Category : Art

432 posts

T Tuesday: gardens and more edition

This week I thought I’d give you a look at how my gardens are doing followed up with some art.

FYI-photo heavy post

The deck box garden holds my yellow pear tomato plants each year to keep them from cross pollinating with the red regular sized varieties, This year I think I got a few seeds mixed up. I have some non-pear shaped tomatoes on a couple vines. Hmmm. Time will tell. I also have my Egyptian walking onions, radishes and jalapenos in there. Resting on the edge is a new to me shepherds hook. Mr. G is going to move one hook about 10 inches down for me when he digs out the welder.

The shed garden is going gangbusters after what seemed like a very slow start. I have tons of tomatoes on the vines. Even the bedraggled plants that came home from Biology class with J are doing fantastic.

The pumpkin and this tomato included. I really had no hope for either of these plants so I didn’t work very hard making a good home for them. Obviously they don’t care a bit.

The yellow summer squash and zucchini are getting large although the zucchini hasn’t produced anything yet.

The yellow ones are tasty though.

The first bit of bounty from the garden has arrived.

I am dealing with this pest though. Anyone know what it is and how to get rid of it without chemicals? I’ve been knocking them off and squishing them but the little munchers keep coming back for more.

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We changed things up a little this year and didn’t attend the local parade for the 4th of July. Instead we went to a party close to our old neighborhood. We figured out that we hadn’t been to their annual bash in 10yrs. I forgot my phone at home so no pictures from there.

We came back for the standard evening shenanigans on our block. J had 6-7 friends hanging out by the end of the evening. You wouldn’t believe how quickly 3 large pizzas can disappear.

We joined a neighbor in their front yard for the awesome view of the fireworks, What a fun night.

Of course, there was lots of overindulging of all sorts so my drink of choice the next morning was….

alka-seltzer.

I did take a bit of time for creating. I’m not sure how I feel about this page now that its dry.  The colors of the stains were so fun and vibrant before they dried. Now the page is a little dull.

I went back and added these paper beads I made years ago to try and dress things up a bit. I love that they’ll hang outside the book begging someone to open it up to take a peek.

I’m planning to work on the landscape edging around a flower bed before it gets too hot. The humidity is what is so bad right now. UGH! I get very cranky in the heat.  And don’t even talk to me about my hair.

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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Life as we know it

Art journal. It’s been so long. I’ve missed you.

I sat down to create the other day. I had nothing in mind. No colors, technique or even medium planned. A piece of paper caught my eye. It was one that had been used to protect my works pace, journals and the like.

It was covered with random bits of color, stamping, scribbles and even a couple of holes. Not much to look at really but better than the blank page staring me in the face.

I adhered it with a glue stick and began to add more color to balance things out using gelatos. Have I mentioned how much I love gelatos?!?

After adding the cool blues around the edges I was really beginning to like where this was going. I then added the orange as a bit of a transition to the center pinks.

MY love affair with circles came shining through as I began using my finger to create white islands in the sea of wild color.

A piece of painted watercolor paper from my scrap bucket seemed to jump out at me to give a bit of dimension to the page while still keeping the over arching theme of circles going.

The last piece was a bit of found text. It fit so well.  Back to creativity. Back to circles. Back to blogging. Back to life as I knew it.

Linking up with Art Journal Journey.

Art Journal Journey

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T Tuesday: returning edition

Hello!! I am still here. It’s been a while.

Gosh, that sounds like the beginning to a song… I’m awful with names of songs/singers/authors/actors/movies/etc…so if it is one…sorry, I’m just not going to be able to commit any brain cells to that information. I have WAY too much other pointless trivia floating around in there.

So I took a bit of a blog hiatus after mom’s passing and funeral. I just wasn’t able to “find my voice” for the blog. I think my bout of laryngitis is over now.

During my break we traveled to north to do another college visit. This one was University of Minnesota Duluth. I completely forgot to take any photos on campus likely because our tour remained inside all but one brief walk outside as a shortcut. The awesome thing about UMD is that all the buildings are connected by tunnels and concourses. You literally don’t have to step outside if you don’t want to all winter long. I’d be blissfully happy if that’s where either kid decided to go to school.

Mini-me and I did our traditional sea glass hunting. The view is lovely…

and we always manage to find treasures.

The kids and I walked down to Grandma’s (host of Grandma’s marathon that had been run just the day or two before we got there)

Both times we’ve eaten there, we’ve been seated right by this sign. Too funny! I didn’t take the obligatory beverage photo but rest assured it was there and it was of the adult variety. Why not…we were walking!

Back at home I’ve been keeping busy with gardening, driving back and forth to the high school for volleyball and some volunteer work I picked up. The choir director put out a call for anyone with sewing skills to mend the robes before they are dry cleaned to save the program some money. So far I’ve mended 20 robes. 

It’s mostly split sleeves but there have been some zippers and collars as well.

It’s all hand stitching and the stitches need to be hidden. Thank you Mrs. Wilwerding for teaching me how to sew in the 8th grade. My kid’s high school also thanks you for indirectly saving them lots of money. I’m hoping when I drop off this latest batch of 6 robes that at least some will have been taken by the others to mend.

I have been a little creative as well. Here’s a little sneak…

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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T Tuesday: twice published edition

Way back around the New Year I mentioned that I was sending something in for possible publication.  I was super excited about the piece and shared a couple little snippets.

On a whim I sent a collection of collage gift bags that I’d been working on as well to Sew Somerset. Much to my surprise, I was asked to write an article about my gift bags…then shortly after I heard that my other submission would also be included in the gallery section of the magazine,

I can’t even tell you what a lift it was getting this in the mail. Of course I knew it was coming but getting to hold it in my hands really brightened my day.

It’s a real honor to be included with so many wonderful artists.

This week marks the end of school…no more middle school for Mini-me. I will have two high school kids next fall! Freshman and senior. Many changes on the horizon. New adventures and challenges alike. It all builds character…and we could all use a bit of character right?! The world would be a pretty boring place if we all were exactly the same.

What are you doing today?

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Painting from texture experiment

I didn’t set off to finish a painting today. I was more just wanting to play with different techniques in a canvas board. Using different paints and application methods. Even paint removal methods.

texture study

I found this very interesting and learning a lot about different body paints and how they react differently with a palette knife for instance. Also the transparency of certain paints…why you want this at times and other times not so much.

I walked away pleased with my new found knowledge. Later the canvas board pulled me back.

abstract painting

I used my fingers to create over top of my experiment. There are only small areas that remain from the learning process.  I really am pleased with the end result. I’m still not quite ready to call it done…I’m still thinking maybe some minor accents of black might complete this one for me. Only time will tell.

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T Tuesday: a decade of blogging edition

Today for T stands for Tuesday I’d like you to help me celebrate a real milestone…an entire decade of blogging!!!

I am so incredibly shocked that I have been at the keyboard sharing my work with the world for 10 years now! I started the blog on a whim and wasn’t sure if I’d even had any readers but was thinking of it as a digital diary of sorts. I hadn’t ever had success a paper diary or journal so who knew I’d still be at it all these years later.

Take a peek at my very first post…

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The blog itself has went through many changes over the years, but though it all the content has remained the same. The visual presentation and the platform have changed. I was on Blogger for the first 5 yrs then purchased my own domain and moved over to WordPress.

Blogging helped me learn to identify myself as an artist…something that was very difficult to say out loud for the first time. Of course, part of that is likely due to growing up in the upper mid-west, raised in a conservative Lutheran church.  We cannot take a complement. No seriously…it’s a sickness. If someone says, “OH I love that new blouse!”  Instead of just saying “thank you” like a normal person, people like me will try our best to avoid accepting the complement by down playing everything… “Oh gosh, you wouldn’t believe the great deal I found on it at blah blah store…I’m sure it would look even better on you…” totally avoiding the acknowledgement of the compliment because that would be to “full of yourself”.

Ok not sure where that tangent came from but hey…it’s my anniversary…I can get off track if I want.

I’ve “met” so many wonderful like minded people through blogging from all over the world. I shared my art, crafts and photography. Gardening, travels and kitchen experiments. My failures and celebrations. Blogging has become an integral part of my self-expression.

I have noticed a tendency lately for people to use more social networking than blogging. I have found myself falling into that trap as well. I post something on Instagram so I don’t bother creating a post about it.  Such as this…

A painting in progress. I was commenting that I wasn’t sure where I was going with it or even if it looked best in this direction. This quick superficial post without a followup on the blog is what I want to stop myself from doing…mainly because it’s a little lazy. It’s tendency I’d like to break myself of quickly.

So have you had enough deep, introspective thoughts from me yet today? It’s been that kind of day. Having an introductory meeting with hospice will do that to a person.

We do have some exciting things on the horizon though…a wedding anniversary and a choir trip. Truth be told, I’m only going in spirit on that trip, but I can’t wait to see and hear all about it! More on that at a later date.

So what’s on tap for me…an appt for mom and a parent meeting about the trip to NY.

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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T Tuesday: highs and lows edition

This week has been filled with a roller coaster ride of emotions and events…frankly, I’m exhausted. I wasn’t even sure I was going to play along with T stands for Tuesday but I’m here and will share the highs and lows with you.

Let’s just get the low over with so we can move on to brighter things. My mom has Stage 4 Melanoma so her time left with us is limited. Exactly how limited, we don’t know. Now my absences from blogland both in posting and visiting make a bit more sense. Anyway…mom is determined to live what life she has left on her own terms which I highly praise her for.

She has a good friend in her building that has taken a big sister role in her life. She is such a sweet lady and I am so grateful for their friendship. I wanted to show some appreciation to her and put my nervous energy to a creative use.

(Note the wine glass as my beverage for T stands for Tuesday)

 I think it turned out pretty well and when I delivered it to her apartment I learned that yellow is her favorite color! I love it when things work out that way.

I also got my plants started…well some of them. I still want to start a few more.

I used old kid cups that were just going to hit the recycle bin as my planters. I literally had them in hand over the bin when I realized they could be used for my seedlings. I just drilled a couple holes in the bottom for drainage and ta-da…mini pots.

You may also notice the markers in each pot. I cut down container lids and wrote on them with sharpie marker. Since it’s April (Earth month) I thought I’d point out those little recycling tips.

Now just about a week later I have this! 

Do not adjust your screens….that is the full spectrum UV light you see in action. The different color LED’s all combine to cast a pinkish purple light and obviously the plants love it!

On Thursday last week the kids and I drove to Fargo, ND. We spent the night in a hotel before taking a tour of NDSU in the next morning. J said he thought it was a little too big for his taste but is still planning to apply since they have really good guaranteed scholarships for students with high GPA and ACT scores. Fingers crossed that he does well on the ACT this month. Mini-me said she didn’t like NDSU at all. Ok…check that one off the list for potential schools for her.  I, myself, spent a brief time at NDSU as a freshman. The campus has certainly changed since then.

I also did some work on this painting.

I am letting it sit for a few days to decide if its done or not. I’m thinking it is…what do you think?

Today has a repairman coming out for my stove. Luckily I called in just days before the warranty was to expire. Also lots of phone calls and emails to take care of since I pretty much took yesterday off. I really needed a breather day after last week.

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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