Try try again....

I love portraits but I'm pretty hopeless at any sort of realistic work of people, but I still have a go and these are some of the latest I have tried. I am trying to loosen up with my art and I'm not really sure how to do that. Some classes are needed again of course and I'm looking into that now. With summer almost over here, the chances of more classes available will be greater with people returning to the city...so I might be in luck!

I love making journals

I have another journal on the go...it is for our trip 'down east' in September to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and then across the ferry to Halifax. I've never been to those states and heard its quite beautiful so I'm really looking forward to it.

A new journal is always so much fun. This one is made from an old french book I found over in Quebec...it was a children's novel - I love the cover pic. Not too many pages are being put into it as we will only be away for 2 weeks, however I plan to fill it.

I did Mary Ann Moss's online class on visual journalling and bookmaking and I loved it. Her blog is Dispatch From LA...she is a lot of fun. I'm trying a new method this time...the Sewn Chains method which means the stitching shows on the spine of the book.

Musings

Why keep a blog? I've been reading some blogs where the writers were unsure about continuing with their blog but did so and found at a later date that it had been beneficial..some of those benefits being - becoming more creative, using their time more efficiently and some other things I don't remember...it was all pretty positive though. I have been wondering why I do this and so reading those thoughts really helped.

I am finding that life really is a fun journey and mine has been quite surprising. I grew up all over the place, (4 countries) and then settled down for many  years...after a divorce I have now ended up living on the other side of the world half the year. I didn't think I had planned this but realize of course that my choices led me here.

My real wishes deep down, I thought, were to have a permanent home and settle in and stay there so being uprooted every few months has taken me a while to come to terms with but finally I think I'm starting to really like it.

I have decided to put more time into this and see where it leads...I have some goals with my art and I hope to connect with more art minded people in this way as I don't have much creative contact where I am at the moment.

For now a photo of my art table and my daughter's papercut bird on the window keeping me company.

More treasures

This is the pile of goodies from the consignment shop yesterday...$15! I had lots of fun.

 This was a box of old collars with ribbons and buttons etc...very cute.

 A box of recipes...

 I'm keeping this book for you Trudes and Tom when you get here...it has photos of before the war and then after etc..pretty interesting.

 Really cute old advertising ephemera..

 and vintage paper xmas stuff..

 This apple is about 40cm high and wooden for on the kitchen wall.

 And some really old music..

 Oh and this: I think it might be old rego plates...

New quilt happening..

 This was the dining table last week...work in progress so table can't be used..sorry! Until we have guests and then I need to pack it all up AND vaccuum..poop. anyway..

 this is an old quilt I found at the op shop. It looks really good in this photo but its not as bright in real life..and the fabrics were very machine madeish...not nice to feel...but the back is so pretty (pics below) and I wanted those bits for my new quilt..have to take some photos and put them on here soon..

 ..both these fabrics were on the back.

New Painting in Progress

 This is my biggish painting..its 4feet by 3feet...I really like the size and actually...would like to go bigger next time..not sure how I would get it home though..maybe 2 this size together?

 Some of the hands are still on paper and some are already transferred onto the painting. You can tell the difference by the way some are much paler and subtle than the others...its a new process to me so its very exciting..I love it.

Mosaic table

 Well this is my table! The photos ended up in a random order ....it took me 2 goes to do this ie to put them on the blog here...I really like my table...I also painted some plain pieces of china for fun...right in the center of the china is a piece of funny beach glass I picked up in Cape Breton a few years ago..it is pinkish and quite thick and pretty..I like it.

 This painting I did from a youtube video...maybe from Diana Trout..I'm not sure ...but its not original..I really wanted something to brighten up the kitchen...I think the painting will eventually change as much as I like it..I would prefer to have an original up there...:)....

 These pics are out on the balcony at the start and during the process...didn't want tile glue inside..!!

 You can see the some pieces I painted..pretty daggy but I like them..

Thrift shop finds

 New thrift shop finds...a really cute old history book with lots a few coloured illustrations throughout..and a little sugar bowl...was thinking of smashing it for mosaic but maybe it should stay as it is...too cute..

 This is an old tie...I loved the pattern on it so it came home with me..

 and then this!!! a gorgeous old pic made from little chips of glass...it is really pretty and I love it in our lounge..see the cushion I made from an embroidery I brought back from Australia - Aussie wildflowers.

Plans and projects

 We went over to Quebec last week to pick up Dave's mail and I dropped into an op shop while we were there as I really wanted some French books...and found heaps of cuties..

 Some of the fabrics and tapestries I pulled out to sew into cushions...and a quilt is planned too..I also have bought a small yellow round metal table for the kitchen and plan to mosaic the top so some photos will be on here soon..

For Zoe...

This is Donna and Mikes' house...it is very cute and full of antiques and pottery and teak furniture. Donna used to live in a stone house, actually she has lived in 2 stone houses, and also collected antiques so she has quite a bit of stuff still. I love going there as she is always finding something new. In the turret is the front door which you can see and upstairs is the ensuite to their bedroom at the front right hand side. The whole house has lots of little extra rooms all over the place for no reason..it is really lovely. They are going away soon for a month and we will be going out to house-sit for a few days here and there..fun!!

I need COLOUR

 This is my art table..yep it probably looks like a junk pile and it sort of st but the junk is good junk and it all means something to me and I love it...I cut a cork pinboard to fit the big silver frame but it is not attached at the back so when I push the pins in it all falls apart...lol..need to remedy that...and the kitsch shell map of Australia had to come back with me from an Aussie op shop...and my collection of botanical prints on the wall is growing...love love love those.

 Some soft pretty colour that jumped out at me...this was originally a picnic basket although not very sturdy...I removed all the daggy old fabric lining and stuck the whole thing in the bathtub for a good soak and then out into the sun to dry off...it is now all clean and fresh...and in the same op shop was this vase,

exactly the same colour and so lovely..it is old and in perfect nick. There are lots of flowers around here so it will be full soon and in the meantime it just looks great on its own with my other few little pieces of bright china...

It is bleak outside but nice and cosy in here.

 Since arriving back 3 weeks ago, the weather has not really been friendly to us...this photo is typical of what it has looked like from our balcony...out there somewhere is a river and a bridge which on a good day is a lovely view. But it makes art and reading and listening to music very cosy pastimes...and I was lucky enough to buy some lovely old books from my first church sale for the year.

 This is the collection I found...for about $5...a lot of them were in one box for $1.50. It was a real lucky dip...the old Medical Dictionary, (below), was what I was after but the church man asked me if I would just take the whole box so I was happy to oblige and then found quite a few new books in the bottom...most of them really interesting. One on buddhism for Don..he has been wanting one since we got back...Funny how things work out..

 This cover is beautiful and the book itself very thick...It has an extremely long convoluted title and finishes with: "by men who have had great experience, and are acknowledged authorities in their various Departments." Good to know.

 The little book on the left is a book of maps and somebody's newspaper cutting from the last war was tucked inside..

 The green book with the red spine is Selected Tales by Guy de Maupassant...from the 50s and the set of school music books - The High Road of Song, are also from the 50s...

 These pics are from the Teacher's Art Manual on the right a couple of photos above..it is a gorgeous book...I could have put every page on here to show you...