Thursday, September 29, 2011

tea lights

I found these small sized telephone pole insulation caps at a local flea market
I love them for the irregularity of the glass
it's like someone at the factory said, "don't make them perfect, just make them."



I thought they looked pretty cool upside down



and with a candle in them too



they're hanging from my dining room light fixture
it wasn't a hard project ... just a little wire wrapping and twisting ... easy peasy

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

late to tea

I'm late to tea this morning!
I think I'm coming down with something - and this peppermint tea is really helping




I almost always drink bagged tea
- I know it's not very sophisticated -
but I save the tea bags



I love the dried and tea stained tea bag paper for art projects



aren't they pretty in the morning light?
I'm already inspired!


what ordinary thing out every ordinary day inspires you?
taking time for a cuppa is a good time to be inspired :)


I hope your day is going well so far!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

printed fabric

I played around a little with one of my hand carved stamps
I really like creating a repeating pattern with it



and then I thought it would look great on fabric
I used some flour sack towels I had picked up a few months ago
they're big - and the loose weave soaks up the paint readily
I used an unevenly mixed orange and yellow combo of acrylic paint
without mixing the two colors perfectly, I got a nice variation of color



then was the question, "what to make with it?"









the Japanese crane .... bird of happiness .... and symbol of peace

Monday, September 19, 2011

after school tea

(I write all of my "tea on tuesday" posts on monday afternoon or evening, so while you are having tuesday morning tea, I'm having monday afternoon tea)



it's as if you all lived in australia :)



my tea this afternoon is at the kitchen table
which is dressed in a table cloth I picked up at the goodwill a few weeks ago
I can hardly believe it was unwanted
it was only $3!
and it's pure linen!
we have already begun dreaming about visiting there some day



the girls have parked their stuff on the table ... a deluge of school books, snacks, projects ....



today it all seems color coordinated .... like this nancy drew book
and the bane of my existence .... tumbled jumbled bead bins
but through my camera it all looks beautiful



I hope your tuesday is as beautiful as my monday was :)
let me know in your comment if you're having tea today and we'll be sure to visit your blog to say hi!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

rubber stamps

I have a small collection of my own carved rubber stamps
and yesterday I wanted to carve a crow



only problem was, the rubber had become brittle and was impossible to carve
after a little bit of research, I found out that a non-petroleum oil will recondition the rubber
(what I use for stamps is rubber gasket material from the hardware store
it comes in 6 inch square sheets that I cut into fourths)
long story short ... I used coconut oil to recondition the rubber
in fact I reconditioned my four other stamps as well
... just a little helpful tip for my stamping friends :)
(p.s. I think vegetable shortening would work just as well)


Thursday, September 15, 2011

the day was warm ...

well it wasn't REALLY
... warm, that is ...
but with a little imagination, it seemed that way
:)



and the dahlias ARE blooming ... and the bees ARE still buzzing



and with a window or two open
(while wearing the first woolen sweater of the season)
and the kettle on



all was well
:)




ingredients:
7x10" book cover
watercolor paper
better homes and gardens cookbook page (1950's)
tea bag papers
early reader primer text (1960's)
tea bag string
photo transfer of my very own dahlias
bee stamp
gesso, paint, beeswax, ink, stitching, tearing, cutting, gluing

Monday, September 12, 2011

twilight tea

take a twilight tour around my backyard with me



these are the sweet peas
.... still blooming ....
their fragrance fills this corner of the garden





the grass is beginning to brown
these september days are warm and dry
we enjoy relaxing out here on a sunny afternoon





this is my favorite spot
under the maple tree
my weathering chair in the winter time .... a reading nook in the summer





evening is here now
my red clover tea has cooled
I think I'll go in now ... thank you for stopping by!







enjoy your tuesday!
are you having tea too?
tell us about it :)

Sunday, September 11, 2011

life's remembrances

ten years ago - not today - but yesterday
we received the gift of hilary



her presence was a comfort to me in those days
and in the anxiety I felt about our "new" world



it is a new world in many ways
... not in the evil acts of men ...
but in the birth and hope of life



blessings on your day as you remember many things
and hope even more

Saturday, September 10, 2011

lightweight hanger

in my last post, Suki was wondering how to do the same type of wire hanger after the fact

for these lightweight collage assemblages I like a copper wire hanger
and if I remember to do it midway through the project,
I can add the wire directly through my backer board



but in this example,
I wasn't thinking ahead, and had to add it after the fact
I ought to explain that the wheat thins cardboard was left face up on purpose
it's a tongue in cheek nod to recycling and was meant to cheer the person this piece is for



as Jean pointed out to me at one time,
this kind of thrift and recycling was known as tramp art in the last century
I like the idea of tramp art :)

Friday, September 9, 2011

what it became

I really had fun with this



on the woven background from my previous post
I attached this page from an old pentecostal hymnal
it says 1885
that's even older than my little town



I glued the page to watercolor paper
painted the edges
added stitching
and tea-dyed it



before attaching it to the woven background
I added this wire hanger to the book cover backing I had chosen
the book cover was the perfect size!



and very very old!
it all just fit together
just like it was "meant to be"



***
I'm taking a new approach with this school year
I'm focusing on my art from when the kids get off to school to when they get home
(just as if I were putting in time at a job)
and now that it's the weekend and I can relax .... which includes catching up with you guys!
I look forward to seeing what everyone is up to!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

replicated substrate

I made this collage a couple of years ago and wanted to do something similar






here's the step by step for the woven base:

1) save your cereal boxes;



2) sand and ink the cardboard (I used two colors of ink - purple and green);



3) apply black paint to one of the cardboard pieces;



4) when the black paint has dried, scratch lines into it with a sharp tool.



5) tear or cut one of the pieces into lengthwise strips and the other piece into crosswise strips (I use a straight edge for tearing - and my widths are purposely random and uneven);



6) weave the strips together;



7) apply gesso if desired (in my example at the top of this post, there is no gesso).



now it is ready for the next phase
I love collage and mixed media projects because they grow as you build and build and build upon them
this is my "slab foundation" for what I hope will become a pretty cool "building"


***


I was a flurry of creative activity today, celebrating back to school time
:)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

dew

it is a late summer morning



and the sun is just peaking up over the rim of my teacup




the shadows are long and golden



and dew is over everything



a string of gems on every leaf

* * *

school starts tomorrow
and "dew" becomes "do"
it has been a happy summer
but, as happens every year, we are all happy to get back to our work



wishing you all a happy tuesday
filled with the refreshment of dew
and the inspiration of doing


do you have a tea post to share?
mention it when you leave a comment, and we'll pop around to say hi
:)