Photo hint

My husband and I visited the Melbourne Botanical Gardens on Saturday and saw these lovely sunflowers in the children's garden. My husband's a keen photographer and suggested I try taking a photo using normal day light and then using the flash. I was amazed at the difference the flash made. None of the images above have been touched in Photoshop they are straight from the camera. Maybe some of you know this trick but I thought I'd pass it on to those who don't. We didn't see the overladen bee in the picture until we downloaded them at home, what a nice touch.

More Found Objects Jewellery

I forgot to add these photos of my latest necklaces and earrings that went off to a new gallery on Friday. I will be uploading these onto my web site this week along with others I haven't shown yet. I've been totally absorbed in jewellery making these past two weeks so my studio is a complete mess. I now have to put together a journal made with my hand decorated papers to have on display at Hann Made where I teach altered books and decorated papers. I'm looking forward to doing something other than jewellery and of course I have to fit in going to work, if only art provided a more regular income, then I could retire and be busier than ever.

Finished Charms

My charms are finished now all I have to do is post them tomorrow and hope and pray they get to USA before Jan 31st.
They took so long but I've enjoyed every minute. I can't wait to receive my return ones. I just hope mine get there on time.

Charms

I'm participating in a charm swap at art-e-zine cafe. The back of the charms are my hand painted and stamped paper and on the fronts I've hand painted faces. I still have to add eyelets and seal them. I also have to wire them and add rings. I wasn't going to use any found objects originally but I'm sure I'll find something to add along the way. I'll post some finished ones ASAP.

I was thrilled last night to receive an email from Gillian Allen from Art-e-zine, she has very kindly created a page for me, re my found objects jewellery, on her site under newstuff for 2007. She has a fantastic site full of information and inspiration, I visit there often, it's a must visit. Gillian is so generous with her time putting together all this fabulous information and she does fantastic work herself. Well worth a visit over and over again.

Found objects necklaces

We are still in a smoke haze, this photo was taken from our back deck this evening. The sun is like a ball of fire as it's slowly setting. The fires have been burning since before Christmas and with temperatures of 36C and 38C predicted for tomorrow and Thursday things are looking grim on the fire front.
I'm still busy making jewellery, these two necklaces go off to the gallery on the Peninsula at the weekend along with four more and ear rings and pins. I'm also in a charm swap with art-e-zine, I'm really looking forward to that, my charms are almost finished. Back now to my beading.

Found objects pins

I'm still on holiday so I'm busy assembling new jewellery, the pins above along with some necklaces and earrings are off to a new gallery, I'll have details on my contacts page on my web site after I've delivered them.
Wow it's been a warm day today the temperature's in the mid to high 30'sC and no chance of it letting up for a few days, my poor garden is suffering as we are on strict water restrictions due to the lack of rain. We're not as bad off as some parts of the State in the north, they haven't had rain for months, we really are a sunburnt country.

Found objects jewellery

We're back after a lovely New Year's Eve celebration in the country with family and friends, a great time was had by all. I'm now busy assembling jewellery for a new order, I'll have these on my web site shortly with the details of the gallery they are going to.

The photos are of pieces I've made from 'found objects' the top one was a rusty piece of metal I discovered in a car park. I've cleaned, decorated and polished it and added old African beads and wire details.
The second piece was again an old rusty bottle cap which I've cleaned and decorated, the beads I made to imitate amber and old African beads, from polymer clay, I also created the wire bead. Now, back to the assembly line.