Polka Dots and Peonies

Margie and I went on a field trip to see the peonies at the Maine Audubon with a group from her community.  This peony/ice cream social is an annual event...but things are so far behind this spring  that only a relatively small number were in full bloom. It will be spectacular when they are all open...it's a pretty big patch. But we had a good time...and as you know I do like buds just as much as I like the flowers.

That's a pretty big flower packed into a very small ball.                                                                                               

I've already admitted that I sneak pretty paper napkins from parties....and occasionally I even buy a whole package.  I couldn't resist this package of watercolor dots.





They've been just sitting in a craft bin for quite a while so it was time to play with them. Yes...pretty paper napkins are for art...not wiping your hands.

I separated the layers and carefully sliced them into strips and snipped the circles apart. I collaged them on the back of a piece of a recycled calendar...so when you hold it to the light you can see the lines.  I forgot to try the deli paper....next time.

Each dot was numbered on the napkin....and at first I embraced the numbers. Then part way through decided to cut out the circles leaving just a white edge....which I liked better.  I do like the effect....it's the look of a watercolor with the texture of a collage.

I attached it to the card using a simple zig zag....and am pretty happy with the polka dots of #19.

Always Worth It

Make the effort.

I was laying in bed last night wondering if the fireflies were out yet in the woods. It would have been easy to just lay there and wonder....but instead I got up and headed outside.  No fireflies...but this little solar light made the trip worth the effort. 

The crackle finish reflected interesting patterns....

....and when you lift it up they expand and flood the area.  Do you see my bare toes?                                   

It you think something might be worth the effort....it almost always is.....especially if you're open to seeing something that you didn't even know you were looking for.  But you have to make the effort. I'm glad I did.

Bluesy Pair

As I hoped...the rain lily bud opened today and a second one almost got there. The first one is always the most exciting! 

This note from Daisy Yellow for week three of the 2019 ICAD challenge made me smile: "Here are the prompts for week 3...as always 100% optional, 97% flexible, so I'm leaving it to you to interpret logically, magically, scientifically, cryptically, historically, sarcastically, colorfully, melodically, frantically, figuratively, and/or geographically. Or ignore altogether.  That's cool too."  

Even though I'm ignoring them altogether....I'm 100% inspired by her challenge....and still having fun. We'll see if I can keep it up....but so far so good.

Back in 2016 I made an indigo paper tube mirror out of recycled magazine and catalog papers and used strips of the recycled papers for the border. 

Surprise surprise I saved the leftovers and cut them into strips and created a simple bluesy checkerboard of sorts for #17.

This little doodle was just sitting in one of my sketchbooks....I added to it and it became #18. I do like this simple doodle pattern.  I'll probably play around with it again sometime.  Doodling is a good thing.

#17 and #18 make a nice bluesy pair.

Pride

I was in Portland at the Farmer's Market last Saturday on Pride Day....but not long enough to see the parade.  But when I saw this image on Portland Downtown's Facebook Page I was blown away by that awesome banner!  I'm going to have to check it out next year.



I'm back in Portland watering the new grass and I was pretty excited to see some rain lily buds.  There are 5 total...maybe a 6th one coming.  I hope the big one pops open tomorrow.

I love the rain lilies!

Curtain Call

This farmer's market dahlia deserved a zoomed in curtain call.  I'm in love with everything about it! That color combination is just dreamy.

Yesterday's card #15 features wonky circles from Gudrun's World catalog.....I'm embracing the loose black threads!

I came across this wonky circle collage experiment I did on the deli paper Lynne gave me a while back.  I used gloss medium and didn't really like the finish so it got cast aside...it felt good to cut it up. 

Do you see that little red scarp on the bottom?  I couldn't bear to throw it away...so I may collage around it for another card.

I cut the circles in half, rearranged the pieces, and glued them back together right on the card making new, even more wonky circles. I covered it with a thin layer of matte medium to knock down the gloss a bit....

...trimmed off the excess and added the stitching. I'm reminded how nice it is to use the deli paper as a substrate....so easy to sew. Thanks Lynne....I'm going to use it more often!

Today's card features a taped watercolor where I messed up on the writing....surprise surprise! I cut it up and turned it into a bit of a crazy quilt making the messed up writing a graphic design element....at least that's what I'm telling myself.

I sliced and assembled....just winging it as I went along. Can you spot the teeny tiny square I added in below?

Farmer's Market

I used to live right near Deering Oaks Park in Portland ME and it's still one of my favorite homes and locations. And lucky for me Janice scooped me up this morning and took me to the Portland Farmer's Market....right the park.  It's such a pretty setting...and the colors and energy at the market were just what I needed to start my day!  Thanks Janice!

I took a ton of pictures....but you'll be glad that I narrowed it down to my favorite few.  This display of poppies in the aqua bottles made me melt.

Oh how I love blooms just before they open....this dahlia blossom was ready to pop. And the hot colors are spectacular.

It's lupin season in Maine....or bluepins as my son used to call them. 

There was rainbow chard....

....and rainbow outfits.  It was Pride day in Portland.                                                                                       

And what's not to love about colorful hot sauce from Thirty Acre Farm.  Love that name!

Both Janice and I bought a "salad bowl" planting....just clip and eat.  I'm hoping I can keep it alive for many salads to come. 

Paul and I had our first one this evening and it was awesome. The farmer told us someone bought several for wedding centerpieces. How awesome is that. 

I love the farmer's market!

Fuzzy Socks and Beach Sheds

It's been an unusual spring....and "unusual" seems to be the norm these day when talking about the weather in any season. We had rain most of the day...but it dried off enough to enjoy the patio. It felt like an old fashioned Maine evening where you need a sweater and fuzzy socks in the evening....just the way I like it...actually. 

We've have this condo for 2 years now and I just recently noticed there was a hook in one of the trees...so I added a little birdhouse I brought from Lexington.  It's a little late for nesting possibilities this year but it adds interest to our view.  And the birdbath sits waiting for the birds...there's only been a few....but I remain hopeful.



Number 14 of my 100 day index card project was inspired by the beach sheds in Brighton England.

I didn't look at the actual picture while I was making it or I might have stitched the city roof lines more flat than pointy and shed roofs a little less pointy....but you get the idea.

Mary Jean, a friend of Connie's, gave me a whole bunch of art books after her husband died....and tucked inside were all these old stamps. I thought I won the lottery!  I've thought about using them for little houses....so this was the perfect opportunity to play with it a bit. It's time to use the stamps!

This is one of the last scraps from a sheet of wrapping paper I bought years ago.  I love the little silver accents...they gave the shed roofs a whimsical touch.

At this point I thought the city buildings needed more definition....so I outlined them in black stitching.

All in all a fun quick little project for day 14....a day of fuzzy socks and beach sheds.

Scrap Circles

As I was going through my boxes and bins I found this little container of coordinated snippets....a little doodling...a little watercolor....a little of this and a little of that.

It became the inspiration for this scrap circle motif for #13. 

And here are the cards from the last couple of days...again, all stuff from my stash. And very unintentionally they coordinate....I've always liked pink, orange, and yellow together.

I remember doing this watercolor flower a while back...then ruining it with the black and gold pen.  

I cut it up into three chunks and it became #11 and it's not so bad.  I'm finding lots of things that were failures....and I'm glad I've kept them because I have loads of stuff to pull from for this project.  I could do 200 days +++....and I'm having fun!