Seasons

Theme for March: Seasons; to be interpreted, as usual, in one's own idiom....


I have a love-hate relationship with weather. I love being warm, but not too warm. I hate being cold. I don't like rain (well, a little here and there) because it is usually cold, and I've lived in too many houses that have had leaks! As a child, rain on a corrugated iron roof used to sooth me, now it makes me nervous! So generally the weather can't keep me happy. Unless it can guarantee not to rain while I have washing on the line (with four kids, that is most days!), or be too cold so I don't want to get up (about 6 months of the year in Auckland...). And that whole lugging around spare jumpers and coats cause you leave and it's cold and by lunch time you're in your sweltering AND carrying all the kids cast-offs?  Am I asking too much? Yes, I know I am. But I know what I like. I am not high maintenance. Just impossible ;)


So my thinking started: Summer, yeah, but not a beachy out-doorsy type, except for:

Autumn: too cold. And windy. 
Winter: waaaaaay to cold. Skiing? Hahaha. No.
Spring: weeeelllll, getting better. But I have hayfever, and it rains too much. 


Picky much?


So we think a little more laterally... Salt and Pepper? Meh. By this stage I just wanted to start painting something, hurry up!


You will be pleased to know that I finally reached a decision :) (please, stop, you'll embarrass me...) As I couldn't pick a favourite season, or type of seasoning, I thought 'What excites me most about the idea of any particular season?'. Perhaps a little sadly, my heart lept with excitement at the realisation that spring heralds the arrival of the ASPARAGUS season!! Oh asparagus, how I do love you. Let me count the ways.... Just having a moment to myself as I drool over the possibilities...


Enough waffling. Time to get messy!


I started with my cards; I decided to do them individually this time. I cut them to size and adhered (sounds more sophisticated than 'glued'? We try.) bazzill card stock in red and blue shades. Then I used some off cut from one of those 'Emporiums' that sell basically junk, but are a treasure trove for Alterers (yes, I made that word up) and Upcyclers; it had all the circles you see in the background punched out of it - leftover sequin materials? Using an old credit card I spread texture paste randomly onto the card and left them to dry. Then I painted them, and scratched into the wet paint a few marks. When that was dry I inked over some areas with distress ink. 

I was a bit loathe to do anything else, as I really liked the colour and texture so far! But there isn't much about asparagus going on yet, so......


And here I will apologise about the quality of the photos. I am techno-unsavvy, and someone (probably me) had changed a setting on the camera changing the focus. I couldn't get it sorted in time before I had to go to the class and give them away - ie: have no more to photograph! 


The problem I ran into now was, have you ever seen an image on paper, serviette/napkin, a stamp, or any craft material that resembles asparagus? Well, I hadn't. Though in my search for materials I think I bought 8 different shades of ink pads, distress inks, copic markers etc to get the shade right! I am not complaining; one excuse is as good as another to add to the materials! 


I figured that I wanted to do a bunch like you might find in a market (another obsession - take me to a market any day!). So, I needed to replicate or create individually 16 bunches. I'll take replicate thankyou!  I inked some watercolour paper a green shade with tsukinekio ink, and I made a stamp. Yep. Clever me. Well, a little serendipity was involved.


At a hospice/goodwill shop (go bargain hunting!) I bought a bag of Jenga blocks for $1 - Well, I was excited! I got a black tray from a packet of avocados - similar to a meat packing tray. I don't know what sort of plastic it is, but you can draw into it. I drew my asparagus shape, cut it out and glued it to the block. In fact I cut four slightly different asparagus shapes so I could get a bit of a variety. I left it overnight to dry. And it got interesting. I used a super glue - I like things to stick permanently. But it melted the tray. So instead of having a block stamp, which I expected, I got an outline stamp, which I actually wanted! Whoop! So bad photo, but it looked like this. You can make out where the inside of the tray (black shape) melted.

Asparagus stamp

 How slack that I didn't even crop the photos!?

So I stamped different shapes onto the prepared paper, then used a copic marker to add the details and cut the bunches out.

Stamped Asparagus!

Finally, I wrapped the bunch in twine and attached them to rectangles of corrugated card that I had distressed and inked. As far as representing 'Seasons' go, I am pleased. Representing asparagus - I am glad I got the colours I wanted, but they fall far short of the real deal..... Yum!

Better Start Clapping, ('cause I don't really believe in fairies...)

That's right, Peter Pan. I prefer Terry Jones and Brian Froud's fairies...

Any -hoo, I have completed my first project for 2012! Yay me! If you knew me, you would understand that this is a big deal; generally, I put the 'pro' in 'procrastinate'. THIS year, I am going to try and use up more of my stash (the stuff you've been buying and hoarding, can't bare to use and so on - I am looking at you crafters out there....) and CREATE more. My theory is this: if I don't start, I won't end up anywhere. I need to use the time I have while the kids are little and I have the (relative) freedom of being at home, to create. Who knows where it will lead to, but at least I won't be in the same place in 5 years time. By which time my youngest will be at school and hopefully I will start to feel a bit more human.... That's the way it works, doesn't it??

And I saw this picture. It encouraged me, so I am sharing it. (Swiped off Pinterest. Loooove Pinterest. My happy place.)

And so I started. Another Kaisercraft off the page-er. When I saw them put out this set of drawers, I couldn't help but think of my daughter. It's so made for little girls. And of course, it would bring pleasure to us both if I got to make it and she got to play with it ;)  

I used Graphic 45 paper, which is another LOVE of mine, inks, acrylic paints, copic markers, kindy glitz, flowers, ribbons, sequins and rhinestones (why not eh?).

I was pleased with the way it came out - I usually like things more 'my-style', but I had to make it appeal to a seven year old who would actually use it, so it couldn't be too OTT. Que sera.