More Wild Art

 

More leaf sketching/painting.

 

 

How do you like my picture drying device?

It's a floor lamp - with the shade fabric gone.

 

This salal leaf came out much prettier in my painting than the original!

 

And I was pretty pleased with this "maple seed" sketch.

I painted it on a book page partially covered in gesso.

 

You've seen this one before, but now it is the title page of my

"Wild Art Nature Journal"

 

This is just inspiration from my office window.

 

I've been learning a lot about mixing colors with this lesson.

It's relaxing and each picture is fast.

Waiting for paint to dry

Watercolors

 

 

Today's post is things I have painted for my on-line class:

The Art of Wild Abandonment No.2

 

Above is a combination of coffee mugs painted on a book page,

mounted on a page I prepared from an earlier on-line class.

 

Today my mission was to collect leaves, sketch and paint them.

The yellow leaf above is from our front yard.

I improved it a little later...

 

I think this is a "firethorn". That was fun to do.

 

Some ordinary maple-y leaves from my office.

 

My final October leaf.

I created some shadows and sketchy-inked around the edges.

 

I wasn't too happy with the colors on this one.

Except for the maple leaf seeds.

 That came out perfect.

This was fun and fast.

The hardest part is waiting for the paint to dry.

 

There's more, and several more hours in my evening. . .

Final CSA delivery

 

Today I picked up my last CSA share from Kirsop Farms.

It was loaded with goodies:

 

Onions, carrots, bell peppers, beets

cauliflower, celeriac, lettuce, squash, parsnips, scallions

 

And it was a most beautiful day! The lighting was JUST RIGHT.

 

Wyatt and I strolled the market and Percival landing and the gardens.

 

The market wasn't very busy, you can see things are slowing down.

 

From now on I believe the market is only open on the weekends.

 

It is a bittersweet moment. 

The end of my boxes of vegetables to create yummy dishes

and try new things, but also a little relief at going back to the ordinary stuff:

carrots, potatoes, peas, broccoli, salads.

 

a peek-a-boo at the marina.

 

 

I have no idea what this marvelous plant is

but it looks like something out of Willy Wonka!

 

 

My buddy and partner in crime for the day.

Wrapping up the weekend.

I haven't posted many of my projects lately, I suppose I'm waiting for a fabulous finished product to share.

 

 

This month I have been taking the Liberty Jane Design Academy (online class). Above is the one thing I have mostly finished.  I am learning a lot though and should have more to share soon. The class is teaching us to look at doll clothes in a whole new way.  Make them fashionable, like what a 9-12 year old would want to wear; or copy the fashion of preteen icons, like Katniss, Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift...taking care in choosing fabrics and watching proportions. I am mostly interested in making doll clothes for my granddaughters that have a real "wow" factor.  I might think about putting some on Etsy, but "wow" the competition is stiff!

 

After my latest shabby journal from "dispatch from LA", the 'remains of the day' journal, I decided to hurry up and make a Christmas Journal for myself.  I have finished the bare-bones and can tuck it away until December 1st.  I sewed jingle bells into the binding.

 

 

 

I used some scrapbook paper, but other stuff too - like calendar pages, music pages, old Christmas cards, doilies, ribbon and postage stamps. 

 

One thing I learned from the previous journal was not to fill it up with so much stuff that there's not much room for journal entries and photographs.  Better to leave lots of space and fill it in later if needed.

 

I think I will make one more Christmas one, for a gift. And then move on to other projects.

 

We still have a few beautiful things in the yard.

  Above are Snowball Bush leaves.

Very pretty in our back yard.

 

And these Hardy Fuchsias will bloom until a hard frost.

 

My Hydrangeas are done for, but still pretty in their own way as they fade away.

Olympia seems very beautiful this year, with many beautiful trees gradually showing their fall colors.

355 years of experience!

 

It seems like we celebrate a lot!

Friday was my dad's 85th birthday.

 

 

Happy Birthday to you!

 

We met at Falls Terrace in Olympia for dinner,

then over to mom and pop's for (another) dessert.

 

 

We went to the Falls' "early bird" dinner.

A good choice with an attentive wait staff and it was pretty quiet (except for us).

My pop pointed out that we had 355 years of "experience" sitting at our table!

 

Here is the fan club, wishing him many many more!

 

Happy Birthday!

Something Yummy

Apple Brownies*

(or Apple Blondies)

 

 

I found another recipe to use up my apples.

 I have about half a basket left.

 

 

Apple Brownies

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter
1/12 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup peeled chopped apples
1/2 cup nuts
powdered sugar

Instructions:

1.  Cream butter and brown sugar; add eggs and vanilla, mixing well

     Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir well. stir in apples and nuts

2.  Spread batter into greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan; Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes
     until brownies test done and slightly browned on top.

3.  Cool, dust top with powdered sugar and cut into 24 squares.

Try them!  You will enjoy!  I promise!

They taste like blondies,

 but with apples instead of chocolate chips.

*www.tammysrecipes.com

a cup of tea

Tradition

 

My sister Claudia and I had an idea one year:

to find a cute card, and re-use it as long as there

was still space to write.

 

 

I bought this card in 1996.

 

We haven't used it every year. In fact it was hiding

for the last ten years.

 

What fun to see it again.

There is lot of room for many more years.

 

I love old stuff!

A Bubble of Tranquility

A Japanese Fall Tea Ceremony

 

 

My sisters took me to Tea Lady for a birthday event.

We participated in a very authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony, with a narrator that explained every step along the way. Very interesting and unique.

 

But first, we got to browse the shop.  So many delights!

 

This is our "host" preparing the tea. Every little step has significance and must be performed perfectly, like playing a musical instrument.

 

Above are the "sweets" we were given with our tea.

The little white square is sugar.

The other item is made of lima bean paste!

 

Not like a British High Tea!

 

This is my bowl of tea being served to me.

I cradle the bowl with my left hand and steady it with my right.

I turn it 45 degrees before drinking, to honor the artist who made the bowl.

The tea was bright green and frothy.

Drink it in three gulps, slurping the last one noisily.

 

The ultimate goal of the ceremony is to leave tea with a bubble of tranquility around you. The ritual, the peace, the calm of the ceremony all add to that feeling.

 

Here I am at my mom and dad's looking pretty peaceful.

They made up for the exotic sweets at the Tea Ceremony by serving us Neapolitan cake with ice cream.

That made me feel even better.

 

 

Another Win.

Another out of town trip for Walker

To Ferris State University

 

 

This was the Ferris State Bulldog's Homecoming game...

They lost: Hillsdale 30; Ferris State 20

 

I didn't know Grand Rapids Michigan was the Furniture Center of the world! Maybe we should visit it on our way through Michigan next time...

Hillsdale isn't on this map, but it's near the Ohio Border, below Ann Arbor.

This is Walker's mid-term break - but he did have to work today.

 

Go Chargers!

Finest Fall Ever!

Some things I observed Thursday

Puget Sound

 

 

 

This has been the FINEST FALL EVER!