Amidst the logistics of planning my daughter's wedding is some straight on fun.
The bridesmaids had their hearts set on fascinators and when I found this tutorial on making chiffon flowers, the deal was done. The edges of the fabric curl when held over (ahem, not IN) a candle. A trip to Fabric Row in Philadelphia with my buddy Susan, provided everything necessary to make these frothy confections. Susan found the perfect fabric for the leaves.
It was pretty easy once the fabric circles were cut. The largest circle is about 4.5". Anyway, flowers done, one to go *the bride needs one, right?* And a lovely silk hairband with flowers for our junior bridesmaid.
I'm thinking of all of the sizes and colors you could make these in for pins or embellisments. I made a tiny one - about 2" across that is quite cute.
You can see this post at Sketchbook Challenge today as well. Get in the fun over there. This month's theme is Spice of Life. Check out this month's giveaways as well!
... Look no further than your kitchen and neighborhood for this journal entry. Based on my experiments with botanical dyes last year, I decided to whip up some DIY stains for this month's theme. This is a great way to explore nature.
Paprika and turmeric are readily available at your grocery store. Add about 3:1 water to spice and let them sit for a while. You may need to add a bit more water as the spice absorbs and it won't absorb completely. It will be grainy.
Please note, this is just for playing around. The "paint" will be full of undissolved spice. I painted the colors on (see above), let it dry and just brushed off the undissolved spice.
Pokeberries grow wild and are usually in full berry right about now here in the Mid-Atlantic, US. The snowstorm we had last week clobbered our neighborhood bush so I was only able to gather a few. Put the berries in a little bowl and squish them with a fork (or your finger) to release the "ink." I don't mind getting messy, so I pick up one of my berries after squishing and pushed it around on the page. Great fun for adults and kids.
If you have a black walnut tree around, you can find the nuts on the ground in autumn. Smack one with a hammer (if it's not already broken) and then cook the outer hull in about 1/2 cup water. Just bring it up to a boil and simmer a bit. It is very intense! Badda-Bing: home-made walnut ink.
I did the little drawings and writing on this page with the DIY walnut ink and a dip pen.
There is a clip at the end of this video showing me-self making and using pokeberry ink (the above page. The clip begins at 6:32 so skip ahead to that (unless you'd like to see my daughter in action at her post-grad job a couple of years ago :)
Still officially on a break, will pop in. This painting will be going into the Shop when I am back to full speed. I am a bit burnt out on the business end of things at the moment.
Last week was a blur between the jet lag, July 4 and not the least, my daughter and her new fiance coming home to catch up and celebrate. I began sorting through pictures and make color studies and sketches.
Susan Cohen was taking so many pictures while we were in Italy, I decided to leave much of the photography to her, here on Flickr. These pictures were taken by Susan at Fonte Fresco where we spent a most delightful time.
Using both my sketches, memory and imagination, a bit of patchwork has cropped up on my Italy Journal scarf.
Spring is all about the mud and the clear color of the early blooms. It is taking a delicate hand to control the browns and grays.
I am thanking you again for your thought provoking and honest comments. It is a joy to read. One of our fold has just started a new blog. Wendy has an elegant and thoughtful voice. See Late Start Studio.
I hope you all have a most joyous weekend and Happy St. Patrick's Day. xo Diana
The temple bell stops but I hear the sound coming out of the flowers. Basho
When you only have two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one and a lily with the other. Chinese Proverb
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson
The full post is over at The Sketcbhook Challenge today. I've been working with the idea of flowers of late. Not just the images but the whole bigger picture IDEA. We'll see what comes. These are images from my sketchbook.
At Tuckahoe State Park last weekend, my daughter treated us to a private bird show. The Screech (or was this the short ear?) Owl below is tiny! Here it is sitting on my daughter's finger (she works there, it's fine :). I love that her coloring looks like the bark of a tree.
Here is a red tail shoulder hawk. Beautiful creature. Look at those thighs! This one is sitting on Bess's arm. It was fascinating to see these predatory birds. All have been rescued for one reason or another. They have a 15 30 year old Great Horned Owl. She doesn't come out, though, we could peek in at her and at the eagle. Edit: They disturb her as little as possible.
You can see some of the show in the video below. Pictures aren't great but the bit of video of Bess handling the Red Tail Hawk is pretty exciting.
