It seems I am sketching again.

I saw a magazine article about an artist and I loved her quick sketchy style. She did etchings. I sat down immediately and sketched one of her prints on this page. The painting I glued to the next page.



I thought I was done for the night, but I sketched four women I found in the same magazine. The first one I put on the endpaper of a book I had by my worktable to take pages out of for collage. I wound up gluing it into Maya's collaborative journal. The next three are here. I've never really wanted to sketch people before, but lately that's mostly what I've drawn. I am determined to overcome my fear of drawing noses! This morning I did two more drawings, this time from someone elses drawings. I'm hoping that will help me learn how to do the hard parts. I'll post them when I finish the pages I glued them to.

Not burned beans again!

I don't cry over burned beans, but they still stink!

Merry Christmas

I've been doing these calendar-like dates lately. I like the way this one turned out. I love this old junior dictionary. It has awesome drawings on every page. The bit in the bottom was my attempt at journaling on scrap paper because the page wasn't prepped and I didn't feel like going up and doing it. Maybe I should start buying nice journals, so I don't have to worry about prepping page if I don't want to. I'd better decide soon. I'm about to the end of this one.




This photo has been moved from one stack to another for weeks. I finally got tired of seeing it everywhere and glued it into my journal. This is the first time since I started painting my pages that I've left a background raw.

Journaling...

I've been thinking about journaling and if I want to make some resolutions or changes with the new year. Of course there is always the resolution to both write and do more artsy stuff in my journal.

I came across Judy Wise's blog a few days ago and was totally inspired by her journal pages. One thing that I love about them is that she does blocks of journaling when she feels like it, often a spread will include two or three days or more worth of journaling. For some reason I have felt compelled to complete a spread in one setting. I have very few spreads that include more than one day's journaling. I'm hoping to try this new style this year.

I spotted another group of journal pagesthat appealed to me. I love the blend of words and pictures.

One thing I will probably do is to continue journaling on bits and pieces of paper. When I feel like recording and don't feel like prepping a page in my journal or even hunting it down, I can just pop down the thoughts on whatever is handy. It has been working for the past month or so. The bits just get glued in when I do feel like taking my journal out.

Deck the Halls

Our halls didn't get decked out much, but I did get busy last night and dressed my 10" Tonners for Christmas. Of course I had to hunt up their holiday attire first. It's been so long since they've donned seasonal dress that I had to hunt up some old photo cd's to even figure out what I had. There were a couple of things I didn't find, but I'm tickled with what I did locate. I made everything they are wearing except the shoes, the socks on Sophie and her crochet collar which my mom made.

I guess I never did make Ann Estelle a skirt to go with the Sophie Hope outfit I knitted. I had in mind to wrap a piece of fabric around her for a skirt, but while I was looking for the other things I spotted the perfect piece of plaid taffeta ribbon to make her a skirt. Since I was working on the red corduroy dress for Madelyn's doll to match the dress I made her I went ahead and made Ann Estelle a skirt. Isn't it adorable? The hat she's wearing is too big and not finished. I never did turn up the one that actually fits and has the embroidery. No matter, they look festive and I have done at least a little decorating. I also switched out the postcards and photos for Christmas cards and photos on the bulletin board behind them.

Now I just need to make some Strawberry Divinity and pumpkin bread and precook the rolls for tomorrow. Oh and sew the zipper in Madelyn's dress, and the snaps on her doll's dresss, and wrap the presents... guess I'd better get off this computer.

The Christmas Spirit Arrives on Bay Creek

... at least on our part. I wanted to print out the photo I took yesterday and put it in my journal, but J. was already asleep, so I decided to draw the dress and tree instead. It looked so pale this evening with the wire tree that I had already glued in that I painted it. It may be the most ambitious I've gotten with water color, or at least in quite a while. The white edge of my craft shop looks kind of unbalanced. Maybe I should use artistic liscence again and make it a darker color.

After I posted the photo last night, I got to thinking that many of my hobbies, pasions are represented in this little corner of my house: the sewing of course, but also my doll's Christmas tree, my travel doll Sara, other dolls and teddy bears, the crazyquilt tea cozy that I made my mom, and even a photo of my grandpa to represent my on again, off again fascination with genealogy. I guess I need to prop the journal entry up and take another picture. Then I would have one more hobby represented. Or maybe I won't.

I sewed something!

I have had the sewing block of all sewing blocks for the past three years. Oh, I have made a few little things, a tutu, a doll dress, maybe something else I don't remember, but I used to sew - all the time, clothes, curtains, whatever. I love to sew. For some reason I haven't been able to make myself do it. Yesterday I made this dress for my sweet granddaughter. She is three and I haven't sewn her anything but a tutu. When my boys were little and I was making them corduroy pants and vests, I would dream of a little girl to sew for. When I finally got not just one, but now two, I didn't sew at all. I hope this is the start of new, unblocked, times. I do still have to sew in the zipper, but surely I'll get that done since I have a deadline. After all, I want her to be able to wear it for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I have been surfing blogs looking at all the wonderful decorations. This is our total so far. I got out the doll tree from it's storage bag and sat it on the table. I haven't even adjusted the brances yet, so it's a bit wonky. Ok, it's a lot wonky. The ornaments that fell off are sitting on the table next to it. I would take credit for the decorations in the mini craft shop, but it's always decorated. The pile of dolls in the floor is from a year or so ago when I took a photo of my tiny dolls. Can't even think of a reason to have them all in the middle of the floor.

Silver Sofa

This has to do with one of my passwords. I had to send for a new one and liked the one I was sent. I've been looking for a silver sofa for a while now to put in my journal.

December 9, 10, 11?

I prepped the background for this spread on the 9th, but dated it the 10th because I liked the number I found and figured I would journal on it the next day. Not so, I got a migraine and didn't touch it til the 11th when I did write some about the 10th. I did some more sketching at the doctor's office. It was kind of interesting seeing the guys come out and claim their hats and jacket. One guy was snoring away three seats from me. I thought about sketching him. He sure wouldn't have noticed.

Sketching Memoirs of a Geisha

I sketched these portraits from the DVD case while waiting in the truck at the farm store. It took a couple of weeks of them sitting on my craft table to get them in my journal finally. I hate to admit that I found the candy this wrapper is from in the car from our trip this summer. Yes I did eat it and enjoyed it too. It reminded me of our day in Seattle.

Passing time at the doctor's office

Small waiting room and lots of people. I was glad to have my journal with me to pass the time. I wound up using artist's liscense as there were actually four rows of magazines. I got tired of the detail. I would have liked to add color, but couldn't remember what colors things were after I got home. I don't see how people can sketch and then later on come home and add color. I have to be able to see it in front of me.

Journaling out of the book

I got my drawing glued into my journal. I love the way the background turned out. I first painted a couple of colors of green and tan and wasn't happy with that. I sponged some brown through a piece of drywall tape. Too dark. Then I used my new Stubby Stampers dot stamp with white acrylic. I really like the look.

I added the grocery list because it was all the writing I did that day. I think sometimes what we buy tells a lot about us. I also had written the measurements I needed for curtain rods on it in the store and didn't want to loose them. Sometimes the only way I get any journaling done is on scraps of paper. I figure these can always get glued into my journal. I love the photo of the gate in the center and would love a gate like this in my back yard going down to the creek. The one I have is a cattle panel gate. Not lovely.

New chairs? Maybe

We've been searching unsuccessfully for a while for new recliners. One of the ones we have our son bought for $15 and used in his dorm room. I've had the seat covered with a towel and have really wanted to replace it. A few days ago I put the towel in the washer and put a fringed throw on the chair. Wow, what a difference. Suddenly, I'm not in such a hurry to replace it and even felt inclined to take a photo last night.

I used my new foam stamps on this spread. I got them with the gift certificate that my son and daughter-in-law gave me for my birthday. I'm going to be using these a lot.

Finally finished

All I had to do was give up on these pages and post them I guess. I finished them up last night. We're starting to use the stove again now that it's colder. I spend a lot of time looking at this view standing by the stove soaking up heat. I need to organize the bookshelves, but I don't see it happening soon.