spring sowing

sowing marigolds

sowing lilies

sowing lettuce

sowing coreopsis

sowing stocks

point "a" to point "b"

... or my treatment of bottlecaps ...

a new bottle cap

 I save them and am known to save them 

so I am gifted with bottlecaps from family and friends

even friends as far away as syracuse and san diego

*

a hammered bottlecap

 my backyard patio has a pebbled concrete surface

I find that this is a perfect substrate when I am hammering them:

they get nicely scratched up at the same time

*

a rusted bottlecap

my homemade rust recipe is very simple:

lay caps face up in a pan

sprinkle generously with salt

pour hydrogen peroxide over them

let them sit for several hours

voila

rusted bottlecaps

*

it saves the trouble of searching sidewalks and parking lots

especially since those are usually going to be corona or budweiser anyway

(boring)

but don't stop searching

... think of them as landlocked seashells ...

balancing

hardness 

and

softness

randomness

and

repetition

sturdiness

and

fragility

heart warming tea

Donna from "My Cup of Tea" was my swap partner in the teacup swap last month

here is the pretty teacup

and Donna made this sweet tea ball

and this is a "drip catcher" she made too

 Her blog is "My Cup of Tea," where she has all sorts of tea things going on. She's planning to open an Etsy shop with her drip catchers and tea balls and other tea related things. And I saw now, as I scrolled down through her blog, that I was using the drip catcher entirely the wrong way. It's intended to fit over the spout of my teapot to catch the drips! How smart and how cool is that?! She says the more they are used, the more they change into a flower shape. Next time I will use it the right way! Thank you Donna for everything I needed to make myself a heartwarming tea today!

* * *

And yesterday I saw a beautiful post on Roxanne's blog:

River Garden Studio

"give me warmth"

she starts out by saying, 

"I've been searching the house for colors that make me feel warm.  

Here is what i have found..."

so I have done something similar,

here is what i have found .....

the Sweet Husband's Mexican blanket, which he bought from a little boy at the border crossing in Tijuana ... years and years ago

sunshine on the cloudiest of days

overwintering geraniums, just like my grandmother used to do

the last Christmas card of the year, which has a place of honor in my entryway mirror

... and ..... "happiness is a warm puppy," -Charles Schulz

Wishing you a warmth and happiness filled day today .... no matter how cold it is out there!

*

for more lovely tea, please visit these beautiful blogs:

Altered Book Lover

An Artist's Legacy

Artfully Ooglebloops

Bell'antico

Bliss & Gesso

Bluebirds Living in the Meadow

Christen's Creations

Halle's Hobbies

Ink Spillers Attic

Livewire Jewelry

Magpie's Nest

Pieces of D

Purple Lotus Art

Bits By Nancy

And to learn more about Tea on Tuesday, please click the

"What is Tea on Tuesday" tab at the top of my page.

rusting

before

after

for more on the how-to's

visit this previous post:

Homemade Rust

embossed metal charms (part 2)

I actually finished this on MLK day .... thinking all the time about the quote I keep at the top of my page

the paper beads are made using the dictionary definition of metamorphosis

... an accident?

I didn't plan it that way ...

but no, not an accident either.

and here is some growth at the base of my tree

the metamorphosis continues, in spite of everything.

tying the knot

... I thought I'd share with you some more knots and where I found them ...

(I used clothesline rope to tie my knots and it worked great)

Eternity Knot 

Ashley's Flower Knot 

Celtic Heart Knot 

TIAT

(Tying It All Together)

J.D. Lenzen

videos: YouTube Channel

book: Decorative Fusion Knots

his videos are beautifully produced and very easy to follow

the book looks great and has 5 stars on Amazon.com

"womanly arts" tea

A funny title for today's post ...

I think I've been watching too much PBS Masterpiece ("Downton Abbey")

Do you ever feel relegated to certain tasks just because you are female?

Silly question.

Of course you do.

Do you attempt to elevate those tasks to an art form?

Or as Jean has said: to a blessing

She said she cleans her kitchen in the morning and thinks of it as

blessing her kitchen

I would surely go mad without blessings and the artful life.

* * *

 ... and then I found these on my camera as I uploaded today's tea pictures.

The girls were playing dress up yesterday and I let them use my camera.

I'm so glad I did!

* * *

for more lovely tea, please visit these beautiful blogs:

Altered Book Lover

An Artist's Legacy

Artfully Ooglebloops

Bell'antico

Bliss & Gesso

Bluebirds Living in the Meadow

Christen's Creations

Halle's Hobbies

Ink Spillers Attic

Livewire Jewelry

Magpie's Nest

Pieces of D

Purple Lotus Art

Bits By Nancy

And to learn more about Tea on Tuesday, please click the

"What is Tea on Tuesday" tab at the top of my page.

more than words

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. 

*

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. 

*

Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon.

 It cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. 

It is a sword that heals. 

*

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. 

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

journal page

I did this journal page while mulling over something

mulling over the idea of offering a class in my home

a journaling class using this new-found technique I love

but would other people take to it like I did?

would they part with their time, some cash and a bit of a drive in the car?

am I enthusiastic about a process enough to be infectious in my enthusiasm?

is it worth the trouble?

the potential for failure?

the potential for success?

and what would that look like?

a swan dive or a belly flop?

* * *

do you mull over things like I do?

embossed metal charms

I made these little charms yesterday using small sized dominoes and metal foil 

(the foil I used is silver on one side, gold on the other)

*

Here, I'll show you how I did it:

(click on photos for larger views)

cut out your metal and trace the domino using your embossing tool
(a dead ballpoint pen works too)

cut angled corners that don't go all the way to your traced outline

pierce a hole in the center of the top tab .... just a smidge away from your traced line

using pliers, form a hanging wire thingy with a bead as a spacer

the hanging thingy goes into the hole you pierced, bead and loop side facing out

bend the wires on the reverse side (this will keep your hanger in place)

emboss your design within the traced outline
(this is the back)

(this is the front)

place your domino on the reverse side, within your traced line and fold the top and bottom tabs down. Also, fold a finished edge on the side tabs. Make sure the domino dots are facing up.

using your bone folder, smooth down all the tabs

here it is all wrapped up

lightly sand the raised parts of your embossing to reveal the silver tone underneath

using your bone folder, burnish your piece

with a little bit of diamond glaze glue, glue down the back tab.
Clip a binder clip on it until the glue is dry.

Aren't they pretty?

I don't think they are strong enough to wear as jewelry,

but I do have plans to use them as part of a larger art piece.

... Stay tuned for more metal work ....

same bat channel, same bat time :)