Time to Plant?

Ancient Chinese Proverb Says:

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. 

The second best time is now.” 

I have thought about this quote in relation to creating. A lot.

You know, sometimes life just gets in the way, doesn't it? The demands of work, family, responsibilities, and community can sometimes leave the balance in my creativity completely out of whack! As a result, I find that weeks (and sometimes months) have passed without creating a single thing.  


Nothing. Nada. Zilch! 

How can you get the creative juices flowing again when you only have a small amount of time or feel burned out from the heavy load of the day? 

Good question. And it’s a question I attempt to answer when I find my art heart wilting. Here are some ideas:

Some people enjoy doodling.

(Source: shellybeauch.blogspot.com)

Others discover that simply pawing through their art supplies 

helps jump start their creativity. 

While others find browsing inspirational sites helps awaken their muse.

(Can you say, "Pinterest pajama party, here I come?!")

As for me, I love to warm up by throwing some paint on a pristine piece of paper or canvas. Inevitably, when I am done, those splashes of paint end up becoming a painting of a face. (My favorite subject.)

Here are the results of a couple of those warm-up painting exercises:

Add a little plaster and beeswax to the mix 

(thanks to Stephanie Lee’s techniques) and you will discover messy bliss! 

I have found that simply hanging out in my studio and cranking up the music can awaken the desire to create something. And I find that no matter how depleted I felt before I began, the time spent creating always energizes me.

So, when is the best time to plant a tree? 

Today, you say? I agree. 

Let's get planting!

So come on, let's plant those creative seeds deep in the earth. Go get your paint brushes, glue, collage fodder, glitter, fabric, scissors, jewelry bling -- or whatever strikes your fancy -- and let the fun begin. 

I'm Rena Peterson, mother of two, printer, author, and artist. 

I love to create in a variety of mediums. 

And today...I'm gonna plant a tree! :) 

Antique Samplers

I love the way time can transform pretty much anything into something beautiful. 

This stunning piece can be found on the lovely quilting blog Cactus Needle. An ancestor of the blog's owner, Nedra, stitched this sampler in the 1850's.

I've always got an antique sampler in the works...they are my favorite. I've seen some gorgeous old samplers from early America and they all had that beautiful patina of age. I wanted that look for my own stitched works, so I came up with a way to get that antique look.

The blue sampler above is titled "Rhapsody in Blue" by Fouroaks Design, and the one directly above came from the book Splendid Samplers to Cross-Stitch by Chris Rankin.

First, you really don't need to spend a lot of money on fine linens for your pieces.  I found a similar type material in the fabric section at Walmart that I have been using for years. Its nice and sturdy, equals about a 22 count linen, and is already a buff color.  It's not polished and smooth like muslin, but instead has a great home-spun look and feel that I think lends itself wonderfully to the antique look.

Before you begin staining your fabric, you'll need to sew up the raw edges so you don't end up with a fraying mess during the whole process.  I don't do anything special, just a simple straight stitch to hold the edges under.  I like to machine wash and dry my fabric after I have sewn it.  This takes out the stiffness and also pre-shrinks the fabric.

Wet your fabric, squeeze as much water out as you can get, then lay it onto an old jelly roll pan covered with foil.  You can use your nice new jelly roll pan if you want to, it won't hurt it.  The wrinkles in the fabric at this point help add interest to the stains.

Now, using a brush and some watered down walnut ink, brush the fabric to stain it.  Be as perfect or uneven as you want.  I myself prefer a very uneven look.

After you have covered the fabric with the walnut ink, add a second color to give your fabric an amazing pop.  I use watered-down yellow ochre acylic paint.  Just a tiny bit in about three different spots.

Finally, you'll want to add a final layer that really gives the look some dimension.  Take some walnut ink, not the watered down stuff you used before, but straight, dark, gorgeous walnut ink. Drop it onto your fabric in about three different spots.  Don't mess with it, just let it do it's thing.  This is my favorite part.

Set the whole pan in the warm sun, on your counter, or in a warm oven to dry.  I prefer the sun when drying anything stained with tea or walnut ink, but that's not always possible.  I sometimes use a warm oven set to 170 degrees.  Please keep an eye on it if you are doing the oven-drying method! I've never had a problem, but everyone's ovens are different. When your fabric is dry, iron it out and see how beautiful is has become!

My name is Marilyn Healey and I've been creating art my entire life.  It was great fun sharing this technique with you!