What if...

When was the last time you had one of those Well, duh! moments? You know the kind I mean. The proverbial slap up side the head over some simple idea that you didn't think of. I had one just this morning while skyping with Pam.

My little urchins had their very first ballet recital last Saturday and, as all prima ballerinas do, received roses after their performance.

One dozen red roses and a half dozen pink roses each, in fact, which the girls insisted be put in separate vases once home. As the week progressed and the petals began to wilt, I popped them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer.

So there we were this morning, Pam and I, in our respective studios, discussing the week, etc. I told her about the roses in the freezer and my plans to bundle them between sheets of paper a la India Flint, maybe even toss in a rusty bit for good measure. The hot plate would need to be located and a new pot bought first...and I'd have to figure out how to leave the hot plate on all night without burning the house down, etc. And that was when the Well, duh! moment happened.

Pam looks at me and asks why a crock pot couldn't be used. Oh, now, the snickering can heard, you know. For many of you, this is probably old news, but for me this morning it was a revelation. One of those earth shattering ideas that once said seems so simple, so...so...well, duh...a whydidn'tIthinkofthat?!? sort of idea. It definitely fits the what if category because I have no idea if it will actually work, but...

the roses were retrieved from the freezer.

A piece of green tea dyed paper was cut into smaller pieces along with some plain white. 

Rusty bits were added

as well as a few rusted pages.

All were bundled and wrapped with the waxed linen threads that normally secure my rusty experiments and placed in the crock pot which is set on low. Fingers crossed that this actually works. I'll let you know in the morning.

Rust circle #32

While in Philly, I left a few gears to rust. Thought the unwrapping and unbundling of the largest might be fun to share.

rust circle #32

90" x 72"

still damp, it bled a bit in drying, but not too much

On the drying board

I've been numbering this season's rusty circles, if only to keep track of how many are produced. Right now, the number also serves as the piece's temporary name. They'll get their real name later.

 This little bundle of rust joy

just became #22.

Cranberry dreaming part 2

Inspiration + an idea + cranberries and blueberries + dye pot + hot plate + cotton + organza + linen + time = cranberry hued laundry

I awoke way too early yesterday...like 4:15 am too early...stumbled downstairs and unwrapped the cranberry bundles before my first cup of coffee. Maybe my curiosity over the transpirings in the dye pot were what had me up before the crack of dawn...

The dye pot, hot plate and I are no strangers. We spent many an hour mixing up various Jacquard dyes to color the reeds and sisals used in weaving my baskets in the beginning and my vibrant, abstract studies in color at the end (of my basketry career, that is). Yet this brewing and bubbling of cranberries and blueberries was an entirely new experience for us. It's a delicate dance that we need to learn because now we're hooked.

The bundle was wrapped with the linen in the middle covered by organza which was covered by cotton. As light as the cotton appeared, I assumed that the linen was going to be unchanged. Boy! Was I wrong. It took the cranberry coloring the best of the three. These pictures were taken while the fabric was still wet.

The lovely red dried to a pale mauvey-brown-grey...still with bits of cranberries attached. The girls and I were out all day yesterday and didn't arrive home until the sun was setting so a photo will be taken today. And I'm going to wait until I return from a jaunt to Pam's before washing the pieces. Let the color settle in a bit, you know.

Stay tuned for part 3. 

Cranberry dreaming

Ever since Elizabeth over at be...dream...play... wrote about cranberry gratitude and mashing cranberry sauce into her journal - which resulted in the most scrumptious shade of...well...cranberry - I've been dreaming about experimenting with my own leftover cranberries.

So today, with all the Thanksgiving company back in their own homes, I dug out the dye pot and hot plate, plugged them in on the deck and set about concocting a home brew of cranberries, blueberries and even a bit of the sauce...cranberry, that is.

The plan is to let the pot simmer until bedtime, then turn it off and let everything cool overnight. I'll unwrap the bundles tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!