Watercolor Card - Landscape

I whipped up some waterolor paper this morning.  I used 140lb cold press paper measuring 11x15 inches.  Fortunately, I unpacked my glass shelf and a couple of plastic craft work sheet and taped the paper down.

I decided to use some Stampin Up reinker in water based dye ink which works the same as watercolor but will match the card stock I have.  I chose Always Artichoke, Only Orange, Baroque Burgundy. 

I used regular salt on one sheet, coarse salt on another and cling wrap on other.

I trimmed the watercolor paper after I decided what my bottom layers were going to be. I chose deep green card stock, deep red card stock and More Mustard card stock.  Ripped the top edges and layered them front to back and then taped the back with clear tape. I trimmed the watercolor paper to fit just below the top edge of the accent. I adhered it to a More Mustard card base in the A7 size. I adhered the ripped paper accent to the bottom of the card. With the scrap of green I cut a Sizzix Pine Small which I inked the edges with Always Artichoke ink pad. I then glued it in place ont the right hand side. I punched a 1 inch circle from Summer Sun card stock and adhered it on the left hand side. I then used the watercolor I had used this morning and painted with like colors to help it blend in the sky. I added 3 birds with my black Micron marker.

I put it to press for several hours. I gave it a white insert and a warm yellow envelope. I will see her tomorrow! Yeah!

Card - Thinking of You - Watercolor

A card for a friend who received a tough diagnosis recently.

It is important to know that people care and are thinking of you.

I just painted a quick watercolor of water, earth and trees.

The flowers in the water don't jive with the pine tree in the dirt but I wanted a bit of color and pretty.

This was painted with my Winston Newton travel palette.

Trimmed to fit on a 5x7 ish sized card in the portrait orientation on a True Thyme base.

A white quarter sheet insert and an ivory envelope.  A bit of a write and a stamp an it will be on it's way.

Tree Scent Ornaments - Silver Plated Frames

 My tree scent ornaments sold well at the Christmas Store in the Allied Arts Council Gallery this year so I am starting to make more for next year.

I found 3 very cute silver plated cat frames while shopping at the thrift store with my niece this weekend.  The price was right so I took them home.

I decided to embroider small felties to put in them as the diffusers. I enjoy my slow stitching.

This one features a cat sitting in the sun with flowers growing in the garden.  The flowers mirror the potted flowers on the windowsill and the sun is warm and wonderful

A variety of greens for the garden in the beyond the window.

I mostly kept the pieces intact except the easel back which would not work for ornaments.

I added some fusible pelon to the back of the stitched work to hide the stitching and add some depth. I added a piece of white card stock to which I affixed the silver plated sticker.

I added a color coordinated 1/8" satin ribbon as a hanger which has been hand stitched to the embroidery piece itstelf.

I returned the glass for a spacer and allows the frame to be returned to that purpose if so desired.

The screws on the tabs needed to be tightened and I was done.

I created the night time scene with the full moon in the sky accompanied with silver stars stitched with silver metallic thread onto navy felt.

The moon is grey thread and the outline stitch.

I created a span of water below showing the reflection of the moon in it.  A few ripples in the water were added with a few grey stitches.

The cat is gazing out from its windowsill into the night.

I added a navy satin ribbon hanger and reassembled the layers into the frame and it was done.

I added a distant landscape outside the window with a beautiful warm sun.

The sky features a white cloud and a black bird.

The landscape is created with a variety of green threads with the outline stitch.  The are very closely stitched side by side to hide the blue felt sky.

The cat sits on the sill while enjoying the scene outside.

Slow Stitching 2025 - Feb - Week 4

K3N Cloth Tales Comfort Coverlet 2025 Slow Stitching project - Week 4.

I visit several wetlands with my camera during the summer.  It seem appropriate to add this element to this piece.

I have birds, clouds and a sun in the sky. I have trees and water ripples in the center.

In the foreground I put a duck and cattails with water ripples.

Since this was the last week on this piece I added a fall leave and a winter snowflake on the right hand side.

I think I will be assembling my 12 piece together at the end with a backer fabric to hide all my stitching.

Next week we move on to March's piece.

Cards - Charity - Glitter Butterflies

I made a quick watercolor of a fisherman for a guy that is celebrating a big birthday - 80.  It was a surprise party with about 30 people.  

He was out fishing that morning so that the preparations could take place without him knowing.

They caught no fish but arrived back on time on a story his friend created as to why they needed to be back.

I recycled a piece of watercolor paper with boring color and painted this little scene.

In this case the fisherman had no fish.

I adhered it to a Bravo Burgundy A2 card base and placed a white insert on the inside.

The party was a wonderful success. The work was shared by many so it was light and manageable.

Inktober - 20 Sunrise

Inktober 2024 Challenge

20 - Sunrise

I penciled my outline sketch which were just the hills and the sun.  I used my black marker to create the lines in the hills by hand.

I used the watercolor pencil to color the sun yellow and a  store brand to put in the orange. 

I need to get a good set of watercolor pencils.

Slow Stitching - No. 015 - Eclipse and Stacking Running Stitch

This is my piece for week 15 of Kathryn's Slow Stitch challenge on K3N Cloth Tales. 

With the solar eclipse that took place on April 8th this was a great idea.  The technique was stacked running stitches which was used to create the rays of the sun. 

I chose a dark blue fabric which I had to patch to make big enough. I added a yellow layer between the blue and the white. I made my moon black.

I invisible stitched around the edges of the circles to start with.

I covered the moon with seed stitching. 

I had the same problem with my yellow layer so I added some stitches on it to have it lay flatter.

I added a running stitch in black to tack down the edges of the dark blue layer to the white.

Slow Stitching - No. 002

I finished my 2nd piece of slow stitching.

I am following Katherine at K3NClothTales on You Tube and Instagram. 

The prompt for this week is Balance - Light & Dark.

I chose 2 heavier fabrics in my favorite color combo - yellow and navy blue. I aligned the join on the center line of my 4 inch foundation fabric, pinned it and did whip stitches in both colors - yellow first then black next.

I traced the circle for the sun with a spool of thread then with a darker and brighter yellow embroidery thread 3 strands I stitched the half circle with back stitch and the rays with running stitch.

I added white stars to the navy bottom half.  The fabric was unraveling so I added a blanket stitch all the way around the outside edge with thread that matched the fabric color.

Celestial Stuffies

 

I made a set of stuffies for a little girl celebrating a birthday soon.  Sun, Moot and Star.

The Sun: I cut orange and yellow felt with rays layered on top of each other then turned the yellow one over. I cut a circle of warm yellow and stitched it to the center and stuffed before closing it up with over stitches. I add longer stitched to connect the rays to each other.  I added some orange stitches to the center.

The Moon.  I cut 2 large circles from white felt then cut out smaller circles from one of them. I layered some grey flannel fabric under it and used stab stitches to connect the two. Once the 3 craters were done I stitched the 2 white circles together with the blanket stitch around the outside. Once I was close I stuffed the moon with fiber fill and then closed the opening.

The Star: The 2 star shapes were cut with Stampin Up Star thinlit dies from yellow felt.  I embroidered the front shape with variegated thread.  The shapes are held together with blanket stitching.  It was stuffed with fiber fill. 

Small Gifts - Car Cup Holders Coasters - Bunch 2

I made another set of Car Cup Holder Coasters.

These are for the guys in the family.

The first is J for the car he drives. A grey felt "J" on black fleece with black cotton on the back with two tone grey black grosgrain ribbon tabs.

The set on the right features the ocean and sunset in felt on teal fleece with teal cotton on the back. Yellow grosgrain ribbon tabs. 

Left again are 3 leaves in yellow, green and orange felt on green felt with orange grosgrain tabs.

Bottom right features an acorn designed with felt on black felt with black cotton on the back and brown grosgrain tabs.

Bottom left is the evergreen tree with sun and hills with yellow denim cotton on back with black grosgrain ribbon tabs.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The fourth Sunday of Advent. 

When things start to mount, health issues, the economy, sick loved ones, the loss of one who will not be here for Christmas, traveling in less than ideal conditions, the grey days and the very cold nights.

Struggling and rejoicing are not chronological steps but concurrent movements, one fluid with the other.

Even now I will be joyful in the God of  my salvation. All far is but the notion that God ends. When does He ever end?

Fear not!

The very cold temperatures are back again.  I am wearing layers and I have ever been so cold in my place.  Not sure why but the heating system struggles to maintain the 72F I am used to. 

This level of coolness indoors has be hugging my wheat bag warmed in the microwave and hunkering down with cozy blankets.

I have not ventured outside in these crazy temperatures and I am grateful that I don't need to go to work.

I have groceries enough.

I spend time on the internet and reading books.  Thank goodness I have a few I can choose from.

Graceline O'Malley by Ann Moore is one of the books I finished recently.  I was lucky that this is the first book in a trilogy. 

Set in the mid 1800s when the potato blight destroyed crops and left tenant farmers with no income. Gracelin only fifteen, is married off to a land owner to keep her family in the cottage they lived in for years.  She has compassion on neighbors who have been evicted from their homes due to their inability to pay the rent due to the landowner. 

I found the famine in Ireland so described in this book very hard to read about. It was devastating. Gracelin does what she must to keep her family alive.  

As political unrest sweeps across the countryside, she harbors Irish rebels -- her own brilliant brother among them -- keeping hidden, as well, the deepest secret of her heart. 

This was a great book and I will look for the next 2 books.

It is so cold that I am again taking photos through the windows.  

The sun continues to shine which is a blessing.

The snow as well makes things tricky for those who have to venture out.

I enjoyed another Patrick Taylor novel this week - An Irish Country Courtship.  This one set in the 1960s in County Down in Northern Ireland. 

Nice to revisit the family medical practice with elder Dr. Fingal Flatherie O'Reilly and the young Dr. Barry Laverty.  Barry has 6 months to go to become a full partner. He is going out with Patricia Spence an architectural student.  Dr. Fingal, a widower has recently been reacquainted with Kitty O'Hallorhan a nurse he met while at medical school. 

The courtship in this case is between the senior partner and a nurse. Barry and Patricia are struggling to maintain a long distance relationship when she goes to Cambridge to study. Barry becomes acquainted with a local teacher, Sue Nolan during a ringworm outbreak at school. 

A delightful books and I enjoyed it immensely. 

Watercolor - Sail Boat

I needed a birthday card for my aunt.  I was to join a party on Thursday but was called out to be with my Mom who was very ill and needed full time care for a few days.  She is doing better after a visit to ER.

This card will be late but such is life.  

I created the background a while back and I added the scene this morning.  The boat and sun have a white gouache base with watercolor on top. I created a custom greeting.  It was punched with the Stampin Up Artisan punch and mounted with 3D foam tape. It will be off in the mail on Monday. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

There was roasted hot dogs which I requested on a social distance outside visit to my sister's place.  The hot dogs were great! Thanks so much.

I don't have a place for a fire outside so I can't make them at my place.

Ice cream cake is always in order that this time of year!  There were leftovers that I brought home and having one serving per day!

I got a sunburn during my outside visit.  Then Sunday I got bitten alive by mosquitoes on my long walk at the wetlands.  My ears, face, neck and hands were exposed so they got the worse of it.

The skeeters must know that as a photographer I am going to hold my hands still and not wave them around so they took advantage.

I have to say I have sore parts and large welts so my day has been uncomfortable.







Up at 5:00 am and at the Lois Hole Provincial Park before 6:00 am I did see several new birds for me.

The Common Yellow Throat Warbler which sang beautifully then the Sora Rail just walking on the reeds in the water.  It moved very fast though!  Many Cedar Waxwings making some noise.  It was wonderful.

I had a really hard time with Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week - Unusual Pattern.  To me that suggested not a regular or common pattern.  What could that be?  I had glass tiles where it distorted the designer behind so I tried quite a few scrapbook papers. This one has music paper behind but I did not find the X showed up much.

This was a colorful tile behind a textured glass cutting board.  I was getting closer! Check out my SMDPics photo stream to see the shot I submitted.



I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #85 and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #245

Recent Photos

I have been enjoying the out of doors from my balcony window mostly.  Last week we had several days where the sun was just pouring in.  With a cup of tea, my toes on the sill I just sat there and soaked in the sun.  It was marvelous.  This week we have snow and cloud.

I went for groceries last Thursday at 7:30 am so I could get in during seniors hours.  I found this tea which is much better than my previous store brand.  One tea bag does a pot of tea.  It is strong and delicious.  Really loving it and of course it is decaffeinated which a must.

I finished this book this week.  I try to include self help books every once in a while between the historical fiction stories that I like. 

God is a relationship person so it was good to be reminded even if I am distanced from my humans He is still close.

Connie says that God will provide a dream and the steps to get there.  Now not always will the whole plan be revealed at once but more likely one step at a time. Take it one simple, immediate, possible yes at a time.  He does provide proofs (chocolates, peace, power, provision and presence) along the way.  Chocolates are tangible evidence that you are on the right path.

The barriers:
Fear - The minute you change "what if" to "what now" you are in a position  to hear from God. Human fear builds walls godly fear builds roads.
Pride - Let it go and let God
Guilt - Remorse brings me to God - Guilt separates us
Shame - is a dark dungeon place and transparency is the key to letting light into that dark place
Comparison - Show up, do your best, judge your progress on your own performance not on others
Doubt - We do faith - it is not a noun but a verb

These pillows were given to me by a friend.  She said they are the perfect color for me and she is right.  Love the golden yellow butterflies. 

They now live on the couch but give me the extra height on my chair when I am sewing. 







It was time for a trim but with businesses closed it was up to me to do it.  I put a cloth in the bathroom sink, dug out the scissors, had to scrounge for a comb and cut 1/2 inch off my hair closest to my forehead.  I cannot stand it hanging on my forehead.  Feels better.

Friday's Hunt 1.22

These photos are for Friday's Hunt challenge.

The prompts this week are:
Starts with V
Favorite
Sunshine

This is Vintage Linen.  This is one of a set of three Vintage Doilies I found recently at a sale.  I loved the embroidery of a blue basket filled with pink flowers. It has a wonderful crocheted edge.

This is captured Sunshine.  I have several prisms in my living room window.  When I open the curtains in the morning the sunshine highlights bouncing around the room as the crystals move and swing.  I captured one of these on the cushion of the chair.  The colors are all there!! Love it.

This is a photo of a lake in Northern Ontario.  There are just a million of them.  There seems to be one on every corner.  This is my favorite for this week. 

Joining Friday's Hunt hosted by Teresa at Eden Hills.

Card Club - Feb - Pick Up Truck

Here's a happy little card.  I matched the card to the color of the pick up truck. The silver background was embossed with the Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder and glued to the card front. I determined the placement of the road and glued it down and trimmed it.  The truck was then placed on the road.  I added the tree on the left and tucked it's truck behind the road. The sun was placed in the top right hand corner.
The truck and sun were cut with the Cricut and the Just Because Cards cartridge and the tree with the Paper Dolls Dress Up cartridge. These were assembled with patience and some quick dry glue.  The road was cut with my Creative Memories wavy cutter and I used a white opaque marker to make the line in the center.

Retirement - Canoe

I made this card for guy who is retiring.  Lucky guy! He likes to canoe so he likely will do more of it during the summers than he has so far. 
I started with a navy card and added a textured light blue paper for the sky.  I added the tree next which is a Sizzix die. I added the medium blue below for the water.  I cut the canoe with my Cricut with the "Just Because" Card cartridge.  This cartridge has good layers so I was able to cut the pieces in separate colors and assemble the element.  I added some ripped clouds and a punch circle sun in the sky!

Card Club - February - Sunny Card

Here's a card to brightened up the cold days of winter. The sun is a die cut. I was inspired by the greeting. I dusted off my sun Sizzix die and added the greeting in the centre. The ribbon is 1/4 inch gross grain. This card kit stayed with the color combination because I did not want to make the sun any other color than sunshine yellow. How could I? A Zot to hold the button in place.