The Sinister Scribe

Finally started a nature journal. This is my second page in it. I found these things on our nature walk in the yard today. The “club” moss isn’t really club moss… just moss with club-like things on it. Have yet to identify it… or the leaf. I thought the leaf was wild geranium but nope. Not even close. Maybe Corn Butercup?

The feather is definitely blue jay. Part of the remains of something’s evening meal or maybe midnight snack. I still have it in the journal. The colors are Derwent’s watercolor pencils. Love ‘em! The colors get more intense with water.

I splurged (retail therapy) on a journal made by Global Art Materials out of Kansas City. It has a nice black linen cover and elastic strap. The heavyweight paper is off white and has rounded corners.

So here’s to a full journal by the end of the year!

Here are drawings from both Jessie and Sam for week 7 of Wildflower Morning’s Wildflowers in Winter blog-a-thon. (click them to see a larger version in a new window) I didn’t expect Jessie to draw for it but she heard Sam and I talking and wanted to join in on the fun.

Sam’s drawing is from a flower seen in the front yard last spring. Jessie’s flower sprang from her fertile imagination. Both are done with Derwent watercolor pencils. We just got some. I love how the colors intensify with a little water.

This week’s activity includes a contest too! Here’s the info from WFM’s site:

on Wednesday, March 5, we will open up the voting, which I will keep open until Thursday, March 6, at 6:00 P.M. PST. take time to look at all the week 7 entries, choose your favorite and then send me an email with your choice to: joyinthemorninglight at yahoo dot com. (Remove the spaces and fix up the email so it will work.) The winner will receive a really cool Dover Publications Wildflower Coloring book and a neato set of Prang watercolors, some watercolor paper and a piece of graphite paper.

So, please vote for Sam or Jessie if you get a chance.

Down to the wire here with my submission for Wildflower Morning’s “Wildflowers in Winter” blog-a-thon. It is based, loosely, on this picture I took last year.

I only used a quarter of a sheet of watercolor paper so I may try it again. (and again and again). I only had 45 minutes to do this today and I’d like to take more time and see if I can’t get closer to what I want.

Oh, the color is Windsor & Neuton Gauche. Back to making dinner…

Talk about a great way to start the week…

Maki of justbento.com emailed me to say I’d won her copy of “Face Food.” I’d left a comment to enter the giveaway and forgot to check back.

Oishii!  …means delicious, which describes everything I’ve tried from justbento.com

Woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. I didn’t realize it was supposed to snow! If you follow the link on that picture you’ll see other shots taken today. The kids and I built snowmen while Bob burned things. LOL! Best part of that is the wood pile is gone (as are the rodents living in it… or rather they’ve relocated themselves ) Enjoy the pictures. There’s even a rare one of Bob and me!

I promise to get back to blogging soon. For the last couple weeks there’s been so much to write, I don’t know where to begin.

…Like ice skating a couple weeks ago. It was so much fun! They had these “walker” like things made of PVC for the kids to scoot around with. Jessie just took off with one. Did I mention this was her first time ice skating? After watching some girls do those crazy spins at the center of the rink, she threw the “walker” aside and went to join them. Seriously, she did that… only she got about 10 strides before reality caught up with her. But she got right back up (with the walker) and skated for the full hour.

I must get to bed. I have not been going to bed on time. G’Nite!

Week 5 of Wildflower Morning’s Wildflowers in Winter blog-a-thon.

Again, I have something to share that was passed down from Grandma. It is a table runner. I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure she made this and the other matching pieces. I can’t tell if the tatting is hand-made. Thought the “cornucopia” of flowers was very applicable for this.

I remember coming to live with her and Grandpa after college to get started on my post-school life. (Bob came out 6 months later.) In the same house I’d visit when I was little. That house seemed so big when I was… so little. This table runner was on a wooden cabinet that I also have. Bob refinished it some years ago. It looks really nice. It is the same cabinet she kept all those lovely teacups in.

Using the instructions found here and basic supplies, I made these two handmade, handbound, hardbacked books. Here are links for the inside front covers of both  (inside pages are just plain white) and the spine of one. I learned a few things making these so I’m hoping the next ones will be even better. I also made matching zippered pouches to “wrap” them in.

The recipients seemed to enjoy them.  I want to make one for Sam with pokemon fabric on the cover. If you follow the link for the instructions, kick around that site there are some fun tutorials there. Including one for an envelope book.

I will write more soon about this week. It was very fun and very busy!

Week 4 of Wildflower Morning’s blog along is “Wildflowers in the Home.” I was thinking that I really didn’t have anything to show (shame on me). I need to remedy that since I really do love wildflowers and weeds. Hmmm…. that would make a nifty blog name, eh? Anyway.

This morning I read one of the entries for this week and a lady had posted some pretty china cups she had. Ah-hah! Grandma’s tea cups. I have several but they are not displayed because I really have no place to do so. (another thing that needs remedying)

As I got them out I realized that I hadn’t thought about Grandma in a while. Growing up I remember she had sooooo many of these pretty cup and saucer sets. She never batted an eyelash over my sister and I using them. I remember breaking at least one. She never got angry with me. Nor did she stop letting me use them. She was such a wonderful lady and I do miss her. But her presence has never really left me.

Another thing I realized was that they are all rose related designs. I’d never noticed that before. It is kind of coincidental because my daughter is named after Grandma. My daughter’s middle name is also “Rose.”

This has been a fun trip down memory lane. I hope you enjoyed it too.

Ok, so it isn’t Tuesday. This tuesday was too busy for me to get to this, so here it is a day late (if I can finish this post in time… if not I’ll just post date LOL!)

Anyway. This first piece is another largesse item. Outer dimensions are 8 1/2 X 11 inches. It needs to be inked still. I’m pretty happy with the figures of the “football” shaped boarder. The eagles feet are a bit big perhaps but it doesn’t bother me enough to change it.



This second piece is {insert dimensions here} and is meant to be a small “favor.” I’m not as happy with it. I can’t seem to keep the proportions right when making Celtic designs large like this. I am thinking of doing some sort of round design in the pot. Or maybe changing it into a shield shape.

I still have another page size area and bookmark/favor area left to use on this sheet, then I’ll turn in the inked designs. After that I will have to turn them in pronto, I’m starting to suffer separation anxiety already. I REALLY wanna paint the football-shaped boarder.

Saturday I went to the Amish community for groceries. There seemed to have been a run on eggs just before we got there. I only came home with two dozen. I did get a couple gallons of milk though and these were much richer than the last. Picked up various other things… flour, oats, dried fruit… bulk stuff.

Ugh! A dump truck just drove past the house… a very smokey one. Of course the windows are open. Ack! (It is 71 degrees here today )

Where was I…

Sunday we had a very informal Setsubun party. We made masks. Threw toasted soynuts. Ate lots of great food. Things didn’t quite happen as planned… it was rainy and cold so we didn’t throw beans outside… we threw them in the toy room. Demons on one side… bean throwers on the other. If I do this again next year, I will ration the beans. LOL!

Everyone seemed to have a good time and ate lots of food. Had some of the leftovers for lunch. Mmmmmm! I unfortunately didn’t get any pictures.

I’m off to enjoy the last little bit of quiet time by doing… nothing.