merry christmas

Merry Christmas

to all

and to all a good nite

last minute gifts

it has been a busy month

with life getting somewhat back to "normal"

I've also got the creative bug!!

(must be the full moon)

 I have a ton of jewelry supplies

and when I found a container filled with chandelier crystals

I got inspired

I think they work well with the pearls and metal

a few extra crochet projects

a change purse and zebra slippers for sadie

and just a couple samples of the over 20 encaustic painting i've  done

over the past few months

dazzel it tassels

now that I've been getting healthier and feeling more like my old self

it's great to be presented with a challenge

my friend carmi sent out this package with some wonderful

suede tassels and cord  from the new dazzle-it line

plus a few jewelry components (left)

and one of my projects (right)

a number of beads added to some chain with the tassel

as always one project leads to several more

above I found 5 different styles of chain

wove some suede lace through the larger chain

and added the tassels to the ends of another

above I decided to use a macramé square knot

adding silver beads in between

I have more to work on so I will keep you posted

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for more info on the dazzle-it line check out their blog or on facebook



encaustic

happy accidents!

some days I start out with a great idea

I can see it in my head, sometimes I dream about painting

then when it comes to getting it onto the canvas it can go wrong

for some reason I was having a hard time

I just wasn't "feeling it"

after several breaks and almost giving up

I decided to give it one more chance

after layering and scraping

ironing and adding more color

more scraping and ironing

I finally liked what I was seeing

so I added a photo transfer

and after six hours of pure frustration

a beautiful painting

lesson learned

never give up

but more importantly

patience!!!!

sari yarn

i'm always up for a challenge

so when I met my friend carmi for dinner

she was showing off her latest purchase from anthropologie

silk sari yarn

as soon as dinner was over we headed next door

to get some more and promised we would both make something

I decided to get out the crochet hook, beads, wire and chain

before long I had this necklace made

carmi made a wonderful braclet seen on her blog here

CHA retreat

last weekend I spent time with a wonderful group of creative women

at kempenfelt conference centre for an artist retreat

it was the first of what I hope to be many

-------- 

 a weekend filled with workshops

resin class with carmi cimicata

brother scan and cut with joanne and Cathie

decoart painting with Debbie

powertex with brigett

coats and clark fiber with Leanne

ecstasy crafts paper arts with marilynne

also accreditation sessions

boothmanship with wendy

and ethics and standards with ann

plus a bonus gift bag from Westcott

in between classes we spent time eating

 and socializing in the evenings around the fire

i really enjoyed my time with likeminded people

learning new crafts and making new friends

 

 

fall scenes

its been awhile since I had a chance to just get in the car and wonder

 taking all the back roads and finding the best photo opportunities

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a few weeks ago I planned a weekend trip to

prince edward county

I have only every been once and that was a long time ago

it has grown significantly in the past decade

featuring over 20 wineries

b&b's, antiques, arts and crafts

and wonderful sceneries

perfect timing, coming back from a tasting

just as the sun was setting

I would love to find out who hung this door!!

lots of barns

we only managed to visit 2 wineries

only because we had such a wonderful time

wondering the properties and taking photos

and of course enjoying a glass of wine

encaustic class

getting back into a routine is a great feeling

i've always felt that creating art is my form of therapy

and since my surgery i've wanted to do something that

represented my spine

so last week i got the idea for using railroad tracks

luckily there is a hobby store close to my home

once i chose my color palette the rest just fell into place

i just started creating texture

layers of wax and then scraping, back and forth

until i achieved the desired effect

once in a while i used my iron

im happy with the results

 

 

 

a few details from the above painting

knit or crochet, what's the difference?

when my friend carmi posted this on facebook

I had to laugh

some people just don't know the difference

and I guess I can understand when talking to certain friends

but my crafty girls should know, shouldn't they??

 

to me , not naming any names, one is fast, free and fun!!

the other takes way more patience than I have

 

since fall is in the air

my mind has turned to crocheting

on a trip to niagara region with my friend ludgera

i purchased some great yarn on sale for half price

one ball of yarn makes the perfect tube scarf

 

                                                                                 

harvest

is there anything more soothing then the smell of lavender

it was such a wonderful first fall weekend

 what a perfect day to harvest

 

I spent time cleaning my garage

 making space for all my garden ornaments and furniture

wondering through the garden, taking photos and planning next years design

 

it will be sad to see the garden go

but I will have this bundle to remind me

that spring will come again

and I will be ready to get my finger in the dirt

and nurture it back to its glory once again

 

 

 

 

encaustic class

it's been a long 9 months since my last class

I've been dreaming about painting

 since leaving the hospital over 3 months ago

I have so many ideas in my head

it was a bit hard to focus at first

i had a vision of something that just didn't want to work

so instead of getting frustrated i put it aside

and started the piece above

working with several shades of blue

i just started covering the canvas

something soothing about blue

(like looking at clouds)

it made me forget about the first piece

and thinking about clouds why not add some white

and while i was at it i thought i would through in a silver lining



it was great to be back in heather's class

all knotted up

after 5 months in hospital and rehab it was nice to get back in the swing of things

I received this package in the mail from my friend carmi

with a challenge to see what I could come up with



I got to digging through my supplies to see what could work

some pearls, crystals, metal embossed beads and wooded carved beads



this one was easy, three double coin knots in a row and a tassel

a few close ups

since the first one was so easy  I had time to work one another

 

on the good days

last month, well at least i think it was last month,

(time is so confusing right now)

my friend leslie jane moran

sent me this enormous gift box

filled with at least 20 balls of  the most unique yarns and all different

OMG!!! i was so overwhelmed with this wonderful and extravagant gift

and of course i knew what i was going to do

last christmas before i got sick i was having such a wonderful time

creating these wonderful free form crochet purses

that i knew it would be easy for me to do while in rehab

you just can't make a mistake

(no matter how many meds your on!!)

not sure if i will make another purse

leslie put the bug in my ear by saying

"can you make a jacket"

hummm......................

(i'll keep you posted)

thanks again leslie for lifting my spirits and keeping me from going crazy!!

i'm back for a quick note

its been almost a few weeks since my party

and what a party it was!

the girls and by girls i mean soul sistas!

lisa , carmi , jackie , dede , gillian , lulu , heather , karen , julie, carol and cat

planned and created the best party !!

i wish we had a door man just to count heads because i lost count after a few 100

people came from peterpatch, newcastle, hamilton, caledon,church hill, claremont and port perry

people from years past, neighbours,clients, all wonderful friends

  OMG!! i am still so overwhelmed, i can't get me head around it
everyone has been so kind and generous to me, words can not express the way i feel
i just want you to know how grateful i am for having all of you in my life
everyone has made it so much easier for me going through this horrible experience
thank-you, thank-you, thank-you

change in weather

i've been hibernating this winter, mostly due to a "popped rib"

its been a problem since late november and i've done everything possible to make it better

some days better than others

going a little stir crazy, watching too much tv and no art

on the weekend there was a huge change in the weather

temperatures reaching 13c 58f 

the 2 foot layer of snow on my front lawn is now completely gone

i decided to head out with my camera, i got as far as the bluffs near my house

the marina was filed with ducks, geese and this wonderful swan

i really wanted to play in ps  when i got home but sitting at the computer is difficult

so i finally "rigged" a spot on the couch, with lots of pillows and got some time to play

i found several interesting masks and bokeh at shadowhouse

a half and hour later i was happy with the results and getting a chance to create

now back to rest!!

new beginning

happy new year!!!

wishing everyone a wonderful, exciting and creative new year

----

i'm not one for resolutions

i like to set goals

this will be the year of selfdiscovery

 who i am as a single person

 my true self

(through education and practice)

health and fitness

and creativity