Might I have a bit of earth?

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

                                          - Vincent van Gogh

When I was a little girl, my Mother saw an advertisement for a house that was for sale. What caught her attention? The house was on two acres and it had a solarium on the back with a 180 degree view of the surrounding English garden. After reading that, she just had to see it, so we drove out to the country to look at it.

The house was owned by a retired English sea captain and his wife. After his death, the wife couldn't continue living there alone, so she had no other choice but to put the house up for sale.

   

  

It was one of those houses where once you see it...you know you will never be happy living anywhere else.  My Mother fell in love with the house and the English garden. However, my father took one look at all the yard work and wanted no part of it. My Mother assured him that he wouldn't have to do any of it, "Bethie and I will do it all."

We knew nothing about gardening!!! We didn't know the difference between a flower and a weed. The most valuable thing the previous owner left with the house was "The Wise Garden Encyclopedia" with a copyright date of 1951.

I can't tell you how many hours we spent in the garden looking up each plant to determine if it was a flower, to let grow, or a weed to pull out. I'm sure we pulled out more flowers than weeds that first year...but we learned.

We learned about trimming boxwood hedges, clipping English tea roses, pruning fruit trees and raking leaves...lots of leaves. At the end of summer, we learned about picking fruit and vegetables from the garden and how to can and preserve them.

We learned so much during those few years and the best part was...we learned together. My Mother instilled in me the love of gardening and a connection with nature. She also taught me the importance of being self-sufficient, self-disciplined, having perseverance and most important...not to be afraid of hard work. These lessons have followed me throughout my life and I have tried to pass them on to my son and now my grandsons.

I never thought I would ever find another house like that one, it was "one of a kind." However, a few years ago, I found a small townhouse. It's nowhere near the size of that house, but it has the same "feel". The front yard has the 40 foot trees and rolling green lawn. The back yard is small but it's my "bit of earth". I have room for fruit trees and a garden, where I can teach my grandsons the difference between a flower and a weed.

 

This year the peach and plum trees produced so much fruit we had to make peach and plum jam. I was able to teach the boys about canning and preserving food. The boys play an important role in the garden by selecting and planting the fruit trees and deciding what vegetables we plant in the garden. This fall they will be helping Grandma with pruning the trees and composting the garden for winter.

All the things my Mother taught me...I'm passing on to my grandsons. And yes...I still have "The Wise Garden Encyclopedia", copyright 1951. I'll be passing it on to my grandsons too, along with all the stories behind it.

What's your motivation?

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
                                                                - C. S. Lewis


As the school year comes to an end, I find this is the most strenuous time in the library. Not only mentally, with all the inventories, orders and the return of library materials from the students and teachers, but also physically with all the textbooks.

 

It's part of my job to collect all the textbooks from the students and stack them by subject and grade on the floor, leaving spaces for the consumable workbooks that will be delivered the last few weeks of school. I will receive deliveries of between 8 - 10 pallets of boxes that will have to be unpacked, sorted and added to the textbooks already on the floor.

Unpacking hundreds of boxes of workbooks can be a daunting task. I need to keep myself motivated with positive thoughts of getting everything organized for the new school year, beginning in August. However, several years ago I found another positive motivation.

Every time I cut open a box of workbooks there is a large sheet of white paper or a perfectly cut piece of cardboard on top. This is put there to prevent the box cutter from accidentally cutting the covers of the soft-bound workbooks. My box cutter doesn't cut deep enough to reach the paper or cardboard, so when I remove them they are in perfect condition. I set them aside in stacks until all the boxes are unpacked.

 The paper's weight is approximately 85-90 lb. and I knew I could use pencil, colored pencils and ink on it. But when I tested it further, I was amazed when I found it could also handle markers, brush pens, water-soluble graphite pencils, gouache and light watercolor. There wasn't enough sizing on the paper for it to be able to handle full washes or extremely wet watercolor. Still, I was thrilled with what it was able to handle. I had all the materials I needed to repurpose and use to make sketchbooks.

              

I folded the paper in half and put 4 sheets together to make a signature. Then I sewed the signatures together to form a text block. I covered the pieces of cardboard with a red floral fabric to make the cover and glued the text block into it. I was able to make 2 hardbound mixed media sketchbooks.

Now, instead of dreading the textbook deliveries at the end of the year, I look forward to them. As I unpack them, my mind will be filled with thoughts and images of all the wonderful artwork I'll be creating and filling my sketchbooks with over the summer break...and that is the best motivation of all !!!

      

My Traveler's Notebook Set-Up for 2019

"Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress"
                                              - Charles Kettering


Happy New Year to all my family, friends and fellow bloggers!

We all start out the new year with the desire to change so we can become more organized and productive in our lives. That is what my plan is for the set-up of my traveler's notebook. My desk is stacked with journals for sketching, painting, writing and planning. I realized I'm only using a few pages of each journal each month and carrying around the rest of the blank pages...unnecessarily. What if I only carried around the pages I needed?

In this video I show how to divide each journal into segments and make them into booklets for the traveler's notebook. The notebook will contain a bullet journal, mixed media journal, sketch journal, 2-year calendar and a daily journal. All "consolidated" into one journal I can carry with me and use.

If you are interested in additional free inserts to download and print, please check out Ray Blake's website at www.mylifeallinoneplace.com .

For a DIY on how to make a traveler's notebook and inserts, please check out my video at https://youtu.be/RvaZ9LsiPTI .

Please visit my YouTube channel at Beebe Arts - Beth Franks.
Or Instagram at beebearts4411.

Merry Christmas to all...

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.
                     -Alexander Smith


To my family, friends and fellow bloggers...

May all that's happy, all that's festive, all that's beautiful, warm and bright be yours this Christmas.

May you end the year with a smile and start with hope for another year.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
   
                                     Beth




Thank you Erica Bercich of Porcelain Photography for the beautiful photograph.

One Year Anniversary

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change opportunities into blessings."
                                      - William Arthur Ward

Today marks the one year anniversary of starting this blog.

At that time I expressed gratitude for all the blessings in my life. For all my loved ones and their continued good health, happiness and well being.

Now, a year later, I feel even more blessed. This past year I have developed friendships with many artists and creative people from around the world. They have shared their love of art, their personal creations and have provided support and daily encouragement. My life has been made fuller because of them and I want to say thank you.

I especially want to thank "my boys": Michael, Emmett, Aiden and Mason. They are the reason why I started this blog and the reason why I strive to be the best person I can be...for them. They are my future...

Every day I thank God for them being a part of my life. I love them with all my heart.

Thank you boys, for all your love and support.

DIY Watercolor Sketchbook (Accordion/Flip Style)

"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult".
                                                                        - Warren Buffett -


Have you ever wanted to make a hardbound watercolor sketchbook but thought it would be too difficult or take too much time?

In my YouTube video I show you how to make a watercolor sketchbook from a single sheet of Strathmore 400 Series, 140 lb. watercolor paper. There is no sewing, stapling or taping necessary because the sketchbook is made from a single sheet of 22" x 30" watercolor paper. It's folded, cut and re-folded in what I call an "Accordion/Flip" style and you can complete the text block in less than 5 minutes. I added a cloth-bound cover for added protection to the watercolor paper and an elastic band to hold it securely together.

This is one of the fastest, easiest methods to make a watercolor sketchbook. You can use a single sheet of your favorite watercolor paper. Or... here's an opportunity to try out a sheet of another brand to see if you like it before you purchase a pad or block of it. The design and weight of the paper allows you to paint on both sides of the paper. The finished sketchbook is a standard size of 6" x 8", but if you prefer a different size, try one of the designs below to make an 8" x 8" square sketchbook or an 8"x 10" sketchbook from the same 22" x 30" size sheet of watercolor paper.

Just a reminder....these sketchbooks would make wonderful gifts!

Beginning a New Adventure

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
                                             - Lao Tzu


It's exciting to be able to revisit the beginning of a new art adventure. That's what happened this past weekend with my grandson. Emmett, who is seven years old, has decided he would like to learn how to do watercolor painting like his grandma. A new adventure we can share together.

The first step we needed to take was the selection of his paint palette and then the decision on what paints he should use. He decided to go for a metal paint box because as he put it, " the metal box was stronger than the plastic one." Then we selected his paints. I didn't want to start him out with Crayola or Prang, even though they are both good products for children. Instead, I started him out with Winsor & Newton Cotman paints. That's what I started out with when I was his age and never regretted it.  I'm still using their product today and find it to be of the highest quality. I wanted him to feel confident in knowing he was using real artist's paints and not something meant for a child to play with.

The next step was becoming familiar with his paints and knowing what colors he was working with. This he did by making a swatch card to put in his paint box. He painted swatches of each paint color and was surprised by how the colors appeared different on paper than they appeared in their pans.

After he completed the swatches, he was ready for his first watercolor painting. I didn't want to interfere with his first creation. In fact, I was eager to see what he came up with. His first endeavor  was on a small scale but it was what he could handle. His drawing was of his own creation and he began to paint it without hesitation. Of course, there was a special story about the picture and each color he chose to paint each item.

For his first attempt I think he handled it like a pro.