Sunbeams through Clouds and Bob Ross Teaching

While on the morning walk, I caught a photo or two of sunbeams filtering though billowing cumulus clouds.

It did not seem like too difficult a task to try and capture a few beams in oils coming through clouds on a landscape.  (Wrong.) 

This, after many painting attempts, does not nearly capture that view:

It needs lots more contrast in the lights and darks and many more layers of paint.

The late Bob Ross shows how to make clouds on a YouTube video:


NOW, after reviewing the Ross video, let's take a snippet of the cloud from the lighthouse canvas:

And with a little fan brush work, here is a later rendition of clouds with a bit of tutalage from Bob Ross:

The pinks need to be worked in, along with more white. It is a work in progress!

Headbands for Babies

A quick and easy knitted gift for a new baby girl: a headband.   Better yet: a headband with a flower on it.

Amy Andersen's free baby headband pattern can be accessed here!  Here is Baby Pink Headband for newest niece Karter:

Susan Anderson gives a pattern and video on her website detailing how to make these five petal flowers.  She calls them "pacifier clips", but these little gems can be used for a variety of purposes, such as making one and sewing it onto the baby headband.

This is Baby Purple Headband for Big Sister and Niece Ella.

Here are some close-ups of the "pacifier clip flowers" using the same double knit method:

Too bad those baby nieces Ella and Karter were not available for the photo op to go along with their new hair accessories.

Mr. Toad Meets Mr. Turtle

"Would you like to share a mosquito?"

Why Can't We Just Be Friends?

  (photo taken on patio 6/28/10)

Let’s always be the kind of friends we are today.

Let’s always be there for each other, no matter what.

Let’s promise to be friends when we’re eighty and have just as much fun then, as we do now.

Let’s promise to always make time for each other, even when we have lots of things we have to do.

Let’s always share the laughter, tears, and celebrations of a lifetime…

Let’s be friends forever.  by Brenda

Earbud err.. Earwire Covers & Ishbel Scarf

Let's not be petty with our little problems. But...

Do your earwires on your mobile listening device seem to tangle at the most inopertune times? Yes, my dear, I understand your pain.

Here is a very clever and quick remedy to your tangled listening problems: earwires in their own separate holders that keep them from getting on one another's turf.

Craftster gives an explanation of how to cover the wires shown in this picture of earbud wires covered with a sport zipper:

Don't you jthink that is a great solution to keep your wires straight? Yes, my pretties, you know it is.

Here is my rendition of earwires, using a red 18" sport zipper and sewn up within ten minutes:

Now you go and make some for yourself and show me yours. Mr. Piggy is just too classy with his new listening accessory, and his earwires are now tangle free.

Ravelry friends, the Ishbel scarf, in rendition number two, is completed.  All  knitting specs and intricacies are shown on this Ravelry page regarding the lace weight sparkly kid merino and silk yarn. 

Here is Dolly showing off the Ishbel scarf:

(That silk and baby merino yarn is softer than a baby's behind.)

Mother Has Been Gone 10 Years

A Good Recipe for Oil Stains

Have you needed a certain color stain for wood and did not know how to come up with an oil and paint formula?  Stains (colored) will allow the grain of the wood to show through, and are an attractive alternative to opaque paints.

In staining wood chairs, picture frames and even wooden siding on a small outdoor utility house, I have mixed together turpentine, oil paints and linseed oil in various proportions. Now I find a real formula for creating a stain! Here is the formula given from the site Antiquerestorers ...

This is an unfinished wood frame purchased at a craft store for an 8" x 10" oil that I am working on.  I got the canvas first, then found the open backed wood frame with the same dimensions.  Now all I need to do is paint the picture, and stain the unfinished wooden frame.

Later:  below is a picture of poppies (oil medium) in progress, along with that same wooden open backed frame shown above, but now stained with red and yellow oil paints, turpentine and linseed oil.

The frame colors will exactly complement the colors in the poppies, and will alleviate the need for a costly framing job.

The reason that the colors are an exact match is because they came out of the same tubes as the paints used in creating the poppies.  Otherwise, you could never find a "finished" frame in the colors as the ones used in an original artwork.

This idea and stain formula works for wooden chairs, too!

Wooden Rocker painted, stained and donated (for Hospice   Chair-ity Fundraiser)

Happy Rush Day to the Blogging Sisterhood

According to Some Days are Diamonds, the sisterhood has almost 150 Bloggerettes from all over the world.  Join us!

Go here to visit women's blogs from around the world.

Nancy, Colorado, USA

Podcasts Currently on my iTouch

Occasionally, people will inquire about what podcasts I favor.  Here is a screen shot of the current podcasts I uploaded this morning from my free account at Itunes that can be accessed here.

After downloading iTunes and creating your account, just search for "podcasts" and up will pop thousands of podcast topics; be sure to check out the "favorites" since they have the most listeners. 

Literally ANY topic which interests you that can be found through the "search" feature.  Podcasts range from about 20 minutes to well over an hour, depending on if there are interviews included and how much information is broadcast on the given subject.  Podcasts are generally updated frequently...some on a daily basis, and some are updated very infrequently.  Your MP3 player will catch them all, according to how you set up your preferences.  Or, you can download, save and listen to a podcast directly from your computer.

Here are my few purchased audiobooks recently acquired from iTunes, (not including the free loaned books from the local library):

We won't even get into the applications which can be download free or for a minimal fee.  Check it out.  There is a world of knowledge to be gained through podcasting.

Repurposing Used Books

Found this here the day AFTER I took a huge load of books to Goodwill:

There must have been a lot of glue involved.

Just a Little Something I Whipped Up

Not much trouble, but this tasty dip was sent to me by Pat McCarroll:

HOT PECAN SPREAD

3 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese, softened
6 TBS. milk
3 pkgs. Leo’s or Carl Buddig sliced beef, cut into small pieces
¾ cup finely chopped green pepper
6 Tbs. dried minced onion
1 ½ tsp. garlic salt
¾ tsp. pepper
1 ½ cup sour cream

Combine cream cheese and milk; mix well. Stir in beef, green pepper, onion, and seasonings. Blend well. Fold in sour cream and spoon into baking dish. When ready to serve, bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with 1 ½ cup chopped pecans that have been sautéed in 6 Tbs. margarine and 2 tsp. salt. Serve hot with Wheat Thins. (From the cookbook Collectibles by Mary Pittman, Van Alstyne, TX)

This is a close up of the exhausted lady chef on the lid of the appetizer casserole dish:

"Oh, it's nothing, just a little something I whipped up" ... and on the bottom of the dish ... "~ s i g h ~"

It made a lot, but we managed to scarf it up!

Happiness is Cultivated

if you want to cut to the chase, go to about the 1.30 minutes into the video...

Confessions of a Jewish Mother:



At point 6.20 minutes, the secret is revealed....