Complex Simplicity

Attempting to portray how the creative part of me works with photos.
 Things + ideas + artwork + creative spaces (inside/outside) + feline friend + light.
(raylee).

Coffee Bag Footstool/ Seat

Lucky for me my family like most of the things I make for them.
Hand stitched this footstool for my eldest grandson's birthday.
The best thank you is when the recipient says: "I love it"!
(raylee).

Red Roses - Collage & Acrylic on Canvas

 starting at the end...... red roses painted with acrylic & a palette knife over old painted book pages......& the beginning.........painted book pages glued onto  a 24"x24" canvas with gel medium, ( when i paint with acrylic paint i like to wipe the excess paint from my brush onto old book pages or note books to use in  future collage paintings).....

....some paint  & splatter & drip layers .......

 the original inspiration......red  roses in a glass coffee jar......

 adding acrylic with a palette knife, leaving bits of the first layer of the book page images showing through the paint....

.....a lot of trial & error with the composition of the roses & getting a shape to resemble a rose without too much detail.

(raylee).

Red & Green & Blue in the Garden

 we are having the best autumn weather, sunny warm days, mostly blue skies, cooler nights & a few showers which have been regular enough that i only have to water the garden occasionally.

i have not had much time for creating/recycling in the last couple of weeks. gets a bit busy around holiday time. spend more time with kids & visitors.

 but have been taking lots of photos, katie from randomnest has inspired me to take photos around the garden.

growing "kale" in pots experiment.

 this one just appeared a few months ago & last week flowered......i don't know what it is, anyone know it's name?

my herb garden is still going strong.........thyme & sage are my favourites at the moment.
 i have  had to make  a lot of changes to my diet. so food preparation has become something i have to put more thought into........gluten free & lactose free cooking was a challenge to begin with , but i'm getting used to it after four months of trial & error.
 this was my first chocolate free Easter! i didn't miss it much at all. i didn't feel the need to look for an alternative.
so far this year i have made some other positive changes......i started a new art class, have been doing more painting & recently started posting my art on facebook, & made some boards on pinterest. but still have a lot to learn, have not worked out how to link to these yet......all in good time i guess.
(raylee).

Hibiscus Love....

let us not therefore
go hurrying about
& collecting honey, bee -like,
buzzing here & there impatiently
from a knowledge of what is to be arrived at.
but let us open our leaves like a flower,
& be passive & receptive.
-john keats.

(raylee).

Roses......

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck" - Emma Goldman.
(raylee).

Colour & Texture in the Garden

.

Old Chairs - New Look

do you like this look?....... you don't have to spend a lot of money to smarten up old chairs.

 the chairs came from the tip shop & the calico from the op shop & the hessian was left over  from a previous project 

 i bought the spotted fabric draped over the chair on the left thinking i would recover the chairs the right way. but when i wrapped them in calico for a garden wedding i liked the look, so will keep the fabric until i think they need a change.

 the blue cushion courtesy of simonne. the picture on the drawers  is a collage from the 365 creative challenge 2013.

  liked this one so stuck it onto an old book cover & then onto a small canvas. still going strong with the challenge, thanks to ihanna for setting this challenge.

the paper flowers i made from rusty wire, book pages & paper doilies, & metal container, another garage sale find, & the table made from wall boards from one of our old houses we renovated a long time ago.these  have been previously  posted  on our blog, from way back, i can't remember when.

under the covers...... what the chairs look like ......really.

early morning sun on paper flowers.

i would like to say thank you to the graphicsfairy for some of the images i used to make the second wedding guest book recently. there are some photos on the previous post

a couple of links to some very impressive paper work: annawilihighfield

& papercouture.

.

for the wedding i wrapped & knotted the calico & tied the hessian strips around the chairs to keep it all together & finished the look with pieces of old lace tablecloths draped over the backs of the chairs.
 have i inspired you to try a no- sew new look for your old chairs?
(raylee).