30 days of getting your art on...

Traci Bunkers 30 days of Getting Your Art On..
So now this will be quite a challenge considering just how busy I have been. But I sure want to do this. I am not sure if I will be able to keep up, but I will try my best, and know that I probably won't finish much in one day. But hey it doesn't matter, the satisfaction is in the creating isn't it?

Tomorrow is September first. I have two grandchildren due January-February. So far I have made a blanket for each of the six grandchildren I have so far. Tomorrow may consist of gathering materials for those quilts. I doubt if I will have the time to sew on them. But this is good motivation to keep on going and not give up on my art. It's been tough the last few months, so much going on.

So even if I am the only one following this journey, let it begin!!!

dolls and such

Well I have always loved dolls. Not so much for playing with them, but I did some of that, but of making clothes and furniture for them. I guess I am still a little girl.

My mom used to knit sweaters for my dolls. This is the first one I did. Now that I've done this, I want to do more. :) I got some gold sparkly crochet thread and next time I go to my mom's I'll do it... because we end up sitting around talking, and I can't stand not to have my hands busy.

I got some Only Hearts Club dolls. Three of them.... Olivia Hope, Karina Grace, and Lily Rose. Olivia and Karina because of their names, my daughter Olivia Grace. Lily Rose because she is strawberry brown with freckles. I wanted to get them more shoes, and found them here. Intricate little shoes. It will be fun to make them each a little wardrobe. You can get little sleeping bags and such for them, but I have some fleece scraps which will do nicely.

I found out that their bodies are similar in size to the Blythe dolls, which I don't like because of their oversize heads, but I may be able to make some more clothes for them, I downloaded some free patterns,  Will see if they work.

Now we will see if the Idea Girl will finish what she started.

July 3

I sure go off in other directions easily. Here's what I did.... I just did the blue one, fitting it on the doll as I went. So I wrote down what I did, and then did the gold one, and changed it a bit for the green one. Trying to decide if people would like the pattern enough to buy it? Don't even know how to go about it...

And then there are the fabric clothes I have made. The recipient loved them :)

July 11th

Saw this pretty soft yarn and thought about making a doll jacket with it. The first thing I did was make a shrug. Easy. ch 30, sc in back loops for six rows. Sew together at the ends for sleeves. It's hard to get on her, because of her fingers. I just put my fingers in the sleeves while easing it on her. Looks good. Not for the littlest Barbie lovers though.

Found a scrap of blue flowered that I will make a dress from. As soon as I get the living room clean.... !!

just a thought.

I am caring for my mother in law and don't have a lot of craft time at the moment. Suddenly, I had a thought. Why not include her in what I want to do? That way we get two things, something for her to do, and time with her. She was an artist but has mainly lost her sight. So today we spent painting and practicing being satisfied with the PROCESS and not the end PRODUCT. It was good for both of us. Not bad for a novice and a blind person. ;)



And THIS is one of the pictures that my mother in law did before she started losing her sight...

berries and berries and berries and cherries

I have always loved the feeling of a row of freshly canned something. It feels a bit like a squirrel hiding away nuts for winter. This year, as I am tending my mother in law's house and garden, there are oh so very many berries. I picked a gallon just this morning.

In the past, I just canned it without much thought. This year, however, Not Everything Is Going Very Well.

Canning berries and cherries. I got the first batch of berries done, then a batch of cherries. Then, halfway through the second batch of berries, the stove burner died. I Muscled the canning kettle full of water and berry jars to the other burner, thanks to the weight lifting I have been doing!! The small burner would NOT get it hot enough so I had to settle for 200 degrees. So, have to do something else with the berries-- package them and freeze them. It's a shame, they are beautiful...at least I got a couple batches done before the burner died.

But before that, must get the berry cobbler done. No cornstarch. She said, "I quit buying that because of you, you can't eat it!" True, but I can't eat the berries either so why care if it's in there? oh well, I'll use flour instead. No lemon juice. Well maybe there's a lemon still out there on the tree I can use. Whew! No baking powder. oh my, off to the store. Better see what else I am missing. That's what happens when you bake in someone else's kitchen and you depend on what you have in YOUR kitchen.

Next time I am checking things out FIRST instead of running to the store in the middle of the project.

About the cobbler. After all the fuss with having to go get a lemon, I forgot to add it. And now it's baking, and even though I used the correct pan size, it is going over the sides and dripping on to the floor of the oven. Sometimes it is as if there's really a Murphy after all. She wonders why I don't do much baking? Well then. Here's the reason.

And even though I repeatedly have said I do NOT do pies, my dear mother in law is still going through her recipe file with her magnifying glass, looking for "that good pie recipe, did you know it was Fran's?"

Well she found the recipe. Macular degeneration didn't stop her. Phooey. I must be strong and resist her!

I think I'll call Fran, and tell HER to make a pie. :)

I am so EXCITED!!

For a long long time, I've wanted to scan some slides I have. We even bought a special scanner to do the job, but it took so long it was very discouraging. Today I was trying to scan some using these instructions:

http://www.abstractconcreteworks.com/essays/scanning/Backlighter.html

but for some reason my scanner would only scan black and white. Frustrating. Today, I read an idea to use a high-quality digital camera and take a picture with it backlit. I thought, how about holding it up to a white place on the computer screen? and although all I have is a Canon power shot, I tried it....

and guess what, IT WORKED!!

It took a bit of experimenting to figure out how close to hold it, and I think I will set up some kind of thing to hold it while I shoot, but this way I can do a lot more than the scanner that takes forever.... so yes I am excited!! So is my mother in law, who owns a TON of slides. We're going to have to be choosy. But this picture is so good... :)

Australian candy...

One of my favorite bloggers, Make it Crafty in Australia, is having a blog candy giveaway. Enter here...
Make it Crafty is a fun way to get ideas-- and digi stamps. They also carry crafting supplies.

I sure haven't had a lot of crafting time lately. Hope that changes soon.

snow???

Every once in awhile, May surprises us. This weekend I was at my parents' place in Placerville. Early in the morning I woke to SNOW. It wasn't piling up at all but it was actual snow. This morning I saw snow on the ground as I passed through Diamond Springs but by Somerset it was gone. Many cars in Placerville had everything from a dusting to four inches on them. Pollock Pines had a lot more-- that's the direction from which they were coming.
I visualized an art journal page, but haven't slowed down enough to do it, and now it is too late, I am zonked and heading to bed. :)