One World- One Heart

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!

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!

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!

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.....

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!

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.

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!

Merry Christmas

Just a quick message ... thanks to all of you who have visited my blog this year have a fabulous Festive Season ... I hope to post a bit more regulary from mid January when my overseas visitors have left ... having fun with them at the moment today we were Kayaking (Hubby and I on our new kayaks!!!) how energetic... it was a nice 28 degrees c but pretty windy especially paddling back down the river into the wind ... could end up with huge arm muscles haha! Haven't had much chance to do crafty stuff but hope to get to it at the end of next month! So good wishes to all :-) Oh I forgot ...the pic is of one of the 3 Xmas 2008 bobbin which are in my catalogue!

ATC Christmas Cards

Hi All -Well the Lace Fair last Saturday went very well... I sold lots of my Hand Painted Lace Bobbins ... and the money earnt will go back into my "Lace fund" (for next year's Australian Lace Guild Conference and also for the International Lace Congress which I hope to attend mid 2010 in Japan (never been there so would be brilliant if I can save enough)). Here are some pics of 4 ATC Christmas cards which I made a couple of weeks ago as a swap with 4 ladies from the Australian online Lace Group which I belong to... I posted them off last Monday but I am still waiting on the ones for me .... :-( a few people are already receiving theirs ... it's the disadvantage in living in the world's most isolated capital! ho hum! I am also working madly on my wall panel which I want to get finished a week Wednesday before our UK family arrive to stay for 4 weeks.

Kids, Needlelace and patchwork wall panel

Hi All - I have been soooo busy getting ready for the Cattern's Day Lace Fair this coming Saturday and also working on the wall panel for our Family room... I want to get it finished before my sister in law and her family arrive in 2 weeks and 6 days time!!! Here is a pic of my Daughter back at the beginning of November on the Race track (Horse!) in Melbourne ... the first Tuesday of November each year is the race the "Country stops for" and the first time that she has been to Melbourne at all! the next pic is my son all dressed up ready to go on his year 11 River Cruise ... I didn't get to see him as I was away in Brisbane at the Lace Guild conference when it was on :-( so daughter took this pic for me ...
I couldn't remember if I put a pic of my Needelace "Frilled Neck Lizard" on here if I didn't here it is now ...this piece was designed especially to go on display at "The Lace Place" which is a lace museum about 4 hours drive from Perth!!! inland (East) at a place called "Hyden" where the "Wave Rock" is! (if you want to Google it)! It is my own style of needlelace called "Cordonnicot Lace" and that is why it is on display there as a type of lace "invented" in Australia! The last pic is the middle of my wall panel for the Family room ... I am making it in 3 parts so it is easier to do the machine and hand embroidery on it ... more pics are being taken as it progresses and a couple of days ago I started working simutaneously on the 2 end panels ... so more info to come .....

Lace from West Aus at the AGM

Hi All - here are a couple of pics from the AGM display of the Western Australian display which I put together with the help of 3 other WA gals. There are a few bits of mine here ....the coloured piece at left of the 2nd pic is my "A Tree for all Seasons" Needlelace piece. The Bedfordshire bookmark at very bottom right of the 1st pic is also mine ... as is the the coloured Venetian Gros Point necklace and earrings at left of 1st pic ... 2nd Item up... the little "Punto in Aria" mat under the colour Tree for all Seasons is also mine. There are some suberb bits of lace here especially the large oval Romanian point mat on the right done by one of the memebers of the Embroiderers Lace group here in Perth ... absolutely gorgeous ...I could find a home for that one haha!

Queensland visit

Hi All - Just a quick post ... here are a few pics from my trip away back at the end of September ...during the Lace conference week we had the Wednesday off - I went out and about with 3 friends and we went up to the "Glasshouse Mountains" to a place called "Montville" where there are lots of lovely "grockle" shops (Tourist) ... the other 2 pics I took on the way "up" the mountains ... couldn't find a hill with a lonely goat so took a pic of a lonely cow on a mountain instead haha! Went for my usual walk this morning with my mate along the cliff path near us ... nice day for it ... it was a high today of 24° and sunny but of course the flies were out but we both now have fly nets to go on our hats haha! so we had the last laugh!

ATC's

Hi All - Sorry for the lack of blogs recently...I have been soooo busy. The painting and decorating of our large living area is finished ...the last of the furniture arrived yesterday and today and tomorrow we are putting all the stuff away in it's new home(s) i.e.photograph albums, puzzles, board games, and lots of other "useful" junk!!! haha!
With the time change here the difference to the UK is a pain in the bum! and I haven't been staying on the computer as long in the evening I have just been popping on to read a few emails. Here are some ATC's... the first one is by me with a yacht and birds painted on some dyed silk (Old Op shop (Charity shop) blouse which I bought to chop up!) and a little bit of tatting for the waves (I made 4 as the lace display in early September at the Albany Lace Weekend was a theme of " Nautical but nice!" and I had no lace which would have been appropriate so thought I would whiz up 4 ATC's (1which I am keeping for myself) and the other 3 to swap at the Lace Guild AGM at the end of September ... The second ATC was made by my friend Mary ...she does some great stuff ... this one is called "Leather and Lace!" it has tatting on some leather and some textured knitting wools used. The 3rd one is another of mine ... I made 12 ladies (all slightly different) I hand painted calico for the background then painted the ladies on then embellished them with tatted lace and beads for their jewellery! I have another "swapping" session to attend at the Cattern's Day Lace Fair here in Perth on the 29th of this month and after that I will post whichever ATC's I have still available for swapping if anyone is interested. I am still madly painting bobbins for the Lace Fair and have also managed to find a small amount of time to make 4 Xmas cards for the online lace group I belong to. I have also done a little more work on the wall panel for our newly decorated Family living area. No peace for the wicked ...bwah hahahahahaha!

AGM Pics and news

Hi All - I am back (briefly) I have been really busy in the studio ...painting bobbins ... I had another couple of small orders and a larger one of 25 bobbins! in the last few days so I am absolutely flat out ... in between still doing the decorating of the living area (in essence 4 large rooms in one!) hopefully we will finish it this weekend! The pics here were taken at the recent conference ... the AGM dinner in fact! The first pic shows on the left, Margaret (my tutor for the needlelace workshop) from New South Wales, me in the middle and my friend Gaye from South Australia on the right. The second pic shows my annual dinner date my luvly mate Ethel (Yes the Ethel I stayed with in Sydney last year on my needlelace teaching trip and who introduced me to the Suckao Chocolate pots!!!) I have known Ethel for 14 years or so now! and we catch up every September at the Aus Lace Guild conference week! The bottom pic is my buddy Shell (Michelle) from Tasmania ... she was kind enough to put up with me for the week as we shared a room.
Besides the bobbin painting I am getting a little bit done in the "crafty department" ... I started the "Indian style" crazy patch (wall hanging) panel to go in our newly decorated family room it will measure around 1.84m long by 75cms deep and I am doing it in 3 parts so that it is more manageable for the embroidery and beading/sequining! I am taking pics of it as I go so stay tuned..... must dash ...have fallen behind with the emails too! never enough hours in the day and it doesn't help with the clock change last weekend (Daylight saving ...grrr hate it!)

Secret Pal Swap

Hi All
Sorry for the lack of posts .... I have been busy decorating our main living area ... 2/3rds done so getting there slowly ... also I have been in the studio painting bobbins (orders from the recent AGM in Brisbane and also getting ready for the Cattern's Day Fair at the end of November which I will be having my usual stall at ...) Here are a couple of pics of the luvly little bag which I recieved as my first swap (there will be 4 at the beginning of the months Sept - Dec) It has pockets front and back and cute tassels - I luv it ... hehe for the second swap (October) I received a tub of drinking chocolate powder (mmm mmm) and some material scraps and beads which my "secret pal" sent for me to use on some ATC's ...Thanks Secret Pal (in case she visits here! hehe) . I found out last Saturday at Wire lace that one of my students who attended the Wire lace workshop I taught back in April entered the pendant he made in my class at the recent Perth Royal SHow and one a first prize ... how cool! Yay Go Bob!

Painting and Decorating and ATC's

Hi Everyone - I have sneaked onto the computer ... my Hubby is on holidays this week and we are redecorating our living area... it was last done nearly 16 years ago when our son was a few weeks old! We are painting two colours ... todays walls were a saffron golden yellow colour and tomorrow we do a second coat then the other walls which will be a cinnamon red colour.... I have bought new curtains which are deep dark blue ... the theme is a Marrakesh/Indian/ Moroccan feel.... as you will know I mentioned a couple of months ago that we had bought a huge TV and new "dark" wood furniture ... so I am really looking forward to it all being done. I am planning a wall hanging ...long and narrow on the Indian style crazy patchwork with embroidery and have a lovely carved long thingie from which it will hang ...probably sounds very confusing but I will post pics eventually which will make it clearer! So I have not had a chance to get back in the studio since I got back from my 2 weeks in Brisbane last Sunday... I hope to get back in there next week as I have around 100 bobbins to get done by Cattern's Day on Nov 29th! Eeeek!
The pics here are ladies which I painted on (painted) calico and embellished with tatted lace and they became ATC's some of which I swapped at the recent Lace conference.
I will be ducking out (of the painting) tomorrow for a couple of hours as it is our daughters 19th Birthday and she is taking the day off and wants me to go with her shopping for a dress and a fascinator as she is off to Melbourne at the end of the month and is going to the Melbourne Cup Races!!!
That reminds me I have to go wrap her pressies ....

Queensland Holiday

Hi All
It is the last day of my 2 weeks in Queensland today...so iwill be back on my big computer next week and will pop pictures on of what I have been up to ...Hi to Lyn if she's reading this !! hehe!...

Queensland holiday

Hi All - well it's my last day in Queensland...I had a great conference week and the last week as an extra holiday has been great... I am typing this up on the tiny Asus Eee PC ...this week has been the first time I have used it's wireless capabilities... when I get home (and back on the big computer) I will put up piccies taken whilst I have been away and I will also have picsof the 8 new ATC's that I swapped during conference week! Hi to Lyn if she's reading this ....I thought I should put up a new entry haha!

Lace Conference

Hi All
Just a quick message to say I fly off to Brisbane at 7.35 am tomorrow morning not sure if I'll get to post again whilst I am away though I am taking my Asus Eee Pc I am not sure for the first week at the conference facility about getting connected and then the week after at my mates house it might be more of a possibility... I am back in Perth on Sunday 5th October so I will catch up with everyone after that if not before... be good hehe!

Daffodil Purse

Hi All - I had a fabulous time the weekend before last - down at the Lace weekend in Albany. My friend and I stayed in a 2 bedroom unit which really nice and we hope to stay there again next year. I prepared my needlelace pieces for the upcoming Australian Lace Guild Conference AGM week next week... I fly to Brisbane this Sunday early. I am really looking forward to it and catching up with my interstate Lace friends! I have been really busy this past week and weekend getting things ready for teh conference and as I am away for an additional week straight after I have had quite a lot to get sorted. I am still madly varnishing a final batch of bobbins and spent an hour and a half this morning labelling another batch!
Here are a couple of pics of my Daffodil Neck purse under construction ... it is finished now and I will be wearing it during the conference week... the Daffodil is Elizabethan style embroidery and there is of course tatting added for extra "pizzazz!" ... well I have lots to still do but must go now and get dinner ready or else the family will be "revolting" (tongue in cheek! haha) :-D