CQJP July Block

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

September Sings

Mid-September already, and the days are swiftly passing, the warmth of summer fleeting, and the cooler days of autumn upon us even though summer has not officially ended.......Mornings are chilly and the tomato plants turning brown, their fruit dropping onto the ground still not fully ripened. Will the peppers change colour before the frost arrives?
In the gardens this week, the sedum is changing colour.


Black-eyed Susans dance on the breezes

this mini-rose hides behind the greenery
There are lovely aromas in the kitchen today......

two loaves of chocolate -date bread are cooling on the racks
and beside them sit 3 dozen--um, no, make that 2 1/2 dozen oatmeal-raisin cookis


I completed the September HEX LABS-- the Rangoli Shisha designed by Anita from StitchMAP.

This was fun to do, and I enjoyed playing with colours I don't usually use together.

The sequins used really catch the light.


















 I've made a little progress on the painting. Here's how it looked last time.

adding more plants and intensifying some colours

deepening tones

adding more greenery by the lake

the first application of paint to create the water

more layers to be added

I hope you've had a creative week.





Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

46 comments:

  1. Wow, lovely blooms, fascinating needlework and you're wonderful watercolor coming more and more to life.

    It's all good. Have a GREAT week ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thank you, Lorraine! Keep your fingers crossed on that painting, okay? I'm rather afraid I might turn the water to mud........ :-O
      Hugs

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  2. Such an evocative feeling is Autumn. Great stitching. Never tried the mirrors- on my "bucket list"!!
    Have a great week.
    Judy

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    1. I think autumn is my favourite time of year, Judy. It's busy with cleaning up the yard and putting the gardens to bed, not to mention preparing for that big winter holiday and Hallowe'en. The 'mirrors' (sequins) were fun! Thanks.

      Hugs

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  3. Such glorious flowers Suz....most of mine are coming to an end now...although I do have a late blooming crepe myrtle tree right now...your painting is wonderful! You have done a great job...I really like the content of the painting, makes me want to go visit...your stitching piece is stunning! Lovely colors you chose to use.

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    1. It's that time of year for most flowers to fade away. I miss the loss of colour. The painting is a rendition of the neighbour's cabin up at the lake where we used to live. There's a hill to walk down to the water, and the colours can be glorious in the fall. I'm glad you like it. Thank you.

      Hugs

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  4. Lovely stitching on the shisha Suz. I love the designs around them.
    Great to watch your painting scene develop and I love the step by step pics which make the things pop into life.

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    1. Thank you Cy! The bits around the shisha were part of Anita's design. I just picked the colours, and it was fun to do. I'm glad you like to see the step-by-step. I always used to wonder how it was done, so now I usually do the photos that way, so other people can see the picture hopefully evolve.

      Hugs

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  5. Your flowers are lovely, and your shisha looks great--very colorful!

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    1. Barbara, thank you for your lovely comments. Part of the HEX challenge for this design was to use lots of bright, happy colours.

      Hugs

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  6. Your painting is showing so much depth now Suz. Great work. The flowers in your garden are beautiful and your shisha is a knockout. Very nice post - um what happened to the other 1/2 doz biscuits????:)

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    1. Dianne, the other half dozen cookies disappeared! I don't know where they went.........um.... burp....*:"> blushing....... pardon me..... Must be the gremlins got them. Or maybe it was DH! ....teeHee.....Thanks!

      Hugs

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  7. I'm quite flabbergasted, to be honest. I don't know if I want to just sit here and pout from jealousy or hug you and ask you to be my sister and take me under your wing. It's all so beautiful! Even the writing is just ... Thank you for sharing! You really brought everything to life ... I want to be in that painting eating one of those cookies (or maybe two, LOL). ;-)

    ♥,
    Stephanie Grace

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    1. Aw, shucks Stephanie! *:"> blushing Wish we lived closer together so we could have play dates! I can picture us walking along the shoreline, looking up at the cabin, and gnoshing on cookies!...... Skipping flat stones across the water and watching Mother Nature........sigh

      Hugs

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  8. Loved the last two posts - so much to look at and admire! TALENTED you! : )

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    1. Thanks so much, Fox! It's been a busy time lately, but I seem to like projects piled up. Deadlines make me more productive. Now if I could just find someone to do all the cooking and cleaning wile I have fun playing, that would be perfect!...lol.....I can dream, eh?

      Hugs

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  9. your garden is still full of colour, here everything seems to have finished for the winter apart from the weed growth!
    Stitching looks good, and the painting is a masterpiece

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    1. There is a bit of colour left, Margaret, but most of the flowers have faded away. The weeds, though, are still going strong. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Thank you.

      Hugs

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  10. You sure have posted some beautiful pictures today! I can even smell the chocolate from your baking!

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    1. Thanks Diane. It does smell yummy and rich--I use the dark chocolate........

      Hugs

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  11. The colors you used in your stitching are not ones I would normally choose, either, but all together it looks good. Love what your doing with the painting.

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    1. Thank you tattrldy. That was part of the challenge of this HEX-- to use bright, happy colours. It can be fun going outside one's usual palette and comfort zone. I am struggling a bit with the painting, so, fingers crossed the water turns out.........

      Hugs

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  12. I love it when the sedum changes colour at this time of year. Looks as if your garden continues to do well. I'm hoping to get some garden time this weekend. Baking looks pretty darn good too! Love the watercolour and the stitching - busy, busy....

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    1. It's a sure sign of summer ending when the sedum comes into colour. We've had cool nights with the chance of frost tonight, so I must pick all my tomatoes and peppers this afternoon. The cookies turned out okay. The chocolate/date bread is rich, but not as sweet as DH likes it.......hasn't turned it down, though,...hahahah. Thanks Lorraine.

      Hugs

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  13. well you already know how I love your painting and this embroidery....wow! It's stunning. We are having very warm weather at the moment, unexpected and unusual plus it has been the driest September since records began or so they tell me.

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    1. Thanks, Karen. I hope the weather stays nice and sunny and warm through the day, with nice showers at night. We are expecting frost tonight so I must pick all my tomatoes and peppers today.........

      Hugs

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  14. Also here ,the weather , even today sunny and warm, has turned to more fall like temp. and with the nature preparing for final autumn. So wonderful photoes from your garden, dear Suz.
    Your embroidery with the sequins looks great, I guess they are very small each of them? And your painting is wonderful Suz, looking more and more beautiful, with all the layers, you are using.
    Have a happy rest of the week.
    Dorthe, xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Dorthe! The sequins are rather small at ~ 1.5cm. That made it a bit tricky to do the fine stitching around them.
      Today is to be a sunny one, but frost is predicted for tonight-- our first frost of the season. I wonder how the garden will look tomorow? I have been avoiding the next step on the painting. I am chicken......lol. I'll have to get some courage gathered up for the weekend when I shall face the painting again.
      Have a nice week.

      Hugs

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  15. Wonderful pictures! You've been busy, to such good effect.

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    1. I have, Jane, yes. Seems there's always something on the go......but soon the gardening will be over for another year, and I'll have a bit more time for creating. I never have time to be bored....lol.....too many projects piled up waiting for me. Thanks.

      Hugs

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  16. Lovely garden! Your shisha design has come out so well.You've made my day Suz. The painting is so beautiful,wish I live in a cabin like the one in the painting *sigh* .I wonder how do you manage to stop and take pictures without getting carried away while painting..Yummy cookies:-)

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    1. Thanks Anita. The garden will soon be done for the year as we expect frost tonight. It's a bit early for that, here. But.......
      I think you created a fun and interesting shisha design--I very much enjoyed stitching it.
      Actually, stopping to take photos of the painting helps me. I tend to get in there and splosh about, and then I make mud, or add too much colour too soon. Stopping at regular intervals to take a photo or two makes me stop and focus on the painting itself (instead of playing with the paint) and I can better evaluate what to do next. It's good for drying, too, since I am impatient, and want to play--not wait for paint to dry.......lol
      The cookies turned out more like a granola bit--it's not sweet (I am adjusting recipes for gluten free, milk free, and sugar free) so there's a bit of experimenting going on. A side benefit is eating the experiments....lol

      Hugs

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  17. I do so enjoy seeing your painting grow, layer by layer. So clever! Lovely colours in your garden too!

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    1. Janet, I used to try to do such a painting all in one go..........and I usually made a muddy mess. I'm learning to take it slowly...........still make messes, though....lol. The leaves will soon be changing so there will be more colour. I shall have to take a walk to the park and see how the trees there are faring. Thanks. Hope you are doing well.

      Hugs

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  18. hmmmm - wonder what might ever have happened to the rest of the cookies.....(don't answer that!!). Lovely garden photos....beautiful to see, but also sad because we know what is about to come.

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    1. Oh, I shudder to think about what's coming, MA! Frost expected for tonight, and I heard on the news today that the Farmer's Almanac is advising a colder and snowier winter than normal! (ummm, didn't we have that last year, too?) Not my favourite kind of winter. Hope there isn't the ice of last year, though. The cookies are gradually dwindling........those gremlins are such a nuisance!

      Hugs

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  19. Your painting is amazing Sue, If only I could reach into the computer there would only be 2 dozen of those bikkies left, and perhaps you might find a hole in one of the cake tins where a big piece was removed by this hungry hand of mine.

    I like what you have done with the stitchmap design.
    Your painting has certainly come to life...the rocks in the front really took my eye they look so realistic. You should be very proud of your many talents.

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    1. thank you, Shirley, for the lovely comments! The chocolate/date bread is quite nice, although I usually make it with almond flour and that makes it rich and moist like a fudge. This time I used gluten-free flour, and the consistency is finer and lighter-- more like a cake. Still yummy though. The cookies are barely a pass--- a bit too dry and the raisins (even though I soaked them) toughened up again with the baking. These baking experiments are interesting (gluten-free, milk free, sugar free) and sometimes not as yummy as I hoped. But, (in my father's words) quite edible.

      Hugs

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  20. You have described Falling into Autumn with lovely words and photos. Your kitchen is very lucky with those delicious looking breads and cookies. If I were baking cookies there might only be one dozen baked as I always eat the dough instead. Fun embroidery with Shisa designs. Wonderful watercolor you are painting. So nice to see all your photos. Creative Bliss Dear...

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    1. Thank you, Sherry. I tucked one loaf into the freezer to enjoy later, and the other is already half eaten. I am enjoying the cookies, though. They softened up a bit once they were tucked into a glass container for safe keeping.
      I think I am lamenting the end of the summer-that-didn't-happen-yet. Frost tonight may kill the remaining green cherry tomatoes. I rescued the herbs, and tucked my hanging pots into the garage for the night. The cold has come too soon for my liking. I hope that cooler weather will bring the rains to your area.

      Hugs

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  21. Wow you have been busy! The cookies look delicious. Nice additions to the painting, I enjoy seeing all the layers.

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    1. Thanks Deb. I do like to keep busy and play with different techniques (keeps me out of trouble...well...most times...lol).
      Hugs

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  22. Gosh!! Suz,how do you manage all of this? Photographing,cooking,embroidering,painting.. Lovely flowers,yum baking, pretty embroidery and my favorite...that wonderful painting...What do you plan to do with it? Frame?

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    1. Well, I hadn't posted much for a couple of weeks......It really helps to be retired and living in a small house! I'm a flitter-bug, jumping from one thing to the next, trying all sorts, like a jane-of-all-trades sort of (and mistress of none). I do love to play.
      The painting is an exercise, and not really worthy of framing, so it may go into the slough pile. This already has an ugly painting on the reverse, so I can't use it again unless I gesso the surface first, then do another painting. I might use it in a mixed media piece. I have a very big slough pile......

      Hugs

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  23. Your flowers are looking so lovely still. We've had a couple of frosts so flower season has come to an end here. Your baking looks delicious and the aroma must have been wonderful. Really like all of your shisha stitching. I have yet to try doing that but hope to this week. You have so many talents and your watercolour is looking fabulous. All the colours blend and work so wonderfully together.

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    1. Thanks so much, JPP! Keep your fingers crossed the watercolour doesn't turn to mud. I hope to work on it a bit today since we have pouring rain. I bet it'll flatten the remaining flowers, the rain that is- not the painting...lol........The shisha was fun- especially playing with all the colours and the sequins really glisten.

      Hugs

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