Okay - LOTS More Butterflies!

Yay! The heat finally broke! It's back in the 80's and I'm luv, luv, luvin' it! I might even get some more sun printing done this weekend if it doesn't rain. We need the rain, so I won't complain. The fire in Hyde/Tyrrell/Washington county is over 40,000 acres now. Steve said everyone will have a turn (or 2) at it, but he hasn't gone yet. They could likely call on him while I'm in NY next week.

I painted another background for the butterflies. I didn't have the right size stretcher bars and didn't it stretch it tight enough, so it bloomed near the top. I can use it for something else (cut up), but not that. I want to try the Setacolor transparent paints again, not necessarily for sun printing. I want a light background and with them I think I build layers till I get what I envision. I'll have to spread it out on a table I guess. Nowhere around me to get stretcher bars. Steve is determined to do the back porch this weekend, so not sure how much "fun" I'll be able to have. Remove the old screens, strip off the old paint, sand, prime, and paint. Along with 2 new doors. Add new screen. He'd better get it done in one weekend in case he has to go to the Evans Road Fire.

So - thinking of butterflies... I played with this last Monday. It is a free photo from Creative Commons that I have been looking at for months. I didn't use a hoop or duck canvas. I used Beth Wheeler's method of fusible fleece batting and I didn't believe it was possible, but it didn't warp much at all. Steve really likes it, too, and asked me if he could hang it in his office for awhile. Sure!




And in the same Butterfly vein, I made Sarah's birthday card. For some reason I had been totally inept at making cards for several weeks. I finally got the butterfly in my head and figured this one would be hard to mess up.

Her birthday was yesterday, but as she explained to me on the phone last night, she's having "a REAL party on Saturday!" They have secured a shelter at a nearby lake and will have lots of friends and family there. When I asked Sarah how old she was now, I didn't hear anything until Jordan said "Grammy can't see your fingers, Sarah! You have to tell her." So Sarah said, "I'm these many!" Can't wait to see her next week when we go to NY.

I got out the portable DVD player I bought for Sarah to watch videos on in my car on the way up. We're taking mine because Keri's van doesn't get as good gas mileage. Sarah is used to watching her videos in the car, so I got one. Now I have to get a bag to hold it behind my headrest.

So here is Sarah's birthday card. She won't get it til next weekend in NY. But she'll have another "REAL" birthday party up there. And it looks like the weather is supposed to be much nicer. Yay!