skimmed cream

 

This looks like skim  milk rather than a rich cream in the evening light.

Morning light!

I will be leaving it for now but I just may antique it a bit after I see how the walls turn out.  I could also just stir up some egg and turn it into a custard!

capital P for PAINT

Nothing like a few giggles, some "shake it all about" and lots of 'good ideas' to get motivated!

Not many posts but I am actually busy.  I am/was down in the depths cleaning and purging the laundry corner.  I am throwing anything that isn't being used right now away.  I will take my sink out to the workroom in the barn and make a spot for hanging clothes.  We have a shortage of hanging space in this old house.

 I also organized the paint section and I'm horrified by all the unopened gallons.  I think I'll use some on the plywood walls in the basement to freshen things.  I even have some old floor paint.

Yesterday I went to get Eliana and we toured a home reno store and got some fabric at Ikea to cover my seasonal accessories in the basement.  We also got some better paint paper.  It needs to be good stuff to stand up to my little artist's thick and juicy expectations.  lol

I seem to be restless as I decided to use some of that paint in the kitchen.  Not wanting to have a helper to sort more in the basement, I started stripping wallpaper in the kitchen. With one tiny section done I wondered what the jelly cupboard might look like in a more neutral colour than the original country blue.   ;) ;)

Eliana was game!   I hope I'm not encouraging ADD tendencies! eek!  But that wall paper is gonna be a bear!  :(

She thought she should be higher.  This girl is gonna move up in the world!  ;)

She reached the top finally as she tackled the back.

This is chalk paint and I used Pure White just because I wanted the inside white and a bit of a primer before the final outer coat.  So this was fast and easy.

Now my helper is onto ink and stamping so I just might be able to get that last bit of colour on the outside of the jelly cupboard.  Shhh!  She may not notice I have slipped away and I think dealing with her mess creativity in the playroom might be worth making own mess  creativity in the kitchen. 

oops!  She's arrived with her supplies to be closer.  Hmm, I shall paint and post pictures another day!

Patience is a what?

I am learning as I go.   I do need to make haste slowly.  This did obviously not dry between layers.  :(

I am learning to tape things down so they stay flat and I really like the white border.  I'm not so sure the blurriness is the camera or lighting but rather a wanna be artist who wants to see it fast and has no patience. 

This is just more leftover paint from the stencil.  I did it on Dollar Store card stock.  The paint had dried from the first layer.  Nothing wasted as I continue to learn.  But...
There is no virtue in hurrying!

and a child shall lead them

I was watching a watercolour tutorial and my grandson asked if that was art!  I said yes and he said, "Let's do it!".

I did the part where liquid was used and I really liked it.  It drys permanent and it sprays wonderfully.  We tried several things and sometimes he was more successful than I!

He sprayed on a stencil on some scrap paper and I captured the stencil print on extra watercolour paper.

I found the colours to be very vibrant even when diluted. We used the same stencil but moved it over a wee bit for the second colour and that was enlightening. ;)

While everything was drying we turned to making stamps and using acrylics.  He made a LOT of confetti with my cutter but we did get a house built into the existing landscape.

A left handed boy and zig zag scissors was a challenge so we switched to regular scissors. The little bits of leftover zigs and zags turned out to be fantastic for adding leaves to the main canopy!

Yes, Josh.  It is ART!

Please Mr. Postman

I had to have that box of scrap booking materials in the mail and on the way to an anxiously waiting DD. :)
I did add some to my first page example for her.

She will be less than impressed with this photo but it is a fine example of using the expression to pick up a theme.  Not every photo is meant for the mantle! lol  I tucked the tag behind the photo.  She is keen to journal.

I found some more things for this page and then I found the very much needed arrow!  :)

This page is another fun one.  I added a pouch with lots of tags.  DD#1 was her Dad's foreman/straw boss/lead hand and slipped back into helper mode during a visit.  The Tim Holtz tissue paper had some great drafting angles and the word PLAN that I noticed after I'd added it so I tried to position the photo with that in mind.

This is probably our last good family photo before spouses were added and I was tickled to find a wood look paper that kinda matched that old wooden fence that we just finished replacing.  I've left room for writing and adding a date or title.

These pages will go in page protectors.  I made a slit to accommodate an easy pull out tag and also added a suggestion for the touch of pink.

I ran out of time but this is an idea to get some texture into the pages.  I like rub-ons and they added some fun to the photo of a previous kitchen we decorated together!

So the parcel and info is mailed and now to catch up on my own projects.  I can't wait to hear how she likes everything.  Please, Mr. Postman...

Life - lines, lawnmowers, lemonade

Surprising us once again, summer is still hanging on. I am admiring this hollyhock which is different from the others.  I am also trying to ignore all the crispy leaves on the poplars in my shade garden.  Not sure what that means but poplars clone off of one main root system so when one dies...  :(    C'est la vive!

The fence line is done.  The design decisions for the gate will wait till next year but I'm excited about the possibilities.  The Rooster's latent landscape genes are surfacing and he is suggesting a tree at the gate.  I'm inclined to agree.  ;)

A goodly supply of meat is in the freezer for winter.  Pin feathers in the chickens postponed finishing so we laboured on the yard on Monday.  The Rooster hates lawnmowers. And grass!  While he was fixing the Fix on the big one, I was blowing the belt on the back up machine.  argggghhhh   I left him with his head down and joined the bus leaving for the last game of the current baseball season.

While I was standing in the line up for some lemonade I was thinking that I had no time for this.   I should be passing the Rooster wrenches or something. 

I should be getting DD#1's scrap booking box organized to ship.   I think I may have underestimated my boot box depth!
 
But as I sipped my lemonade and cheered the team on I was thinking life wasn't so bad!  Summer may be running out but there is always another season of time waiting in the wings!  :)  It's a good life