Favorite July Blooms

Summer schedule: 7am hop out of bed, smoothie for me and the kids, start outdoor watering, make coffee, get in the studio as fast as possible! I love my early mornings in the studio, door open, cool July air, surrounded by flowers and garden, pets and kids.



I've recently realized how important it is to spend the first few hours of the day in the art studio, when it's cool, and I'm fresh. Why didn't I learn this before? Afternoon hours are for office time, shipping, playing with the kids, going to the pool, running errands, and if I'm a lucky girl, also sipping iced latte and reading or drawing all together.


Over the last two years, I've developed a deep love for flowers. I am a little in awe and in love with them. It's a joy to water each morning and see what has bloomed.



Volunteer squash blooming prettily. What will it be? Wanna take bets?

I left some flowers in the garden over last winter, and this is what turned out. So pretty and bright, it's worth devoting a little room to them.




The OMG Clematis outside my art studio window. Wow!!!!

Ms. Grace enjoying her princess hut on the patio.

Project of the day: find a flower you are attracted to. Sit with it. Take a series of photos or sketch or water color your bloom.

The Friendly Kitchen Dishcloth

Crochet or knit yourself a stack of pretty dish cloths out of colorful cotton yarn. Relaxing project, cute in the kitchen, very clean to use, work great for dishes and counters. Kinda old fashioned, kinda hip style for your kitchen.

What? You got some homemade ones from Aunt Nelly and they got all smelly and gross, now you'd never use them again?

That's so sad. HERE'S the secret you need to know: Dish cloths are good for one day. At the end of the day, rinse well, and hang to dry overnight. Pop them in with your regular laundry. This makes them the cleanest thing around for wiping cutting boards, counters and dishes. Now who wants a yucky old sponge?

Tip: make a basic set of seven for your dish washing, one for each day, then make a second set in another color that will be just for wiping counters. Makes a great kid project!

Hawaii Bliss Bags - art for your life -

The summer Bliss Bags are in! The Hawaii bags were inspired by a series of dreams. They combine all my favorite things: color, free motion quilting, hidden messages, raw edge applique, and functional art.

One bag, two looks. STRIPES SIDE: Each stripe is free-motion quilted with abstract Hawaiian designs (flora, maps, waves, earth, sky, water, sun), and the word "Hawaii" is hidden in quilting somewhere on the bag, as are hearts (because you are loved). Raw edge applique finishes the top edge of the bag - shabby chic look. It will fray slightly, giving the bag more texture, as you use it.



SIDE TWO: Flip the bag over for a second look. Fabric print with art pocket feature - perfect for cell phone or camera. (On this bag, the flower is the pocket.)


Top edges are finished with a raw edge applique technique of overlapping squares. These are so much fun to stitch up. Lots and lots and lots of thread!


Your perfect bag for summer, or to keep up your sunny disposition all year long. Interior fabric is a bright orange print of sliced oranges.


Organizer zippy pouches, in matching colors!
cosmetic
money
clutch bag
camera bag
tunes
receipts or punch cards.

NEXT UP: Same style of bag in Oceania blues and blue greens!

Fairy Photography

Good morning from the Fairy Flower garden. Photographing flowers is endlessly delightful. Try something new: Fairy photography, that is taking a photo as if you were a fairy.

Fairy photography

• set your camera for close ups and adjust for special lighting conditions (sunny, cloudy)
  
• get close to the ground (how tall is your fairy?) and turn your camera upside down (lens up), that's right, you can't SEE what you are shooting!
  
• imagine your camera is a fairy walking through the woods, or the flower patch, looking up at all the lovely tall plants
• snap several images before peeking at your image screen- the results may surprise you!
• try shooting from the underside of a leaf with holes
• what is the fairy's view of YOU?
  

Fairy Photography

• Share Fairy Photography with your children, then hand over the camera and see what they come up with. A great summer photo album project.

View from the top again. Enjoy your fairy photography and please leave a comment with links to your own fairy view images.

Gnome Garden

The new gnome garden! I finished this yesterday. I turned a mound into a "terrace" and added new plants.



Seeking: female gnome garden figure of regular gnome stature, who likes huge snails, standing around, greeting guests, and gardening. Do you like cool Oregon weather? If you are female and a gnome, I encourage you to apply.







Overview of the gnome garden. Poppy demonstrating proper use of pathway in the walkway garden.


New arrangement of the heart rocks, Quillan's flower pot and bird's water cup.

Singing Rocks family.

Arrangement of plants in pots and the toad bath. (You know how filthy toads get. Part of gardening really is a service to nature's creatures, right?)

Mr Scoop also using the pathway. What gold star kitties they are today!

I need some special tips on getting step-ables to GROW like crazy in my shady walk way garden. I've been working on this for three years now and can't quite them to take off. Some die off during the winter, which doesn't help. I plant only shade tolerant species and water them lots! Any good advice?

Overview of the walkway fairy garden on a cool Oregon day in May...........

Ugo martian plush

UGO the cybernetic martian is visiting my studio!

The Ugo, the plush version, is a collaboration between comic book artist, Tom Dell'Aringa, of Marooned comic, and me. A limited edition of 10 are currently available through the maroonedcomic site this week.

Gardening Tuesdays - Container gardens

I'm HOOKED on miniature gardens in containers! It's a brand new hobby. When we bought this house, three years ago, it had a very empty yard, so we started with the most important: the vegetable garden, then next year- flower gardens, then worked on the lawn, so this year, it's finishing the patio which leaves room for decorating in containers, and miniature gardens.

After a lovely Mother's day brunch, cooked by my family, I took my mom thrifting for fun containers to plant succulents in. I couldn't believe the abundance of FUN things we found. (I'm going to have to learn how to drill through ceramics if I keep this up). The little Dutch girl was built for plants. I added baby strawberry plants to her pockets and hat.


My new Bliss Monkey Studio mascot had a former life as a cookie jar (thrift store find). Break the lid on your fav tea pot or cookie jar? No worries, drill a hole or use lots of rocks at the bottom and don't over water, soil, succulents and wa-la, a happy garden for your sunny window, porch, or friend's house!

I am suddenly fascinated by succulents! After bringing these containers home, I had a look around, and realized I have quite a variety of neglected, overgrown succulents, aloe, and such around the yard and in the house. I took an afternoon to repot and distribute. Let's see if I can get more babies to grow, thus feeding my need to thrift up MORE containers and fill them with little, easy to care for, arrangements.

This one is already gifted. Easy to make: rocks in the bottom for good drainage, new potting soil, baby aloe and succulent plants, and several pretty rocks. Do not over-water. I'm going to have to learn to drill holes in the containers that lack.


For fans of Saffron: he's doing great. After a winter of three surgeries for his leg, and lots of reclusive mending time, he's back outside, playing with the other cats, built up muscle, and almost back to climbing. Yey, happy kitty! Age 3.