Walnut Ink

I have been reading a lot of blogs about natural dyeing and found myself continuing the experimentation. I was walking around my backyard yesterday and found what I discovered were black walnuts. I've seen some things written about how to make walnut ink and how some people even buy it. So I mixed up my own concoction of walnut, fall leaves, rust and such together in a pot and boiled it up and then strained it. I decided to bottle it. I found this great old gin bottle in the backyard junk pile and decided since the lid came off so well that I would use it. In raised letters of glass on the bottle it says: Federal Law Forbids Sale or Re-use of This Bottle (in three lines, next) FULL 1/2 PINT then in cursive writing angled from the lower left side of the bottle to the upper right front it says; HJA Gilley ltd. and then on the botton right of the front in cursive is the word Gin. Pretty bottle and it's a clear bottle but as you can see in the photo it is pretty black from the walnut ink inside. I even held this in front of a strong light and couldn't even see through it. Which surprised me and makes me think that this ink is pretty strong. The tree painting that is in the photo is all stained with the walnut ink the darker lines are black ink pen and white gesso for the white. I was very pleased with the result. It's a rich brown that I will be using for a long while. I have alot more waiting to be bottled. Probably another two or three pints. Fun!!!!

Day of Loving Labor

This is a black cotton shrug that I have discharge dyed. 

I love how this turned out!

There are three different pieces that I have just set on the rusted stitched fabric from above
These are each done with similar fabrics to give some contrast and visual interest. 

In this sample I have placed a rust dyed fabric remnant on top of a discharged 

black fabric. Then on top of the rust dying there is a printed fabric and another 

rust dyed circle. All stitched together with a rust colored embroidery floss. 

French knots in the center. While this took a bit of time to sew along with the 

other samples I am posting I have found this quite addictive and soothing to do. 

I can see why so many people do this.

. 
 I have been doing alot of discharge dying today and hope to do more tomorrow. 

Friday Fun

I love the way that coffee and grounds stain paper. I love the unpredictable nature of the way that it dries and it lends itself well as a wonderful drawing and painting surface.
This is sitting outside in my carport/studio area this item that my drawing is leaning on is an old couch base that I found on the property. It was so wonderfully rusted and because I spied it early in spring all the vines and earth that were around it had not hidden it for another summer. It took a good bit of digging and was extremely heavy. I had to roll in a way from end to end to get it to the carport. It fits perfectly where I put it and I have a work table in front of it that I use to spray bleach or paint or whatever. It's been so hot this past month that I haven't been out there much but this week has had a blast of rain and cooler temps so I've been venturing out again. Before I know it, it will be fall and then winter will set in again. It would be so nice to be somewhere that it was 70 degrees and less than 50% humidity all year .. haha .. a girl can dream can't she?

Wednesday early morning Hot attack

Its so hot I can't sleep and i feel sick to my stomach. Then I sit here in this chair in front of the fan and write and fall asleep haha. I haven't created anything new in a few days .. I'm starting to go into withdrawal. I'll have to make something tomorrow. But it's going to be another hot day. I painted my nails last week. I thought I'd take a photo and post it haha .. since that is the only proof I have that I did it. Temporary art. Then I thought i'd post this picture of a dead moth that I found in my house. I was really amazed by the graphic look of the design on it's wings.   Its really amazing the art that nature creates for itself. I love it!!!

Tshirts

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. I've been busy trying to figure out what to do next and I'm having a good time creating all the time. And have sold a few tshirts. I love that!!  Here are some of the shirts that I have now. I guess I also havent been posting because my dog Molly got bit by a copperhead snake and that was the most upsetting thing that I have ever been through. She was in such incredible pain it nearly killed me to see her like that. Its left me with loving her even more then ever before. I'm so grateful to be past that and to see her with little side effects to it now. She has just a small scab from a bigger scab that finally fell off after two weeks. I truely feel like she is a cat with nine lives.. i think she's used up at least half already.

Anyway .. i've missed coming here and trying to focus on the art. Hope you enjoy it.

: )

For Sale at www.hennessyhandbags.etsy.co

sold!

Almost Friday night

Ok it's Thursday night and early July. It's been a while since I've posted here and I really thought the next time I posted I'd have put up my tshirts on etsy but no ... i haven't yet. This is just an illustration that expressed some feelings I was having that day. I had written a long post about it but it was so dismal I am editing it today. Just as in this little illustration the girl is crying and has tissues and golashes haha and when I see that I think .. atleast when the crying is over I can run and jump in the puddles with my golashes lol!!!  That I love to do. I actually have a pair and if you can imagine me wearing a pair of jean shorts and a tank top with these big white rubber boots walking behind a mower that was me this week!!! haha .. THAT was so much fun!!! So I'm glad that I can go back and edit things that I say. Too bad we can't do that in real life .. edit our words after the fact. Edit our life. I'm going to edit my life today!!! :)

Today I went and picked the first fruits available at the local fruit farm. The blackberries are so big you can see they fill up the teaspoon that one is laying in. Amazing. I think I will fix a blackberry cobbler and the raspberries .. hhmmmmmm i have eaten alot of them already. Perhaps something chocolate with raspberry sauce. yummmy....... I'm trying to finish uploading my photos of the tshirts. I get so distracted by my life. I have all this time on my hands and yet it seems to slip away so quickly. I don't know what to do first sometimes. I have lots of cleaning that needs doing.. lots of art that is made and needs to go up for sale. Lots of things to make into something. It's just so many things.... where to start where to start. First I will eat blackberries!!!  haha...