another very wet monday

I have been beavering away tonight and have finished my little medieval pocket book - too late for pics so wait until tomorrow. It's quite eerie working in the studio at night and looking back into the house. The builder told us that the painter would be here at 9.30am tomorrow for his last bit - ha ha we said......

Today's celebrity ATCs are from Anne van der Kley - the overlocking/serger queen - what Anne does with an overlocker amazes me - it hasn't quite got me to get mine out and dust it off and use it though....

Reading the comments about the rugby has amused me. The pulling of dreadlocks. I reckon if you have dreadlocks you must know perfectly well that they are a great target. I have always thought that! George Smith hasn't been complaining though. Just a further bit of media hype I would say. Very pleased to see that the Silver Ferns beat South Africa tonight.

Sunday

Apart from carrying a few things to the studio, I haven't done anything else there although I have been sorting my beads and tiny sequins. I am in the mood to use them more often.

What I HAVE done is to write the newsletter which is now in Ian's capable hands - he adds the pictures and sorts out my mess, and then I send it. If you are on our new newsletter list you will get 2 emails from us and if you are only on our original mailing list we will invite you to change over, or if you are on none then you might like to join..... Think of me - having to send out to all of our customers in lots of 50 people at a time. Next newsletter will be easy.

Today's Celebrity ATCs are from Patti Culea - dollie artist extraordinaire. We have also just loaded her 3 stamps to the website as well!

Ian is chafing at the bit as we are off to Spaghi after slogging away all day (he has been doing the GST ) . In case you think we never eat at home, I actually love cooking and we love especially, Indian food. Last night we had our favourite chicken curry which I made before we went to the rugby.... Highly suitable for after such a satisfying win.....

rugby rugby

Have to gloat - the ABs beat the Wallabies and therefore won the Beldisloe Cup - it was a good game and we were surprised the score was so close - 13-9. But satisfying.

Found a picture of the Bledisloe Cup which is now safely home.

Saturday

Today's Celebrity ATCs were made by Leanne Rogerson from Auckland, NZ - Leanne does lovely quirky stuff - very talented. (Apologies, Leanne - I think the second one down should be on its side but if you turn your heads to the right you will be able to see ok) Also, I am sure that, like me, she is getting geared up for our big rugby clash tonight - the ABs (with haka) vs Wallabies. Off to the Northbridge soon for the big game - believe it or not I am in my black dragon clothes and wearing my possie scarves. We couldn'thave our pre-game bbq today - it is a bit too dank and wet. Instead I have been moving more goodies up to the studio - pics of that tomorrow. I am also supposed to be finishing the newsletter - tomorrow....

Go the ABs.....

BTW - Brunos Italian Restaurant in Inglewood I would recommend to anyone - wonderful food and byo.

Friday's Celebrity ATCs

Today's Celebrity ATCs were made by Prudence Mapstone - the guru of freeform knitting and crocheting.

Today has been spent cutting and packaging for the show next week with a little bit of activity up in the studio.

Tonight we are off to Bruno's Italian Restuarant - report tomorrow.

There is this silly fuss generated by the Wallaby coach about the All Black haka. I think he is trying to draw attention to himself for tomorrow's big game

wet thursday

We are having lots and lots of lovely rain so hopefully the farmers are happy for a change.

Today's celebrity ATCs are from Maggie Grey - the bottom one is the back of one of them - almost as exciting as the front. Don't forget to send me any for Perth if you are able.

I have managed to spend a bit more time working on my little tags and stitching etc. Soon have that pocketbook all ready to show. It's not as though I haven't got a load of other things I need to be doing as well. Like finishing the newsletter. Ian put the shelves up on the back wall of the studio and I have been out buying more baskets and carting a bit of stuff up at a time. I have a challenge for Ian to sort me a new thread container....

Last night we went to the Red Teapot with friends. Very nice.

a wet monday

We are certainly having lots of rain today - amazing that yesterday afternoon and early evening we had a bbq and sat outside. Today has been a real winter's day for Perth and I haven't had a chance to even get into my studio so nothing happening there. Tomorrow. I have a pile of smallish tags which I painted, covered with tissutex etc yesterday for my medieval book but in Beryl Taylor's book, she has used some gorgeous tiny tiny tags - I have never seen anything like this so I am hunting for them.

Today we set up a mailing list for our newsletter in google. We have a big mailing list on our server in our address book which we do ourselves but we can only mail out to 50 people at once and it takes me all day. We have been exploring what others do and I have unashamedly joined quite a few lists to see what other people do. We decided today to create google list which so far is working very well - I will still have to send out a mailing telling people to change but then that should be it. I have nearly finished the next newsletter and it should be ready in a day or two. If you want to subscribe go to the front page of our website and click on subscribe and let me know if it's not easy or wait patiently until I finish the newsletter.

These pics today are more celebrity ATCs - Liz Welch this time - Liz does the most amazing work and these are all friendly plastic - she is the recognised best at it in the world for sure

busy sunday

We have been busy today - Ian has put the shelves on the back wall of the studio and I have been working on my medieval pocket book. Beautiful day in Perth and this time we stayed home and had a lovely bbq - WA scallops and red emperor and salad. Very nice indeed. A satistfying day even though I didn't seem to achieve much. Here is a pic or two of my pocket book - I have made 16 tags and painted them - each of the tags and each pocket will have a little treasure on it. I have created a few goodies but not attached them yet. Using water soluble paper, panne velvet etc. Ian has called the pics thing 1 and thing 2 - should I dare complain???? No - not with the shelves up. I have to go and get some baskets for the shelves and we some shelves short so once everything is in place, I will pop up a pic. Everything is falling into place nicely.

For those who asked, Eminem is a wonderful modern Turkish restaurant - difficult to get into but one of the best meals we have had and a super atmosphere. Well worth it if you are in Perth.

Watching Le Tour De France but it is all a bit boring tonight - no drama and just a gentle peddle into Paris. Reading our books instead.

rugby report

working away in the studio today - Ian is putting the shelves up on the back wall and I am making my medieval pocket book and sorting threads and beads. Had to mention the rugby from yesterday - the ABs cleaned up the Springbox in the Tri Nations 35-17 - roll on next Saturday. Sad not to see some of my favourite AB players so I hope they will be back next week - Jerry Collins for one....

Also thrilled to see the netball results - onya NZ!

This is Dan Carter weaving his magic.

friday musings

Helen Cowans sent these great ATCs for the Celebrity Display - she's a very talented lady who has been working away hard this week teaching and probably in the heat as well. ATCs for Perth are starting to roll in but if anyone is interested in taking part, please do....... they are loved by all - and a wonderful way to make your own miniature work of art.

I have been beavering away in my studio too with regular visits from Ian to tell me how lucky I am - it's a wonder I can get anything done. Made the 4 pocket pages for my Medieval book but lots to add - so am keeping it. I want to know how the days goes so fast.

We have had a feast of good dining this week - first at our local pub, then at Wagamama and tonight at Eminems. Very hard to get in so we have been thinking about it all day. Getting emotionally ready for the rugby tomorrow.

thursday

We had heaps of rain this afternoon so I was 'forced' to stay in the studio - and anyway I was locked out of the house yet again. Must make sure I take my key - this is the first time I have had my own key since we moved here in 1992. But of course I have no pocket. Last night we sat outside but not tonight!

Working on my Medieval Tiles piece and everything I have tried so far I haven't liked. So I have decided to make another pocket book and so far so good. I have bonded panne velvet to vilene and foiled it for one side and the other side I have been painting and stamping tissutex and also printing medieval images on tissutex. I found some wonderufl gold paper when I was sorting inside - I am getting there although last night Val pointed out that my indoor room looked just as full. That's because I am pulling things out and stacking while we choose the bookcase idea we have. Haven't seen the plumbers yet so I am carting water - the exercise will do me good so long as I have my umbrella and my keys.

Hopefully post my work tomorrow but here is Ian in the garden in Portugal instead.

tuesday report

Well - I didn't get much done today - a button on my embellisher bag and a sorting of Shiva samples for the machine embroidery magazine article. Important to get that away as soon as possible 'cos I am tired of reading about quilts in a magazine which has the title of Machine Embroidery and Textile Art - surely the quilts can go in a quilting magazine??? I am also writing the next newsletter - a bit here and a bit there in between choosing new machine embroidery thread colours - this is for the Festival (I think) collection and so far I have Carnivale (new one with extra shade) and Indian Splendour and today's choosing is greens/blues and purples but unnamed as yet.

Beryl Taylor's lovely book did indeed arrive today - customs must have decided it was okay unlike Thread Magic which they kept for a week - they were probably all reading them. I haven't seen any new techniques which I didn't know but the book is a visual feast - Beryl's work is wonderful and I shall enjoying looking at her brilliant work. She sent me 3 ATCs for our Celebrity ATC display which will be on in Perth at the show in August and then on the web. I thought I would share them here. Relax all those people waiting for the book - they are all in the mail tonight. Worth waiting for I think.

Ian is clutching his tummy and making serious noises so we are off to the Brisbane (our local) for some food

an extra

Have to share this - Mixed Media Explorations - Beryl Taylor's book - should have been delivered today - it left US last Wednesday. However I was checking UPS site (and many people will know we simply hate UPS after the debaucle at Ally Pally last year when they didn't deliver our stuff and blamed us) which Quilting Arts use but we will never again ourselves - and I saw that first the parcels were sent to Taiwan instead of Singapore - so that used up a day and then today they should have been in Perth and out on the road to our house but customs have decided to hold them for xrays - now they did this a few weeks back with Thread Magic. I can't understand what they imagine Mixed Media Explorations will have in them... Be much easier if they just opened the boxes, tipped them all out on the floor and had a good look, and then popped them back inside. Should only take 10 minutes I reckon. SO - I wonder when we will get them.....

That message was really to let everyone know that we still hate UPS and also to let all those people who email me several times a day to see where the book is - that it is nearly here......

Monday musings

What a lovely weekend - weather was delightful and we had a bbq before we went to watch the rugby and all the Aussies will be very pleased that the Wallabies did the walloping this time and demolished the Springbox. Ian finished putting the sink and all the bits and pieces in so the plumber can come and connect it up - and we cleaned up the back yard in readiness for the paving to be done. On Sunday night we had a bbq at night - in the middle of winter and okay if you have the gas heater (Ian's pride and joy) on. This way we could stay outside and further enjoy our ambiency surroundings.




Three pics - one of some eucalyptus nuts I collected around the garden and got them photographed before Ian was about ceremoniously dump them. I thought people like Jenny would like to see them.

The other two are two little bags I made - one is the embellisher one for Princess H - my art to wear - the back is all twin-needled velvet

the second one is made from hand painted panne velvet with Hundertwasser stitch on the surface and an overlay made with machine stitch on Romeo.

6 ATCs

I have cut my embellisher fabric up and made 6 - actually 7 but 6 looks nicer - ATCs which I will send off as soon as my Artful Dodger mates send me their addresses.....

embellisher fabric and atc

I have made a new piece of fabric on the embellisher which I am off to cut up and make ATCs for my Artful Dodger mates who so kindly sent ATCs for the Sydney challenge. I am enjoying making fabric like this - working on a base of scrim - I like the way the scrim comes through like tiny daisy stitch when you work on the back. A few years ago, Alice Kettle gave a talk in Perth and it reminds me of some of her stitches she used. I don't know if she still works this way. I have cut it up in strips and joined it all up again. I could see this sample as a modern Elizabethan cuff.

kerbstones

When I was cleaning out my stuff today, I found these wonderful decorated kerbstones from Newgrange. They are a couple of my favourites and I am always planning to work further with them. I am putting them here to remind me. So many ideas have cropped up just looking at them.

Today I have pretty well got all of my wet area stuff sorted so can move onto the next section now.

Tonight we are off to see the Australian Chamber Orchestra which is always a wonderful experience. Also listened to Nigel Kennedy's concert in Melbourne this afternoon. Fabulous stuff. Last night's perfomance of Amadeus was very long and tedious - we kept wanting Salieri to speak faster so we wouldn't fall asleep. Musical theatre but I hadn't realised it was piped music and some of it not so good either.

studio some more

Today the aircon people came and installed the aircon. I was amazed - this is the first time this year that a tradie has come on the allotted day. He was most impressed when I told him. The insides have been lovely and warm all day and the tops of the distress inks have dried out - because it has a concrete floor it has felt quite damp this past week but lovely and cosy now. I have been cleaning all of stuff - discarding and putting aside things to give away - slow progress but means I should be able to find things easily. One pic is of the new air con unit looking quite unobtrusive (and check out this week's lillies on the table) and the other above the sink getting there. Three trolleys will fit underneath and should be able to hold plenty of my stuff. Then we attack the back wall.

I realise looking at yesterday's pics that you can't see all the detail on the embellished fabric. It was a lot of work but there are lots of great textural contrasts. The secret is to make a large piece of fabric with heaps of interesting textures and then cut it up. I like cutting and weaving so I think it is an extension of this. I really should be doing quite a variety of other things but I want to have the studio looking perfect.

There have been an awful lot of visitors to my blog yesterday and today - what have I done? I haven't spoken to my sister today so I guess our mother is on the improve. You can't stay in hospital for long these days so they will be wanting to move her along as fast as possible. Thank you for all of your kind words.

Grant has finished in Sydney and has flown off to London with a sailing programme until around September. Pity we can't go and see him right now but I am sure he will have a great time.

Tonight we are off to Amadeus at His Majesty's Theatre - should be good.

more embellisher

Yesterday we relaxed after the excitement of the ABs walloping the Wallabies - sorry Helen. Couldn't resist that. However, as everyone knows, everything in the world is unpredictable. Ian got shelves on the wall in the wet area and I have had great pleasure in filling them up. He has just a bit to finish off before he calls the plumber. I shall have a pic to show soon. The rest of the studio looks a little like I have attacked it with a bomb. I decided to use my embellisher to make cloth yesterday and have stuff all over the place. These pics are of my efforts. I use a base of hand dyed scrim mostly and pile on little bits and pieces like some lovely purple pre-felt I bought ages ago and have just rediscovered, throwsters, some hand knitted silk boucle cut up, etc etc. Then I cut it into strips and embellished it back together again with some hairy yarn I found lying around (also rediscovered). The trouble with using lots of stuff is that you have to pull it all out to see what you have and having one's own working space means it is not the end of the world if it's not cleared up the same day. I think that is what having a studio is all about?

Haven't had time to do anything today although I am not sure what I have been doing - packaging and counting and reordering. I think.......

France lost the final in the soccer (remember I know nothing about the game) but I see they spoilt their good playing by Zindane being naughty.

My mother, who is nearly 92, had a heart attack on the weekend and my sister is carrying the can for all of us. She has had a pacemaker inserted (is that the word? and wants to know when she is going home (she lives on her own and is very independent). We think she will probably have to go into a home but once she recovers, she won't like it. The shame of being really old. Ian and I are not any old at all.... my oldest brother phoned this morning to say he is coming over to Perth later in the week. Last time he came I could see he thought we had a lot of stuff floating around the house - this time it will be worse as I am sorting stuff for moving. I shall simply ignore the look on his face.

Pixie Shoes

Here are my embellisher pixie shoes to dance the All Blacks to victory tonight in cold Christchurch in the first of the Bledisloe Cup games against the Wallabies. Also to help Ian dance his way through sawing the hole for the sink. Whoops - it worked before I loaded it as the hole is made and the sink is in and the plumber can come!!

Pixie Shoes won't load so will be back later. In the meantime - off to watch the game....

It has taken me until this morning to load the pixie shoes but they did their magic and the All Blacks won with a superb result cleaning up the Wallaby backs and forwards - great start to the tri-nations. And yes, Gill - the dastardly Channel 7 ran an ad with the ABs doing the haka with handbags - reference to Tana Umaga's hitting Chris Masoe with a handbag in Christchurch after that bleak game in the fog when the Hurricanes lost. Little wonder the ABs performed their new awesome haka.

Shanghai book

This is my little Shanghai pocket book for treasures to add. I used the plastic bag from the museum for one side and printed some of our pics onto computer paper for a difference, sprayed it with Moonshadow Mist and sealed it all with acrylic wax. I decided not to print on tissutex this time because I cut it slightly smaller than A4 and I was using A4 and also because the second page I printed got jammed in the printer and I decided not to push my luck on this occasion. It isn't usually a problem but I like to stand and watch and I didn't! I have added a couple of tags wrapped in the one printed piece of tissutex I managed. I have bonded foil to kunin felt and shall stitch some patterns. I bought a few coins in Shanghai too which I have added. I am looking to stitch some of the patterns I have been drawing from my visit to the bronze vessels section in the museum. Still getting prepared to start the crusty vessels and thinking of logistics.

I have nearly carted all of my wet stuff to the studio and doesn't look nearly as obtrusive as inside. It is all stacked on the floor until that area is ready. One thing about organising it all as you go is that you can change your mind. We have decided on a new place for the bookcase which is going to work well. I have been scouring the web looking at other artist's studios but haven't seen any ideas which really 'grab' me. I think I will just stand back after each new bit is done and make the decisions then. I have waited so long that it is not an issue. The aircon man is coming on Tuesday.

Enjoy watching Le Tour de France. Mostly since we spent so much time in France in 1992 and we like to look at the scenery and say 'we've been there' etc. But I also like to follow Stuart O'Grady who is not having such a good time this year. It's a lot like a cat and mouse scene - with lots of crashes and breakaways and sprinters bringing their man home. When we were kids we biked all over the countryside and no-one was worried so long as we got home for dinner. I used to bike to Foxton Beach and bring home a bucketful of yummy whitebait from the rivermouth. I bet there's nothing much around these days.

wednesday

Apparently the painter only said he would be back to finish but I don't care now as he just has to do a second coat on some of the wood and this won't bother me. I am slowly moving up my wet area stuff and now I am waiting for Ian to make the hole for the sink so that can be connected. I shall post pics again when that is all done and the shelves are up. One of the exciting things about setting up a new studio is deciding what to put where and what sort of materials to use. I have been peeping at other people's studios to see what they have done. It's going to be a nice place to work and I feel very spoilt. However I will have to take the phone with me as Ian was sitting enjoying a glass of red watching Le Tour De France and I didn't know......

Since I have been talking about Hundertwasser again lately, here is a self portrait from 1976.
I should have a Shanghai book to show tomorrow and my medieaval tiles are starting to fall into place. First idea didn't work.

We are off to Spaghis - our other favourite Italien restaurant. Wonder if France will win their soccer game tonight?

THE PAINTER

After waiting for what has seemed a lifetime, the painter arrived today - and less than 2 and half hours later - left. Ian tells me he has to return - tomorrow? - to do a second coat in a couple of places. I got Ian to photograph him through the kitchen window for all those who will be interested. Sort of like an anti-climax, isn't it? The outside is a wash so Ian will start hosing it down once it is dry but that's satisfying.

indoors pics

We have been very busy today so these pics were taken tonight but at least you can see that I am starting in residence. No the "P" didn't come today but it was actually genuinely raining. It is forecast fine and sunny for the rest of the week though. The builder came and I gave him Doreen's email asking about the said "P" - he is in despair about him but assures us he has phoned him every day. At least the rubbish should go this week in readiness for the paving. We will get there and I thank everyone for their lovely encouraging emails.

The top two pics are where I have set one table and machine up for the moment. I wanted to do a little sewing and it was easiest to set up my Bernina in this spot - I can't really put eveything into place until the last of the painting is done but it was a psychological thing getting the first part in the door. This photo is actually our new dining room table which is up here while it waits for its space... In the meantime it is a good place for my heavily culled thread collection. I have pulled out all the threads I really don't use any more and I shall give them away. Because I choose the colours for my variegated threads to match what I am doing I tend to use them a lot. Suppose it makes sense.


This next pic is of the corner where I temporarily put my SE and my embellisher but I am going to store my threads - that's my main collection sitting flat on the table. It is one of those stands you find paperbacks in at shops. It holds all the threads and I stand it up - colour co-ordinated and easy for selection. The long piece of wood is something to do with Ian's action in the wet area...

The last pic is of the wet area - the bench will have three trolleys underneath and shelves above. At this stage the back wall is going to have open shelves too. My feeling is that if things are in enclosed places they get forgotten. In the corner of the pic is the wonderful Botero painting our son Grant gave us 2 christmases ago for hanging in the studio. I have taken it up there to show it its new home. I have a few lovely pieces of art I have been keeping for inside. Still have to decide where to put the bookcases for my enormous collection of books. And all the folders and paper you print from the web. Contrary to the inital belief, computers make more of a paper trail.

I have another close up from Kings Park which I will load when I find it. Tonight I went up to do some stitichouts of some of the new Victory threads which arrived today - Whimsical Collection. I don't used subtle that much at all but I think I am going to like Lavender and Lace - just that subtle bit of lavender. Plus I have cut out the pieces for my Medieval Magic piece for the Art Retreat next April.