Canvas workshop

These are some of the stages of the development of the painted, collaged canvas that I'll be teaching in my next workshop from home on Saturday August 8th.




The colours aren't my usual choices, but I thought I would challenge myself.




They started to get warmer as the canvas progressed.





The finished canvas, I like to take the design around the edges of the frame too.


These are two new stamps I've added to my etsy site.

New journal

I've had another busy week making another journal and more jewellery. I've also found out I'm going to be a RoRo (grandma) again. Both of my daughters are pregnant so it's going to be a very hectic time in November and January.
I've also had a request from my three year old granddaughter for a 'princess' wall. I painted a mural for her featuring a scene from Nimo, but she's now moving into the bigger bedroom so hence a new painting.

About this time every year we have an abundance of these gorgeous 'red hot pokers', that's the only name I know them by. They used to be in another part of the garden and only had one or two insipid flowers so I moved them and look what's happened, a brilliant display that attracts the honey eaters especially as it's winter and there's not a lot of flowers for the birds.



This is the journal which is now on my Etsy















I'm holding a painted/collaged canvas workshop from home at the beginning of August, this is the type of thing we will be painting, so if anyone is interested please email me.











Finally I've been the lucky recipient of another award. Thank you to Lawendula, she has a wonderful blog and she awarded me the watermelon award, I have to name ten things I love so here goes

1. my family and friends
2. colour
3. making jewellery
4. journal making
5. all other forms of art
6. daffodils
7. the sea
8. chocolate
9. dogs
10. all you lovely bloggers out there

I pass this on to anyone who would like to compete.

New journal

I've just completed another hand made journal that I've added to my Etsy. There are 64 pages altogether, all decorated and some have my collage art on them. It measures 6 inches x 4 and 1/2 inches.



The cover is painted and then decorated using a similar technique to the one I learnt in DJ's class only I've added my own variation to it.



The following are pages showing some of the artwork and papers.












This is a necklace I completed over the weekend, it's now at Touchstone gallery in Olinda. I really have to get busy again with supplying the two galleries, they have very few pieces left.




I have also been colouring old lace doilies to use in my books and art, I love the vibrant mixture.



For a real treat visit Dneese and see what happened to all of the knitting we guerillas completed. She's amazing.

Journals and jewellery

What a busy time at present. Sorry I haven't posted for awhile, I will try and improve on this situation.

I had another great workshop at home yesterday, this was the Junk Journal class, I had a lovely group of students who produced some fabulous work, they went home with a new enthusiasm for junk mail. Unfortunately Norma couldn't attend as she had a dose of the dreaded flu that's around at the moment. I hope you're on the road to recovery now Norma if you read this post.



My jewellery work table has lots of components waiting to be turned into another necklace.





I received some wonderful gifts as shown in previous posts and so decided to make a 'tree' for my studio to display them. I pruned a branch of our apple tree then covered it with very colourful fabric. It makes a great place to display them as well as cards and jewellery. This bird was from the very creative and generous Elizabeth.






The goddess doll and flower were from the lovely talented Nic and the Klimt doll from the very clever Jacky.




This lovely piece arrived on Friday from Sylvia, one of my students, it's a fabulous journal pin. Sylvia makes these and sells them on her etsy site.



This was also a gift from Samm, another lovely student. This is a brooch made from Samm's hand made felt and stitching.



Pages from my junk journal, my 'onion roof houses'.




My 'lollipop tree houses'




This is the cover and spine of the finished journal, it's the largest journal I've ever made and is not the sort that I could just slip into my hand bag, but it looks good sitting on a coffee table.

This is the junk journal class and the fabulous array of 'stuff' on the tables.

Brooch workshop

I had another wonderful group of people over for a brooch workshop last Saturday. The students never cease to amaze me, they all learn the same techniques and have the same materials to work with but their end products are all so individual. They worked in a frenzy after lunch to get their brooches finished, you could hear a pin drop at one stage when they all had heads down and fingers working. They achieved some wonderful results as you can see in the slide show. I'm sorry Joanne I didn't get a photo of your brooch, you can see Joanne's brooch if you visit her blog here.

I have to once again thank my wonderful husband for the great job he does in the kitchen, he's one very special man.

I'm now getting ready for the junk journal workshop which is on the 4th July.

I'm also teaching a stamp carving class at creative souls retreat next March, this will be on a Thursday evening as I'm booked into all of the day time workshops with Susan Lenart Kasmer. I'm so looking forward to the retreat and I get to meet the wonderful Judy Wise too.

Jewellery

I've been making necklaces again using my fabric beads and found objects, this one was another order that is now on it's way to the US. I really enjoy this style and have been making fabric tag beads which allows me to incorporate textiles, which I love, and jewellery.



This is a close up of one of the tags.



I'm holding a brooch making workshop from home this Saturday, the 20th. There's still one vacancy if any one is able to attend. This is the style of brooch everyone will make in brass or silver with their own colour choices. I've created a whole collection of fabric tag beads for people to use in their work, they're pictured below.



I received a wonderful surprise when I arrived home on Tuesday, not one but two lovely packages. The first one was from the lovely Elizabeth. She had made me one of her wonderful muse birds, which are available on her etsy, it's beautiful. Elizabeth also sent me the most amazing napkins, I've never seen these before, I can't wait to use them in something special.
The other package was from the effervescent and so talented Nic. She had made me a beautiful doll, I call it a goddess, and a gorgeous flower brooch, Nic also sells these on her etsy store. These are two very special and talented ladies, it's well worth a visit to their blogs.