Washi and Watercolor

"Submit to daily practice. Your loyalty to that is a ring on the door. Keep knocking, and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who's there." Rumi

It blows my mind that this blog just passed 75,000 page views today and I'm very appreciative to those of you who take the time to visit.  It continues to be one of my most rewarding and joyful creative daily practice activities. 



I'm almost 1/2 way through my 100 days of index cards and this almost every day creative practice has been a great project for these busy summer months. I especially love when the past art project I'm using is associated with such a good memory.

Three years ago while I was visiting Becky she invited her friend Suzy over and we had a craft day. It was memorable because Suzy had just retired from teaching and it would have been the first day of school.  I played with a combination of watercolor and washi tape (decorative paper tape) and my experiment has been sitting in a bin ever since. Today a piece of it became card # 47.

I intended to stitch it on the card with my sewing machine and got all the way around before I realized there was no bobbin thread. So I made the best of it and slip stitched it by hand making good use of the holes.  I actually like the effect and may do it again on purpose.

Here are a few photos from that craft session back in 2016. I just love a table full of color and crafting and I"m grateful for friends who like it too!  

 

Thistle

I'm in the middle of 10 and can't stop thinking about 11, 12, and 13.  

"What if today we were just grateful for everything."  Charlie Brown

I was thrilled (and grateful) to see my thistle from Jane just starting to bloom in Lexington.  The bees just love it....so do I.  There's just something about that fuzzy purple ball!  

Transition Day

Today was a transition day and I'm back in Lexington.  I was in Maine for a week on my own while Paul was with his buddies in the mountains of Colorado.  But after a 4 hour delay at the airport in Denver he's on his home now.  It will be good to be back together again....we make a good team

Last night I pinched all the blooms on the verbena and rain lilies.  There were lots of buds coming so they should be blooming again when I go back.  I was smitten with the glow of the spent blossoms in the bottom of my little purple tub.

When I woke up this morning most of the rain lily buds had opened but I left them alone.  My sister always said rain lilies are fans of heat and humidity and that's just what we're getting.  

This was this morning's attempt (one of about 6) at photographing the meadow rue.  Paul and I won't be back up until Thursday and I'll miss watching its progress.  I just love the little round buds....they're like little pinky purple pearls.

When I was working on my tube project...I found these colorful words in the art magazines and saved them for a simple card. 

3 x 5 is pretty small....so there wasn't much room for much of anything else. I think I could have done better....but it needed to be quick and simple....lots to do to get ready to go home. 

This morning I attached this inchie piece I found in my stash for #46.  Honoring the past with my favorite Sun Stars and Moon calendar. The star on #45 is from the same calendar.  When I saw this photo I chuckled because somewhere between finishing #45 and taking this photo I picked up two little 1/2 circles that aren't actually attached. All part of the colorful play journey. Grace....and joy!

Finished!

It's not very often I can use the "original size" version of a photo in a post....it only works when I make something long and skinny. My commission paper tube project is just that measuring 18 inches long.  Thanks Linda for getting me rolling again!  This was the right project at the right time. 

See what I mean about the side view....isn't that nicer than seeing the wood? And don't you love this view of the gold threads!

Blooms

The meadow rue is just delightful but a challenge to photograph....especially since the bloom is almost 7 feet in the air. My camera automatically wants to focus on the trees in the background unless I can get the focus box right on one of the tiny blooms.  For every photo I get sort of in focus...there are 10 that aren't.  It's become somewhat of a personal challenge.

Also....I'm quite pleased that during this stretch in Maine the rain lilies have performed so well.

This morning I covered the edges of the board for the paper tube project. Only the edge will show....but it's a little detail that makes for a nice finish so worth the effort.                                                                                                                                 


The gold edges on the paper beads gave me an idea for today's card.  Same concept...just flat.

I edged the folded paper with gold and glued them on with no particular scheme in mind.  I used the scraps that were right at hand making it another quick and easy project. 

I think these make a nice trio.

Scraps

I'm making progress on my paper tube project.  This evening I continued to assess the colors making sure there was a flow and that I had enough to cover the board.  I ended up with a pile of scraps at the bottom right that got me thinking.   

I wasn't sure I was going to get a card done today....it was a busy but delightful day.  But I liked this green and reddish scheme....so in just a few minutes I had card number 43. It's a nice follow-up to yesterday's and a nod to the tube project.  I might add some stitching tomorrow.  

Much of my day was spent getting ready for and enjoying a lunch I had for Margie and my neighbor Sandy across the street here at the condo.  We had a delightful time with lively conversation covering just about ever topic.  I've wanted to get the two of them together ever since Margie moved here over a year ago.  Joy!

Playful Patterns

I loved working with the playful patterns from the Gudrun catalogs for today's card.  I shopped my box of cut and folded pieces for this quick and fun little project.  I'm loving my creative daily practice!

Using a glue stick I layered the folded papers and trimmed it up at the end.  Easy peasy.

I made yesterday's card out of some hideously bad gel-plate mono print experiments I did sometime last year...they aren't quite so bad cut up.  Since I made them I've watched several videos so I know I can do better.  There aren't enough hours in the day for all the things I want to do.

After rolling more paper tubes for my commission project...I trimmed them up today and touched the edges with a gold paint pen. I still may need more....but I'll figure that out as I go along.

Step three is glueing them onto a wooden base wrapping a little gold thread as I go.  I've always been quite fond of these little snippets I trim off the ends.                                                                                        

Pinks and Purples...

....and a splash of red and yellow. 

My new little gardens in Maine seem to be thriving.  In the back yard I've got pinks and purples with a splash of red and yellow. 

The red splash is actually my neighbors begonia.  There are a couple of the purple coral bells...one you can't see and the butter yellow moonbeam coreopsis is just starting to bloom.  This side is more about textures and greens....with lots of my mini hosta.

Here's the first bloom on the moonbeam. It may not be getting enough sun....so we'll see. It thrived last summer as a new plant. I gave it a little food today.  

Right at the corner of the fence by Anna's red begonia is a new Meadow Rue that David picked up for me last fall....you can barely see it. It's very tall and kind of spindly....Paul thought it was pretty funny looking as it was growing.  I saw it blooming in Linda and David's garden....and pictures of it in Tracie's garden and I was in love. I may actually move it so it's in front of the fence this fall...I think I'll be able to see it better. Or...get another one.  

The buds are tiny pinkish purple balls....and when they pop open the flower is a delicate delight. It's just starting to bloom....and very hard to photograph.

This is the photo Tracie put on Facebook last summer that I fell in love with. I don't think mine is going to perform like this...Tracie said it got 9 feet tall.

And this is a photo I took of it in David and Linda's garden last summer.  I couldn't believe how tall it got and was spectacular in person.

On the other corner of the patio I have a combination of fan flower (scaevola) and verbena in various shades of purple and pinky purple. 

Around the corner behind the rain lilies I have another type of purple verbena and Persian Shield.  I love all the purples, the pink is by default because of my precious rain lilies from my sister LaVonn. It's a happy vibrant little corner.

My purple skirt purple toenails fit right in.

Becky gave me a little clump of her white rain lilies.  I gave half to my sister LaVonn and here's my little clump.  I'm not expecting blooms this year....but we'll see.   Below is a close-up of the Persian Shield.                                                              

The colors on this corner are pretty intense...especially in photos. But are they just beautiful as the light changes throughout the day....they almost glow.

The little arrangement at the top of this post was made with the spent petals I picked off from the freesia in my kitchen window.  I actually thought they were too pretty to just throw away so I added a begonia flower and made this little flower....I'll watch it for a few days....just because. 



When I cut off the top of the begonia flower for the center of the arrangement I found these little under petals that were absolutely adorable.  I never know what's going to make me smile....so I always pay attention.  This little splash of red made me smile.  I hope something made you smile today. And...congratulations is you made it to the end of this post!  I kind of got carried away.