Happy Celebrations

I can't believe how long it is since I posted here. I really will have to pull up my socks next year.

I'd like to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas or whatever you Celebrate. This year has been so busy for me which is wonderful, next year also looks like it's going to be a big one.

I've put up the tree and wrapped the present now we just have to wait for the big day. Not looking forward to the weather, 36 deg Celsius and we are having roast turkey and Christmas pudding, at least we can be outside in the shade.

I will definitely endeavour to post more next year (famous last words)

Have a very Happy, Peaceful and Creative 2017

Back in 2017

Colour me positive

I was delighted to be invited by Lisa from Luluart to be a part of her weekly Colour Me Positive event here  If you visit and participate you have the chance to win the bag below. I met Lisa last year when she attended my workshop in Noosa, she has some wonderful products in her online shop

Thanks again Lisa

the bag you could win if you participate in Luluart's event

Thanks for dropping by

An Aussie at last

I've just returned from a wonderful time teaching two great groups of students, at the Embroidery Conference in Auckland NZ. I meet some lovely people over there, the venue was really good with lovely food. The tutors were so well catered for thanks to Catherine, Harry, Jill, Diane and the committee. I would definitely recommend anything they organise.

I came to Australia from the UK when I was nine and have lived here ever since, it's taken me awhile but I finally became an Australian Citizen over the weekend. My children were very pleased, they've been hounding me for years. I still have a British passport, so I'm now a dual citizen. It's very hard to totally give up your birth right, but I love Australia, it has and always will be my home.

one of the classes where I taught fabric journal making, the photos from the second class didn't turn out, so sorry ladies.

Auckland new above and old below

the view over the bay from the photo above, the green expanse is an extinct volcano 

Catherine and Jill took three of us to this amazing warehouse named the Asian Gallery in Auckland. What a fabulous place for treasures, these are some of mine I bought, now I have to get busy.

after my citizenship ceremony we toured the wine region of the Yarra Valley, near where we live, what lovely scenery and sunshine for a cold winters day.

this very unusual house on top of the the hill looks as if it should have been on Grand Designs.

My next trip is to Berry in NSW, at the end of the month, to teach jewellery making and a collage workshop. I'm busy getting ready for that next.

Thanks for dropping by, catch up soon

Our Garden in Winter

We're very lucky where we live, our garden very rarely gets snow and just the occasional frost. We've had it quite cold, for us any way, and lots of rain so every thing is looking very lush. These are a few photos taken in our front garden. Our house is open plan so this is the view from the living and dining room.

I'm also doing lots of painting and stitching getting ready to teach in New Zealand in two weeks and Berry NSW in August.

the finished piece, it's all hand stitched

a close up detail, the roses around the door are very old electronic fuses.

Thanks for dropping by and for your lovely comments.

Back soon

Catching up

I missed posting in April and May, I was away teaching most of the time, back home until July then I'm off to teach for a week in New Zealand. I'll be in Adelaide from the 16th to the 26th of September, so if anyone is interested in organising a workshop I'd be happy to teach. Just leave a comment or email me and we can sort something out. Meanwhile I have more papers and stamps in my Etsy shop.

I'll be teaching a collage canvas workshop above, and a bead and jewellery making workshop at Berry Quilting Retreat 

in NSW on the 27th, 28th and 29th of August, would love you to join me.

As always thank you for dropping by I will still continue to post on my blog, but I post most of my work on my Facebook Page, as it takes much less time

Back soon

Collage Journal

Here's a before and after shot of one of my collage journal pages. I love this process, nothing is planned, I just let the colour and shapes go where they take me.

before

and after, I love using acrylic paint pens for this process

I was very proud to be invited by Roxanne Evans Stout to be a part of her new book 

Storytelling with Collage

it's a beautiful book full of inspiration and techniques, it's available on Amazon

Thanks for dropping by, back soon.

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Bag Workshop

I've finally finished the bag sample that I'm creating for a workshop I'm teaching in Berry NSW in May. In the workshop we all paint on a piece of fabric, cut it up, then continue decorating it with paints, markers and stitching. Finally we turn it into a lined bag to carry art supplies, knitting or just as a fashion statement. If bright colours aren't your thing, you can use pastel or earth colours, whatever you feel comfortable with.

Thanks you for visiting, back soon

Summer rain

We've had quite a few thunderstorms in the past couple of days, fortunately they brought rain and not just lightening strikes in the dry landscapes. We received 50mm of rain on Thursday which has made the garden very lush again. Our veggie patch has gone crazy, I can almost watch the beans growing.

the beans I'm waiting to see Jack emerge

the herb garden and the rhubarb

I can't not show some art, this is another page in my collage journal

I'm teaching this workshop from my home in Melbourne and still have a couple of places left in my Tuesday classes, if you're interested in attending just send me an email I'll send you details.

Thanks for stopping by, I'm hoping to post more often this year.

This is two in a week, I can't believe it.

Happy New Year

Happy belated New Year. This year seems even busier than last, I missed posting in December and have only just made it for January. I'm busy working out classes and have decided to run some half day workshops from home, they will run over three to four weeks. The first one starts in two weeks on a Thursday. I'm also holding them on Tuesdays too.

these two photos are of my Collage Journal that I will be teaching in two weeks.

if you would like to attend please email me for details, the class is filling up fast.

I'm also teaching my Fabric Journal workshop at a fabulous resort in Coffs Harbour in NSW in May this year, again you can email me for details.

we had some very much needed rain just after Christmas after very hot temperatures.

that's my studio to the right.

my husband built this fabulous hand rail for our deck, just in time for our family Christmas gathering, we almost feel up in the trees now,

the mosaic pipe is another of my works in progress.

Back soon

Thanks for stopping by.