July's Postcard of the Month

July's Postcard of the Month

Sailboats on the lake.

I had briefly considered the sailboat theme - I have this old (1978?) sailboat collage that caught my eye as I walked in the studio one day earlier in the month:

And I entertained working up some, postcard-sized, iteration of this.  And then, promptly forgot.

And went off in a whole different direction.  I had really liked all the elements of last July's card - all that green, and water blue:

So, I half-heartedly futzed around with a variation on that theme, layout/color/components-wise:

 - with the addition of some bees!   BEECAUSE > > >  the hive is back, replenished with new bees.**  Plus, I had the wrappers (there in the middle) from last summer's 4th of July 'Sunflower' fireworks that I'd gathered up off the lawn the next morning (I didn't like this one enough to even glue it down).

Then I got to thinking maybe I ought to try a 4th of July, patriotic approach to July's card.  This was as far as I got I (again - not glued) before feeling singularly uninspired. Although I do like this just as is:

BUT THEN!  Lo and behold, I glimpsed this lovely, serene photo of sailboats on Lake Champlain, taken by my happy pal, Sharon Primo:

 So I came right back round, full circle!

And, I knew EXACTLY where to go to find my little sailboats!!  Necktie ads!  Of which I have many -  torn out of NYT magazine sections.  Unfortunately I didn't remember to take a photo of (the picture of) the blue Ferragamo necktie before cutting it up, but here is the red tie version:

I'll probably cut that one up too at some point, but the blue tie's sailboats were much more vivid - AND!  They gave it a good ol' red, white & blue 4th of July patriotic touch!

So this is the prototype I came up with next: 

Sorry to say, there are no (other) fixin's pix this month.

Production day (1) rolled around, and I managed to misplace my cell phone - which I use mostly to take pictures with.  So I started in, finished about the first 20 steps that day, with no documentation.  

I knew I would miss seeing my little stop-motion cartoon** of photo after photo of building the collages, so, the next day, after the cell reappeared (no, it was not in the fridge), I decided to start an individual collage - separate from my usual panel of 21, and document the steps I'd already completed, and continue with it 'til done.   So this time there's my panel of 21, plus 1.  THIRTY THREE steps this time!  

Here goes:

Step 1

 Step 2

 Step 3 - You can't really tell here, but in the next few steps

 I added some white 'lace' paper and white rice paper clouds:

 Step 4

 Step 5 - Blue 'lace' clouds

  Step 6 - Muted with more white 'lace':

 Step 7 - And another, not-so-white 'lace':

Step 8 - First of the 'mountain ranges':

 Step 9

Step 10

 Step 11 - There actually is another little 'hill' - left shoreline:

 Step 12 - this was a beautiful dark greenish grey rice paper:

 Step 13 - And this was a deep, almost black, turquoise paper: 

 Unfortunately, once dry, these papers/colors were nearly indistinguishable, 

so that effect (it gave the horizon some more depth) was pretty much lost...

Step 14

 Step 15 - I actually like this as-is - with no further embellishments

 But of course, I went on...!
Step 16

 Step 17

 Step 18

Step 19 - A tiny strip of one of my new favorite papers - a lime-y green rice paper:

Step 20 - A tiny sliver of turquoise foil:

 Step 21

 Step 22 - You can't see it, but I did add a triangle of white rice paper to this first sail:

 Step 23

  Step 24 - A couple more pieces of that new green rice paper:

 Step 25

 Step 26

 Step 27

 Step 28

 Step 29

Step 30

  Step 31 - This step - shiny sprinkles up by the shoreline - 

didn't actually happen with the other 21 cards.  

I decided (after the glue dried...) that I didn't care for them there:

 Step 32 - Gulls!

Step 33 - Sprinkles now down nearer the fore shore, 

and, (should have been Step 34...) some green growing up the left side:

That's it!

Happy Sails to You!

*Mule finally restocked his hive with a new Queen and 10 or 20 thousand new bees.  

  

THEN!!  

About a week later, Mule got a phone call from his bro, Roadkill (I am not kidding), saying he'd spotted a swarm about 6 feet up one of his apple trees.

Did Mule want to come and try to catch them?  Did he ever!!  He'd been waiting YEARS for this very moment!!  So, with a little preparation - firing up the smoker, spraying sugar water inside the catch box, suiting up in whites and veiled hat (no gloves though) Mule and Roadkill managed to pull off a TEXTBOOK PERFECT swarm catch!  

So now we have 2 hives.  HONEY.    J J J

Also, NEW TV SERIES??  Tall, skinny Mule, and short, round, Roadkill in: SWARM CHASERS.  No?!  How can this NOT happen?!

**This effect happens when one views the photos of the steps consecutively, horizontally - I posted them on my Beth Barndt - Collage facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/BethBarndtCollage - if you want to check it out.   I do, finally, have a collage website now, too: http://bbarncat.wix.com/beth-barndt-

June's Postcard of the Month

POPPIES!!  Right on time!

Just as I am writing this, my front-of-the-house poppies are doing their glorious, sinewy, tissue-y thing!

Poppies; pool;

and Bike Week.

That's pretty much what's June's been to me for the past 20 years.  Last year's June postcard hit on all these June themes - poppies, wheels and gears, and a pool-blue sky!

I don't go to Bike Week anymore.  BUT!!  It's still one of my favorite parts of June, because: MY HUSBAND STILL GOES!!  

So I hang around the homestead, tending. (made these tomato cages for soon-to-be-off husband)

Especially Lucy-tending these days!  

So... I'm pondering hosting my annual While-Mule's-Away Party* again this year - 

(If You Don't Leave Me Alone, I'll Find Someone Who Will: http://www.musictory.com/music/Delbert+McClinton/If+You+Don%27t+Leave+Me+Alone+%28I%27ll+Find+Somebody+That+Will%29)  Best song title EVER?)

Pat, Sharon and Susannah - last year:

And perhaps a Pool Party too?! 

But old Lu is SO feeble, and has this uncanny propensity for CONSTANTLY challenging one to NOT TRIP THE EFF OVER HER!!  Major socializing hazard...  

Here she is, wearing this apron (that I made for my mother, years ago) as a RAINCOAT!  She was pretty unimpressed - it took me until the week-long deluge ended to come up with this GREAT IDEA.

In the meantime...  Back to the Poppy Postcards.  

I pretty much followed my one and only prototype:

with just a few minor changes/additions:

The fixins (I never did end up using those tissue paper #6s - as poppy stems):

TWENTY-EIGHT Steps this time!   Here goes:

Step 1

 Step 2

 Step 3

 Step 4

 Step 5

 Step 6

 Step 7 - I rather like this as is.

 And then I make it look AWFUL!!  Honestly, for quite a few steps here, 

before I start to redeem things again!

Step 8 

 Step 9

Step 10

 Step 11

 Step 12

 Step 13

 Step 14

 Step 15

 Step 16

 Step 17 - One of my favorite little bits: this little piece of hole-punched red.

 Step 18 - I have 3 scrumptious red papers: this red rice paper:

 Step 19 - Red 'lace' paper:

Step 20 - Some of the poppies are red rice paper:

 Step 21 - one orange poppy:

 Step 22

 Step 23 - And a (very bleeding) red parchment-type paper for the last 3 poppies:

 Step 24

 Step 25

 Step 26 - The little white wisp (white 'lace' paper') was added as mitigation - 

some of the sky/horizon had bled in an unattractive way on a few of the cards.

 Step 27

 Step TWENTY-EIGHT!!

 Here's a panel of 21**:

Last year's set of 21 June postcards:

That's about it!  EXCEPT > > > I finally made myself a collage website!  http://bbarncat.wix.com/beth-barndt-


*If you're reading this and want an invite to the possible W-M-A Party - get in touch!!  
**I carry out each step with each of the 21 cards before moving on to the next step.