Artist Reborne

Statehood 1803

 

Statehood 1803--a tribute to the great state of Ohio, full of symbols of both state and personal significance.

This rug has been a thorn in my side since the spring and I am so glad to have it done!  I hate to say that, as I am really loving rug hooking, but this rug.....eesh!  I think the first mistake was the foundation.  My darling husband, who was just trying to help and be supportive of this whole new hobby, had bought some very cheap monk's cloth at our local JoAnn's.  The weave was sooooo loose and each weave in the cloth consisted of four strands of the fiber and I couldn't hook anything straight to save my life, as the four strands separated so easily.  And then there were the color issues.  I am so new to this hobby that my stash of available wool is still very limiting and apparently, I did not rise to the occasion on this rug.  I love the burnt orange color in the foreground, and I love the way the trees turned out, but the cabin and the wheat fields, not so much.  I am trying very hard to not to be too rough on the whole thing, but it is definitely not my favorite project and I hope I can be happy to hang it on the wall somewhere.  Maybe time will blur the discontent.  Maybe not.  We'll see.  But the good news is that I can now move on to the next project, one of which I am very excited to do.  It is the biggest rug I have attempted to date and it features the primitive drawings of my great great grandfather.  I will share more of that rug as it progresses.  I am also planning to make a little "penny" style hooked rug for above our bed.  But at least I have closed the door on "Statehood 1803". 

A Return to the Art Journal

 
It seems I have placed the ol' blog at the bottom of my priority list of late, and that is ok.  Summer is a time to lay back and relax anyway, right?  Yeah, right!  So as the craziness of my summer begins to wind down, I have been trying to carve out little moments for myself and my art.  I have been utilizing "quiet time" every afternoon with the kids...for 60 glorious minutes the kids have to stay in their rooms quietly and play, while I am free to read, or work on the computer, or draw or whatever. 

Well, "whatever" this week was to start a new sketch journal.  I found this wonderfully aged old piano book at a yard sale this spring.  It is leather covered and about 2inches thick.  I have been gessoing the pages so that I can draw and write on them (they are that soft, fabric-like paper of old).  The first page is a drawing of the baby elephant that was born at our zoo last spring.  His name is Beco, and he is one of our current favorite attractions.   

I have this love affair with elephants, at least when it comes to art.  I think they are one of the most wonderful animals to draw...all those wrinkles and those eyes!  So I have drawing Beco and his clan a lot lately.  Plus this gave me a chance to play with the copic markers I have been collecting.  Learning how they work and what they can do.  Lots of fun.

Hope everyone is safe inside...this heat wave is a killer!  I think after supper, we are all heading for that little blow-up pool in the backyard *grin*

With Mine Hands

Believe it or not, there has been some handicraft going on around these here parts.  As the school year winds down, much of it is focused on the teacher gifts.  One of them is finally done and I thought I would share it with you, since the teacher in question is not a blog follower *grin*

This is a penny mat I made for my son's aid.  She is this amazing woman... beautiful, caring, with a personality as big as the ocean.  Really, we are crazy about her.  One day I saw her wear this gorgeous deep turquoise colored sweater and I told her it REALLY was her color.  So as I sat down to decide what to make her, I found a piece of wool the exact color of that sweater and decided to put it together with all those other colors she wears that she looks so fantastic in and this is what emerged.  I have no idea what she'll think of this (she'll probably ask, "What's a penny rug?"), but I really love to make handmade gifts for our teachers that are a little unusual, stuff they aren't likely to get from anyone else and they definitely won't forget.  Sadly, it looks LOVELY on my antique chest, so I may just have to scrounge around and find more wool to make me one just like it!

And this is a mat that I made to grace the top of an over-sized, vintage card file box.  I bought the box at a thrift store for a buck(!) and decided it would make a great sewing box to hold all my necessary accouterments.  I call this pattern my Prim Carnation Pot--I have been hooking these primitive carnations in a couple of projects; I like how they turn out.  The pink in the flowers is not quite so bright.  But the lighting here today just wouldn't cooperate, so there you have it.  I plan to make a primitive bird pinkeep to put inside, then will keep my eyes peeled for other vintage items I can collect.

I have more to share, but no pictures for now, so I guess that's it for today.  If you are in the mid-west, hope you enjoy the clouds and rain *grin*
 
 

The Polar Bears are Back in Town!

17 years in the waiting...our zoo FINALLY got a polar bear exhibit back.  And we couldn't be happier!  Now we can come visit these majestic beauties whenever we want.  I could have stayed for hours today, if it weren't for a) the preschooler I had in tow, who constantly said, "I am done seeing the polar bears now!" and b) the MASSIVE crowd who joined us today (it was the very first day the exhibit was open--I loved being in that first crowd to see it!).  The cooooolest part is that you can get under the bears and see them above you playing in the water.  Seriously, this is what looking in the face of God is like...to see something so amazing, this close up, created by a God with infinite creative power.  I am literally on a high.  This was just an awe inspiring experience.  So I leave you with...

and....

[This last one blows my mind, with the way the sunburst radiates around behind her (they are both girls, twins, actually)--that much is not photo editing, that was just the moment, caught on film.  Lucky me!]
 
 
 

Sign of things yet to come...

Spring rains have given birth to dreams of fresh salads and juicy red strawberries, quickly leading to memories of this...

and this...

I can hardly wait!
  
 
 
 

Craft Break

Spring has sprung, and with it the unsatiable desire to clean and purge and organize.  It's a disease that the American Medical Association doesn't cover in any of their texts, but they should.  For I would sorely love to find a cure that doesn't require days and weeks of endless hours of work as I go through life in almost a panic, desperate to rid my life of so much unwanted excess...excess dirt, excess grime, excess clothing and toys and art supplies, oh MY!

So today, while going through yet another of my craft cabinets looking for items to throw in my upcoming yard sale, I found this old 7Gypsies clipboard frame.  I have had it for what feels like eons, but never really liked the feel of a regular photo in it.  So just before I chucked it into the discard pile, I remembered this little page collage I had in my art journal that I had always intended to do a sketch on.  I am growing rather fond of the "blind contour" sketches that are so standard in college art classes.  And for some strange reason, I have really wanted to do one of my KitchenAid.  So I pulled out the collage, took a minute or two to sketch wildly and without care, and this is what I came up with.  Now I have a pretty little recipe holder for my kitchen counter.  And that, my friends, is my little craft break for the day.  10 minutes to add a little happy back into my life. 

Ahhhh...ok now back to the wild purging!
 

American Patriot rug

Although I am very new to the art of rug hooking, of one thing I am most certain...rugs tell a story.  Or at least, I feel they should.  Afterall, hours and HOURS go into their making.  They are designed to stand the test of time for several generations.  Surely they deserve to tell a story.  Actually, I feel that way about all art.  It really isn't possible for art/craft produced by human hand to NOT tell a story.  It is one of the things that draw me to a piece, the story, whether perceived/made up or real.  It is what connects us to that which we create.

This is the beginnings of a rug I am making that will hang over my stairwell when it is done.  It pays tribute to an ancestor of mine, one who at the tender age of 17 joined with thousands of others to carve out the beginnings of a new nation.  A lad, who with the zeal of youth, banded together with a warf full of men dressed as Indians and dumped tea into the Atlantic Ocean as a sign of rebellion.  I feel a great deal of pride towards George and all that he accomplished, all that he participated in.  I cannot begin to fathom what fear, what trepidation, what excitment must have coarsed through his veins as he helped his fellow colonials do something no one in the history of the world had ever done.  *Shiver*  So this is the story of my rug.

I recently bought a beautiful journal at Barnes and Noble.  I plan to fill it with the stories behind my rugs.  It will be the log book of all that I create and give my family, and those who may someday gain possession of my rugs without the added benefit of having known me, all the information needed to fully appreciate each rug.  For I would have given anything to possess such a book from one of my female ancestors, the ones who left us scores of quilts and embroideries.  What stories would they have told, about the fabrics they used, about the gatherings in which they worked, for who they gifted their heartmade treasures. 

I am already in the dreaming stage of the next rug, a tribute to my home state.  It may get started before this one is finished, for I am stuck trying to find the perfect wool for the words and numbers.  Something bright enough to stand out from this gorgeous deep blue.  And let me just say, IF anyone is looking for some hand-dyed wool, I know it is probably not the smartest way to go about it, but there is a woman on ebay double-m_sheep_and_wool who dyes her wool using the same hand-written dye book her grandmother did in the early 1900s.  And she raises sheep, so her understanding and appreciation of wool is great.  Whenever I find myself in need of something specific, I go to her, at least until I find someone more local.  The deep blues in the background are hers.
 

Digital Diary

The kids are off school for President's Day and so I thought it would be fun to document the little things we do with our day using quick little "digital diary" posts that I would email to my husband at work and my mom, who is laid up recovering from knee replacement surgery.  Every hour or so I have been taking random pictures and, in the style ofAli Edwards, adding a few words and calling it good.  I figure when the day is over, I will print them off for myself too and keep them as a fun little record of just an average day spent with the kids.

These are the little bags I made to hold our Valentine goodies this year. They are made from wool (what else?!) and each features a different applique heart and our names.  I hung them on the back of the kitchen chairs filled with little trinkets from the store and from the heart. The kids enjoyed waking up to their treat bags and I definitely think these will see years of use.

The great thing about all this snow (we are in for another 4-9" tonight) is the staying home, digging in and crafting.  I have cranked out several pages in our Disney scrapbook this past weekend and am making progress on my latest rug hooking project.  Personally, I love the excuse not to be out and about.  I have always been a winter hybernator (although being locked in a house with two young children is enough to make one crazy at times).

If you are part of the 75% of the country said to be under snow, what are you doing while being snowed in, yet again?
 

Snow Day=Craft Central

Another snow day is upon us as the midwest gets pummelled with yet another beautiful snowstorm.  Since I am more than certain that the kids will be back at school by Friday, the boy and I sat down this morning to work on his Valentine's box for the class party. 

 

As this is the first time he has actually needed to make a mailbox for his cards (in years past they just handed them out and put them into little brown bags--boring!), I threw him some idea starters to get him going.  When I got to the one about an airplane, I got no further.  The original idea was a mobile and I think it was from Family Fun Magazine, although now I can't remember for sure.  I figured even with 27 kids and the possiblity of suckers or pencils being added to the mix, the hole I cut in the top should make everything more than accessible. We used up a bunch of old foamy stickers and viola! He's very proud of his plane and now his sister wants to know if she can make one.  Poor girl, she needs a bunch of little friends so we can fill a mailbox for her, too!

The valentines themselves are almost done, so I think I am going to go treat myself to a little rug hooking and watch "The Greatest Show on Earth", one of those classic movies (1952) that I love to watch again and again.  It stars Charlton Heston and has a small cameo with Jimmy Stewart as a clown  hiding from his past (you will never see him in this movie without make up).  I may have to see if I can find it on DVD somewhere, as the library's video copy is getting olllllld! 

Happy Snow Day, everyone!
 

Feeling thankful...

For beautiful, February snowfalls!

Yesterday we were treated to a heavy dose of the big, fluffy, wet stuff.  School let out early, everyone made a mad rush to the grocer's...I sat inside and sighed at its loveliness.  I even got my son back out of bed late last night so he could go out and help me build a snowman in the dark while the hubby shovelled the drive (yeah, I know, nasty gender inconsistancies! LOL).  Funny, but somehow it went from just "Mr. Snowman" to "SpiderMonkey Snowman" ala Ben10 (yeah, the boy AND his father, mostly the father, big fans).  The snowball fight was rather interesting, too, as Clay would take the snowball RIGHT...UP...to his dad and say, "I'm going to hit you with a snowball", then proceed to "toss" it the inch and a half necessary to hit Dave with it.  Funny boy.

Meara got her chance to play this morning, while hubby was, yet again, you guessed it, shovelling the drive.  All said, we've had about 7" and expect more in the next week.  Personally, I am glad to have it; I hate brown winters.

So besides playing in the snow, I think it is a good day to cuddle up on the couch with a good movie and a little rug hooking.  Still trying to finish the top for my footstool.  Hope to get that done this weekend.  And maybe I will get a chance to dig into some of those new rug hooking books I just got from Amazon.  Oh yes, a great weekend lies ahead, I can feel it!