Time's a Travelin'-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 

            

Back in my younger days June was my month of rambling and gallivanting to and fro. As You know I grew up in the countryside of Pennsylvania in a humble home, the lower end of middle class. We never felt poor or went without but we stayed close to home. There was one summer when my sister Nean or Nina short for Anita was living in Eugene, Oregon and my momma decided we would travel by bus across the United States to visit with her. So my momma, sister Joan, nephew Frank and I departed on a Trailways I think it was at the time, but in my high school mind's eye it was a Greyhound one. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Supplies:  GSLC ATC Shrine Time, Seth Apter Weathered Gold, Crusty Copper, Embossing Powders, Embossing Ink Pad, Heat Tool, TH Gathered Twig Distress Stain and Wild Honey, Acrylic Paint-Green Gold, Grey, Titane Green Pale, Weldbond, Parchment Papers, Cutter, Old Leather Purse, Hole Punch, Pencil, Thread Needle, Awl, Printed Pictures, Small Magnetic Closures, Grommet, Jump Rings Metal Gear, Used Artist Towel, Clock Face, Metallic Gear, Golden Heavy Gel Matte, Clamps, Clock Key Handle

1.  Gather Supplies.

2.  Use an Embossing Ink Pad to Randomly add Seth Apter Weathered Gold and Crusty Copper to entire GSLC ATC Shrine Time, Cure  With Heat Tool.

3.  Fill in Any Empty Spots with TH Gathered Twin Distress Stain.

4.  Dry Brush on Acrylic Paint I Used Green Gold, Grey and Titane Green Pale.

5.  Put Together GSLC ATC Shrine Using Weldbond and Hold into Place With Clamps.

6.  Use a Vintage Leather Purse to Make a Wee Book Cover.

7.  Use a Cutter to Cut Parchment Papers for Pages of Wee Book.

8.  Use a Hole Punch to Place Holes Where you Will be Sewing in Signatures. 

9.  Use a Pencil to Place Marks on Folded Paper and Then an Awl to Punch Through Folded Signatures.

10.                Use Thread and a Needle to Sew Pages into Wee Book Using the Pamphlet Stitch.

11.                Print Pictures of Your Choosing to add to The Pages of Your Wee Book.

12.                Cut Pictures Using Fancy Cut Scissors to Give Them a Postage Stamp Look.

13.                Add a Vintage Weathered Look to Pictures Using TH Wild Honey Distress Stain and a Used Artist Towel.

14.                Go Through Stamp Collection and Choose Ones to Add to the Pages.

15.                Assemble Your Travel Journal Adding Pictures and Stamps to Pages Using a  UHU Gluestick.

16.                Add a Small Magnetic Closure Using Grommets and Jump Rings.

17.                Add a Gear and Clock Face Medallion to Front of Wee Book Securing with Golden Heavy Gel Matte.

18.                Add a Clock Key Handle to the Front of the GSLC ATC Time Shrine.

Some Final Thoughts.

I would not recommend traveling across the United States via Greyhound bus, but when I went with my family it was a magical journey even though it was dark both times we went through the Rocky Mountains, I did see them later on one of my own road trips to Colorado Springs to visit friends. I was amazed how huge the Mountains were compared to my Childhood ones. I've also seen the Swiss Alps and the Matterhorn, among others.

 I am so thankful for all the places I have been lucky enough to visit, much of the United States, Europe on several occasions-England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, India and each broadened my horizons and my sense of being in many ways. Now days I am more of a homebody and happy for smaller adventures to favorite antique stores, or restaurants, and shops.  

 

School's Out-Almost-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 Everyone knows June is every teacher's favorite month of the school year, it's the month when Summer Vacation begins. For me it is my self-imposed isolation time of working full time in my artist studio creating the new Fall Collection of books and boxes. While working I like catching up on my podcasts, two of my favorite episodes are Unfictional-The Rowing Man and Nocturne-Blackfish, both of them are nautical in nature. I am not sure what fish do for summer vacation but as long as I'm not responsible for them I'm fine. These are the cheeky inspirations for this artwork.  

Supplies:  GSLC Shrine Nautical, Watercolors, Brush, DecoArt One Step Crackle, Golden Heavy Gel Matte, Green Ground Cover and Pencil Shavings, Clamps, Printed Pictures of Fish and other Creatures, Used Artist Shop Towel, Fancy Cut Scissors, TH Wild Honey Distress Stain, Used Postage Stamps, Long Piece of Paper, Double Sided Tape, Drill, Dowels, Metal Bobbins,

1.  Gather Supplies

2.  Use Water Colors to Paint GSLC Shrine Nautical- We Are Not Going for Perfection, We Want a Worn and Weather Look.

                    

3.  Once Satisfied Cover all Pieces With DecoArt  One Step Crackle.

4.  Put GSLC Shrine Nautical Together with Golden Heavy Gel Matte.

5.  While Still Wet Sprinkle With Green Ground Cover and Pencil Shavings.

 6.  Make Copies of Pictures you Wish to Use.

7.  Cut a Long Piece of Paper that Will Fit Inside of GSLC Shrine Nautical.

8.  Glue Printed Pictures to One Side of Cut Paper.

9.   Roll Up Into a Scroll Make Certain It Will fit Inside of Shrine.

10.                Drill Holes in Top and Bottom of Shrine, Where Dowels Will Go.

11.                Attach One End of Scroll to a Prepared Dowel and Roll and Then Attach Final Side to Other Dowel.

Some Final Thoughts.

In Unfictional-The Rowing Man, the story of Ove Joensen is brilliantly told by Rikke Houd. He was trying to be the first to row from his home in the Faroe Islands to Copenhagen in Denmark in the late summer of 1984. He hoped to kiss the statue of the Little Mermaid. He failed on his first attempt and had to be rescued below the cliffs of the remote Shetland Islands. This  is the story about finding a village of friends even when you are rowing alone across a ferocious sea told by the villages there who still think of him as family.

 In Nocturne-Blackfish Vanessa Lowe interviews  Malcolm Saunders, a fisherman from Cornwall, on the southern tip of the UK. While most of the old fishing ports have transformed into tourist attractions, there are still some working fish boats, manned by seasoned weathered fishermen. They're holding onto an almost forgotten way of life-one that ties their livelihood to nature, with all the thrill and hardship that goes along with it. Their lives  are governed by the tides, the weather, and time-A fisherman goes out where and when the fish are, day or night. There's nothing else to do. 

Here's to wishing you all a happy and healthy summer. Take time to do a few of the things that bring you pure joy. Rest and know.

 

Screen Door is Always Open-A Peek-a-Boo Project

As stated in my last post I grew up in Pennsylvania in the countryside. Our family homestead was sold in 2021 after the passing of my mum. Before I moved in our condo, I had a screen door from the property that was rescued from the woodshed before it was tore down in 2019. All that remains is a photograph of my grandfather sitting on the front porch of their humble home with that screen door behind him. Memories linger on long after the properties or the touchstone keepsakes have departed. My momma had an open door policy, but it wasn't known as that back in day. They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Supplies:  GSLC Acorn Border Set, GSLC Queen Anne's Lace, GSLC Fern Fronds, GSLC Honeycomb & Bees Small, Variety Acrylic Paints, Bookboard, Magazine Picture, Sanding block, TH Distress Stains-Blue, Brown, Yellow, Vintage Screen Door Reproduction, Transparencies of Stained Glass Panels, Heavy Gel Matte,

1.  Gather your supplies.

2.  Use a variety of acrylic paints to paint GSLC Acorn Border Set, GSLC Queen Anne's Lace, GSLC Fern Fronds, and GSLC Honeycomb & Bees Small.

3.  Cut a piece of Bookboard, for the Section of  Small Vintage Screen Door Reproduction you Will be Using.

4.  Find a Magazine Picture you find Pleasing.

5.  Use a Sanding Block to Add Patina and Scratches.

6.  Use TH Distress Stain to Highlight Areas you Have Distressed.

7.  Decide on How you Would Like to Arrange Your GSLC Painted Pieces.

8.  Make Transparency Copies of Stained Glasses you Will Use for Top Panels of Small Vintage Screen Door Reproduction and a Stain Glass Pattern for the Larger Portion.

9.  Use Golden Heavy Gel Matte to Attach GSLC Painted Pieces.

10.                Use Double Sided Tape to Attach Prepared Pieces to the Small Vintage Screen Door Reproduction.

Some Final Thoughts.

A screen door on a porch seems so enchanting to me. The screen door on my parents back porch was well worn and often left open much to my momma's chagrining. You could hear her calling "Close that door were your born in a barn? You'll let the flies in!"

Strange the memories that stick, the childhood embarrassments of being from the wrong side of the tracks or not as affluent of those living in the towns, become the badges of grace and gratitude in our older years. I'm thankful for my upbringing and the values I grew up knowing.

 My momma always said anyone was welcome into our home as long as they did not mind the mess. We were not fancy people and never ones to try to impress our neighbors. My parents never had a credit card, if we didn't have cash to pay for it we didn't need it.

Our garden was not planted just for us was always plenty to share, our kohlrabi, rhubarb patch, and beets were favorite of many who would stop by. Growing up going to a small Baptist Church-where mom was on the flower committee, it was with pride that we would carry the wildflower mixed bouquets up the alters before anyone arrived and we always ask who were gonna give the flowers to after the service.  Momma was certain our bouquets were prettier than those who bought them from a florist. If were ever given a casserole or a pie we never returned the dish empty but always  added a treat of our own. It was the philosophy of "leaving it better than your found it, if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all, and please and thank you."

 "If the sight  of blue skies fill you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has the power to move you, if the simple things of nature has a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive." Eleonora Duse

 "Be thankful for what you have. Appreciate the small and simple things."Kyle Carpenter

 We have found that if we are happy with the ordinary we do not need the extravagances that other believe will make them happy, the better job, the bigger house, the prettier lover, the expensive vacations, the list goes on and on. We have two things we like to do each weekend we are home Sushi Saturday and Challah Bagels on Sunday Morning. These two pleasures make the worst of weeks bearable and worth the effort to endure.