#Week 9 Blog Cropped

[askthehedgehogs]

[Happy One Month!!!]

[Hi everyone, mod here!! It's been exactly one month since I started this blog and oh my GOD, how did we get here??? I honestly thought it would last maybe 2 weeks tops. You guys have all been SO wonderful, sent in SO many interesting asks and I'm having such a great time drawing/writing responses! Hope you're all having a good time too 😊 Thanks for sticking with me this long!

Under the cut I'm gonna give y'all some blog stats, a "story so far" blurb, a handy tags list and a vague timeline! I will later add anything that's useful to my pinned post.]

Well, to kick off, let's see some stats! Mostly based on Tumblr's little badges. We've been here for 1 month and:

The Hedgehogs have answered over 250 asks

With over 500 reblogs

And over 10,000 likes!

We've also just passed 280 followers. Woo!

10 animations (sorryihaventdoneanylatelytheytaketoolong)

Sonic has received 13 chilli dogs

Shadow has used Sonic as a pillow 9 times

There have been 33 hugs/cuddles/kisses drawn

So let's take a look at what's happened!

THE STORY SO FAR

Sonic and Shadow set this blog up to appease Tails, who wanted Sonic to become an influencer to bring in some cash where his sponsorship deals have declined over time, and Rouge, who wanted Shadow to practice Normal Social Interactions. They were both reluctant at first, although Sonic faced it with his usual enthusiasm. Over time, they've grown to love answering all your questions and started to open up more--going from sarcastic and unserious answers to genuinely considering your questions. Well done! Their relationship began with a heart-to-heart after Sonic's birthday party, immediately following the Time Eater's attack on the Sonic gang. They talked about their feelings, and took some time to open up to each other before deciding to give dating a try. They were together for almost 5 years before getting married in June 2024. Sonic moved in with Shadow a few months before they got married. Wedding 1.0 was a quiet affair with just a few close friends on Angel Island. Amy insisted on planning a real big shindig for the boys, so Wedding 2.0 will be held on July 12th 2025! They had no honeymoon, either, so they might want one of those this time around 👀 The Hedgehogs had been married almost a year before starting this blog, and dating almost 5 years before that, although their relationship was kept secret for most of that time. A few slip ups from Sonic lead to announcing their relationship to the public (and, uh, Eggman...), but so far nothing terrible has come from letting everyone know. Although Shadow likes the idea of having kids, Sonic is unsure about it, so for now they're sticking with raising Chao and helping out with kids that need the support!

Phew, I don't know if any of that makes sense and my laptop keyboard is lowkey broken so typing it out was an uphill battle... but you can always ask the hedgehogs if you want any clarification!!

Onto the VERY ROUGH timeline--this is not going to be 100% SEGA canon or real-world compatible, but this is the timeline as it goes in my head because I can't work with a character who was stuck at 15-ish for most of his life haha.

TIMELINE

Aaaaand now for the tags list--these are frequently used tags for themes that crop up a lot, be sure to check them out if you want to know specific details or see a certain kind of response!

FREQUENT TAGS LIST:

mod yaps - for when it's just mod yapping the hedgehogs answer / hedgehog doodles - every post the boys have answered basically hedgehogs animated - anything with animations! tag: hedgehugs and kisses - art with the hedgies being physically affectionate tag: hedgehog history - mostly regarding past games/Sonic media in their canon tag: relationship questions - questions about their relationship tag: hedgehobbies - questions about hobbies tag: movies - specifically questions about movies tag: music - specifically questions about music tag: sonic is jealous - Sonic being whiny about Shadow getting attention tag: sonic is not legally allowed to cry - Sonic talking about/avoiding talking about his feelings tag: shadow is allowed to feel - Shadow talking about his feelings tag: bring them gifts - when anons/not anons offer them gifts tag: food - mostly Sonic being a fatass honestly but also Qs about food tag: shadow has chronic pain - Shadow's chronic pain issues feature in these asks/drawings tag: getting personal - Questions of a personal nature which they tend to avoid answering tag: hedgehogs in clothes - anything where they're clothed tag: mobian questions - questions about Mobians tag: not dads - questions about whether they'll have kids tag: coparenting chao - When they're with Chao tag: ticklish shadow - that time everyone discovered Shadow is ticklish tag: wine drunk shadow - that time Shadow got wine drunk and loosened up tag: flower crowns - when anons have gifted flower crowns tag: wedding 1.0 - anything about their first wedding tag: wedding 2.0 - plans for their upcoming wedding party

[All right, I think that's about it! Thanks so much for all your asks, likes, reblogs, comments, and follows! I hope this post is helpful!

Mod out ✌️]

[nocturnalfandomartist]

.⋆｡ﾟ Art vs Artist 2024! ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Click for better quality!

It's my first time doing art vs artist, but I thought it'd be a nice opportunity to see how it looks! My style has been so inconsistent this year (thanks multiple style crises), but I am proud of a few pieces. Mostly. I seem to use similar techniques and colors a lot, but I guess that's the point of an art style anyway. Everything up here is cropped a bit since I don't draw at a 1:1 ratio usually. If this is your first time seeing my work, I love The Legend of Zelda and Zelink!

Thanks for another fun year of art! ^^ Some stats below:

#1 | 1,943 notes | June 18, 2024

• ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎

༺ Top 10 posts by notes!

I remember drawing this on the announcement day, within a few hours! It's my first post to surpass 1k!

My second post to surpass 1k!

#2 | 1,197 notes | June 22, 2024

#3 | 694 notes | July 27, 2024

...trends work

i need to repost this with type instead of handwriting

#4 | 572 notes | August 3, 2024

I want to redraw this one, even if it's not very canon

#5 | 546 notes | July 28, 2024

#6 | 528 notes | August 5, 2024

I will continue to change how I draw her

#7 | 456 notes | Setember 19, 2024

I tried a slightly different look here, I think it's kinda cute!

A tie!

#8 | 456 notes | June 19, 2024

Two pieces are in this post! I love Classic Zelink, so I was trying to figure out how I wanted to draw them. :) I have a lot of drawings of them to come...

#9 | 355 notes | June 9, 2024

I've really been trying to figure out how I want to do backgrounds on my doodle pages. And how to draw TP Zelda properly. Still haven't figured either out, if you're wondering.

#10 | 353 notes | May 18, 2024

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So much from EoW... I jumped on that hype so fast, it's the Zelda game I've only ever dreamed about!! ♡ Still kind of surprised nothing from Linktober is up here, though, considering it was all the better stuff. ^^" There are a few pieces I never finished this year, also... maybe 2025 will be their year!

▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ • ▪︎ •

Small announcement - I got a private commission I'm working on at the moment, but soon they will be entirely open again! I do character art and designs if you're interested! ^^

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

✦ Ko-Fi | ✧ Ao3 | ⟡ Bluesky

REBLOGGING IS ENCOURAGED, BUT DO NOT REPOST.

[donutdany]

Hi guys!

Since I’ve reached a milestone, I would like to do one of those lolita questionnaire kinda posts! I’ll be taking a few questions from the 100 questions for lolitas and omitting some of the more… personal questions.. along with some I don’t really find interesting! I’ll only start with 10 this time around and maybe with another milestone I can post another 10! Getting through nearly 100 this way is going to take forever, but ah well! I honestly would really like to start utilizing this as a real blog as well since I'm not dedicated enough to start a whole other blog on like blogger or something lol

Please tell us your name, birthday, and where you’re from.

Dany, May 9th, southern United States

2. Why did you start wearing lolita fashion?

In college, I made friends with people who wore lolita. I was completely enamoured by it and quickly bought items for my first coord! I never thought I could look so cute!

3. What’s your favourite genre/style of lolita?

Sweet and gothic have my heart!

4. Express in your own words, the ideal of your above answer.

I really love the 2010’s era of AP prints, so I suppose that’s my ideal, but it’s also a bit complicated. I love mixing in more fairykei aspects (my second J-fashion love) with my sweet coords which resulted in me getting that Nile Perch peignoir along with various other NP items lol… As far as gothic, I really love Vallee Lys’s style as well as Marble, so if you think about coords made with those brands, that’s my ideal I suppose! I am really unsure of how to describe it lmfao I just love frilly, whimsical and tailored elegance!

5. What is your favorite brand?

This is honestly a tough question. Not because I have so many favorites to choose from, but because I typically just buy what I like and have no brand loyalty. If I had to pick, it would probably be Baby, but I actually don’t own a lot from them. They’re my main source for bear items, so that’s probably why. I prefer AP’s 2010’s prints more than anything, but I am a bit underwhelmed by both of their more recent releases. That’s a convo for another time. Axes Femme is dropping a lot of cute releases that seem to catch my eye every time (Fluffy Bear, my love), so I think they're slooooooowly creepin to the top!

6. What is the best thing about being a lolita?

The freedom of expression and community! Growing up I wasn’t allowed to dress how I wanted, so it’s really nice to be able to feel cute the way *I* define it!

7. On the contrary, what is the worst?

The summer! The heat in the south is my worst enemy, but hey, that’s why we have blouseless coords! Also the random drama that crops up every few years because someone out there has a vendetta.

8. Do you have a favorite music genre or band?

My music taste is extremely varied. I could go on and on and show examples of everything, but that would take too long. Some bands/artists I listen to are Bring me the Horizon, Kendrick Lamar, HIM, The Home Team, Moe Shop, Megan Thee Stallion, King Gnu, Geoxor, Polyphia, Snail’s House and many many many other varied artists/genres. I really enjoy video game BGMs as well (currently listening to some)!

9. What’s your phone ringtone?

Okay, I just thought this one was really cute and kinda fun to explain. My ringtone is currently the normal battle theme from Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. My important contacts have their own ringtone, so if I hear the battle theme I know it’s some unknown caller and it’s like I'm preparing to fight or something, ya know? Gotta set the mood LOL Admittedly, this kinda has ruined the song for me, but small sacrifices. Fun fact: My family all have Mario related ringtones!

10. What are your hobbies?

Video games, traditional and digital art, reading, sewing/crafting, and consuming as much music as I can!

Thank you for reading if you made it this far! I was considering doing the 52 weeks challenge and posting every week, but eh... I am also a bit surprised no one else has come up with another lolita questionnaire, but I guess if you have one asking 100 questions, how many questions can you really ask? Anyways, till next time! 🧸

[sydney-carton-of-sour-milk]

The Many Illustrators of A Tale of Two Cities 7: A. A. Dixon

"'Collins' Clear-Type Press, let me ask you a question.'"

This is a very long post.

This week's edition has, in my research, become quite the edition.

Sadly, this image is the best source for the cover wrapper illustration that I could find.

You are likely familiar with Arthur Augustus Dixon's illustrations for the 1905 Collins Pocket Edition of A Tale of Two Cities. Several of them are very common to find in Internet searches and articles about the book, if not other editions of the book itself.

But the question raised by my research for this week's edition is: Are you familiar with all of them?

Thing is, as the source above states (read the whole article if you have the time, it's very interesting!), Dixon created twelve illustrations for this novel.

And sure enough, this source from the Internet Archive and this source from @oldillustrations (hello!) both have eleven of the same illustrations - with the twelfth presumably being for the wrapper, as seen in this source (previously cited) from the Victorian Web.

Alright, so that's three separate sources, all with (effectively) the same set of elaborate illustrations from 1905. Neat!

...

...but if you start counting...

...you'll notice that this seems...

...like a lot more than twelve!

Basically, there are five illustrations by A. A. Dixon that are completely unaccounted for in any of the three sources previously cited.

For the purposes of this post, the cover wrapper is considered #0 and is not pictured in these banners.

In full-size set of illustrations in this post, this source from Google Books is the source of four of those mystery illustrations:

#3: "'He stared at her with a fearful look.'" #6: "'Drive him fast to his tomb.'" #7: "He said, 'Farewell!'" #12: "'She appeared with folded arms.'" #9 ("'Patriots and friends, we are ready!'") and #11 ("'You are consigned to La Force.'") are sourced from Google Books in the full-size versions in this post simply because the Internet Archive versions of those two illustrations had cropping issues.

To me, this is mystery enough on its own. Why would another version of the book suddenly have more than the originally-stated number of illustrations by this artist? Especially considering that the Google Books source does not have #13 ("''I know you, Evremonde!''") - why would it be missing one of the "main" set?

It gets even more interesting.

As you'll notice in the banner, we're still one off: Keen-eyed observers of the full-size set of illustrations might have already noticed that #14 ("'Carton and the spy returned.'") looks a bit different than the rest of them - a bit like what happened in the previous edition of this series!

That's because that Dixon illustration comes from this completely random source - a post from a blog called the Paperback Palette dating back to 2018 - that I happened across on Google Images of all places while sitting on an airplane trying to set up this post last week!

And to top it all off, that source is missing #6!

At this point, if your first instinct is, reasonably, that perhaps Dixon didn't actually illustrate these extra five and that it was someone imitating him for later editions, then know that that was my instinct too - until I (dare I say it again) checked those signatures!!!

(I edited the colors to prevent flashing.)

All five of those illustrations bear Dixon's signature, so it's safe to assume that they are A. A. Dixon originals - from 1905, even.

Interestingly, #s 1, 10, 13, 15, and 16 don't have signatures! Does this mean anything? Probably not - as an artist myself, I often forget to put my own signature - but still, I can't resist mentioning it!

So the most likely explanation here is simply that the publishing house originally commissioned A. A. Dixon for more than twelve illustrations and then held on to some of them, eventually choosing to publish them in other editions. Still, we can't say for sure.

And as to why some are missing from the more "complete" sets - human error, most likely!

If you scrub through the Google Books source, you'll notice that #s 11 and 12 actually repeat (one even changes color, which I have no explanation for) - it's most likely either that the book was accidentally printed with repeats of #s 11 and 12 where 13 and 14 were supposed to go or that the person scanning this edition made a similar error.

As an aside, it's so interesting that the illustrations are evenly spaced throughout the book - I had not noticed that until now!

And as for the Paperback Palette source, it's most likely that the blogger accidentally skipped over an image while combing through their edition or just glossed over it when posting the batch (I understand that from experience!) We can see this by adding up the letters in some of the illustrations' captions - doing so reveals that the letters are meant to go to P, the sixteenth letter of the alphabet.

Thus, one must be missing! Case closed!

Except... It's actually (going by both the chronology of the book and the order in which this set was found in Google Books) missing the wrong letter! Here, it seems that In the Google Books source, #7 in the full set is given the seventh letter in the alphabet, G - whereas in the Paperback Palette source, "#7" is labeled as the sixth, F:

This implies not only that #6 is absent from the Paperback Palette source but also that there is a missing mystery illustration located between this source's H and K - that is to say, before or after #9!

EXCEPT... For one, this isn't the only inconsistency I've noticed - there are several places where the letters seem shifted in a strange way. I've seen #2 listed as "C" and #9 listed both as "H" and "I2i" (???), just as two examples. (My theory is that the cover wrapper and the frontispiece may be at play here, but who knows?)

More importantly, though, it seems that, for some mysterious reason, all of the sources with relatively consistent use of these letters (i.e. all but the Victorian Web) - even the sources with only eleven interior illustrations - still give #15 in the full set the fifteenth letter, O. Which, of course, may make all of this pretty moot anyway.

Dare I say..."Oh."

Suffice it to say, just as much as major sources like the Internet Archive and Google Books are vital to this sort of research and preservation work, so are smaller websites and bloggers! After all, without the Victorian Web and the Paperback Palette, we as collective netizens likely wouldn't have ever known about the cover wrapper or illustration #14 (not to mention that the versions of the illustrations from the set posted by @oldillustrations have by far the best image quality and standardization that I've found! Please go check them out if you haven't yet!).

As for the reasons behind Collins' Clear-Type Press not publishing all of the illustrations from the beginning (if that's the explanation we're to go with here), I suppose the question I'd like to ask is:

why? why would you put us through this?

& the standard endnote for all posts in this series:

This post is intended to act as the start of a forum on the given illustrator, so if anyone has anything to add - requests to see certain drawings in higher definition (since Tumblr compresses images), corrections to factual errors, sources for better-quality versions of the illustrations, further reading, fun facts, any questions, or just general commentary - simply do so on this post, be it in a comment/tags or the replies!💫

[selfportrait27]

Attention Weeners! I come bearing gifts.

Artist Thea Wolfe created The Ween Coloring Book in 2008 as a gift for the band, and they liked it so much they decided to make it official merch. (See the bottom of this post for more of that story.)

The book is now permanently out of print, so I wanted there to be an archive of the artwork somewhere online. As I don't have a copy myself, these have been sourced elsewhere online; the majority are screenshots I took from this video on Thea's Facebook.

Ideally, of course, some collector fan with an uncolored copy squirreled away would decide to scan the whole thing and upload it to the Internet Archive, so that every Ween fan can have their own copy (instead of selling it on eBay to some curio-hoarder or glorified pawnbroker, almost guaranteeing it stays out of reach of the only people it actually means something to).

But until then, these are the best images I could get. Please save them if you want to keep your own copies. One final thing: you'll see in the video that Thea shows you all of the pages. A couple of unrelated images have cropped up occasionally online mixed in with these, so that video is a good reference to have on hand. Here's the link again: [x]

"Here is a peek of the 1st out-of-print (forever) Ween Coloring Book. I made this in 2008- drawn with shit markers on cheap printer paper that I spilled burrito on and used wite-out as an eraser. The book was made in just under 3 weeks after way too much LSD in SC made me see a lotus rip out of the Weens and I knew I should make a coloring book. I went home and worked night and day, then emptied my whole meager saving account to fly from Seattle (where I lived at the time) to Oahu to bashfully hand over a small pile of the book to the band, via a crew member I recognized from Mickey’s blog. The whole thing was a love letter and a joke, but they loved it, asked to sell it, and it wound up selling for 9 years (until Ween switched over to Red Light management). That income (which I absolutely never anticipated or expected) changed my life and allowed me to learn a totally new medium- MMA! I stopped making visual art and immersed myself completely, living in a gym and ultimately going on to compete professionally. There is so much more to the story, maybe I will share the whole thing someday but for now, the MUCH more limited Ween Coloring Book II is available in my IG store and on my website www.theawolfe.com There are less than 200 copies left and I absolutely guarantee this is THE LAST Ween art I will ever do. I love Ween so much but I really don’t need to paint or draw them anymore. I did this second book for you guys- the Ween FANS who changed the trajectory of my art career forever (and continue do so). Thank you guys so much, Ween changed my career and sense of self, but SO DID YOU! Please grab a copy, share this post, and help me get the new book where it belongs. I am getting better on social media but owe most of spreading the word beyond my own IG account to YOU. I will share the innards of the second book soon, but for now, please just grab it before it’s too late. - Thea Wolfe, September 27, 2022 (via Facebook)

[artleaguemdcnorth]

ALL CLASSES - CURATED PORTFOLIO 12/02/2024 ( DUE DATE 12/9/24 @ 12PM )

This is a reminder to all students that you will use Monday and Tuesday of this week to complete your final assignment . You do not need to attend class on those two days.

The final critique for classes will be as follows:

M/W classes - Final Critique on Weds 12/4 @ start of class.

T/TH classes - Final Critique Thurs 12/5 @ start of class.

Beginning this week, All students will review their tumblr portfolios .

You will then choose and select assignments as required for each class.

Work will be posted to a final blog labeled as follows:

Curated Final Portfolio with an artist statement.

CURATED FINAL PORTFOLIO - 

Your artwork should reflect your visual sensitivity, your intellectual curiosity, your creativity, your motivation and self-discipline.

Your selections in a good portfolio allow you to present your technical and creative prowess.

In curating your own portfolio you select work that expresses those qualities.

You are showing what you have learned and how you have perfected those techniques.

Most of you will be continuing your education in the arts.

Learning how to select your best work will be an asset to you later on and this assignment gives you an opportunity to practice .

As you begin to select your assignments, choose those artworks that best show your skills and progress in class throughout the semester. 

This final Curated blog will close the semester as you show your participation in the studio courses.

Below are some tips on perfecting your portfolio:

-Choose your best completed work.

-Use correct lighting at home to photograph your work.

- Make sure you frame your work correctly.

- Do not show floor , bed sheets, slanted images , or images with poor lighting.

This is the wrong way of framing your work . This is an example of how NOT to take a picture. Do not show floor, table, pillows or a slanted image.

Note: Both images created by the late great Jean Michel Basquiat c.1982

This is the right way of framing your artwork.

Stand in front of your work.

Make sure the image is not distorted.

Use a good light source.

Near a well lit window or area would be best.

Crop any surrounding information that does not refer to the work.

Note:

If for some reason you are missing any of these required pieces, note it in your submission and replace it with another work done in class.

Complete your entry with an artist statement regarding your learning experience throughout the semester and a final thought on your goals and expectations for next semester .

In your learning experiences, you will want to comment on the following:

A) Your favorite materials

B) Your favorite assignment

C) Comment on some obstacles you may have experienced this semester (learning wise) and how you were able to overcome those obstacles.

D) How you were able to overcome any challenges you may have had using materials or with a particular assignment during the semester.

E) Final thoughts regarding your learning experience throughout the semester and a final thought on your goals and expectations for next semester or if graduating going forward in your career.

Please find your class below for additional instructions:

2D Class Assignments -

1) Artist Reflection posts (videos) 

2) Sketchbook ideas for Franz Klein 

3) 3 Franz Klein inspired paintings. 

4) Line assignments - 

    a)Vertical Horizontal  b) diagonal

    c) curved  d)   all lines 

5)  a- Chaos  &  b - Order

6)  a- 5 Blk Shapes in White background 

     b) 5 Wht Shapes in Blk background

7) Color Theory Charts- sketchbook

8) 6 in square Swatches

9) 3 colors that become 4

10) Vibrating colors

11) Two  6 inch squares with 2 inserts in an  Analogous color schemes( Joseph Albers inspired)

12) Examples of your sketchbook showing the following:

a) three ideas for colors to be used in the midterm assignment 

b) 1 drawing a day for 7 days series from the sketchbook.

13) Midterm Assignment with artist statement 

14) Final assignment - Book & Album Cover with artist statement. 

15) Museum assignment - 3 artworks

PAINTING (14 total works )

You will include all work completed as follows:

1) homage to an artist

2) Monochromatic still life & Studies (3)

3-5) Wayne Thiebaud (3)

6) Allegorical Self Portrait Final Diptych.

7) Museum Assignment with Reflection post of the location you attended and what you enjoyed about the place .

8-10) drawings from sketchbook preliminary sketches.

All painting assignments need to have a title and size of work.

For example if I did a Cuban pastelito for one of my thiebaud assignments, you will write:

Title: “Epicurean Cuban delight”

Size: 4” x 4”

Drawing ( 12 pcs total)

1)Final

2)Midterm

3) Museum painting and ( Reflection post)

4-10) Choose a variety of techniques from your best class work.

11- 12 ) examples from your sketchbook. 

Include box assignment from the first day.

Make sure you include gesture from the first week of class and gesture from week three, and following techniques:

Blind contour, contour, cross contour, cross hatching, tonal studies, value with ink, tonal studies .

FIGURE DRAWING- (13)

1)GESTURE ( FROM SECOND DAY OF CLASS)

2)CONTOUR ( SECOND DAY OF CLASS )

3)HAND ASSIGNMENT (BLIND CONTOUR)

4)  5MIN POSE

5) BLIND CONTOUR POSE 6) FIGURE DRAWN FROM FEET TO HEAD  

7) THORACIC CAVITY STUDY

8) SKELETAL STUDIES

9) INK ASSIGNMENT 10) INK ASSIGNMENT (LAST 2 WKS)

11) MIDTERM

12- 13) FINAL 2 PAINTINGS 

DUE DATE FOR ALL CLASSES:

TUESDAY DEC 9,2024 12 PM.

All students will add the link to their completed Tumblr portfolio as a threads comment to this post.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Last week’s exciting harvest was Yukon Gem potatoes purchased in the fall from San Diego Seed Company. I chitted the potatoes as directed and planted in a four foot row on January 24. This was a perfect follow-up crop after harvesting the cauliflower..

Time to harvest was listed as 75 days, which would have been April 9. We were on vacation until late April and the plants looked quite sorry soon after we returned. I did an exploratory “dig” and found several very nicely sized potatoes so decided it was time to harvest.

Our garden is cooler and somewhat shaded. It does not get full sun in the winter months so I wasn’t surprised that our harvest was about three weeks later. I made a couple videos of the “treasure hunt” to send to our young grandsons in Massachusetts.

Our one pound of seed potatoes produced 8.5 pounds of potatoes. Certainly not a bargain but we marveled at their flavor and texture when steamed. Yukon Gem potatoes have golden-tan skins with shallow eyes and dense, buttery-yellow flesh. They are an all-purpose potato. The plants are more disease resistant and higher yielding than the parent, Yukon Gold.

Last year I planted them in 5 gallon plastic pots. The potatoes were small but equally delicious. In ground planting was definitely more productive. Maybe I’ll double my plantings next year as they store well.

The Seascape strawberries are just beginning to produce after a cool March and April. These first ones were red all the way through and ever so sweet and flavorful. The largest one filled the palm of my hand.

Blueberries on the patio and alpine strawberries edging a perennial bed responded to the spring impetus.

More chard for my African friend.

I find every so many uses for the dill and give it away with abandon. The flower heads have appeared, attracting the hover flies.

They also grace most of my bouquets. All the flowers—larkspur, ranunculus and dill are all growing with the vegetables.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I prepare for the warm season garden. Then head to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

[milfandmuffins]

I Started a Mom Blog So My Sanity Could Escape… it calls from time to time.

I am still new to this whole parenting thing. To be honest, I think I'll still be learning the ropes for years to come. I have the most supportive and caring husband. He really is the best. I am a stay at home mom and that's all thanks to him. Our child was a surprise and I think a lot of parents have been through that. I think I am okay with having more but I can't say for sure yet. I spend most of my days cleaning, feeding, door dashing for extra cash, and sleeping. Then repeat. I have many sleepless nights where I am lying there planning out the next day. I rarely ever follow that plan and end up hiding somewhere with some chocolate and a coke zero. (Coke zero is my savior) I think back to fresh post-partum a lot. People had a lot to say before I gave birth. Like what it would be like and how I should enjoy my sleep while I can. After I gave birth, I was even told to enjoy my sleep-less nights because he wouldn't be that little forever and it was completely worth it. F THAT!!! Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom and it was an amazing process from pregnancy to now, but I love my sleep. Sleep is my first love. (Sorry husband). I had so much time to adore my child when it wasn't bed time. Even during night feedings, I just sat there and admired him. In order to function though, your girl needed that 3 hour sleep window or a day nap. I feel like you are never fully prepared for becoming a new parent. If you were one of the few people that felt 100% ready, CONGRATS!! I bet you feel so proud. Just kidding. I actually am really happy for you. I was 22 sitting on the toilet looking at my positive pregnancy test like, "WTF???". I was so happy but also scared for my life. Like what do you mean I have a baby inside me and I have 9 months to get my s*** in order?! Flash forward to 2 months post-partum, I felt so unprepared still. I had so much advice from people that didn't feel like advice. It felt like they just wanted to take control. They wanted to act like a know-it-all. In reality, I was experiencing so many emotions. Some that I didn't even know existed. I was trying to breastfeed and after 2 weeks of that, I said, "formula time right now". I had people wanting to visit and not tell me til last minute. I had people mad at me that I didn't want visitors right away. All while I am trying to heal from the inside out, I had to worry more about the people surrounding me and their feelings. Point is, you will find out quick that there's so much you didn't get "warned" about. No one told me I would completely lose who I was before all of this. The only thing most people talked about was "bouncing back" after giving birth. I did not. I was still wearing my maternity clothes and sweatpants. My crop tops and skinny jeans were not cutting it anymore. You are going to lose your mind a lot. You are going to feel lost. You may even feel alone and I urge you to be careful because sometimes it's deeper than just "Oh I'm a mom. That's how it is.” Take the time to process and practice self-care. Go to therapy. Make a blog. Find what works for you. There is no shame in any of it. Whether you are a parent or not. Your health is most important and setting boundaries is too!! I make grocery lists and leave them at home. I make schedules and chore lists and lose them. I wash some clothes and then leave them in the washer til the next day sometimes. There are days I kick butt and do amazing. Then there are days where I fully feel exhausted and want to hide away. I still show up whether I am doing the most or bare minimum and that's all that matters. So whether you are just a person trying to make it in this world or a new parent, you got this. You are never ever alone. My DMS on all social platforms are always open. Whether you need advice, to rant, or just want to say hi and be a new friend! I will be staying anonymous and keeping my family private for our safety. This is for fun and honestly can't let the in-laws know it's me. If you know, you know. What is something you wish you knew before becoming a parent?

-2% MILF

[7grandmel]

Blog Update - 25/11/2024

TL;DR: New posts are coming! Just managing a lot of different things right now. Writer's block sucks.

This is gonna be a pretty short one, in part because I don't have much to say, and in part due simply to the writer's block I'm currently under. Since switching to the weekly post schedule, my aim was to put out each post on Mondays, and while I do still date posts by each week's Monday, they've more often than not missed that deadline by quite a while. It's not something that particularly matters – I'm still getting a post out for every week, and I'm able to dedicate more time and thought to writing them as intended – but it has definitely irritated me personally that I haven't been able to follow the schedule I set up for myself.

Worse yet, due to a lot of things going on in my life (studies, looking for employment, personal life, the usual), I feel as if I'm doubting my writing more than usual. Rest assured, I have tons of ideas for the blog and for the blog's future posts, over 20 rips already sitting in the drafts - but I'm currently having difficulties in motivating myself to hunker down and put it all to the page.

All this to say; I'm really sorry that it's been 9 days since the last post, especially since said last post was already 5 days late itself. I'm still chipping away at it, and I want something to be up as soon as tomorrow if possible – but going forward, there's a possibility you'll see some shorter posts crop up during this busier patch.

[mysteriousgrl444]

how to romanticize and enjoy school more :) 🎸🌱🌟

for high schoolers and middle schoolers :)

・❥・・❥・・❥・・❥・・❥・・❥・・❥・・

1. Make yourself breakfast and energizing drink ⭐

For keeping yourself energized and fulfilled for a long day of school is important! So if your not doing this already make sure to make yourself a nice nurturing breakfast and maybe some coffee with!

A tip to romanticize your morning is to take a cute picture of your coffee everyday and post it! Maybe on Tumblr 😏

2. Bring your headphones (or earbuds) to school to jam out to music whenever you're allowed to🎧

I find it really relaxing and comforting to just listen to music I enjoy while just doing some schoolwork. I think listening to a playlist on Spotify while doing something school related has really made me enjoy school way better.

A tip for non-distracting music to listen to while studying or doing schoolwork is Mozart and other classical artists. It's super calming and it doesn't make me lose track of my homework 💗

3. Put more effort into your outfits and makeup 🌺💋

I usually do my makeup and prepare what I wear everyday for school. Wearing cute outfits and beautiful makeup mostly every school day, really helps me feel better throughout the day cause at least I feel cute!

But also I don't recommend to do it EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL DAY because then you will feel more stressed out from your looks then actually just enjoying that you dressed up that day.

I usually get cute every 3 school days in a school week and for the other 2 school days I just wear natural makeup and just a crop top and sweat pants 🌻

4. Engage in class more! 💌

Even if you know you might be wrong or are not sure, engaging in your class makes it way more enjoyable because you're actually doing something and not just observing.

5. Bring a book with you to read ⭐

6. Study in public places or with your friends

7. Bring a journal to write in when you are bored

8. Make a Pinterest board of school motivation!

9. Watch a ep of a tv show that places in high school everyday before school ;)

10. Join clubs and after school activities 🌟

✩♬ ₊˚.🎧⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩♬ ₊˚.🎧⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩♬ ₊˚.

heyy, I doubt that anyone is ever gonna see this, but I totally forgot about my Tumblr phase in life and I was just going through my old blog posts and drafts and found this!, I haven't really looked through this but I hope to whoever sees this, it reaches towards if they feel any anxious or excited about school coming up!~ have a great day!

sincerely, mysteriousgrl444

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! October 9 - October 15, 2023

This week's newest stories and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

The Wall Between Us - by Skullygal610; WIP, 17/25, 18k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Trio of Towns Relationships: Female Farmer/Wayne, Female Farmer/Ex-boyfriend; Characters: Wayne, Female Farmer Additional Tags: Adopted, farmer, Hurt, Love, Unrequited Love, relationships, Denial of Feelings, Fanfiction, Parents, friends, Guilt Summary: It all started with a rejection. Scarlett can't seem to get over the loss of her best friend since she rejected his confession of love. Already dealing with her own self-worth and feelings while keeping up with daily life, things soon become difficult when a familiar face from the past comes back to haunt her. Wayne struggles to let go of the only girl he loved. However, things never go the way he plans. His parents are across the world without him. Friends are constantly concerned about his well-being. He wants to change, yet she keeps pulling him back. Can they ever hope to rekindle their long-lost friendship, or will it become something more?

The Village’s Flower: Fun With Crops - by WonderBun; WIP, 2/3, 3.6k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Magical Melody Relationships: Amanda/Alex, Amanda/Blue, Amanda/Carl, Amanda/Bob; Characters: Amanda, Carl, Bob, Blue, Ellen, Alex, Basil Additional Tags: Sex with plants, Using plants as dildos, Flirting, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Humor, farming, Jealousy, Imagination, Masturbation Summary: Amanda was happy to join the village’s farm project. She was happy to make new friends, and the work was simple enough. But then something strange started to happen to her crops.

Tumblr Posts for A Wonderful Life Characters - by actaeoncross; WIP, 32/?, 33k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Multiple Characters x Reader; Characters: Celia | Seperia | Cecilia, Cody | Gordy, Daryl, Flora, Gustafa, Lumina, Marlin | Mash | Matthew, Muffy | Molly, Nami, Rock, Reader Summary: A collection of Tumblr posts for A Wonderful Life Characters x Reader prompts. The blog is an offshoot of my main and should be found under AWL Imagines.

Festivities - by TwinklingCupcake; Complete, 1/1, 1.9k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer & Won | Huang, Claire the Farmer/Won | Huang, the romance is soooorta there; platonic in-fic but will def lead to more; Characters: Claire, Won | Huang, Zack, guest appearance by Saibara Additional Tags: Holidays, Cultural Differences Summary: Huang never participated in Mineral Town's festivals or holidays. Whatever he celebrated, he celebrated alone. That is, until a certain moon-viewing night.

The Strong Willed Gwen - by SymphonicFantasia; WIP, 70/100, 6.9k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandoms: Save the Homeland, Magical Melody, Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Bob | Kazan/Gwen | Sara; Character: Gwen Additional Tags: Animal Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Angst, Romance, Character Study, Character Development Summary: She was aware that she was a violent girl from time to time; it was no surprise to any of the townsfolk. That was just who she was. The strong-willed, horse loving, Inn cooking Gwen—and nothing more.

Of Arabians and Friesian Appaloosas - by SymphonicFantasia; WIP, 14/50, 2.1k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Save the Homeland, Magical Melody, Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Bob | Kazan/Gwen | Sara; Characters: Bob, Gwen Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluff, Fluffy Ending Summary: Bob has always loved Gwen. She was his life and his sunshine. His day wasn't the same if he couldn't see her smile. Ever since they were kids it has been this way and Bob wouldn't trade it for the world. And the descendant through their relationship was never an easy one.

[whatonearthisgoingon]

Main: 129. Sirius Side blog: 10. Harry side blog: 3. Veddie sideblog: 22.

June 2nd, 2022. (8th grade, lmao.)

Main: 572. Sirius Side blog: 44. Harry side blog: 9. Veddie sideblog: 48.

Tie between my school uniform Sperry's, and my black sketcher sneakers.

Gold.

Bedroom.

Writing art, yes. Drawing art, fuck no.

Haven't gotten it yet... (almost did on first date, but his older sister interrupted. It's a story..)

Yes? They live on my bed, because there's no other place for them, but I don't, like, cuddle them/need them, so.

My black sweatshirt that has my cheer team's logo on it (it's so comfy)

Live in a rural area.

Amazon? I use it the most.

Loyal.

No.

A grilled cheese.

I don't go to therapy. (probably should tho)

A house.

My best friend; we'll call her KP

Six, but I never really believed in the first place.

No clue; I never really watched TV shows. Didn't have time.

I don't think so.

Billy Joel, because my mother played the music she grew up with, and I really liked Up Town Girl.

CDs.

No. I'll listen to them, and say if they're decent theories that could make sense, but won't believe in them.

Out of my four ex's.. 1. No. 2. Fuck no. 3. Yes, but their mom is super controlling, so maybe not. 4. I don't know.

Again, didn't really watch shows.

I don't know. I'm honestly kind of worried about them; she's dropping all of her interests and friends for a guy, including me. It's going concerningly fast, and I'm trying to talk to her parents. I might loose the strained friendship we have, if I intervene like I plan too.

Match my mood.

Black leggings, blue dress, black socks, black mary janes, and a thin pearl necklace.

Many. (Love you moots!)

Cropped clothes.

Once a week.

Silver.

Nazi Germany Historical fiction. Books, movies, etc. that take place in the time period.

Curls or thick hair. I have super thing 1A hair, and I can't style it for shit. It's super thin and weak, and it breaks so easily. It never stays in a style, no matter what I do with it. And this is genetic; everyone in my family deals with this, it's not just bad care.

Occasionally; for events like dances and stuff.

Norse mythology.

Never had one. It would depend on the vibe they give off.

I'd make it so you could see two versions of someone's blog. a) All their posts, including reblogs. b) all their og posts. Make it a switch, where you turn reblogs on and off for view. And it's in a little button switch think at the top of every blog, with the message, follow, and ask stuff. Sometimes I want to see what you like. Sometimes I want to find all the artist's og content, so I can understand their au.

Probably my doll house or my Victorian dressed dolls in glass cases.

Museum. Too many people smoke at concerts, and smoking gives me migraines.

Trusting my parents on too many things, and not being a better actor.

42 personal questions ask game

how many followers do you have?

when’s the last time you went on a date

how many posts have you made?

What type of shoes do you wear?

what colour are the walls of your room

where are you right now? (not exact location. ex: at a park)

would you consider yourself good at art?

who was your first kiss?

do you still sleep with stuffed animals?

what’s your favourite piece of clothing you own?

do you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area?

what’s your favourite store to shop at? (online or irl)

if you had to choose one POSITIVE word to describe yourself, what would it be?

do you collect anything?

what’s the last thing you ate?

if you go to therapy, do you like your therapist?

what’s one thing you want to buy, but don’t have the money or resources to get?

Who’s the first person you can think of?

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real?

If you could revive one tv show that has been cancelled, what show would it be?

do you consider yourself a part of any alternative subculture? if so, which one(s)?

who was your childhood favourite music artist?

CDs or record players?

Do you believe in any conspiracy theories?

would you get back together with an ex if given the opportunity?

favourite kid’s show character?

is the person you call your best friend actually your best friend?

when you’re sad, do you prefer to listen to music to match your mood, or listen to happy music?

what’s the last outfit you wore?

do you have any online friends?

least favourite clothing style that is currently popular

how often do you do your laundry?

do you prefer silver or gold jewelry?

what’s your book/movie/tv guilty pleasure?

if you could change your hair however you want, how would you change it?

do you paint your nails?

what’s an uncommon/specific /obscure topic you’re interested in?

what’s the name of your first pet/what would you name your first pet if you had one?

what’s one feature you would change on tumblr?

what’s the most interesting item you own?

would you rather go on a date at a museum or a concert?

what’s one regret you have?

[cleverhottubmiracle]

Hi friends, happy hump day! It’s time for another edition of What I Wore Lately, where I round up my everyday outfits from the past couple of weeks and share a little about where I wore them and how they came together. This one picks up the weekend I got back from England, so you’ll see a mix of travel recovery mode (think: comfy favorites and low-key outfits) along with some early summer looks as the weather finally started to warm up. SIZING NOTES: I’m 5’5″ and I usually wear a small or medium in tops and dresses, a 29 or 30 in jeans and pants, and a size 8 shoe. Gifted items are indicated by c/o; everything else I purchased myself. Two Weeks of Everyday Spring Outfits I got home from England on the Saturday before Memorial Day, and the next day I got dressed for church in a pair of dark wash flare jeans with a black ribbed tank and an olive twill jacket. It was sunny but still a bit chilly, and sandals felt too summery, so I went with slingback pumps in a hair calf leopard print for a little interest and coverage. This look feels more fall that spring to me, but I didn’t have time to play around with other options, and I guess it works! KUT from the Kloth jacket (S) // EVEREVE tank (S) // MOTHER Weekender in Teaming Up (30) // Sam Edelman Bianka in Granada Tan (8.5) // Frame belt (M) // Mulberry bag // similar earrings // Marlyn Schiff necklace  We hosted some friends by the pool for Memorial Day, so I ran out early Monday morning to grab food and some flowers to brighten up the deck. The weather was still on the cool side, so I went with a sweater-and-shorts combo and added my boat shoes for a practical, classic touch. They felt like a nice change after living in sneakers for 10 days in England. stripe pullover (M) // Gap Factory shorts (29) // Jeffrey Campbell boat shoes in Camel Suede (8.5) // similar earrings By the afternoon, it had warmed up quite a bit, so I swapped the sweater for a navy striped linen tee before our guests arrived. Between the stripes and my red nails, I figured it still felt festive enough for Memorial Day… ha! J. Crew linen tee in Perfect Stripe Navy Nat (M) // Gap Factory shorts (29) // Jeffrey Campbell boat shoes (8.5) // similar earrings I stayed close to home on Tuesday and spent the day getting organized and working ahead on blog posts. I kept things casual with my favorite flares, Birks, and an easy washed black tee. I actually wore this outfit twice last week, but didn’t bother to take another picture. EVEREVE tee (M) // MOTHER Weekender (29) // similar Birks (39) // silver hoops This was another casual weekday, and I wore one of my go-to pairs of jeans with a pink tee. I ended up spending most of the day at the hospital, so I threw on my white hoodie to have an extra layer, and I was glad I had it because it was chilly inside. LNA Dessa Muscle Tee (M) // Gap Factory hoodie (S) // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // P448 John (39) // similar earrings I wore this casual look to run a few errands later in the week, and then to refresh my mani/pedi. (I brought my beek flip-flops to wear home from the spa, but I wore my waterproof running sneakers for errands because it was a rainy day.) Clare V. Classic Tee (L) // MOTHER Insider (29) (budget option) // On Cloud waterproof sneakers (9) // silver hoops // old YSL camera bag I snapped a quick pic of this outfit before heading out for a morning walk the next day. I wore it around the house for a bit before showering and getting dressed for a graduation party later that afternoon. Vuori hoodie (S) // Athleta Getaway Tank (M) // Athleta cargo pants (6) // On Cloud sneakers (9) The grad party was a casual backyard gathering, but I wanted to look a little more put-together than my usual tee and jeans, so I wore my Rails striped linen-blend top with ruffle shoulders and paired it with my favorite cropped blue jeans. I usually wear this top untucked with longer jeans, but with this cropped pair, I like how the front tuck helps balance the proportions and defines the waist a bit more. The crochet flats tied in nicely with the lighter tones in the top, and I brought along my trusty linen Camp Jacket in case it got chilly, which it did. I actually ended up wearing it the whole time. I accessorized with silver jewelry to complement the cooler tones in the outfit and the gunmetal hardware on the jacket. Rails Arlene; on sale at Bloomies (S) // MOTHER Insider (29) (budget option) // Evereve Camp Jacket (M) // Marc Fisher Glynne slides (8) // similar hoops // similar necklace I changed into comfy clothes after church to hang out at home and take a walk later in the day. Sarasota sweatshirt // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // On Cloud running sneakers (9) // similar earrings I met a friend at the mall one day last week and threw on this casual look. Aside from my Birks, I don’t really have any great walking sandals at the moment, so I went with sneakers again. This beige suede pair feels a little softer than classic white and still keeps the look on trend. Clare V. Classic Tee (L) // Citizens Palma; on sale at Evereve (29) // Gola Torpedo (7.5) // Mulberry bag // similar hoops // similar bracelet I remedied the sandal situation while I was at the mall, and I came home and changed before making a quick grocery store run. These sandals have the on-trend strappy look with soft, flat leather straps, but they’re set on a molded footbed for comfort and support. It’s the perfect mix of minimalist styling and practical features, and I also like how they coordinate with my new Mulberry bag. Dolce Vita sandals (8) // Clare V. Classic Tee (L) // Citizens Palma; on sale at Evereve (29) // Mulberry bag The next day, I didn’t have much going on besides a quick trip to the chiropractor, so I kept it super casual with my old faithful MOTHER Dazzlers, graphic tee, and flip-flops. old Margarita tee (L) // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // Beek flipflops in Silver/ Beach (8) // silver hoops This was another casual day working from home, without much reason to get dressed, other than the fact that I just feel better when I put on a little makeup and wear pants that button and zip. It’s finally warming up here in Philly, and I was feeling the heat, so I pulled out my comfiest jean shorts and this fun tie-dye tank—which happens to be a great price right now! Evereve Alicia Tie Dye Tank (M) // Gap Factory shorts (29) // Dolce Vita Dallen sandals (8) // silver hoops I had some errands to run last Friday, and for some reason, I got dressed kind of cute—this white sweater tank is new, and I was excited to wear it. I love how the wood statement earrings tie everything together. EVEREVE Florence Tank (M) // MOTHER Insider (29) (budget option) // Dolce Vita Dallen sandals (8) // Dolce Vita Dallen sandals (8) // Mulberry bag // Wesley wood earrings // EVEREVE bracelet pack // similar link necklace It was a beautiful warm, sunny day, so I took a break mid-day for some pool time with my daughter. I grabbed an old tankini and threw on a pair of jean shorts when I wasn’t in the water. similar tankini top & bottoms // Gap Factory shorts (29) // beek flip flops (8) Then that evening, Paul and I went out for dinner. I was planning to keep the ivory sweater tank on, but it had stretched out a bit over the course of the day, and I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. (I’m thinking I probably should’ve gone with the size small.) When it came time to head out, I swapped it for this striped sweater and added wide-leg jeans and platform sandals to finish the look. EVEREVE Jane Pullover – on sale! (S) // MOTHER Roller (29) (similar option) (budget option) // PAIGE Jill (8) // Mulberry bag // similar hoops // J.Crew bracelet That brings us to last Sunday and what I wore to church and out to lunch afterwards. I decided to give my jeans a break, and since it was a warm day, I pulled out this black linen dress with the contrast stitching. I usually keep it casual with sneakers or flip flops, so it took me a minute to figure out what shoes felt church appropriate. I ended up going with taupe slides—they’re simple but polished and I feel like they work with the laid-back vibe of the dress. This pair from Sam Edelman pair is similar; my daughter actually has them and loves them. Tommy Bahama dress (M) // YSL slides (budget option) // similar bag // Yurman hoops // similar necklace // similar bangle And then it was back to comfy clothes for the afternoon… I took off the jewelry when I laid down for a nap. Athleta tank (M) // Athleta cargo pants (6) // similar Birks (39) I kept it casual on Monday with a t-shirt and jeans. I love this top, but unfortunately, the red is sold out—there are still plenty of other colors available, though. And these T-strap sandals are another new addition. I really like the gold ring detail and the light neutral tone, and the square toe keeps them feeling current. They’re not leather, but they’re surprisingly comfortable and walkable. Nora Muscle Tee (S) // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // Dolce Vita Lorene (7.5) // Jenny Bird double hoops And yesterday I just repeated the black Athleta tank and green cargo pants combo. I was home most of the day, waiting to start my “prep”… fun times! I’m praying all goes smoothly today and that there are no issues. Thank you so much for all of your advice and well wishes—I truly appreciate it. I’ll be glad to be on the flip side of this! Stay In Touch If you liked this post, be sure you’re signed up for my email newsletter. In addition to my most recent blog posts, you’ll receive exclusive newsletter content like special sales, my newest favorite finds, and an occasional peek behind the scenes — all delivered right to your inbox. I would also love for you to join my JLS Fashion Insiders Facebook Group! This is a friendly place to discuss all matters of fashion and style with other women, share your outfits, get advice, and stay up to date on all the happenings in our community. Source link

[norajworld]

Hi friends, happy hump day! It’s time for another edition of What I Wore Lately, where I round up my everyday outfits from the past couple of weeks and share a little about where I wore them and how they came together. This one picks up the weekend I got back from England, so you’ll see a mix of travel recovery mode (think: comfy favorites and low-key outfits) along with some early summer looks as the weather finally started to warm up. SIZING NOTES: I’m 5’5″ and I usually wear a small or medium in tops and dresses, a 29 or 30 in jeans and pants, and a size 8 shoe. Gifted items are indicated by c/o; everything else I purchased myself. Two Weeks of Everyday Spring Outfits I got home from England on the Saturday before Memorial Day, and the next day I got dressed for church in a pair of dark wash flare jeans with a black ribbed tank and an olive twill jacket. It was sunny but still a bit chilly, and sandals felt too summery, so I went with slingback pumps in a hair calf leopard print for a little interest and coverage. This look feels more fall that spring to me, but I didn’t have time to play around with other options, and I guess it works! KUT from the Kloth jacket (S) // EVEREVE tank (S) // MOTHER Weekender in Teaming Up (30) // Sam Edelman Bianka in Granada Tan (8.5) // Frame belt (M) // Mulberry bag // similar earrings // Marlyn Schiff necklace  We hosted some friends by the pool for Memorial Day, so I ran out early Monday morning to grab food and some flowers to brighten up the deck. The weather was still on the cool side, so I went with a sweater-and-shorts combo and added my boat shoes for a practical, classic touch. They felt like a nice change after living in sneakers for 10 days in England. stripe pullover (M) // Gap Factory shorts (29) // Jeffrey Campbell boat shoes in Camel Suede (8.5) // similar earrings By the afternoon, it had warmed up quite a bit, so I swapped the sweater for a navy striped linen tee before our guests arrived. Between the stripes and my red nails, I figured it still felt festive enough for Memorial Day… ha! J. Crew linen tee in Perfect Stripe Navy Nat (M) // Gap Factory shorts (29) // Jeffrey Campbell boat shoes (8.5) // similar earrings I stayed close to home on Tuesday and spent the day getting organized and working ahead on blog posts. I kept things casual with my favorite flares, Birks, and an easy washed black tee. I actually wore this outfit twice last week, but didn’t bother to take another picture. EVEREVE tee (M) // MOTHER Weekender (29) // similar Birks (39) // silver hoops This was another casual weekday, and I wore one of my go-to pairs of jeans with a pink tee. I ended up spending most of the day at the hospital, so I threw on my white hoodie to have an extra layer, and I was glad I had it because it was chilly inside. LNA Dessa Muscle Tee (M) // Gap Factory hoodie (S) // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // P448 John (39) // similar earrings I wore this casual look to run a few errands later in the week, and then to refresh my mani/pedi. (I brought my beek flip-flops to wear home from the spa, but I wore my waterproof running sneakers for errands because it was a rainy day.) Clare V. Classic Tee (L) // MOTHER Insider (29) (budget option) // On Cloud waterproof sneakers (9) // silver hoops // old YSL camera bag I snapped a quick pic of this outfit before heading out for a morning walk the next day. I wore it around the house for a bit before showering and getting dressed for a graduation party later that afternoon. Vuori hoodie (S) // Athleta Getaway Tank (M) // Athleta cargo pants (6) // On Cloud sneakers (9) The grad party was a casual backyard gathering, but I wanted to look a little more put-together than my usual tee and jeans, so I wore my Rails striped linen-blend top with ruffle shoulders and paired it with my favorite cropped blue jeans. I usually wear this top untucked with longer jeans, but with this cropped pair, I like how the front tuck helps balance the proportions and defines the waist a bit more. The crochet flats tied in nicely with the lighter tones in the top, and I brought along my trusty linen Camp Jacket in case it got chilly, which it did. I actually ended up wearing it the whole time. I accessorized with silver jewelry to complement the cooler tones in the outfit and the gunmetal hardware on the jacket. Rails Arlene; on sale at Bloomies (S) // MOTHER Insider (29) (budget option) // Evereve Camp Jacket (M) // Marc Fisher Glynne slides (8) // similar hoops // similar necklace I changed into comfy clothes after church to hang out at home and take a walk later in the day. Sarasota sweatshirt // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // On Cloud running sneakers (9) // similar earrings I met a friend at the mall one day last week and threw on this casual look. Aside from my Birks, I don’t really have any great walking sandals at the moment, so I went with sneakers again. This beige suede pair feels a little softer than classic white and still keeps the look on trend. Clare V. Classic Tee (L) // Citizens Palma; on sale at Evereve (29) // Gola Torpedo (7.5) // Mulberry bag // similar hoops // similar bracelet I remedied the sandal situation while I was at the mall, and I came home and changed before making a quick grocery store run. These sandals have the on-trend strappy look with soft, flat leather straps, but they’re set on a molded footbed for comfort and support. It’s the perfect mix of minimalist styling and practical features, and I also like how they coordinate with my new Mulberry bag. Dolce Vita sandals (8) // Clare V. Classic Tee (L) // Citizens Palma; on sale at Evereve (29) // Mulberry bag The next day, I didn’t have much going on besides a quick trip to the chiropractor, so I kept it super casual with my old faithful MOTHER Dazzlers, graphic tee, and flip-flops. old Margarita tee (L) // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // Beek flipflops in Silver/ Beach (8) // silver hoops This was another casual day working from home, without much reason to get dressed, other than the fact that I just feel better when I put on a little makeup and wear pants that button and zip. It’s finally warming up here in Philly, and I was feeling the heat, so I pulled out my comfiest jean shorts and this fun tie-dye tank—which happens to be a great price right now! Evereve Alicia Tie Dye Tank (M) // Gap Factory shorts (29) // Dolce Vita Dallen sandals (8) // silver hoops I had some errands to run last Friday, and for some reason, I got dressed kind of cute—this white sweater tank is new, and I was excited to wear it. I love how the wood statement earrings tie everything together. EVEREVE Florence Tank (M) // MOTHER Insider (29) (budget option) // Dolce Vita Dallen sandals (8) // Dolce Vita Dallen sandals (8) // Mulberry bag // Wesley wood earrings // EVEREVE bracelet pack // similar link necklace It was a beautiful warm, sunny day, so I took a break mid-day for some pool time with my daughter. I grabbed an old tankini and threw on a pair of jean shorts when I wasn’t in the water. similar tankini top & bottoms // Gap Factory shorts (29) // beek flip flops (8) Then that evening, Paul and I went out for dinner. I was planning to keep the ivory sweater tank on, but it had stretched out a bit over the course of the day, and I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. (I’m thinking I probably should’ve gone with the size small.) When it came time to head out, I swapped it for this striped sweater and added wide-leg jeans and platform sandals to finish the look. EVEREVE Jane Pullover – on sale! (S) // MOTHER Roller (29) (similar option) (budget option) // PAIGE Jill (8) // Mulberry bag // similar hoops // J.Crew bracelet That brings us to last Sunday and what I wore to church and out to lunch afterwards. I decided to give my jeans a break, and since it was a warm day, I pulled out this black linen dress with the contrast stitching. I usually keep it casual with sneakers or flip flops, so it took me a minute to figure out what shoes felt church appropriate. I ended up going with taupe slides—they’re simple but polished and I feel like they work with the laid-back vibe of the dress. This pair from Sam Edelman pair is similar; my daughter actually has them and loves them. Tommy Bahama dress (M) // YSL slides (budget option) // similar bag // Yurman hoops // similar necklace // similar bangle And then it was back to comfy clothes for the afternoon… I took off the jewelry when I laid down for a nap. Athleta tank (M) // Athleta cargo pants (6) // similar Birks (39) I kept it casual on Monday with a t-shirt and jeans. I love this top, but unfortunately, the red is sold out—there are still plenty of other colors available, though. And these T-strap sandals are another new addition. I really like the gold ring detail and the light neutral tone, and the square toe keeps them feeling current. They’re not leather, but they’re surprisingly comfortable and walkable. Nora Muscle Tee (S) // MOTHER Dazzler (29) (similar for less) // Dolce Vita Lorene (7.5) // Jenny Bird double hoops And yesterday I just repeated the black Athleta tank and green cargo pants combo. I was home most of the day, waiting to start my “prep”… fun times! I’m praying all goes smoothly today and that there are no issues. Thank you so much for all of your advice and well wishes—I truly appreciate it. I’ll be glad to be on the flip side of this! Stay In Touch If you liked this post, be sure you’re signed up for my email newsletter. In addition to my most recent blog posts, you’ll receive exclusive newsletter content like special sales, my newest favorite finds, and an occasional peek behind the scenes — all delivered right to your inbox. I would also love for you to join my JLS Fashion Insiders Facebook Group! This is a friendly place to discuss all matters of fashion and style with other women, share your outfits, get advice, and stay up to date on all the happenings in our community. Source link

[artleaguemdcnorth]

Final Curated Portfolio -all classes- MONDAY DEC,11. 2023

FINAL DAY OF CLASS FOR ALL CLASSES:

MON/WEDS CLASSES - MONDAY.

TUES/THURS CLASSES - TUESDAY

FINAL ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE CRITIQUED ON THESE DAYS.

Students will choose the best work from the semester.

You will include the Midterm , Museum and Final in your selections.

People who attended during art week with me only need to post a reflection post of your experience attending with the class group (no museum work) only a reflection post.

Choose your best work and label it .

Regarding the last submission of your work in a curated portfolio.

All students will review their tumblr portfolios .

You will then choose and select assignments as required for each class.

Work will be posted to a final blog labeled as follows:

Curated Final Portfolio with an artist statement.

NOTE:

CURATED PORTFOLIO IS DUE ON TUESDAY DEC.1 2,2023 BY 5PM - NO EXCEPTIONS.

Preparing for a Curating Portfolio

Your artwork should reflect your visual sensitivity, your intellectual curiosity, your creativity, your motivation and self-discipline.

Your selections in a good portfolio allow you to present your technical and creative prowess.

In curating your own portfolio you select work that expresses those qualities.

Most of you will be continuing your education in the arts.

Learning how to select your best work will be an asset to you later on and this assignment gives you an opportunity to practice .

As you begin to select your assignments choose those artworks that best show your skills and progress in class throughout the semester.

Below are some tips on perfecting your portfolio:

-Choose your best completed work.

-Use correct lighting at home to photograph your work.

- Make sure you frame your work correctly.

- Do not show floor , bed sheets, slanted images , or images with poor lighting.

This is the wrong way of framing your work . This is an example of how NOT to take a picture. Do not show floor, table, pillows or a slanted image

Note: Both images created by the late great Jean Michel Basquiat c.1982

This is the right way of framing your artwork.

Stand in front of your work.

Make sure the image is not distorted.

Use a good light source.

Near a well lit window or area would be best.

Crop any surrounding information that does not refer to the work.

The following assignments should be Included in your final portfolio selection,

1) - Midterm

2) - Final

3) - Museum piece (3 examples / 2D Class only and reflection post only if you attended during art week)

4) - pages from your sketchbook ( 2-4)

5)- any additional artworks done in class this semester of your best class work as stated below.

Note:

If for some reason you are missing any of these required pieces, note it in your submission and replace it with another work done in class.

Complete your entry with an artist statement regarding your learning experience throughout the semester and a final thought on your goals and expectations for next semester .

In your learning experiences, you will want to comment on the following:

Your favorite materials

Your favorite assignment

Comment on some obstacles you may have experienced this semester (learning wise) and how you were able to overcome those obstacles.

And close by explaining how you were able to overcome any challenges you may have had using materials or with a particular assignment during the semester.

Please find your class below for sdditional instructions:

Note for the following classes:

2D ( 15 works)

Include the best work from following entries :

1) Line

2) Shape - Chaos & Order

3) Black on White & White on Black

4) 3 colors that become 4 .

5) Vibrating edges

6) Pages from your sketchbook (4)

7) Museum (first week of class and reflection post from last week of class)

8) Midterm

9) Final assignments(2) Human Rights and book cover.

10) Pages from your sketchbook (4)

PAINTING (13 total )

You will include all work completed as follows:

1) homage to an artist

2) Monochromatic still life

3-5) Wayne Thiebaud (3)

6) Allegory

7) Self Portrait

8) Museum Assignment (Reflection post only if you attended during art week. )

9&10) Final Diptych

11-13) drawings from sketchbook

All painting assignments need to have a title and size of work.

For example if I did a Cuban pastelito for one of my thiebaud assignments, you will write:

Title: “Epicurean Cuban delight”

Size: 4” x 4”

Drawing ( 15pcs total)

1)Final

2)Midterm

3) Museum painting ( Reflection post only for those who attended with me during art week)

4) Choose a variety of techniques from your best class work.

5) 2 examples from your sketchbook. Include box assignment from the first day.

Make sure you include gesture from the first week of class and gesture from week three, and following techniques:

Blind contour, contour, cross contour, cross hatching, tonal studies, value with ink, value with pencil .

DRAWING 2 AND FIGURE DRAWING- (12- 14)

1)GESTURE ( FROM SECOND DAY OF CLASS) 2)CONTOUR ( SECOND DAY OF CLASS )

3)HAND ASSIGNMENT (BLIND CONTOUR)

4)  5MIN POSE

5) BLIND CONTOUR POSE 6) FIGURE DRAWN FROM FEET TO HEAD  

7) THORACIC CAVITY STUDY

8 - SKELETAL STUDIES -

        HAND         FEET          SKULL

         PELVIC

9) SKETCHES FROM FIRT MUSEUM VISIT

10) INK ASSIGNMENT 11) COLOR ASSIGNMENT (LAST 2 WKS) 12) MUSEUM ASSIGNMENT (if you attended with me just a brief post about attending on that day.)

13) MIDTERM

14- 15) FINAL 2 PAINTINGS (ONE only for those who attended art week day)

ALL CLASSES will complete your blog entry with an artist statement.

You will comment on your learning experience throughout the semester.

Conclude with a final thought on your goals and expectations for next semester .

NOTE: 

If you have missing assignments state it on your blog entry as follows:

For Drawing  & Figure Drawing state the number of the assignment missing. ( ex. 10- missing assignment.)  

Explain in your statement why you are missing those assignments and add an assignment done in class as a supplement .

ALL students will close their portfolios complete with an artist statement regarding your learning experience throughout the semester and a final thought on your goals and expectations for next semester or if graduating going forward in your career..

In your learning experiences, you will want to comment on the following:

Your favorite materials

Your favorite assignment

Comment on some obstacles you may have experienced this semester (learning wise) and how you were able to overcome those obstacles.

And close by explaining how you were able to overcome any challenges you may have had using materials or with a particular assignment during the semester.

DUE DATE:

DEC. 12 2023 AT 5PM.

[cesiousblue]

LINOCUT!!

looked up some info on this guy and he has a lot of phenomenal work and also a blog where he goes through the process of his prints.

(He also has a storefront where you can get prints, reprints and phone cases and such)

copying over the blog from this piece shared above:

HELLO AND WELCOME FRIENDS, I think long and hard about each of my prints since it takes many hours to execute the various stages of the process. In the case of this print, I thought about it for twelve years. In 2011 I did a (now sold out) print called “Ice Dawn”. I always liked it very much. I thought I could do better though. It percolated until the end of last year when I thought I’d give it a go. Here's the source of my inspiration:

[This is "Ice Dawn" by Hays]

I looked through my cache of reference images. I found a picture that had what I was looking for. The file name had just had a file number to identify it so I thought it was one of my pictures. But it was not! My partner remembered sending it to me some time ago and I had forgotten about it. The picture was taken by a local woman (Elizabeth Denny). I asked her permission to use the photo and I'll look forward to her reactions when she sees the finished print! Here's her photo:

But, as I said, my inspiration was "Ice Dawn," with the morning sky reflecting on the water. So I cropped the image and added a few things then got underway. I began with the sky reflected in the water, an upside down sky. Then I laid down the snow on the ground followed by the beginnings of the forest. Here are the first three impressions:

It is quite a dark print, right from the beginning. I have to admit to being influenced in my choice of colors from my studies of some of the 20th century Japanese printmakers. It is still a little surprising to me how dark one can mix a color and still have it be far from black. In this case, the really dark colors are all purple/grays. The layering over other colors changes what I mix from the palette to the print. I often have to do several test prints to adjust the color to achieve and effect and anticipate what is to come. As you'll see, there are foreground branches which will appear in the lower left foreground. I wanted to show you a detail that is difficult to see in the digital images. These branches were the last thing printed. It required some pretty precise carving to have these thin elements in two tones. On the left is the second to last impression. The branches are essentially black. Then I printed the last purple/gray on top of them after carving away what I wanted to be a quiet shadow and outline:

I know, I know... a detail that perhaps only I will see. But I just had to do it! And here is the final print, "Dawn."

"Dawn", linocut print, 9" x 12" (23.5 x 31cm) I think that what I like best about this print is the very low key (dark) color combinations. In particular I was very pleased with the way one can look back into the forest, extending the space from the foreground branches all the way into the murky, more distant light of the forest at dawn. Needless to say, this project kept me busy for some weeks. But this is my work and I love it! I do hope you enjoyed seeing this process. I find it very interesting and I hope that you do too. Of course, this print is available for purchase on this website. Should you find you're passing through Western Massachusetts, get in touch. I have been receiving visitors from time to time at my studio and I'll be very happy to show you what I'm working on these days.  The galleries which represent me are open regular hours these days. So if you're near one of them, do drop in to see my work in person. Take care of each other and take care of yourselves. Don't hesitate to drop me an email. I enjoy hearing from you.

Really interesting to see the process! If you like it consider going and buying a print!

Dawn  -   William H. Hays , n/d.

American,b. 1956 -

Color linocut print on paper, 9 x 12 in. 23.5 x 31 cm. Ed. 95