Let it Fly

Back, but not really

Hi! We had a wonderful few days visiting with family and getting to act like kids again. Ice cream, roller coasters and water parks will do that to a person ;)

About 15 minutes after arriving home I checked my messages and found that I had lots of large orders waiting for me at my part-time job, so the rest of the week will be spent attending to that.

I hope you are enjoying these last days of July and planning lots of fun for August. Be back next week :)

2 finished paintings

Happy Friday out there :) Both my children were in camps this week so in between other responsibilities I managed a day at the studio. I finished the dogwood painting I showed you awhile back....

It was done in acrylics and is 18x24 although it looks bigger in this photo.

And since I still didn't have the painting bug out of my system and still had 2 to 3 more hours to myself, I thought I'd try to paint a face instead of the sketching that I usually do. Monochromatic was what I had in mind for color but I decided to go for green eyes toward the end.

The colors are much truer in this second photo but you can see her  features  better closer up so I wanted to show you both.........

6"x6", acrylic

I learned alot and am still learning by looking at the finished product. It's helping me to take note of what I like and don't like and to remember the lessons when I start another one. I really love building faces.....that's just what it feels like......building.

Have you built any faces lately? I'd love to see:)  feel free to leave a link!

We will be driving around visiting until next Wednesday, so I'll be back then. Enjoy your days......

Words

hardwood floors in a grand entrance

scent of black currant tea

 and fresh brewed coffee with a hint of cinnamon

light pours in through colored glass

and topiary shapes rise to the ceiling like balloons on a string

a victorian paradise

~ ~ ~~~~ 

I woke up at 3 a.m. on Saturday with bits and pieces of this memory in my head. It's been nagging to be put in print ever since. And now it has :)

Printmaking and Queen Anne's Lace

Hello! My daughter and I ran away to the studio this past Saturday and she had a chance to carve her first blocks and print them. We used some leftover pieces of Speedy Cut because it is quite a bit easier and faster to carve than linoleum and we had a limited time frame to cut, print and clean up. She really enjoyed the whole process and seemed very at ease with the tools and happy with her finished prints. It was so much fun for me to watch her pull the first print with the same look of expectation and surprise that got me hooked on this process 20 years ago :) Here are some of the fruits of her labors!

I've also been noticing Queen Anne's Lace popping up all over the place lately. I've always loved this delicate flower and the name suits it perfectly. So, below is the photo of the real thing and my recent interpretation......

                

Hope you are enjoying your work this week ....

Back soon.                                                                              

Handmade Necklace

My children have become archaeologists for the last few days. Armed with mini-hammers, chisels,and paint brushes (for dusting dirt off specimens;) they have been out in the back yard digging for treasure in the dirt around our flowering bushes. We set up a station where they can rinse their finds (a variety of rocks) in a bucket of water and vinegar and then place them into catagories depending on color, size, shape, etc.

They found this lightweight, jet black stone yesterday. My son used a tiny screwdriver to whittle a hole through it in just the right place, while my daughter engraved "2008" on one side. A piece of thread served as a delicate chain, and my handmade necklace was born! I wish you could see the shape and texture a little more clearly in this photo. It's a very cool stone.

These summer moments are so sweet. Hope you're enjoying yours :)

Summer Surprise!

Not to worry, it's still Let it Fly :) I decided it was time for a breath of fresh air around here. How do you like the update? It seems more fitting for summer, no?

Back soon :)

Where does the time go?

Intending to blog is not really the same as blogging is it? No, I suppose not. The summer days are sweeping us along and the days seem to have been starting earlier, which is why I completely forgot about this space yesterday......whoops

I've returned those 5 boxes of handstitch work and delivered little jars of jam to very appreciative family members, so things are definately being accomplished when I'm not in this space :)

I thought I'd drop in and give you this beautiful rose as captured by my 10 year-old daughter and her digital camera:) Enjoy!

back soon

Jammin'

Ok, so as it turns out you can't sit hunched over, hand-stitching for two days straight without taking some kind of break.Unless of course you want to be hunched over for the rest of your life ;) You need to stand up and stretch. You need to move around a bit. And apparently you need to make jam!

 

After blueberry and raspberry picking the other day we had lots of fresh fruit to use. I tried this a few weeks ago with strawberries and it was easy and fun so I'm branching out to include other fruits . I'll spare you any links or "how-to's" since there are tutorials all over the place on how to make jam.

We taste-tested this morning and both flavors were given an enthusiastic thumbs up ! The blueberry could have been a little thicker but it tastes yummy. I think I'll cook it a little longer next time.

Be back next week :)

Summer Cash

The company that I do some part-time stitching work for has started to get into their busy season again. Luckily, they are great about letting me bring work home in the Summer and then when Fall rolls around again, I can choose to work in their offices or at home. Very flexible, good money and it doesn't prevent me from going to the studio or working toward my creative goals.

It WILL however, keep me from posting for the rest of this week so I can get these 5 boxes full of merchandise ready to be returned on Monday morning!

Have a great rest of the week and enjoy the weekend where you live :)

Good Deed

As the temperature hits close to 100 degrees on my porch thermometer this week, I have been thinking about winter and planning new ways to conserve energy and budget to heat our home efficiently. (as I'm sure many people are.) Although it will take some planning and sacrifices this year, I was reminded by Amanda at Soulemama about how this winter will be a serious crisis for many people. She mentions Nest blog and a plan to supply handmade (knitted, crocheted) scarves, hats, gloves etc. to people in Maine in need of a bit more warmth this winter. There is a request for natural yarns (wool preferred) and there is more information on the blog about where to send completed items.  Sounds like a warm and wonderful way to do a good deed this summer that will last all the way through the cold months :) Thought I'd pass on the thought.......

Back soon.

~Andrea