…thanks to Becky B for hosting March Square
I’m a day late with this one. Time just ran out yesterday with a long doctor’s appointment in the afternoon and a visit with our daughter that started with coffee and pastries at our local Italian bakery and then went into dinner at our place. After supper I drove my daughter to the subway station and then I continued on to a book club in the evening.
…thanks to Roda for hosting the Critter Connection
Let me introduce the Amazon milk frog. You have to look carefully because they really do blend into the background with their milky complexion.
…thanks to Cee for hosting her Black and White Photo Challenge: Bikes of Any Kind
I went way back into the archives for this one and found a very old photo of my Dad on his motorbike taken back in the late 40s. I also found some photos from a bike show that we attended two years ago, a cycling trip with friends last summer and today I found a bike mounted on the wall in the coffee shop we stopped at.
….thanks to Becky B on this glorious March 17th for hosting March Square
What could be more fitting today than a quilted square from the Quilt Belonging collection representing Ireland.
What could be more Irish than the Celtic cross cross stitched on Cashel linen. This piece was hand stitched by Loralyn Reilly Gazdik whose grandmother emigrated to Canada for economic and political reasons. For over two centuries the Irish have made huge contributions to the fabric of Canadian culture.
…..thanks to Becky B from Life With B for hosting March Square
Take a slice of a somewhat ’round’ tree trunk and you have art. This sculpture sits next to the elevator at Nordstrom’s.
….the last time I posted 365 days of art was 10 days ago
I’m feeling very stressed about not posting art projects that I’ve been working on. The truth is I’ve been doing very little art but I’ve been busy using my hands to create other projects.
A couple of weeks ago I signed up for beginner’s crochet class. So I wouldn’t forget what I’d learned I proceeded to use up yarn to make coffee cup holders and dish rags. I think I’m ready now for the next level.
Before I tackle
a new crochet project I decided I needed to finish some knitting projects. I started a complicated lacy shawl and I’ve taken it apart now four times because each time I found a mistake that completely messed up the pattern. The problem with this project is that you have to cast on 361 stitches and if you don’t discover the mistake until you’ve gone on for two or more rows it means having to undo over 700 stitches. I tried doing that a couple of times but then I was dropping stitches and after hours of work I was ripping it all out anyway. Today I’ve started this project for the 5th time. Wish me luck.
My father also asked to borrow my sewing machine so that he could hem his jeans. By the time I pulled it out, found the thread he needed and lugged it down two flights of stairs I offered to sew them myself. It took me some time to clean off my art table but now I feel that when the machine comes down I’ll have a clean surface to start painting again. After I hemmed his pants I found a pair of my own that needed hemming and then I made curtains for my Dad’s apartment.
The last 10 days haven’t been an art free zone. Every day I go on-line and open Carla Sonheim’s daily posts and I signed up for a class given by Lendon Noe called Inspired by Lives and Letters. In this class Lendon has taught us how to create two kinds of envelopes that can hold messages written on art squares that we create with watercolour paper and ink or plaster. Here are some of the envelopes that I’ve made so far.
Day 54
One of the things that I purchased for this class was Walnut ink. Actually I purchased the walnut ink crystals to make my own ink. When I saw the price of a small bottle of walnut ink I just about fainted ($46.00) so the store owner showed me the crystals at 6.95 a bag. I only need 1 tsp. for every 1/2 cup of water. There’s probably enough crystals in the bag for 3 or 4 cups of ink. When all is said and done the cost of one bottle will probably be $1.00. Stay tuned for the next 365 Days of Art post when I’ll show you how I use the ink.
…..today’s post for March Squares are squares within circles within a square
Thanks to Becky B from Life with B for hosting a month of March Squares.
Gingham patterns always make me think of summer. This cheery display of colourful dishes instantly made me think of picnics and warm summer days.
….Thanks to Becky B for hosting March Square
Today, March 14, I am the owner of new reading glasses. I purposely chose purple frames because a) I love colour and b) they would be easy to find.
….thanks to Roda for hosting Roda’s Critter Connection
Every Monday Roda invites all of us to post our favourite photo of a critter. It can be large or small, creeping or crawling, flying through the air or just posing for our cameras.
This week I’ve chosen a photo of an exotic frog. I went to an exhibition at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington and was fascinated by the variety of frogs one can find in the world. Most of them sat very still and the waxiness of some made them appear fake or plastic. All of them blended into their environment really well and you had to really look to find them, even the really colourful ones.
…I’ve missed a day so I’ll post two squares today
Thanks to Becky B from Life With B for hosting March Square
Mama Cormier 