Thursday, March 5, 2015

March's Postcard of the Month
All I could think of was the impending mud season.

Found this photo online - liked the white snowbanks edging the quagmire.
 (photo: George Soules, "Mud Season")

Not living on a dirt road these past 22 years, I don't really experience this so much any more... 
it's still white (and pink and orange and purple...) and frozen here, as I'm writing -

But I'm looking ahead - and, despite liking crocuses just fine (they'll be here soon!)
and having already done a crocus card last March
(I realize that this year's card is quite similar to last year's card!)
I don't actually like purple all that much. 
But I had these beautiful pieces of purple candy-wrapper foils 
and that lovely piece of rice paper that were just begging to be used...

 So these were the prototypes I came up with:
The first one I was ok with:

but the black on the lower right looked too heavy, 
like it had just been stuck on at the end (which it had been...)

And, once again, I had a yen to use some netting, so...

But it lacked subtly.

So, I shifted it to the left and used less of it... (also switched the sheet music to the right here)
But it still needed something dark on the lower right, 
and I decided I didn't really like those curls at the top...
This one was close - I dropped those rubber-stamped circles,
and skewed the black lace piece (lower right) horizontally in the final version.

The Fixin's*



The Steps

Here's the movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_5VHNuTCB8

Step 1 - I've had this pale purple paper hanging around for YEARS...

Step 2 - similarly hued tissue paper
Step 3 - such pretty rice paper!
Step 4 - tea bag envelopes again!**
Step 5 - various rice papers, for the next 3 steps
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9 
Step 10 - MUD!  (brown rice paper)
Step 11 - nice, plum-colored tissue paper
 Step 12 - black 'lace' paper
Step 13 - a different black 'lace'
Step 14 - 'snow banks'!
Step 15 - this holey effect looks good when the glue's dried...
Step 16 - oh, yeah; it's messy.  :)
Step 17 - Spring's springing!!***
Step 18
Step 19
Step 20 
Step 21
Step 22
Step 23
Step 24 - Wouldn't be right if I didn't 'punch' something this month.  ;)
Step 25 - Green!  Wishful thinking!
Step 26 - I added these 'tire tracks' as the final touch.

Panel of 21 of March's postcards 

Fin.

*I ended up using black ink - not the pretty purples shown - to print the vertical lines (step 26) - 
using the ridged bottom of my plastic rice cracker packaging!

**

***l just wanted to give a floral 'impression' - not necessarily specifically crocuses...

Addendum I - VISITOR!!

We've had this magnificent Barred Owl visiting for over a week, as of this posting. 

This was the first day.
Sunset
I really liked how the sunset hit the feathers.
Companionable perchers.






Brave cardinals (we have at least 6 pairs this year!)
It spent a lot of time sleeping.

You should look startled, you tasty morsel!  Still safe, as of this writing.

Addendum II - Harbingers!
(ha!  I heard the word "harbinger' on the radio JUST as I was writing it!)

Thanks to my dear friend, Barb, our house now smells SO good!  
These are all booty from the recent Vermont Flower show, 

where Barb, a Master Gardener, volunteers her skills and brawn to help make this happen every 2 years.  :)

And Mum and I got back to our floral sketches this week, too.  :)