Many Shades of Green

 I was raised at the doorstep of the Smokey Mountains and very thankful to parents who fostered a love for them. One of my father's heroes was Sir Edmund Hillary, so when I was 8 years old we trekked to the top of Mt. Leconte  and stayed in one of their small, musty, cold, very rustic cabins for the night.  That was Dad's Mount Everest and I am glad that he shared that with me, but I believe that my parents were just as glad to get off that mountain as I was.

I love stringing and breaking beans.  I love the smell of them cooking. (Thanks, Granny) But I hate the way they taste! In the early years Son would eat the school lunch green beans but NOT the ones from a can.  I could not figure it out because I was sure that the school did not break beans for all the little ones.  At a Boy Scout function I was introduced to a mother who worked in his school cafeteria.  I am not sure I even said "Hello" before I questioned her on her green beans.  What was her secret?!?  Ham stock, who knew...well, I'm sure many know but from someone who cannot stand to eat them, I had no idea.  This stuff was not as easy to find as you would think, or at least not where I was looking, but low and behold I tracked it down and he has been eating my beans ever since.  I just throw salt, pepper and ham stock in the pot and hope for the best.  I am not going to taste test it.

My art work has been more on the utilitarian side as of late.  Mother-in -Law has been out of her gallery/pottery shop since early June so I have been making items to help fill the shelves until she is able to work the clay.  I have been making bead earrings, crochet hats, and coptic stitch books.  Thanks to Ms. Cheryl for teaching me the coptic stitch, and for you tube for filling in the blanks where I was confused and not sure how to proceed. She is back with us after another 3 weeks in the hospital and we hope that she will be back in her house sometime next week and her shop doors open soon after.

As a side note:  One of my father's other passions was reading Sherlock Holmes stories.  My first and second names are Hilari Holmes.  I am just thankful that Bond or 007 was not in there somewhere.

Off to glue some book covers.
Peace,
Hilari

A Neighbor and a Yard Sale

This little lady was inspired by a neighbor and a yard sale.  It was a lovely Saturday morning and I had a little bit of spending money burning a hole in my pocket so I headed out to see what I could add to my art stash.  I like to find metal bits, books, really anything I think I can work with at some point and time.  A lot of the stuff is just stuff but sometimes I find a great "find".  On this particular day, it was a stack of license plates under a table.  I dug through and found a few that looked appealing.  When I purchashed them the lady told me that they belonged to her late father and it was obvious that they still meant something to her.  They were a connection to her past.  Her father was a tinker so she was pleased that they were going to be used in an art piece.  I had no idea what I was going to do with then exactly.  They were just to be added to the ever growing amount of wonderful bits that I have collected.  The only thing is I had a really hard time getting these simple license plates out of my head.  What am I going to do with them...what AM I going to do with them...On Monday I found that I had a few precious moments to my self, so I grabed the screaming license plates and got to work and this is what evolved.

I made a little girl tra-la-la-ing with her father.  It was very simple in design but just right.  I thought a moment, got in the car and delivered it to the lady.  It was a special moment. Through tears she said that her father used to spin her just like the one in the piece.  I believe there was some guidance from above.  So if you ever have that feeling, you know 'that' feeling, go with it.  You never know who may need what ever you have to offer.

Good night and sweet dreams,

Hilari

A Moment of Giddiness

Bloom Where You Are Planted

I love to see little flowers growing in unconventional places.   In some cases that are a sweet surprise.   In others they are a reminder that you can bloom where you are planted.  This one is a definite reminder of the latter. It was found growing in the pea gravel walkway of  Mother-in-law's yard today as we picked up items for her temporary move to our house due to an emergency surgery.  To me it said to remember to bloom, do not become a weed.

I'm not sure how my time will be spent the next few weeks, but with a positive attitude I am hoping to have a moment or two in the workshop while mother-in-law is recuperating...or, better yet, close by at the dining room table.  Husband will be carrying most of the work load so I, not being a very good cook ( sadly, so very true ), told him I would have supper ready when he gets home.  Not to sure how enthusiast he is about it, but he will just have to bloom with the rest of us.

 Post Wedding Petal Fun

How lucky was I to catch this absolute joyous moment in time. I truly love how the young man is giving it his all and the young ladies...they are just about to pop with giddiness.  

Off to the store for rx supplies and sugar. I can make most of my cooking taste better with a little dash of sugar.  

Happy moments of giddiness to all!

Hilari

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July!!

 

I"m heading over to my in-laws to watch the annual Frederick fireworks.  Husband is playing cards tonight with the boys, so I will be representing our family.   It is always a great time full of OHHHs and AHHHs and plenty of WOWs.  

 

Be safe tonight and enjoy view!

Hilari

Effortlessly Swirling

Recently I had the weekend to play in out workshop and this is what came out of that stolen moment in time. Well, stolen is a bit extreme,  but I know that there were items on my to - do list that were happily, completely ignored. Seeing that, at this moment, I can only do two movements with automata, these pieces are becoming a little easier to complete. I am ready to branch out and have tried, but these are the incomplete pieces cluttering up my workbench.   I leave that particular clutter to keep pushing me not to get to comfortable with what I can do now.  I want the art piece to spin, the saw blade to hack, and Superman to fly.

I love the way the girl swirls effortlessly up in the air. Her beloved is easily able to sweep her off her feet. This is one of my favorite pieces to date.

I have been enjoying the yard sales this season,  finding old items to incorporate into new pieces.  One lady was selling her late father's license plate collection and I purchased a few to play with.  She was pleased that they were going to be up scaled into something new.  I am also on the lookout for old books that need a new life.  I found my favorite Dr Seuss book, One Fish Two Fish, and am going to make a journal out of it.  Both the covers and pages were well read and in need of a second life.

It has been one of those moments in time where we will look back and go "Whew".  The refrigerator leaked and we had to replace one third of the floor we put down before Thanksgiving.   Husband's mother has been in the hospital for over 2 weeks and will come to our house to recuperate when she is strong enough.  And my Aunt Margaret's (she is 88),  the sweetest person in the world, health has quickly declined.  But husband repaired the floor, mother-in-law is getting stronger each day and we are lifting prayers for my Aunt, so we will take each day as it comes.

Peace,
Hilari

Version 2

Version 2

I enjoyed making the project for the KBAG meeting and knowing I should be more familiar with the process before teaching it to my fellow members,  I  wondered what else I could do with the pattern.  Like others, I am fond of working with the tree motif, so I worked up a tree house.  I started with the basic pattern used in the graffiti piece and not so quickly realized that it would have to be modified.  I was able to get the tree to stand on it's root system with ease but attaching the building was more of a challenge.  Just when I would think it was stable and I could breath a little easier, I would sit back and see that it was leaning, not ever so slightly, to the left, then over adjust to the right.  When I added the ladder it became easier to stableize and correct any leans.

When you peek into the window you see a lady painting a flower.  This was the more complicated part of the design. The issues arrived when dealing with the wires coming through the wooden floor. I had bits coming from her legs, the stool and the easel and all of these needed to be tucked or incorporated into the tree limbs. After playing around with adding additional sticks, it worked out better to twist in more wire and sort of hide the small wire parts.  All in all, I am really pleased how it turned out.  It doesn't fall over and the lady seems to be happily painting away.

It looks to he a beautiful weekend.  Our yard is mowed and the zinnias are growing.  So as far as I'm concerned, all is good here. I hope the same for you.

Hilari

My Graffiti Project

It has been a busy time around here, so on my evening walk I stopped to smell the beautiful roses growing in my neighbor's flowerbed.  Our spring had been unseasonably warm but today has been lovely with much cooler temperatures and very little humidity.  I am sure I will be mentioning our repressive humidity this summer with great disdain...but not today!!

  

May was my month to lead the KBAG project and this was my sample piece.  The instructions came from Books Unbound and the use of wire caught my attention while flipping through my stash of books for a project idea.  My appreciation of street art is what inspired the finished piece, so I filled the removable book with images cut from the magazine Juxtapoz and placed my graffiti artists in position to leave their own mark.  This movement has grown in the public eye and some of the work is incredible.  I am in awe of projects on 7 story buildings, done with spray paint, with very detailed and beautiful subject matter. With that said, I do not condone graffiti that harms others or their property. 

I am so happy that the temperatures have warmed so I can get back into the workshop with a little more comfort.  Our little portable heater does not cut 30 degrees, but the window air conditioner does a great job with the heat, so I have been spending some wonderful, if not sometimes frustrating, time in the shop making some automata... well one completed and a second started.  I love the feeling when they actually move, more or less, the way I want them to.  If they get close I am thrilled.  I am sure my tolerance will be less the more projects I get under my belt.  But for now, YEA!

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day.  Thanks to all who have served!
Hilari