"Spilling Over"-Sketch Book Challenge: March

Embroidery threads spilling over the tin, over the cloth & over the shelf.......lead pencil, pitt artist pens, & watercolour on sketch book paper. think i might try this subject again on watercolour paper. (raylee).

New art work

Found a canvas in good condition at the "tip shop" for a few dollars, .......decided to try something with less colour , which is new for me, ....... so collected a pile of paper from magazines , tore pieces as i went. my idea was to start with light at the bottom & work up to dark & then do something with kangaroo paws (the flower)........ so this is how i began...

......i added printed bits to make it a bit more interesting.........stood back, had a look & started to see things that had emerged from all these scraps of paper......i am amazed sometimes how my mind takes over & does what it wants to do......or is it my hands ? will post the completed work soon. (raylee).

New followers

A big thank you to our new followers, so happy to have you, not forgetting our other followers we are happy to have you too, hope you enjoy our rambles & attempts at all kinds of artistic, crafty recycling, re-using, re -making, op shopping, whatever ventures come our way. comments most welcome, questions too if you have any. (raylee & simonne).

This Morning

It is still overcast & showery here, so my photos are a bit dull but you will get the picture. went out on the boat this morning. the boat comes into our recycle theme as it was an old falling to pieces fishing boat that we rescued, renovated & re-painted. now it has two uses: for our recreation & as a home for birds. Morning sun on the lake......

.....bird flying high.....

....these two little birds wait patiently for the boat to return ...

......as they have claimed it as their own. they make their nest inside , & when the babies come the boat stays put until they are big enough to fly ! (raylee).

Nudge 25 - Containers

It was rainy again yesterday.......good day to get the watercolours out of hibernation..... it has been a long time . ......Cups are one of the most basic containers we use everyday & dont even give them a second thought. i wonder how many cups there are in the world?, how often are they used in one day? how many cuppas do you have each day?...... anyway,... i used lead pencil, cobalt blue & burnt sienna watercolour paints on sketch book paper for this exercise prompted by Diana Trout - Hub Bub. (raylee).

woolies for Japan

Again I have borrowed someone elses creations for this post...my lovely Mum does a lot of knitting with the lovely new wools available today....and so she has a lot of bits and pieces that she often gives away....with the recent tragedy in Japan she has boxed up her bits and we are talking to Sarah London from Crochet-a Rainbow to help us get these pieces to people who would really need them....thank you so much for your help Sarah.....

As we emptied the big bag of woolies on to the table I thought of Raylee's spilling so I thought this would go with the theme...such a lovely combination of colours.... I hope these woolies find a new home and give a little warmth and cheer to the brave people in Japan struggling in very trying times...

Autumn Colour

"Cultivate more joy by arranging your life so that more joy will be likely" - Georgia Witkin.....(raylee).

Pattern Spilling - Nudge 24

Spill something from a container & see what kind of patterns the contents make....... look at the negative spaces to see what patterns emerge.....so i did a quick sketch....

.....spools of spilled ribbons........i think there will be future instructions for this Nudge from Diana Trout at Hub. (raylee).

Op Shop Treasures

Some of my recent finds at the op shop........3m of new spotted taffeta, & an assortment of ear rings & a bracelet. (raylee).

Backlit Beauty

Ever since my first watercolour art teacher Holly Simpson enlightened me on the beauty of "back lighting" in a painting i have loved it! ........as some of you know i also love hibiscus flowers........ so as the rain had cleared today & the sun was thinking about descending for the day, i captured these two different blooms, one front view & the back of another one.......

......i like the way the building is in shadow,but you can see reflections in the window.......

......& the contrast between the foreground & the out of focus background....... what do you think? (raylee).

Old Book- New Use

Always looking for ways to use what i have collected over the years....... sorting through a box of art pictures & brochures i decided they would be easier to see if they had a permanent home, not stashed away in a box. found an old gardening book & started sticking the pictures in (torn from art magazines). i didnt want to stick the brochures to the pages, so tore the bottom of the page at the centre of the book......folded it up towards the centre of the page , added glue to keep it in place. this made a pocket to slip the brochures into...... .....the front & back covers are from old calendars..... Renoir on the back.....

........inside........lots of art i like....mostly portraits & figures......a few still lifes & florals.....

.......& this photo shows a folded pocket holding some brochures......

......a Picasso on the front. (raylee).

Pretty in Pink

Making some progress with the "pink shoes "bag...... maybe some crochet flowers on one side?

Running stitches on the shoe side, makes it a bit more tactile. just deciding how much to add to the shoes, not too much as they make a strong statement on their own. (raylee).

Surprise Package

Its nice to receive packages in the mail...... this lovely crocheted rug arrived at my door recently. i like it when others give me something handmade by themselves. i would also like to thank the kind person that organised this exchange, 00one of my dolls for this rug which will no doubt come in handy around july. autumn has arrived but its not cold here at all. (raylee).

Nest

I was given a nest that had fallen from its perch, by someone who thought i might like to draw it......so after "nudge 23" about kindness i decided i would as it was kind of this person to think of me..... so here it is.......i used the"hybrid gel grip pens" as before & a bit of coloured pencil in my black sketch book. i thought it was fitting to begin another 100 blog posts. if anyone had asked me this time last year if i could do such a thing , i would have thought they were crazy! just goes to show old dogs can learn new tricks. (raylee).

200th Post

Well the honour of the 200th post falls to me apparently....wow... who would have thought we'd get this far...thanks mainly to Raylee and her persistence in getting things completed....as well as her artistic talents...she is an inspiration and constantly amazes us with her creations....

this watercolour is in my collection and has been for many years...I think it was one of her first creations and has always reminded me of the drive to Wee Jasper....so as I have no new creations I thought you might like to see an oldie in this theme....

we dabbled in a bit of collage years ago and this is also in my collection.....made again by Raylee and is always hanging on my walls....hopefully my photos work out ok.....

oldies but goodies....here's to the next 200....watch this space!!!

Wee Jasper Journal

A new page in the journal......i have used one of my old watercolour paintings that had been cropped , as the base for this page, then added a picture of a painting from an old art magazine that is relevant by way of location & theme to display the family photos. The first page of journalling for this project........a poem i wrote a few years ago which was another prompt to actually make a start on this journal. (raylee).

Nudge 23 - my acts of kindness

Last weeks nudge was to write some acts of kindness that we did during the week. so here is my contribution..... im not so big on writing......well i do write sometimes ....just not in great length.......more of a doodle on black sketch book page with gel pens. (raylee).

Autumn Bag

One bag completed this week.......no its not the pink one, yet, it is still under construction. hopefully it will make an appearance soon. this one is similar to one i made not so long ago. i had extra fabric from the tablerunner so here it is ...... it is lined with a satin scarf, has a doily pocket on one side & a strap from furnishing fabric. i stitched an old necklace onto the doily & added 3 new buttons, all the other materials are from the op shop. i think it has an autumn feel with the leaves & the colours. (raylee).

Remember this?

Another find from the "tip shop"........ lots of interesting crafts & how to's, some best left in the past......

......this crochet skirt could make a comeback...... what do you think? (raylee).

"Inspired by Children" -Nudge 22

This has been the easiest & quickest nudge to do. I am so lucky to have a very enthusiastic 5 year old tutor to give me step by step instructions how to draw. As we get older we seem to lose this ability as we strive for a more perfect image. This nudge has taught me to think less , draw more .......... why does it have to be perfect, anyway? Does the drawing make you feel something?

If the answer is yes, what more do you want? Be happy!!! (raylee).

Pretty in pink

Pink velvet shoes cut from furnishing fabric found at the op shop, on a collage made of beetroot dyed linen from an old tablecloth & old doilies also dyed, & some embroidered doilies & table napkins, some cutouts from a piece of floral linen , pinned onto a hand block printed piece of white cotton sheeting.

I am happy with this composition.......so now to the stitching.......to be continued. (raylee).

Shoe sketch

I feel a new bag is on its way.(raylee).