's market rainbow came from Wellegance....how it landed on my screen is a mystery....but I'll take it!

August Color Scheme

The Folt Bolt color scheme for August is all the shades of red. It's kind of a tough one for my series but it will push me to think creatively and I'll come up with something. A few things are rolling around in my head....including red geraniums.

Seven down....five to go.