Putting the Blue Book to bed

After saying that I almost always finish what I start, I am putting the Blue Book to bed, as in throwing it in the trash can. The main reason is that the pages (3 and 4 sheets thick) stitched together are too thick and the pages themselves are hard to work on. Had I started in a "normal" watercolor sketchbook, I don't think I would be stopping. Anyhow as soon as I get my package of art supplies from the Kemshalls, I am starting their Sketchbook Workshop. Meantime, here are some of the pages I started in the Blue Book, never to be seem again.

There are some damsel flies

 This is a sheet of tracing paper from another post that I smeared paint on with a credit card - a favorite tool.

And here I had folded the tracing paper over onto the next sheet and I was going to continue the design/color across another 2 page spread.

Night night Blue Book.

Addendum to the black box

I came into the room and glanced at the black box. It wasn't until then that I realized I had not done kantha stitching on the top panel. Fortunately I was able to rip the panel off even though I used E6000. I stitched the back ground and now the box is unified.

The Black Box Finished

It might take me a while but I almost always finish what I started. Here is the first post where you saw the box.
I started out with plans to paint the box but that was a total failure. It had to do with the paint. Then I came up with this crazy idea of embroidering the same designs onto wool suiting that I embroidered onto the cotton book cover from the first post. I like to have something to work on in front of the TV at night because if my hands are busy making something, they are not stuffing food into my mouth (smile).

This is the cloth "Kantha" stitched book from the Dorothy Caldwell workshop at the Crow Barn.

This is my design drawn on to the wool suiting with a white chalk pen. I also stitched a quick running stitch in thin cotton thread to denote the corners. Came in handy when gluing it down.

Paper Patterns

Embroidery finished (and out of focus)

My handmade upholstery hammer, pins like we used in the 60's and some E6000 (with a credit card to spread it)

Glue on

Start of the fabric strip with hammered in pins holding it n place. Always thinking!!

Wrapping it on the "dotted line".

Top in place

Box finished.

I am very pleased with the way this turned out. With Crows and Pine trees, how can you do wrong!

Bacon?

I have not cooked bacon is so many years I can't even remember. At least 30 years. Well, I saw this great veggie salad on Facebook made with chopped broccoli and cauliflower but it also had 6 slices of crumbled bacon. I hate the smell of bacon cooking but went online to find a way to do it in the oven. The salad tasted great. So I am throwing away the package the bacon was packed in and I noticed this ridged plastic inside. HUM?? This looks like great stencil making material. I wanted to make a graphic stencil for rubbing as well as stenciling.

 Washed very well but still the bacon scent persists

Pen lines

Cut with a razor knife.

Graphite stick on plain paper

This is an altered book, my Blue Book, and the pages are 3 or 4 pages thick with gesso on each side. This is not the greatest surface to try to do a rubbing. The right page has the stencil under it but you can barely see the image made with oil pastels. The left page is all 8 squares that were cut out and taped into a bundle.  Better .

This is the page with water color paint

I think I will get a lot of use out of this stencil just not in this altered book. I am kind of sorry I started this "Blue Book" project in an altered book. I think it would have turned out better in a normal sketchbook. I have a few more pages done but I am not going to stress over doing a lot of work in it.

PLUS, I just signed up for the Kemshalls sketchbook workshop. I am really looking forward to this. It's a work at your own pace but structured. I do best with structure.  Maybe you can join me. It is a great value if you consider all the art materials supplied, the instruction book as well as weeks and weeks worth of exercises. I took a Crow Barn workshop for a week that was well over $1000. with travel and hotels. Compared to that, this is a major bargain. I plan on taking all four workshops.

I'm Back

First piece of business is to pick a winner in the book giveaway. I used a random number generator and the number was 5 Penny Shine Gold. So Penny, drop me an email with your postal address and I will drop "Through our hands" into the hands of the post office.

For those interested in my journey. I met a cousin in Columbus, Ohio whose husband is very ill. I wanted to meet her but him as well. I am so glad I went. She isn't a computer person so we don't really know the exact connection (long story). Then I drove up to Fontana-on-the-lake in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. There we five close cousins including me. My cousin Cyndy and I are both adopted and she was luck enough to find both her mother and father. We also met her father and she was a sweetheart.

No real illuminations for me but we will continue to look, chart and try to find lost second cousins. Being with my blood relatives was such a magical experience and I miss them all already. Thank you for you kind thoughts and wishes.

Lady sings the blues

I am not a printer. This will become abundantly clear in my attempts to create an etching of Billy Holiday. Below is an image scratched into Plexiglas.

Here is the image after rubbing printers ink into the scratches

I covered the inked plate with paper (Reeves) that had been soaked in water, covered with a thin sheet of acetate then rubbed HARD with a spoon. I need a press!!

A very faint image but I will try this again with an image I can put through my pasta machine.

I share my failures as well as my successes but ALL are lessons!!

Art Giveaway

This week I am in Ohio and Wisconsin visiting relatives I have just found through DNA testing. I was adopted and I am closing in on my birth father. I am visiting 5 cousins: one in Ohio, two from Wisconsin, one driving down from Minneapolis and the last who I have met before from Colorado Springs.

In the mean time I am giving away a copy of this book: Through Our Hands

Please leave a comment for a chance to win this wonderful book.