a Breath of Country Air

a breath of country air would do me good, I fancy.

here's another mini joint compound piece with its inspired wording.

I don't know why -

but these random cuttings from old books are just giving me the giggles...

and one can never have too many giggles.

here is the piece after the first layer...

and all the way back to the beginning.
fighting a migraine today and need another giggle.
do you have one for me?

mingle

don't you love that word?

mingle, mingle, mingle...

i could say it over and over.

and it's also the name of Stampington's new magazine.

So click on the photo to see more about the magazine,

and stop by in early October 

to win a chance to get a free copy sent to you from me.

as Zoe's birthday is October 4, 

I just might let her do the picking of the winner.

won't she be thrilled?

a Sunday Blessing - my little green friend

can you see him?

my little green friend 

has insisted on making his home

in and on our hose carrier.

he has lived here for months 

and guess what happens

whenever I want to water?

he goes around and around and around

and he holds on for dear life

and refuses to let go.

it is a froggy merry go round.

just love that persistence...

he is my hero.

he refuses to be bullied

and intimidated.

he refuses to relinquish his beautiful home

with its hollow plastic center and awesome aqua color.

I am so careful not to squish him 

and fearful as 

he is often napping between the hose coils.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress
and my deliverer;
my God is my rock,
in whom I take refuge.
Psalm 18:2
may I be reminded of my little green friend
and cling to my rock, my fortress
with the same fierceness
and determination that he shows.

a sensible arrangement

this newest piece,

a very sensible arrangement,

is finished I do believe...

and I love remembering how it started -

with creamy joint compound,

and then it came alive with 
paint, paper, stamps, glitter, an upholstery tack,

and a line from an old book that just seemed to fit -

"A very sensible arrangement, I should think."

yes I should think so.

care for a swim?

I have no patience -

just had to share these adorable creations.

we still need to paint our bubbles 

but otherwise they are done.

This season starts with 9 enthusiastic art clubbers

in First to Fourth grade.

I thought we should bid summer farewell (insert a sob here)

with an ode to summer swimming.

prepare to grin - just warning you...

 this artist informed me that the subject's eyes are popping out of her head

 because the fish are following her - how cute is that?

she looks like she is a good swimmer...

I want to be this happy...

this little guy was loving swimming with the fish...

 and this one even has blood shot eyes like you get in the pool

if you forget your goggles...

 love the hair on this guy...

and she is swimming with her friends -

how cute!

 we started by looking at some pool art by the artist David Hockney

 and even had a good laugh at his hand-painted pool...

and talked about ripples in the water and wax resist.

 so first was the drawing

 and then the pressing really hard with crayons

(still my favorite medium)

 and finally the watercolor which was a total surprise

and really made those white lines come alive.

we also made tissue frames to house our masterpieces.

thanks to

use your colored pencils

and

 kidsartists

for the ideas.

hey teachers out there - 

I would love to hear from you if you use any of my project ideas.

it gets kind of lonely seeing hundred of hits on my projects and no comments...

would love to hear what worked, 

what you would like to see

or how I can do a better job sharing what we create - 

hope you all have a creative and inspirational year.

I would love to visit your sites -

share your link in a comment so we can all come visit.

a Sunday blessing

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:5-6

 photos from Chapel St. Ignatius

vroom...

passed this car on the freeway- 

wish I could follow wherever they are going

as I bet they are going to have much more fun...

simply colors...

sepia...

 rust, oxide

 caramel, cafe

tawny, chalky

 gun metal, iron

 charcoal, slate

stone, smokey

...some of my favorite colors.

more joint compound

spending time with these guys today,

and I am covered with sanded joint compound.

anybody know if it's ok to breathe joint compound?

little boat

Little Boat from nelson boles on Vimeo.

cute video for your Saturday... 

the art studio is calling me

as well as the sun - 

oh my how will I decide?

labor day means no labor

 if you were coming over today 

I would first offer you some sun tea...

 and a place to sit down

 and then I'd offer you some wursts,

sweet potato fries (the best from Trader Joes).

green beans marinated with onions and olive oil,

peppers cooked about 2 hours on the stove in balsamic vinegar...

and then let out Zoe to keep you company...

and you would hear the nearby fountain

bubbling away

as the glass balls clink

and 

 then you'd see the newly discovered bird's nest
sitting atop its new home...

 and the sun would slowly go down
on this perfect day

 but the fun would just begin.

 we get so few perfectly beautiful summer days here in the PNW
so I just had to share some more photos of the yard
so I can remember it when the weather turns,
which will be soon enough.

 I had fun overlaying these 2 old papers.

you are welcome to pull them off and use them for your photo enhancing.
I first used them here.
So what are you doing to celebrate 
the final days of summer?
ready for the cool crisp days of autumn?
not me...more summer please.
and I do believe today will find me in the studio 
dabbling in some plaster and joint compound too
after I have had my sun fix 
and given you your second helping of iced tea ;)

they labor...

 these beautiful sedums 

 are just starting to pop

 and are being devoured by the bees...

and this variety of sedum

 is being consumed by the furry cousin of the other bees.

So my question is this -

how do they know that the furry ones are allowed on one plant 

and the regular bees are only allowed on the other?

pretty funny...

and yes they do not know they are supposed to be resting.

Happy Labor Day weekend to you all!