I Like Thursday #298

 

welcome to my crazy world

 I'm not even going to start on the troubles in the world... instead welcome to this week's list of likes 

part of the Louise Fletcher workshop this week, I'm exploring abstract work:

including trying a portrait with unusual supplies and approaches...more on Saturday's creative post

 thank you to the friends I talked to this week, Cindy, Diane, Joy and for the first time the wonderful Kathleen at https://www.kathleenmcmusing.com/

I quilted this week but also repaired DH's torn jeans. I mended them with cut up denim, and lots of stitching, and re-hemmed them. Glad to do it honey.

After reading my post on how much I like games on AARP's site, this site sent me an invitation to visit...

https://www.solitaire.org/

and oh my gosh.... so many fun games, and I now go there when I want to escape. I love all the mahjong, the hidden pictures, the scramble words, just explore...

 Baking up a storm

peach blueberry cobbler

 we had some cool days after it went from 90's to snow last weekend, so we baked a lot of things and froze them. Okay we ate all of the peach/blueberry cobbler, and are eating the bran muffins, and quiche this week as temps head back up to 90 in the mile high. 

home made whole wheat bread becoming a veggie burger sandwich

 Our house holds heat, the ac doesn't cool the bedroom, it's always lots hotter in there because sun beats down on that side of the house all day long. So we don't use the oven more than is necessary when it's hot. 

on tv... so many shows are having finale's that I'm wondering what's left to enjoy on tv at night, so while I enjoyed all the shows this week, it's kind of sad...

 I already owned this book but like many on my art shelf, haven't really used it but now that I'm doing the Messy May prompts for May, have a renewed interest. I want to try many of the chapters

see it here on amazon

 

 

 reading on ebook   I love this series by Ellie Alexander

listening to on audio books. It is so well read I recommend listening to it, as well as being an engrossing story

 

I've been painting and sewing a lot this week and watching video lessons as well as exploring on my own. Apparently even if I could take the vaccines, they are ineffective against current variants so I remain in seclusion. Sanity calls for diversions.  I take part in Kelly Blaser's free meditation/yoga/writing seminars free in May and first week of June (Sundays) and will be doing a free painting/drawing workshop starting in June. 

But for now, these videos made me happy

Here are a couple of them

are you a writer or a creative soul? I loved so much of this video, and wrote quotes in my calendar from it:

 

 a nanny's work is never done... we are all responsible for each other

I love this couple... I love swing dance and miss going to dances at Glen Echo in DC...

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

Milo's Moment

Milo: Mooooooommmmm! Don't show them that! 

Mama: sorry darling... I wanted to get a pic of the snow last weekend, when mercifully our temps went back to usual for a few days, and then noticed you! 

Milo: well, it's life and that's what we talk about here... I like that Daddy has my back when I'm occupied like this... but am worried about all this dandruff in my hairs!

Mama: oh you joker! you shook off that snow right after you came into the house, as usual. 

Milo: heh heh, don't you think that cooler weather deserves a fresh pumpkin oatmeal cookie? In fact, cookies for all my friends! 

Now sit, stay and visit these people to read what they liked this week

grammajudyb.blogspot.com

http://littlepenguinquilts

craftscaviescontras  

http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/

https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/    

http://www.piecefulthoughts.com 

https://www.mmmquilts.com/2022/05/gratitude-64.html 

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/  

https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/   

http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com  

https://www.homesewnbyus.com/

 

 the knitty quilter

https://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/

 https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/

Melva Loves Scraps

https://100sweets.blogspot.com/

Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer  

https://quiltschmilt.ca/blog-posts/

 

 

                                                                  LINKING WITH 

https://brianshomeblog.com/ 

http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/   

http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com

https://www.knitbygodshand.com/  

friday smiles at a stitch in time   

friday bliss

 

creativity round up for the week

 

amid pieced blocks I added in an applique stem see?

 

This week has been full of art making and learning in many forms. I spent time in studio one working on the "growth" piece, as well as making a row (36" X 5" tall) of stems for the crocus piece. While sewing these I just look at contrast, use scraps which sometimes leads to 1/8th inch finished stems, color and line. 

I start with an idea, stems, and then let my artistic soul make the work. 

I watched several videos this week of interviews with Liz Gilbert and Ann Patchett, and jotted down quotes, but one statement resonated with me a lot. Liz admits to being very fearful, as am I (as are a lot of thinking creative smart women in America today) but says she has 1% more curiosity than fear so she creates. 

me too

I have a design wall that faces the door in my tiny studio sewing space, and see my latest projects as I walk in. This week I see two green works "growth" which has become approx 21" wide by 30" long by adding in tiny scraps one by one. The other "crocus" has become three long banners but I'm deciding how to join them. 

Both pieces made from throwaway sized scraps that to me are beautiful

see the little frogs? and that stripe?

I sew components together and put them on the wall, and often notice meaning showing up, as in the above section... to me it feels like a greenhouse, flowers and trees arounnd it, a path leading to it thru trees, the dab of red above the "Cyprus" tree finishes off the point, totally serendipity. A choice of botanical batik scraps fills in and leads the viewer to my intent, an organic piece about growth.

I realized I write, paint, cook, and sew in the same kind of additive process. If I notice while sewing an area will be short, I stop and sew in a piece (to bridge) and when I cook I taste and add in a seasoning or ingredient,  while writing I get it all down on paper, then go back and edit adding in, changing, or deleting words, while I paint I can amend a painting with ink

"FLY"  after a video by Louise Fletcher on being free with paint

as in the above painting, done as a lesson in being free with paint starting with no concept at all

I scribbled with neocolor 2 crayons, then brushed sideways with pure water on a wide flat brush which created an interesting strata. I went over with the stabilo chubby stick in black and water... then tombow markers and more water. stamp acrylic black with bubble wrap, scrape acrylic white paint with a palette knife, then at the end, add in small drawing of water lilies

It's too messy for my style but I learned what I liked doing, what I like seeing, and where to go next.

 around one painting, I added in a R. Henri quote, The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state where the art becomes inevitable. 

 yes,  my goal is to remain in a state of the possible, the "what if", all that area outside the box that holds possibility

on the other hand, DH brought me two shirts this week both of which had worn out collars. I cut one up for scraps, and saved the buttons, (16 of them!) . The other one is my favorite of his shirts

IZOD with just the right weight and color and preppiness

not wanting to let this go I thought, it's just the collar... heyyyyyy I love Irish collarless shirts what if I turned the color inward to cover the worn part, and stitched along the collar lining... and dang if that didn't work a charm. Simple and a look I love reminding me of the 1900's 

I took time out to make a monthly color block for the RSC

 

In recap I am taking advantage of a free workshop by a group called Messy May, with daily prompts for journaling. I started a free painting course with Louise Fletcher on Friday and that will go on for 5 days. I enjoyed listening to a brilliant author discuss creativity and overcoming life's obstacles (on youtube)

I drew countless zentangles of botanicals in my sketchbook, sewed, wrote articles, baked cakes and made dinners with ingredients to hand, and sewed for hours while listening to two books being read to me. 

It takes a lot of will power and activity  to overcome the bodily pain, the climate change to extreme heat and wildfires, the neighbors who all seem to have bought loud muscle cars and park them next to our bedroom window, the threats of gun violence and willingness of so many Americans to believe someone with a personal agenda for power,   over facts... the continuing threat of a virus that would kill me (and my allergy to the vaccine) The hate that surrounds me instead of finding the magic brought by diversity if only we could see it. I am doing my best to cope and feel at times misjudged because I get cranky and don't fit in to the  anti environment anti science people around me. Or invisible as I slowly fade away because I am an aging woman in America. 

I stand with those women who want to be treated with dignity, who want control over their bodies and to be respected for what we offer.  I feel so powerless so I turn inward and create art... for me. 

I hope you like it too.

 

 also, blogger is messing with comments often not showing them on the blog but I see some showing up when I use the comment button on the side of the main blogging page... please try to comment and my email is on the top right of my blog. 

Linking to

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

https://www.kathleenmcmusing.com/2022/05/tips-and-tutorials

patchwork Sunday                    
oh Scrap Sundays

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays 

http://www.inquiringquilter.com/ Wednesday wait loss

Midweek makers wednesdays  

http://www.myquiltinfatuation.com/ 

off the wall Fridays 

tgiffriday 

finished or not

I Like Thursday # 297

 

welcome to this week's list of likes, focusing on the positive not all the worrisome things that happened.

The above sketchbook rendering was a result of watching two wonderful women on video, LINK HERE  Elizabeth Gilbert and Martha Beck discuss life and living it with integrity as women. They said the caterpillar must liquify itself in the cocoon to emerge as the butterfly it was meant to be. 

I painted and drew a lot this week, with my friend Joyfulquilter, using prompts

and tried this from a favorite teacher, Diane Antone (tutorial here) 

speaking of beautiful things...

I love the blog: Beatrice Euphamie  and she had these quotes this week along with so many beautiful home images of decorations and food and landscapes

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

"Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you."

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-

"Reputation is what men and women think of us;

character is what God and Angels know of us.

-Thomas Paine-

 

 Me waking up every morning

Fine Baking

orange cake

for birthday month... orange cake by preppy kitchen which I won't link to as it had NO orange flavor

and the wonderful chocolate cake that is pure indulgence

which this pic doesn't do justice to...that's a thick layer of icing...(https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/buttermilk-cocoa-cake/) moist and decadent but easy to make

listened to a couple books but this is currently playing in the studio

and reading this 14th installment in series on ebook. Please don't request it as I need time to read it!!!

 we enjoyed watching this stage production on PBS

 

Great Performances

Anything Goes

Sewing News more on Saturday's post

I love my baby boy... the irrepressible Milo

check back with me later... it's been too hot to do anything!

I'm having some weird issues with blogger... not putting comments on my blog posts but telling me on the main page I have comments... please leave a comment and let's test this mess... thanks! 

Let me know if you did an I like post too, until then please visit my fellow posters and link parties!

grammajudyb.blogspot.com

http://littlepenguinquilts

craftscaviescontras  

http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/

https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/    

http://www.piecefulthoughts.com 

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/  

https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/   

http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com  

https://www.homesewnbyus.com/

 

 the knitty quilter

https://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/

 https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/

Melva Loves Scraps

https://100sweets.blogspot.com/

Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer  

https://quiltschmilt.ca/blog-posts/

 

 

                                                                  LINKING WITH 

https://brianshomeblog.com/ 

http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/   

http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com

https://www.knitbygodshand.com/  

friday smiles at a stitch in time   

friday bliss