Picture a Day 102 – Felted Wool Bag Step 1

Posted on April 11, 2012 by joanienaz

The first thing that I did once I decided to make a bag like the one my daughter brought home with her this week, which you can see here, was photograph, draw, and measure it. Next I knit a test piece and put it through the washer and dryer a couple of times. After that, I decided to change the size of my needles.

Then I knit what will be the bottom of my bag. I used size 9 US (5.5 mm) needles, and medium (4) wool yarn. This piece is 20 stitches across, and has 75 rows. It measures about 6” X 12″. I used two strands of yarn, one Natural Mix and one New Denim, and I wound them together to produce a marled effect. I also used a seed stitch (knit one , purl one, alternating by row).

I think this will be a sturdy bottom for my bag, once it is felted. I left yarn at each end of this piece to attach it to the sides of the bag. Next, I will make the handles for my bag, and then the shoulder strap, using the same yarns and stitch as the bottom piece. I may need to reinforce these with twine, but I will meditate on that!

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Picture a Day #101 – A Spider and a Spout

Posted on April 10, 2012 by joanienaz

I couldn’t resist taking a photograph of this itsy bitsy spider near a water spout. I disturbed it when I turned on the faucet.

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Picture a Day #100 – It’s in the Bag

Posted on April 9, 2012 by joanienaz

My middle child is visiting this week. It’s fun to have her home. She brought a cool bag with her that I hadn’t seen before. I love it!

She bought it at Target, and it probably wasn’t very expensive, but it’s a great bag. Now I want one, too. But I want it MY way. So, I’m going to make one.

I took photos of it and measured it. Now I’m going to make one for myself out of felted wool. I don’t know yet what I’ll use for the lining and straps. First things first. I love a new project!

Of course, I fully realize that I have to finish all my other projects, as well. This could take a while…

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Picture a Day #99 – Artistic Inspiration

Posted on April 8, 2012 by joanienaz

I wanted to post something inspirational today, but I was in a quandary. Then I read a response to a comment I left on the site of a fellow blogger, which included an interest in my work. Here is a melted crayon landscape that I created during my senior year of high school, oh so many years ago. It was the most fun assignment I had in four years. HAPPY EASTER!

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Picture a Day #98 – Bananas and Chocolate!

Posted on April 7, 2012 by joanienaz

I wanted to bake something for the holiday weekend. Banana bread was on my list, and so was chocolate cake. Realizing that I couldn’t do it all (there were other things on my list as well), I made a creative decision. Why not combine the two?

Remember that pumpkin bread that was more like cake with the chocolate I snuck in? My new recipe is similar. It’s more than a bread, but less than a cake. Almost guilt-free, chocolatey-banana goodness. Is your mouth watering yet?

Double Chocolate Banana Walnut Tea Cakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil four 2-cup Pyrex glass bowls. Mix 4 ripe, mashed bananas, and 2 beaten eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups unbleached flour, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and blend. Spoon the batter into the oiled bowls and bake for about 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cooled. A banana- and chocolate-lover’s delight!

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Picture a Day #97 – Busy Bee

Posted on April 6, 2012 by joanienaz

As I approached my tulip garden, I heard a tremendous buzzing, but I didn’t see anything. The bee was inside one of the flowers. It appeared and posed for me before it vacated the premises.

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Picture a Day #96 – On to the Next!

Posted on April 5, 2012 by joanienaz

Here is my final version of Three Apples and a Pear. I have cropped it in Photoshop, which helps me to define the composition, and now all I need to do is mat and frame the watercolor painting itself. I am finished with all of my still life of fruit projects, and so I will concentrate on my flowers.

The tulips are progressing well. I took another look at the rose that I did some time ago, and now I think I should revisit that before I finish the tulips. Good practice!

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Picture a Day #95 – Three Apples and a Pear

Posted on April 4, 2012 by joanienaz

Sounds like a clever name for a sitcom, doesn’t it? But it’s actually the subject of a watercolor painting that I began over a month ago. I guess it’s time to return to the scene of my dilemma.

Yesterday I added shadows, and may have gotten a little carried away. My husband looked concerned.

 Today, I added color to my anemic fruit, and brightened up the foreground and background. I may have literally painted myself into a corner on this one. How to finish?

I have thought a lot about my color scheme for this. I already changed the color of most of the fruit. You can see my model and the beginning of my work here. Now I am trying to decide wether or not to modify the pear. I need to tie this all together! More thinking required.

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Picture a Day # 94 – Sketching Down Memory Lane

Posted on April 3, 2012 by joanienaz

Today I dug through my “portfolio drawer” to look at some of my older artwork. I knew I had a self-portrait in there somewhere. These sketches were done about twenty years ago. I look so young! They are the only self-portraits I have ever attempted, and it may be time to try another one. This time I just might use some watercolor.

Self-portraits always strike me as being self-indulgent. Also, there is the temptation to “adjust” them to make yourself look as attractive as possible. But the truth is, who will ever sit as still for you as yourself? At the time I did these, I also sketched my kids. The likenesses weren’t impressive. But they were very young and very wiggly. I could probably get them to hold still for portraits now. Hmmm.

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Picture a Day # 93 – The Most Important Meal

Posted on April 2, 2012 by joanienaz

I could write an entire cookbook just on the subject of breakfast. It is, after all, the most important meal. I tend to stick with certain breakfast foods for extended periods of time. Why change something that’s working?

For a couple of years, I took banana or zucchini bread to work, as I was always in a hurry in the morning, and had a windy (as in the long and windy road to my job) commute, so breakfast before I left the house wasn’t a good idea. Surprisingly, it took me a while to figure that one out. Why was my stomach knotted up on the drive? Hmm.

Then I began eating a little hot cereal with fruit in the morning. Just the thing during the winter. Especially when you are out the door at an unholy hour.

Occasionally, on the weekends, I like to prepare an egg dish. Again, I tend to stick to something, and try variations on a theme. I discovered that scrambled eggs cooked in the microwave was fast and easy to clean up. Recently, I decided to try a microwave omelette.

I mixed two eggs in a Pyrex glass bowl, and added some basil, a little chopped tomato, some diced avocado, sliced mushrooms, and a little grated mozzarella. I microwaved it for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, checking it every minute or so. There is no end to what you can toss into a microwave omelette. It was yummy!

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