Coneflowers

 

I want to begin by thanking Matilde for hosting in June.  I really enjoyed the theme.

This month we have a new host, as we always do the first of the month.  It is my dear longtime friend Halle of Halle's Hobbies.  Halle is challenging us to think about Botanicals, which is her theme for this entire month of July.  I now give you my interpretation of her theme.

For my first entry this month, I give you what I call Coneflowers (Echinacea).  Detail images are below.

It's been awhile since I've sewed anything.  I thought this would be the perfect time.  As many of you long time visitors know, I only sew paper to paper or paper to fabric.  I couldn't sew a straight line if my life depended on it and I have no desire to create anything that involves cutting or a pattern.

I began by sewing vintage sheet music to 110 lb. cardstock using blue variegated thread.  I added five different bits of foreign text, but two of them were covered with the coneflower packet.  I also added the label and the other two pieces I found in my stash.  I fussy cut a floral doodle I love to make and placed it over the seed packet.  It was the only piece that wasn't sewn.

Please remember we welcome art journal pages that meet the theme requirements, altered book pages, canvases, loose, or stand alone pages including fabric and digital art.  I (and the administrators) cannot leave comments on Facebook, TicTok, or Instagram entries.  We do not allow cards!!!  We also don't allow tags, index cards, ATCs, or ATCoins, unless they are part of a journal page, and as much as we don't want to, will be forced to delete your entry.  Please remember if your blog is not in English, we ask that you translate it for us since the translation tool doesn't work on some blogs, including mine.  Hope to see you and your Botanical entries soon at Art Journal Journey.

T Stands For Frida Kahlo

 

On a recent trip to The Spice Merchant, these mugs caught my eye.

Who can resist Frida Kahlo? 

Short and sweet this week.  I've shown you mine, now it's time to share your own drink related post.  It can be photos, a place you visited, movies, postcards, books, sketches, mixed media, drawings, paintings, tags, scrapbooking, or other art that is digital, hybrid, or traditional, as long as it in some way relates back to a drink, any drink.  Regardless, please share below and Bleubeard and I will gladly visit, as will other T participants.  Please link only your T post and not your blog in general.  Bleubeard would like to remind you that old photos are acceptable because they may be taken any time, not just on Tuesday and not just this year.  Please remember to visit your fellow T participants. This link will be valid until 12 a.m. (my time) Tuesday, July 2.

 

 

Please don't forget to dig up your Second on the 2nd.  Any genre, any style, any length is acceptable as long as it has been published sometime in the past.

Quirky

 

This will be my final entry for Matilde from Craftowanie, our host this month at Art Journal Journey.  Her theme, in case you didn't know, is People.  I am also joining Creative Artiste's 116th challenge, where the theme is always Anything Mixed Media Goes.  I'm getting in just under the wire for their challenge this month. And because my entry has text in it, I'm also joining Try it on Tuesday's latest theme, which is to add some text.

This is the front of the entry.  I'm not sure you can tell, but the front is about an 1/8th inch wider and about 2 inches shorter  than the inside.  The entire entry was created using see-through plastic and held together using washi tape. For the front, I first painted part of the front of the plastic with yellow and turquoise green fluid acrylic paints.  I then stamped the images, both by Lynne Perrella.  The heart with text, I stamped twice.

I couldn't fit the entire inside on the scanner, but I got most of the left and all the right side.  Detail images are below.

 

Inside left

Inside right

I used the same paint on the inside as I used on the front.  On the left, I added two types of lace, over which I laid a lady cut from a steampunk inspired book.  Note the text behind her bike.  Above and around her I placed several pieces of thread, then the letter H.  The focal figure from the front came through because I didn't use any paint in that area.

On the right, I added different lace and two TH paper dolls.  I adhered them with clear packing tape.  Look closely and you'll see one of the girl's face is caught in half under the tape.  Finally, I added the word "Quirky" to the right side.

Materials used included clear plastic, fluid acrylic paint (yellow and turquoise green), red rubber UM stamps, three types of lace, cut female image, two TH paper dolls, packing tape, computer generated word, and washi tape.  

Thank you for your visit. I hope you will join Bleubeard and me on this final entry for June at Art Journal Journey, Creative Artiste, and Try it on Tuesday.

 

ICADs Week 4

 

This, my 13th year, there will be no cute sayings or clever puns.  Only single words.  Each index card will contain paint, book pages or sliver of a page (including sheet music), some form of mark making, a postage stamp, and the word of the day.  

I finally realized why I choose the postage stamp each day.  I'm driven by color and I like my stamp to match the color (or predominant color) of the day.  Please enjoy these next seven ICADs.

Day 22: Free

 

Day 23: Joy

Day 24: Blessed

 Day 25: Tolerate

Day 26: Know

Day 27: Endure

 

Day 28: Balance

       I'm playing along, but I'm not on the sites where Daisy Yellow posts.  However, as I have said in the past, this is the ONLY place you will find Bleubeard's and my ICADs.

Thank you for your visit today.  We are grateful you stopped by.  I hope you will continue to join me every Sunday as Bleubeard and I continue this annual journey.

 

End of June herb garden update

 

I hadn't planned to update my herbs so quickly again, but I didn't have time to create any art today.

I was thrilled with the flowers on the Bee Balm (Bergamot/Oswego tea)

Although I bought this primarily to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds,

I also learned it was one of the drinks adopted by colonists in the states during their boycott of British tea. The leaves are used to flavor punches, lemonade, and other cold drinks. Maybe I could try it for T Tuesday sometime.

Although it's hard to see

my Comfrey is blooming again.  Look directly above my watermark for the flowers.

Maybe you can see it better

when the sun is directly overhead.

I'll be picking my Genovese Basil sometime next week.

I finally cleaned the weeds out of my chives.

Now they may have a fighting chance.  I see my tarp is starting to break down in more than one or two places.

I also cleaned up my Russian Sage.

Yes, I mowed!  I was getting tired of walking in grass up to my ankles.

Is it my imagination, or is my thyme growing by leaps and bounds?

Speaking of growing, this is lavender I bought recently at a nursery, not on Herb Day.

It's doing well, as is the Oregano next to it.

I promise no more herb updates until at least mid July.  Thanks for stopping by today.  I am glad you dropped in to visit.  Bleubeard and Squiggles refuse to help in the garden since I failed to buy cat mint and cat grass for them this year.

Childhood Memories and a few Friday Smiles

 

I'm joining Matilde from Craftowanie once again.  She is our host this month at Art Journal Journey.  Her theme, in case you didn't know, is People. 

I created this using some black and white scrapbook paper I found in my stash.  I then overlaid it with a black frame, also found in my stash.  Behind the frame, I placed a TH Found Relative from a package I purchased on clearance a few years ago.  I call it Childhood Memories.  There are no detail shots today because it is self evident how I created this.

It's been a long time since I joined Friday Smiles, hosted by Annie (at A Stitch in Time).  Let's visit Annie and the other wonderful ladies who also share their smiles each Friday.  I have a few funnies for you today and they relate to childhood memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Me neither!

 

 

I hope you found a few of these to smile about.  Bleubeard and I also hope to see you at Art Journal Journey and Friday Smiles.