paint, poems and ponderings

Girlfriends Bound

2009-12-17T10:14:00.006-05:00

I made a bookcover for my Girlfriends book shown on the video in an earlier post. For the cover I used purchased handmade paper with ferns and flower leaves. I used canvas I painted with PearlEX paints instead of book linen.

For the bookboard I used mat board. Thread is waxed linen. I had to open up an already packed box to get out my bookbinding tools. When I find some beads I can tie them onto the ends of the hanging strings.

I wish I had made the back edge wider is my main regret but not enough to do it all over again. I attached a button and string closure. You can find a tutorial for this style book at Teesha Moore's website. Click here. It is a very easy bookbinding technique.

Some bookbinding tools. Top Left: an awl. Top right: linen thread. Bottom row: blunt sewing needel and lump of wax to run the thread through

Christmas ornaments

2009-12-16T08:15:00.003-05:00

I don't usually do a tree but to cheer myself up I got out Mom's fake table top tree. The plastic base was broken so I stuck the tree in an old milk can. This is a new decoration I bought at the crafts fair last week. Made of alpaca wool. There are tons of alpaca farms up here.

Here is an angel in a blown out egg shell. Mom made this and most of the decorations I used. All that time spent creating such pretty things. How lucky I am to have these. Thanks, Mom.

This is a Waldorf fair elf.

The tree in its can.
Pearl angel by Mom.
Gorham silver star from a collection of 5 or so Mom bought. I plug in the lights each night. And recall that the first year I came up here I set up the tree for Mom and when I was done I realized I had NOT strung on the lights. Do you have any favorite decorations you use each year. Do they remind you of times past?

suki's pages for Bab's and Lynne's Girlfriend's books

2009-12-14T00:05:00.002-05:00

This is for Babs. I had a lot of trouble with this page as I wanted it to be a painting. But that didn't work out. Finally I tore some painted canvas into pieces and this collage kind of fell into place. Acrylic painted canvas, lace, painted twigs, handmade bead and "pearls,", mounted on bristol board.
Lynn liked the page I had done for Karen C. so I used a similar idea and theme here. This is called "Threads." Dressmaker's tissue, cloth, threads, needle threader, fake pearls, glitter, gold marker. I won't mail these books to Karen C. until after New Years per her request.

Flowers from old pajamas

2009-12-13T09:08:00.003-05:00

My friend old pajamas sent me a box of cigar and candy boxes filled with dried flowers. His elderly neighbors, who were artists and craftspersons, collected and dried these flowers for years.

There were about 12 cigar and candy boxes filled with stacks of pressed flowers wrapped in tissue like this. Each box was labeled with flower color or style such as "Special flowers."

op knew I loved pressed flowers and used them in my crafts so when the neighbors died and their son was sorting through their possessions, op bought these boxes for me. !! Some of the flowers are mere dust, it is true. But others have stood up amazingly well through the years. Thanks you op. Such a sweet and thoughtful gift!

Snatam Kaur - Long Time Sun

2009-12-10T08:59:00.002-05:00

See earlier post for reference to "Long time sun" re: my page for Soulbrush

Suki completes Karen C's and Soulbrush's pages

2009-12-10T08:26:00.005-05:00

This is the last page for Karen C's book. You will be getting your completed and very beautiful book back soon Karen! I used canvas paper backed with pastel paper, a Vintage sewing machine card, magazine tear out, stick on letters, voile and bead and cloth do-hicky I had made before. Background is dressmakers tissue.

For Soulbrush, I wanted to send a sun to warm the cold, damp London winter. Sun is from some Asian tissue paper, glitter, puff letters, bead and strip of collaged papers.

The back says "May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you and the pure light within you guide your way home." This is some kind of traditional saying, author unknown by me anyway. I first heard it in a class on psychic stuff I was taking on the Cape. I never forgot it.

suki's "Girlfriends" round robin book

2009-12-08T18:46:00.002-05:00

take a peek at my Girfriends book complete except for a cover. It was tricky making the video as I really needed three hands. One hand held the books, one the camera and the third hand might have turned the pages. Thank you everyone who painted and glued and sewed their artwork onto my pages. This book is a treasure for sure!!

Camera Found

2009-12-08T07:36:00.003-05:00

In the pocket of my lighter jacket. A few days ago it was warm! Whew! Life sans a camera is hard. :)

Received a fat package from Mim containing 5 Girlfriends round robin books!! Thanks Mim. One was mine, returned to me from the rounds. I may show that in a video soon. The others are shown above. Just gorgeous books. Top is Lynn's, mid-left is Soulbrush's, mid-right Babs, and bottom Karen C's. Hmm, I have a lot of creating ahead.

I also received this beautiful peace card mandala from Marianne. Thanks so much Marianne. It's beautiful.

My teeth were cleaned y'day, gums still ache a bit today but all that plaque is gone. Today is the first day I have felt interested in maybe focusing on Christmas presents. A grey overcast day, temps this morning at 19 degrees. But a big storm on the way for Wednesday. Cheers, Suki

The Lost Camera

2009-12-06T09:35:00.003-05:00

Firstly, I want to thank all of you who commented on my post about Mom. I love reading your words and feel so comforted by them. Thank you.

Secondly, yes we had our first snow yesterday. This photo is from last year however. Because I have lost my camera. I had it inside the house on Thursday, the last time I downloaded pictures. I went nowhere again until Saturday morning. So it is either hidden somewhere in the house, but I've looked everywhere including twice in the car, or I brought it with me Saturday and it got taken from the car.

Who am I without my camera? Life will happen and I can't record it visually. I guess I'll have to buy a new one. That could take awhile as it seems there is so much more important stuff to do. Meanwhile, I'll post old photos.

Did any of you have a snow this weekend??

Truth or Fiction Part #3

2009-12-05T08:01:00.002-05:00

Ok. I will reveal the answers, via commentary on the original post. See them here.

Remembering Mom

2009-12-04T19:05:00.000-05:00

Mom died last year on December 4th. Here she is in the famous photo, wearing her red glass heart made by Leslie McIver in New Zealand. Some of you know this, but I bought the heart for Mom's birthday on December 8th. Luckily I gave it to her a few weeks ahead of the birthday, so she got to wear it for awhile. I never imagined I'd miss Mom so much. Our last year together, when I lived with Mom, was one of coming to know each other in a completely different way.

Here is Mom and my son.
Mom and me. One thing I learned was that Mom always loved me, always wanted to help me. The younger me viewed "help" as an indicator that I wasn't doing things right. Or as interference. I never wanted help, unless I asked for it, and I rejected it any number of times from both my parents. I see now that it was my attitude that created a barrier and that if I had changed my attitude, our relationship through the years would have been so much smoother.

Still, my attitude did change in this last year we lived together. I could see Mom for the truly sweet, near Buddha-like soul she became. I (selfishly) miss her continual interest in the minor doings of my life. She lived her last year with courage and bravery and dignity. Love ya, Mom. Thank you.

Truth or Fiction II So Far No one Has Guessed

2009-12-04T13:35:00.006-05:00

the right answer to the Truth or Fiction list. So, I will do as Kelly will do on her list and go through the list Two by two to narrow the list down. check out the original post for the first comments by me on being kidnapped and eyebrows.

Truth or Fiction?

2009-12-03T11:26:00.011-05:00

Willow did this on her blog so I wanted to try it. I am listing ten things about myself, one of them is NOT true. Take a guess which one is fiction. (I guessed correctly on Willow's list :)) I'll post the answer in a couple of days.

In 1967 I signed something or other, some political list I think, about the Black Panther's. (True. Another who knows why event of my young years. Standing on a street corner, people come up with the list or whatever. I sign. Odd, as I rarely before or since have signed anything political)

I used to walk around San Francisco alone at four am with nary a care. (Boy was I lucky! But yes, I did this. I guess my guardian angel hovered over me. This was back in the late 60's. Was it safer then?)

I almost got kidnapped by a couple of con artists. (I don't know why I went to the cafe with this man and woman. Well I could make this more truthful by saying I threw some money in the air for fun and they picked it up. Then I wanted it back of course. Once in the cafe they began saying very weird things and I wanted to leave but they had me blocked in. Long story short a cop entered the cafe and they quickly left, setting me free. Although i never recovered my money.)

I once imbibed an illegal substance. (Probably imbibed was the wrong word as it implies drinking. But I did partake of such a substance many many years ago.

I made it through college a virgin. (Alas, tis true.)

I am apt to ask strangers questions like "What is the essence of your soul?" (Yes, I am shy. But, I did ask this question at least once if not more. Of course I most likely wouldnt now, in my maturity, but you know then.....)

I sleep with felines. (I guess everyone knew this was true. Cute little snoring gals.)

I met raunchy cartoonist S. Clay Wilson in San Francisco. Wilson met R. Crumb, the creator of Zap, and we went to one of R. Crumb's parties. (False. So Lynn did guess it in the end. I did know S. Clay Wilson who was a mid-western friend of my husband's. Wilson did meet Crumb but that was after I left San Francisco so I did not attend a party with Wilson and Crumb.)

Many wondrous things come my way unbidden: an invitation to cat sit in Paris and money left by a deceased friend whom I hadn't seen for years for example. (I was invited to cat sit in Paris a few years ago when an American friend was over there living for a year. She wanted to go somewhere that she couldnt take her cat so she asked me to come cat sit. However, I did not go. I also did inherit some money from an ex-boyfriend when he died.)

I never pluck my eyebrows. (I never pluck my eyebrows anymore perhaps I should have said. I did maybe a few time when in high school. So I consider this a truth)

Let's Play Post Office

2009-12-03T08:08:00.004-05:00

Here is the post office from which I mailed our round robin Soulsisters book to Katie Jane. I thought she might like this photo as Katie works for the post office. Remember the game kids used to play called "post office." I never played it but it involved kissing.

Chesterfield's downtown, a very short strip of a few buildings, is so "New Englandy." Most of the town offices are made of this stone.

I was on my way to Northfield to look at a house for the second time. Second viewings often show the flaws. Exterior of the house needs a lot of work including new windows. Interior needs a lot of cosmetic work and maybe a complete bathroom redo (green tub etc). Still it is very cute and just the right size with woods on two sides. There is a gas fireplace in the knotty pine walled den. Fairly good closet space. A sweet, if untended, yard.

I walked around the Northfield Main Street and stopped in some stores. One was a cute, fairly new cafe with WIFI, which also sells used books. I do wonder how long they can keep afloat in this economy. The young couple, the owners, said they liked Northfield better than Shelburne Falls. Huh? They said real estate was cheaper and people were friendlier. Hmm. A general impression of the town was: conservative, quiet, staid. Now this may be an incorrect assumption of course, but I didnt pick up much in the way of the creative energy I feel in Putney, Vt or Brattleboro or on the Cape.

A stop in the library showed me that the new fiction and non-fiction books sections were small. The stacks ridiculously small. That means the town doesn't spend much money on new books. They did have a fairly good DVD and audio book section.

It is frustrating, for this house is manageable for me re: price and size. Condition and location are question marks, thought it is half an hour to Brattleboro, half an hour to Keene, NH and maybe 40 minutes to Amherst.

You all have given me good advice which I have taken to heart. Kim's recent comment struck me. She said "do you want 'tiny in the center of things' or 'a bit larger further out?" I would add the word expensive to the places in the center of things and less expensive to the places further out.

I just don't know the answer.

So the saga continues. A meld of exterior (what is available out there, where, cost, condition etc) and interior (my own screwed up head re: all this housing stuff).

Suki's page for Lisa's book

2009-12-01T12:00:00.003-05:00

Acrylic on watercolor paper with dried johnny jump ups. Several layers of paint as the first attempt didn't work so I painted over it. Sun and border done with gold marker.

The back of the page. Now it travels on to Katie Jane.

I've been silent for awhile as I havent had much to say. Just wanting to be inward. Tending to some teeth issues, ugh, which will mean going to a specialist for an abscess. Ugh more. Going back and forth, back and forth. A house I saw in Northfield has come down $5000. Owners (an estate) anxious I would think. I just wish Northfield wasnt so far afield.

more collage and little book work

2009-11-23T12:47:00.004-05:00

I worked on this further, painting over the blurred writing and redoing it. Changing the colors. I still need to do a few coats of iridescent paint, the color to be determined. The only thing I don't like so much is the fact that it is on paper as the paper curls up with the wetness of the paint.

In my little 4 by 4 inch book I have been painting pages a background color. I guess the paint was too wet as it loosened the glue binding so I'll have to rebind it when I'm finished decorating.

Here is one page complete I think. I painted the background after gluing down the houses, using watercolor pencil.

And here is the second collage on paper in its current phase. This too can use glazes of iridescent paint and something else too, though what I am not sure. It is hard to focus this week what with Thanksgiving looming and also the new house search in gear. The weather has been great so far so fingers crossed that it will continue. Happy Thanksgiving to all, in case I don't post again for awhile.

Mim's

2009-11-21T10:58:00.004-05:00

I had to get a photo of this market in Northfield, Mass. So funny. I looked at 5 houses under $200,00 in Northfield. Only one had any allure. It was an ordinary 60's, knotty pine ranch but with woods behind it. And a good price.

Northfield is an interesting town, with a huge private school campus with gorgeous stone buildings which is for sale right now. It has a tiny IGA, a couple of pizza places, but no gas station within 15 minutes drive! Also, it is in the warning area for the Vermont Nuclear Power plant. A friend of mine knows someone who lives in Northfield so I gave her a call to ask about the area. I havent heard back yet. One half hour drive to Amherst, a hotbed of colleges and activities. One half hour to Keene, NH. (I am currently about 40 minutes from Keene).

turn off, turn on

2009-11-19T09:25:00.006-05:00

This automatic turn off tea kettle is definitely a turn on. Before owning this kettle I burned out many a stove top kettle. A whistling kettle helps, but you still have to jump at the sound of the whistle and run to turn it off. This kettle, which I saw at a friend's house, turns off automatically so that if I go off and forget I was heating water it is okay. When I pass through the kitchen again the water is hot, the kettle is safely off. I remember my cup of tea and make it! Not to mention that it is the most "modern" looking kitchen item I own. It was expensive, but one of the best purchases I've made in a long time.

stacked

2009-11-18T07:52:00.002-05:00

Here is my stack of books awaiting reading this winter. Many I got from library book sales. I imagined myself just tucking in for the winter here beside the gas fire with my mug of hot chocolate and the cats beside me, waiting for next spring when I could look for houses again. I hoped to "give it a rest."

Here is my stack of books recently read. Yikes. However, some changes have happened that I do not like yielding to and which necessitate my finding a house of my own before Christmas. Now, please note I CAN yield to these changes of course, swallow my pride etc. But I am going to give it another try with the house search. I am changing my area of search. I'd like to live in Amherst. There are three colleges there and lots of books stores.

However, Amherst prices are high and the property taxes quite high too. Thus I am looking right now in Northfield. Quite a country feel, lower prices and about half an hour to Amherst. No bookstores, I don't know if there is a yoga class. There is a pizza place. I feel quite sick to my stomach again. Ah well.

The influence of Judy Wise

2009-11-14T11:09:00.005-05:00

I listened to a podcast interview of Judy Wise. Rice Freeman-Zachary did the interview and posted a link to it on her blog. To hear the podcast, go to Rice's blog and look in the right hand column. It's great.

In the interview, Judy mentioned making a 4X4X2" accordion book that she found out about at Journalfest this year. See Judy's pictures of this book style on her blog. Scroll down toward the end of the post.

I covered my book with canvas. Just make a number of accordion fold sections. I began with Stonehenge art paper that was 30" by 22" and I got four accordion fold sections from that. Tape the back edge of the sections with small bits of tape. Glue on the cover with thick gel medium. Let dry overnight. There it is. Judy painted faces in her little book. I am not sure what I will do with mine. Have fun I hope.

Collages step two

2009-11-11T09:17:00.004-05:00

I had a photo of this collage in step one A, but can't find it so here is the original pile of papers among which I chose to make the collage below.

I don't think this is finished. I also made a mistake. I wrote on it with Micron pen which is okay. But continued writing later and used another pen which blurrs when I paint over it so bluck. Not sure what to do. Could place a layer of tissue over it perhaps and redo? The photo is one of a bunch I bought in a thrift store from the 1920's.

The orginal proposed layout for the collage below.

Not sure if I'll do more tweaking of this one.

suki's page for Marianne's book

2009-11-10T08:52:00.002-05:00

Acrylic paint and a few pieces of scrap paper for the table cloth and bowl. We were asked to have an image of Marianne's cat Sjimmie on our pages. The shadows below the window are not painted on but are from the light source. Marianne had a large peace sign on her own page so I show Sjimmie blowing peace bubbles. The shutters open and close to reveal a moon, also a symbol Marianne often uses.

Oops, my jacket shows here, but I'm to lazy to redo the photo which actually I redid twice already. I mailed the book along w/Soulbrush's book to Katie Jane on Monday. Have fun.

A trip to Chester Vermont

2009-11-09T14:01:00.003-05:00

I've heard a lot about this little bookstore, Misty Valley Books, for years. So on Saturday, a gorgeous day, I drove to Chester Vermont.

I bought Her Fearful Symmetry and some greeting cards. The store was pretty much a typical small, independent bookstore. I think what makes it special is that they sponser talks/readings by well-known authors on a regular basis.

A little buidling across the street.

A big building across the street.

Here is where I ate lunch. A huge Victorian painted artistically. The sun was behind the building so I had to face into the sun to get the photo which is why it isnt much good. As my Dad used to tell me, the sun should be behind the photographer. I had a fun outing. Also stopping into a Celtic shop and purchasing a Polartec jacket on sale and a book about the wells of Ireland.

Digging on the farm

2009-11-07T07:47:00.003-05:00

This machine worked almost all day digging a trench in my bro's front yard, revealing the water line from house to pump. Last winter the line froze so this year it is being redone and insulated anew.

The pump revealed.

Some of the old insulation.
They started around 9 am and finished around 4:30!

My pages for Soulbrush's round robin book

2009-11-06T09:37:00.002-05:00

My page theme was London (where Soulbrush lives) and the idea that all the round robin participants would fly to London and visit Soulbrush! Stonehenge art paper, acrylic paint, gold leaf, doilies, purchased London themed stickers, London street maps from an A to Z (found in a thrift store.)
I bought the letter stickers yesterday at job lot. Muted the maps with white paint. Micron pen, gold pen, airplane downloaded from he net. All our names are in the windows of the bus. Hope I didn't forget anyone.

Photo of Soulbrush's granddaughter Maggie Rae downloaded from Soulbrush's blog with permission. Cup of tea anyone??? This was great fun. I am holding this book here until I finish Marianne's page in her book. I received two books at one time.