Festive Window Displays

Brown baubles.

Brown!?

Not on my festive watch!

I found these on a recent charity shop binge and thought I would rescue them by recovering in something more pleasing to my eye.

My theme this year is purple and gold (just to be clear, that is my CHRISTMAS theme, not my theme for the year...that would just be too much).

Conveniently, I sourced this perfect fabric from another charity shop raid earlier.

Lot's of glue is needed, I used a spray mount all over the bauble to ensure my fabric slices were stuck down well, before attaching golden ribbon over the seams and create a loop to hang.

I've hung mine in the window to festively spruce up the view.

The sun was out for an hour last week and I was privileged to enjoy the playful shadows made on my door. Tis the simple things after all!

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

 It's Christmaaaaaaas!!

This is such a wonderful time of year, made extra special for me this year as my mum will be joining me in the UK! But that also means I get to play the big grown up and am in charge of cooking The Meal. Gasp! Don't worry, it's under control, when I say 'cooking' I really mean supervising ( the boyfriend is the cook in our house!).

The tree is up, a real one of course, with the smell of pine and fresh forest wafting through the house.  I've stocked up on the mulled wine (like I need an excuse) and sprinkled holly everywhere. Festive? Moi?!










 A recent trip to the German markets (uh..in London) has got me in the spirit. The lights are up and the shoppers are rushing around for presents. I've been crafting a few treasures for the tree and house...


First up, I've made little decorations to hang, cut from wood into shapes. Originally I was going to hand paint them, but in the end chose to collage them instead. Here I've used an old map of London to add interest to the house, and Christmas wrap for the tree.

Next up, baubles for the window...

Pigeon Prints...

Pigeons, pigeons everywhere! They love to hang out in gangs on my roof terrace and coo together, tormenting us early in the morning. I enjoy watching their rituals and hilarious mating dance.

Much to most people's disgust, I really like pigeons and think they are quite beautiful. They tend to carelessly shed their feathers around so I've pinched a few to take some prints from.

Inking up the actual feather works best I find. Here I have simply rubbed the paper over the inky feather to produce a light, embossed transfer.
























Below is where I tried rolling an inked up roller over top of the feather (under paper). It hasn't worked how I wanted but creates some interesting marks instead.

Creative Space

The Studio..

This year is the first time I have had an entire room to use as a studio of my own.

I love being able to leave current projects out and come back to them refreshed. Being able to display all my inspiration around me and make a mess.

I find the space uplifting and calming. This is where I create and watch the pigeons. It's not organised, probably the only thing in my life that isn't! And I like it that way, a place to go where I can just be me.

Mixing media

I love creating unusual jewellery. I also love printmaking and working with textiles. But how to use the two together? This is the quandary I am playing with at the moment.









I was given a small cameo a few years ago and have always wanted to do something with it. I love the use of figurative imagery in precious objects and jewellery, like lockets, cameo's and mourning pieces. I'm into my brooches at the mo so have chosen to encase this cameo in copper to compliment the ground colour and make it into a brooch. It's still a work in progress but on it's way there.






These pendants are also a work in progress. I'm loving using the sewing machine as a drawing tool and find it's a completely new challenge trying to create stitched images on such a small scale.

Found objects in the form of old key locks are going to be used as the bezel. Don't ask me how the two will become one, I haven't figured that out yet! Maybe a layer of resin?




Another concept in copper, stitching the fabric image to the metal. 'Sewing' it through the holes as if it were a fabric bezel. It needs a lot of work, but I think it has potential..

Serious Business

 

The latest from the designer Mr. Jon Owens....

..my first business card!

 

 

Love, love, love.

 

 

Found Object Jewels

After last weeks shenanigans, I managed to inspire myself!


Delving into my broken jewellery box again, I've put some more necklaces together.



This one has a somewhat Medieval flavour about it. The chain is from an old necklace I no longer wear, the pearl beads are from a broken necklace I kept, and the metallic discs as the centre piece are from an earring.

At last! A use for all those lonely single earrings!

I found this sweet hand painted thimble in a second hand store and just couldn't resist! I love the colours in the flower pattern and feel it is quite different to most other thimbles....though my thimble knowledge is limited.



Anywho, I have wanted to use it in someway for a while now and recently drilled a hole in the top. Insert jump ring here and voila! Thimble pendant.

Why not?!

Jewellery up-cycle

It's still wedding season, even though as I write this the weatherman is talking of flood warnings and severe rain... This week I have been finishing the hems of Bridesmaid dresses for the upcoming wedding of a good friend. Stressful! But I think I'm just about done...


Of course, MY outfit for the big day is all sorted and going to be completely inappropriate for the weather. However I was necklace-less. I wanted something girly and delicate but simple, so as not to draw too much attention away from my dress...and shoes.

I keep and collect any unusual or useful bits of jewellery, especially if it's broken. Whenever I get stuck for inspiration or just want to update my accessories, I visit my up-cycle box first. Here I find a treasure trove of single earrings ready to be turned into pendants, rosary beads turn into earrings or old chains get a new lease of life as a multi layered bracelet.

Using the chain from an old broken necklace, and pearls from another, I've whipped up a simple drop style arrangement which I'm quite happy to wear. The cream coloured pearls work well against a dark base and the dress I'm going to wear, smokey grey.

Anyway..better crack on with those dresses..

Stitch doodling

Sitting Lady





 



 

 

 

 

I've been watching people again...all in the legit name of research of course. Stealing a quick sketch, simply trying to capture the gist of the pose in order to translate it in stitch at a later time.



Woman in cafe








I'm enrolled to do a life drawing class again this Autumn. When the evenings start to get a bit cooler, kids are going back to school and Winter is tapping me on the shoulder, I seem to get the urge to hide away in evening classes. No longer can you find me sipping my spritzer in the pub beneath my flat! No sir, I shall be bettering my skills and producing work!







Quick works on my pin board

Perhaps, like my stitch sketches here, I will look into using my works from the class and create more figures on fabric?

I'm thinking quite a large scale, perhaps reworking the images with dyes and applique...

Printing and Postage

After a busy week, I'm back in the studio to play. Sometimes I can spend half an hour pinning and re- pinning images and prints on my pin board, using it like a sketchbook. I find this a great way to start growing new ideas.



I've been working with ideas based around the sense of home and place at the moment. I think it all stems from my passion for travel and having to create homes away from home. I continue to mix themes of old and new, NZ and UK, then and now.

Recording ideas and working drawings in my sketchbook helped me to push concepts further.

A second hand book of London maps, showing area's where I used to frequent, creates a solid background or starting point for future works.

This is a what I'm currently working on. So far I've transferred an enlarged map onto canvas and overprinted it to pick up texture. I love the aged look and how the ink has taken to the image. Stay tuned to see how it looks when it's finished!

 

On a recent trip home to NZ I was given a treasure trove of used stamps, complete with postage marks and dates. Some date back to the 70's and 80's. Sorting through them at the weekend I was washed with nostalgia, seeing stamps I had used myself, as a kid - back when people handwrote letters. Yes, I'm THAT old. Typing this, ironically, makes me want to write a letter, by hand.

One of my fav's - I loved this clipping of the Kiwi stamps with the perfect postage mark..Christchurch.

Artist Ahoy!

 

There's nothing like the sound of my Mollie Makes magazine subscription landing on my door mat every month. Cosying up on the couch, cuppa in hand, I devour each page of inspirational goodness. This month featured an interesting artist / designer I just HAD to share with you.

 Becky Broome creates hand printed home wares and prints with a feeling of nostalgia. I love her framed screenprints and the tea towels are far too nice to use! She layers imagery from old Post Office savings book stamps and vintage clock faces. Everything is made here in the UK. I love it, very inspiring.

 

 

 

Electric Love...

How gorgeous is this old power box!? I love it, I am obsessed with this colour too. The patchy rust and creeping ivy just adds to the object. The geometric style pattern is unusual and reminds me of the Jewish Star of David in the corners. I wonder who designed this, someone chose to decorate something as mundane as a fuse box, and I'm so glad they did.

It sits on the side of a main road on the way to Hertford, opposite a car sales yard, probably getting over looked by daily commuters. It caught my eye however. I really like it as an object and so into the sketchbook it goes!

Something different...

The ultimate in homemade shabby chic!

What to do when you have limited funds and are in need of hip yet practical furniture? Lucky I have a creative and handy man around the solve my dilemma!

Jon is good with his hands, using this old door and mdf wood, he managed to knock up a coffee table and matching TV unit for us!

We (and when I say we, I mean Jon) sanded down the old door, threw together a wooden box and mixed up a white wash to give it a cleaner look. The table top works as a lid so we can use the coffee table for storing my hundreds of NZ House and Garden magazines...

Both pieces work really well together, I must say I'm very impressed! What do you you guys think?

Applique Street Scene

Inspired by the new house, and the work of artist Gillian Bates, I've set about creating new cushions. This one is just finished, an applique street scene, complete with bunting!

Instead of standing on the side of the road, along a busy high street trying to draw my building whilst getting in every ones way - I took a photo.













Tracing my drawing onto water soluble fabric, I was able to sew freehand over my drawing, capturing the 'drawn line' in stitch.



















I've actually used 'reversed' applique for the windows, sewing a contrasting fabric behind the window and cutting it away to reveal the colour underneath.

 This is a shot from the back you wouldn't normally see. It gets quite messy with connecting threads. I really like this look though, I feel like it gives it a more hand drawn appeal, yet in stitched form.

I think this might be something I could use going forward, not cutting the threads and leaving the work in a more natural, organic state.