Paint Party Friday: Summer Vacation

July Artist of the Month

I am going to be Artist of the month for my county Art Club.  It has me in a panic because I want to show a masterpiece and of course, I have not painted it yet because the one you are going to do is always better than the one you just finished.  

Is it just me or do others get...... for lack of a better term...."stage fright"? 

I look at that huge piece of paper and think:

I will not be able to do this one. This is the one I will throw in the trash.  It will be the one I will not want anyone to ever see.  I will never complete it. 

Logically, I know I can.  I teach it!  I battle students who say these words to me and I laugh with them.  I talk about the awkward stage of painting to my students and warn them about it and talk them out of quitting paintings at that awkward stage. 

If I do not turn out a masterpiece by Monday....I think the painting or paintings I will use will be "Caleb's Love" (left) and it's companion piece "Gaby's Love" (right) (the couple's honeymoon pictures from Playa del Carmen).  

I love the figure in Caleb's Love but the rocks in Gaby's Love are much fresher looking and more spontaneous, less labored looking. 

(Please, excuse these poorly photographed images.)

A Basket for Ron:  Sock Roses

We found out this week that one of our men from church has been diagnosed with colon cancer.  At a loss for what to do for the family, Gaby, my daughter-in-law suggested we put together a basket for Ron and his sweet wife, Kay.  After making a few calls and asking friends who wanted to contribute to the basket to bring specific things we had a basket full of good things for the hospital visit.  

As always people are so generous!

I asked for socks to keep his feet warm in a cold hospital, I got twelve socks! 

I asked for a small container of mints and lip balm for dry mouth and lips, I got two big bags full of mints and lip balm.  

I asked for a music CD....got two!  

I asked for quarters for the vending machine....I got twenty dollars in quarters (we put in medicine bottles for the basket). 

Add instant soups, bread sticks, peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers, and various nuts for the family, and a package of caramels, a few microwave safe disposable cups, instant green tea, a wrap to keep Kay warm and all the love that goes with it.... our basket is filled to brimming. I almost had to go find a bigger basket.

Now with all that good stuff  I had the task of how to make these random things look pretty in a basket.  Those socks just took up space and did not look pretty at all so I took them out of the package and started to roll them when an idea popped into my head....rolled socks can look like a rose bud!  So here goes!

 Start with a pair of low cut socks or short socks and a skewer or some sort of craft stick.  Fold the toe end down to hide any writing that may be on the toe.  Make sure the heel is to the top as seen in picture.  Begin a slight downward spiral, allowing the heel to wrap outward a little to create a petal for the bud. I used a rubber band and wrapped securely to keep the sock on the stick. 

Cut a strip of felt about 12 long and tapered from about 3 inches wide on one end tapering to about an inch on the opposite end.  Start with the narrowest end and wrap around the rubber band.  Secure with hot glue when the felt begins to overlap.  (glue felt to felt not the sock) Randomly cut a leaf shape on the wide edge of the felt with the remaining flap of felt.  Allow leaf shapes to vary, some small, some larger.  Vary colors of green from lime green to deep green. 

Once you have a dozen sock roses you can bundle them into a bouquet.

I gathered mine in a loose bundle, secured the bundled sticks with a rubber band so the roses stayed as I had them.  I wrapped the bouquet with paper by cutting a piece of paper 12" by 12", turned it to make a diamond shape with one corner at the top.  I then created a cone shape which wrapped around the sock roses exposing the socks and the pointed end of the cone behind the bouquet.

Photo Fun: 

I got out my camera this week while I worked and organized and took some photos just for the sake of finding my creative outlet.  

I did a little research on food photography and then started playing with the idea of photographing food.  (This is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies.  The recipe will be posted tomorrow on Strictly Saturday's Chocolate post.) Food Photography is more fun than I thought.  I knew I enjoyed eating, but photographing what you eat?  Yes! 

The African violet I purchased for a friend who loves them and is very successful growing them.  I noticed a new color for her.  The plums are from my tree out back that was very abundant this year. 

The week that is behind me:
So there it is....besides cleaning, organizing my studio and sewing areas, cooking meals for hungry men, baking for fun, experimenting with pickle recipes and making juice from my plums, (sounds sort of Martha Stewart-ish...huh?) I have pulled a few weeds in my garden and fed the fish in my pond, I have doodled a little but never enough, I have wet my watercolor paper and been called away....several times and started a new full sheet watercolor drawing (not pictured....yet), finished a good book (only reading at bedtime) by Charles Martin (one of my favorite authors) and started a new one, I have hugged on my grandchildren, played with their toes, tickled their bellies and kissed their necks.....all in all, a good summer week!

Painting In Progress

As I post this I have my painting, paints and all out on the table about to find the time with everyone in the house still sleeping a quiet hour (at least) of my personal Paint Party Friday time!  I'm excited!

Detail

Getting Help from my little experts.  Thankfully, on the masking tape.