A Theory About Feline Echolocation

I had an epiphany while being deprived of sleep by my tortie feline the other night.

One of the things Splotchy always does is make a little trilling sound before he jumps up onto a surface (surface can be a chair, a table or our shoulders - owning a tortie is a lot like having a howler monkey.)

Lying awake at 4 AM listening to the little monkey chirp at something outside, I wondered if maybe the reason that the little kittiot does that is not that he is warning me that there is a 7 pound multicolored furry missile headed towards my face, but just maybe he's echolocating, like a bat.

It would be just like a cat to use that chirp to benefit CAT and not PERSON.

I expect my Nobel Prize for revealing echolocation in cats to arrive any day now.

When I receive it, I'll build a soundproof room I can sleep in.

I decided today was a good day for watercolor. When I asked you all to answer the question about a technique you'd like to learn the other day, a lot of you said watercolor.

So I thought I'd do a video for you showing you my process from start to finish of no line watercolor, using the You've Got This stamp set from the upcoming catalog - which you should totally buy from me. :) (Available June 2, or if you're coming to my catalog open house & BOGO sale, you can order there.)

The key to watercolor is to let go of every OCD and uptight tendency you have. I think the reason a lot of people think they can't do it is that they think there's a right answer.

There's not.

You have to let it surprise you and learn what it WANTS to do so that you can TELL it what to do, if that makes sense.

It's also not rocket science, and you shouldn't be intimidated by it. I painted this card in half an hour, and enjoyed every minute of it, and if I can do this, you can do this. You've got this. #seewhatididthere

Now isn't that fun? Looks a little different from the stamp, but the stamp guides the painting.

This is a lot of fun, and I want you all to watch the video and then try it. And don't try it ONCE. Stamp out ten images and paint ten in a row - that's the only way to get better. Every time I try a new coloring medium, that is how I practice, and that's how you should practice.

I'll know if you're lying to me and you don't do this. I promise.

Here's the long version of the video: (Be sure and click the little gear on the bottom of the video player and choose 720p/HD to view the highest quality version).



And here's the short version of the video:

Abstract Watercolor (Short Version) from Lydia Fiedler on Vimeo.

I hope you enjoy one of those. This card is for this week's Mix-Ability challenge, which is all about texture. I cheated and rubbed my texture off :). Here are the things I used:

• Masking Fluid
• Brusho
• QOR Quinacridone Magenta

Also - I wanted to answer a question I got last week about Stampin' Spots and the little Ranger Distress Ink Minis tin. Yes - they fit like a dream. That's how I store mine - they are exactly the same size as the Ranger minis. Now we don't sell the spots individually any more, but they come each month with your My Paper Pumpkin subscription if you have one, and they are GREAT for using with the MISTI. So get yourself a subscription and a couple of these cute little tins.

Loveyameanitbye.