Cyanotype II

I had a lot of cyanotype paper prepped and the directions say not to leave it for more than two weeks. Well it's been over two months. I decided it was time to see if it really made a different. 

I took picture with the stencils and leaves before exposure and then the results. I don't see any difference but I'm a newbie so what do I know. :)  My next step is to move up to fabric. I have a bunch of canvas tote bags washed and waiting. With the bright California sun it only takes a few minutes to get it to change. 
 

Sashiko Stitch on Cross Stitch Fabric - Does It Really Work?

I've been in a crafting mood and now have the time to dive into my very long list of projects. I've had all the parts to do Sashiko stitching including a cut up pair of jeans. After seeing some different ways to do it, I thought why not try the more interesting ones. Someone posted for the more complicated stitches you can use cross stitch fabric to keep track of your pattern's stitch lines. After you finish, you pull the threads out from the cross stitch canvas. I decided I wanted to see how easy it really was to pull those threads out. This will be one of my night owl projects!

New iris folding pattern

My first attempts at doing a new to me iris folding pattern. Since I don't have a printer, I had to free hand the pattern. After doing it, I know now how to space out the section and make it more uniform. I also have watched some video on how to make a pattern and that was super helpful too. 

Tonight (Sunday, May 31) I'm getting ready for  all the blue moon rituals. Writing down what I want to let go of, making moon water etc... I took a long nap so I would be wake when the moon comes out!

 

Life of a reseller

 I went in on Sunday to make an offer on some recliners my son wants. When I walked in the winner of this lot was picking up. I asked if he would sell me the persimmon bowl. This is a super big no no at the auction house. You're not suppose to buy or sell from other people while your in the building. He asked if I was bidding against him because the lot went for $300. I told him I wasn't there on Saturday and I would have tapped out at $60 anyways. I offered $20 but he turned it down. I'm sure he Googled it while I was at the front counter. :) Unless I missed something in that lot, he's profit margin will be pretty low. 

Paper Crafter's Logic - saving on gas

If you know me, I don't like paying full retail for anything. In the paper crafting world I have almost everything you would need. Being an iris folding fan when I saw this pattern by "Bergkaarten" on Pinterest I knew it had to try it. You would think with the hundreds of dies I own I would have a triangle! It's the one shape I don't have. I have Christmas tree shapes but I like to clean look of this one. So on my way back from the auction house I stopped at Michael's. I really didn't want to pay full retail but I wanted to try making it today. I had to pass by Savers on my way home so I popped into there too. Sunday isn't a good day to shop because no new carts come out. I thought these NIB Polar Pops were just too funny, the feet really crack me up. I also grab a Lane pine box to hold some of the matchbox car prizes I got for the boys. Make it into a little treasure box. I plan to paint over the Christmas goose. Do I really need another art project? :) Savers is next to a Grocery Outlet so I went to pick up some corn chips as all my Costco avocados are now ripe. My impulse buy for today was these mini pies. It's a throw back to the days of 7/11 pies. Thinking about how much gas I saved! :) 

 

In The Garden

Runner Beans

I didn't go to the auction and once I made that decision it was easy to look at the numbers. Take the emotion out of it and it was easy to see I wouldn't be able to flip anything fast enough to justify the money spent. Instead I stocked my booth at Cottage Crafts with my puzzle haul. That took some time tagging everything and getting them on the shelf. Then I did what I call the "buzz fly" technique of getting everything else done. Start with cleaning up one area but when you walk into another room to put something away, start organizing something there. Not the most efficient way to get things done for sure. Last month I found a whole bunch of seed packets and decided it was time to see if these seeds would sprout. These are Scarlett runner beans. I just like that they trellis up the bamboo poles I have all over the yard. The birds especially like them for the leaves and the grubs in the soil. The sunflowers seeds haven't sprouted yet but I've never had any luck with those. During my buzz fly moments a lot of creative ideas popped up. Going to spend this afternoon giving some of them a try. :) 

 

Auction Maybes?

I went to the auction preview on Friday and there were some interesting things. I have to be mindful that I went over budget last month. Having to decide is it worth sitting through an auction all day in hopes of getting a few lots cheap enough that I could flip fast. There are some pieces I know will take awhile to sell but would be cool to add to my inventory. That will tie up even more of my money for months. While debating with myself I'm out in my garden with my coffee enjoying all the bird activity. I'm surprised how close the birds are getting to me. 

There is a junk lot that has a lacquered persimmon bowl I've never seen before. That would make a nice addition to my collection. Is it worth the time?

 

Should I or Shouln't I Day

I'm debating if I should add this giant shell to the top of my botch flower press cover. That was my failed attempt to mod podge a cute napkin on to the cover. The only down side to using the shell is if I need or want to add more weight to the press. 

I checked out this book from the library to see if it would inspires me into doing something with the two flower presses I own.  The debate is do I really need a press if a heavy book will do the same thing. Then I went down rabbit hole researching if blotting paper is really worth the expense. I'm happy using coffee filters. 

It's auction week and I really, really shouldn't go. There's only one thing that my son wants so I at least have to check it out. Since my weekends are now free I may sit through the whole auction and see if I can score some super deals. No, I really shouldn't do that as last month I over spent. 

Where to find creative inspiration

 When I'm in a creative slump I go to the library. There's always a local artist's exhibit which is inspiring. This month (May) at the Saratoga library this artist show cased a few watercolors using home made pigments. Sorry I didn't note her name. I was wondering if the paint was light fast = will fade over time. Which at my age isn't really that important anymore. :) Making my own paint is on my list of things I want to try. Wondering if there will be workshop at Craftcation? 

I picked up several books on quilling hoping it would inspire me to get out all my quilling tools. As any paper crafter, I have all the supplies to make a ton!

In my yard I get a lot of birds in the morning. Not being able to have a bird feeder because it attracts rats, it nice to open my front door and hear all the chirping. There are several nests and I hear the babies chirping all day. The birds like chewing on my plants leaves like they did back at my old place up in hills in Cupertino. Posey doesn't care about them flying around, just like Annie. Brings back a lot of happy memories. 

Lonely Road - Feng Shui

I was listening to a Feng Shui  You Tuber and she said not to have artwork of a lonely road in your house. Guess it manifest a lot of negative things especially in the bedroom. I really like this 1964 photo of a road down in Pebble Beach. Would I love to walk down that road and imagining how quiet and peaceful it would be. I could see Annie walking along checking everything out and hearing the ocean waves. I had it right next to a pen ink drawing from an artist from Monterey so it made a nice sentimental grouping.

I picked up this painting of oranges at the estate sale I did this past weekend. It was dusty and has some damage so that was the reason everyone passed on it. I dragged it home, cleaned it and touched up the missing paint. It's not an original so I wasn't worried about ruining it. I love the pop of color in my otherwise very dark room but still not sure it's the right vibe. Of course the clock doesn't work at all now so the hunt for something to replace it or I go back to my black and white photo. 
 

Dowdle Puzzle Haul 2026

I like doing puzzles and the Dowdle brand is a favorite. I prefer the 500 piece puzzles because I can get them done in one day. It's something I take when I dog sit. Can't take them when I cats sit as the cats like to "help". Once I've done the puzzles I sell it off at CCB. It's not a money spinners but I at least get my money back. This was another cross town pick up I did on Sunday. I no sooner got home when these got posted. I hopped back into my car and made the drive. Paid about $3.25 for 36 puzzles. 12 are new in the box, which doesn't really mean anything to me as I'll be opening them but I did pay more for them. I now have a nice back stock when I babysit the Frenchies. 

Claw Machine Found

$15.00

For months I've been looking for a claw machine. I thought it would be fun for the boys during their visit this summer. As much as they love the gnome house, it's time to up grade. Of course thrifting this was a challenge. Many were either over priced or played with a little to much. Everyday I searched Facebook market place and finally found one! Took me a week before I could pick it up as it was across town. I did a lot of cross town driving on Sunday, more on that later.  When I showed the boys via a video call, they were thrilled. Mees gets the whole reward system because he is a rule follower. Henkie thinks he can do it but we'll find out. I did make sure it was ok with upper management as I'm not up to date with the latest parenting trends. The plan is to fill it with candy and tickets for toys that don't fit into the unit. I thought easter eggs would work but it's a little hard me to make it work. Now I'm in search of those little plastic balls you can fill.