Tracy the Owl

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Have lots of old pieces of paper laying around waiting for a project?

I used a page out of a search a word puzzle book to create Tracy the owl.

I started with a marks it all graphite pencil then applied a thin layer of ivory craft paint over the top. Over this I applied black marks it all pencil, charcoal, and conte to the page while the paint was still wet.

I then layered on color using various soft pastels in a range of colors.

This would be a great project on a rainy day by yourself, or with kids.

Note: I am an Amazon Affiliate.

Orange Tabby Cat Bird

alcohol markers, acrylic paint markers, crayons, and white gel pen.

alcohol markers, acrylic paint markers, crayons, and white gel pen.

It's been a rough couple of thirty-six hours. Pepper started presenting an eye problem very late Saturday night, it didn't get worse over the course of yesterday. And then I woke up this morning.

Mind you John very rarely notices things about our pets though he enjoys their company and immensely, things like eye infections are just not in his wheelhouse. That's my thing.

So yes, when I woke up around ten this morning and found a note on my desk from John saying "Pepper never showed up for breakfast and I can't find him" I started to panic. I panicked  because at ten each morning he's waiting for me on the kitchen table waiting for his second feeding of the morning and he wasn't there!

Off I go to search the house, five times. FINALLY he shows up around 2:15. I immediately called the vet to schedule an appointment. After all there's no need to make one if you can't find the silly cat!  I fed him lunch, he was starving of course cause the last time he ate was at 5:30am when I saw him eating dry cat food and then later in the bath tub licking the tub.

Does anyone know why cats like to lick tub and showers??? I mean it's seriously gross.

I followed him after he was done eating and found his new hiding place.

Cue in 3:05 and I've got him in his crate and ready to go to the Vet, and my best friend Brenda took me and "cookie face" to the vet.

Conclusion. It's ocular herpes which is common in older cats, which means eye drops three times a day and keeping him isolated in his kennel for a few days. Why? Oliver our 86 pound labradoodle LOVES to lick Peppers face and it pisses Pepper of and to no end.

More later, I'm exhausted after today's adventures of being a cat mommy.

Natural Dyed Bundles

Beat the heat and use it as a means to dye your fabrics for you, easy peasy!

Lay out  your fabric, sprinkle with dye stuffs such as onion skins, finely ground tree barks, walnut shells, etc., wrap tightly, soak with vinegar, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, or plastic wrap, and place in a sunny area that gets really hot, like your garden shed roof, or deck off of your house.

Allow to remain bundled for a couple of days.

After a couple of days open your bundle and allow to air dry.

After it's "cured" open your bundle, remove the vegetation, and rinse your bundle prior to washing.

I wash my fabrics with a gentle detergent.

To learn more check out my eBook Compost Dyeing and Other Fermentation Dyeing Techniques.

Solar Dyeing Season is Here!!!

Now is the perfect time to start a solar dye vat, all you need is a sturdy glass jar, a lid that'll seal tightly, and some natural dye elements such as coreopsis blossoms, oak bark, onion skins, etc. 

Add these items to the jar, add your scoured and pre-mordanted fabrics, top of with water, seal jar with lid, and place in a hot sunny location.

Depending on the temperature, and the dye stuffs used you should have lovely piece of naturally dyed fabric within one to ten days.

Remove from jar, rinse, and the give a good wash using a gentle soap, dry, and your fabric is ready to use in your next project.

To learn more about natural dyes click here.

Rust Dyeing Season Begins!!!

It's Rust Dyeing weather!!! It's incredibly easy to rust dye fabric for unique pieces of art cloth.

Cotton Fabric
Rusty Objects
Vinegar
Plastic wrap or black trash bag

Lay objects onto your fabric, saturate with vinegar, cover with plastic and place your fabric in a warm, sunny location, like the roof of your garden shed, etc. for about 12 hours. 

After 12 hours remove plastic from fabric piece, and check for marks left behind by the rusty objects. If the marks are not as intense as you'd like repeat the process. Otherwise your fabric is now ready to be rinsed and then washed.

To learn more about Rust Dyeing read my article here...

I placed my fabric into a rusty old wheel barrow and placed rusted objects on top of the cotton fabric. I then saturated the fabric with vinegar, covered the works with a piece of heavy plastic for 24 hours.