Blue Monday

It's Blue Monday in blogland. Texas is brown with no rain, so I am including some of my favorite blue things.
The small blue painting was a gift from our grand daughter. She is becoming quite a little artist. The blue vase looks especially nice with the orange red lantern flowers. They look very oriental, which I love.

I have a whole wall of blue and white; the bunny and the plate are a few items on the shelf. I picked up the plate in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It depicts some of the historical homes in that area.

Lunch box purse

Does anyone out there remember these?? A workman's big lunch box made into a purse.
The inside is lined with padded fabric. The outside is decoupaged with small cut outs. This was way before the cuddle bug, or any of those die cut machines that are available now. Each one was unique, and there were plenty of them around; I wasn't the only crazy crafter. The handle is some kind of heavy cording. I can't believe it is still around, but I'm glad to see it again just for fun. No, I'm not going to use it for a purse.  ;>)

WOYWW

Wow! Wednesdays come around so quickly. My desk was still full from last week, so when I decided to paint with casein, I just pushed the acrylics over to the side. Casein is an opaque watercolor that should be interesting to use. I have not painted with it for quite some time. I needed more room, so I found that if I laid my french  easel down flat, it is a place to put my board and paper. It is held at a very slight angle which is nice for watercolor.

Blue Monday

Blue is my favorite color, so I always try to be a part of Blue Monday.

I have met some pretty interesting people who love blue also.

I have this really neat blue shirt that got a grease spot right on the front of it.

Almost pitched the shirt, but then got this idea to try something that I have been wanting to experiment with.

Went to the grocery and bought a bleach stick. It has a fine point on one end, and a round brush on the other end. It comes out pretty thick and is easy to use. After the shirt dried overnight, I washed the bleach paste out.

I was pleased with the results. Although I could have painted it with white fabric paint, I wanted to try something new. What do you think?

Showing my age

Age is only a number, right?
I feel very young, and my mind is still sharp!
I was remembering the decorative painting class I took while we lived in St. Louis, MO.
That was in the early 1970's, and my teacher, Gerry Klein had her own shop.
This was an unfinished wooden barn, that I painted on all sides, and put a handle on it for a purse.
That is also back when they were using men's lunch pails for purses. I happen to have one of those too. :>)
The barn purse has been used for many things over the years, and now it is on our front porch, as a holder of napkins, or whatever we want to keep safe. I am pleasantly surprised that the finish has held up after all these years, and there are still a few farms out there.
My hubby and I love antiques, and this almost qualifies.

WOYWW

It's Wednesday and my work desk is so full I had to take the card making into the dining room.
 Have been painting with acrylic on canvas, and I always seem to make a mess. Acrylic drys so fast that it is easy to change things here and there, after I look at the piece for awhile. I found it easier just to leave it all out in case a wonderful stroke of the brush needs to be added. 

Painting again

After some months of fabric collage, I wanted to take a break and get back to painting. This on-line class  just drew me in. It was sponsored by Artful Gathering. I followed right along with the instructor, Shiloh Sophia, to paint "Our Lady of the Divine Spark".The class is meant to inspire me to receive my own "spark" so that I can paint with" intentional creativity".

I'm sure this is the first of many ladies, as they seem to be a close relative to my Madonnas that I have been making. The birds reflect freedom, the little house, is my new studio. The heart, of course, is love. I wrote on the bottom a quote by William Wordsworth:
"All that we behold is full of blessings". This is acrylic on watercolor paper.