Michelle Ward/GreenPepperPress Blog

Roses have bloomed

June 5, 2017

Even more glorious today than they were last week, here are some of my rose bushes. First photo: roses planted in 2008. Second photo: roses planted in 2011. All of them are tributes to honor my sister's life. I definitely feel her….and with these, I can see her.

And this one, called Daring Spirit, was a special gift from two friends in remembrance of my Grandma Kelly after she departed for heaven two years ago at age 102. This is the first big bloom I've gotten since it was planted. It smells good too!

Graham spent the weekend planting shrubs and filling the planters and bird feeders. The yard is a menagerie. Butterflies, bees, birds, bunnies and a family of kittens are regular visitors….and our goldfish pond is thriving as the fish are entering their third season here. Pool is open, beach towels are washed, (still have to blow up all the floaties) but we are ready for warmer temps…bring on summer!
5.17.17

May 17, 2017

I caught this photo Tuesday afternoon. With the heat expected today, there is no doubt this will open up for a birthday sign from Shannon. There are a few dozen that look ready to follow, and by the end of the week it will be a glorious show. The first rose bush planted in honor of my sister in 2008 is well over ten feet high. At one point I had over twenty bushes, but get this….all the non-pink roses have perished. Pink has taken over. You can't even see where the non-pink bushes were since the pink ones have filled in the vacant spaces. Love that. More photos soon.

Miss you sweet Shannon. *blows kisses*
Happy Mother’s Day

May 14, 2017

This is a rose from last year, my blooms are not quite ready to show off yet, see below.

Hope you have a glorious day.
Playing with Fire

April 20, 2017

The new Somerset Studio just arrived. Here is a sneak peek of my article. You know you're onto something good when you can't stop. At some point you have to put down the tool, quiet the inner voice that keeps coming up with additional ways to push the technique, then document the body of work with the camera, and start writing about the experience. When you're in the groove you fear that hitting pause may become a permanent hold. However, as I showed you last weekend with the tattooed eggs, it was not hard to get back my mojo a few weeks after the premier voyage into pryography. I think this one will keep my attention for some time.

How cool is this? Two weeks ago the new Uppercase magazine arrived. A writer named Brendan Harrison wrote an article about pyrography too, also called Playing with Fire. I loved hearing his take on it.

Thanks to all my friends who have stepped up swiftly and lovingly to support another friend. And to those of you I've never met, how cool that you joined in too and have trusted me to pass along your positive messages of healing and cheer. I know it's going to be powerful as I can feel the spirited energy within each piece.
Happy Easter!

April 15, 2017

I've become enamored with wood burning. Using my heated tip stencil cutter, I have tried several of the replaceable nibs in the kit on all kinds of wood shapes. Here are some of my eggs. My next post will show more pieces that were included in my upcoming article for the May/June Somerset Studio.

Have a Happy Easter!
Maker’s Day NJ

March 20, 2017

This weekend there are hundreds of Maker's Day events taking place in communities throughout New Jersey. Check the website NJMakersDay.org to find an event near you on Friday and Saturday. Initially launched from my own local library, we are proud be included as a vendor on Sunday, March 26 for their Maker's Market at Piscataway Kennedy Library. Sam will have his painted cards, and our Special Olympic teammate Keith will be there too, with his birdhouses. We hope you'll stop by!!
3.17.17

March 17, 2017

Yesterday was the four year anniversary of adopting our sweet black cat Lucky. They told us she was likely about a year old so we claim today as her birthday. We sure got lucky with her. She is precious. I think that luck is all in perspective, but it's been said that those who work the hardest, are the luckiest. Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson: I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have. Hope you find yourself lucky not just today, but always.
NEW NY stamps

February 24, 2017

As you know, last year we released a series of stencils with a New York City theme – designed by me, manufactured and sold by The Ink Pad NYC. Earlier this month they started selling stamp sets that coordinate with the stencils. There are unmounted sets, trimmed, on cling foam, as well as several images available on wood mounts. They are not yet listed in their online shop but you can pick up in the store (37 Seventh Avenue at the corner of 13th Street) or call to order anytime. 212.463.9876

EDIT: Stamps NOW available online! Click HERE to transport to ShopTheInkPad.com

EDIT: Stamps NOW available online! Click HERE to transport to ShopTheInkPad.com
Happy Heart Day!

February 14, 2017
3 years = 12,000+ pins

January 27, 2017

Last week I was privileged to teach to an AP Art class at our local high school. We had a great time pulling prints from the Gelli Arts printing plate, as well as plain old paper to paper printing of hand-cut collagraphs. After amassing a pile a papers, they created a small journal or a grid collage, or both. I will show photos from the event next week. Below is a practice print I made to get warmed up for class – using a stencil that is having it's three year anniversary today!

Not long ago I started paying attention to the changes at Pinterest. They seem to continually change their format – just when I think I get how it works, it changes. It's likely they don't actually change it that regularly, but seems like it since I don't visit very often. One new feature seems to be that they have figured out how to compile close-to-accurate numbers for how often a photo/graphic is pinned. It used to be that you would see an item pinned from your blog with a quantity of 10 or 20 next to it, then see the same item further down the page with a 15, 30, or 50. There was a photo montage from my blog that had registered over a 1000 pins and I thought that was pretty cool, until I visited it this week and discovered, because of the new calculating wizardry, that the pin is now on over 12,200 boards. (see HERE if you're on Pinterest) HCIT?

I can't believe it's been three years TODAY since these stencils came out. Designed in October 2013, they were released with Stencil Girl Products on January 27, 2014. Here's an abbreviated posting of my original.

These stencils are available at STENCILGIRLPRODUCTS.COM and GREENPEPPERPRESS.COM