bee creative

time passing

Not complaining, but it's been a long busy week. 

The air quality hasn't been great and it is muggy hot. 

Still not complaining.

I picked all of this in the garden today.  If this is the only pepper I get, I will be happy.  There are some smaller, skinny ones coming along.  More of the rest too.  And garlic. And potatoes.

I also picked a pint of blackberries from the wild and weedy southwest corner of the garden. 

After I took a trip to the farmer's market, we all took naps.  That black spot behind Timber is Widget.  She has her head draped over the edge of the cushion.

I started crocheting a border on the linen shirt.  It really helps it look more "finished." 

I am wondering how long it took someone to crochet the bedspread I am trying out as a curtain. 

I am also wondering how long it's going to take me to paint over the yellow on the wall. It's been on the to-do list for at least a year.

considering drawing

Yesterday I did a blind contour drawing of a fox and it looked like this:

Well, I looked for the nose and eye.

And then I drew this (and hummed a little):

They were both fun to do. 

That's all I want.

mark making again

Playing with the crayons and some ink this morning.  The ratio of wax is off on the yellow onion skin crayon so it clumps a lot.  It could be remelted, but I like it this way.

Then I added a digital layer. 

The sun was pink this morning from the wildfires.

I like this section where the green crayon was clumped.  I scratched at it with the end of a paint brush.

So much to learn about this.  Mark making is a funny thing.  I keep asking myself why I am doing this and what am I going to do with all this and have all kinds of answers...some good and some that need more consideration.

crayon making

I finally got around to making crayons (sort of following these directions).

There will be some more with adjustments. 

Three were made with powdered lake pigments that I made. 

The green was purchased. I will make some of my own chlorophyll when the grass is green again.

good things when it's hot

I might need a new category:  things you can put on vanilla ice cream.  It's my favorite flavor because it can be eaten so many ways.

I bought an ice cream maker which makes this all so much more possible...tonight, plum jam.

Another good thing, coreopsis soaking in water.  Might get hot enough tomorrow that it doesn't need to be heated. Today's high was 88F and it's going to be hot again tomorrow, at least hot for us...

things I will do again

Smashed boiled new potatoes + corn + zucchini paste thinned to a sauce + scamorza cheese + basil.

Definitely doing versions of this again.

I am stitching an edge on one of my shirts so that I can crochet a lace edge on.

Linen is such a lovely fabric to work with.

two dots

Rose petal ink over charcoal on the left and blueberry ink on the right.   One dry, one wet.  It did make the charcoal stay put.

cloudy day

There are a few more hot (for us) days in the forecast but really it's starting to feel like the end of summer. 

Double layer of charcoal ink. 

The first layer was mixed with ground egg shells and the top layer is just charcoal.  This is an actual layer, not digital.

I was having so much fun mixing the first layer that I forgot to add some gum to the mix so it is smearing quite a bit. I am wondering what would happen if I just painted a layer of gum over the top? 

Going to try.

 

 

 

the blue collection

This morning I finished mending the pillowcases I recently dyed blue.

I haven't cut the afghan I knit yet but am still planning to. It's lovely to wrap up in right now, like a giant shawl. I've done that a couple of nights when I've gone out to look for northern lights or falling stars.

Blueberry ink made from some very wrinkly tired blueberries.  It isn't strained so it has some speckling. 

Maybe better that way?

 

summer colors

Not done yet.

This was a shirt that has been in the to-finish pile for awhile.

It went into the almost exhausted goldenrod dye bath.

After some stitching it is headed for the indigo vat. 

Another white shirt that I've been wearing for awhile went into the indigo vat.

And these...eventually I will try some of this for a dye bath or pigment.