Napkin Lace Challenge

HI All

I have been here just lurking and looking on everyone else's blog's most nights.... I have been very remiss in not taking any pics with the camera hence not actually putting any posts on here... I have been tidying my studio the last couple of days! uh oh! ...long way to go yet ...trying to down size ... I have 2 bags of rubbish already... that's just paper!

Here are a few pics of the Napkin Challenge which I did during the middle part of this year .... The Australian Lace Guild challenged us to design and make lace based on the "dotty" designs on Paper Napkins..... you can see my napkin on the display sheet bottom centre ... with the biro markings on it! ... I made two items ... one in Bobbin Lace and one in Needlelace ...Both of which have just recently been entered in the local Annual Wanneroo Agricultural Show (2 weeks ago) in which I won 1st in "Bobbin lace - edged item" and 1st in "Any other Lace" for the needlelace one! Everyone who participated in the Guild Challenge had their pieces put in a book available through the Aus Lace Guild .... and there are 40 different Designs/patterns by 19 different Lacemakers! ...Those of us who entered were given a complimentary copy of the book which was luvly! The only thing was that I didn't realise that they were gonna be publishing them and so I hadn't named them ... Our magazine Editor named them "A Free Interpretation" which I never would have thought of .... my names for them were "Icicle" for the bobbin lace and "Tutti Frutti" for the Needlelace! But she had a dead line to work to and I was away down in Albany on the long Lace weekend...

ATC's received and chat

Hi All,

I am still around ... lurking alot in the last week and a half since I got this new computer! The other one was beyond salvage ... ditzy motherboard!

I have also been very busy getting ready for this Saturday's Cattern's Day Lace Fair here in Perth, West Aus ... I will be having a stall selling my Hand Painted Lace Bobbins so I have been very busy the last few weeks getting stock together as I had sold more than expected at the September conference ... who knew the ladies would spend up big hahahaha!

I have been doing a bit of craft in the studio but can't put a pic up of it as yet as they are for gifts ... stay tuned...... well have to go make sure I have something to take along to my Stitcety Grubs Embroidery group tomorrow morning so bye for now ...

I couldn't remember putting this pic on before ... it's of the luvly ATC that Pat sent me back in March (my first ever ATC - so verrrry special) then the next 2 are also from Pat which were in exchange with a couple of mine in August and then the bottom one is a felted one from Doreen .... I am gradually swapping and collecting ATC's and after this Saturday's Lace Fair where I might aquire a couple more .... I will take some new pics next week and pop them on here to show you.... since I updated the header on my blog a couple of months ago I haven't been able to load on any link thingies ..... so I don't think there are many of you visiting :-( ... I will have to go and leave messages on other blogs and "spread myself around!!!" haha....

Back again!!!

Hi All - sorry I haven't been around ... my computer crashed and it's taken 12 days to get this new one sorted and delivered though the computer man has to come around again tonight to help me retrieve some info and to get Outlook sorted ...being that I am a computer illiterate bod!!
Tomorrow I am hoping to load pics from my camera ... I did give the puter guy the camera disc and bless his likkle cotton socks he has loaded the program on already.
I do still have to load on my MP3 player's program as I forgot to pop that disc in with the others! Duh!
Whilst I have been without a puter I have managed to get quite a lot of creative things done in the Studio ... I have been making tiny Xmas "Dottee dolls" which I hope to finish tomorrow and then I can take a pic. I also have finished the coloured stitchery on my Kanthas Quilt nad have started on the white background quilting ... stayed tuned ....I have,of course been madly painting bobbins and varnishing them ...getting ready for The West Aus Cattern's Day Fair a week Saturday.
The weather has changed Summer is on it's way ... Saturday was 30°c - Dear Daughter and I had a "Gals Day out" shopping down in Fremantle - it was a faaaab day! ..Yesterday the temp was 37°c and today was supposed to be 39°c ... I got dear hubby to get up on the roof yesterday and sort out the airconditioner ready for the summer season so it has been luvly and cool in here today! yay! Still way too cold in the pool though ... being a big concrete one it's takes quite a few consecutively hot days to get it up to temperature ... gonna get solar heating put in one day .... don't hold breath though haha! :D

Kangaroo Paw

I took this pic a few weeks ago (during the conference- on the day off) There are several "paws" in the family but this particular one is the Western Australian State Floral Emblem (Mangles' Kangaroo Paw).... I have painted it very small many times onto lace bobbins! I am off to Wire Lace Day tomorrow and am going to do a Christmas decoration ... from a Jana Novak book ...only uses 3 pairs so not many bobbins to wind haha! I hope to take some more pics next week of crafty stuff ... I seem to have a lot of "real" pics not many craft subjects ... probably coz I haven't had a lot of time to do crafty stuff ...too busy workin' :( ho hum ....

At the beach! and sexy sox!

Hi

Here are a few shots that I took down in Albany at Middleton Beach ... we were collecting shells and I decided to take same "arty" pics ...

I went to our Wsetern Australian Lace Guild Lace Day yesterday ... a good turn out and I took some of my ATC's to show off ... the ones I have receieved as well as some I have available still for swapping ... we - the West Aus members - are planning on having a "swap session" at one of our monthly Lace days next year (hoping actually that it will be at the April one). Those of us who have already participated in swapping are trying to educate and convert those who haven't been "bitten" by the bug! It's slowly working haha! After the AGM dinner at the conference recently we had a "slipper/sock" party in my room ... here is a pic of our "tootsies" LOL Haha! :D Can you guess which is my foot?

View from my room

Here is a pic of the Flame Tree which was outside my bedroom at the units we stayed at in Albany ... I took a close up arty farty shot too! haha!

I bought some scrapbooking motifs today at the cheap $2 shop near where I go to Wednesday Lace Group ... 200 shapes in each bag... 1 bag of butterflies, 1 of heart shapes, 1 of star shapes and the last of flower shapes. They are sort of fabricky (new word? haha!). The colours are pastel iridescent in shades of ... orange, a light pink, a mid pink, a purple, a green and there could be some others ... I haven't opened the bags yet.... I will use some of them on ATC's as well as incorporating them into embroidery. I need to make some cards soon (for Birthday's etc) When I dig out the camera I will take some pics and post on here.

I also got a small bag of "holly leaves" with "that" time of the year nearly upon us.

I have made my 2 kids an Xmas decoration every year since they were born so that one day when (!!!!) they move out they will be able to "dress" their own trees. Not sure what I will actually do this year ... as some of you will have seen in old blog entry on here that last year I painted big "Gumnuts". Any ideas for quick decorations??????? I have done various beaded ones over the years and little ones in felt, cross stitched ones, decorated polystyrene balls ...etc ..... I am always on the look out for ideas :D

Oh! and just in case you are wondering .....I do make myself a decoration each year too as our tree would be very "nude" at some point in the future if I didn't now wouldn't it? hee hee! :D

Lace Weekend away

Hi All

Here are some pics from my Lace weekend away at the beginning of September... we stayed at a different place this year ... lovely units which have their own little lake on the grounds. The bullfrogs were very loud at night (thank goodness for earplugs haha) and the ducks were up early apparentley too! This one was a bit unsociable ... there were actually 3 pics ...3rd time lucky to get him without his head tucked somewhere! I have been really busy the last 2 weeks ... DD turned 18 early last week and I have been madly painting Lace bobbin orders from the AGM at the end of September... still got quite a few more to do and also to get stock up together for the November annual "Cattern's Day Lace Fair" here in Perth -Cattern's Day is an abbreviated name for St. Catherine's day (Catherine was the patron saint of lacemakers).

Surprisingly we are one of only a couple of States here in Australia who celebrate Cattern's Day!

I have started my Xmas shopping and want to do what I did last year (for the first time) and that is to have all the present shopping done by the end of November!

Great Conference Week

Hi All

Betchya all thought I had fallen off the edge of the world??? haha! I had a fabulous week teaching at the Australian Lace Guild Conference and I got to catch up with all my friends from all over Australia ... My students produced some great wire Jewellery of which about 5 of them wore the pendants and earrings to the Conference dinner which was great to see.

Here is a pic of my first ATC's which I made quite a while ago but was unable to put the pic on here as they were for the 9 National Committee members. (At last year's conference I one 9 ATC's by them so these were in return). Now that they have been given them I can put the pic on here :D When I went to the lace weekend 3 weeks ago in Albany my friends and I got to wander along the local beach collecting shells and I took some arty shots so I will post them over next few entries ... I will try and get back to blogging regularly again. My daughter is 18 on Tuesday so I am looking forward to celebrating that with close friends at a nearby restaurant .... have the bubbly ready! and yes there is bound to be chocolate involved! haha!

Lace Conference

Just a quick Hi ... I have been sooooooo busy getting ready for the beginning of the week long Australian Lace Guild Conference ... it starts this Sunday but I am heading down on Saturday - a day early- so I can go and snoofy around the shops in Freo ... I have a lace guest - Shell from Tasmania - arriving tomorrow and she is staying for 3 nights then we drive on down together. I still have a few "teachy" things to get organised the next couple of days but I am "skiving" on Friday and driving Shell to the Swan Valley - http://www.swanvalley.com.au/home.html - those of you reading this overseas - that is our local "wine region" and there is of course the lovely "Margaret River Chocolate factory http://www.chocolatefactory.com.au/ yep not sure who will be leading whom astray LOL hahaha! :D
I will be sure to take pics and give you all the goss from next week .... including the ATC swap which they have asked me to co-host on Monday arvo (Aussie slang for afternoon) - I have 27 ATC's to swap ... probably going to have quite a few left over so will swap any left on here....
Back soon ...:D

Blog troubles :(

Hi
I had a great weekend down in Albany ...I have some pics but haven't been home to load them on the computer! I have been trying to put the NeoCounter back on this page tonight but it won't let me :( I am soooooo fed up with trying to sort it out in the template ...the silly codes are all so much jargon ..... sheesh! How do all the other bloggers out there manage to have lots of ring links on their pages when I can't even get the one Embellisher one I had before we updated this B****** page! bah humbug!
Grrrrrrrrrrrr >:( It has been wet and wild here today ... and it's s'posed to be "showery" all week.... wonder where Spring went hmmmmmmmmmm haha LOL!

Back soon

Hi All
Just a quick note to say I am off very early in the morning tomorrow for my Lace weekend in Albany - the actual workshop is Saturday and Sunday but for those of you who don't know ... it is a 5 hour drive (includes a 15 min bathroom break!) so by leaving early we get there around 1pm and can go to the Patchwork Warehouse and the Craft shop yay! I will be driving back Monday in time to collect son from High School.... so catch you next week ... have a great (crafty) weekend and take care :D yep the wine and choc are packed ... gotta get the priorities right hahaha! :-)))))))))))))

More Lacey ATC's and Needlecases

Hi - Here is the other pic of some of my needlecase collection .... the pic shows some of my Wooden, Silver, Cow horn and beaded cases .... The bean pod one is special as a lace friend's Hubby made it.... following a traditional antique design.

Also here is a pic of 8 more Lacey ATC's though I have decided to keep the one at bottom left ... yep it's on some "yellow Duster" from Pat (http://alteringthoughts.blogspot.com/ )

-sorry still haven't learnt how to do that link thingie and don't have time this month to sit and play ... hope to find time after the teaching at the Aus Lace Guild AGM which is only 3 weeks away tonight!!!! Going back to that ATC there is just something about the pic and the way it came out I am gonna have to keep it! haha! I have another 10 ATC's in "mid make" ..... not sure if I will get them done in time for the conference but I have a few other things to get done which have priority so I will have to see how time goes...... Dear daughter flew back in today via Malaysia from her UK 5 week trip but her suitcase isn't due to land another 4 hours and coming via Singapore!!!! and will apparently be delivered by 9 am tomorrow .... so have to wait for any likkle pressies (if I have one!) I know she has something for her Dad and brother!

It's Father's Day here in Australia tomorrow and I have just realised I have done nothing about wrapping the pressies from the teeanage kids ...shame they haven't learnt to do it themselves hmmmmmmmmmmmm! ....

Needlecase Collection

Hi
I have been soooooooooooooo busy the last week or so ... all the preparations for the workshop I am teaching at the Australian Lace Guild in 3 and a half weeks are coming to a crescendo! ... I have spent the last 4 days winding Enamel Coated Copper coloured Wire onto small reels, selecting beads and putting "findings" into little "kit" bags for the students who are participating .... those doing the 2 day workshop will make one or other of the 2 sets of jewellery (See first blog entry for last February) or if they are doing the 4 day workshop and are very industrious!!! they can have a go at both designs! I have also been varnishing around 180 bobbins and still have a batch of about 50 to start varnishing! Here is a pic which I took at the Lace Day back in June and forgot was in the camera .. the display for the meeting was "Needlecases" (I started collecting needlecases just over 5 years ago) ...these are the fabric ones made by me and various luvly friends and I will post a pic in a couple of days of some of the cases which are made from wood, bone, metal etc...... If you click on the pic you can see more detail ....(Pat do you recognise yours? :D)

Stitchety Grubs Stitches

Hi

These two pics (specifically) for my "fellow" Stitchety Grub Embroidery Gals ... a pic of Ros's "Chambray blues" jacket and Colleen's Crazy patch bag (with of course her own handmade bobbin lace on it!) We have all done our last Month's Pekinese Stitch and are now onto this month's "Chain Stitch" -I haven't actually started mine yet but I know which little square of my Pantoran (see earlier blog postings) I will do it on ....I will do it in fine thread as ripples around the gorgeous "totoise" button a lace friend gave me 2 years ago ...I have been saving it for something special ... now is the time haha! I will ofcourse post a pic when done ....I have been busy varnishing around 180 bobbins at the mo and a another batch of 40-50 will need doing after that .... and I am also working on the Wire Lace workshop notes and of course luvly ATC's .... (spoken or rather written like a true addict haha! :-D) No peace for the wicked!!! he he he waggling eybrows!

ATC's ...still haha!

This is a pic of my first ATC which I made back in March for Pat (Hi Pat :D) I forgot I had taken a pic of it and it was loaded on along with the other various pics which I finally put on my puter last weekend. My last post was Sunday and on Monday I made another 8 ATC's ...yep am getting addicted haha! but haven't taken a pic yet ... haven't had time. I did take the ATC's along to one of the Lace Groups I go to on Wednesday to try and get the others to have a go (not sure any will!) There was a lacemaker lady visiting from New Zealand and she seemed very keen so I gave her one of my ATC's to get her started! I am madly preparing my teaching notes and patterns for the Conference next month ...the days are going by soooooooo fast .. .I will be going down to Albany 3 weeks tomorrow and will spend 2 whole days working on my Russian mat, yakking, eating, boozing! (in the evenings gotta have a glass of vino!) and generally veging out ... it's gonna be great! 'specially as there will be me and my mate, Ros (we usually both go) and 2 mates who are flying over early (for a bit of a holiday before the conference) from Victoria. Waa hoo!

Russian mat "update"

As promised a couple of weeks ago... here is an updated pic of my Russian Mat ... I really haven't had much chance to work on it this year ... only the odd "Lace Day" here and there and as all lacemakers know (those who attend Lace Days) you only get to put in a few pins at a lace day- 6 if you are lucky hahahaha! :-D

I am planning on taking it down to Albany in early September to work on it over the 2 days of their "Lace Weekend" . (For those of you overseas - Albany is a little town down South of Perth it is a solid 5 hour drive from my house ... so my friends and I will head down on a Friday ... make Lace for 2 days (Yay!) then head back on the Monday!). This will be my 14th consecutive "Albany Weekend" I will have to paint myself a bobbin to commemmorate year 15 next year! and take some "bubbly" down :-D oh and of course choccie haha!

Lacey ATC's

Hi

Here is a pic of 6 of the ATC's which I have been busy with over the last few days... I have done an additional 9 too but they are for specific people and I will try to remember to post the pic of them in about 7 weeks time after the Aus Lace Guild conference week.

All the lace is hand made - using a variety of techniques: tatting, and bobbin lace ... I bought some more sequins last week too ...dontcha luv it when you get something new like that and you sew them onto everything ... my son better make sure he doesn't stand still near me or he could end up with them on his Footy shirt (he might get a 'complex"..... though of course he has known for years that his Mum is nuttier than a fruit cake hahaha! :-D)

From "Duster" to artwork!

Hi
Here is a pic of one of the dusters which Pat at
http://alteringthoughts.blogspot.com/ sent me back in mid March. I ironed tiny bits of polyester "fluff" stuff which I bought for a couple of dollars onto it (I think I mentioned this in previous blog entries) then added Angelina fibres, stuck it between "glad Bake" paper and ironed it -then free motion embroidered it with metallic thread. Next I will add some bits of various knitting wools ... and do a bit more machine embroidery then embellish with bits of my hand made lace, sequins, beads etc ..... I will use some of it to make ATC's for the upcoming Australian Lace guild Conference swap ... If there's anyone out there in "blogland" reading this who would like to exchange ATC's with me please do get in touch :-D - there is supposed to be a display of ATC"s at the conference as well as the swapping going on but all I have is one card which the lovely Pat sent me when she sent the duster package and a set of 9 made by the Lace Guild Committee gals last year which I was lucky enough to win.... I am so "behind the eight ball" when it comes to ATC's mainly 'cos time has been scarce this year! I have lots of embroidery projects planned for after this years conference ... the teaching side of things is a great consumer of time!

Inchies with tiny tatted bits!

Hi

I have been really busy the last week and a half hence why I haven't had a chance to do any blog entries!

I also have some pics in the camera and need to take some more. I have been doing a few ATC's ready for the swaps that will be taking place during the Australian National AGM Conference week at the end of September! Here are a couple of pics of the early stages of some of the Inchies I made a few weeks ago.... I have been also madly tatting tiny little bits to embellish them with.

I am trying to get my bobbin orders done too ... on Monday there was a vague light at the end of the tunnel but yesterday and again today I had a couple more orders come in hmmmmm. So it's into the studio tomorrow and time to get the paints running "hot"... I went to an op shop today and managed to get a copy of a big book by Steve Parish of Australian Rainforests ... beaut ... as it is the theme for the 2009 Australian Lace Guild Triennial Lace Competition ... I already had 2 books on this topic but I had coveted this one several years ago when I was doing the City & Guilds..... back then I borrowed it from the local library.. so Yay! :-D I am doing a happy dance that I have my own copy ...haven't had a chance to look through it yet but when I move away from this computer tonight and over to my comfy chair with my cuppa tea and some choccie I can give it my full attention!

A few weeks ago my daughter helped me update to the newer blog and she put a pic up for my "title" but unfortunately I lost my Blog Embellisher ring logo box thingie and also my Neo Counter ... foobah! I guess I will have to redo it sometime :-(

Old ! Embroideries

Here are a couple of embroideries which I did about 15 years ago! I found them again recently when tidying the studio!! I didn't get a chance yesterday to take pics with the camera as I had hoped... but spent the whole day working - painting bobbin orders ...and again today ... feels a bit like swimming in custard! sigh! :-D

So hence the two pics which I took a few weeks ago!

Hello!

Hi
I am hoping to take some photo's tomorrow and load them on Monday as the kids have used up all our "fast time" and the computer is on a "go slow" and it's driving me nuts!
So "hold that thought" and come back for a visit in a couple of days :-D

Altar Cloth 3

Hi
This is the Altar cloth at St Nicholas's Church, Ashmore in Dorset. I took this last year too on the UK trip but it is also the church where I got married just over 22 years ago and yep this cloth was on the altar then too LOL! :-D

Bumble bee

This pic was taken by me last year on my UK trip in a beautiful Garden called "Larmer Tree" near the village in which I grew up in Dorset. It was a fabulous day weatherwise and hardly anyone else there ... I took this pic cos my Australian friend who was travelling with me had never seen a Bumble Bee before as we don't have them here in Aus!! I had forgotten all about this pic until I was reminiscing through some of the pics and found it....

Blog header

A quick question ... do any of you fellow bloggers know how I can personalise my header? any tips gratefully received :-D

Encrusted Beaded Zip Necklace

I have just been snoofying around in this computer and found a pic of me wearing my Encrusted Beaded "Zip" necklace - 'cos it's made using glass beads it is quite heavy - so I made a second one in creams/browns and golds which is in plastic beads. I love how plastic beads are made so much better nowadays ... a lot of them don't even look like they are plastic!

The idea wasn't mine ... a lace friend came to visit from the Aussie Eastern States and a friend had given her one as a pressy ... I wasn't the only one who just had to have one - there were about 7 of us at my lace group who all made one and we all wore them on this day to our Xmas celebration!

Alter Cloth 2

Hi

Here is the 2nd Alter cloth pic which I took last year in UK. This one is in the Salisbury Cathedral ... absolutely stunning in real life ... the colours are much better than this pic... it doesn't do it justice.

I pulled the muscle in the right side of my neck this morning :-(

(I usually manage to do it about once every 12-18 months!). The time before last I was towelling my hair dry and this time putting a jumper on and "twang" it went ...darn thing!... I have been trying to ignore it all day ...this morning as I was painting a bobbin order and this afternoon as I was mounting a piece of Bedfordshire lace I had made using 4 sided stitch .... thank goodness for head magnifiers!!! as the cotton fabric I am using is very fine! but as the lace itself is fine it had to be .... sigh!

Pantoran's Feather Stitch

This Month's stitch for the Pantoran I am making is "Feather Stitch" and I was very organised this time and actually did the square the afternoon that we chose the stitch (the first 4 stitches I did in the first week of each of the 4 weeks we had alotted but the 5th square I lost the plot and didn't do it until the day before show and tell oops! hee hee!...) This time I am way ahead of time yay! It is the elephant ... if you look at his cloth on his back and the one on his head you can see the Feather Stitch and also a little line of it on the ground! I am really pleased with how he turned out ...he's soooo cute haha! :-D There is a closer shot of him too - though you can of course click on the pic for an enlargement.

Stitchety Grub Group Challenge

Hi

As promised here are pics of my Pantoran squares. I posted the first 3 stitches (1 month per stitch) in an earlier blog entry and here are stitches number 4 and 5. Just to recap - month 1- the first stitch was : Colonial Knot, the 2nd: Fly Stitch, 3rd: Sheaf Stitch, 4th (and pictured here as the scales of the fish) Wheatear Stitch (Mine is actually detached Wheatear stitch). Also pictured here is the 5th month: Thorn stitch incorporating a pressed metal medalion and sequin waste. (I have also done stitch no 6 which isn't due for 3 more weeks ...yes I got on with it fast! ...and I will post a pic of that one soon).

I am feeling very chuffed tonight as I had an email from the Australian Lace Guild NAC Committee to say that my Wire workshop at the Annual Cnoference at the end of September is a "goer" for all 4 days so I am doing the happy dance yay ... now have to get on and do the workshop notes! ooo er! also there are apparently a few vacancies for the Thursday/Friday one if anyone is interested! :-D

Willow Pattern Bobbin

Hi - I promised someone that I would pop a few pics of the willow pattern bobbin on here (from early 1990's!!) managed to find it in the 2nd bobbin case I looked in which was great as I would have had to go through at least 8!

You can click on the pics and they will enlarge. It was quite hard to photograph because of the flash and the satin varnish on the bobbin!!! :-D

But it will give you an idea :-D

Fluffy, Felty, Glittery Inchies!

Yay !I finally got around to loading on some pics which I took the week before last... I recently made some "Inchies" ... using a base of normal craft felt (in the top pic-on the right), I then ironed some bits of Polyester "cotton" balls on to it (between glade bake paper of course).

These balls of "fluff" I bought at a local $2 shop (equates to around 85p) ...$2 for a mixed bag of colours ... the following week when I went back they were clearing them out for $1 a bag ... bargain!!! so I bought a couple more! :-D

Here they are in the shoebox (having a son with size 13 feet is very handy for storage haha!) As I was Ironing on the "fluff' I also ironed on fibres (not actually Angelina fibres though I do use them, these were a cheaper version I had bought at a craft shop and wanted to try out). Then I randomly stitched with a veriagated thread over the felt .....then..... well I'll tell you what I did then in the next installment!! ......... :-D

Alter Cloth 1

Hi All
As it is a year since I was in the UK I was taking a little trip down memory lane and looking through my happy snaps and found some pics of Alter cloths which I took.
The first one here was taken in Salisbury Cathederal.
I will post some more over next few days.
I have been busy in my studio madly painting bobbin orders every morning ... everyone seems to have decided to order at the same time plus I am trying to get stock done for the September Albany weekend and the AGM conference... no peace for the wicked he he! The afternoons I have been busy with the workshop notes. I haven't even had time to start putting items away in the new "tallboys" in our newly decorated bedroom ... lots of stuff still in the games room ... sigh! pity there's not more hours in the day! ;-D

Paintings and Peacocks

Hi All - I was looking through the photos which I took exactly a year ago when I was on my UK trip .... here is a pic of the "stage" in the gardens of "Larmer Tree" in Dorset (near my Mum's!). On the day we visited there weren't many people there although it was a gorgeous sunny day and around 24°c .... In these gardens there are all sorts of different little "buildings" ... every time you walked around the corner of the hedges there was another unique building which past owners had collected from around the world (late 1800's) ... I couldn't resist a pic of the beautiful scene painted as a backdrop and a very obliging Peacock which happened to be there at just the right time!

Arty Dolls

Hi All

Here are the 10 little Arty Dolls which I made back in early February (Click on pic to see them larger) ... I couldn't put them on here back then as most of them were made as gifts for the 4 lovely ladies with whom I stayed on my March/April Teaching trip (They also received a "Jewelled Jemz" neck purse as seen in an earlier posting) and also 4 of them were little Easter gifts .... the other 2 are mine! haha! The inspiration came from Dottee and her wonderful "Artee Dolls" she does fantastic work which you can see at the following: http://dotslifeandart.blogspot.com/ (sorry don't know how to do that link thingie with just a word). I absolutely loved making them and intend to make more .. I showed my Sister in UK on the webcam and she has put in an "order" for some slightly smaller ones done in Xmassy fabrics for her Xmas tree!. As I also make a decoration for my kids every year (this year will be my daughters 18th decoration!!!) I will have quite a few to do!

The idea with the Xmas decoration each year since they were born means that they will take them with them when they move out and will be able to decorate their own trees. Although I have also made myself one each year so that my tree won't be totally nude haha! Not sure my son will want a dolly ... will have to do a boy-ee one in blues! :-D

Painting and other Painting!

Hi I am still here! I have had a busy week painting bobbins until yesterday when Hubby and I started preparing our bedroom for decoration! We actually started painting today and yes I did use a bigger brush than normal haha (Usually it's a 0000 - not a 1 1/2 inch!)
Second coat to do tomorrow and hopefully as Monday is a Bank Holiday here we can get the room back together ... only 3 nights on the lounge sofa bed - that will be plenty!!!!
I missed lace today ...I should have been at wire lace but the bedroom had to come first as Hubby was psyched for it! and I gotta strike whilst the iron is hot!
We are off to a friend's daughter and her hubby's housewarming party tonight but it won't be a late night with all the decorating to do ho hum!
Hopefully back to crafty stuff later next week.....

Craft Show

Hi - Well that was a quick 3 days since my last post....

I am off to the Big Craft Fair here in Perth this Saturday to demonstrate on the Australian Lace Guild WA Branch stand along with other ladies in our "Lacecargot Lacemakers" group - we will be there all day ... there are 5 of us so we can take it in turns "manning" the stand and looking around. I am taking along a Bedfordshire edging which I designed a couple of weeks ago ... It will be a small hankie size when finished (Only 14 pairs of bobbins). I am looking forward to having a snoofy around the stands and I will try not too spend too much money haha! I am also looking forward to seeing the quilts although I was a member of WAQA for 10 years I let my membership elapse last year as I really wasn't attending the meetings anymore with the exeption of the small Pin Pals group which I still do attend ... in fact the ladies of that little group will be coming to my house for the first time in a couple of weeks ... I just hope the house doesn't smell too much of paint as it is the day after the long weekend and that is when we are finally painting our bedroom (14 and a 1/2 years ago was the last time so well overdue!!!)
Thank you to the people who have visited my blog recently and left little messages, Hi Hannah, Jennifer, Waltraud..... It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when someone has enjoyed my work.... well the family will be getting hungry ... off to do Kitchen duty ... not half as interesting as being in the studio haha!

Stitching Group challenge

Hi

Here is a pic of the first three "months" stitches for the challenge (so far). The first stitch we were to do was "Colonial Knot" and the square bottom left of the picture is that one. The background in each case is hand painted craft felt. I did 4 different shades which when finished the final piece will reside in our bedroom which we are going to be decorating in 2 weeks time on the long weekend. The second stitch was "Fly stitch" and that is the falcon square at bottom right it also has some oval beads and glittery "worms" (coloured metallic stuff like the "bright check" used in goldwork). The third stitch was "Sheaf stitch" and that is the top Peacock square. The tail has Sheaf stitch as do the little sequin "flowers" ... it is also embellished with little seed beads. The stitch for the current month is "Wheatear" which I have done but haven't taken a pic of it yet .... so you will have to wait for that :-D LOL! If you would like a closer look just click on the pic. By the way the squares are each 8cm x 8cm and worked in bought threads as well as my own hand dyed ones.

Wheatear Stitch

Hi All

I have had a busy week ... lots of bobbin painting .... - orders to fill ... but I did get to do a bit to my Kanthas Quit at my embroidery group ... we had show and tell ... - I have put a pic of my friend Colleen's crazy patch on here... yes that is real handmade bobbin lace on it .. Colleen is a prolific lacemaker.... this month's "Wheatear" stitch is on this piece .... at the bottom can you see the "Centipede" he is done in the Wheatear stitch! :-D -on the dark background (if you click on the pic it will enlarge). I am off to the "hills" for the Monthly WA Guild Lace day tomorrow ... looking forward to it.. I will be taking my Cordonnicot Needlelace "Lizard(s) to work ... I will try and remember to take a pic of them next week ... I have to dig out the camera for some other pics anyway.....

New Jewelled Jemz Neckpurses

Hi All

I can show you these pics now ....of the 5 "Jewelled Jemz" neck purses which I made

back in February ... I fell in love with the green one so kept it and the other 4 went to live with the 4 lovely ladies with whom I stayed on my recent Needlelace teaching trip in March/early April in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.

I am still sorting out this computer ... getting organised slowly :-D

Still waiting on the computer to be sorted

Hi All
I have been a bit quiet the last week - still waiting for the computer guy to come and sort out the rest of the bits from the computer crashing a couple of weeks ago (he's coming over tomorrow evening yay!)... then I will load on some pics .... I have been busy painting bobbins in the studio and doing some lace and embroidery so I am keeping out of mischief! haha :-D I am also planningt he new decor for our bedroom ... to be painted on the next Bank holiday at the beginning of June (it hasn't been doen for 14 years !!!)
Off now for a cuppa and yep you guessed ....choc haha LOL! :-D

Chocolate pots!!!

Hi All - I managed to find one of the pics from my Trip ... this was taken in Sydney at "Max Brenner's ... it is called a "Suckao" there is a small tealight in the bottom of the pot at right and hot frothy milk in the top into which you spoon the small chocolate pastilles (this is my friend Ethel and she had selected milk choc ones - I had dark choc!!!) you then stir it and the heat from the tealight underneath melts the choc into the milk then you sip it with the metal spoon which is also a straw ... mmmmmmmmm ... then pour a little more milk from the little jug and more pastilles ....voilá ... verrrrry decadent ...so much so that you can buy the little tealight pot and straw in a set or a pair of them ...my friend and I both bought a pair..... I showed my best friend back here in Perth on Easter Sunday using Margaret River choc pastilles which I just happened to have in my fridge (left from Xmas!!!) talk about addictive haha ... and with winter coming......mmmmmmmmmmmmmm :-D

Waiting! Waiting!

Hiya
I am still having to wait for our computer guy to come back from his holidays to help us retrieve info and especially pics from the bowels of this computer ... he won't be around for a week and a half so I just have to wait! grrrrrrrr! I have been busy in the studio all this past week painting lace bobbins ... orders and some stock for September.... not much time for other crafty stuff though I did go to lace group yesterday and started the fillings on the 2 Cordonnicot Frilled Lizards .... Dear Son is back to school tomorrow so back to the school "run" lark but of course there is the bank holiday "Anzac Day" on Wednesday .... might make a point of no working on the bobbins and doing something crafty instead ...sounds like a plan haha!

Blue Mountains NSW

Back again ... This was a pic of Two of the "Three Sisters" rock formation in the Blue Mountains - outside Sydney - I visited it on Maonday 19th March ... I have better pics but this is the first one I have managed to retrieve from the new photo folder!

Stoopid Computer!

Hi All
My appologies for not sending any posts ... I have had an Easter which was pretty hectic ... then last Wednesday my printer decided to "kark" it ..... then when we bought a new one it wouldn't load but as DH was trying to load it the program and all stored info from the old printer was deleted and lost !!!! I do have some back up discs from January for other info like all my stuff in " Word" so not a total disaster but the computer guy took the hard drive away on Sunday without asking if we needed to back any recent stuff up and has reloaded Windows XP on and lost recent things grrrr... it's different from the XP we had before so I am having huge problems finding info and the computer is not doing half the things it should so am thoroughly P**d off with it ... We also lost all our photo's stored in the program which came with our digital camera ... fortunately I have most of the older pics on a disc and the ones since last July are still on the cards in the camera and case ... hadn't gotten around to going to get the prints done yet ... luckily!!!! had to reload MSN got that working last night but not had a chance to check the web cam yet ... also my DD has reloaded Limewire and other programs which were wiped off! still have to re load my MP3 player and transfer the songs back to the Windows Media Player ... also lost the few which I had downloaded in the interim ... I will get to telling you all about the Teaching trip ...honest! but can only take this computer in small doses at the mo!

I am back from my Teaching Trip

HI ... got back yesterday ... just a couple of lines to say that I will try to load all the piccies from my Camera over the next few days if I can find time (have arrangements with friends for Easter so not sure how that will go )... but I also need to take a couple more piccies of the yummy craft/threads etc which I bought whilst away ... I was a "Nawdy gal!" haha :-D

I am back from my Teaching Trip

HI ... got back yesterday ... just a couple of lines to say that I will try to load all the piccies from my Camera over the next few days if I can find time (have arrangements with friends for Easter so not sure how that will go )... but I also need to take a couple more piccies of the yummy craft/threads etc which I bought whilst away ... I was a "Nawdy gal!" haha :-D