Bliss and Gesso

Color..Stories..Inspiration..#7

2012-02-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

I have joined in at CSI this week. Apart from using ALL of the 5 colours, there were also a number of other elements that had to be used:

metals, stripes, combination of straight lines and organic shapes.

There were a number of different ways you could journal as well. I went with 3,2,1.

3. most important things

2. questions

1. word to sum up the story

2010 was not a great year for my daughter. At times she was completely OTT ( "Over the Top" )She made some bad decisions that year, but also learnt a lot.

Evidence of straight lines and organic ( curved )shapes.

Evidence of metal and stripes.

I'm not very good at keeping track of the products I use and more often than not they are things I have had for a while and are no longer in a packet, or the paper has had it's brand cut off, but, for what it's worth these are some of the things I used here. The background was done using Distress Ink 'worn lipstick' and 'shabby shutters' and a stamp from Paper Inspirations. The chipboard is Imaginarium Tinies, Delish flocked letter stickers, Kaisercraft Rubons and Collectables, flowers are a mixture of Prima and Kaisercraft and I think the paper is Flocked Dot from Making Memories.

Just Messin' Around............

2012-02-17T20:12:00.000-08:00

Playing in my art journal with textures and ink. Of course the blue page is inspired by Finnabair.

Wishing you all a creative and happy weekend,and thanks to those lovelies who took the time to leave me birthday wishes........ you are special; and you made my week a little bit more special too. xx

A Birthday............and a song.

2012-02-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were.....?

So thankful for my lovely, lovely family, my friends, and for each and every day. xx

The Color Room #96............

2012-02-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

Another very soft and pretty palette at The Color Room this week. Again I followed the sketch,

and indulged my love of stamps and rub-ons with a bit of 'shabby love'.

When I buy card stock for scrapbooking I don't really pay much attention to the composition of the paper, i.e. what it's actually 'made of' and of course papers come in different weights, textures and 'compositions'. All I'm interested in is the 'colour'. Any way this particular paper did not cope well with being wet. In fact it almost disintegrated with just a small spray of water on it. However, once dry, after being blasted with the heat gun in order to try and save it, I loved the very soft "fluffy" edges I was left with....a pleasant 'random' out come.

Thank you so much to my loyal visitors who drop by and take the time to say a few sweet words.....I love that you do that, and it makes my little world a happier place. xx

A New Challenge........CSI

2012-02-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

CSI #4

CSI....Color. Stories. Inspiration. is a new, fun, challenge site that I have been dying to play along with. You are given a new "case" each week, and then you have to present the "evidence" in your creation. Loved the colour palette this week and have used lots of layers. My page is a bit of a playful dig at Royalty.

Evidence Detail:A written thought on the picture and also
evidence of a wet medium having been used...

Evidence Detail: Use a frame to hold journalling.......

Evidence Detail: Stripes........

Evidence Detail: Rhinestone..........

Evidence Detail: Something reflective and shiny..........

The Color Room #95............& 3 more photos.

2012-01-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

For this past month Meg from Meg's Garden has been a sponsor at The Color Room. Here is my take on this weeks color palette and I even followed the sketch.

I have used just one piece of paper, of course it's from Meg's Garden, texture paste, paint, ink and Glimmer Mist. Loved the bird cage on the stand on this paper. You know the expression "had my cage rattled"...........just when you think you are safe, secure and every thing in your life is as it should be, then suddenly out of the blue, that all changes. Your cage is rattled and tipped upside down. My beautiful daughter has had her "cage" seriously rattled in the past 12 months . The quote is from John Lennon's song Beautiful Boy....."life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans"

A photo a day from the prompts at Fat Mum Slim

Day #19 Sweet

Blueberry Muffin

Day #20 Some one you love

Mike

Day #21 Reflection

Taken at Wellington on the Murray

Thanks for visiting, hope you all have a happy and creative week. xx

Lets Get Shabby....................Challenge #31

2012-01-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

There is a new challenge up at Lets Get Shabby, the first one for 2012. The inspiration for this challenge is a piece of music, a New Years song.Listen to the lyrics and see what you come up with. Check out the Lets Get Shabby blog for all the details and see what the other DT girls have created

Thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend. xx

Photo A Day...........a bit behind.

2012-01-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

Day #16 Morning

Day #17 Water

Day #18 Something you bought.

Beautiful, sweet, locally grown mandarines.

Thanks for looking. Have a great week xx

Color Room Palette #94.........Guest Designer

2012-01-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

All this month Meg's Garden has been the sponsor over at The Color Room. This week it was my turn as Guest Designer, I feel very honoured. Here's my page for Palette #94,

The beautiful paper I've used for this project is Green Toile from the La Belle Jardin Collection. Also a clear label from the same collection and the beautiful spray of pearls, and the gold heart. All of these came from Meg's Garden, a fabulous on line store...please go visit and see all the pretty, pretty goodness that Meg has for sale.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great week end every one. xx

Just Sharing....a whole lot o stuff.

2012-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Another week in The Color Room this week where Meg's Garden is the sponsor and each member of the design team is being featured. Here is this weeks color palette......I had a bit of fun and combined some vintage, a collage sheet, with some new, a photo of Melbournes' street art.

All the papers used in this are from Meg's Garden.Vintage collage sheet Regency Romance 3360, Ma Fleur Rose P6296 and Eau de Cologne P6293A.

Chipboard park bench from DustAttic

Stamp from darkroom door.

The next 3 photos taken from the prompts at Fat Mum Slim

Day #13 In your bag

It's actually tidy !

Day #14 Something you're reading

Hard, interesting and enlightening.

Day #15 Happiness

I'm never happier than when I'm at my desk, creating.

Thanks so much for dropping by, have a great week everyone. I'm away this week but will try and catch up with you all when I get back. xx

Daily Photos 10, 11, 12........

2012-01-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

Day #10 Childhood

Day #11 Where You Sleep

Day #12 Close Up

Meg's Garden January Challenge.........and daily photos 7,8,9.

2012-01-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

For the month of January, Meg's Garden is the sponsor for The Color Room. Meg's shop supplies some of the most beautiful papers I have ever used, and this month's papers are from the "La Belle Jardin" collection, designed by our very clever DT member Denise. These papers will be used as inspiration for the weekly Color Room palettes.

This week, Palette #92, "Articles de Paris" papers are featured in tones of Antique Blue, Eggplant, Custard Cream and Rustic Rose.

My take on this months challenge

DT Member Adriana was first up to be featured in The Color Room. You can see her beautiful page here and here.

To see more of Meg's beautiful papers visit her online shop at http;//megsgarden.com

The next 3 photos from the daily prompts at fatmumslim

Day #7 Favourite

I love all flowers but my favourite is the tiny, pale blue Forget Me Not.

Day #8 Your Sky

Taken while at Goolwa Beach

Day #9 Daily Routine

In the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening...

tea.

This For That............& 3 more photos.

2012-01-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

I am a fan of Gaby Bee !

Not only is she an extremely talented mixed media artist, she is a warm, generous and very sweet 'bloggy' friend. Last year we did a swap........I sent her a box of ( what seemed to me like ) rusty old junk, and she sent me the most beautiful package of hand-made, creative goodness !! Earrings, a little canvas, the sweetest glass soldered ornament AND the most beautiful necklace that I adore and will cherish forever.....it is very special.

This

For This

Thank you Gaby....love you xx

Another 3 photos for the "a photo a day" challenge at Fat Mum Slim. I know I have skipped a day ahead but am off for the weekend to a little sea-side place on York Peninsula. We lovingly call it Bonnie Doon, after the movie The Castle; you know, 'you can feel the serenity', but it's really called Port Moorowie.

Day #4

Letter Box

Day #5

Something You Wore

Last night out to dinner.

Day #6

Makes You Smile

Our old dog Bing....every day

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hello 2012...........

2012-01-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, 3 days into 2012 ( for some reason 2012 rolls off the tongue so much better than 2011 ) and time for a new years post. I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with family and friends and a relaxing holiday.

My daughter got "crafty" this year ( I always knew she had it in her ) and this is how she wrapped her Christmas gifts.....loved it. She taught herself to crochet off YouTube, now she can teach me !

I thought I would challenge myself with some photography this year, so; am attempting "a photo a day" using the prompts created by Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim

So,three days in and 3 photos. #1,moir with the wrinkly bits removed, (sadly, most of my face ha ) #2 most mornings, and finally #3, so many things, but can't do without this and had a little fun with my iphone.

Day #1

Day #2

breakfast

Day #3

something you adore

A great big thank you to all of you lovely people who who take the time to leave me comments............I love reading them !!

A Christmas Greeting...........

2011-12-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

"Golden sunlight;

Heavenly sky;

Sweet fresh air;

Merry bells.

Oh, glorious.

Glorious."

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.

Have a beautiful time with your family and friends. Merry Christmas every one. xx

Just So Sad............

2011-12-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

"Lately, the world felt fragile, like a blown egg, as if it might shatter beneath a careless touch".

Kim Edwards-"The Memory Keeper's Daughter".

I visited a friend's blog today and she had used this quote.....it resonated with me.....it expressed exactly the way I have been feeling the last couple of days.

Most of you lovely friends who visit me here have young children; you know where they are and what they are doing, you keep them safe and tuck them in to their beds at home, every night. But children grow up...they become young adults, have a life of their own and live independently as do my 2 daughters who are 22 and 24 ( but they will always be my babies and I will do every thing possible to protect them and make them happy )When something unforeseen happens to cause them pain, it is heartbreaking to see.
Last week, my youngest daughter learnt of the sudden, tragic death of her close friend who was, at the time, on holiday overseas. My daughter of course was shocked and inconsolable and as her mother it has been difficult to watch her become consumed by confused disbelief and immense sorrow. When you are 22 life is fun, life is good and you have every thing to look forward to........this sort of thing should never happen.
My heart break tho is nothing compared to that of this young girls mother. I can not even begin to imagine what it must be like to bring your dead daughter home to bury 2 days before Christmas.
I was not going to blog about this event, what's the point, it changes nothing, and, this is the season of joy and hope and I don't want to bring down the mood. I guess what I am expressing is that because of the randomness of life, never take anything for granted, hold close those that you love and tell them often, never waste a day and always try to make it a good one and cherish and appreciate the years that your children are at home, safe and protected in your care.
I'm sorry for the sad post, but I know dear friends you'll understand.

Beautiful Papers...........

2011-12-11T04:24:00.000-08:00

VINTAGE POST-CARDS

A BAG

A DRESS

These are some projects made from the beautiful papers available from Meg's Garden.These papers are so pretty and so detailed, they stand alone. I have deliberately avoided the use of lots of embellishment with what I've made as I believe the papers speak for themselves and need very little enhancement.

A dress, inspired by Marie Antoinette, made entirely of paper, paper doilies and paper lace.

A little bag made from a recycled brown paper shopping bag. The string handles are wrapped in red velvet, it's lined with painted cardboard to give it rigidity and then covered in Meg's beautiful paper. I've added some hand made flowers and velvet leaves.

"Vintage" post cards made using collage papers, lots of distressing, stamps and inks.

All collage images, papers, paper and real lace, velvet leaves and mini paper doilies available from Meg,s Garden.

Lets Get Shabby Challenge #30..................A List

2011-11-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

Lets Get Shabby's new challenge is up and running, AND you have until January 20th. to complete it !! ( we know how crazy it gets this time of the year, so we've given you an extra month ).Speaking of crazy I have started making lists........lists of gifts to buy or make, lists of chores to do, lists of social engagements and activities coming up,lists of holiday and party food I need to stock up on or make etc. So, the Lets Get Shabby Challenge involves a "list" . Check it out here, and the other inspirational work created by the DT.

Bells and snowflake buttons.

Melissa Frances papers and heart and Prima Shabby Chic flying geese.

Embossed and inked dove, wreath made from a bit of left over Prima berry twig, Tim Holtz metal number,Imaginarium frame.

Thanks so much for visiting today, hope you're all having a great weekend.

November 123 Challenge....& Something's Happened To Me...................

2011-11-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

What is happening to me..........have I gone "minimalist" ? Me ??

Me, who loves "product" ? Me, who can't seem to get enough "stuff" on a page ? Of course you can always find room for more....just one more flower,one more tag, one more resin embilishment. I have been a scrapbook manufacturers dream; my local SB store loves me, I know you do Jane........until now.

This project and my previous one for the Color Room have virtually NO EMBELISHMENTS and I have used very little "scrapbook" product at all. The thrifty and oh so talented Louise Nelson would be so proud of me........I have recycled stuff that has already been used and made do with what I have found in the kitchen drawer. I know none of this is new, but for me, who prides herself on having a bountiful stash and loves to use it all, this is a worry.

Todays project has been done for the November 123 Challenge.

Colour= Grey

Word= Please

Technique= Unusual Stamping

I have stamped onto chiffon,alfoil,Glad Bake,and stamped "into" texture paste ( I love doing this and have used this technique a lot lately )as well as stamping directly onto cardstock over paint.

The word "please"..........it was so hard for me to come up with a use ( other than the obvious )for this word ( who would have thought ? ) until my daughter gave me the "look"..........you know the one when you go on about something for far too long and they just look at you, roll their eyes and go 'whatever". The journalling, stamped onto Glad Bake with Stazon says,

"Oh please !! Don't give me that look"

Glad Bake, being silicon,does not accept glue or double sided tape very well, so I have just tied it on with thread.

This project was a lot of fun to do ( and so cheap )

Thanks for dropping by.

Back in the Color Room...............

2011-11-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Playing in the Color Room again this week. Feels good to have the paints, scissors and glue out again after a bit of a break.

Sometimes our children forget their manners, including my usually sweet girls. Sophie is "flicking the bird" not at anyone in particular ( well, maybe at me, for having the camera in her face yet again ) but it's all in fun.

I have used red velvet as my background under the photo ( Sophie's headband is red velvet ), glimmer mist, texture paste, foam stamps,machine stitching, cut up an old birthday card and wrapping paper and stamped onto a Tim Holtz film strip with Stazon.

Thanks so much for dropping by and hope you all have a great week.

Color Room Challenge #82

2011-10-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful palette in the Color Room this week....I couldn't resist.

Thanks so much for dropping by, and if you have left a comment I really, really appreciate it. A big week for me creatively.......on Thursday I am doing a class with Ingvild Bolme, so excited, and then head off to Melbourne to see my daughter and her second year dance production and her first ever choreographed piece she has done by herself....I am both excited and nervous for her. Hope you all have a great week creatively, whatever you might be doing. xx

Beautiful Christmas Papers...............

2011-10-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Meg, from Meg's Garden, sent me a box full of Christmas goodness........exquisite papers, both 12'x12" and 6"x6", vintage Christmas collage sheets, ribbon, bells, fabulous German Scrap ( the gold Italian flourish is my favourite thing at the moment) holly leaves, lace and the most beautiful jewelled pins. You can visit Meg's online shop for all these things and more.

Chocolate Box........

Christmas Posy Box....

Shabby Box.....

Used Meg's Garden Christmas Stripe 12"x12" paper, gessoed then sanded it. Added some German Scrap, painted gold Christmas bells and an image from Meg's Garden Vintage Christmas Collage Sheet #2.

Lets Get Shabby Challenge #29.........One And One Only !

2011-10-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Challenge #29 at Lets Get Shabby is to create something in ONE colour.........a monochromatic colour scheme. No other colours allowed to sneak in any where. The exception is a photo or in place of a photo a picture or main element. My butterflies are my main element. It's hard to do, and I failed at my first attempt, but it's a wonderful challenge. Check out the Lets Get Shabby blog for all the details you need to know and be inspired by the clever and beautiful examples done by the DT girls.

I chose pink not because it's my favourite colour but because it's Pink October, Breast Cancer awareness month. My butterflies are from the beautiful Kaisercraft Bonjour range and even though they appear to have grey on them, its really a pinkish, metallic foil, and was difficult to photograph as the shiny bits appear grey. I would love for you all to have a go at creating something in just one colour, its great discipline and pushes your creative inventiveness.

Its On Its Way..................

2011-10-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

We all know it's just around the corner. Are you in the mood for a little Christmas shopping? Meg, from Megs Garden has some really, really beautiful Christmas paper in her shop. If you are looking for something a little bit different and some lovely, whimsical, vintage images, Meg has a great selection. Visit here for Megs online shop, and while you are there you can also get to her blog and see the beautiful Christmas projects created by DT girls Adriana and Denise. I have been playing with some goodies Meg sent me too, and will post soon.

The Color Room #80......

2011-10-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

Played in The Color Room today. Could not resist creating with these beautiful shades.

I used Prima stencils and Prima stamps.......

Found these sparkly little gems in a craft shop. They are called "flats" and they're made by Dress It Up.......nice flat back so easy to attach.

Tea and Jelly Cakes...........

2011-10-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

The warm spring weather lately has made me think of Jelly Cakes and the near by Mount Compass bakery make fresh Jelly Cakes every Friday, so I bought some to have with my tea.

A Jelly Cake is basically little sponge cakes, dipped into half set, thickish ( consistency of egg white ) jelly and then filled with cream. When making them, the jelly of choice to use is Aeroplane Jelly, and just like Vegemite and Tim Tams, Aeroplane Jelly is an Australian icon.

It was first made by Adolphus Herbert Frederick Norman Appleroth, known as Bert Appleroth, in Sydneyin 1917. He made jelly crystals using gelatine and sugar in his bath tub. He first sold these jelly crystals door to door using his tram route to transport him around Sydney as he was a tram conductor. A company was formed in 1926 and as planes were considered new and exciting at that time and Appleroth was an aviation fanatic, he named the brand, Aeroplane Jelly.

Over 19 million packets of Aeroplane Jelly are sold each year.

Regular Raspberry flavour is the top seller.

In 1953 the first low calorie jelly was made.

In 1988, in honour of the Australian Bicentenary, jelly was made in special Australian flavours like, Lilly Pilly, Quandong and Midjinberry. These were phased out by 1992.

As a kid growing up in Australia in the 60's and 70's we all knew the words to the Aeroplane Jelly song....ah sweet memories.

http://youtu.be/dJZ2w6Q_Uww

To visit the other ladies for tea, visit Kimmies blog, Art In Red Wagons here.

"The Left Overs" Book...........it's still going.

2011-10-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have this book: an actual book with pages of text in it, that I have been sticking random bits and pieces into. There is paper, laces, flowers, chipboard, punched boarders, anything that has been "left over" from another project. I toss these bits and pieces into a box, a sort of recycle bin; then when I have a quiet moment and not much on the go, I will rummage through this "treasure" and see what I can make with it. These two pages turned out to be very red and 'romantic' in style....maybe inspiration for a valentines day card.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend. xx

Kraft It Up ......October Challenge

2011-10-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Kraft paper is something I don't often work with, which is a bit weird because it so lends itself to shabby,vintage style projects as well as arty, grungy styles which I seem to be swinging between at the moment.

Anyway, this month I was so inspired by the beautiful pages done by the KIU Design girls, that I thought I would have a go.

I actually had 4 pieces of plain Kraft paper in my stash as well as a whole pad of that amazing Tim Holtz Kraft Resist which is almost too beautiful to use.

This months October challenge was to do a LO using one of the following styles:

Monochromatic

Minimalist

Vintage/Romantic/Shabby Chic

I know I should have tried something different, like minimalist, but that would have been torture for me.....I love shabby chic, with lots of layers and texture and scruffy edges.

Just Messin Around...........

2011-10-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

A new 'experimental' page in my art journal. Played around with stamps, embossing powders and gel medium. None of this is new to most of you I know, but I have never been an "embosser" so am just starting to experiment with different embossing powders, their different qualities and what you can do with them...love the textures.

Thanks for dropping by.......have a great week every one ! xx

Be Inspired @ Lets Get Shabby............

2011-09-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Don't you love the image of this dining room

Does it inspire you to create a layout, a card, or some beautiful off the page project ? But, there is more to this challenge than just being inspired by this gorgeous photo ( we can't make it that easy ) Hop on over to Lets Get Shabby to find out all the details for this challenge.

Here is one I prepared earlier...........my pink is a bit bright ( I love bold colour and it is always a challenge for me to tone my colours down )

I loved some of the elements in the photo, like the pillar and the jugs ( I have used an urn ) so painted these pieces of Dusty Attic chipboard and then applied Ranger crackle paint.

If you hop on over to the Lets Get Shabby blog you can also meet our 3 new Design Team girls.......Christiane from France, Anja from Norway and Jan from England and see their beautiful creations for this challenge.

Once Upon A Sketch........September 15 Challenge

2011-09-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

The journalling criteria for the September 15 challenge at Once Upon A Sketch was to write at least 2 lines directly onto your photograph. I have stamped my journalling on with StazOn ink. There was also this sketch to follow.

We all have dad days, but teenage girls more than most, or may be they just haven't learnt strategies for coping with them yet. Any way, life can be tough for young people, especially if you are having a bad hair day, a bad skin day and a "I have absolutely nothing to wear day" all on the SAME day!!

A Little House..............

2011-09-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've had these Tim Holtz configurations boxes for a while, not quite sure what I was going to do with them. So, started playing. When in doubt or I need some thinking time I paint ( you can go over it or cover it with paper if it's not right ). Mixed my favourite colour and painted all the edges. I also had lots of "architectural" bits of chip board, so collected them along with lots of Websters Pages scraps. As I started putting these elements together, this pretty little "house' was built. The idea was to hang it on a wall by the muslin ribbon which is attached at each side, but I had no where to do this where it photographed well, so the muslin is just tied around the top for now.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend, and are doing some playing and lots of creating too. xx

Home Again............

2011-09-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

Don't have much to share at the moment; have been in Melbourne again for the past week so have not done any 'creating' and have a lot if catching up to do now.Thought I would just show some more fantastic Melbourne 'street art'. So many alley and lane ways in the city are "galleries" for some of the best graffiti I've seen. They don't actually call it graffiti, it's called "street art" and it is encouraged and promoted.......you can even go on specially organised "street art" guided tours. It's really a wonderful part of the Melbourne "vibe".

Thank you so much to every one too who left such lovely, lovely comments on my last OUAS post....and to those girls who voted for me, it was a great honour to be featured.

Once Upon a Sketch Challenge........

2011-09-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is for the September 1st. challenge at Once Upon A Sketch. The journalling criteria had to be 'a memorable year'. For me, this year has been memorable....both my young daughters have gone off to study and are no longer at home and I have lost my part time job ( temporarily I hope ) so for the first time in my life my time is my own.

Thought these colours matched up pretty well with the Color Room this week so I have popped it over there as well.

Art Journal..............Experimenting

2011-09-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

Am really enjoying creating textures and layers with out solely using just paper.

Thanks for dropping by. Have a great weekend every one. xx

Color Room Challenge #74...............

2011-09-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Loved the new palette at the Color Room this week. I even tried to follow the sketch.Got very inky and messy with this one.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-09-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

This weeks Scavenger Hunt Sunday photos................

Stairs

Macro

Clouds

Abstract

Smile

Guest Designer at Manor House Creations.............

2011-09-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

I have been busy working on some projects for a new scrapbook company. Excitement mixed with fear took over when I was asked by Manor House Creations to be their very first Guest Designer. I said yes, of course, ( love a challenge ), and next thing I know a very generous package of papers and beautiful flowers arrived for me to work with. They asked for 2 LO's and 1 OTP creation.

The first LO has been done using The Scrap Cakes' Little Monsters range of papers. These papers were definitely not my style ( not a flower or flourish in sight ) but they were very cute, great colours and little love hearts every where. The beautiful flowers are from Manor House Creations, plus some hand made tissue paper ones.

This second LO has been done using the very delicate,soft colours from The Scrap Cakes' Spring Awakening range. The beautiful flowers of course are from Manor House Creations and the chipboard frame is from Imaginarium Design.

The OTP project is a little 'thank you' box. My friend works for a hearing aid company and every time a client comes in and has a new hearing aid fitted they never want to keep the box, so, she passes them on to me. They are quite sturdy and just the right size for keeping 6x4 photos in, jewellery or small treasures or for filling up with chocolates, sweets or home-made biscuits. I have used paper from The Scrap Cake Spring Awakening range, the flower is from Manor House Creations and the chipboard is from Imaginarium Design.

I have loved doing my Guest Designer challenge and am very thankful to Nerrida for giving me the opportunity. It was great fun and an honour to work with the beautiful Manor House products.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend everyone.

Looking, Looking, Looking........

2011-08-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

If you love things vintage, soft, pretty and a little rough around the edges, and you love to create with paper, paint or mixed media, then maybe this is for you. The Lets Get Shabby Challenge blog is searching for 3 new Design Team members. Hop on over to their blog here to find out all the details.

Photographs are from Pod norweskim niebem

New Color Room Palette.......

2011-08-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

These are not my favourite colours but I did enjoy following the sketch.....sort of, and the photos of my daughter are a few years old, but I loved the "moodiness"of them and they were the exact colour in this weeks palette. I don't know how well I have pulled off the overall colour scheme, the pages always photograph differently, but I've had fun as always. I really admire those people who get the colour exactly as they appear in the inspiration photo, it's not that easy.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-08-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

I am a very novice photographer, but I am keen to improve and the only way to do that is to practice, right? So I am being brave and have taken some photos for Scavenger Hunt Sunday, a photography challenge run by Ashley Sisk each week.I have no idea how to use Photoshop so apart from simple photo editing like 'crop' and 'straighten' these are pretty basic I guess, but I did have my camera on manual instead of auto. so that has to a step in the right direction, hey?

old and new

night photography

music

cheesy

sun

Lets Get Shabby #27..............New Challenge

2011-08-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

The September challenge at Lets Get Shabby is to use inspiration from one of TallulahBelles beautiful Etsy product packs for your creation. This was a really fun challenge to do, so hop on over to Lets Get Shabby for all the details on how to play. I chose Woodland Whimsy Petite Pocketful of Whimsy.

Firstly I have to admit to a love of all things 'vintage',so all of the product packs that Kris makes for her Etsy Shop appealed to me.....it was really hard to choose. In the end I chose this pack as my inspiration because of the colours. The turquoise beads and the brown and white spot jumped out at me. Turquoise would have to be my favourite colour. Next it was the whimsical little deer with the bird sitting on it's back ( and I knew I had paper with a little deer on it ) and lastly the doilies, who doesn't love the vintage girly look of these pretties. I have used Martha Stewart ones, crochet ones and ones cut from the packaging of a Prima flower pack ( sadly they look a bit shiny in the photo )

Thanks for dropping by. Have a great weekend every one. xx

Colour Room Challenge...........

2011-08-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

This weeks palette at the Color Room is just beautiful.........

Detail of texture paste used with a stencil and Glimmer Mist.

Tea on Tuesday.........in Melbourne

2011-08-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Last week I was lucky enough to have 7 days in wonderful Melbourne catching up with my daughter.Melbourne has a fantastic cafe / food culture. Every place you go to is busy and the competition is fierce, so the coffee and food is always innovative, edgy and excellent quality. My morning ritual would be to go to the Hot Poppy Cafe for a freshly made juice; I pretty much always had the #6.

Then I would walk down the road to this old warehouse, Auction Rooms for my coffee. Beautiful coffee that they roast on site.

For more info and some great photos of the Melbourne cafe scene go visit What Katie Ate here.

Thanks for joining me today and hop on over to Kimmies blog to catch up with the other girls having tea.

I've been away............

2011-08-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

I have been away for the last 8 days...........

So much fun........

Can you guess where...........?

AND : I have just discovered that two challenge blogs have chosen my recent LOs as winners. I am amazed and of course very happy. Thank you to the DT members at Our Vintage Affair and Once Upon A Sketch for voting for me. It is a huge confidence boost to know that these very talented people see my work as worthy of their votes.

Our Vintage Affair Once Upon A Sketch

July 123 Challenge......

2011-07-28T17:20:00.000-07:00

Just one more challenge for this month. The 123 Challenge blog for July had a fantastic tutorial by Gina Rodgers that really inspired me. I am usually a bit of a neat, clean, control freak when it comes to creating, so this challenge to use lots of different mediums inspired me to 'free up', get down and get dirty.

The Challenge:

1. Colour = Aqua/ Teal

2. Word = "Thing". Could be anything, something.

3. Technique = Create a Scene:...i.e. layering, texture,decorative background etc.

I have used dyed tissue paper as my background. Then, added some patterned paper and stamped in a few places. Next, added a coat of gesso to tone everything down. I added some texture paste around the photo and attached the metal bits which had been coloured with alcohol ink ( and let dribble ) and the tiny sequins and glass beads. Added some tissue tape, coloured with texta, a piece of lace that was glimmer-misted and gessoed,rub-ons,clear acrylic letters that were stamped and foam mounted ,distressed letters.....great, inky, dribbly, fun.

Good news......since this photo was taken early last year, my daughter has stopped smoking.

Lets Get Shabby Goes French.................

2011-07-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

The new challenge at Lets Get Shabby, challenge #26, is very romantic and French.........create a project using Toile and Ticking. To find out what these are and all the details for this challenge click HERE. You can also see the other DT girls inspiring work, and, meet our new DT member Magda from Poland. As usual there is a great prize..........$50.00 worth of beautiful Imaginarium Design chipboard.

Here is my Toile and Ticking paper.....I was lucky to have this one piece of Toile in my paper stash, and the grey and white stripe is from Kaisercraft.

My "tiny dancer", my daughter Lani

Some hand-made flowers

Once Upon a Sketch Challenge........

2011-07-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

The new challenge at Once Upon A Sketch requires a quote, and has this sketch below to follow. Here is my take....the photo is of my cheeky little niece Indi and I have used the very fun Graphic 45 papers.

Just Flowers............

2011-07-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

The July LO Challenge at Our Vintage Affair is all about flowers. There has to be at least one flower on the page that you have made yourself. There was also this sketch to follow. I was up for a bit of relaxing therapy so got busy with the scissors and the punches and made all the flowers on this page.They're made from tissue paper which has been coloured with Glimmer Mist, some from card stock and some from a serviette. The tissue paper flowers actually started out as a border strip but it didn't look right so it got turned into flowers. I am really happy with the serviette flowers with their soft, fluffy ruffles.

Once Upon A Sketch....challenge

2011-07-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

My fun take on this months July 1 Once Upon A Sketch Challenge is about a face we have come to know and rely on.The journalling criteria is to name the person in your LO and write at least one fact about them. There was also the above sketch to follow.

So many little things in life we take for granted.........

Random Stuff.........

2011-07-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

"don't think about making art. just get it done!let everyone else decide whether it's good or bad,whether they love it or hate it. while they are deciding, make even more art". andy warhol.

123 June Challenge

2011-06-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

The June 123 challenge is:

1.Colour = BROWN

2.Word = CREATE

3.Technique/Product =TAPE

Thanks for dropping by, hope you all have a wonderful and creative weekend. xx

Lets Get Shabby 2nd Birthday Challenge

2011-06-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

This page was made for Lets Get Shabby in celebration of their Second Birthday. This is the inspiration photo.........

and the brief was to create something that had to have the #2 in it and use 2 of the following........

lace

chipboard

ribbon

material

book/music page

You can use other things on your page but only 2 from this list. I chose to use chipboard and ribbon.

Before I was a scrapbooker I was a quilter, so I drew on my quilting background for some inspiration...............

I completely indulged myself and made a '9 patch' square, shabby collage, just like a 9 patch or 6 patch applique block you would use to make a fabric quilt.

I also drew inspiration from Christine Middlecamp and her beautiful embellished doilies where she uses layer apon layer of prettiness atop a Martha Stewart doily. No Martha doilies here, just little ones I made using the Spellbinders in the Cuttlebug.

This was soooo much fun.

Hop over to Lets Get Shabby and have a look at the beautiful work the other DT girls have done and join in the challenge.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LGS !

Altered Book....some more

2011-06-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Remember this...............the altered book? I have done some more.

I have finished the cover..........

and a little peek at something new......it helped me find my 'mojo',will show all next week and thanks for all your supportive words when I was being grumpy and winey re/ my lost creative drive last week.XOX

Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend every one. xx

WW1 June Challenge

2011-06-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I have been away in Melbourne this week catching up with my daughter.... no computer, no blog. I feel like my creative "mojo" is under the weather. I have been searching for inspiration, but so far I am still left wanting. I did this page before I left for the June WW1 challenge:-------white + red + circles / polka dots. It was fun, I used my usual mists and paint and of course stamps; can't seem to do any page any more without stamps being included some where. Did some embossing and added some textural bits and pieces including twine .

Thanks for dropping by, hope every one has had a great week end and I apologise to all my usual wonderful visitors that leave such kind and sincere comments for being such a slack blogger friend and not calling by to say hi this past week .

Scrap For Help

2011-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Scrap For Help is an innovative approach to connecting the world which can have positive consequences for all . Tania Martyns asked me to use my "up-cycled" page to show how re cycling can be used in scrapbook pages.

This page is made up of re-cycled material, not normally used on scrapbook pages.......muslin bandaging......half of a brown paper shopping bag.......cardboard packaging.........crochet cotton.........old lace remnant........white cord that was attached to a dress label and a serviette.

Please drop by Scrap For Help and read what they are all about......it's all good.

The Color Room..........# 61

2011-06-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

This weeks color room palette again I found challenging. They seem to come around so quickly and I feel like I am not prepared. I feel like I have to choose my coloured elements from my stash and they are close in colour but never exact. Oh well, sometimes close enough has to be good enough and the colour often changes again after I have photographed it any way.

Thanks so much for dropping by......hope the week has been kind to you and two more days to the weekend (depending on which side of the world you live)

Tea On Tuesday.......Biscuits & Politics.

2011-06-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, they are pink and red and they're called Iced Vo Vo's. Another "classic" Australian biscuit made by Arnotts. It was first made in 1906 and is still going strong. Our previous Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, mentioned them in his 2007 election victory speech, jokingly urging his team to "have a strong cup of tea with an iced Vo Vo before getting to work". This biscuit consists of a relatively soft biscuit base that is topped with fairly thick, pink fondant icing, with a strip of raspberry jam down the middle, which actually contains raspberries. It is then liberally dusted with dessicated coconut.One biscuit connoisseur has said: "they are a fussy biscuit, with too much going on.....the coconut, the jam, the icing all fight for supremacy on the palette, whilst the rather soft base lacks any backbone to give texture".

For me, they are just a very sweet and rather girly and pretty biscuit ( even tho my husband loves them ) and go beautifully with Jasmine tea. Wishing you all a sweet Tuesday.

If you would like to join us for tea visit Art In Red Wagons here

A Guest Spot AT Our Vintage Affair..............

2011-06-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

I am a guest at Our Vintage Affair this month. The girls there asked me to do a LO based on their sketch and with the theme of Grandparents. The page I have done shows a photo of my daughter with her "papa". They are both wearing very "daggy" beanies and the photo is not great quality but I think it expresses the lovely bond of love, trust, and wonder that is shared between small children and their grandparents. Hop on over to Our Vintage Affair if you would like to play along with this months challenge, and thanks again Polly for inviting me to create with you and the talented DT girls this month.

Thanks so much for dropping by,I hope you all have a really wonderful weekend.I am looking forward to mine as I am doing a class with the very clever and fun Steph Devlin on Saturday. xx

The Color Room.....#60 XOX

2011-06-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I have made a LO for The Color Room this week, even tho it's a bit late. These colours really appealed to me; unfortunately my grey background looks more brown than grey in the photo. I painted some Tim Holtz metal bits with Gesso then pink paint; painted and distressed some letters; embossed and painted the heart; added some stitching and a little bit of stamping. I did not use one rub on which is probably a first for me. The photo is my sweet daughter blowing me a kiss.

Thanks for visiting. Hope you have all had a great week. xx

Road Trip and New Challenge at Lets Get Shabby

2011-05-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I have just returned home after a wonderful 9 day driving holiday in beautiful Victoria. The Autumn country side was a picture, our accommodation was elegant, quaint and luxurious, we ate and drank probably way too much delicious food and wine, did lots and lots of walking, a little bit of shopping and best of all spent time with our daughter who lives in Melbourne.

The new challenge at Lets Get Shabby, challenge #24, is to create a project based on a favourite memory or photo from your childhood.This months sponsor is Lea from Little Bits Of Pretty. 100% of sales from Little Bits Of Pretty are donated to the Westmead Childrens Hospital. You are amazing Lea!

Here is my Design Team LO. This is me. I DO remember my dress, my doll, she was called Pixie and the car but I don't remember the photo being taken at all.

I so loved this challenge that I did a second page. A lot of the embellishments on both these pages was kindly given to us by Lea from Little Bits of Pretty. What a generous soul she is who is actually "making a difference". Please visit her blog, purchase some "pretties" and help this wonderful cause.

Also up on the Lets Get Shabby blog is Olgas' tutorial on how to make these beautiful crepe paper flowers.

Thanks so much to everyone who left wonderful comments on my last post; it really does mean a lot to me. I'm sorry I haven't been able to get back to you yet but will hop to it this week.

Stamps and Old Wives Tales.............

2011-05-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

The challenge this week at Simon Says Stamp And Show is:- An Old Wives Tale. I have made a page based on an old rhyme my mother taught me ( hope it fits the criteria ). It is a childrens' clapping or skipping rhyme and there are several different versions. It apparently originated in America and was a clapping game played by black children.

The version I was taught is :-

Mary Mac

Dressed in black

Silver buttons all down her back

She likes coffee, she likes tea

She likes sitting on the Chinamans knee.

My mother said, I never should

Play with the Gypsies in the wood.

If I did, she would say

Naughty girl to disobey.

I have always loved the rhyme but, to me, it has a sense of foreboding about it..........Gypsies in the wood and strange Chinamen.......oooh. The stamp I have used in the top left corner I bought just because it was a bit quirky, I had no idea what I would ever use it on....till now. It so made me think of Mary Mac. I had also only just purchased the tree stencil, after watching the very clever Louise Nelson create magic with it on the weekend, so then I had my scary 'wood'. I had so much fun doing this page, stamping and stencilling.......I don't think I have ever used so many stamps on one project before !

This is an American version of Mary Mac, played on a Bottleneck Slide Blues Guitar and the words have written sub-titles that have political, social, and historical references and it's kind of fun.....? You might need to turn my music off if you want to listen to this.

New May Challenge at WW1

2011-05-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

The May challenge at WW1 is...........White + Orange + Scallops...............

A photo of my 2 girls ( when one of them had orange hair ! ) out and about,having a good time. Orange for me is not a favourite colour, but this particular orange paper is... I love the pattern and I love that it is flocked. I only have a small piece of it left now so I have used it frugally, I don't know if I can find any more ,but I have used it on so many things and it is on my 'profile' picture, so, it's sort of special. I really loved making this page........I have painted, stamped, misted and stitched. I have had those clear acrylic letters for years, sort of boring, so I stamped on them with StazOn and loved how they looked. Hope you have all had a great weekend and so good Blogger is behaving itself again.

A Little Bit Happy...........

2011-05-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Today I'm really happy. Firstly, my niece has had her first baby, a boy...........welcome little Max. Now, I am not a card maker: there never seems to be enough room or space for me on a card..........I like a bigger stage, but, I have attempted a boy card for this beautiful and very happy occasion.

Secondly, the challenge blog, Our Vintage Affair loved my little "whimsical" egg creation and awarded me a prize for it. I was thrilled, and thank you very much. Also the very fun challenge blog, 123, liked my April entry: thanks girls and thanks also to Purple Pumpkin for sponsoring.

So that's why I am a little bit happy today. As artists, sometimes I'm sure we all have doubts, and question "is what we produce worthy ?...........is it even good ?.............and is it "good enough" to be "out there" where it will be publicly judged and scrutinised. So, every now and then it's nice to get that positive affirmation from other creative souls that say,"yes", your work is worthy and does have creative value.

Tea On Tuesday.........Yellow Quinces

2011-05-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

According to Google, the quince was sacred to Aphrodite and Venus, the goddesses of love, and a symbol of love, happiness and fertility in Greek and Roman times. I just love every thing about them ! Their buttery yellow colour, their soft, furry film when first picked, their beautiful organic shape, but most of all their delicious aroma. 4 or 5 quinces left in the fruit bowl give off the most delicate perfume, that for me, remind me of my childhood, of crisp autumn days and cosy warm kitchens.

Quinces are really hard and require long, gentle cooking. Their flesh is white, but after 2 hours of slow, poaching in the oven, they turn this gorgeous deep, ruby orange colour....where does this amazing colour come from ? !

My clever friend Gill made quince jelly this year and we did a swap:-- a jar of her quince jelly for a jar of my apricot jam. The jelly is the most beautifully coloured preserve and I love how the light shines through it.

We were given some quinces last week and so for tea today ( and desert tonight ) I have made a quince and chocolate tart. The recipe belongs to Maggie Beer, a much loved cook and food celebrity from South Australia's Barossa Valley. It's a little tricky to make, I don't think mine is quite cooked in the middle, ( notice I have put the cream where the gooiest bit is ) but definitely worth the effort. The tea is simple........English Breakfast.

Thanks for visiting me today, and for more Tuesday tea parties visit here.

Matters of the Heart............

2011-05-01T02:12:00.000-07:00

Heart:- the seat of emotions and affections, feelings and sensibility. ( often in contrast to the head as the seat of the intellect )

After having so much fun with my "whimsical" egg , I have been playing again, with...........polystyrene hearts, paper serviettes, modge-podge, paint, ink, glimmermist, chipboard,embossing powders, Tim Holtz baubles and metal and pinkpaislee ephemera. This first heart is for a challenge at Sarah Hurley, where the theme is butterflies and things with wings.

This second heart is for all the "Royalness" that has been going on this past weekend with "THE" Grand wedding in London.

Lets Get Shabby...New Challenge #23

2011-04-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

The challenge this month at Lets Get Shabby is to create a page using the colours aqua and pink AND include some spots as well. Why these colours ?............because they are the site colours of this months generous sponsor Scrap Therapy. Please hop on over to the Lets Get Shabby blog for inspiration from the other DT girls and all the details you need to play along.

We would love you to join in at Lets Get Shabby this month using these gorgeous colours.

A Whimsical Egg.............

2011-04-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Whimsical:- of an odd, quaint or fanciful notion.

I played with:- a "cotton" egg, 7gypsies paper, pinkpaislee ephemera, prima flowers, gesso, modge-podge, paint, and Glimmermist.

I thought I would add my "egg" to the challenge at Our Vintage Affair, where you had to create an Easter decoration

Wishing every one a fun, safe and happy Easter.

Tea On Tuesday..........Green Apples

2011-04-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

So much green lately ! Two recent projects were all about olive green and lime green and today I'm talking about apple green ! We have this old Granny Smith apple tree in our front yard, and this year with all the beautiful winter rain it has been loaded with big, green, juicy, " sour " apples. It does have the whitest,crispest flesh tho, and once picked lasts for ages and is fantastic for cooking with. This variety of apple was planted just by chance as a single seedling in 1860 by Maria Ann Smith in New South Wales. It is very common and popular in Australia, but most foreigners are wary of it, having serious doubts about eating a "not ripe" green apple.

So for tea today I have made a rum, raisin,walnut,apple cake..........dense, moist and delicious; and what am I drinking with it.........green tea of course, with Jasmine petals.

The other thing I wanted to share today was my warm glow of gratitude and appreciation

I experienced yesterday. Don't you love it when someone surprises you with something special and thoughtful, some little unexpected thing. I purchased a small bundle of beautiful hand-dyed seam binding from an on line store called Tattered Inspirations, and it arrived in the post in the usual bubble envelope.......but !..........it was what was inside that was special. It was a brown paper package tied up with string, decorated beautifully with a doily, gorgeous vintage tags, pretty fabric flowers and soft pink seam binding................thank you so much Carol. xx

So todays post has been a bit reminiscent of that Sound of Music song "My Favourite Things".........."brown paper packages tied up with string", and "crisp apple strudel"......only I had "moist apple cake".lol. Have a great day and if you would like to join us for Tea on Tuesday visit Art in Red Wagons.

April 123 challenge

2011-04-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

My page for this months 123 Challenge, it's always fun.

Colour = Lime Green

Word = Really

Technique / Product = Fabric

I used some hand - dyed fabric in the banner and the flowers.

Once Upon A Sketch....challenge #1

2011-04-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

I tried to follow the sketch, I have used it vertically instead of horizontally, and the other part of the challenge was that the journalling had to be hand written.

This was a great challenge for me..........I rarely if ever journal on my pages, not sure why,maybe because I am so involved with the art/design process, and I know the story so well in my head, I don't feel anything needs to be written: but of course it does, it's so important for the future. "Expression" can take on many forms, and when you have images as well as words, the story is much more complete. Enough of my psycho-analysing guff........This is quite a simple page for me. I have used minimal elements,and minimal colour : I loved this photo, deliberately washed out, the pastel colours and the black. Once Upon A Sketch is a new challenge site; its simple, has a great DT, its different and it has made me think more about what makes up a "meaningful" scrapbook page, so thanks girls.

WW1 April Challenge

2011-04-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

White + Olive Green + Twine.

Oh my goodness: I have only just posted my March WW1 challenge ( it was pretty late tho) and here I am posting Aprils ! I love these challenges, and especially this one. I wouldn't say olive green is the "prettiest" of colours, but I do like its subtle earthiness, especially combined with twine; what a great idea. I had no white cardstock when I started this LO, (the down-side of living in a rural community, not a lot of scrapbooking suppliers nearby) but I was so keen to get started. Anyway I hope I have enough "white bits" on my page for it to be "legal."

New Challenge........WW1

2011-03-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

The March challenge at WW1 ( only just managed to squeeze it in ) is........ white + bright pink + an artisan shape or product. Pink is probably not one of my favourite colours but thats why we do these challenges. I have used the beautiful Pinkpaislee resist paper and the artisan elements.

Lets Get Shabby...Challenge #22

2011-03-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

The next challenge is up at Lets Get Shabby and it is all about Beatrix Potter, her characters and beautiful illustrations. It could also be representative of Easter or Spring. Please visit the Lets Get Shabby blog to see the gorgeous examples done by the other design team girls for inspiration, check out the beautiful prize and get the details on how to play. Carol from Tattered Inspirations is our kind and very generous sponsor this month......she has beautiful things in her shop.

I made 2 little tag books.....one with clues in it for an Easter egg hunt in the garden made using Graphic 45 paper, and the other one with Spring quotes, made with beautiful Websters pages.

March 123 challenge

2011-03-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a page I have done for the March 123 Challenge and for the Color rooms # 50 Palette. The March 123 Challenge is :

Colour = Light / Medium Blue

Word = To / Too / Two

Technique / Product = Doilies

The photo is of my 2 daughters on the rare occasion when their hair was the same colour. One is naturally blonde, the other naturally brunette. Over the years there have been times when the blonde was a brunette, the brunette was a blonde, both blonde for a time and of course all lengths and shades in between. I certainly have my preferences, but as their mum they are always beautiful to me.

The blues that I used just happened to be the same palette over at the Color room this week. They are celebrating 50 different palettes. I take my hat off to any one who has completed all of them: this would have to be one of my favourites.

Tea By The Sea.....

2011-03-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today for tea I am taking you on a walk, one of my favourites around Horseshoe Bay. We walk along the cliff top past Lady Bay and onto Knights Beach, then back to the cafe. I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world, and am grateful every day for the wonder that surrounds me.

This is where I end up for my tea or coffee............. the Flying Fish Cafe at beautiful Horseshoe Bay.

If you would like to join us for Tea on Tuesday visit Art in Red Wagons here for the details.

There's a nip in the air................

2011-03-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

With the first month of Autumn arrived I have decided to make a quilt. It's not an " arty " quilt, its a hand pieced, old fashioned scrap quilt. These Moroccan tea glasses were the inspiration for my colours. For me, the colours of Autumn seem to be warmer and richer, as the harsh Summer heat seems to bleach all the colour out of every thing.

These are my fabrics......pinks for the stars and tulips and blue/greens for the background.

The pattern I have chosen is called Cottage Tulips. Each block is made up of an 8 pointed star in the middle and 8 tulips around the edge.

Once you have made the 8 pointed star and the 8 tulips you sew the blue background to the stars and then the tulips to the blue background. You end up with a circular block which you then applique onto a 12 inch square of cream background.

Wish me luck with it's completion....... I have started quilts before and have not finished them....... note to self, 'finish off the 3 quilts at bottom of sewing cupboard !! '