Opposites - feb. sketchbook challenge

Red & Green.....watercolour wash of yellow green red & pink, a quick sketch with a black faber-castell pitt artist pen, when the paint had dried, & some more red & green with inktense water colour pencils , then another wash of water......... .......my inspiration -this striking red canna against a cool green foliage background, as well as a little green grass hopper. (raylee).

The very hungry caterpillar

Do you remember the story?........ found this fabric at the local material shop yesterday, someone fell in love with it & just had to have some cushions made.

& a little bit more yellow.( raylee).

Nudge 21 - I Spy a Colour

........& it was all yellow.......a colour i dont wear, & dont really take much notice of........until i decided to take a photo of the pears in the silver bowl. why? i hear you asking......it was early in the morning & i just liked the way the light hit the top of the pears. when i looked closer, remember......i said it was early......i noticed the little skink (lizard to the left). So i decided to make yellow the focus colour for Nudge 21..... i looked around the house & this is what i found........ .......flicked through some magazines, tore , glued & came up with this collage. became so engrossed had to be reminded it was lunch time. but thats a good thing in my books. i now have a new respect for "yellow".......its such a happy colour!!(raylee).

Fun in the sun

Oh to be a child again, playing at the beach.......... ........more of the previous post.......hope you like it! (raylee).

Graphics Fairy

My favourite magazine is "Inside Out"......in the march/april issue, .........*blogs we're loving* on page 52 - "graphicsfairy.blogspot.com" is mentioned as "the real-life fairy godmother of amazing antique ephemera, postcards, advertising &* free *clip-art images". I found this blog through "mescrap.blogspot.com", there are lots & lots of pictures to choose from....... check it out if you like this kind of stuff. The girl with the horse is from "thegraphicsfairy"........ ..... i used glue & machine stitching, an acrylic painted canvas, cut up doilies, cotton fabric, a beetroot dyed doily, some ribbon & a bit of bling. also added watercolour pencil to the picture. (raylee).

Mum's Gecko

Hello all....sorry bout the delay....creative juices being used up in life....dont have anything new but found this at Mum's recently....she created it for an exhibition...we think...when she was involved in the Spinners and Weavers...
an old wooden frame became the base for a woven piece out of carded fleece...then some sparkle and the gecko on a stick...the gecko is from the range of felt creatures she decorated with embroidery....eons ago when I was learning to sew....some of these patterns are the ones I'm using for my animals...hope you like!!!!

Nudge - 20 Alter a photo

I chose two photos for this nudge: the " Angel"post -friday february 11, & the "Nudge 15" (shoes) post-tuesday january 18. why? i like the challenge,.......i copied the photos, cut the subjects out, played around with the design until i was almost happy with it , .....glued it together & used the off cuts( background from the original photos )to make a background for the angel with her new wings, & to make the darker border.. ..... all stuck onto a page previously painted with leftover acrylic paint from another painting i am working on at the moment. i added some angel poetry too, .... then some colour with watercolour pencils, & finished off with a bit of gesso. this "nudge" made me think, i know its a journal page but i wanted the composition to work , what do you think? (raylee).

Wee Jasper Journal

Some lettering added to this page..... .......these pages have copies of some recipes i found in my great grandmothers recipe book, the one under the photo is in her hand writing. the one at the top is a recipe from "Mother Cathles", from "Cookmundoon". the photo is my great grandmother holding one of her sons as a baby........
.......this is a recipe for orange cordial, i think, written on an envelope addressed to L C Cathles, Cookmundoon. (raylee).

Printing, Dyeing, Painting

This is what i have been doing, a bit of experimenting with beetroot dye on linen, cotton & doilies. block printing on an old cotton sheet & painting a doll face on cotton. The paisley block is my favourite at the moment.

I like the colour variation from the beetroot dye..... i will mix these pieces with something floral , some velvet & embroidered doilies for a new bag.........

....not sure what this one will turn into yet. as you can see im not a big fan of ironing......it all gets straightened out eventually! i am slowly making friends with my paints again, after a long period of not painting . painting makes me happy...... so i hope to pass some of that on to you! (raylee).

Angel

"It's not what you are that holds you back; it's what you think you're not" - Denis Waitley. (raylee).

Nudges - 18 & 19 - (Hub Bub)

"Nothing-ing".....i experimented with plastic & cardboard packaging ,a cork & a stencil with watercolour on a prepainted background to make different patterns, also collaged the white paper. i used a gel pen for the writing. (nudge - 18).

The same again using different colours & different plastic shapes . the straight blue lines are watercolour pencil. Tabs - page markers made from various bits & pieces. for this page i painted over an old hand written list with watercolour, stuck it in the journal & glued examples of all the previously used bits & pieces that i use to mark pages. (nudge 19).

From the front. (raylee).

Still on the Crochet Theme

I found a lover of scarves to model this one.......its made from a variety of leftover yarns, & i used a large hook to get the open effect.( raylee).

Wee Jasper Journal

Sometimes i have a look at the recipes in this old book, it was my great grandmothers. this time i found a recipe written on an old envelope, also some recipe cards hand written by great grandmother....... the cards & the envelope at the back........the address on the envelope was : Cookmundoon, Wee Jasper. This photo is one of her calico aprons , it shows the kind of embroidery that she sewed onto them......
for this page i copied a recipe.....& the tatty looking floral cotton under the recipe is a pot holder made from the old kitchen curtains from her house at Wee Jasper. (raylee).

Hook to Help

Here are some of the granny squares i have been making........(please read the next post).....

......and i finished a scarf that i started last winter. The weather is the main topic of conversation here......devastating is the only word for Nth QLD, & Victoria is copping it as well, with floods & flash flooding in Melbourne, it seems every morning when we watch the news there is more........& the snow in the US!!!! ........i wouldnt want to be there!! Thank you to all who look at & read our blog, we love having you visit,& we are happy to read your comments & reply to you. (raylee).

Hook to Help

Gorgeous granny squares arrived in the mail yesterday from Simonne, i will add mine to them & post them to Sarah London for "Crochet a Rainbow", to help those affected by floods in Australia. the idea is to make & donate granny squares to be made into blankets. the way the weather has been this year so far, i think we are going to need a lot of squares, as a lot of people are going to need them. if you would like to help please go to .......Meet Me at Mikes - Hook to Help, posted 21 January 2011. you will find all the details there ,just click onto Meet Me at Mikes on our blog list at the left of the page. i know you can crochet......... please help. (raylee).