Tuesday 4 June 2013

The Creative Colours of June

Here are some pix of the colourful things I've been playing with lately ...
 
Mo the Moose got a makeover ... unfortunately, the sun was shining really bright so you can't see the "PEACE" sign on his left antler and the "FLOWER POWER" sign on his right antler!  He also has bright pink lipstick under that sexy little mustache!  I add a little more "colour" to him every evening ... when I've had enough, I'll give him a clear coat of something to protect him from the weather.

My balcony garden is looking very GREEN.  Yes, that's KALE overflowing it's pot.  And it's very delicious!
 
For some odd reason, my green onions are leaning north ... or maybe trying to lean toward the ground ...
And my pot of potatoes almost need hilling up!
Here's the "nutty" colourful sweater I've got going ... it's worked from the neck down.  I started with white, changed to black and added white "streamers" and "popcorns".  Then yellow and black hound's-tooth pattern.  Then a row of reddish-brown squirrels holding brown "nuts" (popcorns).  Not sure how to transition to ribbing at the bottom ... I'm thinking some red popcorns against the yellow, then back to black and white ribbing?  Suggestions?
I'm contemplating making each sleeve of the above sweater different ... or do you think that would be just too "nutty"?

Here's Miss Boots helping me look at the beginnings of another pair of socks ... very BLUE "Arabesque" by Regia.  It's my "stay sane on the city bus" project for this week.  I can finish a sock in a week just in the time I spend going to and from work on the bus.
I've also been painting Tetley Tea tins ...
Here's a finished one.  Sorry, the pix is a bit over-exposed.  It's flowers and dragonflies on a white background.  Cute for keeping little odds and bobs.
I've also been experimenting with these ...
... cuz they make mighty fine silk scarves!  Seriously!  You just DOODLE on a white silk scarf (but put some protective plastic on your table first) ...
You can doodle on two thicknesses at the same time if you doodle slowly cuz the ink bleeds right through.  (10 mm china silk scarf with hand-rolled hems ... check out www.dharmatrading.com/ )
Once doodled to your satisfaction, spritz gently with rubbing alcohol.  Seriously!  Rubbing alcohol form the drug store in a cheap spray bottle!
If y'all know me at all, y'all know that as soon as I get the hang of some new creative project, I'm out there teaching other people to create it too.  Here's part of a group of senior ladies learning how to doodle on silk ...
 And here's the group modelling their finished scarves!  (It's a great group project cuz folks LEAVE WITH A FINISHED SOMETHING!)  Yes, that's yours truly on the right (the lady with the love handles ...).
 I think my motto for June is MORE COLOUR!  Here's a scarf that I doodled on with the Sharpies ... but I didn't iron it before washing, so my doodles faded out.  Yes, this was on purpose!  (Of course it was!  Uh huh!)  Who needs a washed out pastel silk scarf ... so I doodled some more ... with Shiva PaintStix (check out www.dharmatrading.com/  ... I bought a sampler set of 3 stix)  gold and bronze leaf rubbings in the palest / whitest areas.
 Shiva PaintStix are like oil pastel crayons ... let set for 24 hours then iron to make permanent. This turned out so cool that I'm thinking about adding some glitzy beading to the two ends.  What do you think?

3 comments:

Banana_Grl said...

I say different sleeves are neat, go for it!
And so you doodle, spritz with rubbing alcohol (everywhere or just where you doodled?) and then what? Does the alcohol set the doodle? Any options other than an alcohol-based product (thinking work, not a good idea to use that)? Love yhe scarves!

~~Silk said...

Everything is so beautiful!

LDF said...

Thanks ~~Silk! Appreciate you dropping by as well as the compliment!

Thanks Banana_Grl! I'm more and more convinced different sleeves is the way to go ... will have to explore my yarn stash to see how to make that happen. Now, to spritzing with alcohol: spritz EVERYWHERE but CAUTIOUSLY ... you want to dampen the silk without creating puddles underneath it. The alcohol breaks down the ink and allows it to bleed or spread. Water doesn't work. Lots of instructions on the Net ... go exploring! Or email me and I'll send my instructions and resource sheet. Cheers!