Happy Saint Paddy's Day

No much green here. This is the piece on my design wall. Been there a LONG time. Partly glued down and ready for top stitching. I refuse to fuse. Don't like how it feels. Don't like "refreshing" the ironing all the time as the pieces loosen their grip. So I glue and everything stays right where it is until I top stitch with an invisible zigzag. And all my pieces can be washed. The glue is washable so it disappears. Elmer's School Glue.

I made my usual mistake with this piece. I haven't made that mistake ever since taking a workshop with Pamela Allen. Now I spend a great deal of time making an interesting background and THEN doing the cute stuff. The artistic stuff on the top layer. With this piece I went right to the top layer and I have no depth of field in the background. It's all one dimensional. Flat. I did this in the piece that spawned this one. (working in series) and had to paint the background piece. Now, that first piece is quite extraordinary. A successful painter told me that. I though it was a bit over the top. Now, I also think it is wonderful. Ahem.

So, I figured I would glue and stitch and then paint. Just like before. Only I never got around to it. Last time I worked on this piece was perhaps 3 years ago. I cut flowers for the lower left side. And auditioned a slice of fabric to go across the bottom. Sort of a table for the vase to sit on. And then realized just how many pieces, petals etc. I would have to try and remove. Very sad. I think I maybe ready to tackle it. Again. New ideas. New solutions.

Yesterday's boiled dinner was delicious. The corned beef was a bit too fatty for my tastes but it flavored the broth for the boiling of potatoes, cabbage and carrots. I had a rutabaga sprouting in the veg basket for months and peeled and cubed that for the pot. Extraordinary rutabaga. Dense. Tasty. G will eat "some" vegetables but I will be eating the majority. With a dab of butter and a lot of mustard. I had two full plates last night. No meat.

When G got home last night, it was still really bright outside so he took Riley for a walk off leash. Riley ran with a Boxer, get filthy and was so sleepy. G has the dog run into a pool of cleaner water before walking home. So he isn't quite as filthy as he could be. After dinner, the two of them went to Big Lots to buy St Paddy buttons for the work crew today. 50% off. G always wears his "Paddy O'Furniture" name tag.

He didn't buy me a button. One of my co workers was wearing his "Lucky Construction" tee on Sunday. It had a large, nicely designed shamrock on the front. I liked it. I think I may have a Hallmark shamrock I can wear while walking Riley today. After I get some sun.

G noticed new leaf buds on the "leafless" Orange. G is an optimist when it comes to living things. And my "out of bloom" bargain orchid is making a bloom. Deep purple. The amaryllis bulbs from past years, are sending up flower stalks and leaves in the attic greenspace. And my Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) is sending up nice little leaflets. I had them planted too deep last season and they grew huge roots but nothing on top. Now, repotted, I am hoping for top growth. Time to start my Elephant Ear plant. The leaves on this plant, started from a large bulb, are sometimes as large as elephant ears. Quite spectacular in the garden. And you can lift the bulb and rest it over the winter (like dahlias) and have it grow for years.

I also want to repaint my garden boxes for the deck. And plant them with the same interesting mix of annuals and perennials as I had last year. They always looked so wild and pretty. I got the "plant recipe" from a British garden book and had to translate the names. They use different common names for their annuals. And my seeds need starting? I worked on my written journal yesterday afternoon. Adding several more collages on the left side pages. I may have a different kind of journal next time. With pages that I can paint. I love paint. And Sharpie markers. And glue sticks. And tearing pages out of magazines.