Saturday, November 28, 2015

Vanilla Dulce

I finished my version of the Quaker Yarn Stretcher Boomerang, which I am calling Blue Quaker.



I really like the way this turned out--a nice little weekend project.  I haven't blocked it, but I like the soft and squishy quality it has unblocked, so I think I'm going to leave it this way.  I tucked this away into my pile of gift-ables, but I may decide to keep this one for myself!

This evening I started Dulce in Red Heart Heart and Sole sock yarn.


This is my first entry/project in the Indie Design Gift-A-Long 2015 on Ravelry.  We'll see how many projects I get done this month!

Friday, November 27, 2015

Blue Quaker

Yesterday and today I've been working on my version of the Quaker Yarn Stretcher Boomerang, a pattern by Susan Ashcroft.  I'm knitting this in Jaeger Roma, 63% viscose/22% nylon/15% angora, in a light blue, on size 11 needles.  I know this seems like huge needles to use for this yarn, but the pattern calls for the yarn to be knit in a very relaxed gauge.  I like this yarn--it's very soft and shiny and has knit up beautifully on the three or four different needle sizes I tried before settling on the 11's.



This yarn is now, sadly, discontinued.  I did a little stash-shopping to find it!

I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this one for myself or gift it this Christmas.  I just got in on the Gift Along 2015 on Ravelry, so I've been stocking up on great indie patterns to make in the next month.  It's always nice to have a little stockpile of nice things that can be given away at Christmas-time.  I'd like to get this finished quickly so that I can start on one of my exciting new patterns!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving Pies

My husband Chris cooks the Thanksgiving meal; my contribution to the feast is the pies.  I made two pies yesterday, pumpkin and apple.



Most years I make a third pie, pecan, but this year I decided against it since there are only four of us eating Thanksgiving dinner at our house.  Three pies for four people just seemed excessive!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Tags and Art Journal and Collage, Oh My!

I wandered down into my studio this evening and played around a little in my art journals.  I bought a couple of old books today at the antique mall to use in my work; I have to say, it was a little tough to start tearing pages out of a book, even an old torn-up one, but once I started, it felt surprisingly liberating to tear up book pages!  And I really like the way the pages look glued in my journal.  I think next time I might glue the book pages down and then paint over them, although this is a good start and I probably will go back in with more paint.


I also added some orange to my Dina Wakley faces page.  I'm not sure where to go next with this one--I think I'll just let it simmer for awhile.


I did a little collage with paper scraps on a piece of kraft paper.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this--maybe paint over it or use some Distress Inks on it once it's dry.  I'm thinking this will be cut up for homemade pattern paper or tags.


Then I played around with some of the new Distress Stains I got recently and made a bunch of tags bases.


I have good, inky fingers now!

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Spinning Singles

I taught a class today at my local yarn shop, Red Barn Yarn Farm.  It was a one-afternoon workshop in fixing mistakes and other tips and tricks.  It went well, although I only had one student!  Oh well, that woman got a one-on-one lesson.

Then I came home and felt a little restless, like starting something new.  So I picked out some fiber and starting spinning singles.




I'm spinning this with the intention of leaving it as a single.  (If you look at the treadles of my spinning wheel, you can see my hand-knit socks!)

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Art Journaling on a Thursday

I did a little work in my art journals this evening.

Played a little bit with my new Vintage 1950's Fashion stamp set from Flonz Craft.





Worked a bit more on this page with the Dina Wakley stamps.



I don't think this is done yet, although I'm not sure exactly what it needs.  I'm thinking orange, though.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Drawing at the Dentist's Office

I took my stepdaughter to the dentist's office today, and while I was waiting for her I took the opportunity to draw a couple of the people in the office.



I've issued myself a challenge to draw, paint, or work in one of my journals every day.  When I was younger, I used to draw often and had dreams of being an artist one day.  Time to re-awaken those dreams.

This evening I went downstairs and played a bit in my art journals, doing some collage and working on one of the pages I prepped with acrylics the other night.



I like these Dina Wakley stamps, and I like this technique of stamping with archival ink on tissue paper and then adhering the tissue paper to a colored background.

Till tomorrow...

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Lazy Sunday

Today was a lovely, lazy Sunday.  I hung out with my kitties, Frank and Dimbo.




Made chocolate chip cookies.


Gessoed a few pages in my art journals.  This is the one I didn't like too well from last night, so I put a gesso wash over it.  Interestingly, the blue in the bottom right-hand corner is a spray (on a stencil) that I put on the acrylic as an afterthought.  It was really lost in all the colorful paint, but once I applied the gesso wash it really popped through the gesso layer in a way that the acrylic doesn't.



 And did a little knitting on my Ashton Shawlette, which I am working on for a class I'm teaching at my local yarn shop, The Red Barn Yarn Farm.


A relaxing, lazy Sunday!

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Studio Therapy

I felt in need of some studio time this evening, so I went downstairs, got out my art journals, tags, paints and Distress Inks and started playing around.

Tag bases with Distress Inks.


More tag bases, with Distress Inks and stencilling.


An art journal background spread using acrylic paints.


Another art journal background spread with acrylics.  This one got a little muddy, so I may go back and put a gesso wash over it when it's dry.


Art journal background using sprays and stencils.


Art journal background.


A finished tag.


I was trying to use some of the techniques and ideas from my recent Craftsy classes.  And I feel better--more calm, more centered.  Art as therapy, for sure.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Poppy Bookmark

It's been unseasonably warm here in NW Missouri over the last several days, and yesterday was almost oppressively warm (well, for November, anyway!) until the skies opened up in the afternoon and we got a huge thundershower and hail.


The kitties were quite perturbed.  Here's Hilda, wondering what in the world I was doing outside in such weather. I'm sure she was worried about me!


I've picked up a couple of Craftsy classes recently that center on stamping and mixed media techniques.  After watching the classes, I was itching to get down into my studio last night and play.  So at about 11:30 p.m. (!) I wandered downstairs and started to play around with a bookmark-sized scrap I found lying on my cutting table.  I spent 30 happy minutes and came up with this bookmark.


The details:
2.  Prima Marketing stencil, "Crackle"
4.  "Poppies" stamp by Magenta
5.  Black and white embossing powder
6.  Red Sharpie



Tuesday, November 3, 2015

A Visit and a Thank-You Card

I went to St. Louis over this past weekend to visit my son, Harvey, who is almost 20 and the proud possessor of his own apartment and full-time job.


(He doesn't like me to take pictures of him, but I do it anyway since I am his mother!)

While there I stayed with Harvey's aunt and uncle, (his dad's brother and his wife), who were kind and gracious enough to let me stay with them, even though Harvey's dad and I are divorced.  


Here's Harvey avoiding another picture in the sculpture garden of the St. Louis Art Museum.

I took the Amtrak from Kansas City to St. Louis and back, which I highly recommend.  You can sit back and relax, read, knit, or nap, and generally just enjoy the view without having to focus on driving.

This evening I got back into my studio and did some organizing and general cleaning up--putting away new stamps, throwing away trash, filing stuff.  And then I made this thank-you card, which I'm intending to send to Harvey's aunt and uncle, thanking them for their kindness in allowing me to stay with them over the weekend.


The details:
1.  Flower stamp--"Fiona" by Woodware Craft Collection
2.  "Thanks" sentiment from Thank You Words set by Inkadinkado
3.  Stampendous embossing powder in Midnight Black
4.  Bubbles stamp (in background) from Grunge set by Stampendous