Prairie Thistle

Seems like we should be half way through summer already instead of it just starting.  They are predicting 100° and above temps for this weekend.  I will be in an air-conditioned house with a fan blowing on me.   With these meds I’m on I just can’t stand the heat, and if I go out in the sun I start itching and break out in a rash.  Oh the joys of Summer!  🙂

Since I last posted, I put a cover on my first hand bound journal.  But, for some reason have never gotten around to taking a picture of it.  I just used a favorite printed fabric.  I have also started a small daily journal in a spiral bound index card notebook.  It is just daily thoughts, small sketch or stamp, a personal journal.  Something to make myself do small art everyday.

There has been some reading going on.  I won 2 books from the Goodreads – first reads giveaway, “The Passage” by Justin Cronin and “A Cruel Harvest” by Paul Reid.  I liked both of them – my review/rating can be found on Goodreads.  There is a Goodreads link on the sidebar to the right.  I also read “Dead Reckoning” by Charlaine Harris, another good visit with Sookie Stackhouse.  I am now starting the Maisie Dobbs mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear that Eve recommended.  So far I am enjoying the first book.

This past week I decided to try my hand at a hardcover coptic binding for my summer journal.  I used cardboard embellished with a paper napkin, rick rack, grosgrain ribbon and paint for the covers.  Mixed media paper (9 x 12) folded in half to make the signatures (inside pages).   I sewed the journal with nylon upholstery thread, the only thread I had in the right color that was strong enough.  It is a little thin but it works.  The finished journal measures 6″ x 9″.   I like making my own journals because they open flat, I can use whatever type of paper that I want and I don’t care for the spiral coil in the center of pages of a lot of the ready made journals.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Summer Journal - front

Summer Journal - spine

 

Summer Journal - inside

 

 

I haven’t been doing much in the way of art lately, other than my ICAD (index card a day).  So last night I decided that I would remedy that and set out to make a background for a collage idea that I had.  I used a blue and a green Caran d”arche Neocolor II watercolor crayons and scribbled over the pages.  Then did a very wet wash  to blend the colors.  After the blending I shut the book and pressed down all over to “smoosh” the paint.  When I opened the book back up I was surprised to find what looked like a silhouette of a woman tussling her hair.  So instead of collaging over the background I decided to outline the woman, embellish with a few stamps and add a poem that I had (author unknown).  I wish I had taken a picture before doing the outline drawing.  Another example of starting out with one idea and ending up with something totally different.

Unexpected Woman

 

 

For the month of June our local animal shelter is waving the adoption fees for cats over 6 months old.  We had been thinking of getting another cat so decided this was a good time.  I made the trip to the shelter looking for a female cat, preferably declawed since Toby is .  Only declawed cat at the shelter was male, oh well.  So I’m entering all the rooms and it must have been nap time because there wasn’t a lot of interest in me.  Except for this one room I entered.  Immediately this beautiful calico cat comes up to me and starts talking and rubbing up against me.  It was white except for a little color on it’s head and a beautiful striped tail that resembled a raccoons and beautiful blue eyes.  This cat was large and I suspected also male even though most calicos are female.  Turned out I was right so had to pass on him.  As I was walking around the room this little Tortie sits up and acts interested so I picked her up and she snuggled under my chin and started purring.  Ok, my heart melts and I decided this little girl was going home with me.  Talking to the shelter worker I find out that this Tortie had been taken from a man that had too many cats.  A hoarder.  When we got home and I let her out of the crate she was off and exploring, checking out everything.  Totally fearless and loves to snuggle.  She made Toby a nervous wreck for a few days but they are settling in with each other.  Since our new little girl is such a spitfire we named her Ginger, for her ginger striped nose and her spicy attitude.  She is also an art critic.

 

Ginger - Art Critic

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