Calypso Beads Necklace - Giveaway

A last minute dash to make handmade gifts has seen me churn out some lovely summer flavoured beads in calypso colours.
Lovely wearable art , clay beads in summery colours and leather strapping to bring it all together. The beads have a stone like quality and give a pop of colour to any outfit.

 I found the clay quite hard to roll and ended up with really sore palms by the end of my rolling session. Obviously I don't do enough manual labour!

Stringing the beads required hollowing out the centres because I chose to thick a leather strapping but I think that the thicker strapping gives a strong support to the chunkiness of the beads. Finer leather just didn't cut it and had a washy look about it.

I also have not planned on having party nails this Christmas season as my thumb nail is totally ruined by trying to open the split rings for the clasps. Oh well I hope the girls will appreciate them. I'll probably have a few left over, nothing is ever made in small quantities with me. Perhaps a give away and maybe sell a few!. Nope I'll just give one of each away. Leave a comment here with contact details and post on your blog about the give away and Ill draw the lucky two winners on the 2nd of January 2013 Closing 10 pm Adelaide time South Australia. I'll post the winner on the 3rd of January 2013.
Happy Christmas everyone!!

Bark Painting

Shopping for Christmas presents the other day I parked near a great gum tree. Upon returning to the car I noticed the bark collected under the tree. Lots of the bark had been broken to smaller pieces but a few remained large enough to inspire me to pick it up.

The under side of the bark is reasonably white and the outer has a beautiful brown and white patina, this is what first caught my eye.
So tonight I have pulled out my acrylic inks and dabbled a little in lilies of the pink and white variety.

The bark is quite curved and of course I have decided to photograph it when it is dark, so either one of these things or just my unsteady hand make the painting a little blurred. It was a fun exercise anyway and I have more bark to play with.
I still have to make that lamp that I spied yesterday and Christmas cookies and maybe write a card or two.
Plenty of things to do and time poor! Love a challenge, wonder how much I can do tomorrow as well as catch up with my sister and her children over from Canberra.
Hope your days are filled with excitement!

Shining Through - A Project To Work ON

I've found my new project! I've just finished painting my daughters bedroom aqua green and white (upon her request). She wants a Paris themed bedroom. Originally I was going to buy a paper ball lamp shade but after visiting Spirello here and seeing these beautiful lace doily lamp shades I know where my head will be at for the next couple of days. Now to acquire the necessary doilies for this production and some balloons!! Doilies are becoming very popular nowadays, who would have thought!

Enter Christmas

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this being the case I must sincerely say that I do admire Geninne's work  at Geninnies art blog found here.
I was looking at resurrection fern blog found here (blog entry December 8th  2012) and saw  some of Gennies artwork on her friends wall, especially drawn in time for Christmas. It really caught my eye and was beautiful in its simplicity.: A lovely chalk drawn Christmas tree on a dark wall, simply beautiful. Well I had to create my own for my entry into my house, to greet all and sundry with the beginning of a Christmas theme as soon as you enter. I think my husband might flip as my whole lounge room is absolutely stuffed with Christmas. I've photographed it and if he really does object I'll just wash it off. We will have to wait and see'

Christmas Ornament Swap

I have a cute little ornament 

Now hanging from my tree

My beautiful green and white sock

Which was gifted to me

A dear sweet person took the trouble to knit 

a tiny sock to sit upon my tree.

So thank you to Karen 

For the time and trouble you spent 

To knit your mothers pattern

Vintage of the sixties to seventies.

So Merry Christmas 

And many thanks

I'll think of you each year

and the fun we had participating in the ornament swap

with Christina Lowry 2012

Visit karen at Pumpkin Sunrise.com  here and pattern on raverly

Purple to Pink

Hydrangeas are such beautiful flowers. Lacy projections and pink pompoms of colour. Inspiration
enough to start carving a stamp or at least drawing one up before heading off to work
My hydranea plant is doing really well this year and I think thanks might have to go to my husband, David whom has taken an interest in the front garden and has fed the poor deprived plants that have managed to survive the year. I'm  good at planting and watering but that is as far as it goes

Following a theme of pink to purple I have finally taken a photo of the crochet project I am currently working on. My daughter asked for some time ago a blanket for herself. I actually started one in rainbow colours but that got converted to a baby blanket out of desperation and she prefers these colours and pattern having picked them herself. One ball of colour per strip, pretty easy and a no brainer when it comes to crocheting. I intend on doing a purple lacy surround for interest and to make the blanket a little wider.

Op Shop Finds

My latest op shop find 2 handmade chairs! $18 each

As I took the chairs up to the counter the volunteer in Vinnies told me they just had them valued to sell at $45 each  - yeah  bargain! I took them around to Dad and he offered to buy them from me. I told him he could help me fix them up. Although they are well made the finish on them is less than desirable  Somebody was in a hurry to varnish them and lay the coating of varnish on thick.

Dad did a little sanding and buffing and waxing to show me the finish it could have. So much smoother and a lovely soft lustre  So I'm going around Friday and will start my sanding project. I just have to keep my old man away from them, sometimes he gets carried away with things and thinks he's meant to do the work. A combined collaboration would be fine.

 Also found today some Carlton Ware - Australian design.  I haven't seen this pattern before. The glaze is two toned yellow and pale brown. The piece has lots of fine crazing over it but no chips. I think it will make a nice cherry bowl for Christmas.

 Speaking of Cherries.. I found some Alfred Meakin cups saucers and egg cups 12 pieces for $15 but went into Vinnies on a day when they had 50% off bric a brac - Bargain !!!

 From the same shop a couple of weeks ago an opal pendant and pair of earrings - I hummed and haared over these wondering if I would wear them but really haven't taken them off since buying the set. $25 well spent then and happy Christmas to me (a little early but you have to buy when you see something you like!)

 My pieces of Australia Design Carlton Ware

 Bought this because it was green, love green ware!!

Happy shopping..

Redwork angel stitchery

I'm hiding inside because supposedly its 40 degrees outside. the air conditioner is blasting away and so a  little sewing is in order. I finally have the time to stitch up my Christmas Stitchery -Angels heralding in Christmas.  If you want to make your own go here.

Wreath - same but different!

 Whilst having a messy table I figured I might as well continue my mess and make up a second wreath. This wreath has a slightly triangular shape and I was running out of seed pods and ribbon. I improvised by picking poppy seed heads out of the garden and using some old chandelier crystal and pearls to fill the  gaps.

 Not enough ribbon to make a tie, so some wire and pearls will suffice. Personally I think this is a waste of pearls but when you don't have a car to jump into you make do - far more environmentally friendly as well. I must admit to jumping into the car on occasion when I have to have a certain item for my craft making and I just can't wait

Better go clean up my mess before picking up my car from the mechanics - my brother, always handy to have a mechanic in the family.
For more wreath ideas go here and here and here

Wreath it is!

I decided that the weed come wreath really is a wreath!

I've grabbed some of my clay snowflakes and wired them onto the wreath. Some time ago (something like a year ago) I collected some seed pods from  a tree at the side of the road. My original intention was to utilize them in flower arranging but they were a little awkward  so since then they have been stashed in the cupboard for whom knows when. That would be now! I gave them a quick brush over with some white paint and hot glued them to my wreath. A roll of silver ribbon and some star anise and voilà you have a wreath !

 Must remove the excess glue! Photographs really highlight all those little things you miss!

More Christmas wreath ideas found here and here and here

All wrapped up and ready to go

Christmas ornament swap items have finally been packaged. I had a hard time finding a suitable box, especially for the spoon. I seems everybody has been out buying rectangular boxes and left only square ones on the shelves. Any ho.. I managed to squeeze it in and have now wrapped the presents ready for mail on Monday. I printed off my own paper utilizing my first lino print that I made years ago, a copy of Margaret Preston's flowers.

Fabric Flowers

A start on the fabric flowers to go with naturally dyed scarves. I think they would go well on hair ties as well in a smaller version and brighter colours.

Whilst I was making flowers my daughter spent the afternoon creating cookie monsters.

Just a quick post today, have to get ready for work.

Gelati Flowers

The recent photographs of the roses in the garden that my daughter took got me thinking about producing something mystical with flowers to go with the gelati coloured scarves I have already naturally dyed.

Her photographs are soft and fuzzy

I grabbed the first scarf I could lay my hands on - pomegranate dyed to a warm yellow and raided my fabric stash for flower type materials

Cut out large petal shapes, a pearl bed for the center of the flower and yellow cotton for the stamen

gather the leaves individually with a tacking stitch and secure ends off.

the eye of the pearl bead was large enough to allow my yellow thread to pass through a strand about 15cm long. Make a card about 6 cm wide and wrap the remainding yellow cotton around it about 15 times (like you would for a pompom) cut thread both end and secure in the middle with a tight knot with the threads from the pearl bead - this will form the center of you flower. Keep the two longs strands that you used to knot with - they will help anchor the center of the flower. 

Start working the centre of the flower  wrapping the petal around the bead and stamen and working in place with securing stitches as you go. Build up the layer of petals as you go until you are happy with the size.
Run some securing stitches the whole way through the flower and give a couple of tight twists the whole way around the flower to hep prop the flower up.

I attached leaves to see if it would make the back tidier (not really) a snip across the bottom making sure not to cut off any stitching would have been just as good. Sew on a safety pin so the you can wear the flower or sew in place.

 I'm lucky to have such a beautiful model and one whom is willing to try things on for me.

Now to make a few different colours