The epitome of autumn

Time flies...

some finds from my recent junking excursion

As I turn my calendar to October, I must now relinquish myself to the thought that the seasons are changing...
summer was too short in the Pacific NW this year...on my drive home from visiting my sister over the weekend, the leaves in the mountain passes were taking on a golden hue...

And at work, Christmas has arrived in all its glory...its not that I'm not singing the Lowe's company song...but this does seem a little early...what happened to enjoying the present moment and giving each holiday its due?

For better or for worse, the festive holiday season approaches...and I am in the throes of prepping for three shows...so mark your calendar...

October 12-13    Ruffles & Rust - a vintage market to inspire
                          Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe
                          My booth theme is "Remembering the Old Country"
                          I'll have original art, vintage notecards and plenty of interesting found objects
                          More information visit www.rufflesandrustsquare.com



November 1-3     Artist Studio Sale
                          Ad Lib Studios/Leslie West
                          Intimate Studio Sale with original art, jewelry, fabulous holiday gifts and more
                          8798 N. Mercer Way, Mercer Island



December 1-2     Phinney Winter Festival
                          115 Artists with everything from glass to watercolor to textiles to jewelry
                          Phinney Neighborhood Center, Seattle
                          More information visit Phinney Neighborhood Center site


As each show approaches, I'll give you more details and teasers of what I'll be offering...but get those dates on your calendar now...I'm hoping to see a few of you this holiday season...whatever holiday you might be celebrating!

Synchronicity

Rummaging through the basement studio...for something entirely different but came upon a canvas I had prepped years ago with tissue paper and glue...and then the inspiration stopped...and the canvas was stuffed into a corner...

I took it upstairs and laid it down with a few other ideas for projects I was working on...the colors immediately came to life with a copy of my "bloom" photograph nearby...I had my inspiration...

The rest of the collage came together quickly once inspiration struck...
a page from a vintage garden manual, a bit of gray paint, a few embellishments...




this snippet from a french page was part of the debris on the worktable from the french lamps I am working on...
it seemed destined to be...just waiting to be glued in place...

the patina of the old upholstery tacks gives an extra touch of texture...

And when it was finished, an antique wooden frame hanging from the rafters of my studio space finished it off nicely...everything came together at the right time...perfect synchronicity...

the last blooms of summer

This "love in the mist" bloom was thriving in a crack in my backyard patio...most of my summer garden is fading...but this one bloom was so bright...it called out to have its picture taken!

Linking up to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday...edited my photo with her texture, partings, overlay at 30% capacity and second layer at soft light, 10% opacity; VTPortable Remington font.

I'm thinking this would be a great image for a new card design...what do you think?

friday night fun

Last night was my collage paperweight class at Faded Elegance...though the group was small, there was plenty of lively conversation, sparkly champagne and creative buzz...as well as lots of vintage pickings to fuel the inspiration...

Sorry I didn't get a photo of everyone's creations...I was having too much fun!

Thanks a million to Kimberly of Faded Elegance for being such a great hostess...and did you know she's hosting another party next Friday, September 28...its the Annual Anniversary Event...shopping, food, drink, friends, fabulous finds...what more could you ask for...get all the details here...

Wonderfully wired

I have an obsession with wire...it ranks right below my madness about metal...I'll pick up any random spool I spy at yard, garage, or estate sales... the more rusted, the better...

Lately I have focused on woven wire...or more specifically, hardware cloth...you know the stuff...comes in rolls, either 1/2" or 1/4" openings...very sturdy and rigid...with a lovely patina since it is usually zinc coated (and I don't know why its called hardware cloth...)

As case would have it, I had a partial roll in the basement...and after I used a bit of it for the flower frog mason jars I made (and thank you apartment therapy for highlighting them here), I was struck with the idea of making baskets...based on the idea of the charming french oyster baskets I found here.

I formulated a plan and first made a practice basket...
I had graph paper with 1/2" grid, so my pattern was drawn to size...

I cut out my pattern, using a tin snips and a needle nose pliers...you'll notice that on alternating edges, I snipped the wires close while on the opposite side, I left the wires long...my plan was to bend up each side and then hook the longer wires around the flush end...

My second basket demonstrates this technique...after I cut out my pattern, I bent each side of the basket upward, using a metal ruler to get an even line...



























and then I bent small hooks on one side of the upright wire that "looped" around the flush wire side...and once it was aligned, I squeezed the loop tight...

With the corners completed, I moved onto the top edge, bending over the snipped tops to form a loop that curled to the inside...for one of the baskets I made, I reversed the loop, and curled it to the outside.

Once the baskets were complete, I added the vintage tags I made to two of the baskets for extra embellishment...

And now they are perfect for organizing desk paraphernalia...

The small square basket is great for odds and ends...

The large "etc." basket is just the right size to hold file folders...

and the "junk" basket...well, holds junk!  its size is ideal for corralling jars...I threaded a length of linen twine through the loops on the top edge and attached the "junk" tag on the end...

There's a few things I learned in the process...wearing gloves might be advised...the cut edges of the wire are SHARP...
And don't get too carried away with making your loops perfect...bending the wire back and forth weakens it...and if you bend too far or too often, the wire breaks off...