bee creative

treasures

Lunch break, sitting on the grass outside the building.

Two perspectives.

Things gathered.

Fabric from Jude.  There was a plan when it was cut out it but I don't remember.  A new opportunity now.

The lids contain dried pigment. Honey could have been added to keep it from cracking.  It could still be done.

The dahlia a gift from a friend, from her garden.  The bottom rock is crumbly enough that it might work for a pigment.  Both marking a special day and I will try making pigments from them.

The other rock I will keep for awhile.

A favorite book, Everyone Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall.

I was doing a bit of research and had the thought that to hold a rock is a way to hold time. 

That making a pigment can be too.

That something made, telling a story, holds time. 

 

 

 

today, a list of things I am grateful for

#1 Goldenrod thread on the edge.  The last thing that I used the dye bath for before making a lake pigment with the rest.

As I was stitching, I thought (probably because I could see how crooked I was getting), we don't need to be perfect. It's fine.

I am thinking about how the thicker thread lines are more childlike, at least for the way I stitch.

#2 Goldenrod paint sample.  The color of sunshine... There is supposed to be rain tomorrow.

#3 Today's garden harvest.  Just enough.

#4 A very lovely visit with Hazel this morning. Still thinking about our conversation...in many ways I am refining what I want to make and why. 

top of the world

For Gibson anyway....

Other things today:

Toasted cheese sandwiches with bread from the farmers market. I smash them with one of my pots to make them flat.

It's becoming a Saturday tradition.

This week's peas and last week's carrots from the farmers market as well. 

Back to my garden, I spent some time in the rose bushes.

I don't know what kind of rose this is.  I bought it unlabeled because I loved the color of the bud.  It was in the rugosa section at the nursery.

They smell good too.

kind of random

Layers of rose petal ink.

I like this one.

The first of the lilies are starting to bloom.

Runny homemade salsa that made good soup with some diced cucumbers.

The sour cream was really for the chips, the soup really didn't need it.

possiblities

I need to organize this:

Find a rasp of some sort

And make some more ink...

list making

This morning I thought I'd make a list of everything I wanted to do over the next week and then I stopped myself.  The only list I want to make is a "ta-da" list (a phrase from Hazel, thank you again!).

One more finished block for the quilt.

A few strips are from Nancy (thank you again!).

 

I wandered the garden looking for things to make ink with.  I gathered twigs, leaves, and rose hips. 

I also found a crumbly brick that I ground into pigment.  I am going to try mulling it soon.  I was able to break down one of the rocks I found on the beach to a fine white powder.

Some of the rocks will leave a mark when I try a scratch test but I didn't have much luck breaking them apart.  I either need to pound harder or try a file.

A couple of the rocks I picked up just because I loved them.

And I listened to this podcast, The Ground Shots, episode #59 "Is there such a thing as an invasive species."  It was long (three hours!) but a great discussion of science, history, how we define words....

 

states of being

B is for

Buoyant (glass balls at Mom and Dad's), which can be the act of floating or a mood.

And black (also at times a mood).

And back to it, which I am.

(Because I had to play along.)

 

permission slips

This morning I was ready to go to the Farmer's market and decided I just didn't want to go...so I didn't.

So there was a nap.

Some digital collage.

Sewing.

House cleaning.

Lunch.

Maybe a little too much olive oil from frying the panner and almonds in this but it was good. 

Squash + water + panner + almonds + onions + paprika type spice mix + olive oil.

A little puttering in the garden once the air quality improved.  It's been in the moderate to unhealthy categories today.

And a lot of distraction provided by the cats...

in a way these are all field notes

Yesterday's lunch break...cloud watching.

It feels like fall. 

It feels good, cooler. Just a little rain this morning.

The yellow shirt went into the walnut vat.  Yellow from the home garden, walnuts from the work garden.

A more wearable color. 

I am stitching up the sides now and considering a touch of the yellow somewhere.

Two new books:  Lab Girl by Hope Jahren and Wild Textiles by Alice Fox.

(How many books can I read at one time?)

Feedback Friday's presentation today was by Alice Fox.  For the first time I decided to watch it in "real time."  It was a great presentation and I have plans!  Tomorrow I am going to gather bindweed to save for a basket.  For today, I twined a flyer that was in the mail into paper yarn. Twined paper makes a great cat toy.

And then there was this, late afternoon...

There isn't supposed to be rain for the next 10 days.  The crocus will be beautiful as long as there isn't a downpour. I need to water.

Sunrise: 6:49 AM  Sunset: 7:20  

 

for the end of a hot day...

Step one: gather a couple handfuls of lemon balm from the garden.

Step two: Pull the leaves off and place in something that you can pour boiling water into.

Step three: Boil water and pour over the lemon balm leaves.

Step four: Steep for at least a couple hours.

Step five: Strain off the water and reserve. Compost the leaves.

Step six: Add a bit of honey (I added about a tablespoon to 2 cups of lemon balm flavored water) and stir well.

Step seven: Place liquid in fridge until ready for the next step.

Step eight: Find your popsicle molds.

Step nine: Cut up strawberries into small enough pieces they will fit in the mold and fill molds to almost the top.  It's nice if the strawberries come from a garden or a farmer's market but it's okay if they don't...

Step ten: Pour the reserved lemon balm water into the molds, over the strawberries.  It may be important to remember that fluids expand when frozen.  For my molds I have to leave a little space at the top so I don't fill completely.

Leftover lemon balm water can be made into ice cubes.

Step eleven: Freeze for about 10 hours.  It works out well if you make popsicles early in the morning to enjoy at the end of the day.

Step twelve: Remove from mold and savor!

(Although I haven't tried it, if you don't have lemon balm I suspect any tea would be tasty.)