Gnome Craft – In My Garden!

I took a little break from finishing up the latest book, Let’s Crochet! and did something completely different. This is a little gnome doll made with a wire armature body and wool felt clothing. He posed in my potted plant

and then had to take a stroll in the garden.

The inspiration was a book called The Gnome Craft Book" by Thomas and Petra Berger. I found it at my local library and thought it looked interesting. Turns out it was first published in Dutch and translated into English. That explains a lot.

It’s not like the craft books we’re accustomed to. There are lots of techniques and the authors assume that readers know how to do quite a few different things from knitting and embroidery to simple wood carving and wire work. Even the little fellow here would have been quite difficult if I hadn’t already known how to make wire armature dolls and had the proper tools.

The dolls eventually suggest their names but he doesn’t have one yet. Any suggestions?

A Hummingbird in My Garden

A hummingbird came to my garden for the first time!

It was here yesterday and checked the feeder my friend Carolyn gave me. Naturally, the feeder was empty because I've never used it for that. It's been for decorative purposes only.

So, maybe 10 minutes after I saw the bird, I had hummingbird food made and the feeder cleaned out. (Got to love the Internet for getting information quickly.)

That included the time it took to chase a garter snake out of the back screen porch. I found him when I bolted through the porch to retrieve the feeder.

Well, the food had to cool and then it rained, so I figured the little hummer wouldn't be back. But, I was wrong. It's been back a couple times today too. Now, I can't stop looking out the window every two minutes or so.

Spray Paint - What's not to Love?

GLITTER SPRAY!

Yes, you saw that correctly. Glitter that comes in a spray can. I love this stuff.

From Krylon, it comes in five colors. I have the gold but am just aching to try the "Magical Multicolor".

It's a sparkly glitter with small particle size (as you would expect to come out of a spray can) and works very well. My can has never clogged and the spray dries very quickly.

It does smell, much more so than most spray paints, so heed the instructions to use in a well ventilated area. The finish is a little rough due to the glitter particles so if you want a super smooth surface, it would require a sealer or varnish.

Of course, the best part of using this, or any other glitter, is the little bits of sparkle that cling to you the rest of the day.

Postcards from My Garden

A card for a friend - it's ready to go in the mail tomorrow. These little 4x6 postcards are just the thing to keep in practice with paints and such when time is short.

I sketched the plant and flower head in pencil, quickly painted with watercolor, lettered and inked with a black gel pen. Overworking with the pen is always a danger, so I let it rest a bit before finishing up. It took hardly any time at all from the garden and my back porch.

What is it with Starting Projects?

We’ve talked about UFO's , those unfinished objects lurking in tote bags and closets, now let’s have a look at the other side of that story. Starting projects is fun, fun, fun, but it does have a dark side. Many of them turn into UFO’s with time passing and interest waning. So, why start so many projects when they can never all be finished?

Temporary Infatuation. What else can I say? It’s a crush on some new yarn, material or technique that just has to be tried. So, there’s another project started and the first hours or days are wonderful and exciting. Then, the crush dissipates, reality sets in and the faults and flaws of the thing are obvious. The color’s wrong, the technique is boring or truly aggravating or the finished item just isn’t something worth having. Here’s a UFO newly born and one that probably won’t ever be completed.

Simple Projects. These are the projects I like to call “mindless”. These are the ones that travel to the in-laws and the meetings to keep the hands busy and just enough of the brain occupied to keep from going nuts. These are useful and necessary projects. Very seldom do they age into UFO’s even though some take quite a while to finish.

Real Love. This is the prize in projects starts. These are things that the end result is something I love and truly want in my life. These projects can vary greatly in difficulty and time commitment. The materials and techniques are secondary to the item itself so learning something new or working with not so favorite materials is often worth it. The UFO danger here is taking too long to finish the project. If that happens, changes in taste or lifestyle can make it obsolete before it’s done.

There are just a few of my excuses to start a new project. I’m sure there are countless other explanations waiting to be discovered and used. So go ahead and start something new, you’ve got a good reason.