Karen's Muse and Musings

Summertime Spread

I just finished my July pages in the Holidays Altered Book round robin. I worked in Karen Campbell's (also affectionately known as Karen Brattypants) book this time. Choosing a summertime theme, I painted a seagull on this side and a rainbow trout for the opposite side.

This was the first time I painted a fish, and it was fun. I'll probably do it again. My sister has told me that I post the photos too small to see the paintings well, so here are close-ups of the bird and fish. You can click on the photo and see them even larger. Just kindly overlook any flaws you might see then!

Every Inchie Monday — Nest

Nest is today's theme at Every Inchie Monday. My art time has become so limited since I babysit my two grandsons 2-1/2 days a week that Every Inchie Monday has become Every Now and Then Inchie Monday. For this one, I cut a 1" square from a textured background I made a while ago. I sculpted a nest with lokta paper twine and glue, then I made tiny eggs from polymer clay. I used a mixture of turquoise and pearl, then dabbed a bit of brown paint on them. I made the photo here larger so you could see it better, but it's all pretty tiny.

Another 4x4

My second page for the 4x4 fatbook swap is for Leslie Anderson whose theme is "Wings". Naturally I was very happy when I saw her theme — another chance to use one of the birds I recently painted. I wanted to add a special touch so I created little egg "buttons" out of polymer clay.

So Cute!

Recently I made a couple of dresses for my granddaughters Kathleen and Leighton. I thought the dresses turned out really cute, but they look even cuter on these adorable models.

Kathleen, age 2

Leighton, age 8 months

 

Whew!

This is my third week of keeping TWO grandchildren two and a half days a week. Bobby will be 3 in September, and Patrick (or Butterbean as I affectionately call him) is almost 4 months old. I definitely know why God's plan is for young women to have the babies. It is hard work, but I am getting into the swing of it now. I am not as wiped out tonight as I have been on other nights after they have gone home. I am preciously guarding the days they are not here, hoping to use them for art and sewing. Fortunately, I am participating in a fairly easy project that came together pretty quickly. It is for my Painted Page group, and the assignment is to create 2 journal pages — the backgrounds, that is. Andi will take everyone's pages and assemble them into a book. When we receive our books, we can then journal on the pages. Here are my backgrounds.

I confess that I am not much of a journaler. I have started art and writing journals before, only to abandon them shortly thereafter. I'm hoping that having all these pretty backgrounds prepared by my friends will inspire me.

From Skinny to Fat

If you follow my blog, you know about my Oh My Gothic group. We formed about 3 years ago to do a collaborative art swap each year. First year we made gothic arch-shaped pages, and the second year we made house-shaped pages. Last year we did skinny book pages, 4" wide by 8" tall. Now we are creating fat book pages, a 4" square. We are wising up in that we are now only seriously arting up one side. Still, I managed to be late. The page above is my June page, and it's for the very creative Lenna. It's a fabric collage stitched onto watercolor paper. You may recognize the bird. It's a scan of the Lincoln sparrow I painted a few weeks ago. The words (oh, by the way, Lenna's theme is quotes) are from Emily Dickinson.

Hope is the thing with feathers   
That perches in the soul,   
And sings the tune without the words,   
And never stops at all,   
 
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm   
That could abash the little bird   
That kept so many warm.   
 
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,   
And on the strangest sea;        
Yet, never, in extremity,   
It asked a crumb of me.

Lenna puts together the most amazing swaps. You should check out her swap blog here if you love to create and swap art.