The Art of Natural Dye + Book Making - Another Finished Book!

Very happy with the end results of this art book.  The pictures are not in order as completion but I will label each.

Stitching on bric brack to fancy up the plain yellow (tumeric dye) cover.  Also added a flower shaped button and a green center bead, along with a chord.  

Finished the hand sewing of the bric brac.  Happy with the results. 

Decided to add some tiny beading for additional jazz!

Finished the beading and decided to add beads to the wrap around chording.

Just so you know, I stitched in four signatures (page groups) of three pages each!  A total of 48 pages to sketch on, write on, paint on, or just leave empty to enjoy the dyed paper appearance!

Here I am showing you a center page that has been sewed and knotted with the Japanese Stab Binding technique.

Here is a side view of the sewing technique.  Hopefully you can see this well. 

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Loving my soft pastels!  Loving this lady.  Look at how all her features, her mouth, her eyes, her check bones are all so soft looking!  One of my favorite Beautiful Ladies!

Don't hate me but . . . .

Enough said . . . 

My Back yard Visitor!

People!!!  Is this a Possum?  

Whoo!  Scary to me!

Other People's Words That Move Me

Excerpt from A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

(a well loved, well read, often read novel of mine that sits comfortably on my bedside table).

"What if, once upon a time there were no stars in the sky at all?

What if the stars are not what we think?

What if the light from afar doesn't come from the rays of the distant suns, but from our wings as we turn into Angels?"

Oh my gosh - read it again - slower this time!  It is BEAUTIFUL!

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Twiggy (from the 60's) look alike - maybe.  

I love learning new techniques with my soft pastels and my pastel pencils.  

Zentangles

Believe it (or not) doing/creating Zentangles will most definately help to get your creative juices flowing!  

Book Making

Below are three pictures of binding used in book binding.  The procedures for each technique can be found on the internet or better yet, take a class with Delaney Smith.  She teaches at the art leagues in and around Houston!

This one is called pamphlet stitch.  Sorry its so hard to see 

 This stitch is the Japanese stab binding.  Your book will not open flat. 

This one is also Japenese stab binding but with more holes to make the pages hold together better. 

I'm Wild About Labyrinth's!

Labyrith's - my so favorite fun thing to do!  Well it's about more than fun - it's a spiritual thing!

I am walking this labyrinth at The Univerity of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.  It is beautiful!

Did you know that there are about 22 ish labyrinth's in and around the Houston area?

So there are two schools of thought concerning the Labyrinth.  One is from the Greek Mythology, and one is from a Christian perspective.  I prefer the Christian one.  The labyrinth was built in catherdals for the pilgrims that could not travel (make a pilgrimage) to the Holy Lands to prayer.  They would instead walk the labyrinth focused on prayer and their Lord God.  

So here's the Greek version:  The Minotaur (half man, half animal) monster had to be fed 12 young maidens and young boys each Spring in order to keep him happy.  King Mino's was not happy about this since he had a young daughter named Ariadne.  Theseus was on his way to Athens in time for the yearly tribute to sailing ships.  And so enters Bachelor #1:  When Theseus passed through Crete, Ariadne saw him and fell madly in love! (Of course).

Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of string so he could fasten one end of it to the labyrinth's door and unwind it as he went through looking for the Minotaur.  Ariadne promised to help Theseus escape if he promised to take her to Athens and marry her.  He promised, she helped and he did flee the labyrinth!  They jumped on his ship and set said for Athens . . . .  do you hear wedding bells . . . not so quick!

On the way to Athens, Theseus stopped his ship on the Island of Naxos where he abondoned Ariadne to go hang out with his good friend the God of Wine Dionysus.  With a little wine, Thesueus soon forgot his promise to Ariadne!

The story does not end well.  So Theseus is sailing along.  He told his father that a white sail meant he would sail smoothly into Athens, a black sail meant yeah wasn't gonna happen!  Theseus forgot there was a black sail flying - forgot his promise to his Dad.  Well, when his Dad saw the black sail up he was filled with grief over his son's death, he jumped off a cliff into the sea.

Remember to keep your promises!

Its All About Being An Artist!

What more can I say?  I know this must be true for you too because it is very true for me!

Here, here Pretty Kitty

Just had to share my pretty kitty with y'all today!  

Oh such a sweet good kitty!  

Meet Mozart

The Art of Natural Dying Paper and Fabric + Book Making

Book Binding . . . 

I enrolled in a class at the local art league for a Book Binding class where we dyed our own paper with natural ingredients.  

The course focused on two simple processes:  natural dye on paper and simple book making techniques.  The technique used for binding the book together was Japanese Stab Binding. 

Here are some photos of the dyed paper:

Indigo

Tumeric

Cochineal (flower from a cactus plant) and the right side of the page is indigo again

The following are swatches from fabric:

This is indigo.  I folded the fabric like a fan and then placed three rubber bands of different sizes around the fanned fabric and immersed in the indigo.  

These four fabrics are Tumeric, Indigo, Cochineal and once again the indigo fanned fabric with rubber bands for design.  

We have also used dyes such as avacado skins, rosemary, blueberry, and red and white onion skins. 

Pastel Painting

My way to cool Kitty Kat Mozart!  

My orange tabby kitty is just independent enough to have a certain arrogance about him that makes him way to cool!  So it was only right  that I paint him with jeweled pins in his hair and jeweled sunglasses.  

Other People's Words That Move Me

Excerpt from A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
(a well loved, well read, often read novel of mine that sits comfortably on my bedside table).


When true love is lost, life can bleed all meaning.  We are left blank.

But the possibility of destiny remains.

What we are meant for may yet be discovered, and once in a very long while that journey to find our destiny may defeat even time itself.

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Getting back into my soft pastels and just absolutely loving the results.  Trying to learn how to paint pretty - no, no, - beautiful ladies!

So this one is actually darker than painted because I sprayed it with permanent fixative hoping that the pastels would not fade out.  Unfortunately the fixative makes the painting darker than originally painted.  I later read in the Pastel Journal never, never, ever use fixatives . . . . I think that may have just been a personal opinion because later I read yeah, use them . . . . just saying. 

Let's Give Them Something To Talk About. . . . .

1. My Movie Critique

   
   

   
   
   An Air Force drone pilot (Ethan Hawke) begins to question the ethics of dropping bombs on Afghanistan from the safety of his post in Las Vegas.
   
   I give it 4 stars!!
   2,970,000 results

1. 

   Good Kill

   2014 Movie

   Watch TrailerWatch Trailer

Poetry . . . "The Dead Poet's Society"

Some friends and I have a small but intimate group and we call ourselves "The Dead Poets Society."  Yeah you guessed it!  After the Robin Williams movie.

Our goal is to learn more about poetry and from that learning grow to love it even more than we already do.  (A side of me you didn't know eh?).

So we take turns chosing a DEAD POET'S poem (hence the name) study it, and then share it with the group.  We do much of this over the internet.  We keep our own notes or if you are like me - you actually buy a very special journal to keep all your notes in!  (Type A personality here!).

BUT  . . . straying slightly --  a BIG exception was made for Mary Oliver who is still very much alive!  I just love her writings!  She won the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Time discribes her as "far and away, this country's best-selling poet!"  Not to shabby!

Mary was born September 10, 1935, in Maple Heights, Ohio.  She studied at Ohio State University and Vassar College in the mid 50's but never received a degree at either college.

Here is one of Ms. Oliver's poems that I just love!

Mysteries, Yes

Truly, we live with mysteries to marvelous to be understood. 

How grass can be nourishing in the mouths of lambs. 

How rivers and stones are forever in allegiance with gravity while we ourselves dream of rising. 

How two hands touch and the bonds will never be broken.

How people come from delight or the scars of damage, to the comfort of a poem.

Let me keep my distance, always from those who think they have the answers. 

"Look!" and laugh in astonishment and bow their heads. 

by Mary Oliver.

Water Color Fun! Just Hanging Out to Dry!

Water Color Fun - or is it . . . sometimes I wonder . . . I'm not really that good with watercolors but I really want to be, so I keep at it, keep trying.  John Singer Sargent did a fantastic outdoor clothes line.  I pulled my idea from his.  But of - he was a art genius, I on the other hand am an art novice!

Oh My You Are A Creative Genius!

Just a follow up (from June 14th) for those Creative Genius Cards I am making.  I posted how I was making them, but index cards will do just fine too.

So here is one that I will share.

Remember that Creative Genius Cards are made on those days you are feeling very creative, and then on the days you do not feel at all creative - you just pull them out and read them - inspiring yourself and reminding yourself that you are indeed "Oh My You Are A Creative Genius!"

Oh My You Are A Creative Genius!

Just a follow up (from June 14th) for those Creative Genius Cards I am making.  I posted how I was making them, but index cards will do just fine too.

So here is one that I will share.

Remember that Creative Genius Cards are made on those days you are feeling very creative, and then on the days you do not feel at all creative - you just pull them out and read them - inspiring yourself and reminding yourself that you are indeed "Oh My You Are A Creative Genius!"

Let's Give Them Something To Talk About . . .

My Movie Critique

Academy Award winner and Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds star in this remarkable true story of one woman's battle for justice!

I give it FIVE STARS!

Oh my You Are A Creative Genuis!

Creative Genius Prompt Cards

I am a big believer of prompts.  I started doing a daily meditation in 2001 - rarely missed a day - with  prompt cards that I made myself.   Cards to keep me focused.   

So I thought to myself - I should have some for my creativity.  

I used Strathmore Bristol board paper and sprayed it with liquid watercolors!  Folded it in half. 

Use an artist's bone stick (may go by other names, but this is the one I am familiar with) to help press the paper in half.  Once it is folded well tear (or cut with scissors if you prefer) to the size you would like for hand held prompt cards.

I than used Distressed Ink around the edges for that perfect 'old' and well read look!

These have all been torn down to the size I like to work with.  

You can always use index cards if you feel those work for you.  When I finally write on a card I will share it with you!

A Great Night's Sleep . . . .

I want to share with you how to have A Great Night's Sleep. 

For years I struggled, some nights sleeping well, but most nights not.  No matter what I seemed to do helped me.  I wanted to be holistic in my approach, so after many tried and failed attempts to regulate myself with a good sleep pattern I finally hit upon one that has been very successful for the past year!  Yes, one year and I have slept like a baby EVERY night.  Will it also work for you?  I cannot promise that, but it has worked for me. 

What you say - what already!!

A MILLET HULL NIGHT PILLOW (from Brookstone but I bet you could get it almost any where).

so this is the pillow (has a zipper at one end) looks like a very ordinary pillow.

Here are the LAVENDER millet hulls!  The pillow comes chock full of these.  Too many for me, so I emptied some out to save and add at another time.  These are 100% certified organic millet hulls. 

Huh you say!  Millet seeds are tiny in size, round, and amazingly smooth.  When hulls are separated from the seeds, these tiny emply shells ratin their soft and velvety texture and feel sikly and fluffy to our touch!  

Millet hulls fully contour our neck line and smoothly shift along as we move in our sleep.  They provide solid neck support throughout the night and offer relief from shoulder/neck tightness.  

So 100% certified organic millet hulls, U.S. grown and are hypo-allergenic.  I chose Lavender because I like a holistic approach to my wellness - lavender is a natural relaxer!  

Sleep well!

Sunday Special - I Believe . . . . .

Wisdom of the Sacred Feminine . . .

When you stand up and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else, too. 

Every Day in June 2016 Art Challenge

Every Day in June Art Challenge 

Day 8 - Theme:  Green 

Every Day in June 2016 Art Challenge

Every Day in June 2016 Art Challenge

Day 7 - Theme:  Nuts

Just couldn't help myself.  

I Love to Quilt!

A Texas Theme Quilt

Lap size/Tv size

When I do my free motion quilting (on my sewing machine) the quilts are usually so large that I have found it to be pain free (shoulders and neck) if I use my dining room table to support the quilt.  My sewing table just cannot handle large projects.  

The center of the quilt is made from a panel.  I added a variety of Texas theme fabrics around the panel to make a completed quilt.  The quilting is done on machine with an Even Foot Feed (aka - walking foot).  Remember when using this particular foot to quilt you do not have to lower your feed dog.  

Let's Give Them Something To Talk About

My Movie Critique

This is definately a chick flick movie!  Husband did watch it with me but gave it a thumbs down.  I on the other hand gave it FIVE STARS and will watch it over again for sure!  I watched it ON DEMAND, but Netflixs may carry it since it was made in 2000.  I just really enjoy these types of movies and would love your suggestions!

I Love To Quilt

Mature Fairies

I love this quilt!  I made a lap top size for my daughter-in-law Krys and a queen size for myself.  Hee hee.  Some day I want to draw some of these characters!  They are so cute!  I have received so many comments and compliments about this quilt.  Enjoy the view!

I Love To Quilt

 A Quilt for Sherry

Finished this quilt some time ago and sent it off to my neice Sherry in Massachusetts.  Of course she loved it!

Every Day in June 2016 Art Challenge

Day 6 - Theme:  Cupboard Love

Every Day In June 2016 Art Challenge

Day 5 - Theme:   Love

Every Day In June 2016 Art Challenge

Day 4 - Theme:  Cartoon

Every Day in June 2016 Art Challenge

Day 3 - Theme:  Body Part

Body Part