Karen's Muse and Musings

Looking In

This is a combination of digital and traditional collage. I photoshopped the woman (Laura in my collage sheets) into the window image, printed it out and proceeded to get my hands all messy with acrylic paints and gel medium. (Isn't it fun to peel that dried gel medium off your fingers? Kind of like when we were in elementary school playing with Elmer's glue.) I also used stamps from Layers of Color and Stampers Anonymous, Distress Crackle Paints, and Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution by Tsukineko.

Dans ma maison il y a ... du orange!

Translation: in our house there is orange! That's the theme for this week at Dans Ma Maison.

Purely by accident, my piece ended up being very autumn-like. Or maybe it wasn't an accident — this is the time of year I begin to long for fall. Changing leaves, plump pumpkins, brilliant blue sky, and a chill in the air. Makes me want to go to school again. Well almost.

Meeting Three Challenges

My biggest challenge for the last week has been lack of inspiration. I'm not sure if it's late summer doldrums, the cloudy wet weather from tropical storm Fay, or just laziness, but I haven't been motivated to do much of anything. Finally today I got back to work to create this gothic arch as my entry for Gothic Arches' theme of Black, White and a Hint of Red, and for Layers of Color Challenge theme of Roses.

Stamps used are from Layers of Color and Stamper's Anonymous. I also used papers and ribbon from Paula's Kit Club's latest kit, black and white. The image of the woman is from my own collection of vintage photos.

Little Things Get Me Through the Day

Don't you agree that it's the little things that make life worth living? As much as I look forward to big, wonderful events such as the imminent arrival of my grandson, I think it's those small bits of happiness that get me through the day. The soft persistent snoring of my dog underneath my desk as I type at my computer. A fresh new bar of soap in the shower. The happy memories evoked by an old song on the radio. And sometimes a little unexpected surprise.

Yesterday when I stepped out onto our patio, there was a leaf lying upside down on the table. (It's been unusually windy and strangely fall-like here in Atlanta, very unusual in August.) I picked it up to throw it away, but when I turned it over, I saw the most beautiful colors, ranging from pale yellow to beautiful coral. I scanned it to preserve the moment, and here it is, but of course it was even more beautiful in real life. How I'd love to have a silk scarf in these colors!

Recently I had a another serendipitous moment when I opened a package of old letters I had purchased on eBay. Of course, I bought them for the beautiful penmanship and the history in the letters, but when I turned one of the letters over, I was amazed at what had happened. The letter had been folded, and the side hidden from the light remained pale while the exposed side aged.

Just for fun, I combined my two surprises in Photoshop, using the multiply blending tool.

I have one more thing to share — my final artwork in the colors round robin. This is for Joyce's book using her choice of colors, robin's egg blue and old paper.

Four Baby Showers and Two Funerals

It's been a crazy month, taking its toll on my usual creative schedule. Every weekend has been taken up by baby showers for my new grandson. Believe me, this child will want for nothing! I'm excited beyond words about his arrival, but I am really glad the showers are now a thing of the past. In the midst of these, two Sundays were spent at the funerals of dear friends.

So, in the absence of any art to share, I thought I would share another kind of art — culinary art. I love to cook and to make what I cook look not only appetizing but beautiful. Here are some photos from the shower my sister and I gave my stepdaughter on Sunday. My sister offered her beautiful home and created the lovely decorations, and I prepared the food. This is the beautiful table that she set.

For the centerpiece, she made roses out of tiny baby clothes — sock, onesies, washcloths.

Now for the food. There were chicken salad croissants, chilled asparagus, bruschetta goat cheese cups, brochettes of melon, prosciutto and mozzarella, and key lime mini-cupcakes.

 

 

Anyone hungry?

Lastly, I had seen some jordan almonds that had been decorated like tiny babies on a website. They were very expensive, so I thought I'd give it a try and make my own. Well, here are my "monkey" babies, as I call them.

The Joy of an Unexpected Gift

Nellie Wortman is an incredible artist. I love how she puts her heart and soul into every piece she creates. It's a treat to visit her blog, Early Morning Thoughts. A few days ago, she wrote and asked for my address, so I knew she was sending me something, but I was in no way prepared for the gorgeous and generous gift I received. First of all, it was beautifully wrapped. Now I wish I had taken a photo of the wrappings, but I was too excited and in a huge hurry to tear inside. Here is what I saw when I opened the box.

It was the sweet and charming Princess in a Box I had just seen on her blog a few days ago. Nellie's photos are better than mine, so you can see more and better views here. Thank you so much, Nellie! You brought such joy into my day.

For me, art has been on the back burner lately. It's not the case of the missing muse, just life gets in the way. However, I did alter a handbag. There's a company called Daily Window Bags, and they make handbags with pockets in the front so you can add your own artwork. They asked me to alter one of their bags for their designer gallery. Here are my 2 designs done on the Very Necessary Mini tote.

The silk scarf tied on the first bag is something I made 2 or 3 years ago using Tim Holtz's techniques with his spray washes and clear embossing powder and stamps.

Layers of Color Challenge — Yellow!

The biggest challenge in my life right now is that the right shift key on my laptop does not work half the time! So, if you read something I write and there are letters that should be capitalized and they are not, forgive me! truthfully (see what I mean) Truthfully, if this is my greatest challenge at the moment, I am a lucky girl. It's an inconvenience probably brought on by my bad habit of eating as I work at my computer. Yes, that's right. There are probably a few microscopic kernels of popcorn, pretzels or Cheerios under that shift key. Do as I say, not as I do — do not eat at your computer!

So on to smaller challenges, this week's Layers of Color Challenge, and this week's challenge is yellow. Here is my entry.

Stamps used are B Line Designs and Layers of Color.

From a Railway Carriage

I finished my last spread for the pock-et-FULL round robin. This is for Kim's book, a charming little beauty of a book with the theme, children. I pulled out my copy of A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson for inspiration and found a little poem called From a Railway Carriage, so I imagined a little boy going for a trip on a train.

Inside the pocket is a tag covered with mica.

On the back of the tag are the words to the poem.

FROM A RAILWAY CARRIAGE

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,     
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;     
And there is the green for stringing the daisies!     
Here is a cart run away in the road     
Lumping along with man and load;     
And here is a mill and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone for ever!

Robert Louis Stevenson (1913)