Christmas is Near

WOW!!!  Time is passing faster and faster....I am trying to keep up with my Facebook and Instagram and will be looking into StreamZoo after the Instagram photograph ownership nonsense.  I haven't really done much in the way of art but I have done some creative things that keep me calm.

I gesso'd up some cheap large sized playing cards and made myself an art journal card.  It is about the amount of money that I spend on food!  I have to say that I am glad that I have the food chain credit card and I use it everywhere.  Really though, I do which I had bought shares instead!  However, I was thrilled when I got $310.00 worth of free groceries!!!  Actually, I couldn't help but tell everyone who would listen.



I had fun doing this and it all started out with ripping out a page out of an old telephone book!  It happened to be a page with No Frills on it (or fondly referred to No Thrills!).  Then there was a piece of junk mail that arrived from the Heart and Stroke!  I cut out the bundles of Canadian currency.  That put the next thought in my head of just how much food costs me each year! I added some images from a magazine and some melted ink images from another magazine.  I used acrylic paint, ink pen, oil pastels gel medium and watercolour, and metallic ink pad with purchased stamped swirly image.  Do I really need to add that it was lots of fun!!


Although I was very busy trying to get Christmas stuff done after my husband went in for double by-pass surgery in October...I had a chance to make some Christmas cards.  It was a bit of a assembly time production but each one was unique.

I forget where I got some of the ideas from but I used recycled paper for the image on the front of the card.  I used acrylic paint and things from around the house to make the marks.  The sky and tree were made from some paper that had been used at the store to wrap some glass jars.  The only purchased thing was the stamp to make the "cloudy sky".

I had some envelopes that had come in the mail and used it as my "snow".  

We had a great day!  My hubby and I did the food shopping for Christmas and stopped off to visit some friends.  Heading to visit family tomorrow for the holidays!!

Proto-types and Inktense fun!

I forgot to post the pencil drawing prototype to my perfume bottle below!  Bummer!  Afterwards, I realized that I had not measured the bottle properly;  the size of the upper glass piece and the lid size is off enough that it looks like a hat!

I still have a fondness for the glorious pencil!  There is nothing like it really: simple, easy to use, no need for a lot of expensive extra's.  The most expensive thing about this form of art is your paper or sketchbook!  At least my final coloured drawing has much better proportions.

I had time to enjoy a "play day" several days ago!  I love getting my hands dirty from using art materials.  In this case gesso and Inktense blocks.

 I really like these blocks because once the water dries the colour is permanent. It is permanent because it is "ink"!

I should have purchased the larger size but I didn't have the cash at the time!  So if you are thinking about going out to make the purchase...if you can afford it I highly recommend that you purchase the extra colours in the 24 pack.

I am using an old coffee table book purchased at a charity shop.  It is cloth-bound and has sewn signatures.  I ripped out some of the pages to make room for collage fodder.  On this page I slapped on some CHEAP gesso to cover up most of the photographs and printing on the page.  Then, I rubbed the Inktense colour blocks down randomly on the page.   As you can see, I broke some up to the size I wanted.  Once that was done that, I dipped a wide brush in water and slapped in on to spread the colour.  There was so much water that I let some of drip down the page.  

Bottom line, I had fun!  Not too sure where I am going with this yet but I do like it.

I have always been a camera bug!!

I have been spending a lot more time on Instagram and I have enjoyed it very much so far!  I joined or follow POPYACOLOUR challenge so it will make me take and post daily!  I need routine and at least all the photo's I take then have a place to be instead of being schlepped over to my external hard drive never to be seen again!

For some of the challenges, I have made some art.  Simple things but artful expression nevertheless.

I drew this with pen and then added the oil pastel afterwards.  Not sure if I like the result all that much but it is a drawing and I posted it anyway!  I find that if I don't do some sort of art for a long period of time then I get what one might call "withdrawal pains"!    It was fun to complete something in my sketchbook!

Life Changes

Life can imitate the change in weather....one day it is one thing and the next it is something altogether different.

Life can be slow-moving and very enjoyable.  Then again, it can speed up and become a whirlwind, a tornado of sorts

I am so glad that my husband is home from his heart surgery.  He is quietly watching television so I decided to take time out for myself today.  I did this drawing.  I can see now that my perspective is slightly off but it has been a dogs age since I have picked up a pencil so I will not be too hard on myself

I don't know what I was thinking when I started this because it didn't orient the drawing on the sketchbook page properly.  Regardless, it is simple 2B graphite pencil drawing with some smudging and voila...a graphite sketch of a Champs elysees eau de toilette bottle.  I love perfume bottles but find that the new minimal plainness of todays bottles very boring to draw.

I had forgotten how hard it is to make glass look like glass especially the shadow created by glass.

Pen and Ink Sketch

I am a bad, bad, girl!!!  Try as I might, I seem to be having some difficulty keeping my own pledge to write here often!  The month of September seems to have gotten away from me somehow!

I haven't been doing too much with my art these days either but I have a couple of drawings that I have been able to complete!  Pen and ink is quick and easy!  I have left all of the marks that if I had drawn it in pencil I would have erased much to keep the drawing "pure" and error free.

I would like to "redo" this and see if I can improve my drawing.  However, I have to say that I like it for all of its "imperfections" too.  I think that often we shy away from drawing or even from posting one's drawings because they are "perfect".  I fall into this category too even though I try to espouse the fact that I am free from self-doubt!

This is a very small drawing....but it in fact, for a "sketch" it took longer than I had thought it would.  It is hard to get the shading that I wanted so that the hat would look like a hat and not have that flat look.

This drawing was created using my Strathmore Mixed Media journal and a Sharpie pen.

I am so happy that I did take the time to make some wild Oro grape jam from the fruit that grows wild around our house!  I had fun and I loved taking snaps of the results!

Where did summer go?

Wow!  It has happened once again!  Time has sped up and flown by! I can feel fall already and nature's harvest is becoming more apparent.

These wild grapes are ready for picking!!!  I will be heading out shortly to do just that!  I am in a jam making mood.   I am itching to get out there and get started.

I have been enjoying using Instagram lately!  I just love some of the fabulous photographs that people post there.  Amazing really!!

Here is a quick sketch that I water coloured overtime the Sharpie pen marks.  It has been such a long time since I have been able to find the time to put my pen to paper that I was just so thrilled to have done this very small drawing.  I can be negative about all of the mistakes that are clearly visible but I can't beat myself up too much since I am so very "out of practice"!

I was leafing through a Vogue magazine and found this model with an intriguing face!  Of course, this isn't the exact replica of her face since I drew this free hand because I just wanted to get some marks down on the page but I was happy never-the-less!  I have touched it up a bit more to darken the hair and the jacket.  I can't hide most of the unwanted marks so there is not much point even going there at all.

I had a watercolour paint set for quite some time that I had never used.  I got it out and was happy with most of the colour.  Not to thrilled about the skin tone but I will have to work on my painting skills as well as the drawing.  Regardless, I had fun!!

So off I go now to get my supplies together and get canning!!

Experiment in digital art

The pace this summer has been brisk!  I think that I have missed way too much summer this year; it feels like it has passed by me in a blur. The nature of time is marching by me and before I am aware days and weeks have past and summer is technically almost over.  At lease for all those people who need to abide by that calendar; parents with kids and all that.  This week was the first anniversary of my fathers death, so that kept me down a bit!  Really though, it is because I worked too much overtime this year; my greed got the best of me so I will just have to face the fact that it was my choice.

Also this week, I got some very nice comments from my fellow postcard swappers! I just think that it is so awesome that these small works of art can make there way to like individuals all over the world.  I mean I got mail from Singapore and New Zealand; how cool is that!!! Definitely the power of the internet and of course I have to give a shout out to snail mail!

Earlier this summer I tried my hand at distressing some paper pages from National Geographic using Citrasolv (only available State side).  It was fun to do; slapping the solvent/degreaser on the page and viola; you never can tell what the results might be.  It all depends on the colour of the ink on the page and the amount of degreaser that is applied.

 I found a new app and I was able to piece some of these pages together ....

I like how I was able to "collage" these different pages into a whole.  There was even an area to add comments as show above.  I put it in the centre of the image for ease of placement.  I really like how the Citrasolv moves the ink around on the page and as in the case of the two pages on top the solvent left puddles of ink leaving some cool looking marks and circular shapes.

For the above page on the left, it seems that I didn't add enough solvent but I do like the way it left some of the image.  The face page had the symbol of Route 66 on it and it left a mirror image on this page after it dried.  I thought that it looked kind of cool too.  I don't think that any of these pages have anything to do with each other; I just added them together because they had a similar colour palette.

I definitely will have to play around some more with it.  I'm not sure how I got turned on to using the PicFrame app but I saw a YouTube video.  I would love to watch it again because I have forgotten some of the tutorial but as you can see I have the basics down pat.

I used some of the left over paper pieces in some of the postcards I made for the last swap.  I might just have to investigate this some more for the next one!!

More Postcards

I found two more postcards photo's...although I still don't have all of them.  Oh well, such is life!  I just received another comment from one of the recipients of the swap and I think that I enjoy getting the comments in my e-mail box as much as receiving the postcards.  Well, I shouldn't go that far, I really do love receiving the mail better!  Now, there is nothing much in the mailbox but boring nasty bills and junk flyers.

As below, I used many of the same elements except that on this piece I added dyed household cheesecloth as an accent. and the paint chip sample were cut into squares and glitter glue added to secure them.


This FUN postcard has the words "highlighted" of You....sparkling!!  I think that anyone involved in this swap would have sparkling creativity and it should be acknowledged!

I was happy to see that these two cards are quite similar, so it would be easy to put them here together.

As you might expect by now....I used:

• Paper slice from an unwanted book
• re-used and painted dryer sheet
• paper punch cut outs from an old magazine
• sticky glitter paper
• purchased lacy stamp
• handmade white erasure stamp from the dollar store - FUN
• handmade "artist tape" in yellow
• used for mark making: soda pop bottle cap, the end of a paint brush and hot coffee sleeve
• sliver of a paint chip sample
• washi tape purchased from Etsy

Most important of all.....I had FUN!!!!  Summer is all about fun since our summer is so short!

Postcard #5

I can't believe it but I found some extra photographs of the postcards that I mailed away.

I really do need to "get on it" and follow through on photo taking.

So here is another rusty orangey one:

• I used a recycled junk mail card
• painted and glittered used dryer sheet
• old unloved book page
• magazine image
• paint chip sample
• other bits of distressed magazine
• punch cut pieces from old magazines
• washi tape purchased on Etsy 

I took a pen and cancelled a bunch of the text and was left with "clapping her hands"!  I love that image!  It is what my little 7 month old grand-daughter does! 

Hmmmm, the magazine image rippled somewhat when I pasted it to the card.  Not happy about it but it looked better in person that in this photo!

I love the theme.....it was FUN!!!!

Postcard Swap Envelopes

I just received a very nice comment from one of the recipient s of my postcards.  I just realized that I have not been very diligent at taking photographs of my cards.  I was so intent on getting them out because I was sending them out "past due".  Oh well, I don't think the recipients will be upset over that!

 I love mail, or at least, this type of mail and love going to my mailbox to look and see and be "surprised"!  I am so happy that I have just received my tenth and final card yesterday!

Here is a snap of some of the envelopes.  I didn't want to send out the usual morning white type and really enjoyed making these out of stuff from around the house.  I have way too much gift wrap so it made great envelope material.  I also got to use up some of the brown paper bags that I seem to be accumulating.  I found some cheap tape so I trimmed the paper bag envelopes with that!  So much fun!

I especially enjoy the connection of other people from around the world.  I hope to get a comment on here from Germany.  Now that would be very cool!!!

Postcard #4 - Hot, Hot, Hot

Oh my it is just so steamy these days and tomorrow is suppose to be around 29!  Ouch!!

So here is another of my postcards that epitomizes the season!!

I like the square vintage format of the snap above but actually the postcard is much larger so I was forced to take a full sized one too.

I love hot pink and black together.

To make this postcard I used:

• junk mail card
• acrylic gesso and paint
• strip of paper from old unwanted book
• strip from a colour swatch
• purchased lace stamp
• handmade white erasure stamps: HOT and FUN
• mark making with stuff from around the house - corrugated cardboard hot coffee sleeve
• hand made "artist" tape using painted and stamped paper bandage tape
• paper punched cut out out shapes from magazines
• old bingo sheet

I have circled the words IMAGINE IT!  I think that it is something that we all need to do...imagine it!  Imagine....Hot.....Fun!!!


This too was fun to make!  My cards from the swap have come and I have gotten almost all but I seem to cap off at 8 out of 10 postcards.  

Postcar #3 Part 2-Rose Collage

First, there was a bunch of rose flowers on our florabunda rosebush!!!! My hubby has the green thumb in this family.  I like to take photographs and that is about it!!!

I had a chance to grab some petals that had fallen off in the wind.  I put them on a release paper sheet, actually re-used the wrapper that our photocopy paper comes in at work.  I often drag them home to use for art projects!!  The girls at work think that I am odd, but that is okay with me!

I didn't wait for the petals to dry; I just applied gel medium on them right away.  I think I used fluid matte medium to be exact.  I coated one side and then the other.  I did dry some others that I had picked and I will see how them are in a similar project.  I think I rather like the petal this way since they are not exactly flat and creates visual texture.

You can see them on the right edge of the photo below.  I just used more gel medium to apply them to the postcard.

So for this rest of the postcard I used:

• applied black gesso to a re-cycled junk mail postcard
• re-used a sewing pattern and seam binding from past projects
• bingo sheet
• paint colour swatch
• painted and glittered dryer sheet
• stamps made from around the house items

I also used one purchased lace patterned stamp that is in behind the sepia coloured dryer sheet.  In addition, on the top left you can just see a piece of paper cut from a magazine of something looking like  zebra's.  The image was distressed so not much of the image is really left but just the right amount for this project.

Although it had been my intention to stamp FUN on each postcard; because they were fun to make, I decided to omit that from this one.  I like a bit of busy or should I say "organized chaos" but there is a point of no return.   I just knew that I wold not be happy.

Oh, I just wanted to mention that I got a nice comment from a woman out in the worldwide web!  Nice comments are always great to receive.  Who know that a woman from the U.S. would  1. find my blog and 2. take the time to comment!!!  Thanks to all who do, I appreciate it!

Postcard #3 Plus Grandbaby

Finally after close to a month, we are visiting our daughter and gran-daughter!!!! She is such a beauty and has learned how to sit on her own, reach for and grab things and squeal with delight I thought I'd best post my third postcard! I would have had more photo's but through my own stupidity I made a mess of the upload so I don't have any!! Very frustrating!! It seems that blogger for the iPad won't let me upload so I will have to try again when I get home! I will have to find out what I mist do ..... I hope that I don't have to stand on my head or anything ridiculous!!!!

Happy Canada Day!!

I have been a bit negligent with this blog so I will endevour to keep up as much as I can this month!!

We were busy at work last night but not really as busy as I had anticipated!  Regardless, I am glad that I am not working overtime again tonight!

I was able to complete a mixed media "doodle" of sorts especially for the occasion!  This is certainly not my favourite doodles for Canada Day but it is the one that I did this year ..... so be it, here it is!!!

 I had fun doing this doodle because it kept me awake during the slow times.  I had some cheap dollar store tape with me and so I used it as a border.  The stuff is so awful that it is hard to remove it from the roll in one piece.....so, I just "went with it"!!!! 

Then when I came home this morning, I was resting in my car after working all night and glanced out the window.  This is what I am calling my Canada Day bunny!!!!  Very cute, almost as cute as my grand-daughter!

2nd Postcard Swap - #2

I love making these little pieces of art!  I love to see how I can mix different and disconnected things and put them together in a pleasing manner.  Well, I guess that really is in the "eye of the beholder"!!!!

I especially like to recycle, re-use or re-purpose from around the house:

For this FUN postcard I used.

Again, I tried to lay it out to find a good design or at least see what "pleased my eye"!!!!  I like things that are busy; it might be my ADHD coming out in me even after all this time.  I like to have lots to look at and try and figure out how it was accomplished.  It always makes me laugh when I start I have a vision of what my "right side up" will be but in the end that changes.

I used a recycled card from our junk mail!  I applied layers of gesso; black on the one side and white on the writing side!

My embellishments are: slice of old unwanted book, leftover seam binding from my sewing days, paint chip card, purchased washi tape, cut tissue paper, and my absolute favourite - painted dryer sheet with added glitter!

I also added punch out flower shapes from some unwanted magazines, and painted orange bandage "paper" tape.  My around the house stamps were soda pop bottle lid, a piece of corrugated cardboard from a hot coffee sleeve and the "not so pointy" end of an old paint brush to make the dots.

Yes, this was fun to make!!!

2nd Postcard swap #1

OMG! I haven't blogged for over a month! Wo what the heck have I been doing??? First, I went on holidays in the Thousand Islands with some old time friends (lots of fun!), then I was recruited by my union to get back on the Executive to assist with bargaining our next contract with our employer (hard times are a'comin"!)  Now...I'm working night shift and there has been lots of overtime in the mix - past, present and future!

I think that this is one of my favourite pictures from the Thousand Islands and it is all about the juxtaposition of the people and objects - the very large objects, those ocean going ships.

I had to laugh when I saw that I had taken the above!  When I took it I was only actually "seeing" the ocean freighter; when I saw the snap on my computer I then saw the couple fishing on their little boat and the people on the white speed boat almost overtaking the ship.    As it turns out, there was much more going on than I had initially realized!  Love when that happens, when the composition of a photograph makes itself!


Below is a snap of some "artist tape" that I made.  I do have purchased washi tape but it is expensive and I live in the boondocks and it is not always available!  I have to drive an hour to find some and that just doesn't happen very often. I used "paper tape" that you find in the bandage isle in your drugstore, dollar store or department store.

I painted them up with acrylic and used some glitter paint on some of them as well.

I tried to set up a n appealing design prior to glueing everything down with gel medium.

I have to admit it!  I am a recycler, re-user and a repurpose type of gal!  I still think that you can make lovely creative things regardless of the tools that you use.




I used some found lacey ribbon, a strip of a page from an old unwanted book, paint chips, painted dryer sheets, left over netting from another project, around the house mark making stamps!!  I used a corrugated cardboard from a hot coffee sleeve, the not-so-pointy end of an old paint brush (from my university days) to make dots and a cap from a soda pop bottle to make the circles.

This postcard for the postcard swap really was fun to make!  I do enjoy experimentation.  Each postcard I make I like but then when I make the next one; I like it better.

Thinking of Sandy

I thought I was done but apparently not.  I have tinkered around with the card since my last post but I think now that it is now complete.

To make the mixed media art postcard I used:

• recycled junk mail card
• magazine images, text and punch cut-outs
• organza ribbon
• acrylic gesso and paint
• sharpie pen
• oil pastels
• paint chip colour swatch
• glitter glue
• bingo card 
• glitter sticker paper 

I had a lot of fun making this card!!!  Not everyone will comprehend the reason for some of the imagery but that is okay since it is very personal. 

This and That

I'm home alone!  I love having the house to myself!  My old guy is off fishing with the boys and I am on holidays.  Sweet!

I woke up at 0300 hrs this morning and I tried to lie down again but I got up to see who had sent me a text message.  It was from my daughter of course!  We had a good chat and a plan was made for me to go south to see the family on Tuesday.

I wanted to take this time to do some art.  It was my intention to get quite a bit done on the postcards for the next postcard challenge that is about to begin.  I don't really have much to show for myself yet but these to pictures.

The first is a drawing of a male face that I found in a recycled art journal that I started some time ago.  I just liked the green and blue colour and finally after looking at it for a time; I saw what looked like a face. I just followed the lines and this face formed.  Fun!  Not a lot of effort but fun nevertheless!

I hope that it isn't similar to the face that was found in the toast.  It isn't meant to be anything serious, it as just kinda cool to actually see something on a gessoed page that was just plastered with leftover paint.

The next picture is a postcard that I am making for a friend who has cancer!  I thought I would do up a "thinking of you" card.  Just because - just because I can!

It is a mixed media piece using a re-cycled mail card that I keep getting in the mail.I gessoed it too and slapped on some paint.  Then I doodled on it with a Sharpie.  Cut out some images from magazine pages along with some text that I hope she takes as a positive message.  There is also one piece of a National Geographic that I had treated with CitraSolv for it didn't really cut through the ink (I must assume that I didn't apply enough liquid to the paper).   I will pop this into a gift wrap envelope that I have cut yet and mail it out on Tuesday before I head to Toronto.

Just a chance photograph

I am confirmed to take part in the next postcard swap!  Looking forward to participating once again and I have start to make my substrate and some of the other embellishments.  FUN!!!!  I have decided to make them slightly different this time as well.  I loved the process of covering the mixed media journal that I bought from the woman who hosts this swap; I have decided to make these cards in a similar fashion.

I caught a glimpse of some movement while driving home last night from work.  I was lucky to get this quick snap of the wood ducks that I had seen earlier in the farmers field not far from this bit of marshland. I think I am going to have to put my turbo zoom camera in my car so I can get some better shots when these opportunities turn up; they are often unexpected.  I love things that happen just "by chance". I love the late afternoon lighting as well!

When I first caught sight of these ducks, I would never have guessed that they were in fact DUCKS!  As you can see in the photo below their bills (beaks) are not very large so I thought they were birds!

Random Thoughts

My hubby is working afternoon shift and I have time to myself.  I love that!  Listening to 2 Cello's album quite loudly (possible a old fashioned moniker for CD; possible even CD's are "old fashioned" these days).  Regardless, love the music!  If you didn't see them on Oprah and Ellen then do go to iTunes and check them out.  Love making art to the music!

I think that I have joined up for yet another mixed media postcard swap!  I haven't started any but I am getting some "foundations" down.  I think that they will be reminiscent of my journal cover.  I loved making it and I think that I will have fun making the postcards using this system.  It is faster and way easier than sewing.  The down side is that I love the results of hand sewing; so, I just might change my mind yet again.  Who knows!  Not me, not until I actually start the project.

I have to say that I had fun today with the CitraSolv solution and my National Geographic magazines.  My only complaint is caused by my own stinginess!  I love the results when I apply the Citra Solv "liberally".  Every time I reduce the amount of solution spread on the page is when I am very unhappy with the results.   I'm not sure quite yet, I have even been thinking I might use some of the papers  for the postcards.   So many choices!!!

Anyway, today is the day that I finally caught the culprit who has been pooping on my car.  I even have evidence that he is obviously the likely suspect.   I mean really.... buddy.....give me a break.  My hubby parks his shiny new silver truck right next to mine but his goes unscathed.  What gives??!!  I say that his truck makes for a good target too! 

Blue Cheer - Mixed Media B-day Wishes

I have made another postcard for a good friend of mine who will be having a birthday this week.  I sent the postcard via express post but it will still take two days so she will be getting it a day late.  Oh well, I just couldn't be helped.

I call it Blue Cheer, the title of this project is not solely because of the song (okay so they were a one hit wonder!!) Summertime Blues.  It is because we will be going out on her boat in Lake Ontario again this summer.  So much fun and the view on the water is breath-taking; I never tire of the 1000 Islands.

In the snap above you can see it up close; you can see the netting over the organza, the sparkly fabric (I found it in the sale bin and I would expect it is used for skating costumes and such like).  I did a bit of embroidery work and of course my beloved beading.  I put the two fabrics to get using glitter glue for something else different in this mixed media piece.

  I knew that I had a blue button somewhere in my stash and I knew that I just had to add it.  But where?? I decided that it would be an abstract representation of the sun.  I sewed the button on and used slivers of organza to add more texture.

I made the horizon off-kilter reminiscent of being on the boat in a windy stormy day with the waves getting higher and higher.  I hope that my friend can see my vision.

I had a very "fluid" plan in my mind when I started my creation and I am quite happy with the results.  I hope my friend enjoys her card as much as I did creating it!!!

Fake is the New Real!

I was trolling through the net and came across this title for a journal page on making a fake journal.  I don't really have any intention on doing this but it brings up a point.  I now have to acknowledge that "fake is the new real"!!!  I hate having to do this but when I think about the ham we had last night this point really hit home.  Most so-called ham's are pressed meat into a shape that resembles what we think a ham should look like.  I don't know why we think that ham is something that should be perfectly round or shaped like a thigh is beyond me.  If my recollection is correct a ham had a bone in it and when it didn't my parents would buy a picnic pork shoulder (a ham for poor people!!).  Hmmm, weird memories but at least they are fake.

Finishing up my current project but no photo's yet.  In fact, I forgot to take any so it is almost finished and there are only a few to show you later.

I tried to make some "artist tape" using some dollar store and other cheap tapes that I bought at that big bad "W" store.  I don't go there frequently but I knew that they would likely have something cheap.

The article is from Somerset Studio's March/April 2012 edition and it seemed easy enough so I thought that I would give it a go.  I dug out some stamps as well and used my Staz On stamp pad to see how they took on the tape.  For colour, I used Tri Art liquid paint, Liquitex acrylic as well as Ranger Inks.  It was a good trial and depending on the look you might be going for on how likely I would be to actually using these in an journal.  Now that I have made some, I will use them just to say that I did.

I went for a walk the other day and came across these flowers at the end of a farmers lane way.  I think that they are domestic flowers but I have never seen them before.  I love the pastel shades of pink and purple and especially liked the dots on the leaves.  If anyone has any idea the name of this flower let me know.

Spring walk

It is Easter time already and we will be packing to head down to Toronto to see the family.  Very nice!  It is a very fine sunny day so driving will be easy and I think that many will be coming north and we will be heading into the city so traffic should be less hectic than weekday.

I had a wonderful walk yesterday although it was really cold.  The sun was shining but the wind was brisk.  Luckily, I was wearing the appropriate attire; often I am not and find the walk miserable.

I as always I brought my trusty camera with me and got a few good snaps.  I think this one of the crows is the best of the lot though.

It is a bit surreal in its minimalism.  I did however enhance the colour since the current spring time colour around here is beige and brown.  Spring is sprung but the farmers crops are not peeking out of the ground quite yet.

I read a blog and the author puts up pictures in her "noticing journal" and I totally get where she is coming from.  I call noticing my surroundings, consciously looking.  It is amazing what you will see when you are consciously looking around you to see what there is.  At first there seems like there is nothing new to see.  I walk several different paths but really there is not much different on any given day but if I actually look....sometimes there is a lot.  For instance, these three birds that I caught in flight.  They had just landed in the field and I had to wave my arms and whistle at them to get them to move once more so I could take this snap.  It wasn't where I wanted to grab the picture but where I could since I only carry my point-and-shoot with me on my walks.


I rushed into town yesterday to buy the ham and I'm glad that I did since they had lots of hams that were smaller than the two that they had the day before.  I got one that was a reasonable size and popped it in the freezer.