River Bend Ranch - Patty Van Dorin

days that have no words

  
pages from the visual journal

celebrate the 4th

 

more charms added to the shop

Love these charms with the chunky old glass
click here to go to the etsy shop to see this charm plus many more

Blue Girl

 
currently blooming - Blue Girl Tea Rose

Roscoe finds a new home

 
"Roscoe Finds A New Home"
mixed media using found materials
-the board is from when I removed a window in the house and put in a new door
-the rusty metal and chain were found during walks with the dog
-the broken piece of glass unearthed while gardening
-lace salvaged from an vintage dress that was in pieces

The picture was sandwiched between a sheet of copper and the broken glass with soldered edges, then given an antiqued finish.

detail of solder glass piece
the image used is available on the Tuscan Rose web site - collage sheet number 385 Sally and Roscoe

I desperately wanted to add vintage rhinestone jewelry and bits of old wallpaper to this piece but tried to keep a restraining hand.  My vision was to keep this piece simple to not detract from the beauty of the peeling paint and the rusty metal.
. 
couldn't leave without a picture from the garden

life under a tattooed sky

 
a found cedar pole that I have added a couple of birdhouses has been added to a newly forming flower bed

the start of what I hope will cover the pole with soft feathery leaves
 
this sweet little birdhouse was found on the discount shelf as it was missing it's finial. But I knew a rusty flat bottle cap and a found porcelain bird would be just the thing to fix the top
 
another cedar pole in the back raised bed where tomatoes are competing with the last of the glads and slowly a morning glory is making it's way up to the tiny birdhouse
  
I live under an unchanging sky so permanently blue and laced with white puffy clouds, one might think that the sky has been tattooed
  
a page in the visual journal that is ready for an afternoon of writing
  
digging through the bins of paper in the studio, I came across this envelope. Long forgotten how it came to be in my possession, I love the mix of stamps and how they are artfully arranged. This envelope has found it's place in the journal and is perfect for tucking in notes, postcards from Italy and all that good kind of stuff.
  
stayed up late last night and another page. On the left is the back side of the just mentioned really cool envelope.  I added the old photo.
 
as I near the end of this journal, serious thought is being given to the next one. As much as I enjoy working in discarded books, the next visual journal I may go back to hand making a book. For some reason as I am working on the journals they find themselves falling off tables, skidding across floors and slamming into walls. My journals suffer much abuse from my clumsiness and it probably doesn't help that they travel around a lot as I work in them.

This poor baby is holding on by only a whisper and will probably need some type of belt to keep the pages together when I complete the cover.

Euphoria Collection

just added to the Tuscan Rose Web site, these delicious new Basic Grey products

Euphoria 6x6 Paper Pad

Euphoria Acrylic stamp set

Effloresce rub on transfers in Green and white

 

 

and in magenta and white

available at Tuscan Rose web site

favorite combinations

  
journal pages
 a combination of colors that I am loving
sweet potato vine and golden oregano
 
and this combo in the planter outside my studio window
more sweet potato vine (I am really loving this plant), blue daze evolvulus, and a pale pink bougainvillea
***from my gardening notes***  
these plants take the heat and summer sun well and we're talkin' "in your face full on west Texas desert sun sitting on the cement can hardly breathe hot",
the golden oregano didn't like the miracle gro as it burnt the leaves a bit or maybe I mixed it too strong. The evolvulus is a top favorite with non stop blooms and trailing compact growth. The sweet potato vine doesn't hold a grudge even though once a week the deer come and eat every leaf right down to the base of the plant, it keeps coming bouncing back. Usually you find the bougainvillea in hot bright almost neon colors but I fell in love with this pale pink one.

Galleons and Doubloons

todays journal page - last nights dream of high sea adventures on a Galleon

-----------------------------

cannons blast making the deck of the ship tremble

weapons fire brilliantly lighting the night’s sky

the Galleon is tossing about wildly in an angry sea

voices yelling orders, chaos ensues

pausing for a second taking in the hectic scene I make my way starboard
reaching and pulling myself through the swirling fog struggling to gain solid footing

slowly I rise to the surface

a dream world fades releasing it’s hold on the mind

Cannon blast melds into thunder
Weapon fire gives way to lightening of the approaching storm

a tossing deck shifts to a dog tucked beside me trembling at the storm

pirates shouting orders yields to a storm radio announcing the approaching thunderstorm

A vivid dream of high sea adventure fades into the waking physical reality of an early morning storm

--------------------

 
while gardening the dream world of last night and the reality of the day did a weird shift.  Digging in the dirt, I found a "gold doubloon".  I though maybe my dream last night of high sea adventures on a Galleon may have been real.  The coin was very dirty but I though how appropriate if it was a gold doubloon.  So I rushed in the house and scrubbed it clean.
All it was is a stupid Kerrville car wash token not even a coin and not even that old of a token….drats!!

 

I am going to have to remove Geraldo’s number from my speed dial, if all I keep finding is junk

although the animated "big J" is kind of fun.  (I added this token to the journal page since it seemed to be all connected today)

red

a journal page for today  -- (yes, it is that boring here) Currently blooming - digital journal page

playing with barnacles

Been a bit bored working in the visual journal, so I pulled out the bead box. This barnacle collected from last years trip has been looking at me for some time. It seemed right to put it to use today.
 
it is available here 

shop update - more charms added

more charms have been added to the River Bend Ranch etsy shop. Click here to see these new charms.

Texas Tess

by request

vintage composition doll collage sheet. One of the many new collage sheets available at Tuscan Rose

(Toni, your Texas Tess collage sheet will go out in Monday's mail)

Wax Rubbing - CRUSADE No. 21 - Irresistible

 
Crusade No. 21

Thanks to Michele for yet another irresistible Crusade project.
Click here to go to this inspiring and easy to follow tutorial. 

For my wax rubbing, I used a copper Crayola crayon over an old wood printing block, washed with aqua, teal and limey green paint. When the paper was dry, I rubber stamped a few text fragments with teal ink. Then I scanned the paper, tweaked it in Photoshop and added some PS brushes. Print out the final paper and VIOLA!

Next I will add this paper to my journal so stay tuned for more. Just a warning, once you start the hours will slip away, this a fun project.

Thanks again to Michele for another fun and inspiring Crusade.