Friday, February 22, 2013

snowy friday musings and doings ~ or ~ of plants, art, and cats

  Hello friends, and happy Friday from snowy Illinois.

I am so sick of winter...the gray skies, the cold, the snow.  Seems never-ending
at times. I was supposed to leave this morning for Des Moines, Iowa with my friend,
but our road trip is delayed because of the snow storm that hit the Midwest yesterday.
We'll be leaving tomorrow morning instead. My friend's son attends college in
Des Moines and is performing in the musical, Next to Normal. That's the main reason
behind the road trip. We'll be staying overnight and coming home Sunday evening.

The puttering and creating around Comfy House continues. I've always loved plants
and in just the past couple of years, have had a fondness for succulents. From articles
and photos I've seen in magazines and on Pinterest, terrariums are once
again in style, too. Last time I was at Goodwill, I found a couple of glass bowls
for only $1.99 each, and I thought they'd make great terrarium containers. I obviously
have a long way to go with creativity in creating terrariums, but it's a start.


 This one needs major help. The Christmas cactus plant is simply way too tall
for a shallow planter. I'll need to dig it up and put it in its own taller container and find
a shorter succulent to plant in its place.


There's just something about a grouping of plants in front of a window that's
so beautiful...


 or even clustered together on a dresser top in a spare bedroom. The Poinsettia from
Christmas is still doing pretty well!


 Speaking of creating, I tried my hand at a couple of other new art projects.
A couple of weeks ago in a blog post, I showed this simple paper art page
 that I made. I went to Hobby Lobby to look for a mat and frame, but no luck.
This page was 6x6 and it seems impossible to find a pre-cut mat and simple frame
 that fits this size of paper.


So I went to Plan B. I'd never worked with Mod Podge before, but couldn't hurt to
try, right? I took a piece of canvas and spray-painted it blue, then glued the paper
to the canvas and added some letter stickers. Then I used Mod Podge over the whole thing.
Learned the hard way that you don't want to use Mod Podge on anything that
 is raised - such as the hearts on this paper! So now the hearts look rather flat
 and funky, but I'm slowly learning that things don't have to be perfect.
 Pretty good is good enough. At least the process was fun. :-)

And the two white squares with black ink designs leaning against the books?
Those are Zentangle drawings. Have you heard of Zentangle? Here's a great
explanation from tanglepatterns.com:

Zentangles are miniature pieces of unplanned, abstract, black and white art
 created in a very structured method from an ensemble of repetitive patterns
 on a 3.5-inch (89 mm) square paper tile. They are not only exquisitely beautiful,
they are fun and relaxing to create.The process of creating a Zentangle® is a
 form of “artistic meditation” as one becomes completely engrossed in making
 each pattern, deliberately focusing on “one stroke at a time”®.
The creativity options and pattern combinations are boundless.
And anyone can do it!


 I took a class the other night on basic Zentangle. There is so much to learn
and it obviously takes a lot of practice! The tile on the left was my first one - I did
that in the class. The tile on the right is the one I worked on at home the other night
until 1 a.m.! I've been looking at various web sites and youtube tutorials to learn
more and practice more patterns.


I have a "bad tummy" today. I think it's because of the slight anxiety I have
about going away tomorrow. So while the laundry is going and I'm watching the
snowflakes falling gently out the window, I think I'll make like Monkey and Zippo
before continuing on with some housework. I usually don't indulge in lying around
and reading until right before bed, but I need that little bit of rest today.


 Just in case you were wondering where Clementine was...



18 comments:

  1. Melanie - Your cat babies look very contented! Be safe on your trip and enjoy!

    Judy

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    1. Thank you, Judy! Glad you're feeling better. :-)

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  2. I did a double-take and laughed at Clementine's picture! Is that her favorite casserole dish or did she commandeer it?

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    1. I had just unloaded the dishwasher and was going to put this dish back into the buffet, but she took over, lol.

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  3. You have been a very creative girl! I like your zentangle tiles - very nice! Sweet Clementine. I can't tell you how many times that happens here!

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    1. Have a lot of practice to go on those Zentangle tiles, Susan. :-) Clemmie is so funny...she will curl up wherever she can fit!

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  4. I love your kitties and your art work. And yes, nothing better than a grouping of plants!
    Brenda

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  5. Your artwork turned out beautifully and I love the terrariums, too...this time of year I crave some green in the house, too! Safe travels!

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  6. I love Zentangle. I lead a Doodle Club at my school and the kids (both boys and girls) love being able to draw.

    Your cats are great.

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    1. As someone who can barely draw a stick figure, I'm really liking Zentangle. Except that some of the patterns are too complicated for me!

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  7. I love those tiles! I hear you about the weather - but it's good for you to have the houseplants - they make your home feel warm.

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    Replies
    1. You are right - if we can't have outdoor plants just yet, we will enjoy them indoors. :-)

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  8. Clementine! All the the kitties are adorable.

    There's something about succulents that I really like. I guess it's the different textures and shapes. Love the plant groupings!

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  9. Funny - I just wrote a post about being sick and tired of winter in Illinois! Your kitties are really cute. Hope you have a safe trip.

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    Replies
    1. LOL...guess we're all sick and tired of winter here!

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  10. Clementine makes me laugh...adorable!

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