Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Tuesday-11:15am

Good T-Day Morning!
Longer post with lots of pictures today.
Karma's been wanting more attention lately.  Not that she doesn't always use me as a heating pad in the winter--LOL!  I realized that since I added the leaves in the table she can't sit and look out the window at "her" end of the table anymore.  So I got out the old TV tray and her favorite old bath mat... 
...so that she could sit by me while I wrote letters. 
LOL!  As you can see, I am still finding it quite amusing to paint just the one little nail on my left hand in color or sparkle and do the rest in clear polish.  This time it's gold. 
I'll definitely do this again for Miss Karma.  She really settled in and even dozed. 
I figured out a way to press the damp leather!  I had these two blue plastic trays... 
...I laid down the damp smaller leather cover and placed the plastic I borrowed from my gelli plate on top. 
I didn't want these circle thingies on the bottom of the trays... 
...to leave marks on the leather. 
So, sandwiched the leather cover inbetween the two trays and stacked heavy books on top.  Took three days for the smaller cover to dry under there--but look! 
It worked beautifully!! 
Right now I am pressing the larger leather cover.  Going to take more than three days, I think.  But I am so happy with the results that patience is not an issue.  :)
****
 I had the junk journal out again and was working on the Journal52 prompts.
For "abstract" I did get out more trash and have a blast!  Didn't even use the screw bolt, broken spool, or pill bottle. 
But this!  I had such fun with this that I washed it and saved it to use again.  It was the bottom plastic holder for a package of 24 glue sticks. 
As you can see I just played like I was five again. 
Well, not even. 
When I was five I colored inside the lines. 
 I had been playing with a page--just painting layers of my very old gold shimmer mist on it.  Was curious as to how many layers it would take for it to just look gold without streaks.  I think I painted 5 or 6 layers and it only looked solid gold from a side view with the light hitting it just right. 
Anyways, I had this golden page...and the next prompt was "Lost art of Love Letters" and they had this quote as an example... 
"Tis better to have loved and lost 
than never to have loved at all" 
by Alfred Lloyd Tennyson.
****
I was in a silly mood.  Wrote that quote down...and then added mine--LOL!
Tis better to have loved and lost 
than to live miserably in "love".  ;)
****
And then the next prompt was "When I grow up..."
I finger-painted and glued a small statement on top.   
Never!
Rita PitaPan
Fargoland 
Told you I was in a silly mood.  ;)
****
Over the weekend we had 40-55 below wind chills again and -26 degrees.  My check was in early so I had Cashwise deliver groceries on Sunday and placed my big sprays & paints birthday order at Nona Designs.  (She had the best prices, had the big sets, and no shipping costs over $99!).  Baked bread.  Did laundry.  Made bean soup.  Finished the last of the five letters I had all set and ready to answer--and another one, too, that came in the meantime.  ;)  It warmed up yesterday--saw 8 above.  And right now it is 10 degrees.  March came in like a lion...so maybe it will actually go out like a lamb?  Time will tell, eh?
****
Caroline comes this afternoon.  I've already been rearranging on the wall shelves to make room for the coming colorful birthday goodies!!  They should be here this week!!  Whoohoo!  Two more prompts and I will be caught up on Journal52.  Oh, and I should add this post to The Artist's Playroom today, too!  
****
 I am definitely not seeing sunrises any time soon.  Back to being a night owl...and feeling more like my old self, to be honest.  Felt so familiar to be quietly bringing letters down to the mailbox in my robe at 2:30 in the morning because I'd never be up early enough to beat the mailman.  ;)  My routine of the last two years is totally thrown off, but I am adjusting and will find a new one.  Or should I say an old one--LOL!  Have a fabulous week!!  :) :)
****
"My storehouse having been burnt down, 
nothing obstructs my view of the bright moon."
Masahide, Zen poet     

28 comments:

Friko said...

I more or less repeat myself every time I comment on your posts: You are a talented and busy crafts lady and I enjoy seeing what you get up to.
And if you turn night into day, who is to say ‘no, you can’t'.

Keep doing what you do and stay happy. And keep Miss Karma happy. There must be such a happy atmosphere in your home.

Linda Kunsman said...

wowza you sure have been at it! Just reading this makes me ready for a nap:):) Love how you came up with a way to satisfy Karma. And your leather is going to be just fantastic. Isn't it such fun to play like a 5 yr old sometimes? Fun art play. Happy T day!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Wow, you figured out how to keep the marks out of the leather and the results were spectacular.

Karma looks incredibly happy and content. She has you wrapped around HER finger, not your gold one (grin).

Since I don't buy most things in bulk, I don't have anything that is even close to a 24 glue stick holder/container. But, you have NO idea how many of those clothes pin springs I have thrown away, or DO throw away in a year's time. Now I see SO many possibilities with these. THANK YOU.

And Rita, I like your version of that quote even better than Tennyson's. I guess because it is SO, SO true. You might have meant it as a joke, but I've seen so many women who stay in a bad relationship because they THINK they are in love.

My March came in like a roaring lion, too. Wind chills that were deadly, similar to yours, in fact. Let's hope Spring actually gets here in a few weeks. I could use the warm up.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and art during T today, dear.

Jenny Woolf said...

Loved your mottoes! they are a good twist on the usual stuff. I love the idea of painting just one nail. Glad to hear you and Karma are keeping warm, Rita.

TexWisGirl said...

sweet karma getting pets. i like your blue and greens of your abstract.

Janie Junebug said...

Karma lives the good life. I love Rita Pita Pan.

Love,
Janie

Denise Price said...

Great artwork! You are really getting into it. Oh, and you have beautiful handwriting. Happy T Day to you and Karma. :)

~*~Patty S said...

Karma getting cozy...makes me smile!
Your certainly are busy and how cool that you are playing...I really feel that is what creating should be = FUN :)
You've gotten some great results!
Hope you had a happy T day
oxo
p.s. Super "Rita" quote too!!!

dawn said...

Hello and Happy T Day!! What wonderful and fun art you shared today. I LOVED IT!! How fun and free you are when painting, I need to do that more.
Great quote that added on, so true.
How cute is Karma in that special spot. Brrrrr that is cold, glad ours isn't quite so bad. Hoping spring will be coming soon for all of us. Thanks for sharing!

creatorme said...

Happy T-Day!
Looked like you were really having fun there! Love your Rita Pita Pan!

DJan said...

You are having fun, it comes through in your writing. That's a good thing! And all your playing seems like you are just a kid at heart, Rita. That's pretty darn wonderful. :-)

Shelly said...

Sweet Miss Karma- she always brings a smile to my face! Love your leather work (and all your other pieces)!

Beth said...

I love the photos of Karma! She is beautiful!

GrandmaG said...

If possible, the best for our mind and body is to function on our own timetable. Until I got a 40-hour-a-week job, I naturally stayed up late and slept until mid morning.

Now I have a grandson (4-year-old Jonah) with the same "clock" and feel for him and his parents. He loves talking with all his stuffed animals long after he's put to bed. Of course, he then never wants to get up at 6:30 a.m.

When he's older, I'll encourage Jonah to write or draw during those late-night creative hours. Who knows what he'll come up with!

Krisha said...

Sorry I missed T-day, but came for a visit anyway. Had G-ma duty longer than I expected yesterday.

Karma looks very satisfied with her new perch.

Love the gold nail! I did nails for years and had many customers that would do the same thing.

Dianne said...

sounds like you've been busy...loved the 52 journal pages with all the paint! great idea to use those circles to make a print. I do hope it warms up for you...that homemade soup sounds like the perfect way to get warm. happy T day a bit late!

Halle said...

Super smart with the leather. It looks perfect. Love what you are doing in the journal as well. We are at 20°F so far today. It's amazing!! I'm hopeful that we're finally crawling out of the sub zero for good.
Sorry I'm late but I did manage a post...a day late and all. :)
http://www.halleshobbies.com/t-tuesday-wednesday-edition/

andi filante said...

I love the quote and the Fargoland. And, of course, Karma. :)

-andi

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

You have such a full and busy life and you have good Karma around you all the time which is good.

ChicagoLady said...

I love the combination of colors you used playing in your journal.

March definitely came in like a lion here too. We got several inches of snow on Saturday. Very, very, very ready for spring.

Intense Guy said...

Someday, Rita's version of the "Loved and Lost" saying will be as famous as the original - or at least it ought to be!!

I am happy to see a happy Karma!!

Anonymous said...

Love your artwork on the pages!

Sherry Ellis said...

Looks like you were having a lot of fun with your artwork!

Serena Lewis said...

You're such a sweet 'Mum' to make sure Karma can still look out the window.

Nice gold polish!

Well done on the leather solution! You are not just a pretty face, my dear.

Mixed media journals sure are fun to play in, aren't they? Loved your pages!

It looks like I'll have to read back over some missed posts with your comment about being back to your night owl habits. Last I heard, you had decided to stop taking the melatonin so I gather it worked?

Have a lovely day/night! xo

Carol said...

You have been busy :) and Karma sure seems to enjoy the tray/bed by your work table. I need to get busy and catch up with the Journal 52 pages... I fell behind doing the 29 Faces in Feb but I was sure I would. Getting the Shingles didn't help any either :( Things are all better now so I should start catching up.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Is she spoiled or what! I bet she is happy with her new perch! You are as busy as ever, but we have to be cause it is winter. Be careful wandering around at night mailing letters...maybe you should carry a frying pan or wasp spray:)

Divers and Sundry said...

i love how pets wrap us around their little paws. we just can't resist giving them what suits them best :) looks like your kitty has a good perch.

Hettie said...

Cor Blimey Rita. I am exhausted now after reading your post.
Nice that you look after your furry friend!
Your journal looks great. I have some nice heavy books that were being thrown out in work just for flattening mini book covers and the like.
Hugs
xx