Inspiration

A cushion cover made from different bits of fabric, some given to me , some found at op-shops. Inspired by......

....... "etc." - creating beautiful interiors with the things you love. by Sibella Court. I found this book at the library. As soon as i opened it I knew i would love it!

I was inspired by the Introduction: "This book is about slapdash styling & deconstructed decorating solutions. It's filled with things that inspire me & may in turn excite you or trigger ideas for your own home. My hope is that when you flick through the pages you'll begin to look at your possessions from a new perspective & be encouraged to confidently reshuffle, pin, paint, paste, scribble, & organise your interiors so they feel all shiny & new (even if all you love is weathered & old!)". (raylee).

Hippies

"Truth, like the burgeoning of a bulb, will make its way to the light" - Ellis Peters.

Red Hippeastrum. (raylee).

Paper Stacks

All kinds of paper goes into my paper collection.....tissue, wrapping,old books, magazines, packaging...... ......paper doilies, used envelopes, old watercolours just to name some of it.....

.......some of the journals i have been working on this year: the "nudge journal", from Diana Trout's blog, "flights of fancy journal"(each page includes wings of some sort), the "wee jasper journal" ( about my first home ), & my altered book of bits & pieces of art that i like eg. exhibition catalogues, newspaper & magazine clippings.

This post is in response to Seth Apter's request to bloggers to show their paper stacks. you can find this post at: thealteredpage.blogspot.com

if you like art have a look at his blog - very versatile, interesting, informative, helpful, exciting & inspirational too!

(raylee).

Sew Many Shoes.....

......i have sore fingers from all the stitching & poking pins into them as well, ah well they are almost done, its all machine stitching now..... ......the bags are sewn, the lining is in & the band has been stitched around the top, & the labels are on ......

......the handles are next , then two lovely ladies will receive a bag each.

Getting right off the bag track now.......it's nice to unexpectedly run into someone you haven't seen for a long time. But what do you say when they tell you they "were just talking about you the other day" ......&....."actually i was writing about you too"...... Who were they talking to? .....what were they saying......& what did they write about me?
Do you ask the question?....... or do you let sleeping dogs lie? (raylee).

Blue and Green

here's a peek at what I'm working on...
as usual I am deliberating on what happens next...

the old saying....blue and green should never be seen...
                           unless there's a colour in between....
keeps playing in my head....
where did that come from??...and why??...

actually I'm liking these colours together...
not sure about the stripes...
the blurry photo is accidently on purpose...

Thank You

A thank you to Paul who is holidaying in Belgium. Paul has introduced our blog to some of his friends, so thank you all for looking, & to everyone else who drops by to see what we are up to.We appreciate all our visitors, hope you enjoy our blog. (raylee).

On My Workroom Walls

A little look at some of the things on my walls & on the shelves in one of my creative spaces. (The inside one.)

The walls & shelves are white ........i had to add colour, the predominant one being blue, my favourite, but i have noticed green popping up every now & then. Does colour play a part in your creative process? Do you find yourself choosing the same colour repeatedly? What colours do you have in your home? Are they the same ones you use in your art/craft? Something to think about over the weekend, enjoy it!!! (raylee).

Lacy fluffy stuff

we had a bit of a play with some lace....

an old cafe style curtain....

some whitey strips of knitting....

sewn together...

to become a bit of a frilly scarf...

trying to come up with a pretty bit of fluff to decorate a neck...

the fluffy piece ended up threaded through the holes on the left...

and it worked ok...

hopefully not too scratchy...



Sew Many Shoes

On my sewing table today........more bags......to be completed soon......(raylee).

Recycled T-Shirts

I end up with bags of clothes that have finished their life from assorted owners....
Number 2 tends to throw them in the bin...
but he's been trained now to hand them over....
occasionally we find things that get another run....
'cause I've got to make sure before I cut them that they are finished....
sometimes I'm just the minder of things while he decides...

with some I had to reassure him that he could have them back....
just in a different form...

then he was like a cat on a hot tin roof....

waiting to see what I was going to do with them....

its long and narrow like him...

and he actually let it dry before it went home with him...

Colours Used For Red Shoes

In the beginning i sealed the canvas with gesso. layered tissue paper over randomly placed bits of wrapping paper & then corrugated cardboard pieces . I think i used watered down aquadhere , the tissue paper creased & crinkled, when it was dry i coated it with gesso. Drew the shoes with thin charcoal.......The original painting of "Red Shoes" 2004 was done with a limited palette of three colours & some white ......ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, yellow ochre. ......This time i used more colours.....prussian blue, naples yellow, cad yellow light, raw umber, cad red, alizarin crimson & white. .....There was a bit of sunshine when i took this photo so hope it is clearer. If you click on the photo you can see how the texture of the collage makes a more tactile painting. (raylee).

New Red Shoes

Red Shoes......i decided to make the left side a bit darker ........& some more light on the right side.....& i think its done. The photo is not very clear as it was overcast today, i will try & take a clearer photo, & also explain the process & the colours i used for this painting. The original was painted using only 3 colours.......(raylee)>

New Red Shoes

A used canvas.....add collage of paper & corrugated cardboard.......then gesso......dry.... ,,,,draw the shoes with charcoal.....work out where the shadows will be.....thin washes of acrylic.....

.....find the dark areas & the light .....add more washes......just experiment.....sometimes dont know what i am doing .....just keep going until it feels ok.....

......try some colours for the background.....maybe some more tomorrow.......(raylee).

More crochet

I'm still on the crochet theme...
finding knitted bits from Mum's stash....
I felt these colours went together....
and as usual I didn't have enough of any one thing soo...

it probably looks better on the chair....
you dont notice the wonkyness of it...

have had enough of pulling it out....
trying to get it straight...
mixing different tensions and wool sizes and knitting verses crochet....(sigh!!)...
but I will keep practicing...
lucky those around me are forgiving of my mistakes...

ooops....not a terribly manly theme but,,,,
Happy Fathers Day to any dads out there who may be looking!!..
have a lovely day....

Spring is here!

showing some enthusiasm for the coming warmer weather....
I have removed one layer off our bed...
this beautiful quilt was gifted to me a few years ago...
it was a collaboration of a group of people with various skills and equipment...
the gifter let me have my choice when she opened the cupboard....
and I chose well...it's beautiful...

number 1 grandbaby loved lying on this when she was learning to talk and count...

she even found a bird in one of the hearts...

although her favourites were the pink ones!!...

I had a bit of trouble taking these photographs....

the sun is out but the wind is playing tricks....

so it wouldn't stay still or out of the shadows...

taking advantage of a nice day it's even had a wash...

even the backing is pretty....

wonderful patterns in the quilting...

I wonder if any of the other quilts from that cupboard found a nice home?...