The Bird Sings

A friend of mine turns the big 4-0 today and we're having a celebration at a local winery this evening.  I bought her presents several weeks ago (including this cute little book), and had an idea for the perfect birthday card to go with them.  Well, I procrastinated and wouldn't you know?  The card was not coming together for me AT ALL.  As the night turned into the wee hours of the morning, I decided I better just switch gears.  And boy, did I!

I started by die-cutting a piece of watercolor paper and using orange and red Dylusions sprays with the honeycomb stencil.  (The honeycombs on the bottom half of the card look rather orange in this picture but are actually a color called postbox red.  There's something about red that is difficult to scan or photograph accurately.)   After adding the torn strip of sheet music, I stenciled on the letters and numbers using black soot distress ink.  The bird and sentiment are from Red Lead Paperworks.  My friend is a professional vocalist so any reference to singing is a good thing.

This card is very different from my usual style, so I hope my friend likes it.  I'm personally thrilled with it!  It reminds me of the art journal pages I see but have never been able to pull off myself, and I can't wait to make more things in this style.

A warm welcome to my new followers!  Thanks for popping by and have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Nestabilities Grand Labels 1 by Spellbinders; white cardstock by Bazzill; vintage sheet music scrap; bird and sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; Ranger Archival black ink; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Heidi Swapp honeycomb stencil; Tim Holtz schoolhouse stencil (letters and numbers); squeezed orange and postbox red Dylusions ink spray; black soot, salty ocean and mustard seed distress ink; Adirondack white and black acrylic paint dabber; punchinella; washi tapes; Gelly Roll white pen; Derwent white and peat charcoal pencil.

Pink and White Sympathy

The second job I ever had was at a Dairy Queen, and I have to say it was probably one of the best jobs I ever had (and not just because of the treats!).  The original owners, a husband and wife, ran a quality business and treated me very well.   I worked there my last two years of high school and when I came home from college for spring break and the summer, they gave me my job back so I could earn money for school.  All together I worked four years there and have a lot of fond memories of the place and the people I worked with.

I created this sympathy card to send to my former DQ boss June, whose sister recently passed away.  Dorothy had worked at the Dairy Queen when they needed extra help and even though she was old enough to be my grandmother, she was just about the liveliest and funniest person around.  I know that June will miss her terribly so I hope my card and letter will bring her some comfort.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies:
White and pink cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock by Stampin' Up; stamps by Stampin' Up; Marvy brush markers; Ranger Archival black ink; round and lacy round Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Anna Griffin poppy embossing folder; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Poppies in Silhouette - Watercolor

I'm taking a watercolor class again this fall.  Some times I think I should give up on this medium that is so challenging for me.  But I love the look of watercolor so much, and it's my own fault for not practicing more (hence the decision to take the class a second time).  Eventually, hopefully, I'll get the hang of it and find my sweet spot.

(c) Kiri Stuart-Clarke

We were instructed to bring a photograph of our own choosing for inspiration this week.  I got online in search of poppy images, both photographs and paintings.  I downloaded and printed several, and once I got to class decided to work from this photograph by Kiri Stuart-Clarke.  I love the dramatic silhouettes of the poppies against the brilliant orange in the background.  I'll admit it's kind of a cop-out because this scene does not require me to preserve any white.  But the topic tonight was value and this did make me think about how to achieve light, medium and dark values.

My watercolor interpretation of the photograph above.

I started by wetting my entire sheet of paper and applying an orange-red wash.  While that was still wet, I mixed some dark colors to get a charcoal color.  I applied it over one end of the red in a wash, sprayed it with additional water, tilted my paper, and just let the paint spread.  It was fascinating to watch!  Once it had spread as much as I wanted it to, I dried it with a hair dryer.  And then fear set in!  I liked the background so much, I didn't want to "ruin" it by trying to paint the poppies over it.  It took me a couple of minutes to get up the nerve to add that first dark silhouette.  But really, what's the worst that could happen? 

My favorite section of the painting.

I mixed together some payne's gray and dark or burnt umber to get a solid black color, took a deep breath, and just went for it.  What a liberating feeling!  And you know what?  I'm really happy with how it turned out.  It's not perfect, but I'll take another shot at it and correct the things I'm not so happy with.  That's the only way I'll learn.

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Schmincke Horadam watercolor paints; 2 inch hake brush, smaller pointed round paintbrushes.

Get Your Kicks Envelope Mail Art

This month marks the second anniversary of the altered envelope group I belong to.  To celebrate that milestone, we were all encouraged to send something other than a standard envelope.  What to do, what to do?  After roaming the aisles of a big box craft store, I finally got an idea.  It's not too wacky, but it is different from anything I've ever sent through the postal service before.

Front of arrow before adding address and postage

My inspiration came from a piece of craft wood shaped like an arrow.  It reminded me of a miniature one way sign which made me think of driving and travel.  I bought the arrow and used it as a template to cut my own arrow (2.5 x 9.5 inches) out of a piece of heavy chipboard.  After covering it with an old road map and giving it a thin coat of gesso, I created a collage using stamped images from Artistic Outpost.  I rubbed Gelatos around the edges for additional color.

Back of arrow

I'm going to stick some extra postage on my arrow and send it on its way.  I just hope it reaches its destination.  If it does, this may be just the first of many one way signs I send through the mail!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Heavy chipboard; old road map; Golden white gesso; stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival jet black and potting soil ink; olive green, blazing red, royal purple and saddle brown Stazon ink; Gelatos; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber; Pitt black artist pen.

Weekend Road Trip

I'm just thrilled that fall is on the way.  Although summer has its perks (homegrown tomatoes and sweet corn, for starters) I am not a fan of hot, humid weather.  So when the temps start to stay below 75 and the breeze feels refreshing rather than like standing in front of a hot oven, I'm a happy camper.

This is my mom, dwarfed by some grain bins.

The weather was absolutely perfect last weekend when my mom and I decided to take a little road trip.  Our destination was Dysart, a small (pop. 1,379) town about 50 miles away.  This size town is very common in Iowa.  It's the type of town that has no traffic lights and where the tallest structures are grain bins.

I just loved this piece of artwork!

In spite of its size, Dysart has a one-block Main Street with several thriving boutiques and one antique store.  Most of the stores are the type I like: a blend of old items and new merchandise, some original artwork and refurbished items, unique items very cleverly styled, and all locally owned.

Yard art!

I was able to pick up a couple of gifts that I'll need for upcoming events, and we had a great lunch at the only "restaurant" in town, a small bar and grill.

Beautiful barn with barn quilt.

From Main Street we drove five miles out of town to an old farmhouse that has been converted to a boutique.  Although we didn't buy anything there, I did take a couple of pictures of the surrounding scenery.  This pristine white barn had a lovely barn quilt (something we always look for now when we're out on the road).  And look at that clear blue sky!  It was a gorgeous day for a road trip.

There is beauty in imperfection.

These trees bordered the west side of the farmhouse property.  I thought their shapes were so interesting.  No doubt they've been battered by some heavy winds over the years.  I want to render this scene in a painting.

We had a wonderful day and it felt good to support the businesses in this small town.  So many of our rural towns have no businesses on their Main Street anymore, which is truly sad.

Have a great day!

Blue Dog Be Yourself

There's something about this scruffy little dog that just makes me smile, even more so now that he's a lovely shade of blue.  Seriously--what could be sadder than a blue dog?  He looks like something from the Island of Misfit Toys.

I colored him with Prismacolor pencils to coordinate with the Authentique patterned papers.  This card will accompany a small gift that I picked up on a road trip my mom and I took on Saturday.  I'll talk about that and share some photos sometime this week.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Naturals white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Authentique; focal image by American Art Stamp; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone distress ink; oval and scalloped Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border punch by EK Success; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Fall Weeds - Watercolor ATC

The idea for this ATC came from the July/August 2014 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.  In that issue, Tammy Northrup used acrylic paint to turn splatters into flowers.  I decided to try the same technique using watercolors.

I started by painting a graduated wash in yellow and orange on a piece of 6x9 watercolor paper.  My paint didn't splatter quite the same, so I ended up using the script liner brush to add some stems.  I was able to get two ATCs out of the area I painted: one landscape, one portrait.  I cut the landscape one first, in the area that I thought turned out the best.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Strathmore  Windpower 400 Series 140 lb watercolor paper; Grumbacher transparent watercolor paints; miscellaneous paint brushes.