Easter and Anzac Day...

i hope everyone has had a lovely Easter and not indulged too much....its back on track for me tomorrow..... too many hot cross buns and choccies and my jeans were a bit tight today....:(

It is Anzac Day today and each year the crowds get bigger not just here but around the world in France and Gallipoli. My friend Merry exhibited this quilt at the quilters Easter exhibition using all her families photos and information....the photos were kindly taken on charlies iphone as i forgot the camera ...again ! and the qualities not that good, i wish i couldve gotten really good closeups to see the lovely details...like the stuffed frames and needle felted Gallipoli and poppies...she hand painted in the pyramids and threw the whole thing together in a couple of weeks :]







Jenny and i had a little exhibition at the Bendigo Textile Artists next door and received lots of favourable comments which was encouraging.....we were the ladies with white gloves who tried to look knowledgeable [how did they make this or whats this? hows this been knitted?] having been to only one meeting i was a bit in the dark but used technical terms like water soluble plastic to fluff my way through it..;)

There are lots of talented ladies in both the quilters and textile group and was lovely to see it all on display.

i made these this little collages, 5x7 using the last of tissue paper pattern scraps. i couldn't find any flowers so made them by wiping calico over a tim holtz ink pad and then rinsing them to spread the ink. The stems i wrapped in masking and swiped them with another ink pad.i stamped some of the srips to use as base... i love it when you don't have something and have to make something from nothing :)

lots to share...

i spent a most enjoyable afternoon painting pages for Caroles journal class...I've never stained with colored teas before and had some raspberry/peach on hand to color my pages...i let 3 tea bags really stew and it was a wonderful rich color....the bags were splitting by the end and let bits of leaves settle on the pages...they left lovely purply marks ,Lhs page below:) and it smelt so good too...

i did washes of twinklings, walnut ink and plain tea too....
lots of splatters....and dribbles...

and salt too.....

bubble wrap pushed onto wet watercolors.....

i couldn't work out where the lines were coming from as i was finger painting....

turns out the big blister [from rubbing oil pastels into canvases]had scabbed over :) i liked the lines....

raspberry tea, twinklings and walnut ink...pretty colors ....and more purple tea spots...

only two colors here used, walnut ink and raspberry tea...the pink is soo strong that i dyed little lace scraps and paper flowers with the left over tea....

now there is no cutting with scissors in a Carole's class and i have a confession to make...i ripped my pages a bit big....and cos i couldn't rip a small bit off...i ended up cutting them with the paper trimmer...smack !.... but i used my paper rougher upper to get rid of the cut edges, i think they look great and cant wait to get started in the next bit.... I'm making two journals, an Asian, oriental inspired one which the brighter pages are for and a softer one. I was really stumped about what to do with the second one but during the afternoon painting i had a phone call from young friend telling me that his brother had committed suicide......he was only 25.....its been a sad week and made me feel grateful for what we do have......

so my journal theme will be Grateful....

craft weekend away....

I had a fun weekend away last weekend with some of my craft girls and the local patchworers... We went to Bacchus Marsh and visited op shops, a really great paper shop with loads of interesting products and beautiful papers and stamps. Lots of good food, great company and laughs .....and we got some things made too...mine are all unfinished of course :) Thanks to jenny for the pics as i forgot my camera....

this lady free motioned this quilt all weekend and finished it just before we left , such good timing... its a spectacular quilt...

huge thank you superpost :)

i just wanted to say thank you for all your kind comments on our market stall...i have been on a high all week but oh so tired....but that good kind of tired :)
This is a HUGE catch up post to also say thank you for all the goodies that have arrived recently that I've not had time to photograph or at least post about...

OWOH 2011 This was one of my lovely prizes from Lisa, a gorgeous clay brooch with a lovely pearly glaze. Lisa sent it with newspaper cutting of an interview she had done at Christmas time so it was nice to get to know her a bit better...thank you Lisa i love it !

I've heard that all 3 of my journals made it to their new homes , so that's good too :)

Shrine swap.... with Les... les sent me one of her shrines, I've still to make mine and send it, i was hoping to get it done today but am actually enjoying having a kitchen table we can eat off ;) She sent loads of stuff, which i packed away...sorry.... (( but check out her shrine, i love it.

it sits above the computer so i can stare at it adoringly :)) aren't the little shrinky dink butterflies just gorgeous....and I'm going to get some of that TH tissue tape too...

Matchbox swap on Flikr... I joined in the Romance matchbox swap and this is the one i sent to
JoAnne I made a dingle dangly charm and added a few other lovey dovey things ;) My Matchbox then came from Kath who also sent me a truckload of stuff....first of all her mb came in a surprise tin... and then inside......the cutest lil mb.... and inside that.... ....she sent another surprise one as well[ i love surprises!] another little mb filled with lots of gorgeous brads... As well as that ..i had won a prize on her blog , one of her hand painted snowman bowls along with some stamps and cards......sweet huh? will be nice to have out for Christmas.... i love it when people make things from tutes i have done and Kath sent a gorgeous little Valentines pocket with lots of little metal hearts inside ...thank you....i seemed to be unpacking for ever :)

Pay it forward......
last week i received some beautiful goodies from Jan from the PIF she had on her blog.[i still need to do mine!] gosh that girl knows how to stuff a matchbox , i can never get it all back in to photograph properly lol i bet her kids had the best stuffed santa sacks .....:) i couldve stood the little ballerina up so you werent peeking up her dress:) love how she has made the knob too.... i love the sewing theme with its pretty laces, dress patterns, mannequins and all the wonderful bits and pieces she included, it will be great to use....

and then theres Carole :)
I won one of her blog prizes.... this sweet little birdie tape and some chocolate fish....
>
unfortunately i ate all the chocolate fish which i havent ever seen out here [ they are choc coated marshmallow shaped fish.]

Now no one ever throws out empty packets in this household, they get shoved back in the cupboard so you think you have stuff and you dont. i thought since i ate all the fish i could photograph the packet and left it in the pantry for safe keeping :] and wouldnt you know it..... it has been thrown out ..oh well...

they tasted good !

Im also doing Caroles Journal class, i was really envious of all the beautiful books that came out of her last class but cant decide what theme to do...im leaning towards asian as i have alot of stuff but then i guess i could do two different ones if i get productive lol I really love her combinations of paper fabric, embroidery and free motion so it should be fun....

Thanks again to all my lovely swappers and givers, it's been lovely to get all this wonderful mail:)))

what a great world bloglandia is :))

now i need to learn how to link pictures to blogs, that is a really cool feature.....