Mudglue

Flown

2009-05-13T11:39:00.002-05:00

My apologies for the lack of posts. It seems spring has come. The bees are calling.. If you'd like come on over and visit the suburban homestead at The Burbs and the Bees. That's where I'll be for a while. Thanks for stopping and hope to see you soon!

Space

2009-03-20T08:37:00.003-05:00

Jars and bits on the desk.

I've fallen in love with the dormer space on our second floor between the upstairs bedrooms. We've been using it as a den, but with all the overcast days from the lake effect clouds I find myself needing to be by some windows.

Workbench with Ikea tins.

My husband built me this work bench three years ago. Mom and I hauled it out to the den and gave it a fresh coat of paint.

This large inspiration board is made from a roll of cork and some left over trim strips. I covered it with burlap from the craft store to hide the cork seams.

Sarah Susanka's The Not so Big House is an inspiration to me. Now the not-so-frequented den is my most favorite spot in the house!

Waiting for Spring

2009-03-06T13:57:00.004-05:00

Sprouts. Screen print on note card.

First attempt at screen printing with a paper stencil. The ink leaked a bit and left some bubbles, but the cards still turned out well. Note to self: If using a paper stencil on the screen, use a larger image. I haven't tried screen printing since high school and forgot how much fun it is! Just taking the new screen for a test drive. Can't wait to start again!

Kitchen "Stuffing"

2009-02-23T10:26:00.005-05:00

First and novice attempt at a group on Flickr called:

The International Championship League of Matchbox Stuffers.

40 items found loose in the kitchen and "stufffed" into a small matchbox.

List and photos of matchbox content here.

I love miniatures! This group looked like so much fun I had to give it a try!

For B.

2009-02-19T16:17:00.004-05:00

Glass marble magnets made with vintage fabric scraps. This set was made for a friend, who requested blue and yellow for her kitchen.

Photo left: Magnets on my Hand•Book journal.
Photo right: Magnets packaged in little tin.

Let's go skating..

2009-02-09T10:19:00.003-05:00

Made this little stamp to mark in my journal when I go skating. My mom gave me this box of vintage fabric. I love to dig through the scraps and look at all the patterns and color combos. Fell in love with the orange and turquoise fabric!

Pocket Landscape

2009-02-06T08:16:00.004-05:00

I came across this journal this week and fell in love with it's green cover. It is made from the hand•book journal co. The size is wonderful 3.5" x 5.5" and it is filled with a nice heavyweight buff drawing paper. There is a nice little clear pocket in the back to hold things too.

Found an art store this week that stocks the Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils that I like. I didn't have a list of the colors I had at home, so made a color key and tossed it in the back.... just in case I wander over that way again!

Ruler Under Glass

2009-02-04T13:42:00.004-05:00

I've been addicted to making these glass marble magnets lately. Maybe it is because they are so cheerful during this cold dreary weather? I made this set for my mother. She gave me an antique silk ruler that was in pretty bad condition, with the request to make her a set of magnets. My favorite is the larger marble in the middle.

Final Flight

2009-01-30T14:55:00.001-05:00

My last entry for the moleskine exchange. This journal is on it's way back to Scoach today. See more of Moly_X_9 here!

Back Home

2008-11-22T10:29:00.002-05:00

a. Tony's Coffee b. Pear for pear scones.

Vintage used Kodachrome slide with watercolor/pen and ink.

Art Everyday Month Submissions for November 20-21. Please go here for individual descriptions of the slides.

Seattle

2008-11-22T10:21:00.002-05:00

Vintage used Kodachrome slides with ink and watercolor wash.

Slides from our recent trip west to Seattle. November 14 - 19 submissions for the Art Everyday Month: November. For individual descriptions of the slides, please go here.

AEDM - November 13th

2008-11-13T20:36:00.003-05:00

"Ireland" pitcher

Vintage used Kodachrome slide with watercolor / pen and ink.

I have a soft spot for pottery. Mostly mixing bowls...nested sets of heavy goodness. Found this "Ireland" pitcher at the thrift. Cream colored with bands of brown and green at the bottom. Also managed to leave with a small set of nested bowls.

: )

Month at a Glance

2008-11-12T17:04:00.004-05:00

A slide a day so far for the Art Every Day Month - November group on Flickr. There was a binder of blank plastic sleeves with the used slides at the thrift store. I thought it would be fun to make a miniature collection for the month.

Euonymus Gradient

2008-11-12T16:57:00.002-05:00

Euonymus leaves on parcel tag.

The rains came last week and have pretty much taken down all the fall colors. I couldn't resist snapping this gradient of leaves before they were gone. I pressed them under a book. The bright color darkened now that they are dry, but the lovely gradient still remains.

AEDM-November 8th

2008-11-08T19:16:00.004-05:00

Stool

Used vintage Kodachrome slide with water color/ pen and ink

Submission for the Art Every Day Month - November

This guy was inspired after a trip to Construction Junction. They had a sea of them inside the door. CJ is a great place to look for architectural salvage and treasures! We had made a trip into the city to visit the Handmade Arcade at the Hunt Armory in Shadyside. If you are in town this weekend, be sure to check it out!

Art Every Day Month - November 2008

2008-11-06T19:26:00.003-05:00

Maple Leaf

Used vintage Kodachome slide with watercolor / pen and ink.

The weather here was fantastic today. Sunny and warm before the cold rains come this weekend. Spent the day in the yard. The maple leaves are light, like tissue, with edges curling and dark as they fade. Couldn't resist capturing just one more. To see more of the Art Everyday Group on Flickr, click the icon on the sidebar.

Art Every Day Month - November 2008

2008-11-06T19:20:00.003-05:00

Great Horned Owl

Used vintage Kodachrome slide with watercolor / pen and ink.

It's been awhile since I've heard this fella, but he was out in full force last night. I love listening to him call in the dark. Somewhere in the distance his mate was calling back faintly. I would love to see him up close, but the best I've managed is to see his wing span as he tucks himself deeper into the woods. Sketch based from my Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds.

Scraps

2008-11-06T12:22:00.004-05:00

Created with FD Flickr Toys

Mosaic created from photos taken this summer while unloading some free scraps of wood. As we sifted through the pile for fire kindling, I kept finding all these interesting textures, words and letters stamped on the wood. My favorite finds: the words "type a" stamped in red on a board and a little plastic daisy squished into the paint on another.

Art Every Day Month - November 2008

2008-11-04T05:42:00.002-05:00

Used vintage Kodachrome slike with watercolor / pen and ink.

My messenger bag for today as I run out the door for work! I love this bag. For the Art Every Day Month pool. Click the icon to see more work from the group on Flickr.

Art Every Day Month - November 2008

2008-11-03T15:42:00.004-05:00

Used Vintage Kodachrome slide with pen/ink/watercolor.

I have one geranium plant still hanging on. We've already had some nights with the temperatures dipping to the low 30's. This poor little thing, on the stoop of the front porch, still has one red flower in bloom.

Click the Art Every Day Month icon to view more of the group work on Flickr.

b e e

2008-11-03T08:20:00.001-05:00

Well, it's no secret I love bees. I came across a stack of these elementary school cards at my "favorite thift store" and had to take them home. I quickly found my favorite card...

Art Every Day Month - November 2008

2008-11-02T20:19:00.002-05:00

November 2, 2008 : Polka Mug

Vintage Kodachrome slide with pen and ink watercolor.

Art Every Day Month : November 2008

Click on the Art Every Day icon in the side bar to visit

the group submissions on Flickr.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 2008

2008-11-02T20:07:00.005-05:00

November 1, 2008 : Camera

Vintage used Kodachrome slide with pen and ink illustration.

I received an invitation from Leah to join the Art Every Day Month - November 2008. I've been thinking about what I wanted to do for the month and have had several themes rolling around my head. After a trip this weekend to my "favorite thrift store" my inspiration changed. In a back corner of the store there were stacks of old automatic slide changer magazines, filled with used slides. Miniature canvases!! I kind of felt bad painting over this one. There was a nice looking picnic on this slide...

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T07:19:00.002-05:00

.005 Pigma Micron Pen on pumpkin seeds.

Hoping everyone has a fantastic day!

Teapot Inchie

2008-10-28T13:32:00.005-05:00

Photographed in Moleskine notebook.

British phone booth teapot inchie: Watercolor/pen and ink.

Mailing tags: Found at Goodwill.

Texture: Inside of junk mail security envelopes with cancelled postmark.

Swatches

2008-10-28T09:02:00.001-05:00

Inchie maple leaf swatches on the back of a used envelope.

Rice Crackers

2008-10-21T16:55:00.001-05:00

Rice crackers with nuts. Jumbo bag from bulk food store. A sketch for today.

Dip Pens

2008-10-20T08:03:00.003-05:00

I haven't had these out for ages. Odd collection of dip pens, mostly from second hand stores or flea markets. Most of the poor old things won't wright anymore, but I just don't have the heart to toss them!

Dip pen with Windsor Newton Nut Brown ink in moleskine notebook.

Autumn's Font

2008-10-14T11:23:00.005-05:00

Above: Free hand lettering cut from autumn leaves.

Each letter size 13/16th of an inch.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I can't help but to pick up pockets full of leaves when outside. There are curled dried leaves on my desk, leaves pressed in books, cardboard carriers from camp last year, between waxed paper... I just can't seem to get enough. Too bad this season comes and goes so quickly. Trying to soak it up while I can!!

Happy Autumn everyone!!

Fungus

2008-10-08T08:58:00.001-05:00

Sitting out by the garden lamenting the season is over. The ground has been tilled and the earth is fresh again. It looks as if we were never even there. Can't wait to start again next year!

At the park..

2008-10-06T08:36:00.003-05:00

..on the curb behind the car.

Watercolor pencil, pigma micron pen, in moleskine watercolor notebook.

Sunflower Drying

2008-08-30T16:30:00.002-05:00

Drying sunflower seeds for next seasons garden.
Watercolor/pen/ink on photo paper. Photo paper only because that was what I had on my desk at the time...

Library Card

2008-08-14T15:53:00.003-05:00

The library closest to us isn't in our county. This meant in order to get a card, I had to go to a library in our county, then take it to the library I want to use to get a card issue from there. I've now been to libraries in three counties and so far this one is my favorite. It is a newer one, but still with old style architecture. New mission..explore architecture in old libraries. Look out Mr. Carnegie..here I come!!

Lace

2008-08-14T15:51:00.002-05:00

I found this leaf out by the apiary. It probably isn't a good sign for the tree, but it sure is pretty!

Bank Wire

2008-08-13T08:58:00.002-05:00

Traffic light and misc. wires. Done in car while sitting in parking lot as husband ran bank errand.

Sketch-a-day

Priority Pick-Up

2008-08-10T18:45:00.002-05:00

I've got this thing about junk mail. Okay, cereal boxes, pharmacy bags, envelopes, paper, bits... all of it. I love to make art out of things that we would normally throw away.

Todays subject: A pharmacy bag heading for the burn pile and a junk mail envelope. Cardboard from something shipped to the house. Finished collage size 6.25"x 6.25"

Tea

2008-08-10T18:43:00.001-05:00

Cup of tea in the attic window. The shadows were strong, but I am not really liking the way this turned out. I'll post it any way..sketch-a-day...
: )

Sketch-a-Collage

2008-08-10T11:37:00.002-05:00

Sketch-a-day done on a second hand tablet while in the park. Sketches cut up and arranged into collage in my mini moleskine. My mom found the second hand tablets and I am in love with the thin yellow paper.

Take Me to the River

2008-08-08T20:49:00.001-05:00

Sketches from our favorite rock along the river. I just needed to be there today. Thanks M & D for a wonderful day!

Trip 8

2008-08-08T20:15:00.001-05:00

Sketch-a-day while in the car on the way to our favorite state park. 8.8.08 on Interstate 80!

Thrifty

2008-08-07T18:13:00.001-05:00

Pattern on thrift store pillow case.

I was once told by an instructor that the shape of a triangle was "angry" and the shape of a circle was "happy." This is one happy pillow case!

Sketch-a-day!

Skewed

2008-08-06T19:30:00.001-05:00

This should be called sketch-in-a-daze. After a string of night shifts, this was all I could muster. Chairs around the campfire as I sat in a daze.

Sketch-a-day!

Things Found

2008-08-05T09:37:00.001-05:00

A collection of things found on the way back from the mail box yesterday. The shells must have come from the gravel we had delivered for the drive, as we really aren't close to any large bodies of water here!

Tree day!

2008-07-31T09:47:00.002-05:00

We had lost a few trees after building the house. My parents had one leaning with the roots lifting and our neighbor had a few dead ones that had to go too. Had a wonderful tree service come and do all three houses yesterday. Exhausted last night from hauling wood, but glad to have the trees down!

Gingham

2008-07-30T12:58:00.003-05:00

There is nothing better to clear my mind than a trip to my favorite thrift store. Maybe it's all the clutter? The thoughts of finding a brilliant treasure in all the rubble? My finds today: A roll of gingham ribbon, a vintage glass with matching decanter, and a new pack of cupcake rappers (un-opened) for $1.

May not be brilliant treasure, but it sure was fun!
Sketch-a-day!!

North Side

2008-07-30T12:54:00.003-05:00

My first attempt at an urban sketch with a view of the North Side of Pittsburgh. Drawn from photo taken from the car as we made a coffee run into town. Inspired to do because of Gabi and his wonderful Seattle Sketches. Not sure how to approach cityscapes yet, but it's a place to start!

Sketch-a-day!

Polka dotted love..

2008-07-29T16:30:00.001-05:00

I love school, office and art supplies. Couldn't resist picking up this little polka dotted pencil bag in the school supply section!

Tractor

2008-07-29T16:28:00.002-05:00

I love vintage tractors. We keep one of our bee hives out at a friend's farm. I could spend all day sitting in the fields there!

Beans for Brains

2008-07-27T20:48:00.001-05:00

I am falling behind.
More beans. Beans for brains.
Maybe I need a beanie...or how about a hot bath?

Mission Control

2008-07-27T20:46:00.001-05:00

So very glad I broke down and purchased the pressure canner. The green beans are coming in fast! Thank goodness the tomatoes have decided to hold off for a while!

Sketch-A-Day

2008-07-24T21:36:00.001-05:00

It may be strange subject matter, but for some reason, I couldn't help myself.
Sketch-A-Day!

Helicopter

2008-07-24T21:34:00.001-05:00

I am thinking all those little maple helicopters that came down in the driveway have started to sprout. Every morning I go out and there are more to pull. If all those little sprouts grew, we would never get the cars into the garage!!

A Toadstool a Day...

2008-07-17T15:48:00.004-05:00

We never have, what I consider, REALLY interesting mushrooms growing in the woods around our house. I was delighted to find this orange polka-dotted toadstool along the path today! It's probably poisonous, but it sure was pretty! It looked like it had a few nibbles on it...wonder who would dare?

Sketch-a-Day

2008-07-17T15:45:00.001-05:00

Kitty boy Luther sleeping in the sun, in front of the open screen door, while I cook dinner. That's one happy boy!

Sketch-a-Day

2008-07-15T08:10:00.001-05:00

Entries for July 11-14. Summer days filled with jam making, bee picnics and trips to the park.

Sketch-almost-everyday..

2008-07-13T18:40:00.002-05:00

Catching up from the beginning of the month. Plan to keep things rolling with the exception of the days I work 12 hours. Just not enough time to get it all in... : )

I Come to the Garden Alone

2008-07-12T20:20:00.001-05:00

My entry into Joan's moly for the moleskine international exchange. This entry blogged here!

Tomato

2008-07-02T20:16:00.001-05:00

Grape tomato, sans fruit. Sketch-a-day!

Blueberries

2008-07-02T20:08:00.004-05:00

First picking of blueberries this season!

Cherry

2008-07-01T23:10:00.003-05:00

Daily sketch before night shift yesterday. Favorite summer treat!

Fannie to the Farmer

2008-07-01T22:28:00.003-05:00

Blogged at Burbs and the Bees.

Closing up shop

2008-06-30T08:52:00.001-05:00

Day lily as it closed for the day. Daily sketch in my moleskine notebook. Watercolor pencil / pen and ink.

Sketch a day?

2008-06-28T16:45:00.003-05:00

My aunt gave me this smaller lined moleskine notebook. I picked it up the other day and felt, well, less intimated. Less space to fill? Lines already on the page? Urge to fill the lines on the page? Curious. It seems to take the gouache well. Dare I hope to get in a sketch-a-day? Even just a doodle...or maybe more???

Garden Map

2008-06-15T09:49:00.002-05:00

Map of the garden for the summer. New additions this year...Concord grapes! Looking forward to making jelly. Maybe next year? The garden is a group effort between our families. Mom got a bit "tomato happy" this year, but as my Flickr friends point out..you can never have too many tomatoes!! : ) Yea for summer!

Moly 9: Columbine

2008-06-01T14:33:00.003-05:00

My entry for Laura's Moly for the Moly_9 Group of the international moleskine exchange.

Waiting..

2008-05-28T18:39:00.002-05:00

Things are a little "bee"hind here with the weather and the bees. I have a wheelbarrow of stuff that needs to go in..plus more seeds for the garden.

Also extending a HUGE "thank you" to our kind neighbor who gave us some concord grape plants and azalea bushes!! If they produce..grape jelly coming your way!

cloth, paper, SCISSORS

2008-05-13T09:15:00.004-05:00

Submission for Prepaid Envelope Art group on Flickr.

Watercolor on Cloth, Paper, Scissor magazine flier.

Aga

2008-05-05T10:19:00.003-05:00

I can't delay any longer. After watching the posts from my Flickr friends, I too have jumped on board the Pre-Paid Envelope Art group on Flickr. Addictive and FUN! Be sure to stop by the site and check out everyone's cards! They are really wonderful!

First entry inspired by my love of British kitchens and my never ending desire to have an Aga of my own...sigh...

Just the BEEginning..

2008-05-04T18:21:00.002-05:00

Entry for the Moly_9 group, part of the international Moleskine exchange. Inspired by the Morning Glory and Moonflower sprouts that are taking off under my grow light...and of course...the bees!

Lunch Time!

2008-04-19T11:25:00.002-05:00

It is week two at the hives and the "girls" are doing great! Keeping an eye on the queens to make sure they are laying. Also keeping the hives fed with sugar water until they are strong enough to go on their own.

Contact Info

2008-04-17T20:00:00.003-05:00

Finally cracking open my Japanese Moleskine for the Moly_X: International Moleskine Exchange group hosted on Flickr. Looking forward to being a part of Moly_9! Can't wait to get sketching..

Housekeeping

2008-04-11T21:49:00.007-05:00

We have successfully installed our new packaged bees, after loosing our remaining hive last summer. It is wonderful to have them back in the garden!! Things are going well. The girls are cleaning house this week and have successfully released the queens from their queen cages. Already seeing some pollen in their leg baskets upon returning to the hives!

Water Without the Color

2008-03-27T21:52:00.002-05:00

Sketch of the bathtub fixture my husband gave me for Christmas the first year we were in the house.

No color added because:

a. My feet turned into prunes.

b. The water got cold.

Boxwood in a Long Tom

2008-03-26T16:23:00.002-05:00

Little boxwood clipping (from Upperville,VA) in a long tom pot. One little sniff of this little guy and I am back in the rolling hills of Virginia.

Secret Door

2008-03-20T12:50:00.002-05:00

Interior view of the little desk with the secret door. As a child I used to love to sneak up to my Aunt's old bedroom and hide trinkets in the compartment. It is a great place to sit, do the daily mail, and organize my day.

Shoots

2008-03-13T14:52:00.002-05:00

It is a beautiful sunny day here today! I gathered up my supplies and mucked out to sit in the garden to paint these Daffodil shoots. It felt so good to soak up some sun! Glad to see Spring is just around the corner.

Watercolor pencil in Moleskine watercolor notebook.

Homework

2008-02-15T23:26:00.003-05:00

Assignment for week two of Cathy Johnson's on-line watercolor pencil workshop. Value study of a tea cup, divided into thirds. Ran out of steam on the pattern though...

Assignment for week one. Getting to know my pencil collections and mixing secondary colors. Very fun and cheerful thing to do on a cold winter's day..

Inktense

2008-01-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

In anticipation of starting Cathy Johnson's on-line watercolor pencil workshop, I thought I'd break out my new set of pencils and give them a whirl! This is a sampler of Derwent's Inktense Watercolor Pencils...with hand carved coffee cup stamp!

You can check out Cathy Johnson's class here at the following link:
http://cathyjohnson.info/online.html

Thanks to my flickr friends for posting the info about her class...Looks like it is going to be great fun!

Hive Plate

2008-01-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

What more could a beegirl want? Hive plate (with matching cup and saucer) was an early Valentine's gift from my mom.

Sketched in my moleskine watercolor notebook with watercolor pencils.

Anne's Wedding China 1938

2008-01-11T13:29:00.000-05:00

Dalton Meito hand painted china. This was my grandmother's wedding china. They married in 1938. She was a great lover of dishes, china, and tea pots and would set the most beautiful tables. I miss gathering around her table, candles lit, with starched table clothes and matching lace napkins. She was a wonderful cook and great at entertaining! Looking at these plates sure makes me wish I had a slice of her homemade coconut cake to go with them!

Gouache and watercolor pencil in moleskine watercolor notebook.

Pen and Ink Cottage

2008-01-04T14:09:00.000-05:00

This sketch is from 1999, drawn from a picture in Victoria magazine. Which, I am happy to announce, is BACK in print! Thinking of getting some "moo" mini cards printed and wanted to see how this image would look. Drawn with a pigma micron pen.

Blue Transferware

2008-01-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

Blue transferware plate marked J.H.W. and Sons, Hanly England. Semiporcelain. It is 14 degrees here today, so I decided to camp out by the fire and paint this! I've had these for years, but recently came across them again. I forgot how beautiful they are!

Gouache and watercolor pencil in watercolor moleskine notebook.

Circa 1860's

2008-01-02T10:21:00.000-05:00

This little doll tea set belonged to my great great grandmother. My mother must have rescued it somewhere along the way. The tea cup, tea pot, and a pile of a saucers are all that remains. There aren't any markings on the porcelain. It makes me wonder how many tea parties this hosted? Who attended? What was served?

Geranium Pot

2008-01-01T15:46:00.000-05:00

Watercolor from a photo of one of my mom's favorite plants. She always puts something cute in this pot! First attempt at painting in my moleskine watercolor journal. I was going to wait to crack it open until I filled my other moleskine, but couldn't wait anymore!

This didn't scan so well with the white watercolor paper of the journal. I like the yellow tone of my moleskine sketchbook a bit better.

Get the Lead Out

2007-12-21T12:58:00.000-05:00

These vintage lead containers belonged to my grandfather, who worked for the Army Corps of Engineers. He passed away when I was in high school. When my grandmother moved out of the house I saved a handful of these from his desk. There is still lead in them! I like the typography on the old boxes.

Monitoring Winter

2007-12-03T15:08:00.000-05:00

It is blowing snow and cold here today. Good day to fire up the wood stove and enjoy the warmth inside. The cats love the heat. As the stove gets hotter and hotter, the cats get slower and slower. They are currently melted to the living room floor!

Elements Ribbon Sampler

2007-11-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

This is quick sketch of "Elements" craft ribbons. My mom gave me a wonderful assortment for my birthday. The color and patterns are so fun I couldn't resist painting them! Still trying out a new set of gouache paints. The colors in this brand are not painting as intense as I'd like. Better luck next time?!

Take a loop!

2007-11-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

Inspired by the fall colors, mom and I cut a walking trail around our property. It is so nice to walk in the woods and not have to be on the roads. Sometimes it just feels good to "take a loop" and get some air!!

Foreign Postage

2007-11-07T17:54:00.000-05:00

I found some packs of unused foreign postage stamps on a recent trip to Charlottesville, VA. There is this wonderful studio art store on the edge of the University of Virginia campus. It was all I could do to resist another moleskine purchase!

The shapes, color, and graphics of the stamps are so lovely, I couldn't resist painting a few of them. The triangle butterfly stamps are my favorite in the pack!

Travel Gouache

2007-10-31T18:39:00.000-05:00

Falling in love with the moleskine sketchbook has proven to be a bit of a problem, due to my travel watercolors don't take well to the coating on the moleskine paper. After a bit of trial and error, I found that gouache works best for me. I tried squirting the tubes I had (a few years old and starting to dry) into a bead container from a craft store, only to find the paint when dried, didn't stick to the plastic. A fan of art supplies, I dismantled a spare watercolor travel kit and filled the compartments with some new gouache color I found at our local university book store. The pots are taking a bit to dry, but it looks like it will work and travel well!!

Garage-mahal

2007-10-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

We built our house about five years ago and have finally decided to start on a detached garage. The guys are making great progress and we can hopefully pour the floor soon. Hoping we can get that far before the snow starts to fly.

Collage from a book called, Simplified Site Engineering for Architedts and Builders by Parker & MacGuire©1954. I found it at our favorite salvage shop. All the math seemed appropriate for the task at hand.

My mother has named the new addition...the garage-mahal.

Camping!

2007-09-29T09:38:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how fast the time at camp went! Back home, doing laundry, and unpacking with memories of the river and creeks fresh in my mind! It is so nice to take a few days in the "big" woods. I could sit with my art pack and draw for days there.

Clear Creek State Park is a magical place. My parents have been hiking/camping there since they were teens. It is wonderful to share it with them now!

Chihuly at Phipp's!

2007-09-23T19:13:00.000-05:00

My niece had a school trip to Phipp's Conservatory and Botanical Gardens today to see the glass exhibit by Dale Chihuly. It was amazing! If you have a chance to see it, in Pittsburgh or other cities, it is well worth it! Can't wait to go back and visit at night.

The "Float Boat" was my favorite room. The giant spheres looked magical on the water!

Locked Out

2007-06-22T13:03:00.001-05:00

Locked Out
Originally uploaded by beegirl0211

Don't you hate it when you do stuff like this?

At the Lake!

2007-06-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't been to the Lake in years. Funny how it never changes! It looks the same in the black and white photos my grandpa took as a young man. We spent many summers here and were lucky to even rent a cottage for a few of them. Old cottages with screened in porches. Mice running over the piano strings at night. Clawfoot tubs filled to your neck with bubbles. Fishing off the dock for catfish with dough balls. Loads of summer memories. Thanks for stopping by to share them!

Afternoon at my desk.

2007-05-17T19:13:00.000-05:00

We were really hoping to get the garden put in today, but it rained last night and most of today so we elected to wait. Spent the day puttering around the studio and decided to sketch a few of the things on my desk. Moleskines are new to me and I had been having trouble with my watercolors in the sketchbook. Not so much a fan of the watercolor crayons, so I tried the Gouache...which works great!

I am having trouble getting my journal to display in landscape format. Any suggestions? I am new to blogger.

Monticello

2007-05-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Mudglue! This is my first posting. Stay tuned for more! Thanks.