Oops forgot this

I wanted to post picture of those darling little childrens dresses that I have, antiques or vintage - I don't know what to call them. They are from the 30's to the 50's I think. The first one is linen with a zipper and a tie in the back. I wish I could wear it. The second one is thin cotton; it feels like a soft hanky and is yellow with white embroidery, and the third one is SILK. Not rayon, real silk. The pictures are not so good, little coolpix is not feeling well today and no time for photoshop but you get the idea.

A dreary day made better - Sunday now

It was such a dreary start to the day yesterday - and I didn't feel very well, so most of the day was shot. But when I got up and started feeling a little better and kind of embarrassed that I had missed the day, I felt like I needed to make something. All of my art stuff is packed up waiting for the paint decision (and lights and flooring and something to cover the ugly pink insulation in the ceiling, and some kind of heat...but we won't get a professional for this...) so I decided to take some fabric that I had that I actually got at Walmart, took a pattern and instructions and made a tote bag. I was just SO pleased with myself and as usual, obsessive, so stayed up till 4:00 am completing it. (Well almost completing it - needs some final stitching and ironing). Here is a picture of the tote and I think with a closure it will make a lovely mother's day present for some lucky mother in law.

Doing some sewing was an interesting experience for me. I learned to sew in Junior High School - in the days when the boys took shop and the girls took sewing and cooking. And I found that it all comes back! Despite a sewing machine that is 40 years old, and tends to break the thread, I actually remembered how to do it all! It was a pleasant experience to actually know what to do, after the last year of learning painting and compostion, and colors - things that I never learned as a kid. Those early lessons really do stick with you. Somethings are just hardwired into my brain and will never leave. It's the new things, concepts, methods that are not hardwired yet. Everything I do in art is a surprise to me - I wait for the day when I can plan and outcome. But with sewing - well, I think I've said it.

So I did rescue the dreary day in my mind.

Saturday AM -

I am starting the day with a picture of a Daffodil because we are having Dreary Weather again here in New England (so not fair) and I think it is better to look at a brave daffodil rather than the rain. The week was beautiful and the weekend is supposed to be a washout. I think I can get some weeding done when it doesn't pour, we'll see how ambitious I am. I can see my daylilies popping up. Obviously I am trying to cheer myself up! I am still using my little coolpix but still unhappy with the screen only option. When I am outside I simply can't see the screen so just point and shoot and hope for the best. I was looking at the Sony Cybershot W90 which looks pretty good for a little digital camera. Anyone got any opinions?

I am cleaning out my basement studio and will either paint it a cheerful color or shut it down completely and do artwork somewhere else. The grey basement simply has gotten to me, which I'm sure is related to the Dreary Weather blues. I am thinking about a tropical sea blue or a cool calm peach....hubby will have some opinions so we'll see what comes next. While packing everything up I am embarrased to admit that I HAVE SO MUCH STUFF. I should really have an art supplies sale. I don't want to trade, cause I don't need a single thing. Yard sales in New England are ususally a big hit so I might do that.

I just listed a few things on eBay that I found in my basement, some decoupage boxes and purses. I'm not using them so why not get them to someone who would appreciate them. This is a decoupage box that I love and it has a pretty pink inside but I don't use it at all. Now..should I put up my vintage children's dresses? I'm sure that there is a creative soul out there who would do better things with them than I could, but I think I will wait for the basement painting issue to get resolved. If we do paint the room, the little dresses would look really pretty hanging on the walls in their antique childrens hangers. I'll post a picture here soon.

Illustration Friday - April 27th

Somewhat nostalgic rememberance

Tuesday morning in the UK

Surprisingly I woke up early this morning after a good night's sleep so I'll see how I do during the day. Not a bad flight over, lots of room and the food was decent and my bag arrived so all in all - not so bad.

I saw a very very cute puggle the other day. Here is the Puggle official site. I have had pugs but never a beagle but I can imagine this animal sheds like crazy. In general, pound for pound, pugs shed more than other dogs, and I know that beagles shed also so this poor pup must shed a ton of hair. I found one picture that is available for use, and here it is. Not the puggle that I saw but similar. What a cutie that pup was. Of course, after taking a class with Bernie Berlin this past weekend, I would rather work with her to get a pup than going somewhere else, she really puts it all out for those dogs.

If any of my friends are reading this - how much money would you put on my chances of a pup this year?

Illustration Friday - April 22nd post

Busy weekend - last minute time to post this before I am off for a business trip.

"Polar" was an interesting word for me, being a scientist I immediately thought of polar bonds and polarity. I did not see any other approaches of this kind - which I found surprising as many artists are also scientists.

Off to pack for a week in the UK

Saturday AM

It is such a beautiful day that it is going to take all my will power to go to class today, I want to wander in the garden and actually start some spring cleanup. My shed needs cleaning out like you wouldn't believe, and the old leaves and such are scattered about. I daren't hope that my daffodils are poking their heads up; I have seen other daffy's brave enought to show their faces but our yard is cooler and shadier than most so we get late blooming dafs, (but you can see that I found one brave little daffy in my yard!) I am also going to take my Brugmansia outside today! Yes I am! It is miserable inside at this time of year and is losing it leaves like crazy. Look at it yearning to go outside, just pressing up against the window. I will give into it's yearning (and mine also) and let it see what it wants to do on the front porch. The fig tree is getting planted outside this year, against a south wall and it will just have to live thru the winter (with some insulation help) but it is not going to be dragged inside and outside any more. It also will just have to get tough. See how I am with my plants - stern and forceful. Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't. Here are some pictures from outside.

I took my canary to the vet yesterday and was basically told that I was feeding him junk food. I felt so bad, so now he is on a strict healthy diet and is sqeaking at me in protest. Poor Julio. I tried to take a picture of him this morning but I really think that he thinks my hand is a giant snake waiting to eat him and he flaps in desparation around his cage so I didn't have the heart to try to get him to stay still.

ATC class

Just got back from an ATC class with Bernie Berlin - and what fun that was. Great new messy paints to play with and new ideas to explore. Made some ATC backgrounds and here are some. Tomorrow is "Burnt and Bound" - sounds kinky but is beautiful stuff.

G'night

Photography

I was just reading a post here and thought once again how much I miss being able to take "real" photographs. I know that I don't have to go back to the dark ages of film and should be able to master a good digital camera - but NOT one that has only a screen to look at - that makes me crazy. I want to take good pictures in Cambridge, follow my dream of taking pictures of lost architecture - so I am making a promise to myself. I will start some walking around Cambridge at lunch time and will find some of those few spots where lost architecture still exists. These are found on buildings or homes that have been renovated, but maybe not always in the building's true style. You can find little pieces still sticking out that show the history of the building, show it's bones. So yes, I will get some excercise and take pictures at the same time. I will have to use my little Nikon Coolpix right now until I can talk the hubby into lending me his big black or at least learn how to use it. I was so good with the old film speeds, and aperature openings, and ISO's...oh well - those days are long gone I guess.

I am reading the book "The Secret" and I don't know yet if I think it is hokey or not. But my gut tells me that some of the things about this approach are true. I don't believe that you can ask the universe for a car and just receive it; and I don't believe that you can talk yourself out of breast cancer; but I do know people who seem to get what they want because they just assume that they will get that item/job/anything...and low and behold they do. I always wondered about that? Were they just so determined that they got what they wanted because otherwise they'd be impossible to live with, or did they attract these things. But, believer or not, this type of attraction has happened to me a few times. I met my husband in college, thru his sister. I really didn't know him and didn't fall immediately in love or anything like that, but knew from the first day that I met him that I would marry him. I remember thinking what a load off my mind that was, now I can have fun and he'll be out there. Of course, he knew nothing about this. I didn't see him again for years, and then we got together, and finally got married ( and yes, by then I was in love and he made such wonderful poached eggs) . So - was that attraction or was it being psychic? I just don't know! And when we found out that he had a kidney problem, I knew right away that we would be a good match for a transplant and yes...20 years later it worked. So...you tell me!!

Funny - I am writing about photograhy and can't upload any photo's tonight so no pictures.

Only Tuesday?

Seems like a week ago that I was sitting in the sun, it's been raining here since Sunday - and the grey skys are starting to get to everyone. You just want to cuddle under a quilt and drink hot chocolate and snooze.

But I went into my basement last night and did some more of the faces, following the same process of pasting, gessoing, and pastel, watercolor, acrylics etc. Fun and a learning experience.

Back from vacation

I came back from sunny warm Florida to a true Nor'easter and it is raining really hard here. At least it has stopped snowing, I think I jinked the weather by trying to take a picture of a little crocus a few weeks ago.

I am taking a class with Bernie Berlin next weekend at "Absolutely Everything" and am reading thru her book on ATC's. I have been trying a few of her ideas - here are a few. Her class should be great, I can't wait to meet her and learn her some more of her techniques. One of her suggestions in the book is to take people photo's from magazines, paste them onto ATC sized paper, gesso over them lightly and then alter. Worked interestingly for me. I am confined by the image yet challenged to "draw outside the lines". I like the corporate executive who turned out looking like a prison warden.

Back to work tomorrow, am looking forward to everything but the drive. It is Boston Marathon day and with the rain, you never know what will happen. I hope it isn't raining this hard tomorrow, I know that little bit of cool weather and mist is good for the runners but hard rain? I'd be scared of falling. Good luck to them all...

Fortune - Illustration Friday

After a week on vacation with family, I did not have time to do much but here is a fortunate lady with a fan.

Illo April 6th

We are leaving on vacation today so I did a quick collage of Rozzy with a Green Brocade Sofa - which she loves, and keeps covered in plastic slipcovers so it won't get ruined.

Memorial day 2

Other pics from that Memorial day

Memorial Day 2006

Last Memorial Day we went kayaking with 5 other friends, it was a beautiful day. We went somewhere up in New Hampshire, near Rye? and paddled around, went to sit and walk on a beach - all in all it was a wonderful paddle. Coming back we had to go under a bridge - and most of us didn't know that the tide was coming in and just surging REALLY hard under that bridge. 4 people got thru before the tide got strong and didn't realize that the other three slowpokes might hit some strong water. Linda and I were two of those slowpokes and when we started to go thru it was like paddling against a storm. It was all I could do to keep going straight, and paddle like crazy to get to the other side of the bridge. Just as I was coming thru I heard Linda yell, turned my head to look back at her and got swept back under the bridge. Her Kayak had overturned and she was in the cold New England water. I went paddling back to her as quickly as I could, worried that she would develop hypothermia in the cold water. Luckily, a large yacht was close by and the guys plucked Linda out of the water (they picked her up like she was a herring) and deposited her on a pier nearby. My hubby was close by and paddled over to help and then went back to the kayak place to report this upset, by this time the surge under the bridge had calmed down.

Linda and I sat on the pier, she was dripping wet, but we were both pretty happy. Tony reported our plight to our friends, including Lindas hubby who went into shock and "I'm calm in the face of danger" mode - which means he was panicked inside. We got picked up and brought back to the kayak store, Linda changed and we had a wonderful picnic dinner overlooking the water.

I wanted to make a memorial piece for that day, and have been working on it since then. First I took a background paper from Claudine Hellmuths collection and tried to work in a 12x12 format. I ruined the paper and had to start over. I used alot of Claudine's ideas, such as the pants - but the 12 x 12 format just wasn't working for me. Finally I threw out that format and went for a 12 X 16 format and using my own paper, recreated the beach scene and showed Linda floating away on a boat with poor Michael looking on from the shore. I finally gave them the piece last weekend as a memory of an infamous Memorial Day. I want to show it to Karen also, she'll understand and get a kick out of it. Here is a picture of the piece that I took, not such a great picture but you get the idea!

Here's to my friends and the fun that we have. May our adventures continue!

Cold Rainy Tuesday

What a typical Tuesday! By mistake I left my computer at home and got to work (after a dreadful traffic day) sans computer. Thankfully someone in the office had a spare so I could work! Weather has been dreadful this week, cold and rainy. I shouldn't complain, after the fine winter that we have had but I'm allowed to complain - that's the way I see it.

I went looking for some spring this morning and found this little flower poking it's head up in my front yard. Brave little thing, and very welcome to see it's little purple head trying to open.

I am working on a collage piece and the perspective is eluding me so I will put it aside and come back to it when my head is clearer.

Come on spring - we're waiting!

Illustration Friday # 2

I was fooling around in my studio tonight and came up with another "SNAP" so here it is..

Teaching Mom over the telephone

My mom loves her computer but is not a whiz at using it but she tries very hard. So today we walked thru how to get to this blog and what it looks like to others. It was great, in that I learned what she wanted to see (pictures blown up) and how I had set it up so that she couldn't really get to the ones she wanted. So I am rearranging everything. Thanks Mom!

Mom keeps admiring this piece - I will bring it down to her house to see if we can find a place on the wall for it.

Sunday AM

Illustration Friday -"Snap" - these topics are great, a good way to learn and stretch your creative mind. I am trying to get the topic and do a drawing each time - we'll see how it goes!

I am off to "Absolutely Everything" for an ATC class and hope to take Bernie Berlins class there later in the month.