Wednesday Whimsy

From my Doodle Journal ~

Have a wonderful day!

Sketching and Printing

Hello friends,

 Life has been pretty full and busy around here lately, 

and I wanted to share some art related things that I've been up to with you.

I think I mentioned that I was going to take a class called "Love Your Sketchbook".

and the first step was to gather supplies. I found a sketchbook I had started in 2003, 

with only about 4 pages used, so I'm going with that. All I really needed to buy was 

a small box of pastels.

 Rosie, of course,  just had to investigate!

The first class was a combination of very quiet moments while everyone concentrated

 on their drawings, and very loud laughter as we shared comments and stories.

Our instructor is Amy Ropple, who taught the quilt collage class I recently took.

Amy brought Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts for us to sketch first. I call mine a 

'munchkin pancake', since it looks pretty flat!

 Then I sketched a bird from a photo I had brought.

One part of our "homework" was to sketch something realistic, so, while spending some time at my friend Andrea's studio, I worked on a rendering of a pair of antique children's shoes which belong to Andrea. They were so sweet and worn, I had a real feeling for them as I drew in the afternoon sun.

                                  

And, while I was there, Andrea demonstrated how to use my brand new, untouched Gelli Plate, which has been in its original container for over a year!! I'm not one to venture into new things without a boost from someone!! Here is the gelatin plate after a bit of experimenting. (It's on a painted piece of cardboard.)

Here are some prints I made, using leaves, sequin waste and cut paper shapes.

Thank you for the lesson, Andrea!!

                         

Other than that, it has been a bit dreary and frigid here, so I was happy to see this pretty yellow primrose plant in the supermarket the other day and had to bring it home.

Yellow always makes me smile!

And Rosie definitely makes me smile with her antics!

Lacking a box to sit in, she nestled into my mum's needlepoint frame

which happened to be on a bed!

Love her pretty, serene green eyes!

I've been making the rounds of everyone's blogs and can see that we are all dealing with winter as best we can, close to home and far away. I hope that this is the beginning of a happy and satisfying week for everyone who reads this!

Happy Monday!!

Doodle Journal

I seem to be having trouble getting in artistic gear this year, 

so I decided to start a Doodle Journal to get me going!

I've been making mindless designs while watching TV,

then saw an interesting segment today on CBS' Sunday Morning.

Little did I know that doodling has a higher purpose!!

In any case, it's a good exercise, and sometimes a doodle turns into a drawing!

I have no idea who this lady is!

I'll be starting a real sketchbook class this week, but my doodle journal 

will stay beside me as I watch TV. 

Who knows what will show up in it!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Collage Still in Process

If you follow my blog, you might be tired of seeing this vase of flowers! 

We had our last collage quilt class Wednesday night and it was fabulous. Lots of beading 

and laughter going on! I realized that I would not be able to finish my embellishing 

in time for class, but there was no pressure to do so, but I do want to get it done! 

This is where I ended up by Wednesday night.

I still have some beading to do, but I'm trying to decide -

do I want to finish off the complete soft hanging?

Or, do I want to have the vase off-center and just include the

right hand border strip?

                                                    

  Or, do I want to just use the central portion and put

a white linen border on it, with a black "frame"...

 

as I did with this picture.

          

I'd like to hang it in my living room and the smaller size would

suit the wall I'm thinking of.

Any thoughts??

Hope you've had a very good week!

Beading in Good Company!

I spent the afternoon beading my collage quilt,

with Rosie sleeping in the sun beside me!

Hope to have it finished soon!

This New and Wonderful Year!

I've decided that this will be a wonderful year!

Yes, I just decided it,
 and I know it will happen.

And if sadness, challenges and loss are part of it,

so be it.

These things, too, are part of life.

But I'm looking to the joys,

the friendships, the beautiful moments 

to keep me lifted up.

This will be a 

Wonderful Year!

Wishing you, dear readers, a Wonderful Year also!

Happy 2014!!

" Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln 

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you."
                                                                                            Walt Whitman