Mixed media collage day 2

Starting out this morning a bit out of focus, like the camera!  (Really a good place to begin, things have a way of evolving and finding where they "work"!) My beads and threads and oil pastels are ready!

A couple of hours later, things are almost finished.  This photo in the morning light is more true to the colors than the earlier one with artificial light.

I may need to add some embroidered vines and leaves in the upper right center.....here (below) is a detail of the beaded pomegranate and lace.

It will still need a backing, but no binding, just hand-stitched edges.  I also leave loose ends of threads on the surface....adding texture.

Below is the finished collage (I think).  It has a lot of texture and a border of 2 fabrics...the orange dupioni silk jumps out into the border.  The red backing comes out beyond the raw edges of the top.

Waiting for the paint to dry

Today's project is to focus on my mixed media art work...for which I  have collected ideas and fabrics for some time.  Now to begin!

 This is about 16 X 11 inches and has acrylic felt behind it, for support, instead of batting. The beige background is antique linen toweling and I am stitching down some antique lace for more texture on the background.  The pomegranates I carved and printed with acrylic paint.   There are small scraps of dupioni silk and tortoise shell flower buttons too......once it dries and I return from this morning's errands, I will start working on the foreground pomegranates and add more beading and  embellishments.

 Above, the left side of the piece, below the right side.

Clearing out

We  are busy these days....warm weather is here and before it is too hot, we have things to do!
Mr. P has a new pole saw (chain saw on a pole) and is attacking our overgrown trees.  The pole saw worked easier on the TV ad....so he ended up being on the ladder with a convenational chain saw (not something I like to see!). Once the limb was partially cut, the saw became stuck and I had to swing and pull on the branch (which was now falling down within my reach) in order to free his saw.
He says we will do another limb tonight.  Of course I can hardly wait! (NOT).

*********************************************************************
I am more the indoor creative type and am now packing up these little ruffled bloomers to take to the twins as they begin to "toddle".  I've listed my sewing and knitting projects with the idea that I could focus and finish and perhaps direct my energy to other things???

[For example-- our dryer has quit heating.  so I am researching to see what part is needed....and watching videos of how to install these parts....and using drying racks for the wet laundry in the meantime.]

First bloom this year

Great plans are confirmed by the blooming today of this "SORBET" peony which was a Mother's Day gift from my daughter a few years ago. [It was a brown stick in a bag then! LOL!]

Today's plan is that Mom and I and my daughter and her children will all be together on Mother's Day.
Perfect! And confirmed by the peony blooming early this year to give "thumbs up" to our plan! 

Perfect day

I have the day off today and am not taking on more than I want to!

 This pile of antique lace, recently washed and ironed is ready to embellish a lace scarf.  I may sit and work on it later!

I found a recipe for lemon poppyseed cookies which uses Jiffy cornbread mix....so that was an easy treat to try!

Our springtime lunch today was artichokes with olive and lemon dipping sauce. Wonderful!

Outside it is 72 degrees and sunny.  JUST PERFECT!

I took the camera out for a look at the garden....first the shady sitting area with the newly painted blue chair....

then the newly gravelled area for the container tomatoes and peppers. There is also a dramatic with and purple African daisy....love it!

Finally, this link should take you to the cormmeal cookie recipe!

http://www.recipe.com/lemon-and-poppy-seed-cornmeal-cookies/

Yard work

This is my first post using Bloggers new features.....we'll see.....

Today was perfect for yard work (or anything one wanted to do outside) sunny and high in the 60's!

I started spray painting one of my vintage lawn chairs.  Love these chairs!

We are working on the area where our containers have tomato and marigold plants.  We will add white crushed rock and more, smaller containers of bell peppers.



All of this is about a month earlier than usual! We may have a great growing season this year.
Here is a new variety of petunia!  I love the pink and white together!

It isn't even mid April yet my garden looks like it usually does in early May!

I took these today and it is cool and overcast....in the 50's.

These peonies were open fully in the sunshine yesterday!

Hosta's are looking lush....and a trillium is emerging here too!

Yesterday, beautiful and sunny in the low 70's, I got the gardening urge....(could be those steroids I had to take for my sinus infection...but I had SO much energy!) and worked on my little outside garden bed, sowing seeds for lettuce and planting annuals, salvia, alyssum, zinnias, a dahlia, coleus....so much fun! I know I will love watching these grow! [That is cilantro which survivied our brief winter and is wonderful now!]

Here is some lantana and some small bell flower ((like a mini petunia) nesting in the pot, a bright splash of red, is the latest broken coffee cup!

Finally, two tomatoes in the half whiskey barrel, an heirloom "Mortgage Lifter" and a hybrid "Early Girl". I will add a few marigolds and call it "good"!

Spring is here, the most "intense" we have had for years, everything is blooming and leafing out (and spewing pollen) at once! My peony bushes have overshadowed the tulips, we have more lilacs than we ever had......and they certainly are popular with the swallowtail butterflies!

This is not my photo, I was cutting a bouquet of lilacs for a friend and was delighted to see the butterfly. But I had clippers, not a camera so I "Googled" swallowtail butterfly and found out that yes, that was the one I had seen ( by looking at "images"). I'm sorry, it has been a few days and I can no longer find the link to the photographer to give credit.

I'd been sewing and working at the store and hadn't spent much time out in the spring air until last weekend. Finally, I cleaned leaves and debris out of a flower bed. It didn't take long to clean....but that exposure to mold, dust and pollen sent me over the edge with my sinus and allergy problems. I became very tired and lost my voice the next day...now, after medicine and a few days rest, I am better!

Ah, SPRING!

*************************************************************************

Remember the little Christening gowns? For a special day in Jamaica?

Yesterday, I received this iPhone photo (below) from my daughter. They are still down in the Caribbean so I was happy to have this quick peak at their celebration. The babies are not too delighted and the parents look tired, but that is to be expected! I love the little bare feet!

Wanting an almond tea cake recipe, I read several online.....






which led to reading several posts about Dorie Greenspan's Swedish Visiting Cake recipe.
I modified her recipe because I like cherries and almond together!

Here is my recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt one stick unsalted butter. Cool slightly and add 1 scant c. sugar. Beat in 2 eggs.
Add 1 tsp. each vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix in 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt.
Spread in a greased 9 " spring form pan. Top with cherry preserves and sliced almonds.
Bake about 35-40 minutes or until cake tests done.
[There is no leavening agent other than the eggs in this, but it makes a nice tea cake!]

After weeks of designing, ordering materials and sewing by hand and machine, two little white dresses are ready for the twin's Christening day. [I, their grandmother, loved every minute of making these!]


This one has a ruched center panel and Swiss embroidered trim....all soft fine white cotton batiste!

The other dress uses French laces. Here you can see the pearl buttons which are on the back of both dresses.

Each dress has it's own sweet "Victorian suitcase" storage box.....

Not being near the babies, I leave it to their parents to decide which dress is for Nina Kate and which one for Sophie Jane!

May they have a safe trip to the island of Jamaica and a blessed baptism day while visiting the other grandparents!

Highly recommended by me......

Sister Macrina Wiederkehr's writing brings fresh insight into the sometimes wrathful and patriarchal words in the Bible. Spending time with the Scripture readings and her reflections (and suggestions for our own reflection) is time well spent!

*************************************************************************

I have thought a lot about the word "abide" lately.....mostly it's other meaning, to tolerate or put up with.....as in "I can't abide unmade beds." It seems to have its roots in Old English and to have been popular in days gone by....and in the South still today. It is a word I enjoy using!

**************************************************************************

More information when "Googling" the word "abide"-----

"The Dude abides" a famous quote, which I had never heard! (Jeff Bridges played the Dude in the movie "The Big Lebowski").....and that Jeff Bridges has a new book on Zen coming out..."The Dude and the Zen Master"!

What next? The world is truly many faceted......never stop learning....even if it is mostly trivia!

I've been reading lately about modern or improvisational quilts....somewhere in my research, I came across this one....






Of course, I love the aqua and red.....but I had something more masculine in mind....using gray,which has suddenly been hard to find. It seems to be selling out...solid gray cotton.



I found and ordered 2 yards of "organic" gray from Fabric.com when I ordered the cotton batiste for the christening gowns...

I visited this blog for more about the quilt shown above and then made my blocks in darker colors, with some smashing bright accents and used the gray for the lattice!



NOW, to get this quilted!

Making a small footstool---pouf wise.....

Now, stuffed, tufted and ready to use!

I love using this when I am knitting, reading or handsewing....gives my feet just the lift that they need!


The directions are in this tutorial!

More sewing.....




a shopping cart liner for little grandson in Idaho!


A sundress for my oldest grandchild...she too is heading for Jamaica shortly!


And finally, the early morning light on the two almost finished Christening dresses for the twins...





This has been really fun, I brought the sewing up from the basement to the kitchen table....just love working in the heart of my home!


The down side of obsessive sewing ( at my age anyway) is inflamed bursa on a heel....the foot which uses the foot pedal of the sewing machine, as well as carpal tunnel issues from lots of cutting and hand sewing (I cut lots of fabric for cutomers at work too!). I know I should stop sewing and just read for a while.....maybe the rest of Lent?

Sunny day babies......wearing the little sundresses I had just sent to them!

Still more to sew.....the Christening dresses....

First, I was doing heirloom or French hand sewing with organic cotton batiste and imported laces.......it was slow going!

Then my first shipment of entredeaux, thread and lace arrived. I got out the Janome sewing machine and it has been smooth sewing ever since!

It is wonderful to be able to create the beautiful airy look of antique sewing techniques with modern convenience.....though I do still enjoy doing hand work....this machine saves on carpal tunnel and eye strain! [I "Googled" a lot of sewing tutorials to refresh my skills as it has been too long since I had the classes on this type of heriloom sewing! LOVE the Internet!!!]

Now back to making French seams and buttonholes for little pearl buttons....waiting for more entredeaux and edging lace which was back-ordered! [Yikes! must send these dresses soon!]