Lake Michigan inspiration: water and sky

My dear readers, the water and sky are so much more than blue and our journey around Lake Michigan this summer proved that point over and over again. Fresh blues and greens are a delight to the eyes!

I put together some color palettes for anyone about to embark on new creative ventures or home decorating projects.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Empire, Michigan

Kitch-iti-kipi Spring, Palms Brook State Park

Manistique, Michigan

Cave Point County Park

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (within Door County)

I made art: family portrait mini-quilt

So way back in 2014 when my oldest was 6 she came home with an adorable family portrait done in marker on a piece of white cloth. That piece of cloth was stapled to another scrap of gray fabric. I loved everything about it – the stick figures, the eyes carefully done in appropriate shades, and the misspelled "familey" across the top. In my mind I thought it would be so cute if I made it into a hanging quilt square. I clipped it up on the clothesline in my art room and there it has been ever since.

Fast forward to this summer where my husband noticed I had written "Quilt Week" on the calendar. He suggested that perhaps I did not need any new ideas and that I should just go work on the ideas I already have. He was right (of course!) and this project was the result.

So a couple of things I love about this:

1. I experimented with the quilting.
I did concentric rectangles, I outlined squares, and I even followed along with the curving leaf pattern of a particular fabric. It was fun for me to try something different.

2. I used scrap fabric.
I did not buy anything for this project. That doesn't surprise me but that's because I am quite aware of what I have stashed in the art room! At any rate, that's always a good thing.

3. I had fun with the composition.
So choosing colors and balancing a composition is something I am good at naturally. I am sure that my graphic design education from Ferris State University also sharpened my skills as well. So taking those little scraps of fabric and arranging them here and there and building the blocks around the drawing was pure joy for me.

The lesson in all of this is that when you spend time making art art gets made! So obvious but seemingly out of reach for me so often!

red on blue

Why haven't the birds eaten these last berries?

More quilt progress

I am pre-writing this post much earlier in June before baby is born. Crawling around on the floor arranging squares and pinning them: difficult. Sitting at my machine sewing: pleasantly not difficult. I would love to get the whole quilt top finished before baby is born but that is looking less likely with every day that passes!

I have to confess the yellow was more difficult for me than the pink. I had less patterned fabrics and more solid shades. I can see now that the fabric with the blue birds (same as my sunroom curtains!) reads more as blue than it does as yellow but this does not bother me because I dearly love that fabric and because it picks up and will pick up blues elsewhere in the quilt.

Three-year-old daughter helped me arrange the patch squares and really had confidence in her choices. Six-year-old daughter helped me lay out the rows again and was very thoughtful as we worked through some difficulties. Moving one square always means moving another and sometimes in solving one design issue we would create another. She stuck with it until I was happy with the result though.

Anyway, I am still pleased with how it is coming along.

shelf style: red and teal and vintage

My mother gifted me with a lovely teal glass vase (an estate sale treasure!) so I created this new shelf arrangement just to show it off.

The blue glass bottle on the left was intended to be upright but it is just a smidge too tall for the shelf. No matter, I laid it on its side.

I have always been a sucker for driftwood so I've got interesting piece in my stash to work with.

The art in the background was created by my oldest daughter when she was two (picture two paint-covered hands swirling circles side by side). The berries are usually a Christmas thing but worked well with all the round objects and to repeat the red color.

Also tipped on its side front left is an antique jar that belonged to my great-grandmother. I am not sure what was in it but I do love the pretty lid.

The milk glass vase comes from my husband's grandmother. And the blue glass vase with stopper is something I have had for quite a while. I think it was ordered from West Elm once upon a time.

always loving a lime green

Who says nature's colors are muted?

What if I added color to my kitchen cabinets?

They need a fresh coat of paint anyway and a recent scrub of the kitchen floors brought me face-to-face with the oh-so-visible grub on their white surface…

This is likely to be a project tackled in, oh, five years or so! Don't hold your breath for before and after photos showing up anytime soon. But for now, let's enjoy all the Photoshopped possibilities!

First, my kitchen as it is now:

And how it would look with black counters (sharp!):

Pinterest inspiration – cabinets match the walls:

Image on left: Pinterest + original source (architectureartdesigns.com)
Image on right: Pinterest + original source (hometalk.com)

Trying it in my kitchen:

Pinterest inspiration – green:

Image on left: Pinterest (original source not known)
Image on right: Pinterest + original source (chateauandbungalow.com)

Trying it in my kitchen:

Pinterest inspiration – red:

Image on left: Pinterest + original source (myhomeideas.com)
Image on right: Pinterest (original source not known)

My favorite inspiration image: Pinterest + original source (thekitchn.com)

Trying it in my kitchen:

I was expecting to love the red, especially the red on the bottom only, but I am not sure I am convinced. I think it looks better in my favorite inspiration photo because of the sleek style of the cabinets. I don't intend to change the cabinets so I really have to look at what I already have. I might just stick with white after all. I do love love love the black counter though. I think it makes a very dramatic impact.

I am very curious to hear any reactions you might have, dear readers. Leave a comment below!

a change in quilt plans

I've actually started on second daughter's quilt. Washed up a bunch of fabric, ironed the pinks, and started cutting out some of the big squares. You know I had my plan: teal blue, pink, dark blue/purple. Then she announces "I want green on my quilt."

So this morning, I pull up an extra chair at the computer and make a digital map of her quilt. Then we talk it over and color it in. After our first layout, she decided she wanted both the yellow and green to be bigger (which made the blue smaller).

So if you'll see, it ends up being a nice pattern: 4 rows, 3 rows, 4 rows, 3 rows. I will probably combine teal blues and light blues and dark blues all together in the blue section. I am pleased with this plan and assume she is too!

leaf lines

Inspiration from a recent visit to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park:

maple seed inspiration

I am loving these color combinations. Mother Nature certainly knows her stuff!

I finally painted my kitchen! Rhapsody!

Once upon a blog post written in 2010 I lamented that my husband had "successfully put me off for almost four years now" from painting the kitchen. I then enthusiastically described the color I had settled on… perhaps with thoughts that I was going to paint it soon.

Well, fast-forward to August 2013, and my dear husband surprises me by bringing home a couple of gallons of "Sweet Rhapsody" by Behr. I was so excited I screamed! Painting a room a bright, fresh color is such a joy to me. I absolutely adore the transformation. Our girls went camping with grandma & grandpa for 2 nights and we used the kid-free time to paint the kitchen (and go on a romantic dinner date too!).

Check out this post from earlier this year when I finished the new kitchen curtains. Then you can see a proper "before" image.

And, here is the lovely, bright, cheerful "after:"

belated Easter eggs

We did not do our eggs until well after Easter. But we still did them! The little ladies chose a princess decorating kit, of course. And now the eggs seem like a special treat for breakfast. Who doesn't desire pretty pastel princess eggs for breakfast!

I have no special methods to offer, at least for this year. I did make a photocopy of instructions on making natural dyes from the book Naturally Fun Parties for Kids; Creating Handmade, Earth-Friendly Celebrations for All Seasons and Occasions. I really want to try such a thing but we just haven't yet. Maybe next year.

Spring in my garden

I am almost sure this pink peeping out belongs to my beloved bleeding heart.

It's green! And it's pink on the tips. Nice touch.

chase away the gray with some color

I came across this photo while writing for this blog. I don't believe I shared it before. And if I did, it is worth repeating during these gray days. Each individual flower is a separate ceramic sculpture. They were so very striking gathered together in a circle on a cement outdoor patio at the UICA this past ArtPrize. An unexpected garden blooming. I just looked it up. It is titled Flora Metamorphicae 2012 and the pieces were actually created by 6 different artists.

unexpected autumn colors

I spy lime green and lavender dancing with the usual browns and reds and oranges.

a precious pretty given to me

A very special friend gave me a quilt top she made so that I might complete it and use it. I am so very honored to be the recipient of her many hours of handiwork.

And how lovely this quilt shall be! The colors match my home so well. See the red and teal squares? My living room! See the purple and yellow? My sunroom!

The quilt is made up of satin squares. Should the bottom also be satin? I am imagining it sliding off laps? Would it be odd to just use a cotton on the bottom? Any suggestions from other quilters out there? I am thinking very minimalist for the actual quilting. Perhaps outlining the individual squares with a coordinating thread color? I am very open to suggestions so please let me know what you think!

pretty purple seed pods

The hyacinth bean vine transitions to autumn. It is an annual but very easy to grow. I would highly recommend it.

purple wood

I took this photograph in August. One of those happy discoveries that makes me feel validated for my risky move of bringing a camera to the beach! It is of a weathered and worn tree along the Lake Michigan shore. I am very much intrigued by the shade of purple. Not what I necessarily expected to see on a day at the beach. The shade is very warm and compliments the tans nicely if anyone is looking for some fashion or decor inspiration!

tribute to a birch tree

Amazing how something that has been there all along can one day seem so very unexpectedly beautiful. A lovely surprise.

pink and green and stone

I saw this stone along the shoreline at my grandfather's cottage on Lake Michigan. The pinkish red streak is naturally occurring in the boulder. The green is some kind of algae or seaweed growing on the rock. I was struck by the fabulous color combination. Red and green are opposites on the color wheel so they are very powerful together. Let this inspire you in creative ways!