Category Archives: Outside

February Fun

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Garden installation

Well that’s I made it the last month of being 50 !

I again helped to build the Seattle Arboretum Foundation’s award winning garden.I was asked to paint the piñata green to blend in with the design.I love working with Bob Lily and the team from the Arboretum Foundation.We have great fun and it is the best cure for my seasonal mood disorder (SAD) One of the nicest things is that Bob always gifts us plants and currently my deck pots have Blue Irises popping up at of slightly different blues from different builds.I’m also totally indulged by hubby and we always buy a plant or two to add to our garden collection. This year we have a white ribes and two beautiful  specimen witch hazels.We have also gained some kinnickinick which I’m hoping will do well.

Leigh ,my wonderful gardener, and I have big plans for the garden this year.We’re trying some live stack planting with a very vigorous ribes which was causing a visual obstruction to the traffic on the street.We used the cuttings to screen the working area of the garden.We’ve taken advantage of renewing the fences in the fall to make formal plans.I value my privacy so am exploring different screening methods , these also help our small birds hide from the Cooper’s hawk that nest’s across the road.

I’ve wanted to build in more bird and bug friendly elements.I really happy to see the birds beginning to court on our deck.Most exciting of all is our Berwick wren seems to have a partner so I’m hoping to see the population increase.I’ll post the new structures and elements as they develop.

 

 

 

 

Year in review

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Baby quilts awaiting delivery

Surface design/book play

First crop – I explored growing our own summer vegetables in pots on the deck.Our salad bar was a huge success and this was our first crop of beans-the resident hummingbirds loved the heritage variety and they provided great screening/privacy from our neighbors.

Cover detail of a tool pocket created to hold a set of jewelry making tools which replaced a set which were stolen from an artist’s car while she visited her sick husband in hospital.

Dottee dolls created for an auction raising funds for Ladybug House proposed children hospice in Seattle area

Sample teenager for Baton Rouge project.Sadly this package was returned as contact didn’t pick it up from mailing office.So if anyone wants to pick up this project it’s all ready to go in the studio !

A variety of pieces from 2017 but thought I would share.I have also created a series of boro place mats which are still a work in process so there will be more in the future.I have just recieved my renewal for American Craft Council membership and look forward to reading the magazine and maybe funding my artistic voice this year.

And into 2017

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Found the ruler.It was in it’s special place in the tool store I created that hangs down the side of the bookcase but turned at a 90 degree angle so it was hiding with a paint brush.

Yesterday was such a cool one.Yep it was -5c and we were out on the deck looking at the crescent moon,Mars and Venus in the snow.

We walked on Alki Beach in the morning and had lunch at Alki Cafe ( awesome spot). To full too go home we headed up I-90 to Snoqualmie Point Park.The park was full of young families sledging and enjoying themselves.We hiked ( i.e walked across the field to the overlook) it reminded me of Wantage Park.

There was a young couple in their thirties with a very old dog.A big old grey muzzled family friend with a beautiful Fish bandana. He was rolling around in the snow like a puppy eating great mouthfuls.Eventually they asked me to take a photo I was more than happy to capture this moment of family fun.

As I turned away I noticed these hand prints on the wall.They reminded of Steve and my Reinvent adventures in Las Vegas.We saw ancient hand prints on the canyon walls.So I added my hand print.Forget foot prints in the sand in Oxford I’ll be doing hand prints in Seattle this year.

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Alaska Travels

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Northwest Glacier

Alaska is amazing .I’m sitting in a coffee shop looking over Homer split .There are bald eagles flying over head and about 70 sea otters drifting around in the bay.We have had a great time in our RV a few adventures.The landscape is breath taking and I’m told we’ll be back ! We seen glaciers. wildlife and been waved at by humpback whales.Watched the sun go down at 11.15 pm and not seen darkness for 10 days.

Postcrossing

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WP_20150303_14_32_00_Pro (2)In January I  joined an online community called Crossposting.You get an address and you send the person a postcard.There are lots of specific requests but I really wanted to make fabric cards.This week I had a US address who would accept handmade cards.So after a little Pinterest research I had a method and worked out the supplies-which of course I had in my stash.Here is the result.

Today is also the birthday of two good friends one on the East Coast of US and the other in Japan so happy b’day to Sayaka and Marisol.

I’m skipping the 21 day challenge today.It’s Zentangles – been there done that and it’s just not my scene.Well in truth the small repetitive motions make my neck and arm ache.No Zen just pain.

Reflections

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I’ve just been looking at the site info and I have 98 registered users of the site.It’s quite obvious that some of these are computer generated but I would like to thank those that have registered.

Yes I’ve been quiet for a while and life has been a little tricky back the sun is now out and I very much enjoying watch my new garden emerge.

We have just about lost our view of Lake Washington as the trees have now fill out with leaves.This is a good thing as it makes me focus.Whenever I look at the bare trees I think of Henry Moore’s love a sketching them in Winter and wonder where I would start.

My

My tree representations-I have a poem that was written for me by Lo and will be expanding this series further. The root text for this piece is “Nature does not hurry,yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu. 32×20 inches