Baby Steps

I'm taking baby steps today, back into the world of art. Well, brushes of gel medium, anyway!
It's amazing how you forget the feel of the brush in your hand and the way the paint and gel feel so natural flowing out from it. Clumsy, I was, getting gel medium all over the sleeve of my shirt.
I'm following the directions of Katie Kendrick in constructing a magical, framed, hidden piece of art - entirely of cardboard and glue. (And joint compound, when I get some.) I have the frame, with an extra layer around the edges underneath to lift it a bit off the page. I believe I will put a mica frame on it because I found some pieces of mica laying on the art table.
Now here is where I believe I am successful, only BECAUSE of my messy art table. I MUST have everything around me - all at the same time. That way, it sometimes seems, I can find just what I wasn't looking for! (but needed) Because of my messing about with the mica and trying to separate the pieces as fine as possible, I found out be accident how you make the sparkly mica bits to glue on artwork. Crumbling the fine layers up make this magical substance!! Love it.
The two doors will open up to reveal the frame, inside of which will be ... well, who knows? Not me; not yet - femminismo

January is a cruel month!

I know, I know. According to T.S. Eliot, the cruelest month is April. I, however, happen to think it is dark, gloomy, cold January.
Even though our seasonal earthly rotations have turned the corner (so to speak) and the days are getting longer again, the rain continues to fall and the skies are a grim shade of gray. There are huge puddles of water about and the gardens are muddy, with an occasional green stem trying to push its way up - gasping for air.
The snowdrops under the tree outside the kitchen door are blooming and I am so mad at them. Why can't they wait a couple of weeks? It's too soon to waste their pure white color when mud is splashing all around them dirtying their petals.
Yesterday, while on a walk, I tried to find something pretty. Or at least interesting. There were leafless bushes, with branches that served as skewers for the dead brown leaves that fell in October and December. Not very attractive. The magnolia trees have those fuzzy buds on them, but please, oh please, don't open yet!
There was bit of heather with flowers. Those were sort of nice.
At last I settled on the green cedar with its pods and "berries." I should have broken off a tiny bit for the wonderful smell!!
I, myself, cannot wait for the hellebores, then the camellias, and then the daffodils! The months between fall and spring seem the longest, although they are cool and provide an opportunity to camouflage the ripples at the waistline - femminismo

Seriously? Last post was in December?

The post title speaks for itself. I surely thought I had been here since December 15. Fairly incredible that I've been going places, doing things, exploring the woods for mushrooms, cooking (not the mushrooms; not that adventurous/suicidal) and not posting extraordinary pictures of my escapades.
There haven't been that many, but a few. Uploading from my phone to Facebook is so easy and to get photos in here there is downloading from the camera onto the computer, etc. Or could there be an easier way? Let me know if you've found it.
The image posted is from my Italian trip in November. I found a courtyard exhibit of sculptures in Cortona, and since there was no ceiling this little cherub had a shower that made delicious drops of water form on his tiny foot. I just loved his butt. Reminded me of my kiddos when they were babies - femminismo