Thursday, May 7, 2026

I Like Thursday # 503 go go boots? earth shoes? snow and a white poodle

life goes round n round

 welcome to this week's short list of likes... 

I like that it cooled off, snowed a bit, even if it was less than predicted. A heavy wet snow that should help with our extreme drought

within an hour of snow stopping, melted... we got about 7" of wet snow

Alfie: I tole you mama, you should let me go out and play more
Alfie loved it, even if he came in sopping wet! He dug at the hole a ball made when it landed, he ran, he ate it as it fell from the sky.... 
I admired the tiny bubbles in my coffee cup!


on a walk this week, I saw this stain on the road

I LOVE the face

then saw a poodle shaped stain

wow! Alfie was not impressed

Alfie has been living with us for 2 1/2 months now!

Alfie surprised me by walking up to a neighbor we were chatting with, Ryan, and putting his head under Ryan's hand, which worked because Ryan petted him the rest of the time we stood there! 
mama's brave boy Alfie! 

The same poodle put himself to bed this week, without the mama. Went up, and got in his bed alone. 
Reminds me of the time after we first married and went on a camping trip. Our lab Chelsea put herself to bed in the camper while we sat at a campfire. 

I am enjoying the free lessons online (Making Zen) this was a tiny hand sewn scrap project... 

I painted my nails orange this week in honor of it being the color of  May on RSC


videos

my kind of car reads a book

link if needed https://youtube.com/shorts/hb0j_PYcjh8?si=ANUJJy6sjdkxTNNT


best time to drink liquids


conversation starter this week
did you ever where gogo boots? Platform shoes? earth shoes?

As a young teen I so wanted to wear white shiny gogo boots but my calf was too big.... I think I wanted to be so hip like the cool girls on TV 




I DID wear earth shoes in university.... negative heels, wide toes, I was in HEAVEN 




During college years, platforms were in vogue along with Disco dancing which I also did


I love heels but they cause more back pain now... so it's all about comfort, and when I discovered Birkenstocks I never looked back. 



Saturday, May 2, 2026

my creative week "everything I need exists within me"

 

for the last week of pink scraps at RSC, I pieced tiny scraps and turned it into a notebook cover



the back

the insides
That's silk on the binding for sheen!

for the last lessons on Sketchbook Revival... the parade starts now



this is a daily practice... 4 small blocks, an object, a sky scene, word, abstract

daily gratitude words and image




I LOVE the area near the bottom where two colors blended




And two morning paintings this week on my own

"Life goes round N round" 
this one to use up some gouache on the palette (yogurt lid)
And this one from watching a Buddhist video.... hope you can click on the image to read some quotes


inks
do not rush to be "more"


loved this orange flower image from https://llbinourbackyard.blogspot.com/


linking to some or all of these








Thursday, April 30, 2026

I Like Thursday # 502 mother's day requests plus spring cleaning?


welcome to this week's list of likes.... tulips in a yummy shade of peachy/pink
this video to play in the background as you do chores, or rest, or stitch



birds singing, only birds, no talk.... very soothing to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNB8iwiQb9k


what would you like for Mother;s day


link here

or these
another conversation starter, do you do Spring Cleaning? 
I do an amended clean, but it's not Spring yet here, it seems to bank from HOT to cool last week

I sporadically do deep cleans on areas like baseboards, mirrors, ceiling fans however have been dormant collecting dust for months so I clean them thoroughly before turning back on. Not an easy task on the 2 story family room, I have to lean over the upstairs railing with an extended swiffer pole... 

what about you?

tar forms a heart on the road... nice!


what are these pretty pink flowers? dahlias? 


https://youtube.com/shorts/h_LD2jPDhhc?si=tItCjHf9dT4PukvT

bwahahaha


Alfie's Affirmations

Alfie: before you obediently down when the mama says "DOWN" look for a treat in her hand 


Oh, I do it anyway but feel gypped anyway

If you get a chance to go outback, take it!!! And run too if you have time, running figure 8s is so much fun! 

"ALL DONE" is sometimes a trick.... it's just so the mommy can see your hair cut from a distance, then you might have to come back for some more snip--- snip---snips. 

But, there is no reward as good as a happy mommy who says, Awe in that singsong voice, and 
"I L O V E you" while petting your clean hair
why are they called walks not "sniffs" 

shadow play

Saturday, April 25, 2026

watching paint dry, and watching fabric growing

 

welcome to this week's creativity round-up starting with evening handwork on hexie spiral in pink

being sewn together one hexie at a time! 


Mostly I am working my (slow) way through sketchbook revival lessons and getting to know my art supplies again by using them


First the fabric work this week, usually pink scraps for RSC

used tiny triangles to do improv geese to be added to last week's work
used tiny scraps to build a book cover (it will be quilted then folded in half) 
lots of blocks made for the "parts dep't" 

and sewing this way calms me 

now the parade of sketchbook work... sometimes I paint the lesson on watercolor paper, and glue it into the sketchbook. I had limited bandwidth internally to do all the lessons started, but hope to eventually catch up before the season is over. On with the show

play with stamps and inks






what a fun technique starting with rolling a paint loaded brush on watercolor paper

crinkle squeeze watercolor paper


ink the fold lines then use tombow markers (water soluble) to color in, I also used pan inks to paint in

then for fun inked over some shapes

oh how I like this artists work.... (D. Gregory) who paints, writes over it to create a journal of memories
I still need to write about being 18 and spending countless hours at the beach to heal and find myself
I'll write over the blue area. This will be one of my best lessons, as it will allow words to join the party
pink tulips  for pink month

my snoopervisor drying off after rain/snow flurry freak storm

again he reminds me our choices in direction shape our lives

sent from my friend Sonja in Hawaii.... we share life from a distance

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/62g0ijN-dik
linking to some or all of these