January 31, 2009

One World- One Heart


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One world One Heart is a great way to get to know other bloggers and to visit like minded people all over the world.
This is a worldwide event to bring bloggers together, you can read all about it at One World, One Heart on this addy: http://oneworldoneheart.typepad.com/ Thank you to Lisa.
The purpose is to encourage people, bloggers and non-bloggers alike to visit other blogs and make connections. Anyone with the One World-One Heart logo on their blog is taking part. If you'd like more information click on the World logo here.
To possibly win my giveaway, you must leave a comment ON THIS POST ONLY, by February 11th, and I will announce the winner on February 12th. You need to be a blogger yourself, in order to qualify. (You can comment on other posts all you wish too - which would be luvly!)
When you click on the globe you will be taken to the site that will explain everything, and show you a list of every participating blogger. Visit all the blogs! Leave comments! Win prizes! Check back on the One World site, as new blogs will be listed as their authors sign up. (Up until Feb 3rd).
What am I offering?
I am offering this little "Jewelled Jemz" neck purse... I have made a number of these over recent years ... they are great for popping your thimble in when you are at a workshop or even when you are working at home! and also for keeping Raffle tickets and other "knick Knacks" safe..... or just to "pep" up an outfit!

January 28, 2009

ATC's to swap
















I have some ATC's to swap if anyone out there in Blogland is interested ... here are the first 9 ... all are available except number 6 which has gone to live with Domito in France and now numbers 5 and 9 which are going to live in the UK with Miss 376. ATC's 1-4 are Hand Painted Calico with tatted lace and "bead necklaces". ATC 5 (gone) (a little bit special as I did the embrdoidered lavender when I was pregnant with my son nearly 17 years ago!) has embroidery and tatted lace. ATC 7 is a hand painted on calico Japanese lady ...with tatted/embroidered fan and tiny tassel. ATC's 8 and 9 are hand painted fabric with tatted "flowers" and beads and sequins and ATC 8 is going to live with Pat in the UK. So if you are interested please leave a comment ....
I went to my lace group this morning thank goodness the room is airconditioned as it is very humid today although only 28°c. My daughter is off to Melbourne tomorrow morning (5day shopping spree!) and the forecast over there for the next 4 days is 40°c plus ...unusual for them though most summers we have consecutively hot days like that! For them the last time the weather was like that was apparently 1908!

January 26, 2009

Happy Australia Day and Kayaking

















Hi All - Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie friends! These pics were taken 5 weeks ago when we (including the UK family who were visiting then) went up to "Guilderton" to Moore River ... Kayaking ... Hubby and I with our own Kayaks and the others hired theirs up there ... today just Hubby and I went up there ...it wasn't so windy this time which was nice as it can be a bit tiring when the wind is coming off the sea and straight up the river! We got there at 9 am and spent just over an hour paddling ... as we were leaving the people were flocking down to the river mouth to celebrate Australia Day! too many people for me ...I can't handle the crowds ...NOT my idea of fun!
The first pic is Dear Daughter in an Hire Kayak ..Then Hubby in his Kayak next to mine obviously I am not in it as I was taking the pic hahaha! Next pic shows us getting ready and the Rellies putting on the sun lotion! and me standing by mine looking extraordinarily unattractive in my Kayaking gear! haha but at least I didn't have my sexy PFD on at this point!

I have done some crafty things the last couple of days mainly a Wild Woman brooch yesterday for my Stitchety Grub Friend, Gillian, whose Birthday it is next week ...so I can't put the pic on here yet 'til I have given it to her! We are having a Hot Dog BBQ and the snags (sausages) are nearly done... the smell is wafting in the door ...so bye for today :-)..... Oh and by the way thanks Miss 326 for your comment on Coopers Quilt ... he has already "Christened" it apparently... he threw up on it and it was chucked in the wash machine and is as good as new! hehe!

January 24, 2009

Cooper's Quilt
















Hi All - Here are a couple of pics of the little quilt which I made for my best friend's Grandson, Cooper (Born Oct 21 2008) This was his "first Xmas" pressie .... I am currently busy sorting wire and beads for the kits for my students ... for the Wire Lace workshop I am teaching in Adelaide in mid April ..... as well as getting back to Lace bobbin painting ...a few orders which I received over Xmas but which the ladies who had ordered them kindly said they would wait for them as I had the family visiting from UK. No excuses now not to get on with them haha! So today I was painting Emporer Penguins and Humpback whales (A friend wanted these to commemorate a trip to the Antarctic ...lucky thing) ...there were actually 3 different friends around Australia that I know who were all going on an Antarctic cruise (each on different ones though! hehe). I have also started working again on my Triennial Competition piece (it's been on the "back burner" for about 4 months!) I can't say any more about it as it is all "Secret Squirrel stuff" until the competition Sept 27th! LOL! - In my Embroidery group we are making each other "Wild Women" Brooches as Birthday gifts for this year so I must get organised as the first B'day is Feb 1st !!!! ... the next after that will be April 2 then it is my B'day so don't need to worry about that one but then another one of the Stitchety's has a B'day on April 27th! (Only 6 ladies in the group and 3 Birthdays in April haha! It's a great month what can I say??? LOL) ...I will of course post pics of them on here ...as and when they are done.....

January 17, 2009

Egyptian Scarab Needle Lace Bra Bag














Hi All - First of all Yay! I have just checked a bit further down the blog entries and I give a big Thank You to Ma Clara Lloveras who left a comment on January 8th on the entry about my Xmas ATC's which meant that I have at last obtained my "last Year's Goal" of getting more than 6 comments on any one entry! yay! doing happy dance haha! LOL! In regards to the last entry - about my Wire Lace Workshop this coming April- Hi Miss 376 - yes I hope the students do enjoy making the wire pieces ... I have one student who did a wire workshop with me the last time I taught it in September 2007 so she is coming back for more or perhaps it is the lure of the chocolate that seems to always be "on the table" during my workshops (I rarely bring it myself but they all know I am a chocoholic and bring it themselves!! haha) Guzzi Sue thanks for your comment too. Jennifer Rose - Hi .... they hold their shape remarkably well... plaiting in wire lace is fairly strong and the wire I use is Enamel Coated Copper Wire 32 guage (0.2) the only time I have to be careful when wearing them is when I am out and about in my car and I have to be a bit careful with the seatbelt!
Hi Pat using wire is even slower than the usual bobbin lace as you have to tension after every single move not just at the end of a row... it is actually easier to join in a new thread when other thread breaks too! it's really quite forgiving!
The pics here are of my "Bra Bag" which I made last year ... the bag was made up ready for the "Scarab body" to go onto... the body of the Scarab was of course the needlelace workshop that I did during the Australian Lace Guild AGM week in September in Brisbane with my lovely tutor "Margaret Stephens".
I managed to just about get it finished on the final AGM day ...it was hastily sewn on (as you can still see I need to take it off and re sew it on properly!) about 1 hour before the AGM dinner ... more tassels need to be made as the ones on here are actually the earrings that go with my Nefertiti Purse which can be seen in earlier posts on my blog!! So that's somehtin gI need to do soon. The edging on the bottom is also all hand made needlelace using 2 different metallic threads - a pig to work but the effect was what I wanted! and that was done before hand too. The metallic gold bra (size 16c so definitely way to big for me haha) was on sale for Aus $6 ... I have a metallic turquoise one and also a metallic silver one which I got at the same time ... unadorned as yet though!

January 16, 2009

Wire Bobbin Lace Jewellery


Hi All
Here are pics of my Wire Lace Jewellery - A while ago I was asked to come to Adelaide mid April this year to teach a 2 day Wire Bobbin Lace workshop - I had confirmation last week that it is going ahead so I am posting the pictures here for the students to have a look at and for those of you out there who haven't trawled through my blog in the past and therefore not seen these pieces before ... here they are. A couple of these pics were featured early Feb 2007 on this blog but others have been worked since in different colourways. The first design (like a round flower) is called "Njmajek" (Nim-a-yek) in wine and Leaf green wire, the next the same design worked in Supa violet and Supa blue wire. The next is called "Paduan" (Pad-oo-an) and is worked in Warm Gold, Leaf Green and Mid Brown wire. The last 2 pics are "Tudor" - one in Warm Gold, Leaf Green and Mid Brown Necklace and then a pic of the Earrings and the last "Tudor" in Warm Gold, Supa Violet and Supa Blue.




January 1, 2009

Happy New Year


Happy New Year Everyone - Here's a pic of my Meerkat Syd and Tiny Piglet watching the Midnight Foreworks on the TV last night which were of course over in Sydney! Since we decorated our living area all the other "piglets" and toys were put away except these two ... they are my "guards" hehe! Although if I fidget around a bit when reclining and watching the TV.... I have turned to my right and ended up with Syd's nose in my ear haha! I haven't much crafty stuff to show at the moment as I was asked about 3 weeks ago to teach at the Australian Lace Guild AGM week this September over in Brisbane ... a bit short notice (usually have at least 4-8 months notice!!) and the editor of the Aus Lace Magazine has a deadline for the March magazine of 20th January eeeeek! and this is the mag that the "tempters" for the workshops are printed .... so I have been madly designing and making lace ... "Free" bobbin lace.... (was initially asked to do a needle lace one but it was changed a week later!) ...
It's been warm here ... last weekend it was 32-34°c and Tuesday was 39°c ..It was s'posed to be that again today but only got to 37°c !!! I went in our swim pool today ...first time this Summer (Summer here in Aus starts Dec 1 and goes until March 1st) ...I like the pool to be warm... it is a large below ground concrete pool and needs at least 4-5 hot days and warm nights before I think about going in ...it was a luvly swim as I had been sitting still lacemaking over the lace pillow for too long! I worked out a few kinks! I
hope you all had a great Festive Season and wish you all the best for 2009 ... I had hoped to get more than 5 comments on any one entry on my blog but it was not to be :-( ...it was my last year's New Year Resolution but Ionly managed to equal it ...so...for this Year's resolution I am hoping I can get up to 6 or more comments on any single entry! ... Please feel free to leave a comment (hint hint hehe) and huge thanks to my loyal few who regularly visit and comment .... I have myself been neglecting my own visits to other blogs ...I have to say that with the Daylight saving kicking in at the end of October I haven't spent as much time on the computer in the evenings as I would like as usually I visit you all whilst waiting for my Sis to log on the Web cam in the UK but the timing is all wrong at the mo! :-( sigh!
Mega hugz to all I feel the need for choc so am off to get some hehe!