CATCH UP

I've finished my first week of the

"Artful Alphabets"

online class with Joanna Sharpe...

Above is called "one-liners".

It's basically printing over and over without lifting your pen.

I think its pretty cute and definitely easy!

This one is called "Thick-it". You start with ordinary printing, and then make certain parts of each letter "thicker". Also very fun. I was working on this one in the car when waiting for Tori after school last week. When she got in the car, she said "It smells like sharpies in here grandma" in a rather stern voice.

I love this one, but it is the hardest (takes more time and concentration). It's called "Filler Font". For each alphabet, we first do them on graph paper, then practice in a composition book, then the final one is in a 9x12 watercolor paper spiral notebook. This will be like a resource guide in the future.

and I am still working on my art journals as well, when I get a chance.

I liked my bulbs.

The flowers not so much.

Little bird is ok for a first try.

The camera show is still on my mind, because I got all this stuff there! I bought a couple of leather lens boxes for $1 each, but the rest of the stuff was all on the FREE table (including that camera, which I am going to PAINT over!) The big piece of leather in the front I have in mind for a rustic looking art journal cover (someday). The rest of the stuff I plan to paint black (or some solid color) and then paint flowers, or books, or people or birds or whatever I want on. In my last class, people were painting old purses or clutches. That is the idea I am planning for these.

While I was looking around with my camera, I wanted to share this. Claudia gave me the sweet violets plate on Easter. I looked in my china cabinet and found the sugar and creamer set (also given to me by Claudia, many years ago!). They are made for each other!

And I "re-decorated" my kitchen windowsill with some of my favorite blue and white china. The lighting is a little funny in this shot, but this little line-up gives me great pleasure while I'm standing at my sink!

Camera Show 2012

The Camera show.

Once a year.

Always different - always the same

A fine day for me!

...

I was looking for some random "things" to paint on. I found a couple of things: a leather lens case, a leather camera case, stuff like that...then they opened a "free" table. a few more things were impossible to resist. More projects!

a new class

This week I started a new art class.

"ARTFUL ALPHABETS"

The idea of fancy lettering, to go along with my art journaling really appealed to me. I stumbled on Joanne Sharpe's blog and there was my next class! I have been working on it but the beginning is not so fancy, and in fact looks a lot like what your 1st grader might bring home from school about December. BUT she promises we are just doing the groundwork and it will get fancier! It is still fun to do. The above is from Joanne's blog. I will probably have something to share by next week.

Totally unrelated, I got my plane ticket today, to go to Minnesota in about a month!
Can't wait!

An Easter Event.

Happy Easter. I found these eggs hiding in my art journal today!

We had the most beautiful day of the year so far today!

I think it may have reached seventy degrees!

A wonderful day to share a meal with family and catch up with the news.

Wyatt's first Easter.

I think he liked it - and he had so many grandmas to play with!

Cousins enjoying the sunshine and RICE KRISPIE TREAT EGGS WITH JELLY BEANS INSIDE!

The wild currant is in bloom in my yard. Also a few daffodils and those Hellebore just bloom on and on! Remember the pussy willows I bought? One of the stems has grown roots! I'm going to try planting it on the edge of our woods. I just hope deer don't have a taste for it!

This evening Phil and I watched AMAZING GRACE. What a powerful and moving film. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Coloring eggs

Tori came over to help me color Easter Eggs today.

I used my FAVORITE Martha Stewart recipe...for Marbleized Eggs.

All it takes is food coloring, vinegar, and olive oil.
We dyed the eggs background color first. (yellow and blue). Then swirled them through the dye-olive oil mixture, which gives them that swirly artsy look.

We were very happy with the results. We even shredded some book paper to make little nests for them.

Tori spent a little time playing with my dolls too. One is hers and I have promised her some new doll clothes. I'm really inspired now that I have seen her have so much fun with them. I also owe some to another granddaughter - so I better get busy!!! I let her take two of my dolls as hostage for keeping hers a little longer as a model for her new clothes.

I need to set aside my paints and paper for fabric and scissors, at least temporarily.

These girls need some new clothes!

a collection

I have a nice necktie collection -- I have a partially started plan to make a crazy quilt out of silk ties. Well, I have two of them done. Two done, maybe 23 to go?

anyway, this morning I checked out one of my favorite artists (Balzer Designs -- on my sidebar) and she had a collection of ways to color or make Easter eggs - that is links to other blogs with directions...this one caught my fancy...

You wrap a SILK necktie around an egg - secure it with twisty-ties...wrap another piece of cloth around that...secure with twisty-ties...and plunk it into a pot of boiling water with 1/4 cup vinegar in it. Let simmer 20 minutes...unwrap when coolish and...tada...

In my collection it is sometimes hard to tell what is silk and what is polyester (because I have cut them up). It seems like the cheaper the silk tie, the more likely it is to run and color your eggs beautifully. I don't really think they are edible after all that boiling, but it was fun and a unique way to color a couple of eggs. I'll show you my favorite method in a few days.

a few signs of Spring...

a pretty day in the Pacific Northwest today - it almost hit sixty degrees!

We went to the park for a very windy picnic and some playtime.

a few trees in bloom along the way...

some bicycle riding back home too.

Lions Park was perfect! The swings were all vacant.

I'm not sure who had more fun: Wyatt, Tori, or me!

I know I had fun getting these photos and lots more.