Hummingbird Heaven

This year the hummingbirds were back early - on March 14th - this year. I generally use Saint Patrick's Day as a "normal" return date. The population that has returned is very vigorous too - we have as many here now as we usually have by the end of April or mid May. We have 5 quart sized feeders out and they get drained at least every other day - and at times some need re-filling every day! We'll add another two at some point.

Believe it not we have had SNOW today - and I always fear for this charming fierce little guys in this cold. I wish I could have a warm spot for them!

Experimenting With Golden Silverpoint & Digital Matte White Grounds

Yesterday's mail brought the long back-ordered Golden Silverpoint ground. I had ordered it in a fit of experimentation lust quite awhile ago. DickBlick was out of it and one thing led to another and I forgot it until it arrived. I also had bought some Golden Digital Ground in matte white that I had been wanting to try out - so I tried them at the same time.

I had never heard of Silverpoint - "what the heck is this"" I thought? Ah!Something to to explore! Silver point, it turns out, has a long and noble history in the field of art and drawing. Who knew? There is a wonderful website called silverpoint web that will tell you all you want to know. about this amazing art form. One thing I know is that I have to hustle up some sort of real tool to try this stuff with. My experiements were interesting, but I know that the real thing will be awesome. Golden has a great write up about this new product in their publication "Just Paint", which, if you love to paint and draw, you really do need to check out and subscribe to! Golden makes an amazing array of ground products. I am just beginning to really experiment with some of their gessos and grounds - so you can look for more posts about them in the near future. I am really pretty excited about some of the things I have been playing with - things that I have wanted to try out for some time. Playtime really lifts my spirits - and gets me going! I love to try new things and learn new techniques - it's the gadget girl in me I guess.

The photo below:
I covered some scrap printer paper with some Silverpoint ground and then grabbed the things that were on my desk to try out. The top of the examples have ground and the bottom portion (where you can see I taped) are plain. I simply HAVE to get a real tool for this!

Below: left to right:
an embossing tool that I use for metal ,a paper clip (not reall visible!), a berol Prismacolor pencil, a Lamy Safari fountain pen with a medium nib, a Berol 6B pencil, a Staedtler Triplus marker - very fine nib),a Berol mechanical pencil (left line using just the metal nib and right line using the lead). The embossing tool was nothing special but at least the makes showed up. The colored pencil, ink, pencil, marker and mechanical pencils all worked. The ground made a lovely smooth surface for any sort of medium & encouraged a bit of spread for ink and marker. The pencils just wrote super smoothly. Have I said i need a real tool for trying this?!

Below are some plain copy paper prints I tried:

Left to right: plain copy paper, Golden Digital Ground for inkjet printeres in matte white, Golden Silverpoint ground. Obviously the Siverpoint ground really is not effective for inkjet printing. Perhaps not as obvious is the improvement in the color when using the digital ground. The volors really are more rich and vibrant. Keep in mind this was printed on regular old printer paper and I did not adjust the settings - so that's actually a lot for the ground to achieve with no special adjustments made to photo or printer.

Below is a bit more of a close up of the plain copy on the left and the digital ground on the right. The colors are much better with the ground - so I know there will be more of them in my paint box to try out as soon as I can afford to order them. I hope Blick will have another sale soon so that I can get some more to try!

The Curtain Saga

I love vintage bark cloth. Some years ago, my friend Ingrid, whose hand-me-down clothes I am still wearing, gifted me with this beautiful piece. It had been a curtain in it's previous life but the lining was thin & somewhat fragile. None-the-less, when she gave it to me I quickly hung it in a window to keep some of the summer's heat out. At some point it hit me that this made a very unflattering looking window covering - as tattered as the lining was becoming. The vintage bark cloth was in beautiful condition because the lining had protected it. The size of the bark cloth was, alas, too small for the window that needed covering. Both DH and I had decided that we loved the fabric & wanted to continue to use it. I could find nothing at all similar to it on line -and the price for vintage bark cloth seemed prohibitive to me anyway. I decided that I would fashion a larger curtain around the beloved bark cloth piece. No easy matter as it turned out.

I decided that linen would give a similar look - a bit rough and all - so, after browsing a well known on-line fabric store's selections, I picked a light, warm,brown color that would (I hoped) coordinate. I also ordered a high quality white "black- out" lining which I knew would battle back the summer sun that must surely be just around the corner - (tell me it will be warm again soon!). I waited and waited. Finally the lining fabric arrived - but no linen. I called this on line purveyor and inquired about the linen. "Oh. That fabric is no longer available" I was told. I queried how I would have known this? Arghhhhhhh - we were now closing in on a month of waiting for fabric that did not arrive. I asked if this was the normal 'delivery time' for an order. "Yes". The manufacturer was out of that color. Yes, I would have known that psychically of course! I decided to cut my frustration and quickly skimmed through their selections while I had someone on the phone with me. I picked a green that, God willing, would be in stock and would not require retting the flax and spinning it before I had it in hand. After I ordered the fabric I fretted that my 'knee-jerk' selection was a mistake & that it would not work at all well with the colors in the bark cloth. The thought of going through this with this company again lurked in the back of my mind. I knew that, had I taken more time to make a selection, the choice might have worked better. Thankfully, when the linen arrived it would work well enough. Not perfect, but well enough considering the trials of on-line colors & monitor discrepancies. Needless to say, although the company is one of the larger ones on line, I am not certain that I will be ordering from them again any time soon.

Next problem was - how do I make a curtain? It had been eons since I had made one - and the last one I had made required pins and tape but no lining. I wanted the lining to hang well, but did I want to have it hang separately? As with most things that I cannot fathom I just plunged in and figured it out as I went along. I decided on a tabbed top because I thought it suited the look better than a gathered top would & gathered would have taken up more space that I wanted. It all turned out in the end. I wish that the bark cloth had been a larger piece to begin with. It would, surely, have looked better than having linen all around. Considering all of the limitations that I had though - I am happy with the results. I chose, in the end, not to have the lining hang separately, but I liked the way it turned out better anyway. DH likes it well enough that he wants me to make more bark cloth curtains. Ha! Anyone have any to spare?!

Play Time Doodling

These are the things I have been playing with recently. I get a real 'need' to do something vaguely aboriginal once in awhile. Actually, I have been filling page after page of sketches to try to find something that pleased me. These are just a few of the colored sketches - there are pages of pencil drawings that I did not think were pertinent enough to post about. I have been having a great time playing - trying some things that have been languishing in my 'toy' box for some time without being used. I can;t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Play time is good!

A Great New Book About Felting

I love seeing new books come out about one of my favorite subjects! In this case felting! There seem to be quite a few excellent books for beginners but relatively fewer books that include some more unusual ways to work with the felting process. Sheila Smith's first book "Felt To Stitch" is one of my favorite books geared to 'modern' felting techniques. Her new book 'Embellish,Stitch,Felt' is another winner I think. The book offers some excellent beginner information but Ms. Smith also always manages to appeal to more seasoned felters as well.You can get a good idea about this book just by looking at the Table of Contents.



Sheila offers an excellent description of the differnt types of felting needles that are available and clearly explains the use for each type of needle. I think that many of us who use a felting machine may not realize that there ARE other needles out there. Thankfully, I took a class with Pat Spark that was my introduction to the art of felting and she presented all of the needle choices. If you ever get a chance to take a class from Pat - don't miss the opportunity! Now, I can cut the top off of the needles I want to use and replace needles as I need them in my felting machine. Sheila Smith also offers some excellent design and color selection options and the book does an excellent job of teaching about all of the many differnt fabrics that you can try to felt with. If you like felt than I don't believe that you wouls be disappointed in purcahsing this book - from Amazon or from your wonderful indepent book seller.

The Kitchen Linens Book By EllyAnne Geisel

Some of you know that I love vintage fabrics - especially things from the 30's and 40's - well, and some of the 50's too! I thought that the APron Book by Ms. Geisel waws wonderful - and now there is another new title to add to my bookshelf. I love the presentation of this book. The paper 'feels' good, the typeface makes it a pleasure to read and I love the way the cover underneath the dust jacket looks great too.

This little gem of a book primarily covers, as the title so aptly indicates - Vintage Kitchen Linens.

Tablecloths, aprons, those funky little crocheted doilies that were so ubiquitous for so long, napkins, dishtowels - you get the idea! Sprinkled throughout the book are little vignettes; photos of vintage kitchen wares, photos and some great recipes. One of the coolest little treasures in the included Vintage Butterick Transfer patterns for embroidery.How cool is that?!

I love this book and am happy to add it to my bookshelf next to "The Apron Book". This book is published by Andrews McMeel Publishing and is available through Amazon and your independent book seller.

Something To Caw ABout

I had a "to do" list this past weekend and I surprised no one more than myself when I actually managed to finish the list! One of the things I had wanted to was to add more pages in the new journal that I started. I have a new journal partner now whose name is Judy. The journal swap program is from the Yahoo Group Blissfully Art Journaling. Once you are paired with a partner you swap your journals out once a month for a year. I knew that a journal page or two a month for a year was something that I could commit to. I am really looking forward to seeing the results! I know I will learn a lot and, although Kim (BAJ's list mom) could not have known it when she paried us, Judy & I actuallly share many common experiences. Very interesting! We will be sending off our journals to each other next week & so I have wanted to do some introductory pages about myself. I'll finish the pages up this coming weekend in time to get the "little black book" sent off in the post early next week. Of course no introduction of myself would be complete without a page that honors my love of Corvids (crows & ravens).

I found a new technique that I wanted to try in a book I have been browsing through about Book Binding. I used a candle to drop wax "droplets" onto paper, applying paint coats in between. The wax becomes a resist. I really liked the effect that I got but, as with anything, I need some practice. I also think that soy candles might be easier to remove than the old candle that I had on hand - that had been languishing in a drawer awaiting the next power outage. I think the technique - which could not be any simpler really - bears some further experimentation. Of course this technique is now making me think about seeing what encaustics is all about. There is always something new to try isn't there?

It's Called A Bird & It's A Honey Of A Pen!

Can you find the 'Pelikan bill & eyes" on the clip?

I have been a "pen-a-holic" since I was a teen. While many girls were buying clothes & make-up I was out looking at pens. I drifted away from fountain pens when I was in my "career-ladder-step-climbing" phase which, I suppose is rather odd since in many ways it would seem far more reasonable to think of that time in life as the point at which you would want to flaunt an expensive, beautiful pen. Mind you - I was always very pen picky even when it was a matter of ballpoints, gel pens and roller balls.

As many of you who read my blog every so often have probably realized I have, once again taken up the "only-pen-worth-using-is-a-fountain-pen" stance. Fountain pens have become expensive - or perhaps they always were and I just did not notice it! These photos show a Pelikan M400 "honey" fountain pen. Pelikan pens are nick named "birds" by those who admire them. I had fallen in love with it's looks some time ago, but really could not justify the expense to buy one. For that matter the Bexley pens that I love the best are also quite costly & I have managed to hoarde a few of them - so why it seemed so frivilous to buy this one I'll never understand. Probably because I do love the Bexleys so much - I did not want to waste money on a pen that I might not even like. I had tried a Pelikan fairly recently (another,less expensive model) and I had not been that impressed.

Meanwhile I found an ad on the Fountain Pen Network selling a used M400 for a very low price - one that I could manage. Unfortunately, by the time I responded it was already sold. I left a comment on the page and mourned my loss. A lovely woman wrote to me after seeing my note and said that she had one that she would be willing to sell to me - name my price. Huh?! I felt I had to offer the price of the other pen - and, lo and behold, this very lovely Australian named Soki sent me this honey of a pen. Oh! I was in raptures! It is really a beautiful piece of functional art & has swiftly become my "go to" pen for journaling & 'at home' use. It lays down a perfect, beautiful, wet line with any ink I use in it.

These other photos are of the first 'expensive' pen I ever bought as a young teen. I am amazed that it is still with me. I bought another pen at the same time - a Mont Blanc that I adored and now cannot afford to replace. This Pelikan is called a "120" and it has a factory Italic nib. It is missing it's clip (I need to get that restored) but it still writes beautifully & is still a favorite pen. I bought it around 1967!!! Lord! How can that possibly be?! I am so happy that I am, one again,enjoying the absolute pleasure that laying down a beautful line of beautiful ink on beautiful paper can be. I am also grateful to the warm, friendly people on the Fountain Pen Network and to SOki who made it possible for me own my "bird-of-choice"!

Happy St.Patrick's Day - with a bit of help from Exaclair & My Favorite J.Herbin Inks

Since I come from a great group of Kavanaugh's, Boyd's, O'Malleys and Ellerys St.Patrick's Day has always been a nice holiday for me. I also always look forward to it because it is about this time each year when the hummingbirds return to our corner of the world. This year, after hearing that they were on the mainland, I put some feeders up on Saturday. Sure enough, they showed up for some fuel on Sunday morning!

I think I have previously mentioned that my favorite fountain pen inks are made by J.Herbin, a French company that has been in the ink business since 1700. They make other wonderful products that pertain to the arts of pen & ink as well. I am still hankering to try one of their glass pens & their calligraphy & art papers look wonderful too!

One of the recent blessings in my life is to have made a cyber connection with Karen Doherty who is the VP of Marketing for Exaclair Inc. I say I have been blessed because she has been very generous in humoring my obsessive tendencies for inks & papers to try. I mean, seriously, how much luckier could I get? I am a pen & paper obsessed, 'new thing on the block' kind of gal who loves to play - and Karen indulges me by occasionally sending me product samples to play with.

Yesterday's mail brought a fun surprise from Karen. Two bottles of ink in the most absolutely perfect "Irish" colors of Vert Pre & Orange Indien. The Irish flag's colors are orange (representing Irish Protestants & Unionists), green (representing Irish Catholics, the Republican cause & Irish Nationalists) & white which represents the hoped for peace between the "two Irelands". These inks were just the thing to help me create a St.Patricks Day journal page with!

I layered the inks to increase the saturation & added clover leaf 'shadows', the names of my family, bits of an Irish Blessing & and a quote by Adrienne Cook about St.Patrick's Day that I especially like "...St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time...a day to begin transforming Winter's dreams into Summer's magic...". I also added some gesso for the white & used a charcoal pencil for some detailing. Thank you Karen for sparking my imagination - I needed to make a special journal page for today and this was just the spark I needed. Perfect timing!

Here are those two bottles of ink - don't you just love the labels?! These are my "Irish" Lamy Safari fountain pens. The orange is a new color that just came out & the lime was actually the first of these pens that I purchased last year. They are wonderful "go to" pens for using in the office. I bet you just can't guess which color ink I put in which pen!!

Also included in my "art care package" was this nifty little note pad made by Clairefontaine. This paper (and these pads) are marketed by Exaclair as well. Clairefontaine paper is especially prized by those of us who are enamored with fountain pens. It is a lovely bright white, heavier weight paper than is usual & the best part of it is that inks do not bleed through to the back - which is a problem with many other journals & notepads - especially when a fountain pen is used.

I had fun today using a dip pen - trying some different nibs that I have had but had not been able to take the time to play with yet. I have a feeling that the design on the J.Herbin glass dip pens might make using a dip pen a bit easier on the nerves. I am somewhat awestruck when I think of how long dip pens were the only means of writing (well, other than perhaps pencils or charcoal or something)- and, worse yet, when I consider how using a quill must have been! Anyway, my play went along quite well with the pen & these lovely colored inks. The last three pens I tried using on the pad are Pilot Parallel Pens in varying widths. They use a thicker ink & because they are wide nibbed they lay down a lot of ink.

Below is the back of the page - you see nothing there. That is precisely the point - nothing shows through on the back of this excellent quality paper - so you can write to your heart's content & be assured of being able to make use of both sides of the paper. I have also tried using Sharpie's (fine & 'regular) on this paper & there is a bit of bleed through with them but not nearly as much as with a thinner paper such as in a Moleskine journal.

So - all in all I had a fun day of experimenting and, just when we thought it could not rain any more than it has been this week- the sun has just broken out! Must be the luck of the Irish! Hope you are all enjoying your day as much as I have mine!

Body Armour

A while back there was a Prompt on Blissfully Art Journaling called Body Armour. I couldn't think of anything that this meant to me and certainly could not visualize my own! Sometimes things must take awhile to percolate in one's sub-consciousness because as I was doodling a day or so agao this is what popped up. I realized that it is a good rendition of what I think my armour might look like. Unfortunately I was using plaing colored pencils - it might have looked better with paint, ink or water color pencils but on the other hand it now has a certain rough quality that somehow does seem to fit the concept!

I have a few book reviews coming up - hopefully I will start posting them tomorrow. Time is just whipping by. We are still enjoying a full range of weather from hail and snow to a perfectly good "November" wind and rain storm today. The humming birds will be back soon - I hubg their first feders today as they start returning around Saint Patrick's day usually. I will blink again and it will be full summer ! Happy Sunday to all.

From Winter To Spring and Back Again: It's All In A Day

This is how it was yesterday. We had hail, sun, snow (3 inches), hail, rain and today it is blissfully sunny! Go figure. Hopefully it will prove to be true that when March comes in like a lion it will leave like a lamb. I think we are all ready for some warmer Spring days! I felt really good yesterday and finished these ATC's that are on their way to California for a swap. They are handmade silk paper that I mono printed and then over painted. I have another set almost ready to go, but wanted to get these off in case I just could not finish up the other set. I felt great yesterday but not so great today - and a work day tomorrow is looming large. So much to do before then! Hope everyone is having a good day - or night depending on where you are - and I will try to be better at posting more often this week! No promises though.

Where Have I Been? Down The Rabbit Hole !

Just when I thought that the coast was clear and that I might get away from Winter without a bout of the usual bronchitis or whatever - zingo - last Wednesday I fell like a gnarled old tree. I began to feel rather faint at work. Got up and took a bit of a walk-about, sat back down & felt it again. Decided that I better skedaddle. I left work, went home & went to bed. It's a different cold bug this time and I am cautiously optimistic that I will not have bronchitis from it - which would be a first in my life actually with a cold. I have, however, been feeling rather under the weather.

Speaking of the weather - we have have had some seriously odd weather gris-gris going on here in the Pacific NorthWest. Yesterday we had hail (the photo above is a picture of the skylight covered with it), snow, sleet, rain and sun. All within a day. Sometimes twice in a day! March is most assuredly coming in like a lion. That must, surely, mean that Spring is close at hand! I am on Hummer watch - they generally return to the fold cold and hungry by Saint Patty's Day.

Aside from sleeping and some reading I have been doing little else. Yesterday, however, I finally finished a couple of journal pages. One that I like and one that I don't. Bet you will be able to tell which is which here ! After a nap (I woke up at an ungodly early hours this morning) I am hoping to paint some more. I also have a commission piece that I need to get going on as well. That should, by rights, be my priority, but I don't like working on things that are going to new homes when I am feeling somewhat off kilter .. that just does not work for me! Of course, there are those who consider me to be seriously off kilter in general!

The 'Prompt' for this page was Mandala. I can't think of anything that I like doing more than mandalas but this one came out a bit more personal than most of them. I think I stretched the strict terminology for mandala a bit too.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines a mandala as:

1: a Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe ; specifically : a circle enclosing a square with a deity on each side that is used chiefly as an aid to meditation
2: a graphic and often symbolic pattern usually in the form of a circle divided into four separate sections or bearing a multiple projection of an image

As such, I suppose that this does fit the bill more or less since it was a meditation as I drew it and is, if nothing else, graphic in design!

This next page is the 'black sheep' in my book. I considered tearing it out but decided I should not do that. There were, actually two prompts that I thought applied to this page. 'Family' and 'Release & Receive'. My idea of a family is one that is rooted in strength, patience and love. Trees also symbolize releasing your negative feelings or thoughts into the ground where they can be cleansed - allowing you to, once again, receive. I wish I had made the page nicer. I was experimenting with Golden Fiber Paste over Gesso and was not really sure how to manage the medium....so I think, in this case, the medium managed me instead! I'll give it another, more light-hearted, try when I am feeling chipper again!

It's odd how making visual journal pages is helping me in in other areas. I am busting out to get a quilt on canvas for something that I have been working out & on for some time. I wanted to use primed linen - until I caught sight of the prices. Ye Gads! Primed linen is right up there with gold in price! I will probably settle for a 3 yard roll of primed duck cloth.... anyway I am really excited about some quilt ideas that I am getting from making these pages. It all works together. A happy confluence of mediums & hope. Hope everyone has a day that includes just a little touch of magic!

A Sweet Tooth Cure That's Also Incredibly Easy!

I have a sweet tooth & I love to bake. I have no doubt that we would be much healthier ,& more svelte as well, if I enjoyed making entrees as much as I like to bake! The only thing better than baking an involved cookie, cake or bread is being able to bake something that tastes as though it took far more time to make than it really did. This is one of those recipes! My co-worker Jeanette, a/k/a the Baker Babe, brought these in to work one day. I just about swooned. and immediately made a pig of myself. I now insist that Jeanette bring in the recipe for anything that she brings in for us to try. That was how I managed to purloin this incredible recipe. I have seldom tasted anything this good - or this quick to prepare. Try them - you will not regret it!

Sticky Buns / Monkey Bread
From Jeanette Longan

NIGHT BEFORE:
Grease a Bundt pan.

Place 18-24 frozen Rhodes or Bridgeford dinner rolls (in freezer section of grocery store) in the bundt pan.

Sprinkle with one half of a box of Butterscotch Pudding Mix (NOT the instant variety – you need the cook and serve one.

In another pan cook 1.5 sticks of butter or margarine and 1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar. Stir constantly, until the mixture bubbles & boils & the butter & sugar no longer separate.

Pour over the rolls.

Sprinkle heavily with cinnamon and chopped pecans or walnuts.

Cover with foil and set the pan on the counter overnight to rise


NEXT MORNING

Remove the foil cover and bake in a 350 oven for 30-35 mintues or until brown.

Remove from oven – let stand for 5 minutes.

Invert onto a plate that is LARGER than the Bundt pan so that the caramel does not run over.
E –N-J-O-Y!!!!

Sometimes I just want to make these buns in a day and not wait overnight for them. To to this :
1.Follow the "Night Before" instructions and get the pan all ready to go.
2.Heat the oven to 200 . When it gets to 200. Turn the overn off.
3.Boil a pan of water. Place the pan of water in the turned off on a lower rack - place the prepared bundt pan on the rack above the boiling water. After awhile the rolls will begin to rise (as they would have done f resting over night).
4. Bake as indicated in the recipe!

Art Journal Pages

As some of you already know, I have been journaling for many years. It is only recently, however, that I have decided to add visual or art journaling techniques to my journal. Until recently,I had been separating the two types of journals - keeping one for the more personal , written pages & one book for the visual, art pages. I have decided that I rather like having them all in one book though- so that's what I have been doing. Thanks to the magic of cropping I am able to separate the personal written journal pages from the visual ones. I still use my other notebooks for larger more involved paintings. Some of you may also remember that I am new to painting & that I have taken only a cautious "toe-dip" into the collage aspect of visual journaling. I am woefully inadequate in understanding the requirements of collage, unlike my friend Kathy Zieben who took to journaling like a fish takes to water. She is a mosaic artist though so I can see how this transition is a fun one for her. Have a look at her journal pages and see how great she is!

I have joined two groups recently that have really inspired me & that have made my attempts at visual journaling easier. Both groups are comprised of terrific, amazing, talented women who have no axes to grind & who offer the gifts of help & inspiration. The groups are : Soul Journal & Blissfully Art Journaling. Typically there are daily, weekly or monthly 'prompts' & quotations to spark your creative instincts. I am finding that these groups are very instructive, stimulating, a lot of fun & I have been learing some things that I believe will help me a lot in my art quilting.

This prompt was 'Birds - what's your favorite?'. I cannot begin to name my absolute favorite bird since I have many of them. Since I make full sized felted crows though I decided that I needed to honor my intelligent, beautiful corvid friends.

This prompt for the pages below was 'Miracles, Have you ever experienced any?'. You bet I have! I know that my Guardian angels work over time on me & I am grateful that I have no second thoughts about their reality in my life. Indeed, I have experienced miracles on a very personal basis. This page took on the aspects of the end of a sunset - just over the mountains. I have tried to use a bit of collage in each page that I do since collage is the area that I need to bectome comfortabel with.... or maybe not - but I DO need to try it just to be sure! One of my step mothers used to do collage & my memories of her & her work are what I consider "typical" collage. Painstakingly cutting out small images and gluing them onto furnitue, quirky bags etc.

I really HAVE been continuing with TAW- and I am hoping that I will post about the next chapter tomorrow....I know, I know, I have said that before haven't I ???? Enjoy a miracle today!