More Infusions, Garden and Kitties

Infusions

Today I have been back in the studio for the first time for ages – what with the work being done on the kitchen and other activities, I have been very busy, and in between too tired to do anything, but I was determined to continue with my Infusions experiments today.

I am nearly at the end of the samples that I am going to create, and today I spent most of the time working with Infusions combined with white fluid acrylic paint and gesso.

Here are the materials I used for creating a marbled effect using white Pebeo fluid acrylic paint and Infusions – Sleight Blue and In the Navy from set 2.

I painted some of the acrylic paint onto the large acrylic block and sprinkled on the Infusions in both colours, and then spritzed it with water to activate the Infusions. I pressed the card down onto this and made sure good contact had been made all over, and then pulled it off, and these are the results.

Top left: the first impression. Top right, a second impression after spritzing the block with more water. Bottom left, third impression, ditto, and middle right, fourth impression, ditto. By bottom right, fifth impression, much of the interest had gone because the Infusions had blended too much into the somewhat watered down paint that remained on the block. I had to press the card repeatedly onto the block for this one, to ensure complete coverage. However, to get five impressions from one block is pretty good! The first two are pretty similar, but on close examination you can see a bit more texture from the paint on the first one. They get more muted and subtle with each impression. You could do this technique equally well directly onto a non-stick craft sheet or a gelli plate, I should think.

Next, I did the direct-to-paper method of marbling with acrylic paint.

In this case, I painted a layer of the white fluid acrylic onto two pieces of card and sprinkled the Infusions in the same two colours on top. Spritzing with water activated the Infusions and they started to flow. For the first one, after spritzing, I blotted it very lightly and then left it to stand for a few minutes, and then dried it with the heat gun.

For the second one, I alternated heating with the heat gun and further spritzing, and added a bit more of the Infusions half way through, which gave a slightly stronger effect.

I think on balance I prefer the more subtle effect created by the printing method.

I then moved on to some further experiments with gesso, beginning with spreading gesso through a stencil (my own honeycomb stencil which I cut myself). For these pieces, I used Terracotta Infusions from set 2.

I spread the gesso through the stencil using a palette knife, being careful not to be too careful with it! By this I mean I wanted a fairly distressed, incomplete look.

After doing this, I immediately turned the stencil over and blotted off the excess gesso onto another piece of card, to get a fainter, reverse stencil effect. I dried the gesso on both samples, using my heat gun, and then sprinkled on the Infusions and spritzed them with water.

The gesso acted as a resist. I spritzed and added a bit more Infusions and tilted the card around to get the Infusions to flow between the raised gesso. I particularly like the subtle effect of the second sample, with the reverse stencil effect.

I then remembered a technique I used ages ago which I really liked – boiled gesso! I spread some gesso onto a piece of card with a palette knife, deliberately keeping it pretty rough with different thicknesses of gesso across the card, and then, before it had a chance to dry, immediately heated it with my old, high-powered heat gun held pretty close so that the gesso boiled and bubbled up. Once it was dry, I fanned it to cool it, and then used my fingers to squash the bubbles down onto the card to stop the tops of them flaking off. You get a gorgeous texture this way.

Adding some of the Terracotta Infusions from set 2 and spritzing it with water, this is the result I got. Pretty good!

Here’s a detail shot where I tried to show the texture a bit better. Hard to see in the photo but I love it! This would look good with a touch of gilding wax on some of the raised parts, I think.

My final samples today were done with cling film.

I cut a piece of cling film larger than two pieces of card and spread it out but not too flat. I sprinkled on two colours of Infusions – Violetta and In the Navy, both from set 2, and spritzed them well with water.

I then took the two pieces of card and placed them down on top of the spritzed Infusions.

They immediately started to curl up, but it didn’t matter. I flattened them down with my fingers, and carefully lifted the whole thing up, gathering the cling film a little at the sides so that the Infusions wouldn’t run off too much, and turned it over. Using my fingers, I scrunched up the clingfilm to create a nice texture across the two pieces of card and walked away and left it – how hard is that!! – with this technique you can’t peel off the clingfilm until the paint is dry. Patience…

Later…

The Infusions had dried by bed time and I gently peeled off the clingfilm, and this is the result.

I think these came out really cool! Definitely a technique to repeat.

I discovered most of these these techniques online, but I’m afraid I can’t remember who did what, so I give a general thanks to everyone for blazing the trail before me.

Our Garden

The Clematis montana growing on the end of the garage is now in full bloom! It is so pretty. This picture was taken from my hubby’s study window upstairs.

In a few years, this prolific plant will have grown to cover the end of the garage. Next year my hubby will extend the range of the two trellises by adding wires along to right and left, and over the top of the window. It’s going to be glorious.

Taken from the same vantage point, the Forsythia is now in full bloom as well, and looking very pretty beside the steps to the upper garden. Beyond it, you can just make out the blossom on the apple tree. A few weeks ago my hubby’s brother came over and helped him prune the apple tree, and it’s a nice shape now, and hopefully we’ll get a good crop again come the autumn. The apples it produces are delicious.

Finally, another shot from the study window, looking down onto the water feature/rock garden outside the kitchen window. It’s looking quite pretty now.

Eventually the aubretia plants we put in will cascade over the wall, making a pretty display.

Kitties

The news isn’t good for either of our two old ladies now. Today Phoebe was unwell again, very listless and not interested in food, and she was sick a little bit, and produced some very small pellets of poo. The vet said that eventually the cancer would cause a blockage. However, we didn’t take her to the vet today, because when she was unwell before, she suddenly rallied and started eating again, and since then she’s been very well. She did eat a little bit at lunch time, and a bit more at tea time, and she seems a bit better now. We are keeping a close eye on her and are both realistic enough to know that eventually we are going to have to take her to the vet and have her put down…

As for Beatrice, for some time now, her balance hasn’t been that good when clambering into her hammock, and she’s been quite wobbly especially in her back legs. Today she seems a lot worse and even just walking along, she appears drunk. If she shakes herself while on her feet, she tends to fall over. She is eating well and is very communicative and purrs a lot, as usual, and is taking her usual interest in things, and her fur is in good condition. Again, we are keeping a close eye on her and my hubby thinks it’s just old age – if she was a human she’d probably be using a granny frame by now! She hasn’t had a stroke, we are sure, because it seems to be mostly both back legs that are affected and there’s no sign of hemiplegia. We don’t think it’s arthritis either, because she doesn’t seem to be in any pain. If it gets any worse we’ll take her to the vet but my hubby is sure it’s just old age. She is nearly 17.

Our Beautiful Garden in Early Spring

My hubby has been working so hard in the garden, and his efforts are being well rewarded as it springs into life after the doldrums of winter. Devon in the spring is the most beautiful place anyway, and our gardens reflect this, with the wild flowers.

Here is the bank separating the patio from the upper garden – even at other times of the year, I always call this the primrose bank! We are hoping that over the years, they will spread and make a lovely carpet. There are other wild plants growing on this bank, too, including wild violets and ferns of various kinds.

A view of the whole garden. Both these photos were taken from the bedroom window.

There’s a different view from my hubby’s study window, in this case looking over the outhouse roof to the garage. We’ve got lots of interesting bushes and shrubs, some flowering, and some with varied and colourful foliage. Last year my hubby fixed the two trellises on the garage wall and we planted a Clematis montana, which has grown enormously, and is now covered with buds. Eventually he will put wires along under the roof and train it over the window. It’s such a pretty climbing plant in the spring with its delicate pink flowers. Even when not flowering, it will provide more interest to the garage.

Tilting the camera downwards a little you get a splendid view of our rock garden with its water feature, that my hubby worked so hard to clear last year.

A couple of weeks ago he went all round the walls, below the water feature and along the path to the other end of the garden, repainting and freshening it all up and it’s looking great now.

Such a beautiful day today! I took my camera outside for the rest of the photos. Here’s the aubretia plant in the rock garden with the most flowers on it so far – the other two are just beginning. We put these in last year, and eventually we hope they will grow prolifically and cascade over the wall with a lovely show of purple colour.

Here are some more flowers growing in the rockery.

Moving along the path in front of the back of the house, here is our first tulip! You can see the ferns growing in the bank, both male and hartstongue, beginning to unfurl.

Primroses and wild violets growing in the bank. You can see what a nice mossy bank it is.

Walking up the steps and along the path beside the garage, here is our gorgeous Cotinus hedge with the sun shining through the glorious red foliage.

Looking back towards the house, here is the hedge in all its glory.

Along the side wall of the garage my hubby put some trellises last year, and after the fabulous showing of sweet peas we decided we’d repeat the experience, and he has planted some new plants. Watch this space! They will climb all the way up the trellis with their little corkscrew tendrils and hopefully give us a gorgeous display of pastel colours, and that delicate scent. The more you pick them, the more they produce, so we will enjoy vases of them in the house as well.

Whenever we go out in the garden, the kitties are never far behind! Here they are, following me onto the lawn.

Phoebe.

The summer house at the top end of the garden. Last year my hubby put in two extra railway sleepers to create a usable “deck” area – we have a small wooden table that lives in the summer house and we have this out, in front of the bench, and often have our lunch up there in the summer. When the weather is very hot, it is so pleasant under the shady apple tree. It can get very hot indeed in the patio below.

My hubby got some help with pruning the apple tree a few weeks ago, and it is now sprouting into leaf. Last year we had a wonderful crop, which we hope will be repeated this year.

Along the opposite fence, the magnolia is now in flower.

Looking back down the path from the top of the bank. The concrete path gets really warm and the kitties like nothing better than to stretch out and sunbathe here. Beatrice is getting rather shaky on her old legs these days, and I’m not sure if she’ll manage to get up on top of the outhouse again – this has been a favourite sunbathing spot for her, too!

Looking further beyond our garden, we have the benefit of our neighbours’ shrubs as well. Phoebe is still there!

In front of the garage, above the water feature, our rhubarb is coming on apace. We’ll soon be eating it.

Here’s the Clematis montana on the garage, full of buds.

Beside the steps going down towards the house, our Forsythia is starting to flower.

That about wraps up the springtime tour of our garden! My hubby is so delighted to have a small garden which is so much easier to manage, and he’s gaining so much satisfaction from making it look nice.

I love this time of year.

PS – I’ve just looked at the Scripture for today on my blog – from the Prophet Isaiah: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” (Isaiah 40:8 / KJV) – but until it does fade, I shall enjoy it!!

Choccie Box Village

This afternoon we went out with some friends for a walk through one of Devon’s prettiest villages – Lustleigh near Bovey Tracey. My hubby went there the other day and knew I would love it, and told me that it was full of thatched cottages, every one of them fit to go on a chocolate box! May is the loveliest month in our part of the world, with all the wild flowers coming out in the hedgerows, and as it was such a beautiful sunny spring day, we decided to grab the opportunity and go. Of course, later in the year, there will probably be more flowers in the village proper, and lots of roses around the doors of the cottages, in true choccie box style!

As we walked along the lane approaching the village, we saw the first of an absolute profusion of wall pennyworts growing out of the stone walls. These insignificant little plants with their tall green inflorescences are one of my favourite plants – they have round fleshy leaves and grow bravely in the most inhospitable of environments! They love shady, slightly damp places, stone walls under the trees, and as such, they often don’t get noticed.

Dry stone wall. All held together purely by the skilful placing of stones of different sizes, these walls go back many hundreds of years.

A mossy roof with wall pennyworts growing on it. This was the entrance to a cottage garden; it looks like a church lych gate.

The lane winding down the hill towards the village.

Wild honesty growing in the hedgerows.

Perfect thatching.

One of many thatched cottages in the village.

A narrow lane leading to more thatched cottages.

The beautiful entrance to a thatched cottage.

To the left of the gate, another thatched cottage, with a beautiful ceanothus shrub growing against the wall.

This was an interesting cottage with a picket fence at the front.

Beside the front entrance is the old stone trough and water pump.

The stone doorway. On the left at the top of the stonework, the date, 1680, has been cut into the stonework.

Another thatched cottage with a pretty garden.

Pink campions growing in the hedgerow, another of my favourite wild flowers.

A beautiful red acer growing in a cottage garden.

Little white stitchworts, and blue speedwells.

Speedwells.

Don’t our British wild flowers have charming names?

Walking further on, we crossed over the stream.

A view towards a larger house, possibly the manor house of the village, with the church beyond.

A long stone wall. This one is not a dry stone wall as it is constructed with mortar.

Under the railway bridge.

An ancient water runnel.

Entering the village entre, with the green, and the church beyond.

More thatched cottages. The one straight ahead has a Clematis montana growing on it.

The church and the war memorial. This made me think of the young men who went off to fight in two world wars; they left this idyllic and quintessentially English village with its peaceful atmosphere and ancient roots, to mortal danger and scenes of unspeakable carnage and horror, never to return.

Primrose Cottage and tea room.

The steps in front of Primrose Cottage – such pretty flowers.

Looking down on the village from the green.

The curious iron and glass lamp outside the church.

Looking through into the pub garden.

A couple of painted sheep!

My hubby opening the gate into the orchard.

The orchard, with seats, picnic area and children’s playground, is a perfect place for recreation in the village. The trees were covered with apple blossom.

The throne of the May Queen. This is an ancient English tradition, rooted in paganism – the most beautiful young girl in the village is crowned queen and enthroned.

The names of the May Queens since the 1950s, cut into the stone.

In the orchard.

The view as we left the village.

Such a lovely afternoon out! We are so glad that we grabbed the opportunity to go, because the weather is probably not going to be so good this week, and we didn’t want to miss seeing this gorgeous village at its best. We are so fortunate to live with such beauty within easy reach, and to have the opportunity to visit, in the company of lovely friends.

To finish, here is a photo I took of Phoebe, dead to the world, sunbathing on the concrete path at the back of our house.