Tuesday, December 24, 2013

merry christmas

Merry Christmas
to all
and to all a good nite

Monday, December 23, 2013

last minute gifts

it has been a busy month
with life getting somewhat back to "normal"
I've also got the creative bug!!
(must be the full moon)
 I have a ton of jewelry supplies
and when I found a container filled with chandelier crystals
I got inspired
I think they work well with the pearls and metal


a few extra crochet projects
a change purse and zebra slippers for sadie
and just a couple samples of the over 20 encaustic painting i've  done
over the past few months

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

dazzel it tassels

now that I've been getting healthier and feeling more like my old self
it's great to be presented with a challenge
my friend carmi sent out this package with some wonderful
suede tassels and cord  from the new dazzle-it line
plus a few jewelry components (left)
and one of my projects (right)
a number of beads added to some chain with the tassel
as always one project leads to several more
above I found 5 different styles of chain
wove some suede lace through the larger chain
and added the tassels to the ends of another
above I decided to use a macramé square knot
adding silver beads in between
I have more to work on so I will keep you posted
-------
for more info on the dazzle-it line check out their blog or on facebook


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

encaustic

happy accidents!
some days I start out with a great idea
I can see it in my head, sometimes I dream about painting
then when it comes to getting it onto the canvas it can go wrong
for some reason I was having a hard time
I just wasn't "feeling it"
after several breaks and almost giving up
I decided to give it one more chance
after layering and scraping
ironing and adding more color
more scraping and ironing
I finally liked what I was seeing
so I added a photo transfer
and after six hours of pure frustration
a beautiful painting
lesson learned
never give up
but more importantly
patience!!!!

Monday, December 2, 2013

sari yarn


i'm always up for a challenge
so when I met my friend carmi for dinner
she was showing off her latest purchase from anthropologie
silk sari yarn
as soon as dinner was over we headed next door
to get some more and promised we would both make something
I decided to get out the crochet hook, beads, wire and chain
before long I had this necklace made
carmi made a wonderful braclet seen on her blog here

Saturday, November 30, 2013

CHA retreat

last weekend I spent time with a wonderful group of creative women
at kempenfelt conference centre for an artist retreat
it was the first of what I hope to be many
-------- 
 a weekend filled with workshops
resin class with carmi cimicata
brother scan and cut with joanne and Cathie
decoart painting with Debbie
powertex with brigett
coats and clark fiber with Leanne
ecstasy crafts paper arts with marilynne
also accreditation sessions
boothmanship with wendy
and ethics and standards with ann
plus a bonus gift bag from Westcott
in between classes we spent time eating
 and socializing in the evenings around the fire
i really enjoyed my time with likeminded people
learning new crafts and making new friends
 
 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

fall scenes


its been awhile since I had a chance to just get in the car and wonder
 taking all the back roads and finding the best photo opportunities
---
a few weeks ago I planned a weekend trip to
I have only every been once and that was a long time ago
it has grown significantly in the past decade
featuring over 20 wineries
b&b's, antiques, arts and crafts
and wonderful sceneries
perfect timing, coming back from a tasting
just as the sun was setting
I would love to find out who hung this door!!

lots of barns

we only managed to visit 2 wineries
only because we had such a wonderful time
wondering the properties and taking photos
and of course enjoying a glass of wine


Monday, October 21, 2013

encaustic class

getting back into a routine is a great feeling
i've always felt that creating art is my form of therapy
and since my surgery i've wanted to do something that
represented my spine
so last week i got the idea for using railroad tracks
luckily there is a hobby store close to my home
once i chose my color palette the rest just fell into place
i just started creating texture
layers of wax and then scraping, back and forth
until i achieved the desired effect
once in a while i used my iron
im happy with the results
 
 
 

a few details from the above painting

Friday, October 4, 2013

knit or crochet, what's the difference?

when my friend carmi posted this on facebook
I had to laugh
some people just don't know the difference
and I guess I can understand when talking to certain friends
but my crafty girls should know, shouldn't they??
 
to me , not naming any names, one is fast, free and fun!!
the other takes way more patience than I have

 
since fall is in the air
my mind has turned to crocheting
on a trip to niagara region with my friend ludgera
i purchased some great yarn on sale for half price
one ball of yarn makes the perfect tube scarf
 
                                                                                 

Monday, September 30, 2013

harvest

is there anything more soothing then the smell of lavender
it was such a wonderful first fall weekend
 what a perfect day to harvest

 
I spent time cleaning my garage
 making space for all my garden ornaments and furniture
wondering through the garden, taking photos and planning next years design
 
it will be sad to see the garden go
but I will have this bundle to remind me
that spring will come again
and I will be ready to get my finger in the dirt
and nurture it back to its glory once again
 
 

 
 

Sunday, September 22, 2013

encaustic class


it's been a long 9 months since my last class
I've been dreaming about painting
 since leaving the hospital over 3 months ago
I have so many ideas in my head
it was a bit hard to focus at first
i had a vision of something that just didn't want to work
so instead of getting frustrated i put it aside
and started the piece above
working with several shades of blue
i just started covering the canvas
something soothing about blue
(like looking at clouds)
it made me forget about the first piece
and thinking about clouds why not add some white
and while i was at it i thought i would through in a silver lining


it was great to be back in heather's class

Monday, June 17, 2013

all knotted up


after 5 months in hospital and rehab it was nice to get back in the swing of things
I received this package in the mail from my friend carmi
with a challenge to see what I could come up with


I got to digging through my supplies to see what could work
some pearls, crystals, metal embossed beads and wooded carved beads

this one was easy, three double coin knots in a row and a tassel

a few close ups

since the first one was so easy  I had time to work one another

 

Friday, May 10, 2013

on the good days

last month, well at least i think it was last month,
(time is so confusing right now)
sent me this enormous gift box
filled with at least 20 balls of  the most unique yarns and all different
OMG!!! i was so overwhelmed with this wonderful and extravagant gift
and of course i knew what i was going to do
last christmas before i got sick i was having such a wonderful time
creating these wonderful free form crochet purses
that i knew it would be easy for me to do while in rehab
you just can't make a mistake
(no matter how many meds your on!!)


not sure if i will make another purse
leslie put the bug in my ear by saying
"can you make a jacket"
hummm......................
(i'll keep you posted)
thanks again leslie for lifting my spirits and keeping me from going crazy!!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

i'm back for a quick note

its been almost a few weeks since my party
and what a party it was!
the girls and by girls i mean soul sistas!
lisa , carmi , jackie , dede , gillian , lulu , heather , karen , julie, carol and cat
planned and created the best party !!
i wish we had a door man just to count heads because i lost count after a few 100
people came from peterpatch, newcastle, hamilton, caledon,church hill, claremont and port perry
people from years past, neighbours,clients, all wonderful friends

  OMG!! i am still so overwhelmed, i can't get me head around it
everyone has been so kind and generous to me, words can not express the way i feel
i just want you to know how grateful i am for having all of you in my life
everyone has made it so much easier for me going through this horrible experience
thank-you, thank-you, thank-you

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

change in weather

i've been hibernating this winter, mostly due to a "popped rib"
its been a problem since late november and i've done everything possible to make it better
some days better than others
going a little stir crazy, watching too much tv and no art
on the weekend there was a huge change in the weather
temperatures reaching 13c 58f 
the 2 foot layer of snow on my front lawn is now completely gone
i decided to head out with my camera, i got as far as the bluffs near my house
the marina was filed with ducks, geese and this wonderful swan




i really wanted to play in ps  when i got home but sitting at the computer is difficult
so i finally "rigged" a spot on the couch, with lots of pillows and got some time to play
i found several interesting masks and bokeh at shadowhouse
a half and hour later i was happy with the results and getting a chance to create
now back to rest!!


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

new beginning

happy new year!!!
wishing everyone a wonderful, exciting and creative new year
----
i'm not one for resolutions
i like to set goals
this will be the year of selfdiscovery
 who i am as a single person
 my true self
(through education and practice)
health and fitness
and creativity

 
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