Material Mondays - Textile Art Project - Week 12

Welcome to Material Mondays, this week we are working on a lovely art piece that I had started a while back and it was calling to be complete. I managed to get it a bit further along.  You can check out the video below.

I had got the piece to this stage and checking what kind of beading that I want to have attached to the piece.

I added some seed beads and will see how I feel about them as to whether I will add some more.  It is great to be able to use the supplies, some of the beads have come from clothing, charity or thrift store and other I have brought over time.

I was contemplating whether to turn it into a journal cover

Check out the video below to see how it went.

Let me know if you are working on any textile pieces or would like to incorporate it into your mixed media work.

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A reminder to Enter the Giveaway below

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Check out some courses while you are at it!

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Art Journal with Pockets

This journal started out as a place to hold my mixed media cards. I loved all the elements that I created to go on the front and inside.

Over time I will be transforming it into an art journal with papers to create on. If you're interested in creating your own art journal, be sure to watch this video and you will be able to see how to make changes to an original idea.

This journal uses cardboard and leather that I had in my stash, take a look at some of the things that you have that you will be able to use.

You can find some free resources to use in your art journal on my course platform.

Check out some courses while you are at it!

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Remember to enter the giveaway for the Art Bundles for Good - there are 3 prizes valued at $5700

Enter the Giveaway HERE

Good Luck

The Art Bundle #7 Giveaway starts today! Win Over $5700 of Art Classes

Do you want a chance to win the all-new Art Bundles for Good #7? 

Three lucky winners will have a chance to win the entire Art Bundles for Good #7 including $5700 worth of art courses and other great resources. There are over 111 art resources from more than 90 of your favorite artists this year.  I am contributing one of my new courses - Mixed Media Art Bowls

You get to create a set of 3 mixed media art bowls in my online course - Mixed Media Art Bowls

It doesn’t cost anything to enter the giveaway, so don’t miss out. and see if you can be one of the ones who win the whole bundle. The Art Bundle Giveaway only lasts for 1 week, starting today! The more you share, the more chances you have to win. 

GO TO THE ART BUNDLE GIVEAWAY

Art Bundle #7 Sale is Coming on November 3rd for 5 Days!

The all new Art Bundles of Good #7 is coming next week. This is the best deal in online art classes you will find. There are more than 90 artists contributing 111+ art courses and resources with a value of over $5700 at a low price, a great time to treat yourself for Christmas!

25% of the profits from the sale are going to Courageous Kitchen, a Bangkok based charity helping refugees. We’ve raised US$101,782 for charity so far.

Visit the website to enter the Art Giveaway. Three lucky people will win the entire bundle of art resources!

GO TO THE ART BUNDLE GIVEAWAY

Good luck to all that enter for the giveaway!

Check out some courses while you are at it!

Click HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Material Mondays - Stitched Project

 Welcome to Material Mondays - This week we are going to create a stitched project.

The fabrics have been taken from ones that I have made over time and have them in my stash, but you can use whatever you have to hand and also make some painted fabrics as well for yourself.  You can see the materials that I use to create my painted fabric HERE

If you want to purchase some supplies similar to the ones that I am using, you can check out these links on Amazon:

You can source some of the supplies here: 

ribbon - https://amzn.to/3TANuqu 

fabric - https://amzn.to/3gs0MXq 

buttons - https://amzn.to/3Sxi7f9 

embroidery thread - https://amzn.to/3DtyKUL

I hope you have fun using your supplies and look forward to seeing your results.

Time for another Pause - Limitless possibilities

 

Come and join me in the studio - we remind ourselves how many things that we are able to do to push our creativity forward.  The word limitless for me has been a word that I have taken through year after year.

What has been your word for the year - have you started to think about next year yet?

Check out some courses while you are at it!

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Collage Unleashed - Book Review

Today I share the book Collage Unleashed - paint, bind, stitch, & play by Tracy Bautista. The thing that drew me first when I came across Tracy Bautista was her videos making paper and creating art journals. 

There are six chapters and a variety of different tool techniques for you to do in each of the chapters. She talks about playing every day and the other thing I like about her books is that the amount of color that she uses and it does encourage you to play with your supplies.  I found the different fonts used in the book a bit distracting, but it was great to have so many projects to choose from.  Check out the video for more information.  

You can find the book on Amazon https://amzn.to/3VlFZVl

Material Mondays - Creating a Stitched word Sheet

 

Today in Material Mondays I show you how you can create a stitched word sheet with some encouraging words and inspiring phrases.

I took a selection of embroidery threads

Selected a white tea towel to write the words on.  This was quite thin cotton, and so I doubled the thread, check out the video to see how it progressed.

If you want to try it yourself, you can see the links for supplies below:

Embroidery threads - https://amzn.to/3EyxKQ8

Embroidery Kit for beginners - https://amzn.to/3fZ00kF

Embroidery hoops - https://amzn.to/3CuoFoS

Cotton fabric - https://amzn.to/3MoJ82Y

Book Review - Treasured Notions - Vintage Beads and More

I am so glad that you could join me for in the studio.  I am reviewing the book Treasured Notions, which is a lovely book especially for those of us who like to collect a range of materials and elements for our creative work.  You can access the book on Amazon - https://amzn.to/3Enp4vE

I had a look through some of the things that I have collected and use in my fabric work and you can see a selection of the beads that I have in my collection.  The  beads which come in all shapes and sizes, you can make your own out of recycled material as well which can be great fun. 

I have been using beads for years.  These particular ones I brought around 20 years ago, which I think makes them Vintage!  I used to wear my hair in plaits and would add the beads at the end - using the colors Red, Yellow and Green.  I was rocking it back then:)

The beads are glass so quite a few of them over the years broke.  I now use them in my mixed media stitched projects.  

As well as purchasing the beads individually or in a set, you can sometimes find some great beads at the local charity store.  At one point my local charity store was making bundles of unsold jewelry and beads, it was like a treasure hunt and you always came away with some amazing pieces, I had some great finds that are being prepped for many different projects.

One way to be creative if you don't have time to get on with a project is to maybe spend time sorting your supplies.  You would be amazed at what 5 minutes create play can do when you try and fit it into your schedule. 

Check out the Video Below that I shared as part of my Essential supplies series to get a better look.

Thank you for joining me

Creative Gardener - Looking at the Sweet Sop Plant

Sweetsop grown from seeds

Welcome to the garden, today we are looking at Sweet Sop plant also known as Sugar Apple or Annona squamosa.

My plants have been grown from seeds. One of them is fruiting. Both the fruit and the leaves have many benefits and are packed with vitamins and minerals such as B6, calcium and iron. It is one of my favorite fruits!

I will be trying the leaves to see how they taste as a tea and let you know. If you have tried it, please let me know what you think in the comments.

Check out some courses while you are at it!

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Material Mondays - Creating a Travel Sewing Kit

Welcome to Material Mondays, my weekly fabric and mixed media art materials session where we tak a look at some fabric projects, techniques and have fun playing with fabric.  This week I show you what is in my travel kit.

I have a felted piece of material that houses my needles and pins and a selection of embroidery thread in different colors depending on the project that I am working on and some standard ones.

I also travel with an embroidery hoop and a piece of heavy cotton that I have written several encouraging words on.  When I travelled this time, I hadn't wanted to take a lot of supplies and found the words on the fabric ideal, as I could not only stitch, but I was continuing to reflect on the encouraging words as I was stitching.

I also have a series of fabrics of different stages, some have been wax resisted and dyed or painted, it is great having these small pieces to collage together and add stitching when the mood takes me.

Check out the accompanying video to see the travel it up close and you can check out the previous Material Monday Episodes HERE

I am also taking part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and you can check out previous posts below

Day 1 - What are you Doing with your life?

Day 2 - Coles Adventure and the Case of the Rogue House Sitter

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Coles' Adventure and the case of the Rogue House Sitter

Cole in the Garden

It had been a while since I travelled, like most people Covid had us locked down and to be frank the staying at home appealed to the hermit tendencies within me. 

Getting a House Sitter

I had decided to get a house sitter, (someone who looks after your pet and home while you are away), deciding that I wanted Cole to stay at home and not leave the house empty. Travelling and arriving at my sisters seemed very surreal by the time I got there, as it was my birthday and two days later would be mums funeral. 

I had spent the previous week getting my place ready for a house sitter, and  he arrived 2 days before I was due to leave so I showed him round Barbados and helped him settle in and get comfortable with Cole, who got on with him from the word go, only to have him walk out on the day of my departure saying that Cole had barred his teeth at him, and he couldn't continue. 

He had also listed a range of other things that previous hosts had provided that I wasn't, such as use of a car, air-conditioned room, and sleeping in the master bedroom!  I couldn't believe he was walking out as he knew before he came what was to be included and Cole had been treating him like a member of the family from the time he arrived and was very comfortable with him.

Cole loves his belly rubbed

Cole's favorite toy

I was an emotional mess, to be told that he was leaving on the day of my departure, a few hours before my flight took off, leaving me to scramble around to find a kennel.  I went into automatic mode knowing I had to keep it together.  I managed to change my flight for the following day and found the last boarding space at the RSPCA.  I used Seans Pet Transportation and was very impressed at his calmness and he was able to get Cole in a transport cage backwards!  Cole was confused, suddenly he was being put on a lorry by a stranger wondering where the stranger he had just let in his home a shared his toys with went.

In the waiting room

It was traumatic at the RSPCA as well, after I got him checked in to lead him back with all the barking dogs scrambling at their cages on either side of the walkway, it felt like a prison.

Cole's home at the kennels

He walked into his cage in a daze, the cold hard metal floors, the noise, no comforts from home and the only food for 30 days would be a daily dose of hard kibble.  I was so upset leaving him and eventually made my way home.  This wasn't supposed to happen, Cole should have been frolicking in the garden eating the food I spent 4 days preparing in advance, having his treats and daily banana, and sleeping in his padded warm bed with the sounds of the singing frogs and the crickets melodiously in the background.

Cole and art appreciation

It is funny, I didn't realize how much I liked dogs until my son brought him home as a month-old puppy. He has been a constant companion hanging out in my studio or when I am in the garden, and he also is great at reminding me when I have spent too much time in front of the computer screen.

Skin and bones 

While he was at the kennels it seemed like he didn't eat, you could see his ribs and his spine, he came back half the size he left. He smelt awful and had some sores on parts of his feet and elbows and it was like he had been in a war, and since he has come home, I have just been spending time trying to get him back to health.

Cole On the mend

I am not sure I would be able to trust another stranger to housesit for me again, it was one of the worst experiences that I had been through.  Despite being an older traveler and having references a list reviews, they were just words, and he wasn't in the right frame of mind to look after Cole or have the experience claimed.

For now, Cole is on the mend, he is enjoying being back home and settling into his routines, yet I wonder sometimes when he looks at me if he remembers his experience. 

Have you had an experience from a house sitter or put your pet into boarding while you were away?

What are you doing with your life? - Are you ready for a challenge?

Welcome to the blog, it has been a while and I have been taking time out to come to grips with losing my mother.  I shared in my previous post, and I spent time with my sister, and we went down memory lane.  There is now only the two of just who are now the older generation...

I send love and tender hugs to all those who have lost loved ones, there is nothing that can quite prepare you for loosing someone.  We have to make sure we treasure all the memories and the time we spend with each other.

When mum first went into the first residential care home, I had put a book of her life together and filled it with photographs and some of her likes and dislikes, I spent time this week looking through it and it brought much comfort.  I am glad I shared my experience as she navigated dementia, some of the laugh out loud moments that had been tinged with fear - her walking in with two policemen laughing and joking after going missing for over 4 hours we were worried sick, she came back with tales of her adventure, and I am sure several hairs on my head went white that day.  

Mum loved adventure

In my A-Z of caring I spoke of some of the feelings that I experience, including a feeling of loss, and things not being fair, on the flip side it brought out mums' sense of humor and a love of dancing, art and so much more.

She would called herself the 'Dancing Queen' and teach whoever was interested how to do the Shimmy.  She had two favorite songs - Dancing Queen by Abba, and  One Love by Bob Marley - we had them both playing for her at the funeral - we gave her a good send off.

I now think of next steps for my life - we forget fast time flies.  What things have I been holding myself back from doing that I need to get on with? What dreams have I been sitting on?  What has yet to be fulfilled?

So, what is stopping you?  What have you promised yourself but keep on putting it off, saying to yourself tomorrow?  Tomorrow might not come and there are people out there waiting to be inspired and motivated by you!

What are you hiding from? Whose opinions do you care about so badly that you are holding back?  I have resolved for myself that over the next few months I will go all out, reaching for those dreams and creating a ton of new ones - we are not promised tomorrow, and we don't know what it may bring - see James 4:13-15.

That said, why not challenge yourself, start today, decided what you want to do and follow through - I am participating in the 'Ultimate Blog Challenge' and I will be posting every day in the month of October and sharing some of the work that I do.  Start living your best life, where your dreams however small can come true - live the life you can be proud of - I know that you can do it!

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