Garden markers

We recently planted our garden and I found this free way to make signs on Pinterest.  I used paint stir sticks that I had, painted them and used puffy paint to write the names on them :)

Sketching (Part 2)

As I mentioned last month my goal was to bring my sketch book everywhere. The nice part of living on the East Coast are the many opportunities to do quick day trips to beautiful places from Lancaster, PA to southern Maryland where the Patuxent and Potomac River empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Drawing is a skill and practicing makes it better. I will continue to practice ;-)  ~ JM

Franklin & Marshall College Campus
Lancaster, PA

Solomons, MD

Solomons, MD

Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House
Alexandria, VA

Freer Gallery of Art
Washington, DC

A cobblestone alley in Old Town Alexandria, VA

I Finally Painted My Living Room!

My project this month was to finally paint my living room!  Here is the before and after.  I love it so much and it feels so much more cozy :)

Sketching

I typed in "how to sketch" on You Tube and found great mini tutorials.  This coming month I will try to take my sketchbook everywhere since I live in a picturesque city that is begging to be sketched!  Here are two simple drawings I did from You Tube: 1.) a beach/sand dune scene with chalk pastel and 2.) a vase. - JM

 

Travel Legos!

Travel Legos!

I love finding uses for empty mint containers and this one is perfect.  I saw it on Pinterest.  I decorated the box and then glued a base on and my son filled it up.  It is perfect for taking to restaurants etc.

Bingata

Since it is cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C. I wanted to do an additional project for the month.  While the blooms are not quite out the cherry blossom festival has started and I attended a Bingata workshop at the GWU Textile Museum.  Bingata is an Okinawan traditional resist dyed cloth, made using stencils and other methods. Below is what I made.  ~ JM

Themed Photo Project

There was an article in the magazine Bella Grace (Winter 2015 issue) about tips on themed photo projects. My theme is churches since there are wonderful old churches in my neighborhood of Old Town Alexandria, VA and nearby Washington, D.C. Some tips to look for are shapes, repetitive patterns, interesting reflections, emotional connection, diversity, etc.. Noticed how the churches sit prominently against the backdrop of bare trees waiting for spring to come. ~JM