A few "goings-on" of the week...

My "mystery" plant is having it's pre-spring bloom.  Maybe you remember me talking about this plant that was my grandmother's.  Heaven only knows how old it is or what it is; my mom never really gave it a name.  When i was little and we lived in my grandmother's big house in the city, she always had pots of this plant on the enclosed back porch.  It is certainly a survivor and I love it!  Someone told me a name to look up and I have to try to remember; think it began with an "a".

I kept forgetting to take pictures this week in my collage classes, but I do have a few.  Here, from Monday's class, is Lois'.  She is honoring Grandma Moses.

This is Alice's very first collage.  She loves gardening.  I think it's beautiful!

And Mary, who loves the impressionists, is working on one of Mary Cassatt's life.

This beautiful colorful garden scene is Lora Lee's.  She is in Wednesday's class, but would miss this week, so joined us on Monday.

And Martha Washington, by me, is almost complete.  I wanted to add some red to represent the old flag.  Now, maybe a couple more splashes of music.

And this morning, the glitz went on the valentines!

It's February!

Time for making valentines!  Here is Julie's table last weekend when the girls were creating at her house.

This weekend it's my turn.  Assembly line valentines; getting ready for my valentine-making party!

Fun!  Just like paper dolls!

And Henri, feeling better each day, wants to make up for lost time.  He just wants to play ball in the snow.

Henri'

Thank goodness, Henri seems to be feeling somewhat better.  He loves the snow!  He's had a very bad bacterial infection on his hip which, I understand, could have come from a spider bite or a scratch from winter weeds or branches when he's out playing in the back with Mark.

When he's inside the house, he has to wear his "horse blanket".  (he nor I could tolerate that "cone")  He walks around the house with his blanket and he sleeps with it.  Hurry Henri and get well...

Getting on with the week...

Henri is still not feeling good; has a bacterial infection now.  Getting new medicine today, so just hope it helps and he'll be back to his ol' happy self again.  That's all he wants, to be a happy dog.  Have been by his side almost constantly, so dragging my projects all around the house.  But, above, starts the beginnings of my new Monday class's collages.  First is Ginny creating a lovely memory of her sister.

Next is Alice, dreaming of her summer garden.

And Mary is honoring Mary Cassatt.

Lois has found Grandma Moses to have quite a likeness and some similarities to her own grandmother.

Casey has a travel theme here, with a lovely family photo to go in as the focal point soon.

And here I thought I'd show you a new project.  Just what I needed, huh?  Well, a couple of my students are doing this year-long book and it just looked like too much fun to pass up!  It's online and it's called "Life Book 2013".

This is my "fairy art mother"!  I am a little behind, but this was the first week's lessons called "Celebration & Journey".  Having the chance to use all different kinds of supplies, here I finally got to use the Caran d'Ache water soluble crayons that I have had for a long time and have never tried.

Fun!

This assignment, I have only begun.

Stages of Martha

Back to working on "Martha" for Monday's class.  I love that paper on the bottom right; it's gessoed and painted tissue paper and has a wonderful feel to it.  The colors are perfect for here too.  So, I'm laying down chosen papers and arranging and...

rearranging.  There are stars in my mother's embroidery of George, and so I wanted to repeat that pattern in here.  I'm also taken with the federal blue and antique white colors.  I also wanted to put in an image of Mount Vernon which was so dear to Martha's heart, and ladies sewing, having tea and dreaming of the minuet.

Playing around with stars and deciding where they should go...

 Aha!

Martha wrote down music for her children in her own hand.  I happen to have a piece of music that my grandmother (Martha) hand-penned and couldn't wait to do a transfer of it on this piece.

So...not done yet, but it's coming along.

Wednesday's class

Excitement in the art room!  Everyone getting ready, discussing their ideas, sharing papers!

Love seeing the creative progress of assembling our papers to begin.

Most are working on an altered board book this session...

and some on a larger piece, and I think we all still have wintry thoughts.

Storybook ideas!

Earthy colors!

Relaxing colors...

It was a good productive day.

Some finishing pieces from last time.  For me, this beautiful piece has whispers of Monet's Garden.

this session's classes

This week we're trying to nurse Henri back to feeling better from his "hot spot"; two visits to Dr. Dawn in one week.  He sits with me while I work on projects for my classes.  In Wednesday's class we are doing an altered board book with kind of a "story" theme.  I presented some beginning lines of stories, mainly from Hans Christian Andersen, to inspire and spark ideas.  Above, the beginning of my book; wintry, and will be combining some words of his with one of my own poems that i recently wrote concerning the icy branches one morning.  Took a photo of my tree in the front yard and maybe you can see I am cutting out some of the blue sky so that my background paper will show through.  Was going to do a transfer of the tree, but i like the color of the icy branches in my photo, so probably will stick with that.

I have some wonderful embroidered pieces, hanging on my wall, that my mother did many years ago.  Soldiers of the armies of 1776...

and George Washington.

So in Monday's class, I have given the theme of distinctive women in history and I have decided to do "Martha".  The beginning here, just choosing papers and researching her life.  I have a book called "Our First Ladies" that I bought a long time ago at an antique shop.  Published in 1953, it pays tribute to Martha Washington through Mamie Eisenhower and is giving me lots of information inside and personal.  Very nice and glad I bought it!