These are inspirational!!

I’m being loose and watery just now (even as inside am seething with radicalism🔥) This is more gratifying than my old 64 pack of Crayolas. The birds’ tails want to be fatter but it’s in the envelope and flying away.

Lisaam, I HEAR YOU! Those are lovely Valentine's cards--you've got the blending technique down very well. That process is easy to start but very difficult to control-- for me. Which did you paint first, the flowers or the background? I never, ever leave enough room when I do the background first.

The messy heart is an Ellen C-T video. loose roses and then washbthem out more, fill in the heart and blur it. I felt the need to retain some leaf edges—- she kept going after I decided to way-enough.

So interesting to hear this Lisa, as I do exactly the same---E C-T (great initials, yes?) often keeps going to a messier finish than I am ready for. I think it's because getting a good facsimile of the project is difficult enough for me not to want to blur out the details I spent so much time and care creating. I do love her work. She's posted another trip, this one in Vermont in October. We have another family wedding that month so it's a no-go for me.

What kind of watercolor pens do you use Kswl? I've been looking at them and can't quite choose.

I have been using good quality (professional rather than student, Windsor Newton brandpaint— there are other good quality brands). I have both pans and tubes. In my first classes we were working in large scale so tubes made sense. It makes sense to start with a limited number of colors and mix as you need.

I was initially surprised at the cost of supplies, particularly the full sheets of heavy cotton paper.

The Arches paper is very expensive but it does have a beautiful finish.

Pudgeter, I use two different types of watercolor pens, Tonbow and Master's Touch (which is the Hobby Lobby house brand). Neither is wonderful, but I want to achieve greater facility with them before buying a really nice set. I have also been using colored pencils for some details and have two sets of those: Frixions (made by Pilot) and a set from Japan that DH bought for me and I cannot reproduce the name here. The ones I like best are watercolor pencils, with which you draw and then add water to diffuse the paint. I have a set of 18 from Carand'ache, a Swiss brand. They are lovely, but since you cannot mix the paint colors very well you need ALL the colors. My set of 18 was about $50 and the big set of 120 is almost $400. I have not convinced myself that I need them.....yet. But four shades of gray, be still my heart!

I’m still working with student grade Daler-Rowney…. I bought Golden, but don’t think I’m ready yet. lol!

It’s been bitter cold here for days, so I had time to weave a little while I watched the Olympics and I finally finished it this morning. Nothing fancy, I’m just weaving a few prototypes that might be good for a class.

That is beautiful Partymusic! I love the colors of taupe and cream together, that could go anywhere.

You’re very kind, Kswl, thank you! But… it’s really the equivalent of a doodle. I have a few people asking me to offer a class, so I’m just fiddling with ideas, but I’ve decided that’s a little too intricate for a beginner class. Only because I limit classes to 3 hours, and even with my pre-preparation that basket could easily take too long.

I painted three cards this evening: a Valentine for DD and SIL

a hyacinth

and poppies

The flowers I will add to my stock of all purpose cards, which is getting low.

Your cards are gorgeous, kswl! That’s my kind of subject matter and the borders are such a nice touch. Please do keep posting! I need the inspiration to force myself to find time to do creative things! My days are too full of work and tasks.

New news here: Did you know that wiggling your toes while getting an injection of novocaine makes it less painful?! It’s true! I have a new young dentist and had a small cavity. He numbed it with gel first, then before injecting he told me to wiggle my toes. I never felt the needle and there were no residual needle marks. The entire procedure was absolutely painless. I was always good at wiggling my toes. :)

I will remember that Partymusic, as I am deathly afraid of getting shots in my moith and if I have anything more complicated than a cleaning there is Xanax and nitrous oxide involved as well as numbing gel before any novocaine is introduced 😳

I love those @Kswl! And i love that you have a stock of cards ready to go. I’m not much of a card sender, but I think I should start.

I finished DH’s Valentine’s Day card. My talent level is still down at cute animals 😀

Thkse are darling birds and a perfect Valentine card Legomom ❤️ And there is something curiously satisfying about painting cute animals!

JH the coloration and blending on those pages is lovely! The gelatos yield a very nice blurred background and shading. I know some watercolorists use them by applying in stick form and adding water with a brush to smooth out the color depth and soften the edges, but the way it’s done using a dry stencil brush in the video you linked seems more controlled. Thank you for posting your work.

My weekend crafting ended up like this… my objective is to use some of my supplies!!!

Love it, PM. My goal for this week is to finish a paper basket I started — and abandoned — a few weeks ago. Starting the cathead baskets stresses me out!

Can’t remember if I already shared this recent cyanotype. I used 3 feathers and a scrap of polka dot tissue paper, then added some gold pen.

And one more that came out better than expected.

Wow, Sue! I am freshly amazed at the striking beauty of those cyanotypes!

Partymusic, your skill is on display with each creation— love that one and wish I could create something as lovely with ”leftover” supplies!

Thanks, Sueb and Kswl.

Sueb, I have never done a cyanotype -- yours look fantastic!

I'm currently deep in the throes of love for eco printing botanicals.

Bunny! it’s beautiful!

More cards!

This was for Valentine’s (when bad puns abound)

This is an all purpose card

and this is a study for a Christmas card next year

This would be the front of a side folded card, with a manger scene across the double aspect when opened. I would make only a few of these as it will be quite labor intensive, the barn with a few animals and the Holy Family — maybe a king and a shepherd if I am ambitious!

Nice cards, kswl. I love the crayons!

I have a friend who paints her xmas card every year, but she has cards made from the original, along with matching stamps. She uses zazzle.

We have a good local printer in town where I have gotten notecards made from my painting of KLM delft miniature houses. I‘ve used Zazzleand Vistaprint both and they’re much faster but I do prefer seeing the actual printed proof before ordering a big lot.

The crayons were one if Andrea Nelson’s sketchbook exercises. The color trails are actual crayon and the rest is ink and watercolor. I thought it was happy looking and painted it yesterday after dinner.

kswl, I was wondering how you got such great crayon lines with paint!

I started this basket in autumn and have finally finished it! These minis take a while even if you don’t count the months of inactivity. :)

Oh, so cute partymusic!! That tiny basket is a work of art! what will you do with it??

Yes, They are like little jewels to me. :) I give some away, and otherwise do this kind of thing:

They are wonderful! I would be filling them with tea bags, soaps, homemade chocolates, etc. wrap them up in cellophane, add a bow. What a delightful hostess gift, get well gift, etc. they would make. Get little tags made “handmade by ****” ❤️

Partymusic, those are delightful! And just darn cute!

Thank you, njmomma and OutsidePlaying! I have also sold some and have competed at the State Fair and in local art shows with many of the baskets shown and they’re big ribbon winners. That photo makes my hands look huge, so these baskets may be smaller than you think. Most people use them to keep rings. :)

Oh my goodness! They are tiny, but delightful. Congratulations on winning ribbons on your craft.

Party, are those little beauties made from waxed linen?? I am taking a class with Lois Russell in the fall. I bought a little kit to try out between now and then. I have been wanting to try for a long time. Your little babies are beautiful!

Here is my party music original. I will always treasure it. 💙

I like those colors, Jilly! :)

Thank you, njmomma and Sueb. Yes, I use 4-ply Irish waxed linen.

Thanks for sharing your artistic talents with us. Everything you all make is beautiful.

Party music, if I made those, I think I would just stare at them all day long and smile. They really are exquisite.

Awwww, thank you, jojoco. You should see my easter eggs. :)

Please, pictures of the Easter eggs!

Lol! It’s still snowing here so I have the time…. I was taught this technique by my Polish grandmother, but naturally I took it further. They are done with melted paraffin wax on the head of a straight pin.

These are simpler ones… hardboiled and to be eaten, from last year:

And these were done on raw eggs… more complex, with a kistka and beeswax. :)

Do you blow out the egg? When I was younger we were taught to put a pin hole on both sides of the egg, blow the egg out of the shell, then paint or paper machete with tissue paper, for keep sake.

They are beautiful

Wow, party, those eggs are gorgeous! So exquisite. Your talents are awe-inspiring. :)

Those eggs are fantastic partymusic! I cannot believe you would crack and eat them, they should be preserved and admired for every Easter to come. Wow!

Thank you, njmomma, Jilly, and Kswl!

njmomma, I decorated the whole raw eggs.

Kswl, I always save my favorites of a set to crack last. :)

I’ve been using the FL sun…these are postcards. (I don’t have plans to send them; they’re just an easy size to pack.)

Your eggs are just beautiful! You have a lot of patience to do detailed work like this.

I brought a tiny travel paint set to NOLA and had only one opportunity to use it so far, but hoping to get to the park today at some point to sketch. This will go in my stock of cards, possibly for a new baby?