Today's tea is pretty uneventful. I was up really early, staring at the one lone bearded iris left on the counter. Yellow doesn't "paint" well, so I thought, why don't I try to paint IT! Well, not paint, exactly, but colored pencils.
I haven't really tried to sketch or draw in eons- zentangling doesn't really count!
Obviously, I need alot more practice, but sitting peacefully and sketching, for the amount of time it took to drink the tea, it's not too terribly bad! Definitely not a Wyeth or a Van Gogh,......lol! I may have to make this a morning ritual, from time to time!
The tea is Stash's Earl Grey Black, the mug is a handmade redware cutie that I discovered at the thrift store. Not the fanciest mug in town, but I love the sentiment.
Visit two other Tuesday Teas
Kimmie from Art in Red Wagons started this tea party, Patty from Magpie's Nest, and I joined in. There may be more party-ers out there - but we need a link to know who you all are!! The more the merrier-it's still Tuesday if you want to join in- and there's always time for tea! Mark your calendars - and meet us here every Tuesday for tea!!!!
I have some purple/black bearded iris in a canning jar on the counter. They are beautiful- I "saved" them from the post office- with permission, of course!!! Their tall stalks had been broken and their blooms dragging in the mud. When I go back to the post office today, I am going to check and make sure none of the brilliant yellow ones have broken- or they will come home with me also!!! :>)
I noticed, as the day long blooms start to wither, they cry huge purple tears on the counter top.
I thought this might be a good opportunity to see how the blossoms might work as a dye. So, I dug up some felted wool, and put some spent blooms and the wool in water. The water turned a pretty shade of blue! In order to have the color set into the fabric, I thought I might try boiling it to see what happens.
The pretty blue, when boiled, turns the fabric to a not so attractive earthen shade of yellowish brown. Not quite the color I was looking for! I'll have to do a little reading on dying to see how to set color.
This morning, there was more iris 'blood' on the counter, so I grabbed a piece of watercolor paper, and my rubber gloves (iris blood stains), and started dabbing away on the paper with the limp bloom.
Now you see why things don't get done around here - I am SO easily distracted!!!
It actually turned out quite nicely-the photos don't quite do it justice. I'm thinking more "spoonflower" fabric with this one!!!
