Thinking Summer

I know! It is only the first day of Spring so why am I thinking Summer? I spent yesterday afternoon using my new ArtFoamies to print some new Hot Weather Scarves and that made me think of warm summer days.

stamped fabric strips

close up of new designs

 

 

 

I started making Hot Weather Scarves in 2015 using some of my own stamps and some from ArtFoamies. They are hand made, hand stamped cotton 'bags' with gel beads that expand when soaked and provide hours of cooling comfort. Most of the scarves I make now are only 1 1/4" wide so they are more tie than scarf. These 'Cool Ties' are perfect for gardening, hiking or just hanging around in the sun. I also make 'Cool Bags' which are little gel bags that fit under a cap or hat to help keep your head cool.

one of my original designs

Last fall my daughter suggested that I should make some shorter scarves - or 'Cool Ties' - with more masculine designs and colours; something that would appeal to men working in the fields and forests. With the help of the internet, I designed some patterns and went to my friend Emmie at Emmie's Art Foamies

and asked her to make me some stamps. This is what she has made so far;

Tools, Trucks and Chainsaws

 Emmie is still working on more of my patterns and I hope I get them in time to make more Cool Ties for the coming summer.

Here are a couple more links where you will find more of Emmie's Art Foamies.

ArtFoamies on Facebook  and ArtFoamies on Etsy.  I hope you will check them out and share with your friends

A Crazy Month

It has been a crazy month. I don't know where the time has gone but I have been so busy I haven't had a chance to write. First, because the weather was so good, I spent a lot of time getting my bedding plants into their pots.

This is a photo from last year as this years flowers are still too small to make much showing. I have about 70 pots displayed around the house all planted and waiting for the sun to shine. Now I just have to do my flower beds!

In between planting sessions, I made some more Hot Weather Scarves and Art cards to go with my displays at a couple of galleries up the lake; The Mervin Robertson Gallery and Faeries' Landing Art Market and Bistro.

hand made, hand painted gel scarves

local scenes photo cards

Next, a few members of the Creston Art Club decided to mount a small art show in an empty store during the annual Blossom Festival last weekend. It was only partly last minute but it still took time to organize and to 'staff' the show for the 3 days.

We had a pretty decent weekend and all but one of the artists had sales. Although the building where we have the art is For Sale, the owner (one of the artists) is going to let us keep the display intact so that we can open off and on over the summer until the building sells.

I know there have been other things over the last few weeks that have kept my nose to the grindstone but I really can't think of what they were - like I said, it has been a crazy month.

September Challenge Day 22

Today's art is the culmination of a project I started back in the hot days of summer.  I had been doing some fabric painting and decided to make a few "Hot Weather Scarves" - scarves filled with gel crystals. Once these crystals are soaked in water and expand they stay cool for many hours and feel wonderful against a bare neck.

Hot Weather Scarves

All of the scarves are made with cotton and are painted with acrylic paint and fabric medium. The sections with the crystals range from 16 inches to 23 inches and the scarves, of course, are long enough to overlap in front to be pinned or tied.

 I hope to sell the Hot Weather Scarves, for, although the summer has passed there is always next year!