The Lederhosen Bird

This weird bird is a little late to the party…

Oktoberfest was celebrated in Munich between September 17 and October 3 this year!

But The Lederhosen bird is always ready to celebrate!

Did you know that lederhosen or “leather breeches” were worn as traditional garments in some regions of German-speaking countries? Formerly, they were worn for hard work but today are mostly worn as leisurewear.

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!

Cheers! 😃

And Happy Fall! The leaves are changing amazing colors and the days have been extra sunny and warm in the Pacific Northwest where I live.

I have been spending as much time as possible outdoors… before the days get colder.

Do you have a favorite season? I hope you share it with me! 😃

Printing Imperfections

I haven’t printed with my Gelli-plate in awhile so I decided to take out my 5×7 inch plate the other day.

I wanted to experiment combining colored inks with fluid acrylics. I also added an acrylic glazing liquid.

I recorded my colors in my art journal with a pencil drawing of my paint and ink containers:

I started by printing some Ginko leaves. I normally add the paints directly to the Gelli-plate and mix them with my brayer but it wasn’t working so well with the inks so I started using a paper plate to mix them.

When the brand name logo of the paper plate started showing up on my leaf prints as you can see in the photo above, I decided to use a plastic paint palette.

The paint palette had left over acrylic paint on it but I discovered the uneven surface gave an amazing print:

It is always fun when printing imperfections lead to wonderful new ideas!

I took a 3/4 inch square punch of each of my prints and glued them in my art journal:

Now I have an idea for my October Square-A-Day project! I can’t wait to show you.

Cheers! 🙂

Feeling Off Balance

Dear Friends,

I’ve been dealing with health issues from a car accident over a year ago…

It affects many aspects of my life.

I have not mentioned it because I want to keep my blog positive.  Yet, I am having a hard time keeping up with my blog and reading your blogs.

Please know I appreciate all your comments and likes on my blog.  I will try to comment on your blogs when I can. 🙂

I may not be posting as often as I need more time to rest.  Thank you for your understanding.

Cheers! 🙂

Nature’s Confetti

I took these photos, last Saturday when I took A Walk In The Park

I hope to paint some of these trees in watercolor but work has been extra busy this week …

So for now, I wrote a haiku to share with these photos:

Things are looking up!

Fall leaves scatter unaware…

Nature’s confetti

Isn’t it wonderful how nature helps us notice the simple pleasures in life and celebrate its beauty?!

Cheers! 🙂

Bush Birds

I start noticing these birds in the fall when the leaves begin to change color…

Sometimes it is difficult to tell the birds from the bushes but their long slender legs are what sets them apart.  Lol!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday! 

Cheers! 🙂

Feeling Fallish

October.  I love this time of year as the leaves seem to change colors on a daily basis.

Mother Nature seems to have her own magical paintbrush!  I look out my kitchen window and see golden yellows, burnt oranges, olive greens and cheery reds blended with touches of purple every now and then!  🙂

Like these photos and a haiku –

A blushing blueberry,

A Crabapple’s golden show,

Fall beauty is here!

Wishing you a Sunny Sunday, Friends!  🙂

And perhaps a little time to marvel at Mother Nature’s artwork…

Cheers!

Air Cool And Crisp

We closed up our lake place yesterday.  My feelings are bittersweet.  I will miss the mountains, the lake, our friends and our weekend “get aways!”  Yet I’m looking forward to being home, snuggling with my cat while reading a good book and creating more art!  🙂

Brilliant blue sky,

Air cool and crisp…

Clouds form –

Pinecones fall,

Leaves change…

And Autumn begins!

Wishing you a Sunny Sunday Friends!  🙂

Just Leaf It

I love looking at leaves in the Fall.  I am always fascinated by their shape, color and design like this one that has a few holes in it that I found at the lake:

And here is its backside – isn’t it funky?  Its pattern is what attracted me to it in the first place!

I enjoy playing with leaf patterns from my memory and imagination too – like I recently did with an Elegant Writer pen in a 9×12 inch watercolor sketchbook:

I’m in love with this pen!  🙂  It is so fun to add water to it and watch it change!  A lot like leaves “magically” change color in the fall.

Yet, I wondered what would happen if I added “fall” color to my leaves?  So I added my Neocolor water soluble crayons and a little water…

And they MAGICALLY came to life!!  May color add a little MAGIC to your day…

Cheers Friends!!  🙂

A Handmade Art Journal – Part 1

I am almost finished using all the pages in the  art journal that my friend made me.  I have really enjoyed the size of this journal – each page is approximately 6 x 8 inches.

There is something magical about a handmade journal.  So I have decided to try to make my own journal and show you how – as you might want to make one too!  🙂

I have been promising Margaret at Yuba Gold, (I love her nature paintings with such rich, vibrant colors!) that I would show her how to make one so here goes!

I started by gathering a few supplies:

I think a bone folder is really handy to have but it isn’t necessary.  I usually like to tear my papers but you may want to use scissors.  A ruler is necessary so you measure accurately.

You will next need to decide on the paper you want to use in your journal.  I decided to use 140-lb COLD and HOT press watercolor paper for variety.

I  started with a large sheet of watercolor paper – 22 x 30 inches.  I don’t like to waste paper so I chose to make my journal pages a little smaller in size than the one my friend made me.  Here is how I folded and cut (tear) my large piece of watercolor paper:

First, I folded my paper in half and tore (or cut) the paper so I have two halves that are     22 x 15 inches:

I continued to evenly fold and tear my paper so that I am left with a folded size as below:

After I had three folded papers, I could make what is called a “signature” in the book world.  (See photo below).  I covered my signature with tissue paper (so the papers stayed clean) and stacked several heavy books on them:

Since I don’t have a paper press, weighted books are the cheap alternative!  It helps to weight the signatures so they are relaxed before you punch holes in them.

I decided to make a total of six signatures like my current journal:

I will do some research and discuss some ideas for making a journal cover in 2 weeks on September 15th.

I hope you found this information helpful on how to start making your own journal.

Happy September!  🙂