Songs for Nobodies

Last night we went to a fabulous show - Songs for Nobodies -we loved it - Bernadette Robinson was fantastic.  I also had a lovely day - I drove down to Mandurah or thereabouts and caught up with Lisa Walton for the day. She is teaching down there.We managed to spot some dolphins in the inlet.

Today Jacinta sent the first of the hand dyed laps - this is Gelati - not quite my colour for playing with but they are so yummy. Each weighs about half a kilo so I am still deciding how to sell them. When I get one in a colour I love I shall get some together with a flimsie or a merino wool or a slushie. Who knows?

Everyone seems to have fallen in love with the flowes I made so I have made a kit - Oppie Flowers so you can make your own. It should be on the web tomorrow.

some Romeo bits and pieces

 Of course wasn't the rugby wonderful on Sat - 9 tries and 60 to nil. My Romeo workshop ladies knew I would be off duty the minute the game started!

We had a great workshop - the weather was okay as well. Lots of stitching but I let them take their samples home to wash out because drying was not a great thing.

 I gave them a quick drawing of a flower and stitched one myself and then decided that I would further stitch up a heap using my variegated Opulent rayon threads.They have taken quite some time to dry. I figured with all the lovely colouful pics I have been finding for the facebook page, I needed to stitch up some colour myself to add to the page. The number of new friends on the facebook page has been amazing and I am flattered and humbled that so many people have liked us.

 We also stitched up some hearts and this was my quick demo to show how easy it is. Maybe I will or maybe I won't finish it...

This is the quick start of a green sampler. Again - stitch a grid and off you go. You can draw on Romeo very easily so if you can always trace a grid if you don't think you can do straight lines.

And because I wound out a hank of Carnivale sari ribbon, I thought I would weave it up for some hand stitching in the evenings. Watch this space.

In the tabs above I have added a giveaway section. Have a quick peep if you are interested.

it's friday - again

 Friday keeps creeping up on us - just realised that in 2 weeks we will be in Christchurch where I am teaching. In the meantime, I want to come back as a cat at Chez Rollerson - Harley has the most exhausting days - peering out windows - she loves that - hanging around for food - talking away - and sleeping - this is her latest spot - on our bed and at night I have found I need to get there before her or I have nowhere for my legs to go and if I push her she pushes back..... This is my beautiful Indian cotton embroidered doona cover - just as well it has had a good run and if I could find another I would buy it.

 Ian has sent me some more of our Vancouver Island photos - the bomber - amazing

 and at Torfino - this was such a lovely place we would have liked to have stayed another night

 Then we went for a walk in the forest to check out the Douglas Firs -

Tomorrow is my last workshop in the studio for this year - working on and with Romeo water soluble. I have cleared and vacuumed in readiness. Hope they enjoy themselves.

 and I posted this wonderful photo on the facebook page today - it inspired me so much - then I found it was all created by Susan Lenz. It has been one of the most inspirational things I have seen and given me so many things to think about - my sketchbook and brain have been busy and I hope to stat exploring my new ideas next week and hopefully have some samples ready to take to NZ with me.

Doreen and Maggi - I do hope I have past the grammar, spelling, making sense test this entry!

some lovely rhodos

Ian has only just downloaded his photos from Canada and these are some of the glorious rhodos at the university - I love these flowers - my mother used to love them along with roses.

We have been inundated with parcels again - sort of they pile in - the latest Embellish is here and also Cloth Paper Scissors rocked up tonight. But we also got more Gelli Plates - new stencils and inkpads and I forget what else except that I am rather excited by a lovely new wool which will be great for needle felting and wet felting. Just got a sample to see and I like.
It has continued to rain - Harley does not like the rain and will not go out. The only thing that is worse than rain is the vacuum cleaner. I have also discovered that I need to get to bed before her or I have to squeeze in around her all night. I am starting to think this cat is taking over....

AWOL

 I have been awol for a few days with a creative block - when you have a particular task to do it takes a lot of thnking energy and then when things don't work as they might you get frustrated. However I have finally solved it all but maybe not totally happy but there you go and you must move on. I had a little piece I was playing with at my embellisher workshop last Saturday and decided to add it to a flimsie and stitch whilst watching the rugby last night. The All Blacks were quite lucky to win actually. And Wales were unlucky not to win against the Wallabies.

 This is further of the same piece. If you look carefully you might see part of the word Okarito - experimenting.

 Also from last weekend, some sari needlepunched and at the ready for something. This is from a hank of Carnivale - lovely colours and I have just rolled more of that and Rivendell and they look lovely in the basket.

 Then I wanted to play more with the new Sun Dye Fabric Paints - this is Sun Gold which looks glorious through a stencil on dark cotton sateen. i have also been using them on Evolon and very pleased and we haven't even sun for them to sun dye.

And I have started some preparation for my Artful Journey workshop in Christchurch next month. Not far away now. I am also sorting samples and stitching like fury for my Romeo workshop next Saturday but I will keep that.

So I guess I haven't really been absent - just thinking. Absolutely overawed by the people who have liked our facebook page though. All these wonderful new friends who have been responding so well. Not long ago I was hoping for 1450 and now we are at 1720. What will I do when/if we get to 2000?

stormy stuff and sun dyeing

 Wow - we are having interesting weather - so unPerth like. Rain it can as much as it likes although apparently the dams are hardly seeing it - so dry that it is soaking in. But the wind has been something else. Yesterday it was supposed to be bigger and worser so we did all the putting away and clearing up and went off to Cantina for dinner and waited patiently. Certainly rained while we were out. I woke at 3am wondering how our big tree was going but Ian slept right through and there was nothing much to show for it this morning. Obviously we have been lucky as many people have power failures and fences down etc. Thanks for all the emails asking how we are faring. Harley has refused to go into the storm - she prefers to sit on Ian's pillow looking out the window.

 Biggest excitement are the new paints from KraftKolour - why I haven't got these before I do not know. They are fabulous - 130ml bottles (that's twice the size of our other similar paint) and cheaper. There are 32 colours which includes a Sun Pearl and a Gold Pearl - they are $7 a bottle or any 10 for $65 or the whole 32 for $200 which is excellent value. They work on any natural fabric and the best thing is you can sun dye with them. There is no sun at Chez Rollerson today so I sprayed a piece of silk habitai with water and dribbled on some Flame, Citrus and Chamomile and lay a stencil on top and voila - when I lifted it the pattern was there. In the studio only two lights are working at present so it isn't even bright. I am super delighted with these lovely paints. Have a squizz at them here http://www.thethreadstudio.com/catalogue/colour/sundye/text.htm

I didn't buy much when we were in Canada but I did get these lovely flower pens at the Butchart Gardens and they write well.

Tonight I am cooking a curry  - bit disappointed with the curry type meals we have been having around the traps lately - possibly spoilt by what I can cook at home. We do love our curries and I do enjoy cooking them.

wild and windy and wet

Perth has had a really wild wet and windy day - loads of tree branches down in our garden and I am sure lots of damage around town. I have had a quite quiet day - got my studio cleaned up - had a lovely workshop yesterday - someone forgot to turn up but those who were here seemed to enjoy themsleves and we got through a fair whack of things on the embellisher - I did a wee sample which gave me a starting point for something else. II also foolishly managed to drop one of the screws so maybe I will always be a needle short. As far as I can work out - Yandoo came third at Torbole - Grant is the middle man.

Sue, who was in my class in Canada, sent me a wonderful pic of her work - very good to see those Koalas put to good use!

Harley is definitely not a inclement girl and is refusing to step outside the door in the rain or wind.

I didn't get the limited Edition up but will do so tomorrow although we sold quite a few even so. This time each one is slightly different but I will photograph and add pics.

Great rugby last night - the All Blacks won so of course we were happy

somehow it is Friday again

I think I said this last week - we have had another very busy week but we did have a holiday on Monday so I guess that might be one reason. Anyway we are up to date with all the orders and Ian has loaded a few new goodies to the website including Tsukineko All Purpose Ink Workstations which I have been searching for some time - so many people have asked me and I keep hearing how great they are

 Then we got 5 new variegated Corriedale wool colours - great for the embellisher and good value

 Jacinta sent me a new Limited Edition in Persian Market - there are only a very few and they are $30 but I won't get a chance to load them until Sunday. Look wonderful though - this is the front and the back.

We have had loads of rain and for Perth it has even been cold. We also have enjoyed watching the Jubilee events - some of those old rockers have fared well and some have not. While the concert was on we were busy checking the net for their ages!

Tomorrow is my Hot Needles Cool Stitches embellisher workshop in my studio - the studio is all cleared for me to set it up in the morning bright and early. I hope they enjoy themselves. I haven't had much of a chance to do anything creative this week - I spent a lot of time packaging Angelina fibres today - I know I did an awful lot not long ago but they seem to have sold and I had a couple of big orders so messy time again. Then Ian gets out the vacuum cleaner and Harley vanishes.... She can come in her door often and easily but not go out it. Tut tut - more lessons....

Phew....

 It's not that we relaxed and did nothing all three days of the long weekend but we have been frantic today - at least we have got all the orders done and dusted up to the end of yesterday out and a few from today - but a big pile waiting for tomorrow and we had a shipment of some lovely new stripey corriedale arrive along with a brand new Limited Edition from Jacinta which I will pop up here on the blog tomorrow.

This is my first little iris from our garden - I love it when they appear and we usually get lots and it is one thing I draw draw and draw. The colours of nature are rather special and always worth referring to.

 We enjoyed watching the precis of the Jubilee river pageant even though I am sure Queen Elizabeth was pretty cold. She is remarkable for 86 although I read the other day that someone else wears her shoes in - not sure I would like someone else wearing my shoes before I did.

Grant is on Lake Garda sailing in the 18ft skiffs - not his boat - that's him on the right below. He tells me they are running second at the moment. Wouldn't we like to be there watching - we did one year - maybe we will look into it again before too long... or somewhere else where he will be.

Lovely to see all the new people who have popped up on facebook - we are over 1600 which is wonderful especially since we don't bombard anyone's facebook pages with nasty ads. Do join us if you can and like us and take part in the happenings. I have posted a very good offer which quite a few people have taken up. I thought I would try out something new. Facebook is changing all the time as they grow themselves.

slow grey old Sunday

 I suppose we have been busy but it has been a slow grey day - great rugby yesterday and a happy household - both of our teams won especially the Hurricanes but I am not biased. Interesting All Black squad announced. I would love to have seen TJ Perenara and Andre Taylor in the team.

Ann and Lexa gave me their glass tiles in Canada to bring home - yes glass in my suitcase - n wonder it was heavy.... They bought them at the $1 shop and they fantastic for working the soldering iron on. Thanks so much you too.

 I have been making polystyrene stamps using some of my Marrakesh drawings and printing with them - then spraying over the top so that they look somewhat fragmented. Lots more to do on this idea though.

 A bit of gelli plate play and stitch.

Some more gelli plate play and stitch.

The newsletter is nearly finished and will be out tomorrow which is a holiday here in the west.
Do check the tags at the top of the blog - I am updating the WA Craft Show one on a regular basis and have added a link to the Make 5 Take 5 ATC Display which I would love everyone and anyone who wants to, to take part in. plus I added a new taster a couple of days ago - it will be up until Tuesday - there has been a great response to this one possibly because I haven't done one for a while! Although the moulding is great.

Harley has been very busy coming in her door - she is not so bright we fear as going out seems to be a problem. She will get there I am sure.

Friday sure crept up fast

Here is my second little video from Grouse Mountain - Ian is there and some snow
Ian has some good photos which I will share when he gets sorted - I think tha is all of mine - just to tell you again - we loved our time in Canada and probably would never have gone if I hadn't been asked. Loved the place and the people and this is where we ate the last three nights for the foodies who like eating out too
Cafe Brio in Victoria - think this was our best meal and we got there in error
O'Douls and Cin Cin in Vancouver both on Robson Street where we were staying.


We have worked hard today and got all the magazines out - they should all be on the web tomorrow along with a couple of new goodies and hopefully I will finsihed my part of the newsletter so Ian can do his part and then I will send it out. Jet lag disappeared today and I almost slept in so must be back to normal. It is winter today after all....

Have had a little bit of time (when not sewing flouro strips on Bruce's cycling jacket for him to wear tomorrow) to play with the new sprays - these are called Flat Fabios and are a translucent ink - absolutely glorious - there are 10 colours so far. They layer up well and are for paper/canvas/journals etc and definitely for colouring hands.

 Here are the first 10 colours - same story - you add the water - that makes them specially yours. No mica just ink.

 and I have been working in a sketchbook creating a few pages with spray - water - stencil - that's as far as I have got. I love working with layers and you can see the beginnings of these.

Lovely strong colours which of course I love. Like all of the Moonglow sprays they are $7.90 each and the bulk discount applies to all of our Moonglow sprays.

Rugby watching but also finishing samples for my overdue article which I will finish in the morning for Ian to photograph. So it will be a busy weekend with a long list to complete. At least I managed to package the very big basket full of silk hankies which I had hidden out of sight.

Harley was pleased to see us even if she had been very very naughty but I will spare the details. Finally if we tempt her with biscuits inside her cat door and the light on, she comes in during the night after we have subtly closed the back door on her. She is very contented that we are back. We haven't told her we will be off again in a few weeks though....