Pine tar - a sticky situation

                                                    Winter is here in full swing.

Winter in the mountains- looks pretty and I love the various shades of grey & clouds.

 We've got snow on the ground but it's melting in the rain, while our wood stove is burning away the dampness & making our home warm and cozy. 

Winter in the Kootenays -  hoping to see the sun some time... soon?

Our walnut tree covered in fresh snow.

I love our wood stove and wood heat... but I hate getting sticky hands from the sap.

I loaded the stove this morning ... with my bare hands! How silly.

Stacked firewood- the culprit- it doesn't look sticky, does it?

 I know better, but in my defence, the gloves weren't there, so I took a chance and wouldn't you know it... a big gooey blob of pine tar was oozing from the chunk of firewood and of course I got it all over my hand.

 If you're not familiar with pine tar, sap, pitch or whatever you want to call it- it's the stickiest stuff you can get. Just like in National Lampoons' Christmas Vacation... where Chevy Chase is trying to read a magazine in bed and the pages stick to his hands :) 

Anyhow, that was me this morning. 

Luckily I know how to get rid of it, easily & quickly and thought I'd share my tip with you, in case you didn't know.

All you need is margarine, hot water & liquid dish soap!

 I wiped the blob off on a piece of newspaper. Then I got a tablespoon sized chunk of margarine and used it like a bar of soap on my hands, rubbing them together and getting them good and greasy.

  Then used some hot water to wash off what I could... now they're greasy- but not sticky, so... then I used a bit of Sunlight (any kind should work) liquid dish soap and rubbed & coated my hands with it. Finally used hot water to wash it all off. Bingo! Works like a charm! 

 So, there you go, if you ever get into a sticky situation with pine tar on your skin, you'll know how to get it off!  (I haven't tried this on clothing and hopefully won't have to.)

 

Love the splash of red of these mountain ash berries.

Taz... our grand dog- he loves the snow :)

 "Beauty is all around us. Sometimes we just have to look harder to find it".
Have an awesome day! Please leave a comment, so I know you were here :)

Angie

 

  

 

A productive weekend.

I hate to see this weekend end...

 We spent a peaceful morning enjoying the sunshine, birds, and collecting rocks at Queen's bay beach.

(Note: The lake level is really low right now.)

                                     Then the weather changed quickly so we headed home.

 I dived into my studio to start my 3rd clay bird project. This one will be a bit smaller than the others, but only a bit.

         I also made some earrings (and a little pug "window jewel")  with the tiny animal beads I bought recently. 

 Taking pictures and listing them takes some time,

 but I managed to list a couple of them in my Etsy shop as well. 

Back to work tomorrow... time to change gears.

Winter's here

Poof… it's winter in the Kootenays.

It started snowing yesterday, with our 1st snow warning and as I type this, I hear a snow-plow clearing the road.

I love the clean, whiteness of a fresh winter snow… as long as I've got a hot cup of coffee and a window to watch it through.

The reality is, a white knuckled and slow drive to town in the morning, and a bus ride home after work, at the new scheduled time (5:12pm).

It was heartwarming to see people going out of their way, to accommodate new passengers, by switching seats, so that a young dad can sit beside his child (instead of being separated in the last available seats.)

By the time our bus got to the bridge (BOB- our Big Orange Bridge), it was standing room only.

By the way, it's pitch dark here by 4:30, and I forgot to bring a flashlight, so when I got off the bus I had to fumble my way along the highway and down our driveway. There are no streetlights here, and the snow muffles all sound but I looked up to see an amazing display of stars. Yup winter's here… it's a love/hate thing for me.

Note to self: "Remember to carry mitts, hat, scarf, and a flashlight at all times."

Emus in the snow paintings

Here are the 2 paintings I made, inspired

by the emus I saw yesterday.

They are 6" x 6"

"Emus in the snow"- $35.00

I'm drawn to these beautiful birds, the way

they move, the purring sounds they make and their

unusual plumage.

It was such a treat to see them up-close,

the texture of their feathers, the contrast and strangeness

of seeing emus in snow, appeals to me and urges me to

do something with it.

I'll try & do "in progress" photos of some of my paintings.

Emus in the snow.

Today was an overcast, winter day in the Kootenays.

The clouds hung low in the sky, threatening snow, but my husband and I

went for a walk anyway. It's something we don't do nearly enough.

I guess walking along the highway has a lot to do with it, but there are sideroads,

so we took one and ended up at a dead

end, by a fenced in

field, where there were 3 emus.

Yes, big flightless birds!

I haven't seen one since my kids were small & I took them to the Calgary Zoo. What a treat!

We watched them for a few minutes, and I took a bunch of pictures.

I should've used the flash, but didn't want to disturb them, so all my photos are dark & needed to be edited.

(I'll be going back on a sunnier day, to take some more pictures of these fascinating birds.)

I was so inspired, that I spent the rest of the day/night in my studio painting,

"Emus in the snow".

The challenge was to make a completed painting in one day... unheard of for me.

I ended up making 2 paintings! They are drying right now as I write, and my camera's recharging, so I'll post photos of the paintings next time.

Here they are.

**UPDATE: I'm offering the 1st painting in my Etsy shop.**

Winter Owl

I just finished this little painting last night... Jan 1/11. A perfect way to start the New Year!

It's a little screech owl, resting on a dead branch, under snow covered branches, that I started a week ago. (You can buy a button if you like.)

Using a limited pallet, and a painting by my favourite artist- Robert Bateman, as my inspiration and source, it was nice to have a tangible resource, for a change.

(Most of my paintings are landscapes and abstracts, just letting the painting evolve as I go. To work from a picture takes more discipline, deliberation and is more challenging.)

I have no idea how long it took to make this painting, though, since time just evaporates in my studio.

There are times when the painting has to dry, before I can move onto the next step, and I find other things to work on- refurbishing an old travel case is my other project right now.

Below is an unfinished photo of my painting and a little art card.

I've blocked and defined the spaces, and worked out the owl.

(I'm making the little art card (ACEO), to test my colours

and brush strokes, as I work on the larger painting).

Painting in-progress (with unfinished ACEO on the side).

Today, I'll put a clear protective coating on my finished painting. I like to use a shiny, gloss finish, (but it's hard to get good photos afterwards), then I can truly call him complete.

I've enjoyed making this painting. During the busy holidays, I've created this safe, peaceful shelter, for a little owl... and for me.

Finished "Winter Owl" painting (9" x 12")

Finished ACEO (Art trading card.)