bee creative

open

Also...heart, mind and hand.

gee willikers or something like that

The alphabet… thinking about d, d for defining.

My alphabet game isn’t just about defining the words that are important to me, but also defining self. What is it that I value? Who am I?

G words…gratitude seems over done but it is such an important word so here it is, on the list.

Gibson…he thinks he is the star of the show.

He is goofy boy. 

Good enough COVID 19 took a bit more of a break than I intended.  I do now have fabric for the back.  It is pure coincidence that the color way is called "Grumpy Birds." (Spincycle)

a collection of things I've been doing

Not the best light, but this made me smile so I had to share. 

I am still working on granny squares, sometimes there is just too much help.

I am close to done painting, just some trim and the eaves at the front and back of the house left.  It won't take long which is good because it feels like the end of summer.  No rain in the forecast but it's cooler and the days definitely seem shorter.

I am picking the peaches. They are tiny but they will be good as they ripen.  The peaches have to be picked on the green side or I won't get any.  The critters are fast.

Another batch of paper.

The gray is from the last batch.

At some point I am going to be more deliberate with layering paper to create patterns.

Some people travel, I seem to take classes. 

Along with the basket class I signed up for a doll making class with Johanna Flanagan (The Pale Rook).  It's been delightful. 

I really am just getting started exploring the lessons and am not sure that this doll is done (still need to tidy up the eyes), but as usual I have so many ideas...

 

fieldnotes and cat-a-log

 

Basket making is something I've wanted to explore for a long time.  When I stumbled on Fiber Arts Take Two and Harriet Goodall's class I decided to take the leap and I am so glad that I did! 

This basket was made from birch that had to be pruned off the house for the painting.  It's random weaving which is lots of fun!

It's not the best time to harvest branches for baskets but they were there to play with.  It also may shrink as I wove it without drying and re-hydrating the branches.  I am always willing to experiment though so it was worth a try...

The rocks are possibilities for pigments.

And this is the latest batch of paper (still wet).  It has quite a bit of color to it as the paper I used for pulp had some color.  It also has lichen in it. 

I am thinking of both the basket and the paper as "field note projects" as they both contain materials that are local and are about place. 

And the cat-a-log, as an update:

It was early in the morning and the house was still cool. They are sleeping on top of the fieldnote blanket which is still in progress.

In front of the fan is a coveted spot for all of us right now... 

threads

Adding thread to the paper I've been making has been on the to-do list. I tried it this evening. 

One strand, as an experiment.

Little ends. 

This is mostly what I want to do...as a way to use them. 

I tried it two ways.  First laying the threads on the wet pulp while it was still on the screen and before flipping it on to the towel and then for the second attempt, just pressing the threads into the wet paper. 

This is some of this batch of pulp as dry paper.  The indigo rinse water has made a nice soft blue. 

I'll share my results tomorrow. 

My long term goal is to set up one corner of the covered porch as an outdoor studio...for dyeing, pigment making and paper making.  Oh...and basket making. I've signed up for a class on basket making, something I've wanted to do for a long time.  There are so many possible basket making materials in my garden.  It's another way of connecting to what is local, to place. A kind of field note.

Other things...

Sour cherries at Mom and Dads.  I have enough to make jam and plan to do so tomorrow. 

A wee little box.

Playing with filters. 

The boys are working on their scynchronized head turning.

And an interesting conversation:  Sam Lee (Emergence Magazine Podcast) talking about singing with nightingales.

"And the space you held as a singer is all about the gaps you leave, because that’s the orchestration, that’s the arrangement, that’s where the listener can enter in. That’s the invitation. And learning from those old singers, you know, I really learned a lot in that art, and here was the nightingale doing exactly the same thing, even better, with such grace. And the timing that he leaves between expressions was formidably brave. And in that space, so much is happening. Although it’s silence, you know, it’s a very rich and fertile place for the imagination, for listening deeper into the places that one never knew they could hear, inside and outside."

 Here is one of my favorite Sam Lee songs:

 

 

 

projects and more projects

Two in a box.

Timber likes someone to snuggle with.  First he tried me but I don't stay put enough.  Then he tried Widget.  Widget thinks he still smells funny from a trip to the vet (teeth cleaning) and wants nothing to do with him.  Luckily Gibson was in the mood for company and made room.

The paper boxes have dried well.  The one on the right needs a little trimming along the top or a layer of paper over the edge.

This morning Jude has me thinking about things we store in boxes.  About open boxes or boxes with lids.  Pandora's box...and stories.  The thing about a box is that there always is a way out, always the hope of a way out.  A cube...well that would be a different story. A cube would have to be carved or smashed. 

Another paper project.  I am mending a paper lantern rescued from the "go away" pile at work with pieces of the paper I've been making.  The plan is to cover the whole exterior with handmade paper. 

And another "waste not" project.  A shirt made from what was leftover after making a summer skirt.  The shoulder pieces are scraps from another project.  The pattern is the One Yard Minimalist Top.  I need to make the neckline just a smidge smaller on the next one.  This pattern has so much potential....

I have the next nine days off of work and am hoping to do so many things.  Someday it will include a new floor.

 

moments

Gibson in a box...I looked up and saw him there, framed.

Filter added to adjust the color.

At Mom and Dad's. 

They have a small pond in their front garden with a few gold fish. I love the lilies and also love the color contrast of lily with the yellow greens. 

And isn't this magnificent? 

In my garden I am celebrating celery (along with every berry that I find!).  Some of the celery is planted in my mini-hoop house with an olla and some in a raised bed without the olla.  This is in the hoop house and is doing very well.  The olla's in the planters are working wonderfully and I am going to use more of them next year.

And...

A dot.

Last month's flower moon ink and the ink made from black/deep purple pansies.  I think I added a bit too much clove oil to the flower moon ink (as a preservative) and it made the ink separate some. 

Always learning...

time flies

Most of my my non-work time recently has been spent in the garden...pulling weeds, pruning, planting, dreaming and sneezing.

I was really worried that my fig hadn't made it through the cold snap last January, but there are baby figs!

Another happy discovery...strawberries at the farmer's market!

I am pretty sure these are from a hoop house but still, this is early.  The greens are lettuce and spinach from the garden. 

I've also finished hemming the first of the sewing projects that I started last week. 

This is essentially three squares.  The neckline was cut on the fold of the larger square and the sleeves added to the sides.  Elastic was added to the ends of the sleeves. 

It's made with rayon so it has a lot of drape.  Rayon is something I try to avoid but I just loved this print and gave in during a moment of weakness.

This a pattern/layout I've been playing with for many years now but I've also been recently inspired by Christi Johnson. 

And lastly:

They still haven't grown out of the need to snuggle together and there is no box too small...

a week spent...

Staycation was a lot of time outside working in the garden. 

Among other things, I filled thirteen compost bags with mostly blackberry canes.  I also discovered the first spear of asparagus.

And today the first tulip opened.

 

The other project that I really wanted to do was paint the kitchen.  I like this color so much better.

There were also a few naps...

Something that I consider a requirement for a good vacation/staycation.

 

 

notes

This morning, fog.

The peach tree is worth growing for the blossoms alone.

A little knitting, it makes me think of the peach, plum and cherry blossoms.

Widget sleeping on the Field note blanket.  It's been awhile since I've worked on it. I have so many projects that are in process...

Watercolor paint made with the lichen pigment.

Layered...one possible story.