Small collages - MailArt & a mitt

Altered Picasso

A proposed poster

altered graffiti - photo by Brassai

I made a few altered postcards recently to send off to specific people and one was a result of a prompt during October http://creativesprint.co  I'm posting my Mitts because I just re-opened my Etsy shop http://FritziMim.etsy.com  Which came about because I can't sell my mitts in-person during the pandemic at the usual holiday "shops." My honey suggested I re-open and it's been quite fun to see that people are actually buying stuff from it. Yay commerce, yay my compulsion to knit.

wool mitts with pompoms

 

Some Randomness

 A Bauhaus postage stamp that I gleaned from the internet and like a lot.

 A brass buddha hand that I saw in a shop that no longer is in business. I wish I'd bought this hand. I need calming images and things around me.

 The cover of the book that my offspring will have published this coming spring. I think it'll come out around the time of the next on-line challenge. It can be pre-ordered on Amazon and I've already ordered two for myself. Why I need two, I'm not sure, Guess I'll gift someone with it, or make it a prize for something. Who knows. I was excited so I ordered two. You know how that goes.

 I recently came across this old photo of me. We were in Copenhagen in March of 1967. We'd just gone through a religious wedding ceremony for our parents where they lived, after having a civil ceremony months before where we lived. It was cold in Denmark. My cheeks were rosy all the time. And check out the travel costume! A dress, stockings, high heeled shoes. Oh dear!

A friend of my sister's sent her this photo of a painting of mine that she somehow had. I'd painted it in the early 1960s, while still a student. I barely remember it, though I do remember painting a series of heads and I do remember that yellow ochre oil paint was a favorite of mine. 

 Here are some mitts that I made awhile ago, and sold.  It's knitting time again and I'll be participating in a pop-up gift shop again at my friend Keithley's. She's the owner/maker of Bad Girl Art and has an annual shop in her home. She invites a bunch of us to join her and sell our wares. We bring beverages and food and customers can eat, drink and shop. It's a lot of fun. This year, it's December 9 in the evening and December 10, all day. If you're in or near Richmond, VA, come visit us.

and another peaceful image. I took this in Paris in 2012, I think. It's one of my favorite images. It's calming and romantic and holds such memories. The really fun thing is that I'm planning our anniversary trip to Paris for early 2017. It'll be 5 years since we've been there.

Meanwhile, I'm still struggling with my new Chrome Book. I don't know how to get all my photos onto Google Photos. Some get on there and some don't. puzzling. AND my iPhone won't let me take anymore photos!! And I only have 270 images showing up on that device. Puzzling, it's all so puzzling!!

Have a good week.

And so we start a new month - hello February!

#33

#34

#35

#36

Here #33 through 35 are more of the table scraps pieces. The scraps are the left over bits after I cut things out. I really like the way they turn out. Oh, I'd better get busy cutting out more things as I have no more scraps to use.

#37

New Mitts

#36 and #37 are alterations of more of our friend Keith Long's exhibit cards. I saved them from many years ago and glad that I did. I have such fun with them. So far, the response I've gotten from him is good. Whew!







I'm still knitting, though I have no local sales locations, at the moment. I'm almost thinking of stocking my Etsy shop again. I stopped because there are so many similar products out there and the competition is strong, and I can't compete price-wise with commercial work from other places, if you know what I mean. Meanwhile, I love good yarn. These are made from a Merino wool.

Lunch meeting

Just for fun, here's a photo of something our grand girl left behind after a visit. She plays with salt & pepper shakers that I keep just for her.  What's going on here? She surely had a story to go with this set-up.  Got a story about this for us? Let me know.

So Busy! With what, you ask?

#205

#206

#207

 After the exhibit for the Artists Coloring Book came down, I got back the prints that were hung up for people to color on. I cut them up into standard postcard size, of course.

They were on nice card stock, perfect for altering.





My honey gave me his prints to cut up, too. Lucky me, so many cards to alter.

#208

But what I've really been busy with is KNITTING! I'm like a maniac with knitting. I have some of my fingerless gloves, mitts, at a lovely little shop called NEST. They've set up a gift shop within their gift shop, full of hand crafted items by local makers.

If you're in my area, check them out.  Lots of fabulous goodies, including my mitts, and special small art pieces by my honey.

 I'm also participating in a one-day Pop-up shop on 12.13.14 (I love writing that!)
It's at the home of Bad Girl Artist Keithley Pierce.
Check it out here.  There'll be art for sale, including my mitts, and stuff by lots of other makers. There'll be beverages and snacks, too. Come on over, if you're nearby,  and chat with the makers and buy gifts for yourself and others.

Here is some of the lovely yarn that I use and here are a couple photos of already sold mitts to give you an idea of what they look like.

Meanwhile, I've got to get back to knitting.

Hope to see you!

Slow Art Day and more

 Slow Art Day 2014 was terrific. 21 people showed up, including kids, and all seemed to enjoy it.

This is a painting by Jasper Johns.

 I was too distracted and happily excited to remember to take photos, so these lovely participants suggested that we restage some "looking" moments. The Lee Bontecou piece was intriguing.

I was happy with the five art works I chose and people said that they enjoyed seeing them, also.
Next year, April 11th. Put it on your calendar and join me, or any of the Slow Art Day events near where you live.

 Mail Art happens still, though not daily.

I've got a few of the little musicians left but am slowly finding the right cards to use them on.

My knitting class has ended for this session, but I'll join up again in June. I made these mitts using double pointed needles! I was wanting to learn how to use them.

This year, I plan to continue to knit through summer. In the past, I put it away until cool weather but it's so much fun learning new stuff.

By the way, I didn't create the pattern on these, the yarn did. Cool yarn!!  Do you knit?

My new forsythia bush.

It'll be green before long but I'm looking forward to next pring when it'll be yellow again. I love forsythia, the herald of spring.

What's your favorite spring plant/flower?

Another post, so soon after the last! Oh My.

 I've been making more finger-less gloves/mitts/wrist warmers, whatever you call them, and noticing my palette. Very orange! I'm not even a big orange fan! The pair on the left is made from English organic cotton and organic merino wool Very nice feeling. The pair on the left is from a blend of silk and cotton, not so silky but nice, and good for someone who can't wear wool. My next pair - a different color for sure. By the way, I'm selling mitts at NEST.

#360

I am so close to the end. Notice the number on this mail art! I put a little English girl on a postcard of an English painting. She so HUGE. I think I wrote on the back something about her "playing loudly and enthusiastically hoping to distract the hunters and hounds, thereby saving the fox. "

Ta Da! Her's our girl, doing some fancy footwork with a knitted boa. She's 9 months old and walking! Yikes!

Have any of you taken the dialect quiz? I've been placed in Richmond and Arlington, VA & Washington D.C. based on two words, but the dark red areas show were my speech is most like other speakers in those areas. My natal city isn't so dark, and what about that spot in the west that so deep red, in Colorado? And is that little dark patch by the gulf Alabama or Mississippi? Take the quiz and let me know how you fare.

It's Wednesday! Midweek hooray!

 Hats for sale! Hats for sale! My sister makes lots of hats for little ones and hasn't any outlet for them. She sent a dozen to our grandgirl, who looks so cute in them. Now she's sent me a bunch which I'll put into my Etsy shop at some point. However, if you need a last minute gift for a baby, let me know, I've got hats galore.

Here are a pair of my mitts keeping Bad Girl Art's Keithley's hands warm. They're made from cotton and linen blend yarn. Oh, look, they kind of match her puppy!

 Chilly weather here, so tea time is anytime during the day. N gave me a lovely gift of a Tardis tea "ball." How cool. It's big enough to fill with tea for a pot but also works in a big mug with a smaller measure of tea. I love it! And that's my nice breakfast blend tea from Carytown Teas.

#349

I'm coming into the final stretch of my 365 project - can't believe it. A relief in so many ways, but hopefully my practice is well established and I'll carry on daily in my studio.

#350

In this series, I'm using old postage stamps to create scenes. Above, a landscape of a city with a bridge, airplanes overhead, and a bus headed for the bridge. In the one on the right, a family takes a walk in a city, visiting the sites.

#351

I'm totally not religious but what does one do with sooo many Madonna and Child stamps! Look, a Mary Cassatt painting in the center. I like this theme, it works so well. What do you think?

Brrrrr, so chilly here!

 We've made some new friends, the owners of NEST, where my honey will have an exhibit in February and currently has 3 pieces on preview.

My mitts are now for sale there, too. I've got to get busy knitting more with all the new yarn from my favorite yarn shop, now closed as of today. waaaa (me crying)

 Every day, I find Bizoo being places that I didn't know about, like IN the fern in the shower. The fern was going into winter mode and Bizoo was taking advantage of a nice outdoor experience while watching water go down the drain.

My friend, whom I call Prima because we share the same family name (with one letter difference,) is now the owner of MerryMaker. This is a shop where our kids used to spend their allowance money on Mrs. Grossman stickers! Here she is holding, for all you Harry Potter fans, a quill pen set. It's a fabulous set and she only has a couple left. Run over there and buy one. Very cool!

  Everytime I visit I find something I need, like Washi tape, notecards in Spanish, cool paper to make into Mail Art cards, and lots of things to just look at.

Stop in and say Hello, if you're in the area.

#346

#347

#348

Here are the series of cards that I made relating to the chilly weather this week. Brrrrr, that's what these cards say.











I used pen and ink with water, and then some rubber stamping to complete the composition.












Can't you just feel the chill?

More catching up.

 I love being by the ocean. I love the sound of the waves, the smell of the sea, the lines in the sand and the BIG sky. It's so peaceful and so immense, all of it.

 Last Saturday, I participated in a craft sale. Keithley of Bad Girl Art, invited 9 of us to participate at her home. It was such fun and quite successful. I sold more than half of the mitts that I brought with me. The two tiny hats in the photos are by my sister, who makes them out of cotton for babies. I haven't put anything back in my Etsy shop yet, as sales are brisk in face to face.

#341

More old rubber stamps. Kittens watching the rain clouds go by.

#342

I'd forgotten all about this beautiful "peace" stamp. I think I'll make a bunch more of these to send out for the New Year.

#343

Does this one look like ocean waves with moon and stars in the sky?

#344

Here's a sampling of some of my old cancellation stamps all in a clump. The card was askew on the scanner but I didn't fix it. Sort of more active looking this way.

#345

The triangle stamp is one that I never used as it was just too triangular and solid. However, it made a nice mountain background for this card. Don't you think so?