Monday, January 31, 2011

spring sowing


sowing marigolds


sowing lilies


sowing lettuce


sowing coreopsis


sowing stocks

Friday, January 28, 2011

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 ...

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

balancing


hardness 
and
softness


randomness
and
repetition


sturdiness
and
fragility



Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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:

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:



And to learn more about Tea on Tuesday, please click the
"What is Tea on Tuesday" tab at the top of my page.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

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.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

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



his videos are beautifully produced and very easy to follow
the book looks great and has 5 stars on Amazon.com


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

"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:



And to learn more about Tea on Tuesday, please click the
"What is Tea on Tuesday" tab at the top of my page.





Sunday, January 16, 2011

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.

Friday, January 14, 2011

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?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

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 :)