Latest Posts

Sowing all the Seeds.

Published by

One good thing about the summer in the MidWest – it is growing time in the garden! To begin the growing process I start plants like tomatoes and chili peppers around now.

I like to browse the seed aisle and pick out some new varieties.  Last year I was not mad about the beefsteak tomatoes I grew, so I went for a smaller size this year along with the always popular mini tomatoes.  I honed my chili needs down and chose just one variety.  Eggplant/aubergines were a surprise success a couple of years ago, so I grabbed some seeds this year and last but not least I picked some cucumber seeds.

Fresh cucumber, tomatoes and some feta cheese is one of my favorite summer dishes, especially when the cukes and toms are off the plant and still warm from the sun.

img_0399

How could I resist ‘Brad’s Atomic Grape’ tomatoes or ‘Sunrise Bumblebee’ or even ‘Pink Love Apple’?  All of the seeds I chose are from Missouri businesses, so I am hoping that will make them a good choice for my summer garden.

I received a paper pot maker for Christmas and it is the most fabulous thing, little tiny plant pots made from strips of newspaper, perfect for starting seedlings.  Then of course they can be put into the ground or a pot and the pot will bio-degrade into the soil.

seedsfeb2017blogimg_6973

seedsfeb2017blogimg_6965

seedsfeb2017blogimg_6968

Now my little collection of seeds in soil are sitting on my kitchen windowsill soaking in the sunlight.  If you want to check out where I got my seeds, they are from Baker Creek and SeedGeeks.

Grow seeds grow!

Happy Wednesday x

Weekly Photos 2017. 7/52

Published by

img_0588

img_0592

img_0593

img_0602

img_0607

img_0605

1. Dormant bush spotted on the way to the shops!

2. I spotted Darth Vader hanging out in Goodwill.

3. My Goodwill haul after a wash.

4. At the park.

5. I loved the pattern on this coffee pot.

6. One of my Valentine roses.

Happy Monday x

Get Messy Art 101 Week Two

Published by

gmart101week2img_6951

gmart101week2img_6953

Week two of Art 101 and we are messing about with texture.

I worked on one of the pages I started last week and added some texture using a doily to print and then I stuck it down when I had printed with it and it was starting to get soggy!

The second page is a background I made a while ago.  I added some texture to this page and the first page using gold paint and a mesh bag which had lemons in it which had to be emptied out.

I painted on the quote and all done!

‘Enable the chance for something to happen’ – sound advice from Christoph Niemann who is featured on the first episode of ‘Abstract’ on Netflix. I have watched the first three episodes and it is an excellent series about the design process.

If you are interested in the Get Messy Art Journaling community, check out their website and public blog.

Happy Creating and Happy Thursday.

The Grey Journal is about to travel the world.

Published by

greyjournalcoverfeb2017

snapseed

greyjournalfeb2017

I have never participated in a traveling journal before, so I did what anyone would and I joined two groups!

This is the first journal and my colour is grey.  How it works is I make a journal and art a couple of spreads inside using greys only.  Then I send it onto the next person in the group and so it continues until eventually it comes back to me full of grey goodness.

We have five artists and we each have a different colour, so I wonder which journal I will get first and what colour it will be?  I like the restriction of only using one colour, it allows me to concentrate on other areas without having to plan a colour palette.

I have used Paynes Grey in the book and it looks blue to me, but I am getting away with it because it is officially called ‘grey’ and it is one of my most favorite colours. Also silver counts as grey right!?

I can’t wait to paint and draw in everyones journals!

Happy Wednesday.

Weekly Photos 2017. 6/52

Published by

img_0493

img_0494

img_0545

img_0567

img_0564

1. This fungi/ lichen growth on a fallen tree looks ancient!

2. We have been digging for vintage bottles and jars again. In this lot there is a Listerine bottle, a deodorant cream jar and a beauty cream jar.  White milk glass is my favorite, even when it is covered in mud!

3. I have been messing about in my art journal and on old book pages this week.

4. A Metro Link transit advert.

5. I didn’t have time to drink my tea before the gym this weekend, so of course I took it with me!

Happy Monday x

 

Get Messy Art 101. Week One.

Published by

img_0540

img_0542

img_0543

img_0545

This season of Get Messy Art Journal is all about getting down to the art basics and building  repertoire of techniques and ideas.  The first week was no disappointment, there were tutorials in painting faces and creating backgrounds and lots of mini prompts and ideas pouring out of the Get Messy community!

I put my spin on a background using watercolor and pulled out my trusty gelli plate to add the wishy washy colour to the pages of my sketchbooks and I also printed onto some pages from a vintage typewriting book.

Lots of sketchbooks are essential for me because I always end up starting many pages at the same time and they all need to dry before I carry on to the next layer or page.

img_0549

img_0551

img_0552

I tried various colour palettes and I love these backgrounds.

img_0556

I added a page to a page and I will continue to layer onto this spread.

img_0557

These pages started with a self portrait painted on the inside of security envelopes using a sumi brush and black sumi ink.  I prepped the pages with black and white gesso and stuck down the paintings.  Added some doodles and layered some acrylic paint over the pages.

It just goes to show, any paper can be used to make art!

Do you use unconventional papers or supplies?  What is your favorite?

Happy Friday x

Weekly Photos 2017. 5/52

Published by

img_0421

img_0472

img_0474

img_0424

img_0466

img_0477

img_0483

  1. I saw this rather old jar sticking out of the creek bed as I walked through the woods this week. I wonder what was in it all those years ago?
  2. We spotted this bright lichen on a dog walk this week.
  3. Matching funghi.
  4. I photo’d this church against the city scape with a view to drawing it, I haven’t sketched it yet, but I will (honest).
  5. It has not been super cold this week but this ice was impressive.
  6. This bark which has dried out off the tree looks like paper in a very thick book.
  7. We found this jar in the mud, it contained beauty cream in the 1930’s and there it was, intact but missing the lid which I suppose had disintegrated over eighty years.

I hope you had a lovely week, we found lots of stuff which is always an exciting time in our house!

Happy Monday x

 

 

I decided that two 365 projects would be a fun time, and they are!

Published by

At the end of 2016 I decided to buy a ‘large’ 8.25″x 5″ Moleskine daily planner with a bright orange cover and every day of 2017 I would art on that day’s page. The first couple of pages were a bit rubbish, but then I relaxed about the whole thing and painted a tea cup on day three.

This planner is my playtime, the place I can experiment and slap colour about with abandon.  I don’t worry that the pages are too thin to hold watercolor or that my favorite pen goes through, because it just means that on the next page I will use collage or start with a layer of acrylic to work on top of.

So far I have used watercolor, collage, acrylic, sumi ink, pen, neon, gelli plate and words.

I am happy to draw or paint or just make some marks or add some colour.  The day is documented sometimes with a little watercolor sketch, whatever comes to mind.

February will continue randomly or I will find a theme, who knows!

img_0429

img_0431

img_0432

img_0433

img_0434

img_0435

img_0436

img_0437

img_0438

img_0439

Remember I said two 365’s, well here is the other one.  I really wanted to improve my painting skills and confidence, so I thought I would also do a daily painting.  For this project I am using a Strathmore 5oo series Mixed Media book because they have lovely thick paper which will take on watercolor or acrylic or ink and not stress about it.  I am not sure if I will only use these books as I go through the year, maybe I will vary the size, but I am halfway through the current one, so I am looking forward to a collection of sketchbooks by December!

I started in the Strathmore with no direction, I thought I was going to go the way of the Moleskine, a paint whatever comes to mind approach.  I did this for a few days and then I colourblocked the page and using my sumi brush and ink, I painted a simple vase of flowers and on the next page a figure copied from a magazine.  I liked how these pages looked and thought I would carry on through the rest of the month with the colour and ink on top.

The pages ended up mainly faces and figures interspersed with flowers, tea cups and one dog!  Some turned out better than others but that is the whole point is it not?  To make mistakes, turn the page and carry on the next day.

I am taking the project in this book one month at a time and choosing a theme if I want to or allowing the pages to go their own way if that happens.

For February I have decided to use watercolours and paint collections of things on each page, for example – cacti, flowers, birds, saucepans, jugs or people.

img_0441

img_0442

img_0443

img_0444

img_0445

That was January, I hope February continues in this theme of daily success.

Are you doing a 365 project?  Art? Writing? Knitting? Do tell. I hope it going well for you whatever you are up to!

Happy Wednesday x

Weekly Photos 2017. 4/52

Published by

img_0353

img_0317

img_0328

img_0360

img_0363img_0405

img_0406

img_0370

img_0383

img_0396

1. I saw these flowers in the park looking pretty!  I have no idea where they are from or why they are on the tree though. Isn’t it funny what just pops up!

2. This white building is one I pass all the time, I don’t know what it houses but I like the corrugated exterior.

3. This weekend was the second birthday of my friend’s gym – Core 3  Fitness and these were some of the flowers at the celebrations.

4. It was a super windy day and I saw this amazing dry Queen Anne’s Lace flower which was bobbing about in the breeze.  I can’t believe I ended up with a focused picture!

5.- 10. Missouri Mines State Historic Site is a fabulously creepy place to visit!  It is a disused lead mine which closed in the 1970’s.  The underground mine is totally flooded  but the buildings remain and the old powerhouse is now a museum. It would be a perfect place for a zombie party!!!

Hope you had a good week!  Happy Monday x

 

 

‘I Like’ Friday. The mini journal edition.

Published by

minijournaljan2017img_6866

minijournaljan2017img_6867

minijournaljan2017img_6868

minijournaljan2017img_6869

minijournaljan2017img_6870

minijournaljan2017img_6871

I started working in one of my mini journals today,  and I love it love it love it!  Each page is  a little quick delve into colour, collage and drawing.  I have used acrylic paints which dry nice and quickly, so I can work through the journal without having to wait ages for paint to dry.

I started with my new friend, the ‘owlat’ which came about in a previous page and I thought the image looked like a owl crossed with a cat.  I drew this one more deliberately, guiding the triangles as I went.

The fold out pages are fun and I tried to make them work with each other and the pages around them by adding a similar flower motif in pen (I used white Uniball and a blue Micron).

I am becoming very interested in old photos as well as postcards and this is a copy of a vintage photograph.  I wonder who she was?

Collage is a new addition to my art journaling and I am enjoying using snips of magazines cut into shapes.

The final page here is a tree image covered with a gelli print of a leaf which I made a while ago and printed onto dry wax paper so that when it is glued down the non printed areas are almost transparent.

I feel like I could finish one of these little books in one sitting, so this one might soon be done!

Happy Friday x