The Colors of Fall--and Another Contest

Last week at the top of the oak tree next to our house, I spotted a cluster of bright red leaves. Ah! My heart did a little happy dance. Fall is here! The days are cooler, the nights are positively crisp, and the entire palette of the world shifts to deeper, more moody colors.

David and I walk to the Farmers Market every Saturday morning. I load up on heirloom tomatoes and honey crisp apples. Of course, I always buy a bouquet! I'm drying the flower heads so I'll have my own cutting garden next year. Zinnias are my favorites.

I find this season to be very stimulating to my creativity. The change of temperature alone is freeing. The July of 2010 was the hottest on record for the Washington, D.C., area. When we made our yearly pilgrimage to Kiawah Island, the temperatures soared to the three digit mark when you added in the humidity. I spent most of this summer indoors.

To salute fall, I carved a new cork stamp this morning in the shape of an apple. I used a champagne cork, because it's bigger than a wine cork. After I stamp the image, I use watercolor paint to add dimension. The result is pictured below. I have a bit of work to do to get it to be perfect, but so far, I like what I have done.



To read more about how to make a cork stamp, go to my blog.

CONTEST

I'm curious. What's your favorite part of fall? Tell me and I'll send you a bookmark that features my cork apple images.

You Can Run But You Can't Hide from Snow--and Happy Valentine's Day!

I seriously needed a break from the snow. I hadn't been out of doors for an entire week. So when my sweetheart suggested a trip to Kiawah Island, I was delighted.

During the eight hour drive, I took a turn behind the wheel while my husband snoozed a bit. We were crossing the stateline into South Carolina when I noticed tiny particles on the windshield. I squinted, looked twice, and then I said, "Honey, I think it's snowing."

David half-opened one eye, viewed the windshield and said, "Can't be."

Okay, folks. I lived outside of Chicago for years. I've driven through blizzards. Suffice it to say, Jo knows snow.

Minutes later, David's phone rang. Now he was totally awake. My husband explained to the caller where we were and where we were going.

The caller shared the weather report with David: Two to four inches of snow was predicted for the Carolina coast. It was snowing all along Highway 95. In fact, it looked like we were driving right into a blizzard. We stopped at a rest stop, and David took the wheel.

What did I do?

Well, folks, I couldn't take it anymore. I started crying. While the snow swirled around us, I had my own little meltdown.

This morning the headline in the Post and Courier notes that snowmen have invaded the yards in Charleston!

Yes, we drove south to escape the snow, and for the first time in 10 years, Charleston SC got four inches of cover on the ground. White powder dusted Kiawah Island, too. Our favorite restaurant, Rose Bank Cafe, was closed at lunch on account of "bad weather."

Sheesh. And now we're back here outside of DC, and guess what's expected tomorrow? SNOW.

Homemade Cork Stamp...

Before our trip, I did manage to send out a few valentines. I'd been saving corks from champagne bottles for some time, so I carved one of them into a heart-shaped stamp. Now it's not like I don't own a zillion stamps, but I wanted that special wonky look that cork gives.

Those cork-shaped hearts the pandas are holding are ones that I stamped. You can read how to make your own cork stamps here. (I've also posted a nifty recipe for broccoli salad.)

Okay, how was your Valentine's Day?

Using Colored Pens on Stamped Images

I recently saw a You Tube tutorial on using and blending colored markers. I’m too cheap to buy an expensive set, but I wanted to try the techniques with the markers I have. I have some lovely LePlume markers from Marvy, some nice Martha Stewart brand markers, and recently I bought a set marketed by JoAnn’s Fabrics. I doubt these are the same quality as markers that artists like Mary Engelbreit use! As I understand it, artists use Copic markers which are alcohol based and won’t tear up your paper. My markers are cheap, so maybe I’ll ask for a few Copics for Christmas! Here’s a website that answers some of my questions about these markers http://www.copicmarker.com/faq.html

Even so, I can still have fun, and one of my new favorite activities is to color in stamped images while David and I watch television. I'm trying to learn more about color--how the juxtaposition of colors changes how they look and how to mix different colors together in pleasing ways. I use watercolor paper because it’s much sturdier than regular paper, and I can really scrub away with my markers. (Mine are probably water-based, so they soak into the paper.) I can go over the dried colored areas with sparkly pens.

As you can see, the choice of colors can really change an image! If you want to try this, start by coloring in the image with the LIGHTEST colored pen you have. Then, work a darker color along the outside edge while you keep that LIGHT colored pen open in your hand. You’ll want to quickly go over the dark color with the LIGHT pen to blend. Have fun!

(By the way, I know the circles aren't even. I cut each one out, sanded the edges and temporarily adhered them to a sheet of paper to scan them for sharing.)