A Splash of Color

Trellises built by my brother-in-law Craig...super cool use of old windows. Minneapolis, MN

Sun Stars and Moon

I mentioned the "Sun Moon Stars calendar a while back that I used for the covers of my Six Word Story Book and my quote journal.

For about 7 or 8 years in a row when my kids were growing up I bought the same calendar.  It featured watercolor images of....you guessed it...suns, stars, and moons.  I loved the colors...both vibrant and soft...and even some neutrals. I saved every single calendar and was disappointed when they no longer were available.  To this day I pick my calendars based on potential for repurposing...and I always look for "Sun Moon Stars" to reappear. 

          I love mixing up the punched squares...such a happy palette.  Since I am careful and stingy I use almost every inch of every page...so I still have plenty of pages for more projects.  

I also love that life with the kids is behind these squares...

the dentist appointments, karate, school band concerts...it's all there.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I am writing this on April 12th and it's mom's birthday....she would have been 89 today. One of my favorite things I have from my mom is this needlework bell pull she made.  It hangs in my living room and I see it almost every day.

 

My mother was a a busy woman having raised nine children on a farm. But I have a very clear image of her relaxing in a rocking chair in the corner of the dining room at the end of a long day...reading, looking through magazines, and once in a while doing a little needlework.  She loved that spot...away from the TV and the kids.

One of my fondest memories was coming home very late at night from my waitressing job and seeing the dining room light on...knowing she waited up sitting in her corner.  She did this every now and then and loved helping me count my tips.  I miss her!

The picture below is me at 2 months old with my mom in 1959....I was the 7th child.  She always said she loved the babies...all 9 of them.



In this beautiful picture I think she was just 18.
Elaine Marie Funk Miller.  1926-1988.

A Splash of Color

The first of what will be the occasional post featuring one of my photographs of "a splash of color." And an introduction to the quilt artist/blogger who inspired the idea. 

A Splash of Color

Door County, Wisconsin

One of Maryline's quilts

I love to soak in the world around me...finding joy in the details.  

Swiss quilter, Maryline Collioud-Robert seems to do just that and I have been checking out her blog called "Mary & Patch" for quite some time. I love her quilts...and I love the way she approaches her blog. She has regular features like a "blue spot"...and now more recently a "rainbow spot."  They are little snapshots of the world...so simple...so delightful.

Here a a few of her "blue spots."  Now you see where I got my idea for "a splash of color."

She also has regular posts called "inspiration".... pictures and images that inspire her art and quilting and another called "Pinterest led me to"...which is exactly what you think.

   She found this awesome wool piece here.

Another feature is "Color Vibrations" where she shows a color palette based on a beautiful photo she has taken and, "Favorite Post of the Week"...fun things she discovers on other blogs.

It was fascinating to see the secret behind the photo in one of her "favorite post this week" found here.

Finally a series of images called "China mosaics" where she grouped images in different color schemes from her travels to China.  Stunning to look at!

I am going to adapt a few of Maryline's ideas for my blog but will make them my own.

Thanks for inspiring me Maryline!

Inspire

I was walking with Anita a few mornings ago and this "inspire" caught my eye in a store window.

There are so many people and things that inspire me....and I love it when I just stumble on them.

This photograph is courtesy of a Google search.

Photo from their blog.

While I lived in Madison I was introduced to a wonderful store called Anthology on State Street near the Capital. It's owned by two sisters, Sachi and Laura Komai, and is jam packed full of craft supplies, hand made items, paper products, color, and just plain fun! I loved going in...I hardly ever walked out empty handed and always left inspired.

"Store and Stories:  Collections to Inspire, Create & Celebrate" from their blog

Random diversion....my family on Sate Street with the capital in the background.

My three men record shopping on State Street.

Nate, Sam and Paul

 

One day I came home with this sweet little book written by Laura Komai, one of the owners. I was drawn to the colors and images....all presented in grids of different size squares...and I was happy to support the good work of this wonderful store. This book can be found here...and you can even get a look inside on this site.

At first I just enjoyed the images...frequently flipping through the pages...reading the headings, and studying the photos of beautiful places and projects.  Then one night I read the words...and I actually got a little emotional.  I know that sounds corny...but it felt like some of the pages were my own voice...like I could have written them.

On the back cover Laura describes her book as..."A collection of words and images, things made and things found, from here and there, colors and textures, fabrics and papers, buttons and baubles, from thirtysomething years of gathering and creating and wondering and wandering. Enjoy the journey!"

Sounds like the goal of my blog. Even though I hadn't picked up this book for a few years it has been rattling around in my head...quietly inspiring me...nudging me.

"I believe that you should be bringing something, anything beautiful or interesting or moving or just pretty, something that is YOURS, into the world right now.  What are you waiting for."  excerpt from the book

Laura talks about "spending hours sorting and gathering, from my mother's buttons to magazine ads and craft supplies.  Some people find all these collections overwhelming, but I find great enjoyment and inspiration in the process of collecting and using such diverse materials."  I couldn't have said it better myself.  

I share Laura's love for quilts, collecting, the color blue and a new appreciation for orange, the beach, paper, snippets, polka dots, the rainbow spectrum, and children's books...and on and on.

I haven't met you yet Laura...but it feels as though you are a kindred soul!  And your wonderful little book is an inspiration to me.   Thanks Laura!

Grids, Squares and Stamps

I love my 1 inch square punch!  It's one of the tools I use most often.

I used it here for these pages for my Pinterest inspired art journal.

    

I made a diamond grid on my computer and filled in with punched watercolor squares. I finished it off with a stamps and embellished it a bit.

For this page I used the same grid but I grayed the squares to give it a shadow effect. Then I filled in with watercolor squares and some handmade paper.  Finally I added the stamp detail around the edge. To get a black edge on the watercolor squares I just traced the edge with a black sharpie.

To get a perfect triangle... you can put your paper in your square punch just 1/2 way...lining up corner to corner.

For this page I folded blue circles around the watercolor squares.  Then I glued them into place and added the little stamp designs.  I traced the edges of the circles with black sharpie before I folded them....I like that black edge.


It reminds me of the cathedral window quilt pattern.

I will use some of these ideas again....There are lots of fun things that you could do.

These pages were somewhat inspired by this pin I found on Pinterest from Fickr.

Walk the Beach

"Walk the beach...to find a treasure...to exercise the limbs...to soothe the soul. Walk the beach...to praise God and admire her hard work.  Walk the beach...to watch the waves...to feel the sun against your face.  Walk the beach...just to walk...to think...and to reflect." 

My sister Angie sketched this picture for me. The "walk the beach" quote is hand written around the edges and it lives up near the top of the collage wall going up my stairs. 

I love it and I love walking the beach...it's one of my favorite things to do...and I always carry a bag for treasures.

I used the quote here....on this beachy page in Ellen's art journal during our shared project.  I used watercolor, doodles, fibers, and bits of glass and shell beads...and a little glitter.

The companion page below is mostly cutouts from a Hancock Fabric catalog.

The Balcony Garden

For several years I have helped my friend Connie plant a garden on her balcony. She loves different textures of greens and whites but we throw in a little purple and yellow. The favorites are potato vine, coleus, diamond frost, and licorice vine. We added in the purple Persian Shield and Millions Bells and the yellow and white marguerite daisies.

The daisies didn't get enough sun so we will try something else this year.

It always starts with a just a simple flat of plants....but it doesn't take long for it to take off and take over the balcony.

We have always planted white fall clematis (paniculata) in the back right corner to climb on the railing....and this year we planted moonflower in the right front corner...the two met in the middle and and it was spectacular!

             

We often caught a moonflower opening in the late afternoon.

The clematis went crazy last year and was a nice show for the lower courtyard 

and tumbled over the wall for the new neighbors to enjoy from their balcony.