NEARLY TRIBAL

I'm not consistent in my postings, but hopefully I make it worth the wait.    The last couple of weeks have just flown by.   I have dabbled in lots of craftiness and even made it out into the great outdoors in the dead of winter.    By the way fellow crafters, have you had your Vitamin D checked - mine was a colossal failure.   Some of those aches and pains you may be attributing to your art, could well be a lack of Vitamin D.  Get it checked - it is important - we don't want broken bones.

The title of this post relates to a set of embroidery designs I have been working on this week.   I first started playing with them back in about 2008, (I am a bit like the dog in the movie "UP"   -   idea, idea, squirrel) whilst having a clean up of the hard drive (see what I mean) I rejigged and added and now have this set that I will put up for sale on Etsy later this week.    Whilst not true to African Masks, they are all based on that idea, hence the name, Nearly Tribal.   These have been designed for the 300 x 200 embroidery hoops and there are twelve in the set.    If interested you can also contact me
 through the address on the side bar or check out Etsy .

(I should add that the framing is from Paintshop Pro)   I found the perfect fabric to go with the design - only problem of course is I was only able to obtain two fat quarters.   Anybody out there have some Etosha Tiger Stripe in Tan......anybody......  The background fabric is a genuine fake suede.   

Have you seen the site  "Ikea Hackers".    I saw this sensational chest made up of  Fira Boxes from Ikea.  Naturally, because I don't have too many projects on the go - insert sarcasm here, I have made a start on my version of it.

The home handyman cut some 7mm ply to use as a base and as a filler between the top box and the larger box and finally one for the very top.   This gives enough depth for the drawers to open when the rope twist is in place.   The drawers will be turned around so the finger pull is at the back and new handles will be installed.    I have managed to collect some fabo scrap booking papers that will be used to decoupage the drawer fronts.   Think Gothic/steam punk/apothecary theme.  The Melbourne Craft and Quilt fair last week, yielded an interesting assortment of dingle dangles that will possibly used as the drawer pulls.   We will see how it all pans out.

Also from the "Ikea" file.   I bought a couple of these artworks from Ikea.  The frame is like a dimensional display type.   Of course, the design was secondary to the frame.   I pulled both of them apart, found a nice plain scrapbook paper to use as the backing, and with a trusty Martha Stewart butterfly punch and all the paint chips I had collected in seaside colourings, I went to work and produced these.   Much better than real dead butterflies under glass.   I used the foam sticky dots just down the centre of the bodies to keep them in place.   (The photos are a last minute IPhone job - sorry).

I wonder if Bunnings has had a significant increase in the amount of paint chips they go through.    Pintrest has a lot to answer for!

Also in the dodgy photography department are these pieces.    If you remember the chess table from a previous post, this box got a going over with the same range of paper, and a suitable blue paint.   We now have a very stylish box to keep the checker pieces in.    I think the box originally was used for tea bags  (don't worry it wasn't an antique or anything and will now live a more productive life).   I added small drawer knobs to give the box  mini bun feet (carefully glued in to position with good old Liquid Nails).

The home handyman was again put to work, this time cutting circles in ply.    I found some resin sea shells at Spotlight (12 per box, how fortunate) and glued them on the discs - 12 were painted cream and 12 painted black.   I then rubbed gold paint into the cracks and finished off with beeswax.    Now there is of course one small problem with doing checker pieces like this - I didn't know the rules - the pieces  need to stack but that hasn't hampered anyone so far!

Now it wouldn't be a post, if O'Reilly didn't make a showing.   First, I must set the scene. We had a short break in Merimbula two weeks ago.   The Elf, the dog and myself went ahead as my family were all joining us and I had a few things to set up before everyone arrived.     We have a tiny backyard at our holiday place.   We had a piece of decking built to keep mowing down to near zero.    When I arrived with the dog, it soon became apparent that the fence was now too low - lowest point at my hip.   Dog was going to have to sleep inside - in fact, nothing new really - he is always inside!    So the light coloured couch was going to be problematic.    Dog went to sleep on his bed, good dog.    I get up first thing next morning - he stayed on the mat alright .........

.....just not the one he went to bed on when I left him.   As this was going to be a battle that I couldn't win, I took to covering the couch each night.    As I said I had things to do.   Whilst out I get a text message from the kid - the dog who cannot climb into my tiny car for love nor money, had managed to jump on to my bed....

This is one of those pillow top beds so it is quite high.    I was dreading going to sleep to have him suddenly land on me in the middle of the night.   Luckily, the couch was easier.  Just like having your very own Goldilocks!

As you can see from the picture below, O'Reilly can take up a lot of room when he wants.

We now have a boat - just a little one so we can fish and I can try and take photos of birds and scenery.      For the first trip out, O'Reilly had to stay at home.   He had a bone, food, water, sleeping quarters, everything a dog needs.....   The first trip almost ended up a disaster - as newbies the boat slipped off the runners on the trailer with such force, that if my brother in law hadn't been hanging on to the front of it, it would have gone straight down - with my camera.   Anyway, we had a short getting to know the boat trip     When we got home, the neighbour was in the garden and I happened to ask how "the baby" was.    It wasn't good.   Apparently he cried mournfully and howled  for the entire time we were out.  Our next trip out he had to go into doggy day care.      The last day of our break, when all the family had left, we took him out with us.    O'Reilly is at his happiest when he is with his family - even if that means being in a boat.    Not being known for his agility skills, we did wonder how he would go (and we where in a lake that is shallow in lots of places) but it is amazing how some leftover breakfast bacon can increase a dog's agility skills.  He slept for most of the outing whilst we fished.

As you can see, the fishing was poor - the sunshine was lovely, the fishing not so.   Maybe come the summertime the flathead will have grown.

Do you find yourself photographing things at your feet that nobody else noticed.   This little bit of pavement had a school of fish swimming through.

And just to finish, here is a closeup of Norman.    Such a face - should be called "The Worrier".  

Well, that is it for now.    Time to sew something, time to paint something and maybe do a bit of gluing.

Sue xxx

TERRARIUMS

Natural greenery is something that evades me.   Our home is dark in some rooms, quite bright in others - and I have a bad memory - so watering can be a bit hit and miss.   Once winter hits, I like to keep the temperature at a level somewhere in the vicinity of a tropical holiday destination, so plants tend to curl up their toes - not a pretty sight.

Flicking through pages of interest (depending on the day - today it was collecting pictures of feet) I noticed a few Terrariums making an appearance.    I felt the need for greenery, this was the answer.  Let the shopping begin!  A  tall Apothecary Jar at Tarjay last week, and another larger jar in a lovely gift shop in Montrose at the base of the Dandenongs, and the third jar I got for the bargain price of $3.99 (just need to "Shabby Chic" the lid) at an op shop.   Now to find suitable plants.  

Another gorgeous shop in Bayswater, just a few shops up from Spotlight, is "The Complete Garden" - boy could you spend some money in that shop.  I digress.   I found a couple of plants - of the fake variety - and hey presto - AN EVEN I CAN'T KILL IT Terrarium.    

This one is my favourite though.   I found this fabo' toadstool.   It was a little top heavy, so I siliconed it into the base of the jar, and then added the layers of "dirt" and pebbles.

Here is Norm, inspecting my work.

I finally found a frame to use for my bakery sign.   Naturally it was the wrong orientation, and yes I could have pulled all the staples out of the back, but there were that many of them, I would still have been at it this week.    The frame was  very plain, but with some wooden swirls from the scrap booking section of Spotlight, a bit of sanding , the swirls  then glued  into position and the whole lot  receiving a  coat of undercoat and a few coats of semi gloss water based paint, a bit  of roughing up at the end and "hey presto" the frame was suitably "shabby". 

    The print was redone to fit the frame and printed as a poster print - with a matt finish.    The wording was put  through my computer painting program and the edges fussed up a little.    When I got the print back home I used the glass as the template and trimmed the edges.    It didn't quite have the look I wanted (I wanted it to look a little like a chalk board, complete with that dusty look of used chalk boards) so I set to and after a bit of  "research" (that would be googling), I went back to Spotlight and bought some transparent gel medium.   For those that haven't seen or heard of Gel Medium, this, I discovered, can be used to add "brushstrokes" to your photo's, prints or paintings.    I applied mine with a cross hatched stroke - don't be too generous with the medium or it may not dry clear.   It still didn't have the look I was after, so with damp paper towel and some white acrylic paint in hand, I rubbed the white paint over the surface of the gel medium.   Let the paint dry  and add another coat of medium.   Again I had been a little cautious with the amount of paint I added - I had taken off a little too much - and I had a couple of spots in the medium that were a bit flat so another coat of Medium was added with the same cross hatching method and then rubbed it over again with the white paint on a damp piece of paper towel.    It didn't take long to dry - it was up in the high 30's (Celsius) that day, and I was able to put the whole thing together that night.      

The vertical lines are just a trick of the light. 

It is now  back to working on the goldfish quilt.  Today I decided  it needed another design element.  (You have all seen the Ghastlie Quilt, so should know I like a design element or two, or three or six).  I am adding a jetty/viewing platform.    Found some great "plank" fabric.  

This is where the feet googling came in.   Then I took a few photo's of my feet.    When and if they make it on to the viewing platform, the toe nails will be perfectly manicured, the calves smooth and silky or the feet will be wearing shoes and the legs will be covered in pants - the jury is still out - the final decision will be determined by my drawing skills or lack thereof!

Whilst I was out and about, I gave a brief thought to my self portrait that we are doing this year with the quilting group.   Purple is a personal favourite, so this will most likely be the background.   

Next, whilst perusing the fat 1/4's I chose the hair colour.  I may have been delirious when choosing the colours, but who says I can't dream of golden tresses.   I can add silver bits when I applique them into position!

So there we have it, the first 9 days of January in a nutshell.

Bye for now, Sue xxx



THE WATCHER'S

Norman taking in the view - watching the dog.    

Below is a baby Kookaburra, awaiting Mum and Dad's return with food.    You know they are coming because they sit in the trees and "laugh" announcing their arrival.  

Having another play with my digitising software - I posted this quilt block over at Sewforum.   Whilst repetition is not my strong point, I got on with it and made a small quilt top.  I need to add the borders of course, but I was working with a couple of remnant pieces of fabric so will have to take it shopping to find just the right fabric - there's a good excuse to buy fabric!

As it is supposed to be summer time here, (all we seem to get is liquid sunshine), it is cherry time.   For Christmas I was given this little gadget......

It takes the joy of eating cherries to a whole new level.    I usually each cherries by standing over the rubbish bin and elegantly spit the pips as I go - attractive I know.   Now I can load the little suckers into this gadget...

and hey presto, you get a hole and no pip.  Brilliant.



Here are a few I prepared earlier - well actually I put these in a small bowl to photograph and share, but decided to skip the last bit.   They were just too good.  (If you like olives, it does them too).   I knew there were gadgets out there for this kind of thing, but didn't realise what a simple task it makes of cherry pips!

I bought these two beauties from Urban Threads.  They were having a sale on some items for $1 each.   The site has a lot of designs that would appeal to the younger set, especially those trying out "Goth" for size.  I do like a good skull and some of the gothic stuff is just lovely.   I did these today just to see how they stitched out.   The Vampire Hunting Kit didn't have the frame around it, so I added a rope style frame.   I think I will frame the bird (it appears to quote from "The Raven", by Edgar Allen Poe) and hang it in the bathroom downstairs.

And now we move on to the portion of the program where we have a look at O"Reilly......

When he arrived on the 30/12, him and the crate weighed in at 10kg.    When I took him to the vet on Tuesday last week for a getting to know you, here's a liver treat, don't mind whilst I stick a thermometer up your butt session, he weighed in at 9.6kg, all by himself.   I swear he looks to have doubled in size in just over a week.

We were wondering if he was actually going to bark - he did when he was chasing Norman.   When he wakes up he howls like a banshee.   Being an older mother, I can't say  I found this overly amusing at 4am, 5.30am and 7.15am, but he is at least now sleeping in until 6ish.

He does like this outdoor chair - it won't fit him for very long.

The outdoor shoe rack is going to become somewhat obsolete - he can already reach shoes on levels one, two and three if he really tries hard.   This is at least making some members of the family actually remove their shoes pronto!

I am facinated that he can stretch out like this.   If he were human you would swear that he sleep walks.   During his many daytime naps, O'Reilly may start on the mat, but between stretching, rolling and dragging himself under the kitchen chairs, he is never in the spot you last saw him.   

Sometimes whilst O'Reilly sleeps, the phantom comes to visit.....

Never staying very long, but always lurking!

Sue xxx