Landscape of the Imagination

Last year, one of my mail art friends, Gini, sent me an amazingly clever postcard on which she created a landscape from different business envelope liners.  The technique immediately went on my "Must Try" list.

I decided that an Envelope Liner Landscape would be perfect as a second spread in Danielle's art journal for our Round Robin.  (You can see the first spread here.)  I have a collection of liner designs in grey, blue, red, and green to choose from, and ended up being perhaps a little "obvious"--green patterns for the ground features and blue patterns for the sky.

I included some tissue tape along the bottom, created houses from a grey liner pattern, a sun from a soap box (I told you...I save everything!), and some fun rub-ons for a bit of a surreal feel to the piece.

I added the notation "landscape of the imagination" along the foreground.

I used a swirl punch with one of the grey liner designs to create smoke coming out of the houses' chimneys.

Perhaps you, like me, will never again throw a business envelope into the recycling bin without taking a second look at the pattern inside!

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I guess we all have those days where it is hard to find the silver lining to all of the cloudiness.  Today was a bit like that for me. 

The day began with heavy rainfall and steely grey skies.  I had to take my younger daughter to the allergist this morning from her biannual appointment, and ended up having to hold her down while she screamed and writhed during a skin test and a blood test.  Every mom's nightmare.   For a second day in a row, she had three pottying accidents, which just added to the ever-climbing mountain of laundry I fight daily to control.  Everyone seemed mysteriously incapable of hearing what I said at any given moment.  I have two people that I would really like to call on the phone for long conversations, but never seemed to find the time.  The cat got into the plants...again. 

I could go on, but I won't. 

The fact is, the sun did come out, and the girls and I played our own style of soccer, baseball, and basketball in the backyard before dinnertime.  I got all of the Easter eggs filled for their preschool egg hunt.  I got a good meal on the table for dinner, and am even enjoying a glass of wine before bed.  The dishwasher is humming and the dryer is whirring, so chores are getting done even as I relax on the sofa.  And, best of all, tomorrow is a brand new day! 

So I guess there is a silver lining after all.