Auntie's Workshop

 Let's have fun with this one: One of my favorite YouTube quilters is a gentleman named Mark Darrell, aka "The Quilting Marine."  Mark took up quilting to help deal with PTSD.  He says that while quilting is not a substitute for therapy, it is a way to pour his energy into something constructive when dark thoughts crowd in.  I learned about him from a couple of interviews he did for Missouri Star Quilt Company and Just Get It Done Quilts . I am inspired by his style because he freely admits that he doesn't necessarily follow all the rules of quilting, yet he still produces colorful intricate quilts.  His attitude is essentially "If you don't like how I do things, my channel is not for you.  Move on."  He posts when he can, doesn't chase the mysterious YouTube algorithm, and is very down-to-earth. He signs off his videos with the phrase, "Remember, it's only fabric and it's only thread."  I like that; it removes the pressure of perf...

The prompt for today is:  Here's what I came up with. I know that this isn't a new idea, but I'd not tried it before.  This is a 12x12 canvas coated in black acrylic paint.  I printed the sheet music on some parchment colored paper and used Mod-Podge to glue it to the canvas.  Then I painted the holly and cardinal beneath.  This was fun and I may try it again in the future when I can slow down and take my time.

 The word of the day is... When I pulled this word my first thought was to make an art project with food somehow.  I thought of various things:  painting with Kool-Aid (think watercolor), finger painting with pudding, making Christmas ornaments with wrapped hard candy or plastic fruit.  None of those sparked any inspiration, plus I didn't want ants.  So, I thought "why not paint a picture of food?"  It's been several years since I've painted a still life of food, so why not? Painting guide and instructional video from Paint With Lovejoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7KabNzVQhw

What's the word for today? Ah, Pinterest. The land of FOMO, uh-oh, and Honey Bunches of No.  In all honesty, my "Create" board (divided into MANY sections) has more projects than I'll ever complete.  On occasion, I do go through and pare down my boards.  I'll take away (or move) completed projects or those that no longer pique my interest.  The problem, however, is that in a fit of "Ooh, that's pretty," or "I can make that," I add more pins that I remove. Today, I scratched the slimline card form off my list of pins (one of them anyway).  Unlike the standard A2 cards that are 4.25 x 5.50 inches when folded, slimline cards are cut and folded to fit in a standard #10 (what we commonly call a business-sized) envelope.  I made cards that were both horizontal and vertical orientation.  I also found a free SVG file so that I can use my Cricut to cut envelopes to match. I had a fun time with these and plan to make many, many more.

Today, we play with... As many of you know, I've been focusing on quilting for the past year.  As with other crafts I make, quilting produces a lot of leftover scraps in various sizes.  Normally, I attempt to cut up the scraps as I go so that I don't get overwhelmed.  However, that doesn't always happen and I quickly end up with a basket, bag, or box full of fabric pieces.  I've spent the last few weeks cutting my scraps into 9.5 inch, 5 inch, and 3.5 inch squares.  Some have been sewn into quilts. Some are in the planning stages for other quilts.  I also wanted to find some small projects to make with scraps that don't take as long as a quilt.  Then I remembered a video that Diana sent me .  I really appreciated how simple the process looked, so I whipped up a few to see if they were that easy. For me, there was a slight learning curve, but they were pretty easy once I got the hang of it.

 Today's word is... Yes, I know I used pencils yesterday, but these words really are pulled at random each day.  I decided to do a small practice piece in my sketchbook.  So fun.

Today, I'm playing with... I recently spent the day with a couple of ladies in our church who are expert card makers.  One of them gave me her old manual embossing/die cutting machine.  After purchasing a few accessories and learning the easiest way to take the warp out of the cutting plate, I was ready to play. Out of the five I made, the two on top were my favorites.  The card on the left uses a couple of the oval die cuts, my new stamps (that I need practice with), and some colored pencils.  The card on the right uses the circle embossing folder and my circle punches.  Just the few inexpensive tools have got my brain on overload with ideas. So what did I learn? Depending on the type of cutting/embossing plate, you can flatten out a warped one with a cookie sheet and boiling water.   In tooling around with colored pencils, I learned that a colorless blender pencil will blend all types of colored pencils.  I've been learning to work with Prismaco...

 Today's draw... Supplies, tools, and other detritus are stored in my miscellaneous boxes.  Boxes?  Yes, boxes.  I have my main box, my box that houses my stockpile of 8 x 10 stretch canvases, and my Christmas box.  This project was from the main box.  I thought I would work with the fall wood cutouts and button magnets I bought at the Dollar Tree three or four years ago (bottom right corner on the top of the pile).   Yeah, I know it's too early for fall projects, but it's the first thing that came to mind when I saw the box.

 For today... En plein air is a French phrase which simply means "in the open air."  Most en plein air artists create art featuring the surrounding environment.  For example, impressionist painter Claude Monet spent 40 years painting landscapes and still life pieces of objects and nature around his home and gardens.  Though I dream of going to the botanical gardens and painting some of the flowers, I don't yet have the artistic skills or the wherewithal to do something like that.  So, my substitute is simply to sit outside and paint. Because I don't have a patio (though I have a sliding glass door that should go to one--yes, I'm still a little salty about that, especially since they have been doing exterior renovations on our buildings), getting set up on my front stoop is a little involved.  I have to bring out a couple of tray tables and a chair, plus all the paraphernalia needed for painting. Would it be easier to purchase a little bistro set for the s...

Today's challenge: Colour In Your Life is a fabulous program showcasing artists from all over the world.  Since the original host died in 2022, only a few additional episodes were released.  As of today, the program's website is no longer active.  However, the show's YouTube channel is still up. One episode that I frequently rewatch features Yelena Dyumin.  She is a Russian-born artist living in Sydney, Australia.  She specializes in whimsical surrealism.  Her design process is captivating. As you can see in the video (you watched it, didn't you?), Yelena uses a variety of techniques.  I was intrigued by her use of the squeeze bottles combined with traditional techniques of shading and blending.  I thought I'd give it a try. "Parasol Queen I" O...K.... So, I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but I don't hate it.  I did learn a few things.  First, I don't believe Yelena diluted her paint. In order to get the paint to flow with any kind o...

Today's word: Moriah Elizabeth is one of my favorite "crartists"--that's a mashup of "crafter"and "artist" she invented.  I started watching her YouTube channel several years ago.  Though she creates many types of art and craft projects, her specialty is squishy makeovers where she takes old damaged squishy toys and refurbishes them into art pieces.  In the process she has created many memorable characters. If you've never watched her channel, I highly recommend it.  Not only is she extremely talented and creative, but her videos are also fun. She doesn't do tutorials per se ; she simply invites the viewer into her design process.   I still had a few two-packs of small terracotta planters left that I bought at the Dollar Tree last year.  They've been in my craft cart staring at me, demanding to be painted.  When I pulled the challenge word, I decided to take the pots I had left (I broke one of them) and paint them based on some of her c...

 Today's word was a doozie: I've never done this challenge before, but I've seen others attempt it .  The challenge is simple:  I pick three colors at random and I must create an art piece using only those colors.  The thing is, some artists have different rules for this challenge.  Some allow themselves to vary the shades of the three colors while others only stick to the colors as they come in what ever medium is chosen.  Some allow the use of black and white while don't consider white and black to be colors. I decided that black and white would be allowed as colors, but that I would use shades of the three chosen colors.  I used an app to choose the colors at random.  The app did me dirty since it gave me the same color more than once and the three colors it finally chose were brown, white, and yellow. Brown, white, and yellow?  Really? Oh, well... Although the colors were hard to work with, I'm not unhappy with the results.  I sketch...

 Today's challenge word is... When I pulled the word this morning, I planned to do something a little more substantial.  However, work that pays must come first.  So during my lunch break I worked on some squares for a project I've been stitching off and on as part of my quest to use up all my leftover yarn. Of course, I'll show the finished afghan upon completion.  So, what's it going to be? you ask.  Two hints: flannel and cattle.   See y'all in the next challenge, Lord willing.

 Today's art challenge is: Well, here goes... More often than not, my pastor’s messages bring out the best (or at least the best attempt) in me.   This past Sunday was not one of those times. To start, I am in no way denigrating or negating the message.   In the context of the series presented, it was timely.   However, this is one of those rare occasions when a sermon dampens my spirits and sends me spiraling into melancholy.   These are my thoughts and mine only.   For context, listen to the message ( link here ) or read Luke 10:38-42. Sigh .   Here we go with another message making Martha the bad girl.   Does anyone ever look at this situation from her perspective?   I feel for her. She’s not evil; she’s doing the best with what she has. I’ve been part of three very good churches and though they do certain things differently, they do one thing just alike:   When they need something done, they don’t ask for Marys; they ask for ...