Sew Somerset

I haven't been blogging much this week - I think the shock of going back to work after such a full-on and wonderful holiday has been a bit too much for me and I have been feeling out of sorts and as if I am on the edge of some sort of flu or something. Anyway I treated myself to a very early bedtime last night (only as I wasn't capable of anything else!) and then a big sleep-in this morning so hopefully I will be back to normal soon. We have a long weekend this weekend so the extra day will be very much appreciated.

During the week I received my complimentary copy of the latest "Sew Somerset" and what a gorgeous book - full of beautiful pieces that incorporate sewing in some way.

I was thrilled (of course) to have my "L'Art D'Etre Belle" hanger included in the decor section (see below for a scan of part of the page) and just as thrilled to find my friend Sue Smith's gorgeous piece in there as well! I am planning a long and relaxing browse through the book (it is too big to be called a magazine!!) tonight.

But for now I need to go and finish my Calendar Girl Postcard for May which should really have been posted to Sharon by now.

Wednesday Stamper - Be Square

This week's theme over at Wednesday Stamper is "BE SQUARE" so I am posting a square card from an article I have in the latest Stamping & Papercraft magazine (which arrived in my letter- box today) - it features a great square image from Crafty Individuals. I know birds are everywhere at the moment but I just can't help myself!

PS I am addicted to adhesive paper lace too!

And the lovely Eva has blessed me with a "Sweet Home Blogger Award" so I will pass that on tomorrow night. Thanks Eva, it is lovely to think of all the blog reading and sharing that goes on around our planet!!

Fabric Postcards

(Coralee Barker's "Home is where your story begins" postcard)

For some time now I have been participating in a small Australian group fibre art exchange ("Quilty Conscience") and the Art Retreat in Melbourne provided us with the perfect opportunity to meet up and exchange our latest fabric postcards in person (given that we are normally geographically distributed!!)

(Karin Hutchinson's "There's no place like home" postcard - aren't those slippers awesome?)

It was so nice to actually laugh, eat a meal and drink some wine with these beautiful, talented, fun and very artistic women. It was on the Sunday evening after the last workshop and we were all a bit "gaga" but in some ways that made it even better as we were all so relaxed! What made it extra special for me was that my Melbourne-based sister Marrijane was able to be there too and to meet everyone as well! Ruth and Claire Kelly, Ruth's friend Vicki and Stephanie Grant were also there - both Ruth and Stephanie are part of the group but currently on hiatus - hope you guys are able to join back in soon!!

(Danielle D'Onofrio's "Be it ever so Humble" home postcard)

I have already posted my latest postcard for this exchange which was on the theme "Home" and these are the results from the other three currently participating in the exchange - aren't they fabulous!! I love them all.

PS Going back to work today was a bit of a shock to the system! I'm too tired to even get on my treadmill.

PPS Karin - Don't forget to send me the link to your blog!!! I NEED it!

Mixed Media Monday - Maps

The current theme for Mixed Media Monday is maps, so here is a page I did in an altered book a while back (for Heather Crossley) - well I have been away so that is my excuse!!

I love incorporating black and white images in collages - to me they are very graphic and create a strong contrast to the muted background. And I love those Ma Vinci stamped numbers!! So big and beautiful!

A Flotsam Post...Emphasis on May's Take it Further Challenge

This is today's effort to remember some of what I learnt in Misty's class only 10 days ago! Gosh it is scary how quickly you (or should that be "I") forget!! I enjoyed myself though...this is using a background I made in the class. Unfortunately I have covered up my gel medium transfer - Misty has no compunction (is that really a word?) about painting over or SANDING over work she has done but it is a big step for me!! Once again it is based on a magazine image of a face which is saned, painted over, altered and then repainted (sort-of!)... I am going to keep on practicing before I forget it all!

And now for something completely different - Sharon's challenge for May over at "Take it Further" was for us to consider what we called ourselves in terms of our art. She was, I think, focusing on our identification and potential labelling as artists versus crafters etc but I just can't get motivated to turn this theme into anything! I have never been a big one for labels and who cares what I call myself anyway? And do I care what someone else labels me? Well probably I do, at least at night when I can't sleep...

So that leaves me with the colour palette for this month and six days in which to make something that "takes me further". Needless to say I am pondering that one as the palette is quite out of my normal range, pretty, but very soft and pastel. Perhaps taking it further will just be me using different colours! Hmmm, thinking cap is on.

Think Monday Think ATC - Women in ART

I am just catching up on some of the weekly challenges and the current Think Monday Think ATC has a great theme - Women in Art. The link takes you to a terrific YouTube of women in art - well worth watching - I was mesmerized! Very clever!

So to celebrate this theme - here is an ATC sized version of a canvas I did some time back for my wonderful (and only!) niece Jasmine - this one incorporates one of my all time favourite painted images - oh to paint like this!! Can you imagine...

A few photos & the results of Traci's Workshop

A photo of my Traci Bautista Fibre Fusion Journal
(with late afternoon shadows for extra impact!!)

A scan of my journal front - the photo colours are more accurate. Look at all that glitter!!!

A scan of the back of the journal showing all the uneven length pages - so freeing!

The fibre fusion spine of the journal - threads, fabrics, beads, fibres, ribbons etc

A photo showing the woven spine between two of the signatures -
I love the way the journal lies flat - much easier to work in.
And yes this was a piece of manila folder that was my work surface - too colourful to waste!

I have finally got myself fully unpacked and can see my desk (or at least that little portion of it that is my "usual" work surface)! Yesterday I was really out of it so didn't force myself to be creative - I just caught up on some blog reading and read a novel (Bel Canto) my friend Jude lent me when I stayed with her in Perth on my way home.

Last night and today I have finished off my fibre fusion journal from Traci Bautista's workshop. Traci was a fabulous tutor, encouraging us all to just have fun and to splash the paint around, to make our own marks and to see the journal as just that - something that will be written in and worked on as we use it on a daily (or whatever) basis. It really was a fun class, lots of fast free work with very little conscious thought in the preparation stage. Traci got us to tear all our papers rather than use scissors and to use a wide range of papers - it is a good way to be at least a little bit green and extend the usefulness of all the junk paper that comes our way. Manila folders featured heavily and I used ones I had recycled from work.

The binding and weaving parts of the class were fun as well and I was able to finish my journal in class except for doing a little collage on the front so that is what I have now done, using some of my own doodles and scraps of papers from tje workshop. I also gave some more of my journal pages a wash of paint as I wanted my journal to be a very colourful surface in which to write. Next time I will sew around my collage before binding the book but I couldn't for this one as I had constructed pockets on the inside covers, plus it is hard to manipulate around the sewing machine once the book is bound.

And here are some photos of my trip - as I said yesterday, I took very few so it is slim pickings considering all the opportunities I had over the 11 days!

Creative tree pruning - noticed on a walk in Prahran

Sweet little place in Sassafras

Miss Marples Tearooms in Sassafras

One side of Miss Marples Tearooms - loved the Virginia Creeper and autumn colours
(we don't get much of that in Kalgoorlie where deciduous trees are rare)

Jo Wholohan and Kasha Rolley resting on a street-side bench in between purchases!