My first quivet

The Letter "I" - Road trip exchange

Here's my print for the Four Oceans Press "Road Trip Alphabet Exchange" from this year. Sometimes plain black & white is quite nice.

Future project = make a new handle

I have a grill, but no handle. This needs must be fixed. ANd then? A party.

Future project = fix a step!

I need to do some fixing of steps in my yard. This could be dangerous. And it's just kind of gross to step on a semi-rotting board. Ah well.

Future plans = not-quite quilting

These used to be ties. I have plans. Plans that involve modgepodge (or more likely: polyurethane) and an earlier posted "future project". Yup. Would something like this be considered "anti-quilting"?

Future project = pottery!

I have a lot of pottery equipment at home that's just *begging* to be used. Much of it is lent to me & I want to make sure to keep it in good condition while I have it, so I figure I should really make it a priority to fire up the engines & kilns to make sure they stay (in the case of anything with an engine) well-oiled and in working condition.

This will be a LOT of work in prep as nearly all of the (many many pounds) of clay I have (both earthenware and stoneware) is kind of..... rock hard.

Future Project = Cement statue or birdbath

Here's the skeleton for a sculpture or (sculptural) bird bath to be made out of lightweight cement. I have yet to do *any* cement work this summer & the warm weather is fast disappearing, so I would like to make a move on this project sooner rather than later..... cement is FUN but it's also.... heavy & dusty & dirty .... and time consuming to make..... the time part is the part which has been slowing this one down. In many ways it's a whole day commitment to decide to work on cement.

slowly painting again

I got the urge to paint again the other week. I wanted to do something big to put in my bedroom & inspire me to take down those wall shelves I've been staring at for the last 5 years. 3' x 4' should do it, I thought ..... and set out to buy all the supplies needed to build & stretch my own canvas ..... sadly, I didn't think abuot staples and 'lo and behold, I ran out of staples not even half-way through the construction part ..... and, well ..... since I was determined to paint SOMEthing that day I went down in to my basement & dug up a (holy cow coincidence - it's exactly the size i was looking for) painting that I'd started in high school, never really finished, never really liked & had been sitting down in the dungeon for so long I figured it couldn't be too terrible to paint over it at this point right? right.

Here's the outcome:



Not what I'd envisioned (neither colors nor style) but it's nice enough. Note that I did take a picture of the high school painting for posterity just in case I was sad to lose it. Turns out that this is a vast improvement.

Future project = a cement bench (or four)

A pile of blue insulation board awaits cutouts and other such prep in order to be made in to cement bench molds:



There are at least two places near my hosue that just beg for creative seating. This summer, I hope, is the summer I actually *make* these benches.

Future project = create custom frames

I have nifty frame making tools:



Why not use 'em?

Future project = torch work

This has been neglected the past few months:



Bonus future project: There's also a broken gargoyle in the background - he's supposed to be used as a "template" for making a new one out of super lightweight concrete.

Future project = signage! printing!

Here's a nifty sign machien my parents found and saved for me:



It needs a little clean-up, and then it will be fun to play with, I think!

Future project = two wooden benches

I have some sturdy shelves that I never intend to use as shelves. They came with part of the new cabinets in my kitchen. I think that each of these shelves will make an excellent wooden bench top.

Future project = a coffee table

This photograph does not do this piece of wood justice. I think that this will be a verrrry interesting coffee table someday.



(I almost feel like posting a picture of the scar on my arm that I have from attempting to move this large large piece of wood out of the trunk of my car all by myself. Lesson learned. Will ask for help next time.)

A Blue Bag

K, a Latvian friend of mine who's an accomplished quilter, suggested trying out a sewing project....



Turns out my sewing skills have neither increased nor decreased for lack of use. I am still an average seamstress..... but I *can* follow directions! (the part that tells me what to sew together with what --- I obviously did NOT listen to the part in the directions that said to choose stiff fabric)

Installing the path!

First the digging up of sod and sod and more dirt. Luckily J came over and graciously helped me accomplish this in less than 1/2 the time it would have taken if I were by myself:



Then a layer of pebbles:



Then a layer of sand and the first few rocks:



Then more rocks:



Then dirt!



And this one doesn't really need to be posted - I found some "stepables" --- plants that can be walked over, but even splitting 8 containers of various tough, low ground cover type plants .... it still looks mostly like dirt around all the field stones.



AH well. At least all this rain has helped enormously in the "settling" of these rocks. I may try seeding the cracks if I can decide on what exactly I want growing there. Any suggestions?

Getting ready to install a (real) fieldstone path

First, you need to collect the rocks....

Little Laura's two dogs + a ride in the trailer of a riding lawn mower = great fun!!


Some of my field stones are actually .... tree stones?



A rather weighted down car:

A small territorial stake

Here is baby step #1 to getting a fence up around my front yard:


It's the far end that was the crucial bit to my territorial stake. SO far, no news from the neighbors. Is this good? Or the calm before the storm?

Pink roses!

Here's a picture of the rose that (finally!!!!) likes where it's been planted. This rose has been moved no fewer than 5 times in the last 7 years. phew! and this is the very first year it's bloomed.

Yesterday:


Today:


There are at least 10 more buds just waiting to open! Yay!!!!

Honeydew

The first print of 2009!





Created as part of Four Oceans Press' Fruit Alphabet exchange.