Your Joyful Puttering

Subtitle: How Can I Help?

We had some freezing rain overnight....

so everything was sparkly and glassy this morning.

Ice is so interesting!

 

I recently listened to a podcast by Laura Horn Art called The Hidden Benefits of Mediocre Days.  There were several nuggets of wisdom....but the one that resonated with me the most was to stop worrying about about the end game. Focus on the experience and the process....making it engaging, fun, and accessible.  The results will come.

So I'm going to stop thinking that I need to know what the end game will be....and I'm just going to ask....how can I help you?  How can I facilitate your joyful puttering?

So if you have any interest in starting a conversation about what I can do for you....email me at joyfulputtering@gmail.com  

There is NO pressure at all to respond....life is too short to do things we don't need or want to do. For those of you who have no interest in art...good for you....I appreciate you following along.  And for those of you who are interested....but unsure of what you want....over the next several days/weeks/months I'm going to share some possibilities of things I can offer to you for purchase. I've been creating and collecting for most of my life...so my ideas and inventory are vast.  

I'm starting things off by offering simple painted paper packs for Art Hearts or other collage projects. You know I've been cutting up all my papers....and I'm ready to get them out into the world.  Email me if you have interest.

The photos below are examples of what can fit in an envelope with just one stamp....so no shipping cost for you....and no trip to the post office for me. I won't waste ounces on envelope liners, directions, or background papers like I would put in a kit. I'll just include an ounce of painted papers and tissue for collage and a few sample Art Hearts.

One might call it Another Ounce of Joy!  That project was almost exactly a year ago!

If you want some of the extras...I'm happy to add them AND stuff the envelope with as much as I can fit in. The price would be a little higher...and and I would add the cost of shipping.

Pricing is tough for me....but I am currently thinking $7 for a one stamp envelope of joyful  papers.

I can't do all one color....

but I could give you a choice of warm or cool colors...or of course a mix.

One more icy branch.

I Love To Putter

It's not news that I am easily distracted.  I come across something interesting and I just want to play. I love to putter....because it brings me joy. 

In my search for painted papers to cut up I found an experiment I did a while ago with Woody Stabilo water soluble pencils. I stopped everything...cut it up...and made a little tag.

The process of making the print was simple....and the results were mixed. But when I cut up a so-so piece of art...it becomes an opportunity to create something new. 

To make the paper I spritzed a little water on my gelli plate...drew swirls with the Stabilo pencils....then pulled the print.  The amount of water was the key to success...it was trial and error and I just had to experiment.

When I added a little heart....it became an Art Heart Tag....and I love it. And doesn't it flow nicely from the last tag?  THAT...makes me happy.

Starting tomorrow...I'm going to begin talking about how I might be able to help you with your joyful puttering. Stay tuned.

And by the way....this fantastic Philippa Stanton puzzle is done

...and it was an absolute joy from start to finish!

Woo Hoo!

I loved the morning light....

....and the afternoon winter sun.

Both were enhanced by the silhouettes of the bare trees.

I spent the morning with a new handyman....and I was smitten. Ok...that may be overstating it...and maybe not even all that appropriate. But I can't tell you how excited I am to finally have someone who can help us with things that we either can't do ourselves...can't get to....or just don't want to do. 

I've been looking for someone since we bought the condo over 6 years ago....and I think I finally found the right guy.  I had a list....we checked almost everything off... and Jim is going to create/construct a few simple things I've been wanting for a long time. More on those later.  Woo Hoo!

Then I spent a chunk of time on taxes and paperwork....

...and all I really wanted to do was make Art Hearts. I'm hopeful for tomorrow!

And like I do almost every day.....after dinner I sat at the puzzle table for a few minutes....and smiled as I walked away.

I left the last 20 pieces in the corner for my morning coffee.  I want to finish it in the light of day....but I also know this drives some people crazy.

This puzzle has been amazing!  Woo Hoo!

Sight To Behold

Before taking Margie to an appointment this morning I stopped in her apartment to check out the amaryllis.  She called it a "sight to behold." 

There were two large blooms fully open and it looks like several more are coming. 

I was most interested in the lines and architecture of it.  The delicate curls....the dark edges and veining...and the layers of translucency.

 It was...a sight to behold.

It's still a funny looking thing...kind of a freak of nature on that tall stem without leaves.  But it's been fun....and she said she could see it opening up from one minute to the next yesterday.

And Margie had the large floral puzzle I did a while ago almost done on her table. It too....was a sight to behold.

I cut up what was left of one of my watercolor doodles this afternoon. When I trace the hearts on the back....I have no idea where the cuts are going to land on the front. Each one is so interesting....so much better than the larger piece.

I think the tiny ones are adorable.

Art Hearts....a sight to behold....?

I took that title too far didn't I!

Art Hearts

"I think the most special souls are those who see the humanness in others and choose to hold it with kindness instead of judgement." Helen Marie

One of things I've been playing around with is what I'm calling Art Hearts. 

I've done things like this before....I did a full calendar year of "handwritten hearts" for my sister Nancy in 2022.  

What I'm finding...again...is that the possibilities for Art Hearts are limited only by my imagination.  

I made this one today...and I quite like it.

All kinds of paper can work for Art Hearts.  I've been using gelli prints, painted papers, scrapbook paper, and now catalog snippets.  But junk mail, handwriting, cut up art, book pages, greeting cards and old calendars all would work well too.  Or a combination of any of them.  

This Art Heart started with a small collage of catalog scraps that I glued down on a piece of drawing paper with a glue stick . If the base paper is too heavy....the hearts are difficult to cut out.

I traced as many hearts on the back as I could fit and cut them out. I like them just as they are...but recently I've been mounting them on a background.

I glued together more catalog scraps and stitched on the heart.

I trimmed it up...and stitched it onto a piece of watercolor paper. I'm quite fond of this Recycled Art Heart. I'm putting together a few small Art Heart collage kits and I'll be reporting on that part of my journey at some point soon.

Open The Blinds

It was a whirlwind of a day....and I'm grateful for all the meaningful interactions with family and friends...and the tasks and chores I checked off my list.  I'm putting my feet up....taking a deep breath....and sharing one little joy nugget that landed in my day.

During a text conversation with my art buddies from Madison...Tracie shared that when she opened her blinds this morning this little work of ice art was on her window.  

It's beyond fabulous....and a good reminder of the simple beauty that is out there just waiting to be seen.  And sometimes...all you have to to is open your blinds.

And another thing I love about the photo is that Madison's Orton Park in the background....where Angie's tree is planted. 

JOY! 

Making and Cutting

Becky recently shared a quote from artist and educator Corita Kent. It's actually from a set of rules she posted in her classroom for her art students: "There's no win and no fail. There's only make." 

With no clear plan or path forward I've been busy making hearts....and cutting up papers in my studio. Known in my world as joyfully puttering.

I have decided it's time to clear my studio of almost ALL of my painted papers and endless supply of snippets and fodder. I want to move it out into the world one way or another.....because I know I will always make more.  

I'm going to try and let things go in an artful and creative way like putting little kits and collections together.  I may try and make a little money along the way...but my plan is to be generous. I'll keep you posted here....maybe some of you will have interest.

Becky's text came smack dab in the middle of this making...and cutting project. "There's no win and no fail, there's only make."

I first heard about Corita through my artist friend Muffy....so I knew just a little bit about her.  But Becky's text got me doing a little research....and the more I read....the more I loved her. "Corita's work reflected her concerns about poverty, racism, and war, and her message of peace and social justice continue to resonate with audiences today."

Her whole set of rules that were posted in her classroom resonated with me.

1. Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.
2. General duties of a student - pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.
3. General duties of a teacher - pull everything out of you students.
4. Consider everything an experiment.
5. Be self-disciplined...this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way.  To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.
6. Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.
7. The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
8. Don't try and create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.
9. Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.
10. "We're breaking all the rules.  Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities." John Cage

Hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on.  Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything - it might come in handy later.

Margie Morning

It's been a bit too icy for morning walks....

but the light was beautiful in the backyard when I went out to feed the the bluebirds.

As a general rule....Thursday mornings are Margie mornings...and that's always a good thing. There are two things to report.

She had a beautiful puzzle finished on her table....but I forgot to take a photo before I started taking it apart. I like to share what she's been up to.....it tickles me that puzzles bring her as much joy as they do me.

This color explosion will be on my table at some point.

Margie was gifted an amaryllis bulb for Christmas.  She liked the idea of it...but not the idea of tending it.  And she wasn't sure she had enough direct sunlight to get it launched. So I took it home....potted it up and hoped for the best. I've never done this before....so I wasn't sure I'd be successful. 

A week ago I noticed that the large bud was just starting to crack open...so I thought it needed to go back home.  I wanted Margie to be able to watch it unfurl.

Today....just one week later...it's several inches taller and the bud is opening up and at least two of the blooms will be unfurling soon. And I think there will be more.  We both admitted that it's pretty funny looking....and at this point we wouldn't really call it a handsome plant.  But we're pretty excited to watch what happens next....or at least I am.  Keep me posted Margie....I'll have to visit it...and you more often.

Noticing

I saw this quote on Instagram several days ago....and it reminded me that noticing goes beyond what's beautiful and interesting about the things around us. It's also important to notice things about the people around us....and respond accordingly.

"I love the art of noticing. Someone noticing your favorite snack, noticing the way your face lights up when you get excited about something, noticing the way you react when you don't like something." Perfect Sayings

We have a fresh 5 inches of  fresh snow on the ground here in Portland...but I didn't get out in it at all.  That's not like me....this day just disappeared!  

But Alyson sent me this incredible photo of her fresh snow in Denver a couple days ago....and I love everything about this little pile of fluffy flakes. I'm noticing that she's a great noticer!  

Our evening photo swap continues to be a source of joy for me.

Making progress on the puzzle....and I'm not even minding all the browns.

In Motion

I've got at least a half dozen projects in motion right now.....I'm having trouble keeping them straight.  There are piles all over the studio...and it would probably be a good idea to focus on just one...or even two.  But that's not Wanda's way.

If that last line doesn't make sense....you can read this post.  The whole quote about Wanda's way is at the end of the link.  For better or worse....Wanda's way...is my way: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2023/03/mediocrity.html

More common ground with Wanda:

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2023/03/back-to-mud.html

There are a few things finished...or nearly finished.  I made a little tag from a pan pastel print. It was a simple circular design that I didn't necessarily love....but once I added the white swirl everything changed.

I added asemic writing around the edge with a paint pen.  I know what I was thinking when I wrote it...but it's unreadable.  

The back is commercial paper that I tinted with pan pastels....getting good use out of Roseanne's gift. There's a lot on my mind.

I couldn't get this idea out of my head until I tried...and it's one of the things in progress. It may end up in the art journal.....I think it could be pretty cool with a quote along these lines.

I stitched strips of the pan pastel prints together on thin interfacing using decorative stitches on my machine.  Then I filled in some of the spaces in the stitching with white paint. 

     

I love these little bottles with the pins.....you can get a nice dimensional dot of paint with them....and great swirls.

I keep Art Glitter Glue in one (new favorite)...and slightly diluted white paint in the other.  I had to add the washi tape around the glue...because I've gotten them mixed up before.  These bottles are easy to squeeze and they don't clog....very often.

You can see in the background of the bottle photos that I have a heart project going on too.

I've got an idea in motion that's got me playing around with all kinds of hearts. More on that soon...ish.