excting parcels

The nasty weather has reappeared and it has been hot again but nothing like the cyclone up north. So we have had wind and I think there are fires in places around Perth today - I have been hiding indoors, having flimsie fun.

We got a big load of new plain coloured flimsies in from Italy in all the new colours. So we now have 21 colours instead of 7 - my job today has been to clear my big table - boo hoo - it was pretty packed with stuff and I have had to stack it all very neatly so I can carry on with my writing and creating tomorrow.

 The big table gets a shock when it is exposed to light.

 Opening up more boxes containing lovely colours all carefully packed.

 I rolled them up in 1 metre rolls and then in the 50 x 75 rolls - the most popular way we sell them

and then because we now have lots of colours I created Flimsie Allsorts - rolls of 5 colours for $9.50 (these are 50cm x 38cm) - great for when you need pieces for bases, to cut out shapes, wet or dry felting etc. I have made 4 different sets of Allsorts. Kept me out of mischief for a good deal of the day - but in the air conditioned comfort of my studio - while lucky Ian worked on the GST. I also wrote my share of the newsletter.

I am waiting on a heap of deliveries but yesterday Cloth Paper Scissors #47 appeared - sent all the subscription ones out with a few left over. And more important - the Catalyst Wedges arrived. I have been waiting since late November for these. They are fabulous to use on the Gelli Plate.

Tonight we are off out with Martien and Luigi - so it's Kiwis meet Italians and French at a Thai restaurant. Always a good time....

Relief at last

Wow - we almost feel like humans again and I slept through a whole night. That's when I knew the heat wave is over - for the moment. You can see why violence happens. When it is humid and hot for days on end and you didn't like it in the first place, you seem to waste so much energy and life. And drink so much water... which doesn't even hit the sides.

Ian's birthday - Bruce and Kaz took us out to dinner and we went to Ilpasto for a lovely night. Forgot to take my phone for pics but you get the picture....

Always good to see a chef in action and our food was yummy as always.

could well have been my pasta....

Last night we went to the last night of the Fringe Festival. Didn't go during the week because it was just too hot.

We didn't see these three but we did see three mermaids firing water at lots of children full of laughter. There were loads of people in Northbridge and we went to What the Pho for dinner. We have must looked friendly (or out late) because two policeman greeted us with a good evening - a fireman the same - and a couple of boys wandering along. Such friendly stuff. Maybe they all thought it was past our bedtime - it was after 11pm...

Friday and yesterday we enjoyed some great rugby games - good running rugby and good refereeing Not such a good start for the Hurricanes though sad to say. I think all 5 of the NZ teams will be pretty good this year. Be a great season. Sadly overnight the Western Force lost again.

to play - I have been playing with Evolon, the Gelli Plate and stencils and Sprays. Almost too subtle for me. I sprayed the Gelli plate again with Glitz Spritz this time - that's just mica powder and water and am really pleased with the layering effect.

For this one I used quite a few layers ending up with one of the road map ones. For this experiment I sprayed the plate with Sun Dye Fabric Paints - they are a fluid acrylic and came up well.

This week, Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch called in and brought me a present. Lovely person and I am looking forward to my three day workshop in Albany in March. Time goes past fast. I have not played as much with the encaustic stuff as  would have liked so am really looking to my trip away.

I have also been working pretty hard on writings and samples and stitchy stuff etc for the first of our e-mag - threads.in-fusion - we hope for it to be ready at the beginning of April. I hope you are hoping so too. The face book page should be active soon - you can always go and like us to get me moving faster. https://www.facebook.com/threadsinfusion I am keeping everything I am doing under wraps for in the mag. It should be a good one...... My big studio table is pretty cluttered with stuff in many stages.

During the week is has been too hot to bbq and that is serious stuff. Making up for it tonight.

 

Happy Birthday Ian

 Happy Birthday Ian - where would I be without you? Those were the days back on Lake Rotoiti having fun on Flutterby etc. Much more sophisticated these days with bbq tools in one hand and a glass of red wine! But still looking as young if not as hairy....

 Thanks for the comments on the gelli plate play - I know there are loads of articles and videos on using them but I wanted to push them a little more and try the sprays and create backgrounds which maybe don't look so obvious and are a little more subtle. I thought I would play with my new Moroccan stencil

and some of my pile of gelli plated backgrounds on Tissuetex and Tissuetex Plus. Very pleased with the results. I used a gold shiva stik and will do more and then some stitching. Time to get back to this theme. Love the layering.

More playing in prep for the e-mag. Loads to do always.

some gelli play - some rugby watching - some....

 I am on a roll with my blog books - 2008 and 2009 arrived yesterday. I am most impressed with them and think they are worth buying - it's intriguing to see my work etc - that is Ken on the right front cover.

I am now onto my 5th page in my Kimberley Dreaming book and because I am working a size, thought I would do some hand stitch etc on flimsie. So I cut two pieces and embellished them together - both sides.

 Second side - I always like the way that the colour works through and hand dyeing of these beautiful prefelts always gives interest. It has a lovely soft feel for stitching onto. I decided to use up all my little offcuts this time so I worked them on the top ready for hand stitching. I spent quite some time this week cutting and rolling our flimsies. I love the ones we have now - they are fine Australian merino but the wool is processed in Italy and then dyed here by Jacinta. I have a big shipment of single colour ones arriving from Italy any day - we only have 7 colours at present and I have been waiting patiently for them to produce the new ones. We will have 21 all up as soon as they are here. It means that you can combine single colours (they are not quite as expensive) and use them not just for wet felting and dry felting but for all sorts of other surface work.

 Looks rather messy and unattractive until you start hand stitching - that makes all the difference. It becomes rather a tactile exercise.

Also been working with cocoon strippings for a purpose - I have made several small sheets of 'fabric'. I like to make it plain and layer it and then work further.

After I made my piece I wanted to experiment a bit so I took the Gelli plate and sprayed it with Starburst sprays. You can see that the spray doesn't sit and move on  the plate like you would expect acrylic paint to.

Then I took one of my new stencils and laid it down on the gelli plate. Picked up the silk paper and laid it on top and used my roller to make sure the colour transferred. I didn't get the sort of imprint you will get with paints but I am pleased with the experimenting. You must always experiment with ideas or who will.

Some of my results.You should be able to see an outline of the stencil. Remember I am not working on paper or fabric but silk paper which absorbs colour differently. I could try coating it before I added the stencil - be an interesting exercise.

Another one with a faint showing of the stencil.

And one I have stitched.  Lots of possibilities here.

In my lunch breaks I have been watching catch up of Rick Stein in Thailand. We love Thailand and have spent lots of time back packing around. We loved the North East and found plenty of hot food to excite us. We have never been to Cambodia but we did see the Paul Keating bridge going there. Love the paw paw salad always hot as. So I really felt like some authentic Thai food the other night - we went to Mae Khong Thai in Morley - we have been there before but not recently  - the first thing we noticed was that the owner had new teeth. the food was fabulous - inexpensive and no corkage. Well worth it.

The Super 15 Rugby has started - watched the Force/Rebels game last night and the Brumbies/Reds tonight (bit of a bore fest). Looking forward to lots of good games. Very humid here.

a lovely parcel and a hot cat (and others)

 It's been very hot here for some days and we are doing the best we can to stay cool. Harley has her own solution. She thinks she is the base of the lemon tree.

 Although she does see the hose as the equivalent of the vacuum cleaner and moves off on her belly whenever it appears. This cat does not like water.

 But at least she is relaxing pretending to be a lemon.

We have now  renamed our HaHa car to a $500 HaHa car - the combination f the windscreen wipers and the lights along with the generator and the battery all apparently connected to wires gelling or something after someone crashed the side of the car some time ago sitting outside the house. Funny how they never leave a note. I wonder if I was standing beside the car and a car hit me if they would leave a note about that. Anyway I have been assured that this surely is the demise of HaHa car. Watch this space.

 Yesterday I got a parcel

 Opened it up and there was a lovely wrapped and decorated box inside.

 Lifted the lid and saw a lovely card

 Took the card out and there was something wrapped in tissue

 Lifted the tissue out and on the bottom was another lovely card.

Unwrapped the tissue and voila - a beautiful cat brooch. Thank you so much, Martha Rose. isn't it a joy to receive something presented so beautifully.

It's Sunday again - help!

 Can't believe it is Sunday and 41 at that - and three more days  of it to go. I think the heat slows your brain down as well as everything else. These are the first two years of my blog which arrived this week - 2006 and 2007. blogtoprint and I am really pleased with them. Very professional job - not cheap but not too expensive and very good to have a record. I always worry that the blog will suddenly disappear and I will have lost it all. I have 2008 and 2009 on their way.

 Today I have been in the studio working away - loads of things in so many stages so loads to do. I finished the second page of my Kimberley Dreaming book - this is the next page under way.

 This is the second page - added a few frangipanis.

 On Thursday after our swim for me and walk for Ian, we decided to go to breakfast at Sayers Sisters - on weekends there is a queue down the road and even while we were there, there were people waiting. Silly really as there are loads of places but it was good food. I have corn fritters and feta and spinach and poached eggs. We haven't been out for breakfast for ages and ages.

Wednesday night we went to the ACO first concert of the year. As I say every time, it doesn't actually matter what they play - they are always brilliant. Enjoyed the 2 Mozarts and the Haydn but not so sure about the modern piece. A good time to dream..... On the way home, the windscreen wipers came on when the lights were on - new phenomenon - Ian didn't work out what caused it until later. Thursday we went to Val and Jim's for a fabulous dinner - all that fresh crab they catch - so sweet and tasty. We drove home with our spray bottles full of water which we sprayed over the wipers all the way home. Luckily it was the middle of the night and no one saw us or if they did, not a peep.

This week we received the first of our Stencil Girl stencils - they are rather classy - this is a great heart shape. There is also a Marrakesh one I have nabbed for myself. I am impressed enough to order some others. You can see them all here http://www.thethreadstudio.com/catalogue/exp/stencilgirl/text.htm

I used it on the gelli plate to test and then lifted the stencil and printed what was left.

I always like this side as it has so much potential for layering and depth.

I have spent a lot of time cutting and packaging our new Fun Fabs http://www.thethreadstudio.com/catalogue/fab/fab10.htm  - still got more to add  as I go - all sorts of fabrics - some I have had here for ages - but all great for experimenting with.

Ian's swollen hand has gone back to normal - I guess he will never know what bit him but boy did it swell up.

Hope we last through the next few days of 41!

Friends and more

 Last Sunday we went to visit some dear friends - Jill and Max - and we were ashamed to think that we don't think we have seen them for at least 8 years and maybe a wee bit longer. Jill had to write us a letter to see if we were still alive. That is terrible - friends are so important. Jill (aka Zecky) I met when I had a stall at the markets by the Art Gallery nearly 20 years ago - she is a wonderful artist and a wonderful lady. She taught me an awful lot about being an artist and developing belief in one's ability. When we first moved to Chez Rollerson just over 20 years ago, we took some photos of our house and garden and Jill painted these images for us and made us frame them in 2 lots - one for Grant and one for Bruce (not yet). My photos are not very good because they are hanging in our lounge and have caught the light from the French doors on the other side of the room but they are so lovely to have especially as the back garden was so different - before the studio was built. At the top on the right was a bbq/fireplace - lots of changes.  We have promised to visit them again before too long. Max hasn't been well and Jill had had a wee scare but she has so much energy and was full of beans. We had a wonderful afternoon with them both and lots of laughs and stories.

Last night we went to Dark Stars as part of the Fringe Festival. We plan to go to a few other activities - the programme is so overwhelming that I pick it up, read a bit and get bogged down. But we will. This is  Jonathan Council who we met on Waiheke Island at Mudbrick Restaurant - he was our waiter and we told him we would go to his show - I think he was rather chuffed that we did. It was a very good performance - hard doing a one man show especially in the heat! It is amazing the people we meet where we go and even nicer to catch up with them again.

When we left, we wandered up William Street to find a meal (ended up at Lido where the owner told us there is always a table for us and the staff greet us like we are family) but on the way the owners of an Italian restaurant we used to go to a lot before they moved and we have only been once since they moved but we must go again - were sitting outside a restaurant and called out to us by our names (!) and hopped up to give us a hug and chat. Isn't life good when there are so many beautiful people out there?

Ian has been bitten on his thumb (we think) - very localised and swollen and he can't use his hand. I have to open the coffee pot and the wine bottle lids. Serious. I am watching it carefully as I can't think of any other explanation at his stage. My mother would have popped a bread poultice on - I will have to google to see how to make one..

I have started the next page for my book - the plan is to make 20 pages and back them - watch this space.