Much to celebrate

I have been writing this blog since June 12, 2009

My birthday is June 11

I am very close to my 100th post.

I say it’s time to reward faithful readers. I have a few mini purse shaped books remaining from the shower, and one could be yours. On June 12 I’ll choose five people from those who make a comment between now and June 11. Followers and those who sign up to follow get a double entry. You can post anonymously but put a first name in the comment so I’ll know who to list as a winner. Make your comment by midnight EDT on the 11th. On June 12 I’ll post the names of the winners and how you can contact me to claim your prize. Be sure to look at the post on the 12th, because unless I know you personally I won’t know where to send the prize.

More Good Fortune Birds

After making about 10 strands of these birds, I’m back to making more. I had forgotten how much fun they were to make. I need to make a replacement for my daughter’s strand because she is taking them to Germany with her on Monday to give to a wonderful family in Tönisvorst‎. They are the family that hosted her for six weeks when she was a high school student. They have since hosted her and other members of our family several times. I loaned my strand of birds to an artist and frequent contributor to CPS magazine for consideration in a future issue. So here are new birds for me and my daughter.

Wordle

This applet is so cool. Go to www.wordle.net and create a word cloud with your choice of text. You can choose a font and a color scheme as well, and wordle makes something that looks like this.

I didn’t choose any special words, I just asked it to use words from my blog. I did have to find and learn how to use the snipping tool on my computer. Not hard, just did a search in help.

A book! From scratch!

Using Debbi Crane’s instructions from her book Mixed Media Explorations, and an online class from Creative Workshops, I have managed to make my first book.

It has a cardboard spine, five hand stitched signatures, a front cover a back cover made from the board on the back of the watercolor pad. I has forty watercolor paper pages. I used a piece of tissue paper I painted last summer for the cover. It’s a little bit wonky, but I’m pleased with it.

Then I got so excited about the first one, I made a simpler one, a pamphlet stitched book with only one signature. It has 32 pages and a painted canvas cover. This could get to be a lot of fun.

Both books have watercolor paper for the pages, so I can do all kinds of wet work in them.

For Your Entertainment

I haven’t been spending much time in the studio lately, so I don’t have any work to show, but here are two videos to make the point that a great song can be done in almost any genre.

On The Rocks, an a capella group from the University of Oregon in Eugene, does Lady Gaga.

and an opera singer does Dave Matthews

Modern Stitchery

I have a lot of things going on in my life right now, and I don’t feel particularly creative. I’ve learned that the impulse to create ebbs and flows for me. These days I’m enjoying our beautiful weather, taking long walks, planning for company and getting ready for Laurel’s wedding. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying the creativity of others.

Check out this blog for some old school/new school hand stitchery. The first half of the blog is about the opening of a gallery show, the second half is devoted to the 10 hand stitched quotes. Lisa Borgnes, the artist, gave me permission to post some photos. Click on the second photo to link to her fabulous blog and all 10 quotes.

Interstate Sandhills

Near the station where we buy gas Tom and I happened upon a family of Florida Sandhill cranes. The adults are about 5 feet tall. The area behind the station is a wetland, less than half a mile from I-95. I’ve seen the parents before, but now they have a chick. Sandhill’s chicks are called colts, and a nesting pair usually only has just one colt.

look at the size of this colt’s feet!

Back to the studio tomorrow. I’m going to be working in 3-D.

Things that are green

We’ve been traveling for a couple of weeks, and while we were gone, all manner of green things cropped up.

Just left of center in the photo below is a green chrysalis. A monarch butterfly will emerge in about a week. We counted four on our porch, and our neighbor has seven.

I’ve been trying to establish gaillardia on one of the outside corners of our lanai. I think I have been successful. There are at least 400,000 seedlings that will need to be thinned to five plants.

The basil reseeded and is smelling wonderful. I’m waiting for Tom’s tomatoes to ripen so I can have them with basil and mozzarella.

Mint is a new addition to the garden this year. I’ve learned that it has to be contained in a pot. We made mint juleps yesterday for the Derby.

The weather is finally warm enough for me and the reptiles that live on our lanai. I do love summer, even if I do have to tolerate the likes of these.

Laurel is thinking about using a variety of green vases for table decorations for the wedding, so I scored a few at our church rummage sale on Saturday.

105 days and counting

Laurel is getting married! Jeremy Trantham proposed on Easter weekend, and the next weekend they set a date, August 14th. In my father’s words, she and Jeremy have “hit the ground running”. Location for the ceremony and reception is secured, dress is on order, save the date cards are mailed, caterer engaged, food tasting completed, and so much more. We are so excited about having Jeremy as part of our family.