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...

Life starts again..

 Normality is returning slowly..I spent some time in Westboro the other day, wandering through my favourite art gallery, drooling over the gorgeous works which I cannot afford at all but can appreciate at least and found this little gem right outside on the light pole..I loved it.

 I have begun spending money at the thrift shops and consignment shops which abound here and are chocablock full of great finds...This box is some sort of letter box maybe in a church for internal newsletters etc..it is very cute and I love it..not sure what I can use it for but who cares?

 First painting: a woman inspired by an old black and white print of my dad's. I forgot to take a photo of the print...I wanted a feeling of mystery and movement and not a skinny barbie doll type figure...hence the large body.It is collaged in the background and now some layers of colour have been added..the body needs lots more details.

 And.....my first heart this time back...