Tag: the documented life project

Knitting

Whatcha Workin’ On? Wednesday #3, Booklove 12/10/14, Two Weeks left

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ON MY NEEDLES

Christmas knitting continues, but slowly.  Next year, I’m starting holiday knitting in January! My  rule of one knitted gift per year will stand, I’m just trying to minimize the stress of “down to the wire” knitting.  We’ll see how it goes.  Once again, my WIP is this:

 

BOOKLOVE

I’m immersed in Ann Hood’s An Italian Wife, which I’m enjoying very much and have The Night Circus at the head of the queue when Wife is finished.  After that, who knows???

JUST TWO MORE!

I can hardly believe that the 2014 Documented Life Art Journal has just two more weeks, two more prompts and bang, 2014 shuffles off stage and the brand spanking new 2015 project will take its place.  Know what I’m most proud of?  I stuck with it, even with only the vaguest idea of what an art journal is, and learned more than I ever thought possible.  The most amazing thing I learned?  I’m an artist and I love art!  This is a huge take away for me, who has always had problems with “staying in the lines” and always “marched to the beat of a different drummer”.

I’m linking with Ginny’s Yarn Along and Frontier Dreams today.  Visit  and be inspired!

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.  Lao Tzu 


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It’s that day again!

Click below to add your link then link back here to share the love!

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Knitting

Thriftin’, Pawpaw and 2/4 grands, TDL

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WHERE’VE I BEEN

Last Thursday, I invited myself to Stuttgart for a visit, mostly to help out Bigmommy a little and just to spend a little QT with the Papoose and the Sprout.  I got to see the Papoose’s school and was fortunate enough to get the grand tour. Very exciting stuff!  My sweet son in law shares my love of rooting around thrift and antique stores, so Friday morning he, the Sprout and I took a field trip and did some thrifting.  I’ve collected blue and white pottery for just about forever and scored two new pieces and yet another hippie purse.  Say what you will, Bigmommy, about me being an old hippie, but because everything old is new again, I’m on the cutting edge of today’s fashion. ; p. So there.

These are in great shape, the spigot button sticks but will work perfectly after a little WD40.

These were both made by the Marshall Pottery, Marshall, Texas

Love everything about this!

2/4 GRANDS

You can tell he doesn’t care anything for them!

The only thing that could possibly make him happier would be to have all four in his arms.

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE

This week’s prompt was to somehow incorporate a feather.  This is my take on it, along with an e.e. cummings poem.

Modeling paste, peacock feather stencil, Derwent Blocks

Acrylic background, watercolor feathers

In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.  William Blake

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Knitting

More MOMM, Creative Constipation

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*MOMM

Here’s a look at this week’s mixed media project.  I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either.

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 Old colorwheel

Dylusions spray ink

Assorted stickers, homemade and store bought

Doodles

Stencils, homemade and store bought

Stamps

Acrylic paint

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE UPDATE

The week 31 challenge was to add a pocket to your project.  I decided to draw a one instead of using  the real thing and then adding odds and ends to fill it. What do you think?

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I finally figured out how to produce the intense colors I envied on other people’s projects!  Thanks YouTube!

SLUMP

I feel like I’m a little blocked as far as pottery goes.  I see tons of stuff I want to make, but when I get into the studio, the only things coming off the wheel are bowls and more bowls.  Maybe I need a break or maybe I’m spread a little too thin, with several different projects going at the same time.  I can definitely feel my lack of focus.  Maybe a couple of days of creativity rest, focusing on NOT being busy, would help.  Could I even accomplish it without going nuts?  Do I even want to try?

*My Own Mixed Media

No day in which you learn something is a complete loss.  David Eddings

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Knitting

Finally A FO, New MOMMs, Challenge Completed

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OFF THE NEEDLES

Yay!!!  I finally have a FO!  I finished the Crazy Monkey socks and they turned out to be fabulous!  I haven’t decided whether they will be a gift or whether they will take up residence in MY sock drawer, even though they’re a tad snug.  If you missed the details, you can catch up here.

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If you’re new to knitting two at a time toe ups or just want to try the technique, this pattern is a good one, well written with easy to understand instructions.

MOMM*/THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT UPDATES

I have a couple of mixed media projects to share, along with this week’s TDL completed challenge.  The challenge this week was to add a wish list.  My list ended up underneath my project layers, with just a word or two showing.

The bubbles on the facing page just sort of happened when I was trying out new markers and pencils,  I love how it looks!

You can read more about The Documented Life Project here.

Here are some “freestyle” mixed media projects I’ve been working on.

I usually just start out with a color that appeals to me, then the layers of whatever catch my eye just happen.

Watch the Birdie

I’ve been a little fixated on birds for a while, so they show up pretty regularly.  It helps that the bird shape is simple enough for me to sketch freehand.

Drawing flowers is another recent fixation, I found a photo of a gorgeous calla lily on Pinterest and tried to recreate it.

SOON TO BE BIG SISTER

My precious middle granddaughter and soon to be big sister, Babydiva

I hear and I forget.  I see and I remember.  I do and I understand.  Confucius

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*My Own Mixed Media

Knitting

Wednesday! Again??, Booklove and It’s Nice To Be A Diva

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ON THE NEEDLES

Wavy Garden Shawl is presently OTN, but not for long.  (heavy sigh). I saw that somehow, what I call the backbone, where a pattern calls for a yarnover, knit, YO, is wonky, off a couple of stitches.  So I suppose you could say it’s developed scoliosis.  I hope I can take it back a few rows and reknit instead of frogging the whole shebang and restarting.  Dang.

BOOKLOVE

I finished Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny Monday and am just as enamored as I was when I first read it, lo those 45 or so years ago.  So, I’m giving away my age (you do the math), who cares???  In my head I’m 16.  When does a person become a grownup anyway?  OK, back to booklove.  I started an smazing book right on the heels of Mutiny – The Snow Queen.  I don’t have the author’s name right at my fingertips, but I’ll get it in here before I post.  Take a minute check it out here.  Michael Cunningham, that’s the guy’s name.

THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT

Here are a couple of *MOMMs that I’ve working on:

image Curlicue Tree

imageBecause I Like It #5

TDL Week 26 Challenge

Add a Bible verse or a line from your favorite book that inspires you

Mine is Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

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ONE OF THE GRANDS

Babydiva

I think it was a reward for behaving in the store.  She’s going to be a big sister here in about seven weeks!

Oh my gosh!  That skin!!!!

Linking with Tami, Ginny and Frontier Dreams.

*My Own Mixed Media

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.  Mother Teresa

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Knitting

On a Tuesday

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TUESDAYS

Anyone remember the Seinfeld schtick about how Tuesdays just don’t have a “feel”?  A feel as in “Mondays have a let down feel, just coming off the weekend and all; Wednesdays have a definite, halfway to the weekend feel; Thursdays carry that almost Friday and the end of the work week feel; and then that incredible Friday feel, which needs no explanation.  Poor Tuesday, with no real “feel”, except maybe the “at least it’s not Monday” feel.  This really isn’t going anywhere, just some random thoughts that run through my head, taking up some of the short term memory circuits until another totally random thought moves in and hangs out for a while.

TDL UPDATE

Week 25 Challenge

Cover Your Page with Hearts

One of my favorites so far!

More information on The Documented Life Project can be found here.

*MOMM

Here’s a look at my latest independent mixed media project-

As usual, this one has a bit of everything, paper, buttons, stamps, stencils, just whatever strikes my fancy at that particular moment.  Mixed media has taught me that the concept of art is very, very fluid, with no right or wrong way to create.  I totally LOVE that!

*My Own Mixed Media

PARTING SHOT

The only real valuable thing is intuition.  Albert Einstein


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Knitting

And There You Have It (I Think), Happy Father’s Day and MOMM

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Happy Father’s Day, everyone!  Hug a dad today!  Mr. iknead got a blueberry cake for his special day.

FRONT DOOR PURPLE, CONT.

I think we’ve come to an agreement on just which purple to paint our door – it’s called Deep Violet.

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 Here’s what it looks like in the sunshine

Now in the shade

And in my kitchen

Now to find a painter…….

TDL

This week’s challenge for The Documented Life Project was to cover your pages in hearts.  I’m still  mostly in the planning stage,  but I did get my pages prepped and have an idea of what I want them to look like.  This art journaling project has led to me trying a lot of new things; I’ve started sketching and painting different things on my own, which I enjoy, but what I’m really loving is mixed media.  Think about it, up until a few months ago, I’d never even heard of mixed media art and now I usually have two or three different MM projects going.  Here’s a look at one I just finished –

My Own Mixed Media 1

MOMM* 1

It has a little bit of everything, acrylic paint, stickers, colored pencils, Inktense blocks, marker, stencils, doodles, found objects.  Nothing is sacred, if I see something interesting,  you can bet it will find it’s place in some project.  I really love how this one turned out!

*My Own Mixed Media

Love is never lost.  If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.  Washington Irving

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Knitting

Still Documenting

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TDL

Still going strong with The Documented Life art journal.  I started about 12 weeks late, after reading about it on a blog I follow.  I finally got caught up last week and while I’m not working on it as obsessively as I was when I was trying to catch up, I find myself doing page prep and trying out new ideas and techniques off and on during the day.  Honestly, I don’t think “techniques” is the right word for what I do.  It’s more like “I wonder what would happen if……”  I love doing this stuff!  Taking part in this project has shown me my inner artist – the one I didn’t know I had.  Here are some of my pages –

Monochromatic Challenge

This challenge was to ask someone else to start on my drawing, then I was to finish it.  Mr. Iknead started with a drawing of his iPad.  I couldn’t get the image of a theater ticket or the idea of a premier out of my head and this was what developed.

Draw A House Challenge

I saw a pin of some crooked pottery houses and pinned it with the intention of trying the idea out in my pottery class.  Guess the images stayed with me.

PARTING SHOT

If the good people, in their wisdom, shall see fit to keep me in the background, I have been too familiar with disappointments to be very much chagrined.  Abraham Lincoln

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Knitting

The Documented Life Project – Playing Catch Up

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CATCHING UP

I’ve been promising to catch up my TDL Art Journal photos and now is the time.  Here goes:

Add a flap to your flap

 

Collage something you recycled

 

 

Make a list of the things that make you you

 

Draw, photograph or collage a bird onto.your page

This one is especially special to me.  I gave my mother the hummingbird magnet several years ago and it was on her refrigerator up until she passed away and my oldest grandbaby painted the picture of the ducks as a gift to me.

 

Cut up a magazine -add

 

Use a rubber stamp in a new way

 

Add embroidery or embroidery floss to your page -no floss? Use thread

I printed out my favorite poem, gave it a watercolor wash and sewed it into my journal.  Then, I added a pocket to contain a  vintage handmade hankie that belonged to one of my favorite aunts.

So that’s it so far.  A new challenge will be posted Saturday morning, so stay tuned!

We are all something, but none of us are everything.

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Knitting

Busy, But With What?

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DISTRACTED

Suddenly this evening I realized that I hadn’t posted since Saturday.  I know it’s only Monday, but I’ve really worked at getting into the at least three posts a week habit and truly, I enjoy posting, putting my thoughts in order and then onto the page; I mean, the “virtual” page.  I don’t remember the last time I hunted up a workable pen and a sheet of paper to write. Nowadays, handwriting, for me, is limited to list making and reminders, and even those are slowly being edged out by my iPad.

TDLP

My art journal has been kept me especially occupied the last few days.  Here are a couple of my entries over the past few days.

This Week’s Challenge

Document a Random Act of Kindness

The two coffee cups represent the RAK I received in the drive-thru at Starbucks when the person ahead of me paid for my latte, which I then passed on to the car behind me.

Last Week’s Challenge

Document an Inspirational Quote

I loved the imagination/kite analogy.  I’m not sure who to credit for this, maybe Lauren Bacall?

ON/OFF THE NEEDLES

Hitchhiker is finished!  Official FO pics on Friday.  Very pleased with how it turned out.  Stay tuned….

Knitting has  commenced in earnest on Vivacious Chocolate Shrug with the first three inches of the first cuff completed.  The Fyberspates yarn is a joy to knit, with just the right amount of squishy; I see more of this yarn in my future.

If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.  Thomas Edison

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