Dreamin'...

I see many of you are seeing the dawn of spring. Well...we will be enjoying snow for a bit longer, I think. Here are the views outside my window this morning.

The snow has actually melted quite a bit. So nice to see temps above freezing! Warmer temps also bring us a lot of snow in March and April, but the end is in sight! Up north we always rejoice at getting through another winter! :)

I find that my craftiness, lately, has taken the form of looking at other people's craftiness more than making anything myself. Watching knitting videos...

...and being inspired to try sewing some simple clothes by seeing these patterns on Pom Pom's blog!

I don't even have a machine, but I might just get one...some day!
Dori inspired me to pick up my pen and sketchbook and try my hand at drawing a complex scene like this! (Drawing from Dori's blog.)

I've also been collecting images of fish. I have a fascination with drawing and painting fish. I haven't done many, but I hope to do more. One example...(From Google.)

The only original art of my own I have to share today is my latest attempt at a stamp, lol.

MK, I'm excited to see how your kitchen is coming along! Here is a little drawing of my someday dream "cabin". (Click on pic to make larger.) You have to have a dream!

Well, I was just checking out everyone else's blogs and wanted to refresh mine as well. Time for bed,I think! Thanks for all of the inspiration you folks give me. Some day I'll have the energy to pursue some of these things. But in the meantime, I'll enjoy watching everyone else! :)

God bless and shalom! Have a great weekend!

Quiet weekend...

Sully was sporting a beard yesterday. His "other Grandma Lisa" crocheted it for him. Now he looks just like his daddy. Well, if he had more hair on top...

 I've had a quiet, loafing kind of weekend. We've had LOTS of snow. My brother in Texas, and son in Kentucky have had lots of rain, so I guess we get the northern version. My snowplow guy has been here a couple of times, so I could have gone somewhere, but I didn't really NEED to go anywhere, so I putzed around at home.

I guess while I'm looking at snow, folks in Kentucky go to the zoo!

 I think this is a cute picture of Josh. He and Jess just celebrated their 9th anniversary yesterday.

 I think things are going well for Josh and his family. I'm liking the shorter beard, so I can see his face!

 

I did a few more stamps. This is supposed to be a feather, but looks a little like a leaf, lol.

 The white spaces on these fish are caused by the dips in the erasers I was using to carve. I think I'll switch to another type of eraser.

 I like the little coffee mugs. The cat...nah.

 These kitties are better, but the facial features are too hard to get right with these bad erasers. They're too hard to carve to do small details.

 So, these are the inferior erasers. I won't use them any more. They are pitted and have air bubbles in them. They have sort of a hard "skin" on the outside that resists carving. Maybe they're just old?

 These erasers (below) I can buy cheaply at Walmart and they cut very easily. Just wanted to share my experience in case any of you want to give this a shot. My carving tool is by Speedball. I ordered it online, but if you have a Hobby Lobby nearby they probably have them. My Hobby Lobby is about 35 miles away.

I watched Jane Eyre today; the Orson Wells version. That and the Toby Stephens version are still my favorites. I decided to watch the 1970 version with George C. Scott. (Is that enough "versions"?) I gave up part way through it. I thought they tried to make Jane Eyre too feminist-like. She was just too bold and uppity to be true to the original. Soon I'll probably re-read the book so I can decide which movie is closest to it. I've read it a couple of times, but it's been quite a while. That will have to wait until I finish Charlotte Bronte's biography. I'm getting there!

I heard some great preaching online at Upper Room Dallas this morning. And later I listened to more great teaching from a John Piper video. I know these don't take the place of going to a physical church building, but I think I can concentrate on the message better when I'm not in a crowd. I do need to get out and fellowship more, though.

Time to wind down for bed. Everyone have a fantastic week!
Shalom!

Trip to the E.R.

I know. Sounds exciting, right? I'm glad it was fairly boring and uneventful. I was having some allergic symptoms such as a swollen tongue and numb lips. When I started to go to bed at about ten o'clock I felt a little anxious, like, "Is it a good idea to go to sleep with this going on?" So, I called up my dear daughter to see if she would drive me to town to get it checked into. Adam was still out working on their barn (they're putting heat in it and it's almost finished) so he came in to be with the kids and Micah came over and picked me up. She got to sit in the car for about 1-1/2 hours, because nothing is ever quick at the ER! With all the flu going around I didn't want her sitting in there exposed for no reason. She managed a quick trip to the grocery store and McDonalds, and then played on her phone, so it was kind of a vacation for her, I think, lol.

The NP prescribed a five day course of steroids along with Benadryl as needed. I'm going to call my regular doctor tomorrow and see if the steroids are a bit of overkill. The Benadryl might just be enough by itself, and with the looooong list of side effects on the steroids (Methylprednisolone) I'd rather not take them if I don't need to.

I couldn't think of anything particular that I've eaten that was different in the last few days, but then I thought of strawberry jam. I've had reactions to strawberry flavored things in the past (yogurt and a strawberry shake). That's been many years ago, but I've avoided most strawberry stuff. I just started using the jam again recently. So, I'll try cutting that out. Also frozen strawberries in my smoothies. Of course, I already ate some jam this morning before I figured this out.

In other news, I did some painting and stamp carving yesterday!
I tried to do a very "loose" painting of this little group of under ripe plums from a picture in one of my art books. Being loose with my painting has always been a challenge. I always outline things and fill them in completely, and I really prefer the looser look. I guess both are okay. Just different. Anyway, here's my attempt.

I also made this little bunch of "inchies". They don't have a home yet, but they are ready for a Blind Inchie swap. I claimed some inchies that another player had made and then offered my inchies to whomever wants them. When someone claims them they'll get mailed off. They have to accept whatever theme you've made, which I like. This way I can make them at my leisure without a deadline. They're a little harder to see in the packaging, but I didn't want to unpack everything.

Here are some more stamps I made. Some need a little trimming, but mostly I leave them looking kind of rough. I like that look. ;) I made the "plumhill" stamp backwards accidentally, then cut it up so I could use the little "sun rise" effect around the edges by itself. I also used the other side to make stamps. Clear as mud? (Plumhill is my user name on the ATC site. I'll try again on this stamp so I have something to stamp my name on the back of my cards.)

A button and some "sunrise" like stamps I rescued from the botched plumhill stamp.

I did trim that excess on the exclamation point.

Plants and suns. (Or flowers?)

 The painting below I made from a video I paused. I've been watching lots of "Rosemary and Thyme" murder mysteries on YouTube and they always take place in picturesque locations. Lots of good painting material!

Well, I'll just be taking it easy today. (What's new?) I hope you'll all have a restful Sunday, as well!
God bless you every one and shalom! :)

My new passion!

Who knew that erasers could be so exciting?
I finally got down to some serious stamp carving today, and once I started I couldn't stop! Several people online had recommended this brand of eraser for stamp carving. Magic Rub erasers. So, I dutifully ordered a box full from Amazon. I found them very hard to carve. It's easy to slip and cut yourself when you have to exert too much pressure on the carving tool, so I had to develop my technique to avoid holes in my fingers. But they worked okay once I got used to them.

 I also have some of these erasers which I bought at Walmart. These are really soft and nice to carve. I'll probably just use these once the others are gone. I may also order some larger sheets of carving material so I can do larger images. This was just a test to see if I really enjoyed carving stamps. I DO! Larger images would be good for stamping on greeting card size surfaces.

After my first attempt I was hooked!

Fortunately for me, the rustic look is trending in the stamp world. Ha ha! Actually, I've always loved the rustic look. They look more like old wood cuts. I did finally trim around the edges to get rid of a lot of those extra lines.

One thing led to another...

a wonky tree

a leaf

That was supposed to be another crow on the right, but it looks more like a pigeon...

owl, mushroom, house...

moons and stars...

a skinny house.

Here are all the stamps I made today.

Some I carved on both sides.

What will I do with them? These are a good size to use on ATC's. But maybe I'll make some to illustrate a book? I could even use this size if it was a tiny book. There are lots of fun possibilities! One thing I like about stamp carving is that it's something I can do in my lap without needing to use the computer for a reference photo. I use a large hardback book under a stiff, plastic notebook divider. It works well, and the book insures that I don't poke myself.

Well, enough of that for now! Maybe some reading for a change of pace?

Almost forgot! Here's my finished 6x6 canvas for the January canvas swap! I think the flying saucer is swooping down to pick him up for the work commute.

Keep up the good blogging, gals! I sure do enjoy looking in on your lives! I hope warmer weather is coming down the pike for everyone. Ours will climb a few degrees. Spring is on the way! :)

Shalom and love to all!