Thinking of Italy

When I smell the aroma of most herbs I think of Italy. Basil is one of my favorite herbs and it is still doing well in my garden. Today I went out to my garden very early, while it was still cool (about 75 degrees) because early in the morning is when the oils in the herbs are at their highest. I picked a hand full of basil to make some basil pesto. Ummmmm it is so good on pasta!

My Pesto Recipe: makes 1/2 pint

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

3 T. pine nuts

3 minced garlic cloves

Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and chop well. Add the other ingredients a little at a time and process until a thick smooth paste is formed. Serve over pasta.

Here is the finished pesto. I made 2 batches to make one pint of pesto. You can keep this in the refrigerator for about one week or in the freezer for a few months.

The little art quilt in the background is one I made off a photo. It depicts the villa my friend Lana and I stayed at in Italy a few years ago. Lana is a talented fiber artist. Take a look at her new blog Lana's Threads and Musings. She is just putting up some photos, so keep checking back to see more of her wonderful art.

Tabula Rosa

Well today is the last day for everyone in the Art Doll Coolaberration to send their dolls out. Susan, from Wisconsin, has sent her doll start to me to work on first. She named her doll start Tabula Rosa. I think that is a wonderful name. It is Latin for "clean slate". I will post photos of her doll when I get her and when she leaves me.
Susan is such a talented artist. Please visit her blogs Threads of Inspiration and also Threads of Wonder. You will be glad you did.

Art Doll Cool-Aberration 2009

June 29th is the starting date for our art doll coolaberration project 2009. That's tomorrow and I'm so excited because that means I will be receiving a doll start from Susan real soon. I will be posting as we go along from doll to doll. The project will go in 6 week intervals among 9 women around the US and Canada, so the whole project will take about a year. Isn't that amazing...and it will be fun too to see the progress of each doll as it travels.

Be sure and check in on the right where it says 'enchanted places I like to visit'. The ones where you see an ADC beside it means these are sites that belong to the art doll coolaberators of 2009 and they have interesting things you will want to see and read about. The other sites are great as well.

My doll start Sani (who I sent a few days early) is now called Shimasani, because she has been declared a female by Gail in North Carolina. She is getting wonderful creative things done to her as I write this.

I sent a journal along with Shimasani (as I will call her from now on). In the journal we had to include ten words of our own or a quote.

I chose these ten words that are part of a quote by Sir Walter Raleigh...

Give me my scallop shell of quiet, My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, hope's true gage, And then I'll take my pilgrimage

I also included some Milagros (miracle charms) in the journal for each participant to keep. The only other thing I included for them was a small piece of sari fabric for them to attach to their finished page (as a tab) in any way they wished. Other than that, they are free to do what they want to on the watercolor pages (that are removable for working on).

Magic of Mesquite

The Tree of Life...the mesquite, pronounced mess-keet, is busy dropping its bean like pods (shown above). The mesquite is also called Algarroba. This is a photo of one of the many mesquites we have in our yard. I will be making mesquite bean jelly soon, from the pod. We also use the wood of the tree for grilling, but the Native Americans used ALL parts of the tree. Its bark was used for basketry, pottery, fabrics, rope and medicine. The trunk and branches were used in bows, arrows, mortars, and furniture. Thorns were used for tatooing and to make sewing needles. Leaves made tea and made an eyewash and also for headaches and stomach aches. The gum was used for sweet gum, glue for mending pottery, face paint, pottery paint and hair dye. The pod is very nutritious. You can buy mesquite flour at many whole foods markets today.

"Over the past several centuries, no one plant has probably played a greater and more vital role in the lives of humankind in the southwestern United States than the short stature, crooked mesquite. Relied on for a myriad of necessities such as food, weapons, shelter, and medicine, early southwestern aboriginal inhabitants drew upon the mesquite in most every aspect of their lives, even to a position of honor in their religious ceremonies. Mesquite during times of drought and pestilence supplied early western travelers and settlers with survival, both in food and shelter, as most all parts of the tree were used. Mesquite that dominated the dense brush on millions of acres of the southwestern United States conveyed many emotions to humans who looked at it as a noble warrior, who confronted it as a powerful adversary, or who drew to it for survival." (excerpted from The Magnificent Mesquite, Ken E. Rogers)

Primroses burn their yellow fires

Where grass and roadway meet

Feathered and tasseled like a queen

Is every old mesquite.

My Garden Oobos

At the bottom of my garden peace pole is a pile of prayer stones that my visitors bring. Today I ventured outside in the heat of the afternoon and built an Oobos with a few of them (it will only be temporary). Oobos is a Japanese word for a 'pile of rocks' that is obviously built by man, by its unusual configuration. Sometimes it is only three rocks, but it merely says "I was here". This is the photo of my 5 stone oobos. When anyone sees an oobos they are to approach it with a relaxed and curious mind. So, if you ever see one, enjoy it. If it is knocked down, don't worry, it can be built back up easily.

True Secret Name for Sani

I read this somewhere....
Once, before time began, light laughed out names and you heard light laughing and, liking the sounds light was making, you chose one for your very own. You have always had this name, but then you were born, and the forgetting started. Sometimes, when you sit beneath a big oak you hear something being whispered that you can't quite catch. Or you pick up a seashell, and there it is again. It hides in the sound of a bird's flapping wing and in the red crackle of a hot fire: your name, your name, your name.

Well, Sani has found her secret true name...it's Shimasani !
Gail has seen and declared that Sani is female and now her name has been changed. Shimasani is Navajo for female old one.

I am very happy with the new name.

Round Robin Doll Project--- Beginnings

Sani at the Peace Pole in the garden at home in Texas

before leaving for Gail's in North Carolina.

Wishing Peace to Everyone encountered on the long journey ahead.

Doll Start---Sani (Old One)

A few months ago Gail, from Dollistic, ask me to join her upcoming art doll round robin. I didn't even know what that was at the time. She explained it to me and then I was so tickled and excited about it that I couldn't wait to get started. The idea is that you make a doll start and so do several other women. Then you each send your doll start to the next person on the list and she does something to the doll and then she sends it on to the next one etc till it comes back round to you, hence the name "round robin".

Our round robin art doll project is called Art Doll Coolaberration. I will be posting photos of my doll and all the others in the project as we go along. This is so cool!!!

There are nine of us in this project all the way from my state of Texas to New York, Calif., Canada, and more, making a total of nine women. There are some very talented women in this group and you can see just how talented by visiting their blogs that I have listed on the right side over there where it says Enchanted Places I like to Visit.

I just want to say thank you Gail for asking me to be a part of this project!!!

I've already gotten to know everyone somewhat...online. They are all very talented and I do mean very talented.

I'm glad I've gotten to know you all...and I know we'll get to know each other even better as we go along with this project...

Gail, Barb, Mary Anne, Karma, Em, Jeanne, Robyn, and Susan.

Sani left Texas so here we go...WooHoo!!!

When Gail posts about Sani's arrival and what she has done to her I will let you know and you can visit Dollistic to see the results and progress.

Isn't this fun!!!!

Handcrafted Soap

Yesterday I had a little time so I made a batch of homemade soap. Tonight it was ready to cut into bars. I use lye (it's not real soap unless you use lye), and natural oils of different kinds such as olive oil and coconut oil etc., plus 100% natural essential oil for fragrance, plus I sometimes add other things like oatmeal. I make soap the old fashioned way. You have to use lye to mix with the oil to have saponification, then after it cures for a few weeks the lye is gone and you have nice gentle soap. This kind of soap is the best for your skin. With today's ways of making lye soap, and the way we measure ingredients, it is the only way to go for me.

I have been making and selling handcrafted soap for several years now. I use different essential oils but every one's favorite is still lavender or lemon grass or the two combined.

This batch of soap has three different natural oils in it plus eucalyptus and lavender essential oils for fragrance. It also has oatmeal and cornmeal plus I threw in some poppy seeds.
Now it has to cure for several weeks and then it will be ready to use.

Three Little Art Quilts

These three little art qults are made with fabric paper and fussy cut fabric and paint. Just to show you how easy and inexpensive it is to make a pretty piece.

I get together with several ladies in town to do fabric art and they wanted me to show them what they can do with the fabric paper and the small amount of batik that we have been doing. Well, all of them but one has never done art quilts, only traditional quilts. So, they told me that if they could be shown something to get them started, then they could visualize what to do. That is why I made these pieces. I will give each of the three ladies, who are new to art quilts, a piece of their choice and tell them to finish embellishing it as they wish, and make it a finished piece with a backing etc.

I will show photos of the finished pieces here when they are through working on them.

I think they will have fun with it.

Polymer Clay Doll

This little doll is made with polymer clay, wire, beads, yarn and sari ribbon. It is only about 4 1/2 inches tall.

Fabric/Paper African Art Quilt

I wanted to do something out of my fabric paper that I've been making and some of my batik (she's holding scraps of batik) also, so I made this little art quilt. I bought the shells (they are old shells) recently on my New Mexico trip and the seed (her necklace) is an orchid tree seed from my area here in south Texas. I decided to leave the edges of the piece raw (it's the tissue paper in the fabric paper process) to add more character and add to the primitiveness of it. I did some free motion quilting in the background areas. I left the African fabric (which is commercial fabric that I bought) plain, in order not to take away from its beauty and design

Fortune Doll

I received this little fortune doll from my friend Gail, and I just love it. I had to show photos of the front and the back because there is such detail. The teenie tiny horse hair braid, feather and colors makes it look like a Native American woman, which I love. Gail makes these fortune dolls and many other wonderful types of art dolls, so go visit her blog, Dollistic at http://dollistic.blogspot.com/ . Each fortune doll comes with a fortune attached to it, and guess what... mine is coming true already!!! Thanks Gail!

Unique Hair Art

I found this hair art hanging in a 18th Century B&B called Elias Child House in Woodstock, Conn. a few years ago. It belonged to the owner and all the hair belonged to her ancestors. It was the first time I had seen it and I was intriqued with it. I learned that the origin of preserving the hair of loved ones is centuries old, and was usually done as a way to honor and remember the dead. This was mostly done by placing it in a specially crafted piece of jewelry or framing it as it is done here. Such jewelry was also fashioned into love tokens given by the living to someone who may be going off to battle, on a long trip or just as a reminder to be kept close to the heart. In the 19th C it became a form of fancy work that was done by schoolgirls and young women as keepsakes and mementos of friendship. The pieces that we find today are as varied as their makers: friendship albums filled with finely worked hair pieces as well as water-color art; single leaves of paper fashioned into hands holding hearts entwined with tresses; verse-filled albums; beautifully documented family pieces; as well as those simply filled with locks of hair.

Doll Finished

This is a doll I started awhile back. This is the before photo.

This is the after photo.

New Fabric Paper Journals

I really like these fabric paper journals and they are so easy to make. I use muslin for the fabric and seed catalogs for the paper, mostly because I like flowers. It adds lots of color to the finished product also. Maps are good to use too, because who doesn't have lots of old maps hanging around. This is a good way to recycle, so give it a try. My instructions are in a previous post.

On these I did a little machine embroidery around the edges, but you can do a little zig zag if you want, as I did on one of these.

I'm using one of my journals I previously made for collected quotes that I like. They come in handy for lots of things. You can also take them apart easily and add more paper to them.

Hibiscus Three varieties

Hibiscus

Hibiscus

Hibiscus

Texas Blooms

Crepe Mrytle

Orchid Tree

Lantana

Sage

Plumeria

Sunrise at the Bay

This is our sunrise here at Baffin Bay near our home. We are hot and dry here but the water looks great. When I ride my bike early in the morning I try to catch the sunrises on the water but now we live further from the water, so I don't catch this view too much anymore. This view is about 8 miles from our house.

Fabric Paper Journals

Here are three fabric paper journals that I made using part of one sheet of my paper fabric. I used the one that I put the pressed leaves in so these could be used for garden journals. There are three different sizes and all have blank pages in them. The small one is stiffer because I put cardboard inside the 2 layers of fabric paper. This is optional because the fabric paper is thick enough on its own. I prefer the other kind of journals.

The medium and large journals are two layers of fabric paper and are sewn together using a decorative stitch. I used a leaf pattern. Then I folded it over. In the fold I punched 3 holes, one in the center and one on either side spaced evenly apart. I then cut some paper to fit inside the journal and left about 1/2 inch around the edges. Holes have to be punched in the paper too to match the holes in the journal, so do it at the same time. I took a tapestry needle and put sari yarn in it and from the outside I went thru the center hole, leaving about a 3 inch tail. Sew thru the top hole back to the outside and sew thru the bottom outside hole back thru to the inside, then finally sew thru the center inside hole back thru to the outside and then tie a knot using the tail you left hanging when you started sewing.

I added a bookmark by sewing a piece of sari yarn to the center top part of the journal cover and the length is longer than the journal so it hangs out the bottom. You can decorate your journal like you wish, but I like mine simple.

Wire and metal doll

I have been practicing using wire and metal in my doll making. It is difficult to use if you don't have the right tools. I used small pliers and e6000 glue. This doll is about 13 inches tall. I used what I had on hand...copper tubing, metal screening, 20 gauge and smaller wire, several different fibers, beads, a small round metal tin, small metal washers, pieces of old metal jewelry, a real birds nest that I found on the ground, 2 feathers, silk leaves, a little brass heart, pieces from a broken candle holder and a piece from a broken metal and bead picture holder. I copied a face photo from a copyright free photo and put in the metal tin top. The bird nest went in the metal tin bottom. It was fun to make and the e6000 glue works well if you follow directions.

All Things Doll

Robyn from All Things Doll just notified me that my little spirit dolls are being featured on her blog. She even mentioned my fabric paper that I make. I was thrilled!
Go check out her blog and you will find all kinds of great creative dolls from all over.
Thanks Robyn for the nice surprise.

Juniper doll

This little doll is made with a sage smudge stick, dried juniper berries, hand dyed fabric, recycled sari silk yarn, orchid tree seeds and polymer clay.

Something different

This doll is something different for me for sure. I used some of my batik fabric, some pieces of old jewelry, recycled sari silk yarn, beads, wire, and polymer clay.

Fabric Paper

I do pieces that are about 2 feet by 3 feet and 2 of these pieces fit on my table where I first spread out an old shower curtain.

Directions: Start out with muslin or any old fabric, and cover it with watered down glue (Elmers glue is fine). then add your torn paper. Cover that with watered down glue and on top of that lay down torn tissue and brush down with watered down glue till it is all wet. Let dry.

The photo above is fabric paper where I added real leaves that I had dried and pressed. I also added a few bits and pieces of embroidery thread that was in my trash bin.

This one I added pressed, dried leaves also and added a bit of green paint.

This photo shows the tissue paper right after I put it on before brushing it down. When you brush it down it is hard to see, so when you lay your torn tissue paper on top cover the entire piece before brushing it down with the glue water.

This piece is completely dry and ready to do something with. I added several different colors of paint, added torn pieces of old maps and photos of flowers. I learned that anything copied on your printer does not work, as the ink will just dissolve and you won't be able to see the picture. Tear pictures out of magazines, use old maps, old books, junk mail, things like that and you'll have good results.

7 inch Doll

This little 7 inch doll is made using my hand dyed fabric, recycled sari silk yarn, polymer clay, wire, a tree branch, and a bead.

Baby bundle smudge doll

This little 4 inch goddess doll is made from a baby bundle smudge stick, fabric, trim, recycled sari silk yarn, polymer clay.

Story of the Passion Flower

I took this photo at a park in downtown Kingsville that the Master Gardeners of Kleberg County take care of. This passion flower grows very well in south Texas and I think is one of the most unusual flowers around. The bees love it. Many people have ask me about it and I tell them that there is a story behind this flower, so I thought I would post the story about this wonderful flower.

Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps providentially, each part of the passion flower could be linked to elements in the story of Christ's Passion.

An Augustine monk brought the flower to Rome in the 1600's and it caused quite a stir. The Passion Flower symbolism, as originally perceived, and then augmented, includes:

The spiraled tendrils - the lash of Christ's scourging

The central flower column - the pillar of the Scourging

The 72 radial filaments - the Crown of Thorns

The top 3 stigma - the 3 Nails

The lower 5 anthers - the 5 wounds

The Style - the Sponge used to moisten Christ's Lips with Vinegar

The leaves (some species) - the head of the Centurion's Spear

The red stains - Christ's Blood Drops

The Round Fruit - The World Christ came to save

The Fragrance - The Spices prepared by the Holy Women

Enchanted surprises

I was driving around in the area today, geocaching with my daughter and her boyfriend, who are down from Dallas. Geocaching takes you down roads and to places you would not normally go down. It gets you off the beaten path. I did see some pretty things on the way.

The purple flower is a passion flower that grows on a vine. It is one of my favorites and I want to start it in my yard this year. The vine here had lots of very large black bees on it but I saw this one yellow bee so I took its picture. The bee is at least one and a half inches long.

The next picture is of a birds nest I found in a shrub and it was about 2 feet off the ground so I was able to look inside and see that it had eggs in it. The eggs are white with red specks on one end. Anyone know what kind of eggs they are?

The yellow flowers were near a train depot and I don't know what they are. Anyone know? I will have to research this one. They were beautiful!

I enjoyed the day.

Backyard Laugh

Today I decided to take some photos of my flowers in the backyard. After I took one of the cosmos and one of a sunflower I turned around and saw this squirrel on the bird feeder. I had a good laugh over this!