leaving leaves

leaving leaves

I quickly sketched up these two trees. The leaf on the first one is too close to the branches so the next one I felt needed more leaves. Though 3 may not have been enough. The first one is pastels and the second one is colored pencil. I think I may be starting to feel the dreariness that fall can bring on. Everything is stark, cold, grey, barren. I have raked alot of leaves. Alot of leaves. And yet there is still more sprinkled out there. Bring on winter, enjoy that time, then cheer on spring

Illustration Friday – small

A lot of people ask me why it says forgiveness. I don’t mind explaining my reason, but they often don’t seem to “get it”. There are many areas of forgiveness that could be. Enjoy your own reason. I quite simply think the stork needs to forgive the toad for being small. It’s not his fault he’s not as tall as the stork. He’s tall next to an ant though.

Olives are fragile indeed

I thought I would share an hors d’euvre I made for Thanksgiving. I won’t take the credit for coming up with these. I was flipping through the Betty Crocker’s Best Christmas Cookbook and just had to make these. They travel nicely, for they didn’t seem too bruised by the time we got to N.H., and they don’t even make a peep when being eaten. They are a little time consuming to make but they are so cute it is worth it. You can probably figure out how to make these by just looking at them, but I’ll give you the ingredients anyway. Large black olives, small black olives, carrots, cream cheese, and toothpicks. Peel and slice the carrots, then cut a wedge out and that is the feet. Use the wedge as the beak. I found I needed to slice that thinner. Olives are fragile and I found shoving the beak in to break the olive. Cut a triangle shape on the large olive, with the large hole of the olive facing down. Stuff with cream cheese, I used whipped, don’t know if regular would have been easier. This is actually hard to do. Then toothpick the feathered friend together.

Thanks to mom

Happy Thanksgiving, but a special thanks goes out my mom. We are not able to spend the day together, but that is okay. I see her alot! I just wanted to show off my turkey cooking skills and I owe it all to my mom. I Did It! And I made delicious gravy as well.   And it was delicious! BTW, did you enjoy the gross looking things on the inside? I love you.

Pushing Buttons

Recently I started making polymer buttons. I have had a hard time finding interesting and affordable buttons. I have knit a sweater as a gift and wanted to truly make this a handmade gift. So many things come into play when making buttons. The size, the thickness, whether to have 2 holes or 4 holes, or use button shanks. I believe that shanks are technically what you are supposed to use on knitted items, but what do I know. I plan on sewing my own button holes into the sweater, so I can make the buttons to fit accordingly. Here is a pic of what I’ve made so far. I have put these through the wash several times, hot and cold cycles and the dryer. They are tons of fun to make and a very gratifying project. This picture is horrible, I know, but the shank is on the left of pink/purple buttons and the black and white buttons have two holes in the middle.

Cold Feet

I have been procrastinating (there is that word again) on these slippers for too long now. They are a gift and need to be finished. So I can make the next pair. They are Fiber Trends Felt Clog pattern using Lopi. They are surprisingly simple, but you need to pay attention to every row. Here is the pair I knit for myself, and when you wear them with a pair of handmade socks, your feet are on fire!!!! Best of all, you can slip and slide all over the kitchen. Maybe I should attach a swiffer pad to the bottom and save time.

Fear…Procrastination

I started reading The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. I got a third through before having to return it to the library. (I am an incredible procrastinator when it comes to reading) So much of it touched me. Like she was writing about ME. Then so much of it was overwhelming. It may not have been overwhelming during the college years – but now, there is so many distractions and responsibilities. The one haunting thing that stays with me is the “fear of succeeding” is most often the reason why we procrastinate. At first glance my mind said, that’s ridiculous, that’s all we want isn’t it? Success, our dreams, interests being explored and accomplished and then expanded on until our dreams are something much bigger than we ever imagined. Then I think of the possibility of having that “book published”, or major art opening, or selling things in such bulk that I need to have them mass produced, I guess I can say that fear starts to seep in. I mean I have to close my eyes and think about all the steps, make them up actually, because I don’t really know what they are. And I think it is fear, but, it is also procrastination because I am going to get up and do housework and that dream is going to fade. Now I am so far away from any of the above mentioned, I mean, as I sit here and rush through this because the wrinkled clothes in the dryer is weighing on my mind, tells anyone that creative successes are not remotely in my reach. But they are. We are just not going to wear clothes anymore, or eat with utensils on plates, or go outside to bring the dirt in….okay you get it. Life goes on. Well anyway, I am excited today cause it is a beautiful fall day and I am going here http://www.plainstreetstudios.com/index.html . An artist’s date as Julia Cameron would say.

The Day After

The Day After

No matter how old you are I think you wake up on your birthday with some sense of excitement, even mystery. What surprises await today? A call from a long, lost friend, a card from your grandparents, whatever it is, it is just for you and you know that person had you on their mind. I am at a stage where I don’t need anything, really, and the things I want most can’t be wrapped. Time, and creativeness. I wonder if they need to be melded together to achieve both. If I had time would I be more creative, or if I was creative would I have more time? Either way, I did not get either for my birthday. I guess I woke up the next day with a sense that, it is the day after my birthday – life didn’t change – everything is just the way it was, but for one day it felt as if there was change in the air. But look what I did get….. Cake made by me, but decorated by 3 professional cake eaters and Cashmereno, 15 balls to be excited about, maybe a mans sweater is in its future. It is a maroon color. Maroon, makes me think of Gilligan’s Island.  And this book, which is terrific, and a whole other story. I am truly blessed with the people(family) that try to help me, and support me the best they can. And don’t get me wrong, gifts are also nice! Speaking of gifts, I realized I can’t put on my WIP’s cause they are mostly Christmas gifts and uh….I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Oh what is an Elf supposed to do.

Happy Birthday

…..to the website that is. My first journal entry is here. And I am, well, speechless. I have happened upon so many interesting sites, that I thought starting my own would force me to finish those WIP’s, start exciting new ones and learn more about myself. I am a mom – that comes first and that has come first for a while now. I am struggling to find that artist that I once was starting to become. My children are my proudest achievement and every day I can find a moment to think about how lucky I am. (Usually this moment is in the morning and starts to wear thin and non-existant by 5pm.) But I wouldn’t trade my family for a thing, but I am in need of more creative time and creative successes. Come join me as figure this out. Oh, I would like to give thanks to Super Eggplant. She has inspired me and intriqued me. Check her out, I do everyday….thanks

Any given weekday

I made the grave decision to go to the grocery store with my 3 yr old after dropping off my 4 yr old at preschool. It is not like he hasn’t been with me to the store before, but this was shopping for a party and I really needed to make sure all the right things were purchased. We have turned a corner of behavior and I will truly rethink whether he will accompany me again. After the usual heated discussion on which car cart to use, we make our way to the produce department. Our journey begins – this elderly woman thinks he is cute and starts asking me questions about my family, their ages and how wonderful motherhood is. She was very sweet, probably lonely, so I gave her a moment of discussion. Well in this moment, George took this opportunity to fill his car cart seat with green beans(which are not on my list). I did not even realize this till much later in our shopping experience, but I did witness, as well as many others just how many he consumed while I was in discussion! “Please stop talking cause I gotta keep this cart a movin”….is all I could think – meanwhile, I was getting glares from other women of about the same age. It is funny how some older people cannot tolerate children, while others just can’t get enough. I will probably be right in between when I am as old in age as I feel. Anyhoo, I am picking out onions and potatoes, oh, and garlic, and hear some conversation in the background. I look and George is gone and realize that conversation is my son asking for cheese at the deli counter. Sad, really. I thank the deli lady, apologize, and now feel compelled to buy a pound of deli meat.(Not on my list) Off we go, though George is pushing the cart. I cannot control this. He has become physically strong enough to push me off, and, well, hey I’ve gotten enough glares. Throughout the aisles, George’s name can be heard, heatedly by me. I know this, but what else can I do. I’ve tried threatening, squeezing,even dirty glares and snarls, there is no reasoning. Finally, I grab a box of fruit chewy things(not on my list) and a package of those gets us through the next aisle. Another package, another aisle. Need I mention that a trail of these dinosaur shaped, dentist dream candy things is being created. Fortified with sugar, he’s again out of the carriage. While checking the dates on the milk, George helps himself to a banana(not on my list) – curses – how do you pay for that at the checkout. In case your wondering, this store has a banana “tree” near the milk and eggs. There is also bananas in the produce section! We are on our way out and getting him past the bakery with the “help yourself” bagel tongs and loads of frosted goodies are all within his height was a testament of true love and patience. Need I say more. In preparation for the checkout and the CANDY I double fisted him with FRUIT CHEWIES. It worked, except the fruit chewies decorated the floor instead of his mouth. While I’m paying for alot of food I didn’t want and there was so much that was forgotten, an elderly women, the next register over says, “Is this George?” “Never saw him, just heard his name throughout the store.” UUUURRRGGH! I drove home. While unloading the groceries, I realized I forgot my scarf. NO George Forgot It! I got so frigging hot trying to unload the groceries as fast as I could at the checkout, all so that George’s lightening fast fingers wouldn’t get any candy, I whipped off my scarf and George said he’d hold it. I teared up on my way back to the store to retrieve my scarf. When we got home the second time, George ran like 4 laps around the house then fell fast asleep on the floor. Sufficiently stuffed from his lunch at the grocery store. Well to make the day complete, I reversed into the mail box. Knocking it over. I teared up again, no I cried, really. Tomorrow can be better. Good god, I hope it can’t get worse, especially since I am not planning on leaving the house.