becoming a bag lady

I have always preferred small purses or bags. Maybe because I have narrow shoulders that bag straps slip off of easily; maybe because I've always been fascinated with small things.

Whatever handcraft I have taken up, I eventually tried it smaller. Simple cross stitch was worked over a single thread instead of a square-gridded Aida cloth. Working with beads evolved into threading tiny seed beads onto thread and knitting it into necklaces and wee bags, some tiny enough to become delicate necklaces. I have hand-bound a sketchbook measuring a mere 2".

So why do I find myself suddenly carrying such a big bag? My new sunglasses, while offering maximum protection to my eyes, are designed in such a way that they need a large-sized case. Which is too large to fit in my small bags.

Still not sure I want to carry such a big bag, but at least it's what works in this 100-degree summer brightness. And a sketchbook of any size easily fits.

clock tower at Sam Houston State

Our oldest granddaughter Mikala attended bassoon camp again this year at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. On the final day of camp the kids held a recital --- all bassoons and oboes! They did a great job.

Arriving early, we walked around the campus a bit, where I found this clock tower. I didn't notice until adding watercolor how wonky my drawing is! The top is tipping back like it's looking up.

a random stone gnome

A sketchbook spread of random notes, my new sunglasses, and a wee stone gnome that lives under an old oak tree at the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence, Texas.

yesterday at church

At church yesterday morning, Jerry sat on the front row and seldom moved. Seemed like he was just begging to be sketched . . .

the book finally arrived . . . times two?

For over a month I have been practically drooling when I saw others posting pictures of this new book, "Artist's Sketchbook" by Cathy Johnson (my dearest friend, Kate) as they received their copies in the mail. I was honored to be among the many artists invited to submit art for the book --- how cool to be included among so many wonderfully talented people! Apparently those receiving their books early had pre-ordered them. My own copy was free from the publisher for allowing them copyright to the images I submitted, and handled by a different department than sales.

Imagine my surprise when our mailman brought me not one but two copies! No note of explanation, just two books within this strangely glued-together package. The corner of one copy was a bit bent but no reason to reject it.

I expected to love the book, as I love Kate's previous book I participated in, "Artist's Journal Workshop". But I didn't know it would repeatedly bring me to tears. So many of Kate's images were done during sketchcrawls that I joined in; many other artists are my sketchcrawl buddies from when we lived close enough to attend the monthly get-togethers. How I miss those magical times! I was even there when Kate sketched Liz Steel's bear, Borromini, at an old Kansas City hotel. I remember talking with Liz in the parking lot about our shared faith long after the others had gone home, not wanting to leave.

Thank you, Kate. It is truly a magical book full of memories!

fairy stones

Recently I read a little e-book called "The Cabin", by Smoky Zeidel. The story has a mysterious log cabin in the woods of Virginia, a bit of time-travel, and some wee fairy stones -- a twin-crystal mineral known as Staurolite.

I had never heard of these cross-shaped stones before. In the book, a legend is told of the elvish folk having told the fairies of the One they call the Christ having been crucified. The fairies wept and where their tears fell, tiny cross stones appeared. Eventually the fairies and elves diminished from the area until they had disappeared.

After writing a couple of my favorite quotes from the book into my journal, I wanted to draw a few of the stones on the page, so I looked them up on the internet.

some fresh flowers

On Saturday we headed to Huntsville, Texas, where our granddaughter had been attending bassoon camp --- the kids were playing in a recital at the end of camp. We left home early, planning on a stop in College Station for a quick breakfast and a stop at Kohl's (I had a birthday money-off coupon that would expire soon). We ate at Chick-fil-A, where these fresh flowers were on our table and some lovely Christian praise music played in the background.

Back to Kohl's, which was supposed to open at 8:00 --- the doors were closed and there was a crowd of people standing around outside. Curious, it being 9:30. We left for another errand, then returned. Now at 10:00, doors still closed and the line a couple of blocks long. Don't know what kind of event they were having, but we didn't stick around to find out.

Which put us in Huntsville way too early so we looked for the nearest Kohl's about 30 miles south in Conroe. I found exactly what I was looking for (at half-price!), Bill found some needed shoes in his hard-to-find size, and the lady behind us in line insisted that we use her 30% off coupon. Nice! My friend Ginger would call that an anointed shopping day.

Then on to Sam Houston State University for an awesome bassoon & oboe concert, followed by lunch with our daughter and her family. Turned out to be a wonderful day . . . and we still have no idea what was going on at the College Station Kohl's.

last night's sketch and a great book

Not feeling very inspired but needing to draw __something__, I drew my own foot as I jotted down a few notes at church last night. It may seem to some that we are at church a lot . . . but our little so-called "biker church" is more like a beloved family. We genuinely enjoy spending time together, laughing and crying, worshiping and praying.

Recently I received a book in the mail that is a new favorite: "Pen and Ink" by James Hobbs. Presently, it is only sold in the UK but I was able to buy a new copy through the secondary market on Amazon. The book is a blend of some fabulous art by 35 artists and techniques for various ways of working with this medium. 

Not only is there a special Artist Index to quickly find art by a particular artist as well as where to find them online, but there is also this great Visual Index! So easy to quickly find a certain image I'm looking for! And the book's size is so easy to hold and easy to take along with me --- I like looking through it while Bill is driving.

brain freeze

A silly little sketch from last night, eating out with friends -- first 'Chinese' at Pei Wei, then dessert at Bahama Buck's. Toasted coconut shaved ice with chocolate creme = brain freeze!

Somerville shadow

The buildings on my side of the Main Street through Somerville, TX cast pointy shadows towards two new businesses across the street: a small barbecue place and a snow cone shop. This is from near our church.