THIS OLD TRUNK

When we moved back to Dallas for a few years in the late 90s , my sisters got me hooked on "Friday Nights at the Auction House" as a new form of entertainment. The place just happened to be owned by two brothers we went to high school with, and was more of a social event than a serious shopping endeavor. I did, however, manage to snag a few treasures over the years. One of my favorites was this old trunk -- a trunk filled with mystery!

It looked like it had been made long, long ago, by someone who was heading off to a new life in a new land, with all their worldly possessions tucked inside. I was fascinated by the amazing hardware...

and the fact that it had several religious images glued inside the lid -- perhaps something their mother put there, to protect them on their journey?

At first it had pride of place in our living room, as our coffee table, but my hubby has never really shared my passion for rustic beauty. So, with each move and each addition of newer, glossier stuff, it got relegated to ever more obscure locations, until it finally ended up out on the porch, filled with Hubby's gardening stuff. So sad.

Anywho, this week I decided to start on another project from my new Folk Art Fusion book by Heather Galler. This one was to be based on Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Only, her image didn't really look anything like the ones I remembered from our wonderful trips to San Miguel de Allende, so I decided to gather some images and just do my own thing.

I had just spread all of these out on my work table, to ponder over for awhile, when I spotted Hubby opening that old trunk on the porch. Some flash of color grabbed my attention and drew me out there to take a closer look, since I hadn't been inside it for 10 or 15 years. Guess what I found?

Our Lady of Guadalupe, of course!

After doing a little research on Wikipedia, I discovered that the most famous phrase relating to Our Lady of Guadalupe is, "Am I not here, I who am your mother?"

No wonder she was plastered inside this trunk!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE WITH FOOD

Today I present to you the first book I gave away in my Year of Reading Dangerously, back in my early days of blogging. I must warn you though. Prepare to be longing, not just for taste, but also for a sense of place. 

FLASHBACK

WELL, THIS IS A SWITCH!

I have planted many, many gardens at many, many houses, always starting with the smallest plants available to save money. However, I have rarely, if ever, been around to see them fill out and come into their own.  So, imagine my surprise when I realized that these gardens here didn't just fill out and reach maturity, but actually went well beyond that point. In fact, they've gone kinda crazy, and someone really oughta get out there and try to rein them in!

Our big oak trees have already been trimmed back multiple times -- to keep their limbs from scraping on our metal roof -- and ere long, they'll need it again.

We thought these two Will Flemming yaupons, which we framed the house with, were never going to make it to the top of the porch rail but, before you know it, they will have reached the top of the house!

American Beautyberry

This Crossvine, above, started out as a tiny little sprig at the base of a beautiful metal trellis in the shape of a dressmaker's model. Not only has it completely obliterated the trellis, it's taking over the porch railing as well. Plus, I didn't even plant some of these wild mystery vines, below. They just showed up on their own and started filling in all the empty spaces.

As for getting out there and trying to rein it all in, well, I'll think about it -- when the daily temps drop about 20 degrees, and the mosquitoes have all gone to meet their maker!

JUST WHAT I NEEDED, JUST WHEN I NEEDED IT

Well, we had a fairly fabulous weekend, filled with two movie dates, a Tiny Dinner Club meet up, and a birthday celebration with all the kiddos. And... I didn't think to take a single photo of anything. DOH! On the other hand, I did finally finish Frida II, and got plenty of pictures of her.

Although choosing collage over paint and pen takes ten times longer, and I have never really liked having sticky hands, there is something about it that calls to me. It's sort of like being on a treasure hunt, as you search for the perfect little scrap of paper with the perfect pattern and hue to fit in a particular little spot.

However, I must admit, finding those perfect pieces is getting harder and harder to do as my paper stash dwindles in size. I was just thinking it was way past time for me to take over the dining room for a week or two, to set up my paper-painting-mono-printing-assembly-line, when once again a little gift was dropped right into my lap!

I have long been a fan of a Scottish artist named Lucy Brydon, who utilizes hand-painted papers in her own work. A year or two ago I left a comment for her, saying something like "I don't suppose you ever considered teaching a class and sharing some of your techniques, huh?" Her reply? "Actually, I have been toying with the idea." Well, I forgot all about that conversation until just the other day, when this popped up in my feed -- an online workshop where Lucy and five other talented artists will be sharing their favorite techniques for making monoprints, as well as their favorite ways to utilize them!

Just what I needed, just when I needed it.

SYNCHRONICITY

Gotta love it!

  

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: DANGEROUS READING

If I had to choose my favorite posts I've ever done, in more than ten years of blogging, it would most certainly be the series I called "My Year of Reading Dangerously." I think perhaps it's time for me to revisit that series, not just for your reading pleasure, but also to remind myself exactly what brought us to this special place, and what we hoped to accomplish here. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

FLASHBACK

P.S. Sorry I won't be able to repeat the give-away, as I even gave away several of my own beloved books the first time, when I was unable to track down extra copies of them.
 

CALVIN AND THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT ADVENTURE

 
Our daughter and grandson came and spent some time with us last week, while her hubby was away at his big annual hackers' convention in Vegas. While here, we decided that perhaps Calvin was finally old enough to go on some real adventures with Mimi and Papa. First up? Aquarena Springs! Well, what used to be Aquarena Springs. Back in the day there were glass bottom boat rides where you would see mermaids and swimming pigs, but by the time Lex arrived at college there in San Marcos, it had fallen onto hard times and was in serious disrepair. Luckily, Texas State University saved the day by purchasing it and turning it into an educational facility -- renamed The Meadows Center -- where the public can still take boat rides and visit their little aquarium. Alas, the mermaids and swimming pigs are a thing of the past, but there is still plenty of fun to be had!

"A tree tunnel!", Calvin yelled.

The former hotel, in the background, now houses offices, classrooms, and the aquarium.

Abandoned Bits Being Reclaimed By Vegetation

A Most Unusual Fish That Swam Beneath Us

It was so fascinating to me, to actually see the water boiling up out of the ground, here at the beginning, the actual source filling all the aquifers for miles around. The basic 25-minute tour was just about perfect for our toddler, though there is a longer one for those who want to learn more.

We followed this up with lunch at Ivar's River Pub, which also fell on hard times and was closed for a long time, but finally reopened this summer.

Then there was this...

followed by this.

All in all, I'd say it was a mighty fine adventure!

COLOR-MAD FRIDA: TAKE TWO

Well, I thought I'd be done with Frida by now, but more quality Goober-time means less quality creative-time. It's a trade-off I'm more than happy to make, however!

The hand-painted background on Frida I took about five seconds...

while the torn-and-pasted background on Frida II felt like it took five years.

Since I only have room on my little art table for one crate of paper scraps at a time, I'm working my way through the project one color at a time. First the blues, then the greens and yellows.

Painted Bird I

Collaged Bird I

Painted Bird II

Collaged Bird II

Now all that's left is to fill in her dress and flower, as I've decided to leave all the black and flesh-tones painted. For now I must put it all away, 'cause, guess who's coming over to play?!!