Watercolor Painting Workshop

Yesterday, I took a beginning watercolor painting class with instructor Terry Collington at the Middletown Library.  The workshop was yet another offering of the Makery@Middletown series, through which I have taken papermaking, painted river rocks, and a jewelry-making class in the past.

Terry brought us to the front of the room to offer demonstrations of each step of the painting process, and our ultimate plan was to complete a watercolor birch tree scene, similar to the sample she offered us.

My finished project won't take the watercolor world by storm, to be sure, but it's always a good day when I get to fling a little paint around.

Here is the piece under a black mat to give a sense of what it might look like if it were framed. I believe the instructor's word was "bland" when it came to my sponge painted background; I tend to agree.

I brought the painting home, spattered some blue paint over top of it, and cut it into two postcards and a bookmark. After adhering some cut-out phrases from magazines, I outlined the papers in black Sharpie pen, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

I am a mixed-media artist at heart, and will seldom be satisfied with a straight-up watercolor painting that hasn't been "messed around with" in some way!

Make It/365! Two Weeks In

I've been keeping a record of all of my 2017 "making," and I thought I would share some of the entries with you so you can check out my progress.  As promised, I have used the word "make" to refer to actual creative enterprises, as well as more abstract endeavors .  Check it out:

In the first two weeks of the new year, I have:

• Made an effort to find a friend's lost dog by going door to door in my neighborhood.
• Made a big pot of spaghetti.

• Made a blog post. 
• Made it to church on the first day of the year.
• Made "cute animal" sketches in my sketchbook.

• Made school lunches again after the winter break.
• Made a master list of DIY cleaning products from a binder full of notes and clippings.
• Made an appointment to start getting allergy shots (and made it to my appointment).
• Made our house cleaner than it's been in awhile.
• Made Valentine doodles in my sketchbook.

• Made it through to the end of a book I was reading.
• Made an afternoon snack for six little girls having a play date.
• Made erasers out of eraser clay with my daughter.

• Made a yummy dinner of spiced mini-burgers and pita bread.
• Made excuses to myself about why I'm not making things in my craft room.
• Made a beautiful dinner of roasted chicken and vegetables in a cast iron skillet.
• Made a smoothie for lunch.
• Made gingerbread cookies with my kids.

• Made it through a major mishap--washing an entire box of tissue the girls let fall in their laundry basket.
• Made my exercise goal on my new watch (on just one day, lol!).
• Made chocolate chip banana bread.
• Made a lunch date.
• Made a Pin the Gumball on the Gumball machine with my daughter for her birthday party.

It's been fun to reflect on my day each evening through the lens of "making"..."what have I made today, anyway?" I hope to do more traditional making--working my way through the supplies in my craft room and the pins on my Pinterest boards--but until I get to it, I like seeing all the other ways "making" makes an appearance in my days.

Keep those ideas coming for my Make It/365 list! I got some great new ideas in the comments for my last post, and I will continue to add and update along the way.

Make It/365!

I've been enjoying the new trend of tossing out terms like "artist," "crafter," "sculptor," "sewist," or "book binder," in favor of the more general term, "maker."

Being a "maker" feels like it has fewer restrictions.  Maybe it appeals to me because I dabble in so many areas that I can't really tie myself down to a single category.  I make books, collages, paper crafts, mail art, crocheted blankets, etc.--I'm a maker!

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I ran across the blog A Playful Day last month, and discovered Kate's project called The Maker's Year.  During 2016, she encouraged participants to document their "daily making."  She opened the concept of "making" widely, in order to encompass "photography to upcycling, gardening to writing, weaving to baking."

I tend to think of "making" even MORE broadly. After first encountering Kate's project, I made a list of everything I made the very next day, and this is what "counted" for me that day in November:

What did I make today?

• I made a bathroom vanity shine.
• I made a new blog post.
• I made new online connections by joining a Facebook group I just discovered.
• I made my daughter's bed fresh with clean sheets and blankets.
• I made a pile of laundered clothing.
• I made a delicious dinner for my husband from a recipe we both enjoy.
• I made a safe and cozy home for our new rescued kitten.
• I made the startling discovery that my daughters will eat green peas without complaint when every other vegetable causes one or the other to whine pitifully (and I don't even like peas myself!).
• I made a smoothie for my lunch and a percolator full of coffee to enjoy.
• I made an appointment to attend two upcoming art/craft workshops at the library.
• I made a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread. 
• I made additional preparations for my daughter's upcoming birthday party.
• I made it on time to drop off and pick up my girls from school.
• I made my bed.
• I made my daughters laugh by being silly.
• I made my daughters think by reading our daily devotion and praying with them.
• I made notes for my adult Sunday school class.
• I made oatmeal granola for breakfast.
• I made a list of things I made today.

That's all in one day, folks! That's a lot of making, when I'm willing to define it broadly.

In that spirit, I am launching my own personal Make It/365! project for 2017.  I am in the process of brainstorming 365 things to make throughout the year.  (Help a girl out: I'm only in the 200s! I need some more ideas!)

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You can find my growing list in a separate tab at the top of this blog.  I am debating about how much to try to document my efforts; I can get bogged down in documentation, when I really just want to encourage myself to engage in daily making, and to value all the ways that I engage in making each day.

Please join me in being intentional about setting aside 2017 as a year for MAKING!  Let's use our hands and the other creative tools at our disposal to bring beauty, life, and imagination into our world.  I will include you in my journey, and I hope you will include me in yours in return!

Happy New Year!

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