painting: horse friends (06/27/2018)

This was one that I started out thinking, “Is this color right? Does this go with that? Am I screwing it up right from the get-go?”

But then I liked it at the end.

18″x24″ oil on stretched canvas. Available here.

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painting: coonhound (06/25/18)

I love the in-motion swoop to his ears, you just know he’s on his way to do something important.

10″x10″ oil on stretched canvas. Available here.

painting: polish bun (06/25/2018)

I painted a few little pieces by brush this week. I haven’t used a brush in a while, but it came back pretty easily. Well, this style did, anyway. My daughter said, “You’re going backwards,” because I used to paint this style all the time a few years ago. I guess I like it because it’s not entirely predictable what the results will be, and the brush strokes are rough, in fact more scrubbing than painting.

Anyway, he was fun to paint.

8″x10″ oil on stretched canvas. Available here.

painting: bay horse (06/24/2018)

I’ve been painting the last couple weeks, so I have several new ones available this week. Yes, doling them out one a day to help etsy’s algorithm keep me at the top of the searches.

16″x20″ oil on stretched canvas. Available here.

mspt: knitted wash cloths

I am trying to fit in a little knitting every day as my zen time. I don’t have anything I particularly need to knit, I have enough scarves (can one ever have too many scarves?) so I am knitting simple washcloths. Quick, easy, and something you always need.

This is Peaches & Cream cotton. It is very rough and definitely not high-end, but great if you want an exfoliating washcloth. Or maybe a good dish scrubber.

And the color is so pretty for a bathroom.

sewing: lunch bags

I just love this pattern, it is, for me, the perfect lunch bag. I think we got almost a year’s worth of use out of the last ones. And that’s five-day-week use, so I’m happy with how they held up.

I followed my “use your favorite fabric” philosophy. I used to save my favorites, but that was before the internet, back when actually finding something you liked was rare. You settled for what was available, and if you were lucky you liked it. Nowadays, I can shop and pick only my favorites. So why not use them?

This Robert Kaufman print I had anticipated using for something else, but in the end it looks great as a lunch bag. Here it is, front…

and back.

This was a Riley Blake print, I think. She always uses great artists.

My favorite part is the drawstring top. It poofs out a lot higher than it appears here, and you can fit quite a lot of lunch inside.

Lastly, this fun novelty print.

Every day, lunch will be fun. Love this whole design. It takes a little trouble, but is worth the effort. Much better when you assembly line it, and make a couple extra to give away.

🙂

 

mspt: lavender wreath

For those who haven’t been reading forever, “mspt” is “make something pretty today.”

I used a wreath frame from the floral section in the dollar store, and ribbon and fresh lavender. You have to gather the lavender on just the right day–too soon, and it’s not fragrant, too late and it’s gone to seed. I think you have about one week to find just the right day, and then hope you get there before the bees.

This used a lot more ribbon than I expected, so I switched to perle cotton thread. Which I ended up liking better, as it’s less noticeable.

And yes, it smells heavenly.