Not much . . .

So, what have I been doing? I think to myself . . . not much. Until just a week or so ago we were still having snow almost daily and the temperature hardly broke out of the 30's. Oh, and yes . . .it is past the middle of April! Today is April 25th! I've been experiencing a feeling of being in suspended animation or limbo. I certainly can find a lot of things to do inside my home. The work inside is always there. You know. Cleaning, organizing, purging, cooking (maybe), . . . just the everyday stuff we all do. But everyone in the county has been waiting for the day when we can don a hoodie and head outside to do whatever it is we love to do on a warm spring day. For me, it is a garden tour and some raking. A few flowers have made their way through the soil already and they are hardy enough to take the weather we've been having. The tulip leaves are growing, but there won't be flowers for several weeks. My crocuses are very confused. First they came up and had warm sunshine on them, which made them open. Then they were buried under snow, only to see daylight a few more days before they were covered in about a quarter inch of ice. But, as I look out the window at them, they are still standing . . . and are staying closed because it is a dark and rainy day . . . after two glorious spring-like days in a row! It is 50 degrees, which feels quite warm as long as the wind stays down. The other plants that I have seen making their way through the earth are the bleeding hearts that we planted last year. They are just little ruffled purple leaves popping up, but I am thrilled they have survived their first winter. On Sunday I was able to rake out some leaves from the garden beds. The fragile leaves of the daffodils and allium can't take much tugging with a rake, but I have a handy little shrub rake that doesn't tear everything to shreds! There is plenty more to do, but half an hour here and half an hour there makes a difference. I am taking it easy after lying low all winter after recovering from surgery.

Some of the beautiful crocuses that line our front walkway.
They seem to have doubled in size and quantity this spring.
I am thinking it may be due, in part, to using Miracle Grow on the flower beds last summer. :-)
You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

Over the past couple weeks, my husband and I have been taking our continuing education classes for our real estate licenses, which are required every two years. There should be an uptick in the real estate market with the onset of better weather. It happens every spring in this part of the country. That will keep us busy . . . or, I should say . . . busier! :-)

Artwork and learning different techniques is how I have been spending my studio hours. I belong to a group on Facebook, Artful Evidence, that provides a fun way to learn new things and create art. You can see in the photos below just what I have been playing around with. #ArtfulEvidence



The challenge for the week was "masks".
I wasn't quite sure what to do, since using a mask in artwork was new to me. My combination of a dress form die and some die cut wings didn't quite suit me, though. It reminded me a little of a Rorschach test image! #artfulevidence
You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

I am such a creature of habit.
I will try to make something that I don't know how to make . . . thinking that it will somehow turn out OK.
See above photo for proof of my foible!
However, after some research, the right materials and time, I was able to actually achieve the result that a mask is supposed to provide. Similar to the way masking tape works for painting around windows, you can use a mask in artwork to cover the background and paint or stamp over the mask. #artfulevidence
You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

The challenge for the week was "flourishes."
I had rediscovered the glittered chipboard flourishes during a recent stash reorganization.
Knowing how to use a mask, I employed the technique for the background and used a favorite stamp, florals, a metal tag, a little frame with the back removed, and a stickpin that I received in a swap a few years ago.
The image and the sentiment were something I saved from a gift that my husband gave me for Christmas. I knew I would find a use for them, . . . in addition to the lovely gloves that came with the tag! ;-) My husband often jokes with me that he could just give me the ribbons and pretty paper and forget the gift inside! #artfulevidence
You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

And . . . there is a quilt in my sewing room that is waiting for me. It has a story that goes along with it, but then I think every quilt has a story, right? The story will wait for now. I'd like to have the quilt finished when I tell its' story. :-)

This will be a sweet old-fashioned looking quilt.
The colors are soft and there is not a lot of contrast, except for the reddish-pink pinwheel and the navy blue sashing.
Now that it is out of storage and hanging here for me to see every day, I am excited to work on it.
Hopefully the top will be complete within a few weeks and I can take it to the quilt shop to have it custom quilted.
I don't machine quilt bed-sized quilts anymore, and I certainly don't hand quilt much anymore, either!

I'm having what I love to call a "home day" today. I am alone in the house, going from room to room doing those little things that often call to me as I walk by, but I ignore. I try to remember never to leave a room empty handed and to put things back when I find them. But . . . you know . . . that doesn't always happen! I have two boxes ready to donate to the Salvation Army and two more ready to begin filling. It is so convenient for us to donate to the Salvation Army because we can schedule the pickup online and they will come to our house to get everything! We don't need to trudge the boxes out to the car and into to the thrift store. It is good, too, because it gives us a goal to work toward when we know the date they will be here.


So, even though it feels like I haven't been doing much, I guess I have been doing enough. I am tired when my head hits the pillow and I am able to sleep through the night. I must be doing enough to tire myself out!


I hope you are enjoying springtime and even when you feel like you are not really doing much, that you can be satisfied in knowing you really are doing enough. We really don't need to fill our days with being busy to be happy and successful. I find it to be quite the opposite. I am happy when I slow down a little and I stop to smell the flowers. Thank you for stopping by to read this post. As always, your questions and comments are welcome.  And until we meet again,  may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.


Emmy

Why Shop for Supplies?

I don't know about  you, but when I see someone on YouTube, or in the media, use a product that I think would be nice to try, I make note of it on my wish list. I may put it in my online shopping cart and let it sit there for a while and after some consideration, I will either move it down on the list or eventually order it. I think long and hard about my purchases and am not an impulse buyer . . . well, I am usually not an impulse buyer. There are those times however, when I am in a store and see some really great art supplies, quilting or sewing notions, or a nice sweater, that I break down. I am careful, though, and inquire about the store's return policy. I don't want to get something home, and have buyer's remorse, only to find out that the item cannot be returned for a refund. I am completely okay with returning unopened items or clothes that still have the tags on them. So, my impulse shopping doesn't feel all that bad!


For instance today. . . yes . . in April . . I just looked out the window and guess what? It is snowing. Yes. Snow. I am composing this on a Sunday afternoon. I love Sunday afternoons, but don't always want to spend them inside! However, it is just bone chilling cold in the 20's and low 30's. I've really had enough of this kind of weather. So, it is a good afternoon to watch a few more YouTube videos before I head down to my studio to clean off my work table that I left a mess after my last creative flurry yesterday! I might just find more things to add to that wish list.


Getting back to the idea I had when I sat down to write this post . . . Do I really need to shop for supplies? The answer is "no". I know it. And I can prove it. For instance, our living room clock stopped working recently. It had served us for fourteen years and after trying a few things to see if it could be saved, we determined it was time to get a replacement. My husband was about to wrap it up in newspaper and give it a proper burial in the trash bin when I stopped him in his tracks. He could tell by the look on my face that I had other plans for the clock's remains. He handed it over and said it was a good thing that I walked in at that moment, or it would have been out by the curb the morning. He offered to take it apart for me, and when he was finished, he gave me the empty housing, face, hands and a few other little metal objects. I am not sure yet just exactly what I will do with all the goodies, but I have a few ideas.



Our beautiful mantle clock will have a new life in a future project.
You can click on the photo for a closer look.

Amused by my excitement over the salvaged broken clock, my husband reminded me of the stories I have told him about my childhood . . . and what it was like to be raised by a couple of real "savers". Even though his parents had lived through The Great Depression, just like mine had, he said they didn't save a lot. But, then, he didn't live on a farm where you have lots of room to keep things . . . just in case you need them someday. His parents moved to the city and had adapted to city life early on, after leaving their rural and farm homes. My husband was used to going to a nearby store when he needed something and had lots of choices. It was different for me living five miles from the closest village. When my father had business dealings at the kitchen table with a seed salesman, or an insurance man, he would keep any carbon paper from the forms he signed and hand them over to me to play with. I loved getting that carbon paper! I even liked how it smelled. I would draw pictures and write letters and numbers on it until I had exhausted every little part that had any blue ink left on it. I was sad when it was all used up.


My recent effort at saving has been to keep all the tea bags I have been using to brew tea this winter. The hot tea helped keep me warm on cold days! After the bags are dry, I open them carefully and shake the tea leaves out. Then I remove the string, and slowly pull the bag open at the seam that is hidden inside. The colors left on the tea bag paper are really pretty and depending on the kind of tea, they range from a soft pink to a cinnamon brown color. I used one last week in an experiment to see if I could decoupage with it. It worked!

A few of the teabags that I dried.
You can click on the photo for a closer look.

I  sometimes keep the wax paper envelopes that the postmaster puts the stamps in when we buy them, and occasionally I use part of a Tyvek mailing envelope in a project to give it extra strength. That stuff does NOT tear!


So, after my post last week about shopping for supplies, my husband said he doesn't know why I need to go to the store when I can just scrounge things up from the mail or the kitchen! He said he wishes he had known me years ago when he used lots of carbon paper in his office. I would have been in carbon paper heaven! And he is right! If I see pretty ribbons on a gift, or an especially pretty postage stamp, I keep it. I have a box in my studio labeled "ephemera." It has broken jewelry, game pieces, a few coins from trips to the Caribbean, and any other little bauble that is too precious not to keep!


Why, then, do I feel the need to check out the art supplies and sewing notions when I go shopping? I really don't need to shop for supplies. As I have often written, I can shop my own hoard vault and find lots of useful items! I am trying to limit my purchases to the stuff I know I will use up . . . like adhesives, fancy pens, art pencils and paper pads. But on my way to the checkout, I will often pass by the clearance aisle . . . you know . . . just to take a look. That look sometimes ends up with something totally unplanned for landing in my shopping cart. Amazing, huh? I brought home a few of those finds on my last visit to the store. I pulled one of them out yesterday and put it smack dab in the middle of my work space. It will be used this week and not get stashed away! I am hoping this will become my new tactic to use what I buy before it goes into the vault, and by the time I write my next post, there will be something finished with it that I can show you. Yes. Used and finished!


In the meanwhile, I have continued to enjoy the online group I joined on Facebook. Below is a photo of what I made for the challenge this week. The topic was "Tags." Working on these weekly challenges has really helped me with channeling my ideas for making things with my stash. :-)



"Tags"
Mixed Media
6" x 6"
I used 90 lb. mixed media paper, acrylic paints, rubber stamps, ink, colored pencils,
black cardstock, word beads and eyelash yarn. All from my stash!
#ArtfulEvidence
You can click on the photo for a closer look.

Thank you for stopping by and taking a few minutes out of your day to read my post. I welcome your questions and comments. I do read them and I will reply. You can leave them here or on Facebook. As always, it is my wish that you and those you love are healthy and happy. And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.


Emmy

The Right Stuff

As I write this post, we are having a terrible wind storm. It rained torrents last night, followed by high winds and terrific gusts of wind. The wind has not let up and the gusts are getting even stronger. They are predicting 70 mph winds for this afternoon and this will continue for six or more hours. It has been about a 22 hour event. And now . . . I just looked out the window and it is snowing . . . sideways . . . and being blown by 30-40 mph winds. The firehouse is just up the street and the volunteers have gone by in their fire trucks and ambulance on their way to a rescue. It makes me very nervous and I remember how my mother used to react to this kind of weather. She baked. She baked banana breads, cookies, and cupcakes, as long as we had electricity. Then, if the lights went out, (and they usually did), we had plenty of treats to get us through until the power was restored. We would eat by kerosene lamps and gather in the kitchen around a little kerosene stove to try to stay warm in our un-insulated farm house. On a windy day like this, you could feel the breeze right through the walls! It may sound odd to you, but it was normal for us. We lived in an 1830's house . . . and not a fancy one of brick or stone. It was built of lath and plaster and when my parents did remodeling, they found a lot of other interesting building materials, such as wadded up newspapers! But it was home, and when I got scared, my father would say, "this house has stood here for over 100 years and has been through storms worse than this." I needed to hear those words again last night when I was in bed listening to the wind howl and the rain pummeling the windows . . . because I needed the reassurance that the house we live in has also survived many bad storms in its' lifetime. This house was built in 1846 and it is still here, solid as a rock. I was able to close my eyes and sleep through until morning.


So, to keep myself busy today, I have been cleaning out some neglected closets and making decisions on what to keep and what to donate to others. I even found some "lost" items that I was looking for a few months ago. They got pushed behind other things on the bottom of the closet, and I could not bend, lift, push or pull after my surgery, so they remained hidden. That is good bonus pay for my efforts!


I have watched a few YouTube videos today on techniques for my mixed media and paper crafting hobby and plan to head into my studio where I can get involved in some artwork and ignore the weather. I have lots of nice new supplies to use after shopping the sales a few weeks ago. I have been trying to use what I have on hand on my shelves, but there were a few things I really needed to add to my supply vault!


In order to continue learning how to draw and practice different techniques, I made the leap and purchased good quality pencils. While I was at the store, I took full advantage of coupons and made quite a haul. This should keep me occupied for quite a long time. The score at the store was made even sweeter by the fact that I was able to use gift cards that I have been keeping for a special shopping trip. They were aging in my wallet, so I unleashed them and it was fun.

If you would like a closer look at the photos, just click on them to enlarge them.



Amazon had the best selection and the best price, especially when I had gift cards to spend!$!$!



Look at all the beautiful colors!



A few "needs" along with a few "wants".
My husband was happy to drive me to the store for a little retail therapy! The sales were really good. At one store, with my gift cards and coupons, my entire bill was 33 cents!



I worked on drawing a perspective drawing after my first art class.



I practiced adding lamp posts and a tree.
Now for the architectural details and some color with my new pencils!



The challenge this week in the online group I am in on Facebook was "Spring,"
I opted to skip the chirping birds and tulips and went for a fashion theme.
6" x 6" on 140# watercolor paper with acrylic paints, inks, acrylic stamps, paper letters, and grosgrain ribbon.
#ArtfulEvidence

Thank you for stopping by to read my post. As always, your questions and comments are welcome. With more of "the right stuff", I hope I can make progress in my artful endeavors. By the time you read this, I hope the weather here has improved and that we are all getting more spring-like weather! And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy