While visiting with geninne , we spent at least some time either early in the morning before mexican breakfast or late in the day when we returned home from our adventures, being creative. We sewed, hand and machine, did some natural dyeing (more about this later) but the favorite things we did was paint with watercolors.
I painted about five small pieces ( only a few of which are shown above)
It was so much fun to paint with the stars.
to make a birthday card for a very special person
matthew, my son in law
xo
m
i still feel they are the roots that have anchored me here in this online arts and crafts world. They are the firm foundation upon which I have continued to build upon and be inspired by. This combination of hand made stamp of roots, stem and leaves and this onion skin dyed crochet covered sea stone really got me thinking about this connection. I do hope no one has misunderstood me. I love the fact so many people are making covered stones. I am happy if I had any part to play in this with my online tutorials and magazine instructions.
Some people have told me that I share too much and that is why some people are using this to their own advantage. I don't agree. One can not stop being who they are because a few people have no sense of morality. So I will continue to share and if you see something on line that you think is mine but is not here or in my flickr stream than perhaps you will think about what I have written.
Tomorrow I have some amazing macro shots to share with you of the spring awakening in the marsh area behind my office.
xxoo
m
The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the
wide world's joy.
- Henry Ward Beecher
Today is Sonia's birthday and she is one of the most warm and bright people I know. She is a thinker, a creator, a doer, a naturalist, a dyer, an artist, a wife, a mother, a teacher, a friend and someone who stays true to her heart, no matter what. I am teasing the explorer out of her by the invitation she accepted to visit Canada this summer, her very first time away from her family. I can't wait to show her everything that makes my heart sing in the summer time.
Until then we had a little birthday celebration in the land of resurrection fern. Hip Hip Hurrah!!!
I had to really turn up the heat and create some moisture to coax fern out of his shell this evening.
But it was definitely worth it.
Happy Birthday Sonia!!!!!
My hands were a little tired of hooking and stitching so I grabbed a few of my nature books of insects and my carving tools and started with a lovely little butterfly. Evenings passed by and before long I had a little entomological gathering. In addition to the butterfly I carved a large moth, a hummingbird moth ( so wonderful), a few beetles and a cross section of a bulb.
of course i have geninne to blame for getting me hooked on making these.
And please join in for poppytalk's spring color week 2011. Yes it starts tomorrow!!!!
monday: green
tuesday: yellow
wednesday: pink
thursday lavender
friday: white (that is a tough one unless I include the snow that still covers a good portion of my garden)
I will be putting my posts up the night before. In fact I prepared my green one a week early. I wonder what the early snail catches?
This year I will be sharing with you a collaboration between one of my very first blog friends, elsita and myself. This will be all about the big adventures of two tiny paper cut birds. They will travel with me where ever i happen to go, along with my camera and I just know along the way they will have great adventures and fantastic photo shoots. The adventure started in Mexico.
Sometimes the pictures will speak for themselves ( or should I say chirp for themselves) and at other times there will be paper feathered stories to unfurl.
xo
m
The first miniature book i made to celebrate the birthday party on the porch for nanou.
xo
I realized as of late I need to add a few new categories to my blog. I added natural dyeing a few weeks ago and macro photography after christmas. I now added paper art and craft with my little snips, pencil marks and dips into watercolor. It is really liberating to try new things. This little ( literally) endeavor was inspired by a gift in the mail from my oldest and dearest blog friend, elsita. I was only expecting a little something we talked about as part of a new collaboration (more on that at a later date) but I literally fell off my stool when I saw that she had included in the envelope an example of her fantastic artistic journey into the art and craft of miniature book making. She and I chatted long ago about her love of tiny books and I knew at some point she would be starting a blog about them but I had no idea she would be making them herself. Nor that they would be fantastic miniature works of art. The book she gifted to me is "the little red book of happy things". Elsa knows i love the color red. In fact I am wearing my winter signature piece, red corduroy pants today. And as the back of the book says, "red is good".
So i was inspired to try to make a miniature book of my own. I have since made three. The first one is a secret gift to a friend and is in the mail. The second one is being hand delivered tomorrow and is the one pictured below and the third one will be in the mail tomorrow, again a tiny token of friendship. I only used materials I had on hand so the paper might not be the best for this sort of thing. The title of this book is cute as a button and it was also inspired by this little treasure.
Oh and something else cute as a button in the next photograph.
i melt
xo