Friday, December 12, 2008

December Musings

Wednesday was a productive day. I canned "Soybean Casserole," a large batch of Crabapple Jelly with its lovely pink-red claret color, and decanted and canned North Country Maple Syrup.
I also worked on the annual Christmas newsletter and baked a batch of yummy Pumpkin Chip Cookies.
Earlier in the week I put out birdseed for the first time in several years. It took a while for the winged creatures to discover the treasure. For some time now I had been disheartened, extremely discouraged about a particular on-going life situation. Sending up one of those "arrow prayers," I asked for a sign (whether I should keep hope, or abandon it).
Several times I looked out and saw only sparrows and junkos at the feeder, but later in the day as I wandered by the window, I spotted a darling brown cardinal hunkered down against the cold wind, followed shortly thereafter by her bright crimson mate. Call it juvenile or simplistic, but I accepted the sightings as a reminder that one must never give up hope. I have seen cardinals in the front yard each day since.
I'm so glad creation wears many colors. Just think: all the fruits and vegetables could have been gray- yuck!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Found Objects


Several months ago I signed up for a "Found Objects" fabric postcard exchange. Always a scavenger, as I rode my bicycle almost every day, many things caught my attention: bolts, bottle caps, windshield wipers, discarded CD's, etc. The collection began to mount.
Then one day I walked through a riverside park and saw a flock of snow geese on the lawn. When I returned they were gone, but the grass was covered with white feathers. I collected some, thinking I could work them into my "Found Objects" theme. Unfortunately, the feathers were too curly to lie flat. Another idea came to mind after I found a stack of orange plastic squares, stapled together. These markers for use on road repair sites, were easy to sew through and with the addition of beads, I ended up with this rather unusual design.

Greetings From Tyvekistan










In October I was honored to host a Tyvek Trade for one of my online postcard groups. A friend in the home construction business gifted me with an armload of house wrap scraps from one of the sites where her husband works. I have been wanting to purchase some Jacquard Lumiere paints with their shimmers of gold, but figured out how to 'make my own' by laying down one acrylic color, letting it dry, then applying a wash of gold acrylic paint over that. Carefully melting Tyvek cut-outs layered between Teflon sheets with a hot iron yields unpredictable results.
To me the shapes suggest "New Hampshire Map," "Funnel," "Flying Pig," and "Twister." The pieces I received in exchange are all uniquely textured. This was definitely lots of fun!!! Having a great time in Tyvekistan, wish you were here!!!