Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter Things

Have you painted your Easter eggs?  I have always loved these types of eggs.  These were posted by several media outlets and are painted for the Sorbian Easter Market in Schleife, Germany.  I love the one picture with the bent spoons holding the melted wax.  Very intricate work.




 Of course, if painting eggs is not your style, maybe this Bunny Butt Easter Cake is up your alley.  Looks like the kind of thing I'd serve!  It's from the Betty Crocker web site.
Have a wonderful, blessed Easter!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Just Another Work Day

Happy Birthday to me. 
Sorry you have to work on your birthday, me.
At least you had fun earlier....
 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Do Postage Stamps Have Calories?

How did I miss this?? 
Belgian chocolate + postage stamps.  What?
They have chocolate in the picture.  They smell like chocolate.  They taste like chocolate when you lick them!  Holy cocoa bean, Batman!!
 If they taste as good as they look, I would probably eat them!
 To see them being made, go to this BBC video here.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Everyday Journal

Playing catch-up in my everyday journal - with bits and scraps from whatever is going on that week. 

I had been playing with my Dylusions sprays that week, and was about to throw away my scraps from spraying.  Instead, I tore the paper into strips and glued them down to make a background. 

I'm still a couple of weeks behind in this journal.  I really like going back through my everyday journals.  Sometimes it seems like I haven't done any art in a long time, then these pages remind me that I did in fact play from time to time!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The dictionary called...

Yep, the dictionary called and wants it word back.  That would be my word for the year (Action), which I liked so much last year that I carried it over to this year.

I have hit some kind of slump for about a month.  Maybe it's the dark winter days, feeling yucky half the time, just general malaise.  I haven't even been journaling much.  And the problem is, I keep so many different journals, now I have this anxious feeling of never "catching up".  Totally self-imposed guilt, but I'll get over it.

Friend Gaye and I went to a stamp convention last weekend in Indianapolis, and my plan was to buy more Dylusions sprays - I particularly wanted all the new colors.  The new colors were mostly sold out, but I did buy some colors I didn't have already.  And I bought replacements of some I had before. I love these sprays so much, they are the first ones I have actually used up completely!

I hate it when I waste time looking for things I have misplaced.  I had started a color chart of my sprays, but couldn't find it to add the new colors.  It was quicker to go back to the internet and print off a new one.  I have no affiliation with Ranger, but I love that they have blank charts of their sprays and stamp pads that you can print off. 

At the stamp convention, I also got these new stencils (Coffee Break).  Can't wait to use them.

Daylight Savings Time was last week, and I am hoping the extra daylight at the end of the day will help infuse more energy to get back to that whole action thing!

(Daylight savings time is an illusion - I once heard it said that moving the clocks ahead an hour is like cutting a foot of fabric off a blanket on one end and sewing it on the other end, and then expecting the blanket to be longer.  It's not, but somehow setting the clock ahead an hour feels like the days are longer!)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Making a Case

On a recent post, I showed some fabric I had painted.  In the meantime, I have experimented with making little zippered bags with the fabric.
 My main goal was to make a cigarette case for a friend (who will remain nameless) because her ratty old cigarette case, so cool and unique a few years ago, desperately needed replacing.
Before I used my painted fabric, I decided I'd better practice on regular fabric.  After all, I was flying by the seat of my pants, making it up as I went along.  I haven't put a zipper in anything in about 30 years!  My first effort turned out okay, but I was pretty sure it was too narrow at the top.
My next bags were too big, but to be sure, I had to actually go and buy some cigarettes and a lighter and see how they fit. 
There was too much excess space, so I thought maybe I could put a divider in the middle and she could put her cellphone in one side.
When all was said and done, she loved the case, but I bought the wrong blend of cigarettes.  Plus, she already has a very cool case for her new iPhone.  But it was fun experimenting anyway!  Makes me want to do more playing with painting fabric and sewing little bags.

 

 

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Scores of Drawers

What I saw at the antique mall on Saturday.  If only...!



The first one is huge - about six feet high and at least as wide.  I did not spend $1295 and buy it.
I did not buy the second one (didn't see a price either).
I did not buy the two sets of drawers at $195 each.
I did drool over them all.
 
I did, however, spend $2 on this little book about Venice, with its fold-out map and its color and black & white pictures.