Inching Artists - Star Gazing & My Monday So Far

The theme at Inching Artists this week is "Star Gazing". I was planning on doing something more imaginative this week but I came across this beautiful piece of Peggy Skycraft paper that I bought some years ago at a Stamping Down Under Convention, in Sydney I think. Peggy does the most incredible things to paper! This piece really makes me think of a universe full of stars so I had to use it for these inchies. And of course then all I could think to add to it was stars!! I've used a Rubber Stampede dotty star background stamp that was one of my early stamping purchases. The embossing powder is gold pearl. I do so little embossing these days my antique gold powder has gone black!

Today I am having a day's recreation leave - it was a spur of the moment thing, fortunately I didn't have anything urgent or important happening at work and my boss was amenable to the short notice! So I have a whole pile of plans for what I am going to achieve - mostly things that I had hoped to finish over the weekend - I tend to plan way too much for each weekend of course.

So what is happening in my life creatively speaking - firstly I am very excited and honoured to be part of the 2008 Calendar Girls (nothing is posted there yet). This is a group of twelve women in the UK, US and Australia who are committed to a twelve month postcard exchange (any media) based on the inspiration provided by each month's picture on a particular calendar. Fortunately for me, one of the original group had to drop out and I got invited to fill the gap. I really want to stretch myself this year so I am going to be trying to use a wide range of media across the months and I'll be blogging about my progress and experiments. The exchange starts in January but of course I am busting with enthusiasm so yesterday I started playing with some ideas using rice and watercolour papers. You can see part of why I didn't get through all my planned stuff ...

I am also committed to the year long monthly Journal Quilt challenge on the Aus_NZQuilters yahoo group. My friend Annie is also doing it so we will keep each other inspired and on track with our Wednesday night get-togethers. I haven't done much textile work at all this year other than some postcards so an A4 size quilt a month sounds like a good way to get back into it. It might also justify the piles of fabrics I have accumulated. One of the really good things about this project is that each month there is a theme and a whole selection of techniques to choose from but none of them are obligatory. Apparently the 2006 Journal Quilts went on a travelling exhibition during 2007 - wish I had been able to see them. I don't know if they came to this part of the country or not.

I think I might have already mentioned that I am doing a small square quilt for the NSW CancerCouncil fund-raiser that Unique Stitching is organising - I have some ideas percolating away for that one too.

Joanna has now sent me the pattern for the little fairy slippers that we are making as part of an "out of your comfort zone" exchange so I am looking forward to starting them too. I have months before they are due but I like to start things straight away so they don't become a drag at the last minute. I say that but I regularly produce things under pressure at the last minute so maybe I am just kidding myself! These little slippers are going to be surface embellishment heaven with lots of beading and paint I think.

(Myra's Fabric Postcard)

And now to share some lovely mail I have received - firstly, a lovely package of ric rac and other yummy trims from the wonderful and very sweet Doreen Kinkade (who read my post about needing more black mini ric rac and decided to send me her supply!) and secondly, a wonderful fabric postcard trade from the very talented Myra (who also sent me some lovely extras). Many thanks to you both.