jump

dried and dipped

The last of my 2013 hydrangea harvest went out in the mail today.

it's a special thing I have in my Etsy shop - at first I thought it was just a silly listing - but hydrangea love is out there.

My husband the grows them - and I dry them. It was "outside of the box" thinking led me to dipping them in beeswax.

I then snip the tiny blossoms from their stems. 

And off they go - priority mail. Uses for these? Does something really have to be useful? But if you insist - they're gorgeous on wedding tables. 

I keep mine in mason jar and call it Summer is Saved.

Look for the 2014 harvest in my shop come September. 

Summer is Saved.

handwriting

The morning sun has moved, changing seats at the breakfast table. It's the slight shift, alteration in light, shadow, color, brightness. Offering up clues that the season is changing. A somber change. Why is that? To go from white light - pure and hot - to golden light. Softer. Slower. Less intense. Less energized. A portend of the coming season. A season of slowness. The vigor of spring has waned. I notice that summer has a shortness of breath in August. Will soon be gasping in September. Napping in October. To winter is to sleep soundly. Restoring, dreamless, sound sleep. Heavy lidded. Impossible to rouse.

9 days in August

August is my favorite month

there are no official holidays - but each day feels like one

august (definition): 1. inspiring awe, admiration, or reverence; majestic; imposing. 2. of high birth or rank; venerable; eminent [to increase, exalt]

(left to right, top to bottom, August 1-9th, my life through a quarter inch lens)

Lunch on the front porch

Collection of embroidery thread

My bedroom window in the afternoon

Antique quilt in morning sun

An arrangement of three things

Reflection of the railroad bridge in the river

Blackberry picking

Selfie while on the phone in my parked car

My bag and what's in it

something of a tutorial

... handmade, creative, and unique business cards ...

I was running low on business cards and thought I'd make my own. This is how I did it:

1. On watercolor (or some other heavyweight) paper, collage miscellaneous paper scraps and apply a thin coat of gesso over all. I used various book pages and a map. (Beware of magazine paper which will sometimes peel off later.)

2. Apply two or three colors of paint using splatters, bubble wrap, stamps, etc  for varied texture and effect. I stamped aqua, used bubble wrap to apply ochre, and splattered white.

3. Add stamps. I chose fish stamps and used a dark blue and a dark green ink.

4. Print your information using a label template to position everything uniformly on the page. Adhere to the back of your collage paper. Cut into desired business card size using a paper trimmer or xacto knife. (I like the moo card size which is something like 1x2.5)

5. Add finishing touches ... For example, I added more stamping to blank areas, finished the edges with a gold leaf pen, and adhered a piece of text to each card.

 I love the feel of these - they're heavy and ask ever so politely to please be kept and not tossed - "I was made with love, so treat me well"

Each one is a miniature collage and piece  of art.

lunch with a friend

Lunch on the front steps with a good book as my friend and companion - oh how I love summer!

Lunch is: an avocado half with vinaigrette and a summer slaw on the side.

My book is: The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson - a thin little gem of a read 

(in participation with The August Break: 

http://www.susannahconway.com/the-august-break-2014/)