Yellow Birds

Happy weekend everyone. It is a very chilly morning here in New Hampshire. Even a little frost. Over the last week our leaves have really turned.  As I write this I was noticing (that now) when I look out the window I see yellow, and the other day the view  was still green. I wish this color would last longer than it does but I guess the brief time we have these colors is what makes it so special.

So I have another piece for Art Journal Journey today. This spread began with the branches. What you can't see here is the depth from thick paint layers. I was actually making these on a Gelli printed background. I was trying to get them to pop off the background, but they never did. I guess I picked a background that was a little too busy and the color of the branches just blended too much.
No fear. I cut them out and made a page in journal for them. Then I added the orange leaves and sketched and painted these goldfinches.
I'm not crazy about how some of the green under color is sticking out around my quote, makes it look a bit smudgy, but I  guess that's what happen when you decided to make the have a little more depth on just part of the spread. Next time I need to plan where I place my letters a little better I guess. :)

So I need to do a bit of cleaning today and then the hubby and I are out to run errands. Not very  exciting, but needed. Today is our 28th wedding anniversary. I was thinking last night about what an adventure it has been all these years. The latest heart surgery news (yesterday) was very disappointing too. Even though he saw a dermatologist and she says the rash is gone and he should be good for surgery, the heart surgeon wants him to use the medicine for another 2 weeks and then go back and see the dermatologist again. I just wish they had said this in the first place.  It would have made life a lot less stressful if they had said use the medicine for a month and then we'll check it. Its been a pain in the you know where. GRRRRR.

Oh yes, and a couple of books I have been reading.

 If you knit you might know Arne and Carlos.  They make all kinds of interesting knitting patterns like flowers and Christmas ornaments. I love their books (as I like to knit on occasion) so I thought I was would check out their journaling book. Although I have made my own journals before, their binding technique is a little different from what I have ever seen, and so I am really enjoying this book. Plus I love looking at other people's journals. Arne and Carlos use more collage than anything, which is something I don't do enough of, so it is cool to see how people collect images for other projects, like in their case designing knitting patterns.

And this non-fiction book is an enjoyable romp through chess, medieval life, and archaeology with some British, Norwegian and Icelandic history thrown in. It is all about the Lewis Chess pieces, which are amazing mostly walrus tusk carvings. I saw the ones in the British Museum many years ago and they stuck with me.  Nancy Marie Brown also wrote a book I read earlier this year about one famous early Icelandic woman, Gudrid the Far Traveler. I enjoyed that book so I thought I would check this one out.
So nothing else new here. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far.