Post - Suprises

Look what I received in the post recently.... Firstly an ATC from Kate - this was from her May swap and it is so cleverly put together - title Wings! - which is a great reminder for me to spread my wings and fly!! THANKS KATE.Next is an ATC from Jan - sorry this pic is on its side - there is so much work on this ATC - Jan's not says she is getting stale - well if this is stale I would like to see her work when not stale!!!!!!!!! I have been sitting looking at this piece over and over - trying to work out what Jan has done. THANKS JAN.The third item was a real surprise - a postcard from Margaret R - this is a postcard in my favourite colours and is a birthday postcard - I had completely forgotten that a) my birthday is next week and b) that I am on a birthday postcard swap list with Fibre Art Friends Yahoo Group - Sorry to all I have forgotten to send you cards on your birthdays - I will make up for this is in the next few days!! THANKS MARGARET!

When your head hurts - make art!!!

My head hurts - not because I have a headache - I don't - but because I can't think about my second assessment piece any more!! This morning I came to that point where my head was about to explode - the ideas in my head are not coming out. So to clear this away I decided to do something completely different.

This is a hanging I made for an exhibition held in Canada Feb 2006. On the cotton background I mounted 9 photos of a purple cabbage I had used for a previous C&G assessment piece.

The photos were spare - I had stitched over them in a grid and distressed them before applying them and adding beads made from another original photo. This piece of work has been away in a box since 2006 so today I cut it up and turned it into Postcards!!!!So far I have made 8 and there are more on the way. One close up for now....I am popping them into my Etsy shop. If you go visit you can see close-ups of all of them. I wonder what else I can cut up - now I am in the mood??!!

Have you seen this video on U tube? ........ Mum's Song - it is so funny and clever .

Postcard Recipes

Thanks for all the recent comments on my Postcard Recipe booklets - the requests are coming in steadily and I do hope that people like them!! - I may have to look seriously at self-publishing. If you are interested in a copy I am selling them for £9 plus postage.

The cover.... - a glimpse of some of the pages (without giving away too much!!)

Is this the way forward for me.....

You may remember I recently 'taught' a workshop for the Cotswold Branch of the Embroiderers Guild (UK) - see here for the blog I wrote about it. Some of the ladies asked to buy my 'teaching notes' - which are a series of photos with the 'recipe' for making each postcard. Then I had a request from a member who could not attend the course. So I put together a booklet of all my postcard 'recipes', with a spiral binding for easy turning . This booklet is 18 colour pages with notes on each of the postcards I have made (if there was a series - only one recipe was included). I have now sold a further 6 copies for £9 (plus postage) - I wonder if this is the way forward???? I nice way to share my postcards, and to help fund more???? I am really happy to sell them. It's bit difficult to illustrate the front cover but it looks like this:..

What has come in the post recently

First I must say thanks again for your understanding re my rants about mum. As I have not been able to visit recently I have been keeping in touch with the hospital and relatives who have been able to go. Mum seems to be slipping into a strange person. I am hoping that this is just the drugs she is on because she is saying some of the strangest of things. She may have a minor infection as this sometimes makes them hallucinate. I'll try not to talk too much about her for now.

Anyway the post - I have received three envelopes in the last few days containing the most lovely pieces. THANKS TO ALL !!

This first is from Kate - and yes Kate the size is perfect as is the craftsmanship!! It's lovely. Next one from Doreen - so delicate and almost fluffy! Next a postcard from one of the Cotswold guild ladies - sorry I put the card somewhere safe after taking the photo and I forgot to make a note of the sender. The final envelope from Myra contained three tissue covered packages....... Opening these I found two lovely ATC's - such different techniques. The third packet contained a lovely ring for me to use in my work.

THANKS TO ALL - These pieces are so delightful. I think I may have to come up with a nice way of displaying my ATC collection - something to think about soon!

For now it's back to the HH homework. Yes Janet if you are reading this I am doing a little every day!!

Wish I could do one thing at a time

Being a true Gemini - I have a million things on the go at once - I dip in and out of each project and don't seem to complete anything as I would like to. - What have I been doing:
Art in a Carton
The cartons are ready for sending. I left the painted outers as I showed you before but with the minor addition of interference pearl ex - to give them a lovely shimmer depending on the way you hold them. They will be filled with just three pieces of my art work - an ATC which I showed you before, a wild art angel doll and one of my silk carrier rod pocket bags: The cartons will go in the post on Tuesday - I need to get them wrapped up and I will look forward to receiving two back (I already had the third from Sue).

Postcards:
I had promised the wonderful ladies of the Cotswold branch that I would send them a postcard following our workshop. These went in the post on Friday. So I hope they will have received them on Saturday. My only request was that they send me one back at some point. So I am looking forward to receiving these too.Several of these have my snippety bit sandwich and sorbello stitch.

POST IN:
I have received the following lovely items in the post too. The lovely tag from Karen T - it is so pretty - thanks.

The second piece is an Arch page from Patsy in the Textile Challenge swap. It is so shimmery - I think the book I will put together at the end of this challenge will be so exciting. Thanks.
SHOPPING:

Whilst out the other day I purchased two magazines - I don't think I have ever paid so much for magazines before - the Fiberarts cost me £5.75 and the Craft Arts International was £8 !!!!! I purchased the Fiberarts as I am in costume making mode (for the HH course but I can't tell you about that yet - you will have to wait until July - when I will show you all the work after the final exhibition!!) I think Art to Wear may become a focus for me (??). I bought the Craft Arts International just because the photos of work inside are just so fantastic I had to have them in my studio!! It is just full to overflowing with vessels and sculpture which I found myself thinking - this could be interpreted in fibre, that could be interpreted in fibre until the whole mag was covered with sticky notes to that effect - so I took them all off and will just leave the ideas open to feed my creative soul!!

Yesterday - What a fabulous day!!

I dislike being referred to as a ‘tutor’ – I prefer ‘workshop facilitator’ and yesterday that is just what I was doing – facilitating a workshop. 10 wonderful ladies from the Cotswold branch of the embroiderer’s guild took part in my Mail Art workshop – making postcards. This ‘craze’ has not fully reached parts of the UK yet so these ladies were keen to get involved. I offered the usual choice – we all make the same postcard, or we all do our own thing, using my recipes and I show them individually (or all together) the bits they are interested in.

The ladies decided on the second option and looked through my collection of postcards picking their favourites and off they went! I had a lovely time talking to each lady, offering ideas, showing my methods and generally enjoying the day. They are a very talented, inspirational and creative group. Some played with background ideas preferring to finish off at home, some completed one or more postcards and some just absorbed information (without being productive but leaving with lots of ideas!)
Photos (I took over 100 pics, lots of work in progress - I love the 'recipes' and some finished works) so here are a few to share, of course these were so much better in the flesh!!! .......

Our round up show and tell..

By Sara - a lovely mixture of textures...and a striking Valentine..

Ruth was working with lovely spring colours, tyvek, puff paint on a background for later A couple by Irene..woven textureand very delicate hearts for Valentines Day. A wonderful vibrant colour combination by Chris
Delicate golden layers by Pauline..
A couple of spring postcards (I feel a series here...) by Gina

Jill had lovely delicate colours and marked out two postcards but this may become a notebook - you can see the posibility.......
Dot prepared this lovely lace background and took home ideas of what to do with materials at home...
Sue produced brilliant thick textured backgrounds.
Georgina - here working on her bark texture
and a tyvek sampleAs they were such a good bunch I have agreed to do postcard swap with them all – just to start them off on the delightful journey of mailing art!! – So I’ve done it again – set myself more work to do!! In this case I think it is well worth it – to continue to inspire these ladies.So I don’t think I succeeded as a tutor but I really felt I had facilitated the creative inspiration for these ladies!!

Another set of samples

Right I think I am now ready for the workshop I am running on making Postcards next weekend. These are the last of my 'teaching samples'. This set of four were made together as one A4 piece of white on white - a variety of synthetic white fabrics stitched both by machine, cable stitch and my favourite sorbello then two were covered with yellow/orange transfer dye paper. The remaining piece was painted with blue purple acrylic and stitched with sorbello. I like the contrast of blue against the yellow!

CYBER FYBER Exhibition

So I have committed myself to yet another swap - this time with Susan Lenz - Susan is preparing for an exhibition in 2009 Cyber Fyber - the link is here.

What is it all about:

CYBER FYBER is an exhibition of international fiber art scheduled for January 8th through 20th, 2009 at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios, 808 Lady Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, USA. The brainchild of Susan Lenz, this exhibit will focus on the supportive, global community of fiber artists with whom Susan regularly shares new techniques, contemporary approaches to textiles, and finished work by Internet websites and blogs. The exhibition will include three primary areas: Fiber ATCs (Artist Trading Cards); fiber postcards; and the work of several invited artists. The exhibition will also include FIBER DAY and ATC trading day. From the beginning, Susan Lenz is documenting CYBER FYBER on a blog/journal.

I have agreed to swap one ATC and one Postcard - with Susan. I have chosen these from her lists because I just love the colours: I am now in the process of making my ATC and Postcard to send on to Susan. I would so love to be able to attend the exhibition in 09 - who knows I may win the lottery by then and travel would be no problem!!

TIF February

Sharon B has set the Feb Take it Further challenge . This time the concept is a question. What are old enough to remember? Well I personally don't want to remember that far back - for personal reasons. So I have no option but to work with the colour this time round.

OK - I have several things to do for Feb now:

1. Historical Heirlooms homework and design work for my first assessment piece
2. Preparation for a workshop I have been asked to do on Feb 9th on making postcards.
3. This TIF challenge.

When am I going to get the time to do anything????? HELP

More Wonderful Post

This last week has been very busy at work. Trying to get things finished before the Christmas break. - I have decided to take a 2 week break - I will be alone for at least a week but am really looking forward to just chilling at the start of the year. Some quiet me time - no pressure, no rushing about - hopefully some studio time and generally re-charging the batteries which are very very worn down - am looking forward to putting 2007 behind me.

Anyway on to some lovely post. A very big THANK You to all of you who sent me items recently. Firstly a card from Sue D. A card from Carol T... A wonderful Dotee Doll and ATC made by Julie as part of my rust challenge. Isn't she cute. the ATC has some of my aluminium beads on it too! Next a delicate festive postcard from Kate N.. Another card - this time from Jacqueline... A lovely festive gift from Suz (I have needed somewhere for my needle collection for some time!!) This next card was made by my friend Sue - not sure if she reads my blog but if you do Hi Sue! Must catch up soon! The piece below was made by my friend Jan in response to my rust challenge and Jan - I know you read this - it is DEFINITELY NOT 'TWEE'. You must stop saying that - You are extremely talented - I know your work sells and you do workshops so how can anything you make be Twee???? There I have shouted that at you - so that every one around the world will agree with me that your work is stunning!! The piece has so much detail I have been looking at it again and again - will find somewhere great to hang it! THANKS! Jan has also got her own back in a way. Together with the lovely rust piece she included the following piece of fabric in the parcel. The fabric is rows of lace and what looks like builders scrim stitched to a backing with a note saying - 'My swap - Fabric for you to rust and distress. All I need is a postcard'. I have my work cut out here. Jan - you know I need that kick up the butt sometimes and you are great at doing just that for me! THANK YOU SO MUCH ! At the moment my rusting is not going too well - I am not sure my house has been warm enough at the moment - I turn the heating down when I am at work and the last lot of rusting looks like it needs to be warmer and much longer brewing. So this piece will have to wait for a while but what a lovely challenge for me to start 2008 with.

Not sure when I will post again but for now I wish you all a very very HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a Wonderfully Creative 2008.