Russety palette.
I think my favorite part of these collages is this little area:
And I got to use some tiny pieces of this pretty paper that my friend Joanne made/gave me:
This was my first, slapped together stab at November:
The grey sky wasn't quite working for me. Didn't even bother to glue it.
Then I went for the rosy > yellow sky:
Which got me closer. But I still kept thinking it needed something. Mule suggested maybe some deer.
So I went (fruitlessly) searching for my cute little rubber deer stamp. Darn. :/
All I have left is this little bit of evidence - from last year's "Oh, Deer" collage*:
So, that didn't resolve anything.
Next, I tried a dark, blue-ish wash at the top:
Which was met with mixed reviews amongst a few I polled. Some preferred no wash. I like the wash itself, but I wasn't entirely happy with the introduction of blue into the mix.
I also considered maybe just printing some swirly-type things up in the sky area -
similar to what I'd done on this year's March PoM:
(which could have passed for a November card - many of the same materials used!)
I never got further than considering, but I might have been happier with that outcome.
Instead, I tried again, this time with a dark, brownish purple/purple-y brown - mauve? - wash:
Not entirely sure that was the right way to go, but TOO LATE NOW!
The Fixin's:
The 27 Steps
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7 - Joanne's paper!
Step 8
Step 9
Step 10
Step 11
Step 12
This was a piece of the first 'paper' I ever made - with beet skins!
Ridiculously thick - it's like cardboard! Not the best choice for this card - made it really bulky.
Step 13
Step 14
Step 15
Step 16
Ooops - wish I hadn't covered up so much of Joanne's paper,
but I REALLY wanted to use this smidgen of red marbled paper**
Step 17
Step 18
Step 19
Step 20
Step 21
Step 22
Step 23
Step 24
Step 25
Step 26
Step 27 (yes - I skipped a step...)
That's it!
In other news: NEW KITTY!
Pogo (she's a great fly-catcher):
This is the first photo I ever took of her, within moments of her arrival at our house - just over a month ago. (Her colors and the rug are very November-y too.)
Her story: For various reasons (allergies, new baby, other pet incompatibility), this poor little girl had not worked out with the 7 previous families who had all briefly had custody of her in her short 18 months.
So, with Lucy gone, I thought perhaps a new companion would perk Duck up a bit.
And, right around the time I was thinking this, my friend, Sharon, put out a query asking if there might be any interested parties, because things did not look like they were a really good fit for her (her name was Chenelle at that time) in their household.
So, Sharon and her mom, Theresa, brought 'Chenelle' over - with TONS of food, toys, dishes, litter, beds - EVERYTHING a kitty could want - with the understanding that if she was not a good fit in our household (we know that Duck loves kitties, so we felt pretty confident there'd be no issues), they would happily take her back.
I think the picture pretty much says it all. She arrived as if she'd always lived here! And that's pretty much her favorite position - most of my subsequent pix are variations thereof.
And, yes - Pogo. Not the most elegant, or feminine name for such a lovely - and incredibly silky - I think she's the silkiest cat I have ever patted - cat. But we have tended to name our animals based on what they do. Duck's alternatives (he was a scared stray when we adopted him 13 years ago) had been 'Cringe' or 'Flinch' . :/ I think we made the right choice. ;)
More news: "Winter' panels are up (again) at Toscano's!
They'll be up through the rest of this year. A mere 8 weeks away, as of this writing... And, thanks to Barb, and her incredibly precise draftsman/engineer's eye - they (almost) all got hung dead straight on the first shot!
I also hung some individual collages:
that are for sale (since none of the 'Winter' panels are, of course). I really hate the tags... Last year, I had a nice laminated sheet up by the bar/cash register, but I'm pretty sure almost no one ever read it.
Stop by and check them out, if you're in the Richmond, VT vicinity - Toscano's cafe - http://toscanocafe.com/ - is many people's favorite eating spot of the several REALLY good choices in the area. It always smells divine here in my studio above them! (They don't seem to mind if people just stroll in to peruse the artwork.)
Fin.
*'Oh, Deer' is hanging down at Toscano's, and is for sale!
**My friend, Barb, semi-regularly brings her granddaughter, Ava, up to the studio on Wednesdays, after school, to PLAY! We do various projects that pretty much always include the use of glue guns. Anyway, MANY years ago (18?), Barb gave me a big stack of marbled papers:
of which I only have small pieces of my favorites - this red:
and those little slivers of dark blue - left-over 'trees' from 'Winter VIII', 2000*** (terrible photo):
Back to my little tale: So, Barb, and Ava, AND Barb's beautiful daughter, Meg all came up to the studio the other day. And, Meg - now in her mid-20s - has, since she was a little girl, done artwork that has frequently influenced my own.
The first being this buffalo collage that she made when she was about 10, I think:
Made from these same marbled papers.
And given to me along with the stash of marbled papers from her mother.
It still hangs in my house. :)
ANYWAY... Having all these extra pairs of eyes, I showed Barb and Ava and Meg November's card - soliciting votes to resolve my sky dilemma. And Meg IMMEDIATELY noticed on the marbled papers! She was clearly tickled that I was still finding ways to incorporate little pieces of them! :)
***Panel of 12 collected/returned 'Winter VIII's:
for the 'Winter' project.
