Facebook Live

I've been having fun lately doing weekly, 2 hour, live painting sessions on Facebook.

It's part of trying to learn to embrace the fear of failure. The more I have come to accept that failure is not just okay, but it is a good thing, and a necessary part of growth, the more fun my life has become. And the more fun painting has become. It's about taking risks.

I spent a lot of time trying to perfect my painting skills, make things look like things. But I wasn't enjoying it. In art there is no way to follow a script, a lesson plan, do all the right things, take all the right classes and ensure success. Oh wait! that's true of life isn't it? Hmmm.

Anyway, when I started teaching, and painting in front of others, something shifted in me. You can't do those things without accepting that things might go right, and they might not. There is risk. My ego fought that pretty hard, still does! The first few failures were pretty devastating. But I just kept getting back up, dusting myself off, and putting it out there again.

Why? I tell myself it is because I want to share and encourage others to give it a try. And that is true. But it's more than that. I want to discover what is on the other side of the fear. What doors in myself can I open up, what experiences of connection to the flow of life can I have.

What is out there in the place between the obviously possible and the obviously impossible?

Ah, but I wax philosophical. Here are some recent Facebook Live Painting Session paintings.

You can join me every Tuesday at 1:00 Pacific time. Or stop by at your leisure and watch the recorded sessions.

https://www.facebook.com/karenilariart/live_videos/

Large Leaf Earrings

Another crochet earring pattern I came up with

Large Leaf Earrings

Materials:

DMC Perle Cotton No. 5 (small amount, ¼ skein or so)

Crochet hook: 00, 1.75 mm

Small tapestry needle or crewel embroidery needle

Ear wires

stitches used:
ch: chain
sc: single crochet
dc: double crochet
tr: triple crochet
sl st: slip stitch
Pic3: Picot stitch - ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook.
Pic4: Picot stitch - ch 4, sl st in 4th ch from hook.

R 1: ch 10 loosely

R2: sc in 2^nd ch from hook, dc in next 3 ch,  tr in next 4 ch, 5 tr in last ch.

Now work up the other side of the chain. You can work over your starting tail to save having to weave the end later.

Tr in next 4 ch, dc in next 3 ch, sc and pic3 in last ch (this is the tip of the leaf) , join with sl st to first sc

R3: sl st in the next 3 sts, sc in next st, dc in next st, 2 tr in each of next 4 sts. (dc, pic4, DC) in next st (this is the stem of the leaf), 2tr in next 4 sts, dc in next st, sc in next st, sl in next 3 sts. End, leaving a long tail – a couple of feet.

Center vein: 

Thread the finishing tail onto a crewel embroidery needle. Weave down to the  tip of the leaf. Chain Stitch back up the center of the leaf (you can find tutorials for chain stich on You Tube), ending at the stem to create a center vein. 

Finish off and weave end.

Attach ear wire to stem.

You can stiffen your earrings with a bit with spray starch. Place earrings front side down on a towel. Spray back with Heavy spray starch and let dry.


Here is a link to a printable PDF version

Crocheted Leaf and Flower Earrings

Something else I love to do besides painting! Crochet and knit!

So these little earrings are my design and I wanted to share them with you

Leaf and Flower Earrings

3 colors DMC pearl cotton no. 5 (you will need only a small amount of each color. You could make 4 or 5 sets with one skein of each)

Size 00, 1.75 mm crochet hook

(pc3 stitch is a picot made my chaining 3 and sl st in the 3^rd chain from the hook)

gauge is not critical.

Flower

Start with Magic ring and color 1

R1:  5 sc in ring don’t join.

R2: working over starting tail.  2 sc in each of the 5 sc (10 sc) join with sl st to first sc. End

With color 2:

R3: working over end of last color. Join with a sl st and sc in same st as join.  ch 3, *sc in next 2 sc, ch 3. Repeat from * 3 more times (5 petals) sc in next sc. join with sl st in starting sc.

R4: working over this color tail. 5 sc in ch 3 loop, *sk 1 sc, sl st in next sc, 5 sc in ch 3 loop. Repeat from * 3 more times. join with sl st to beginning sl st.  End.

Weave in final tail.

Leaf (use either this larger leaf or the smaller one)

R1: Ch 7 loosely, sc in 2^rd ch from hook. Sc in next 4 ch, 3 sc in end ch, 

now work up other side of chain (working over starting tail) , sc in next 5 ch, 3 sc in last ch

R2: Dc and 2 tr in first sc. 2 tr in next sc, dc in next, sc in next 2sc, sc pc3 in next, sc in next 3 sc, dc in next sc, 2 tr in next sc, 2 tr and 1 dc in next sc, sk 1 of the 3 sc on the end, sl st in the next 2 sc.

Stem: Ch 12, sl st in 3^rd ch from hook, ch 3, join to flower with sl st between petals. End.

Weave end back through ch to leaf.

Smaller Leaf

Ch 5 loosely, sc in 2^nd ch from hook, dc and tr in same st, tr and dc in next ch, dc in next ch, 2 sc, 3pc and sc in end ch.

Working up other side of chain (and over tail) dc in next ch, dc and tr in next ch, tr, dc and sc in next ch. Join with sl st to first sc.

Stem: Chain 9, sl st in 3^rd ch from hook, ch 3. Join with a sl st between 2 petals on the flower. End.

Weave end back through ch to leaf.

You can stiffen your earrings with a bit with spray starch. Place earrings front side down on a towel. Spray back with Heavy spray starch and let dry.

Click here for a PDF file that you can download