Author: wintergypsy

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slowly painting again

I got the urge to paint again the other week. I wanted to do something big to put in my bedroom & inspire me to take down those wall shelves I’ve been staring at for the last 5 years. 3′ x 4′ should do it, I thought ….. and set out to buy all the supplies needed to build & stretch my own canvas ….. sadly, I didn’t think abuot staples and ‘lo and behold, I ran out of staples not even half-way through the construction part ….. and, well ….. since I was determined to paint SOMEthing that day I went down in to my basement & dug up a (holy cow coincidence – it’s exactly the size i was looking for) painting that I’d started in high school, never really finished, never really liked & had been sitting down in the dungeon for so long I figured it couldn’t be too terrible to paint over it at this point right? right.

Here’s the outcome:

Not what I’d envisioned (neither colors nor style) but it’s nice enough. Note that I did take a picture of the high school painting for posterity just in case I was sad to lose it. Turns out that this is a vast improvement.

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Future project = a cement bench (or four)

A pile of blue insulation board awaits cutouts and other such prep in order to be made in to cement bench molds:

There are at least two places near my hosue that just beg for creative seating. This summer, I hope, is the summer I actually *make* these benches.

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Future project = torch work

This has been neglected the past few months:

Bonus future project: There’s also a broken gargoyle in the background – he’s supposed to be used as a “template” for making a new one out of super lightweight concrete.

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Future project = a coffee table

This photograph does not do this piece of wood justice. I think that this will be a verrrry interesting coffee table someday.

(I almost feel like posting a picture of the scar on my arm that I have from attempting to move this large large piece of wood out of the trunk of my car all by myself. Lesson learned. Will ask for help next time.)

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A Blue Bag

K, a Latvian friend of mine who’s an accomplished quilter, suggested trying out a sewing project….

Turns out my sewing skills have neither increased nor decreased for lack of use. I am still an average seamstress….. but I *can* follow directions! (the part that tells me what to sew together with what — I obviously did NOT listen to the part in the directions that said to choose stiff fabric)

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Installing the path!

First the digging up of sod and sod and more dirt. Luckily J came over and graciously helped me accomplish this in less than 1/2 the time it would have taken if I were by myself:

Then a layer of pebbles:

Then a layer of sand and the first few rocks:

Then more rocks:

Then dirt!

And this one doesn’t really need to be posted – I found some “stepables” — plants that can be walked over, but even splitting 8 containers of various tough, low ground cover type plants …. it still looks mostly like dirt around all the field stones.

AH well. At least all this rain has helped enormously in the “settling” of these rocks. I may try seeding the cracks if I can decide on what exactly I want growing there. Any suggestions?