I love making/using botanical ink, but it does not follow regular rules of color mixing. Here is difference number one. It doesn’t dry the same color it goes on. Like not even close! I love the magic and surprise. The inks used were rose and red cabbage. #botanical ink #naturescolors #botanicalcolor

Had a lovely time making ink from roses after a pruning session. The colors are muted and soft and the whole place smells like the deliciousness of old roses before they bred the scent out of them. #roses #botanicalink #botanicalcolor #art

Group project done by my students, residents in a memory care facility. The bouquet reflects the trust students have when I tell them “This is going to look great”and they can’t yet see how it will all come together. #memorycare #artclass #paperflowers #groupproject

Between class and catching the bus I often stop for a Dunkin’ and some sketching. I didn’t use the first months of this 18 month planner, so I decided to use the month’s grid to examine parts of things. Great practice for developing my noticing. #sketching #sketch #planner #notice

Today is #transitdriverappreciationday @roserabbit.bsky.social and I are giving our bus drivers a token of our appreciation. Thank you for all you do! #wrta #worcester,ma

I became interested in #sacredgeometry a while ago. I started drawing and embellishing this pattern - #theseedoflife . For this version I drafted the shape and then cut the pieces out of mixed media papers I made. #mixedmediaart #artyear #meditativeart #spiritualart

Close up of the middle signature of my #handmade #artjournal I make these small journals to take in my bag so I can have a little creative escape in the in between moments. #mixedmediaart #makingartinpublic #momentsofcreativity #artyear

Had fun playing with my #watercolors made from plants on leftover strips of paper. Why not weave them? The result made me happy. #artyear #botanicalpaint #handmade #botanicalcolor

Finished mend. Now on to the rest of the pile! #visiblemending #mend #fixit #handstitching #embroidery #repair

Mending a garment while wearing it has pros and cons. #mending #slowfashion #handstitching #sustainable #embroidery

Back and inside of yesterday’s crossbody bag. The tabs were leftover from a project 10 years ago. I added them to hang things from. #upcycle #handstitched #slowfashion #usewhatyouhave #handmade #memade

Took a break from re-organizing my supplies to make this cross body bag. Every element of the bag is left over. Body of the bag - old jeans. Straps - bias tape made from 30 year old fabric. Embroidery - 5 years ago. Interior fabric - 30 years old. Zipper - bought in 1960s. #upcycling #handstitched

Onion skin watercolor paint complete! From the onions to the pigment and now in watercolor form! #ArtYear #botanicalpaint #botanicalcolor #handmadewatercolors

For those that need a wee break from news, here's a little stop-motion animated film about making, knitting as a means of coping through stress and grief. It's short- about 9 minutes; worth it. The voices are wonderful. #uplift #craftsky #knitsky #visiblemending vimeo.com/827066711

So my first lake pigment is all ground up and stored in vials until a day for paintmaking. I am jazzed and ready to make more! #lakepigment #botanicalcolor #paintmaking

My first lake pigment made from onion skins. This is the excruciating drying phase. The pigment on the left was the original pigment, but I noticed that the runoff water was still pigmented so I gave it another go - viola a lighter pigment. #lakepigment #botanicalcolor #onionskinpaint #makingpaint

Yesterday I cooked up a crock pot of onion skins. What a lovely color emerged! Part of the resulting liquid was a part of my first attempt at making lake pigments (to be continued) the rest was made into onion skin ink. Playing with onion ink on lavender inked paper was fun! #botanicalcolor #paint

The other day I was walking across a parking lot when I looked down. The repairs to the lot looked suspiciously like #neurographicart . #artinthewild

Learned about neurographic art not long ago and find myself entranced. Many pages of my bus journal are being filled with NGA or zentangles. Art is calming to me, but these forms are giving lately. #neurographicart #artjournal #buslife #makingartinpublic

Today’s the day! Join us at the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge, MA for 90 minutes of creative fun!

Gearing up for teaching Junque Journaling at the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge, MA. It’s such a fun way to use papers and memorabilia to create a beautiful journal. #journalmaking #journal #junquejournal #libraryprogram

Word on the street advises against using metal with natural dyes. So dip pens made from dried rose stems do the trick. 2 weeks home coughing paired with a bag of paint pens and this happened. #handmadetools #ArtYear #colorful

Fascinating !

Seriously, creative folks: Don't be afraid to let people know your stuff is out there for them, or worry that "now is not the time for that." People are stressed and freaked out and looking for the things that will give them a moment of rest and joy. It is EXACTLY the time for what we do. Tell them.

Last summer we received a bouquet from a vendor at the Farmer’s Market. I made ink from the flowers, a dip pen from the stalks and my daughter made a thank you note using the ink. #botanicalcolor #inkmaking #naturalcolor

Now more than ever I need my meditative practices to ground me. Any type of fiber art does it for me so stitching labyrinths gives me a double dose of centering. The beauty is that I can find peace tracing the lines. #labyrinth #meditative #stitching

I have been taking small papers on the bus to draw on which will end up in college or mixed media pieces. This piece had been printed. I used the bumpy, vibrations of the bus to control the marks a ball point pen made. I quite like it. A new medium for me! #mixedmedia #artinpublicplaces #artonthebus

These are some of the ways I played with my watercolors. Just seeing how the colors mix and how I can use them to express myself. #watercolors. #paint #paintmaker

I’m not really a watercolorist. So why make paint, my daughter asked me. Well, I love making and working with botanical inks. The problem is, they aren’t shelf stable. I want to make special paint for memory keeping for special people and events. #paintmaking #watercolors

The paints I have made so far. The pigment in the blue came from old eye shadow. The yellow is from the wonderful pigmented turmeric - my first paint from natural pigment. There is so much to learn and each batch gives me more insight. #naturalpigment #naturescolors #botanicals #paintmaking

Very pleased with the results of my first attempts at making watercolor pans. I made two colors - one made with purple eye shadow and the other from crushed up ends from red pencils and globs of left over paint. #paintmaking #watercolor #handmadepaint #color Swatches by @roserabbit.bsky.social

First attempt at making a watercolor binder. I’ve been botanical inks for a while now. While I have been asked to sell them, the ink is not shelf stable. In fact, they have a very short lifespan. Turning to making watercolors is the next step. #botanical-art #watercolor #artmaterials

How to Prevent Bind Off Edge From Curling Step-by-step knitting tutorial that shows a simple way to keep the bind off edge of knitted fabric from curling. www.10rowsaday.com/no-curl-bind... Want more tutorials like this, explore all resources at www.10rowsaday.com/club #knitting #knit #knitsky

I make things from scraps of fabric, leftover beads and well loved items. This broach was made with scraps of lace and reclaimed beads. I love making beauty from the things instead of discarding them. #upcycle #reuse #fiberart #accessory #handmade

Mark making on bits of random paper. They will all end up in my art Journals. I never know what they wil be until they are done. #mixedmediaart #markmaking #paperart

If you love vintage patterns, here is a fantastic, free, volunteer run resource with hundreds of periodicals and books, it is www.antiquepatternlibrary.org Every craft can be found, so grab a beverage and get comfy, this site is a rabbit hole you will disappear into for days. #vintage #tatting

To invent the wheel, did people first have to invent the spindle? - Ars Technica #Spinning #Yarn 🧶 apple.news/AjEdjVXV6R2K...

I’m tempted to start sewing my own clothes but I’m keeping it at bay…for now. #knitting, #crotchet, and #spinning are constants in my life and I did recently buy a loom. #fiberart #weaving #AcquireAllTheHobbies #INeedAFriendWithSheep 🧶

The absolute lowest micron fibers are cashmere, qiviut, guanaco, vicuña, baby suri alpaca, and some merino and merino cross breeds. These range from 5–15 microns usually and are good for newborn baby next-to-skin. Fine wools between 15-25 micron are also super soft.

A very small percentage of folks are sensitive to lanolin in wool, but 99% of lanolin is removed in the scouring process and commercial wools have zero. If you think you have a wool allergy, find a low micron (20-30 micron) merino yarn/knit sample and wear it for a few days. You’ll be surprised!

Let’s talk about wool allergies. Do you know someone allergic to wool? Probably. are they ACTUALLY allergic to wool? Very unlikely. Wool is EXACTLY the same protein as your own hair and nails. More likely, what they are reacting to is the “scratchiness” of higher micron wools. (Cont.)

Old jeans made into new patches for upcycled elegance. There are so many ways to upcycle clothes that can no longer be worn as is. Making patches out of one garment to fix another gives each of them new life. These patches are available on my re.statement shop. #patches #embroidery #upcycle

Art journals. Made from hand printed papers, vintage music and maps and scraps of paper I save from the recycle bin. Covered with collage, marker, paint and more. #artjournal #mixedmediaart #collage #journal

Mending. The word holds so much potential/baggage for people. My mending is the culmination of a lifetime of practicing needle arts & years of creating art journals/collage art. Layer on layer. Invisible mending has its place, but visible mending is my love. #mending #needlework #embroidery

Deciding what to post first here has been puzzling. Finally decided that this photo of some of my ink samples - red cabbage with salt, red cabbage with baking soda, doodles with rose ink and a sticker using some of my ink drawings was a good start. #botanicalink #naturescolors