Monday 14 May 2012

Working With Watercolour

Last year I saw Jane Davenport's clever invention for happy creative travels - the Peerless Palette - and figured that would be a light and easy way to carry my watercolours with me when I go out. I purchased the Peerless Watercolors from Jane's store and then didn't do anything with them. I didn't forget about them - it was just a matter of getting my head around how and when I was going to make my light and easy watercolour palette. It didn't help that we had to move house for the 4th time in 3 years!

Skip forward about 9 months.
On Friday night I went to a craft night - the first one I have been to in Sydney - that's nearly 4 years of no craft nights! While pondering what I could take along to do I remembered my Peerless Watercolors and realised that this would be just the right thing to take along and get done.
It took a little bit of searching in boxes to find the paints and then a little bit of rummaging to decide what to make my portable kit in but when I came across a very cute photo album that my friend Peg had given me I knew it was the very thing I would use.*



After I had eaten a slice of poorly photographed** "Adult Cake" I set to work.



I surprise myself! You know how I love to have things arranged in rainbow order? Well, I kind of wanted to do that with my Peerless Watercolors but I chose not to make things hard for myself and not to agonise about it so I just chopped and stuck without a moment's remorse or regret.


With a feeling of great satisfaction about finishing a project I sat back and silently wondered how I could put my newly formed kit to use. I had recently been overwhelmed inspired by a watercolour portrait and the time-lapse video of it being created so when the lovely lady sitting next to me said "Paint a portrait of me!" I felt somewhat challenged to do so.

Still feeling rather relaxed about everything***, I whipped up a quick sketch and painted unreservedly, slopping watery paint all over the shop as if I was Agnes-Cecile. Not surprisingly, the results were tragic.



I knew that if I didn't pretend I was a watercolour artist and actually paid some attention to what I was doing, and waited for the paint to dry (that is one thing I find really difficult to do), then maybe I could produce a rendition that was half-way acceptable. I took a photo of the lovely lady sitting next to me, went home and the next day painted another portrait while watching listening to Bride and Prejudice.


Apparently, it looks like the lovely lady sitting next to me, cos when I showed it to some friends at church they could work out who it was with no clues. :)

I have a lot of respect for watercolour artists. A lot of respect.

:D


* I had used the very cute photo album for a while as an album for photos of my very cute grandson.
** That stuff is really hard to photograph. And that stuff on top is beetroot-coloured cream whipped to a fraction of a second short of butter!
*** Maybe it was the chocolate cake!




Monday 7 May 2012

When Moses Comes To Our Place

Somehow I managed to coincide my little foray into scrapbooking last weekend with (inter)National Scrapbooking Day, not that that made any difference at all to my scrapbooking or the likelihood of scrapbooking actually happening.
Hennyway, I did a layout - my third for the year.



Journaling reads: When Moses comes over to our house he loves to play with the cars in Declan and Hudson's room. Other times, he likes to go outside in the back yard and play with Hudson's dinky car or kick a ball around. Another thing Moses likes to do is unlock the van, hop in, and go for a ride.

Nowadays I keep my scrapbook inspiration in Pinterest (Don't even go there! It is a TRAP!! You'll never get out!!!) so I had a quick squizz at my Scrapbook Pinboard and found a few layouts that I liked (of course). The one that inspired me most was the one that Kathie Link did when she was inspired by Julie. Interesting - I didn't even look at Julie's layout until now and I see that I also have circles punched out of blueish print.

I wish I knew how to deal with my photos on my Mac. I have booked myself in for One to One at least 3 times now and then have not been able to go. I can't even send it to my old computer cos it is up to the raspy breathing stage of imminent death. So you will have to put up with, yet again, a slightly edited Hipstamatic photo from my iPhone.



Tuesday 1 May 2012

A Pinch and a Punch for the First of the Month

Photo from  here

I prefer the "pinch of snuff and a cup of punch" version to the "pinch of salt and punch the weak witch" version of this monthly game that I play but, really, it has nothing to do with either of these versions or any other explanation you might come up with.

The "pinch and a punch for the first of the month" game, for me, is just about being the first to realise it is the first of the month and getting in first to the recipient (victim) of the pinch and punch.

It all started years and years ago with Mum and Dad. They still do and I still do. If I can't be there to physically pinch and punch (friendly-like) then over the phone is the next best thing. The kids are all into it but they are hard pressed to realise before me.*

I have a friend who is an avid pinch-and-punch-er. There are no holds barred, so to speak, so in this technological age, I am using this blog post to pinch and punch her before she even gets her phone out to text me at midnight or 5 o'clock in the morning!**

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month! You know who you are!!! Ha ha ha ha.......    :)



*
DH doesn't play.

**
Most of our txt msg history is related to the first of the month.

1.1.2012
Me: Pinch and a punch for the first of the month. Happy New Year!!!
Her: Cant believe u got me again. Happy new year to u all.

1.2.2012
Her: Pinch and a punch for the first of the month no returns ...woo hoo can't believe I got u first.
Me: Whoa!!! Just went to do it and whammo! Congratulations. You got me. Here's a little flick and kick for being quicker than me.

1.3.2012
Me: I can't believe it's 8.20 on the first of the month and I haven't been got!!! A pinch and a punch for the first of the month. Hope all is well with you.
Her: Oh. ....just writing the date at work now. Drats. I deserve a slap. Hahaha.

1.4.2012
After a missed call from her...
Her: Pinch and punch no returns. ..... loves ya.
hehehe
Me: Ha ha ha
So far from my mind
I thought my alarm was going off. And my phone clock says 5.42am. Daylight savings has ended!!!