Crow on Yellow 052713


A little bit more of the right side has been beaded, I'm thinking the body should be done by Friday, and then to decide on finishing the border.

In other news... the splint is off, sorta.  I had it off for most of the day but then had to put it back on again. It's amazing how one little itty bitty artery is position in such a place so as to see all sorts of activity during the course of the day. 

WIP - Crow on Yellow 052313


I worked a bit more on the crows feet last night and started this side of the branch it is perched upon. 

Today it's all about finishing the app, which is taking longer than I anticipated simply because as I go through my old natural dye nots I find myself adding more plants and more categories about the colors, fastness, etc.  Phew... that was a long sentence! 


It's starting to look like a bird!


Lilacs


The neighbor's daughter brought me a huge bouquet of these lilacs, he's 94 and they came by to do some yard work for him.  The heady smell of lilac now wafts throughout the house.  Not much in the way of studio work today, it's the rush to get the gardens planted before the rain falls.  Check out my other blog Survival Kitchen, linky in the right column, to see what we've planted.

Spring has Finally Sprung in Central Iowa


The trees are finally leafing out, now to find something to plant in my hanging pots.


The neighbors crabapple is stunning this year, mine has lost most of it's blossoms already.


John tilling the east garden, most of which will be planted with native prairie plants that are useful for my natural dye plants.


Lettuce, strawberries, chard, basil, tom thumb peas, and arugula in this raised bed.


Various herbs along with three cabbage plants that I"m thinking of moving elsewhere, so I can plant more dill in this bed.

Beading Resumes


Was starting to make mistakes so decided to take the rest of the day off from writing and started beading instead.  Am working on the branch portion now, trying to integrate it as part of the whole piece.


More bead soups, this time greens, browns, and brownish purples so as to look like an actual branch in my crabapple tree.




Ok I know I've shown this last one before, multiple times actually, but I sooooooo love this color combination!  The only colors that make me even more happy are sage greens, purple sages, and golden greens.  It's hard to explain... except to tell you to go hang out on the open prairie in the fall.

Natural Dye App Update


The new natural dye app is taking way longer than I had anticipated, I thought I would be done with it this afternoon but that isn't happening.  The good news is I discovered, thanks to my best friend Brenda, a much better way to present the app that will make it compeletely searchable, so the experience for the end usuer will be enjoyable, instead of a headache! 

Coming Soon ~ Natural Dye App


Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis ~  just one of the many plants and plant images in the new app, in addition to parts to use, colors obtained, methods of extraction AND whether it's fast or fugitive!

The new natural dye app is taking a few days longer to finish than I anticipated, the good news is I currently have 120 plants in the database and there's room for about another 50-100 plants before all is said and done.  There are many wonderful things about this new database that excite me to no end, thanks to my best friend Brenda showing me how to set up filters!

If you'd like to be a beta tester for the new app please let me know :-)