Garden Walkabout

IRIS

 Every Spring, every year I marvel at how beautiful the flowers are after a long cold white winter.  Here are some early-blooming favorites on a rainy Spring day:

FERNS

IRIS

LUPINE

ALLIUM

IRIS

MAIL ME SOME ART TO CELEBRATE TEN (10) YEARS!!! YAY!!!

Almost ten years ago, the founder, Karen Isaacson, was inspired to start this mail art exchange group/blogsite.  I'm SO glad she did!  The very first swap theme, "SUMMER POSTCARDS," was listed on June 15, 2012.

It is a privilege to have been "handed the mantle" six years ago and I am very honored and blessed to be able to facilitate this wonderful group site.  I'm very, very glad that we are still making and sharing art and finding friendships.   Yay!

Lovely Blue Spring Flowers

In among the Hosta leaves, blue flowers bloom... 

Rubber Cement Resist Fun

 

I don't know where I picked up this idea, but it should have come with a caveat.  Rubber cement fumes are supposedly not healthy to breathe.  

I would love to see what others might create with this technique, but truly hesitate to promote it.  Perhaps a very strong warning to only work in a well-ventilated area, fresh air.

Anyway, here is my process:

Using 3+1/2" x  2+1/2" ATCs cut from white card stock, I brushed rubber cement on each card, then pulled a plastic toothed tool or wooden dowel through the wet cement on each card making various (invisible) designs.  Let them dry.  

Painted over each card with acrylic paint(s).  Let that dry.  Rubbed the cement off each card with the pad of my finger.  The design is revealed in the white space left after the dried glue is removed. The resulting designs were so fun to uncover!

More Art Fun

 Collage, inks, rubber stamps

The Power of Words

 This old, old poem was hanging on my grandparents' bathroom wall. 

I remember reading it every time we visited.:

THE POWER OF WORDS

by M. T. Sheahan

Copyright 1907

WE MAKE OR MAR OUR LIVES BY WHAT WE SAY - 

SPEAK OUT -

IF IT BE KIND AND GOOD TO HEAR-

SPEAK OUT TODAY

BUT IF OUR PASSIONS RUSH INTO THE TONGUE

TO SEND FORTH PAIN,

BEFORE THE WORD IS SPOKEN - O' REFRAIN!

O KEEP IN MIND THAT THOUGHT

IF NOT EXPRESSED CANNOT BE HEARD - 

AND THAT NO POWER ON EARTH

CAN STOP THE SPOKEN WORD

by N. T. Sheahan

This Made Me Smile :)

 Do you ever "see" (imagine) an image unrelated to what is right there before your eyes?  I've "seen" faces in patterned curtains, in wooden paneling, etc.  Well, I put down my glasses and watch to run some water and- this is today's funny.  I just had to take a picture:

More Marbleizing And Some Collage

A friend and I are doing a Marbleized papers swap cross-country and now that I've started playing with inks and paints swirled on shaving cream, I can't seem to stop!!!