Sunday musings

its been a tough week here in the states...
     so much conflict, confusion and chaos...
          how can we turn the tide...

spring awakening

the lilacs are blooming...

a thought to consider...

whatever it might be, wherever it may lead...however long you can...

hope...

a brave little crocus popped in the garden this week...hopeful that it will soon be joined by others...

Rustic Luxe - Christmas morning

I know its not quite Christmas morning...but if I wait to post, what good would this quick and easy gift bag idea do you later...because if you're like me, I'm now scrambling to get presents together and could use a couple of quick ideas...because how is it that Christmas is just a week away?!

I recently had to say goodbye to two of my flannel pajama bottoms...one torn all the way down the backside (had them over 10 years - guess they don't make them like they used to!) and the other had the elastic give out in the waist.  But rather than toss them out, of course I thought of making something with them...

A simple bag was my idea...since the bottom of each pajama leg is already hemmed, there's only one seam needed to sew...I cut off each leg for a small sized bag...

tip here...notice the ribbon tied onto my scissors handle...since I have several pairs of Fiskers scissors and they all look alike...I tied a ribbon on the pair that I save for only cutting fabric so that they are always sharp when needed...the other two pairs I use to cut whatever...and that may mean paper, cardboard, wire or even tree branches...

After sewing the cut seam, I trimmed the edge with my pinking shears...this will keep raveling to a minimum; turn the bag right side out and iron the seam flat.  For a little bit of luxe, I tacked a length of silk ribbon onto the side seam...this ribbon will be the tie that keeps the bag closed.

A button hides the place where I tacked on the ribbon...
and provides a spot for hanging a gift tag...



















We don't do a big Christmas here...pretty low key...so a small gift, wrapped inside of one of these bags will be perfect...a low key setting also means plenty of rustic not too much luxe (it is morning after all)...

The rustic is the simple setting...including a view of my back garden that is very rustic looking at this time of year...a tablecloth made from a canvas painter's dropcloth; blue ticking napkins and my workhorse ironstone dishes lay the groundwork.

the luxe comes from a few shimmering vintage ornaments...

Forced bulbs in vintage canning jars tied up with twine get a bit of luxe with a shiny metal bell...

the handmade wreath crafted from birch tree limbs blown down in a recent winter storm adds another layer of rustic...the metal rim from a deconstructed lamp shade provided support for the branches as I molded the wreath...a few more metal bells hanging from a length of twine is another touch of luxe...















Simple and sincere...that's what Christmas morning should be...

joining Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...always a good time...

Rustic Luxe - chestnuts & willow

A couple of weeks ago I had a neighbor complaining about all the horse chestnuts she had to clean up...I mentioned that I'd be happy to have some chestnuts...and before I knew it, a large bucketful arrived on my doorstep...

You've got to admit that next to turning leaves, 
chestnuts are the epitome of autumn...













With such a bountiful supply, I thought that I'd string them together...so I gathered up supplies...
pulling out some beads to include with the chestnuts...

I drilled a hole through the chestnuts with my Dremel drill, using my drill press attachment which made quick work of the drilling...though I was surprised at the mess of yellow goo since the chestnuts were not yet dried out.

I decided to use rusty wire for stringing the chestnuts...I knew that they would be heavy and I wanted the ability to shape the garland of nuts into a form rather than just having it hang in a drooping loop which would have been the case if I had used string.

Including a silver (or gold) bead along with the clay and wood beads I had, added that bit of luxe.  I finished off each garland with a curlicue of wire that would be decorative as well as practical for hanging.

I'm thinking that such a garland will look grand spread across the Thanksgiving table...

the rustic tones are a nice counterpoint to the linens...

and those gold beads give a touch of luxe....along with the worn silver patina of vintage flatware, its just the right amount of bling...

All of the flatware at our house is old vintage silverware...I like the mix of patterns and designs...I don't bother with shining it up...it goes into the dishwasher so its plenty clean...and once a piece becomes too worn out, it gets tossed in the art supply bucket and I pick up a few more pieces at the next estate sale...










You might notice the willow napkin rings...made by simply wrapping a slender twig of willow into a circle and twisting the ends to secure the circle.  The texture of the twigs adds another layer to the tabletop...

And what I like best about these chestnut garlands...after they have graced the Thanksgiving table, they could easily hang on your Christmas tree...







Joining the Vintage Inspiration Party over at Knick of Time 
and the Weekly Upcycled Link Party over at Funky Junk Interiors...

the slightest provocation

it doesn't take much...as I was rummaging through a stack of papers and ephemera looking for pieces to include in a giant collage I am working on, I spied it...an old library check-out card...

my mind started spinning...putting the card aside, I kept it out of the pile so I could return to it...

and spin the tale that spoke to me...

Having a few days off due to the holiday here in the US has given me hours of time in the workshop studio...which in the middle of winter is too cold to work in, but during the heat wave we are having, it is pure heaven...

Creating new pieces for my next summer show, Fresh Paint, at the Everett Marina, August 15 & 16...

And I must apologize for my tardiness in responding to comments...once again, there's a glitch with Blogger which is sending all my comments to some nether world that I don't have access to...I'm trying to tinker with it, but please bear with me...I do appreciate that you not only stop to read my blog, but that you take the time to comment...thank you!

Happy Easter

a rebirth...a new beginning...a fresh start...oh happy day...

birds of a feather

Do you ever have a project that you get stuck on...
you get so far and then inspiration runs out...disappears...adios...

As indicated from my last post, this does happen to me...but I seem to be on a streak lately of picking up old projects and finishing them...the power of a deadline!

This time, the inspiration came from a fellow online artist...Dutch Barb...who is a member of my bestill52 online class...when I saw one of her recent posts, I had a eureka moment...and was motivated to action...

Two years ago I made some plaster of paris eggs...I hollowed out a couple of eggshells...very carefully...filled them with plaster of paris...very carefully...and then set them to dry for several days.  I had half of a shell that I coated with plaster of paris on the inside...hoping to get an empty shell to fill with something later.  After the plaster was completely dry, I removed the outer shell and I had eggs...after a little sanding to smooth out the edges...but now what...

When I saw Barb's photo on Flickr, I knew that this was the inspiration I was looking for...I went to work...gathering materials...





The eggs...

The feathers...

The glue...

I knew that I was on the right track because I had all my familiar tools...glue, water, scissors, brush...plus the added beauty of feathers...I was set to go...

Next up...the end result...

bird obsessed

seems lately that I have been obsessed with birds...more than usual...
perhaps because it is spring and I welcome their increased activity...

In any case, I have several bird inspired projects I thought I would share over the next couple of days...

Today's is a quick one...I had a couple of wooden boards that I had collaged years ago and then never finished...the first background layer was a page from an old art book; the second layer is the top ply of a paper napkin...one of my favorite collage layering techniques since the single ply of the napkin is so sheer, you see the underneath layer.  A snippet from an old dictionary was added...and then it sat...



Getting ready for a show always motivates me to action...in this case, I pulled out these two boards, attached a Cavallini bird tag, added a few more words and finished off with a ribbon hanger...

Both of these beauties (plus so much more) will be at the 
Vintage Market at Swan's Trail on March 28...will you?

the first signs

edited with kk texture scripted edges

It begins with the sprouts of green among the dead leaves and withered grass from last fall...and then those first pops of color...little beads of purple...the grape hyacinths are blooming...

and then the light of day changes...it becomes brighter...and lingers longer...

The assignment for this week's bestill52 class was to capture this lightness...using elements of white and glass...my collection of small glass bottles put to perfect use, complemented by a swath of white linen and lovely afternoon light...

both photos edited with kk texture hughes

This spring awakening inspired me to clear out the dust and the cobwebs and 
to brighten the dark corners of the house...

edited with kk texture rainyday

hope and dream...the promise of spring...

joining the group over at kim klassen's Texture Tuesday...