Those of you living in the mid atlantic/northeast region know that good old winter is camping out for a few more weeks.  But the power is in your hands to chase any wintery blues away.  Yes, grab your pruners, cut some branches and be your own manipulative force of nature!

Flowering shrub forcing is so easy to do.  Just stick to snipping branches from shrubs that would naturally bloom during the spring.  You’ll be tricking those twigs into thinking it’s that time already…. hehehe.  The easiest shrub of all to force is forsythia, but that’s just one of many shrubs which are suitable to work with.  White Flower Farm, a well known Connecticut based nursery, has a fabulous article about branch forcing to get you started.

My favorite is flowering quince(Chaenomeles speciosa).

I cut some forsythia branches this afternoon, which will deliver a botanical spray of beauty to my kitchen sink area in no time.  Can you spot the cute little face in the photo?

That’s my friend, Squirrel.  He and his fellow comrades wipe me out(and the birds!) of bird seed on a regular basis.  Their presence makes standing at the kitchen sink a whole lot of fun, though.

And take a look at this beauty, an Amaryllis my friend gave me a few weeks ago.  Isn’t the color just stunning?  Perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Speaking of which….. I hope yours is super sweet!

 

I love making decorative hearts, and at this time each year, I make a few more to add to my collection.  Hearts are just so shapely, curvy and, well…… sensual.  What’s not to love about them?

However, what I don’t love is accruing scraps upon scraps of fabric, ribbon and trim, and not turning them into something fabulous……

….. like this heart!  Doesn’t it look delicious?  I’ve got quite a collection of red trim, surplus from Christmas.

Almost very piece of ribbon and trim on this rose gold hued fabric heart was inherited from my grandmother’s sewing stash.

I really enjoyed making these hearts and made a point to not be so precise and careful about sewing the trim onto the base fabric.  It was part of the charm and look I was going for that they be somewhat imperfect looking.

I’ll certainly be making more hearts before Valentine’s Day arrives.  Look at the temperature outside!  I’m keeping my exercise routine indoors and keeping it crafty.

Ahh…. 🎶 ninety-nine bags of scraps to go, ninety-nine…… 🎶.

I’m always late to the party when it comes to current trends, be it fashion, music/entertainment, social media platforms, etc…  For example, I bought my first(and only!) pair of skinny jeans about one year ago.  But, those skinny jeans are new to me, and that’s all that matters.

What’s also new to me is this fascinating art form called acrylic pouring.  Artsy folks have been doing it for many years.  But true to my nature, I stumbled upon it just months ago via YouTube.  I was totally smitten.  And hooked.  I’ve been “pouring” my heart out for the past few weeks and just can’t get enough.

This was the very first one I made.  Not bad for pouring kindergarten, right?

Most artists pour on large canvases or substrates, but my workstation is the kitchen table; therefore, I’m keeping production to a smaller scale, suitable for greeting cards.

One unavoidable aspect of the pouring process is paint drippings, which many believe should not go to waste, myself included.  Pictured below are my paint drip art pieces.  The exploration process is just so liberating, and has opened a new door to my artistic endeavors.

I hope this post has inspired you to play with paint or pour your heart into something new to you.

Hello Folks, Happy New Year to you!

I’m partial to January, admittedly, as it’s my birthday month.  I also have a weakness for beautifully illustrated wall calendars.  The Old Farmer’s Almanac gardening calendar will be my eye candy for 2021.  Regarding new beginnings and fresh starts, we each get to make our mark on a clean slate in one way or another.  I’m doing that in the literal sense.  I’ve reignited one artistic facet of my life I all but let smolder in 2020.  That was then…..

And this is now!

I received a lovely clutch of alcohol inks from my sister for my birthday, and have been exploring their potential over the past few days.  These experimental abstractions are no bigger than the palm of my hand.  They look like something you would examine under a microscope, don’t they?

In general, alcohol inks are applied to slick, non-porous surfaces, and with the addition of an “extender” medium, the ink can be manipulated to create interesting designs and patterns.  Watercolor paper, my preferred substrate, is naturally porous; therefore, I’ve had to be inventive with my process.  Unpredictable results are par for the course, but that’s half the fun!

I can’t wait to show you what else I’ve been making lately.  I’ll share that with you real soon.

Do stay tuned……