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I can't remember if I ever showed you what I did with these small trees...
Made them into a 'useful' pin for pinning on....well ,things and stuff!
I'm thinking some of these might find their ways into a few Christmas stockings this year.
In the meantime, I'll be away from my computer fro a week or so- back soon, hopefully with batteries recharged and some newly completed projects to show.
still playing around with the scalpel....
Went off with Michele to do our weekend in sculptural basketry. Our teacher, Meri was lovely- patient, encouraging and willing to let everyone work as they wanted to.
I really enjoyed the quietness of weaving and constructing the basket but I have to confess that I don't think that "sculptural basketry" is really my thing! We started off by learning how to build a rattan structure using the random weave technique. We then added other natural plant materials onto this framework.
A quick sketch first to get an idea of the shape- I decided on a pear or pod shaped basket.
Somehow once I started weaving I ended up with more of a kidney bean.
Not a pear, but a definite rather obstinate kidney bean.
I really preferred my basket without the natural fibers added on but decided to give it a try anyway.
As I said, fun but not really my thing....
Here is my not even nearly finished basket:
Somehow I don't see myself ever completing it - I'm actually considering cutting off all of the plant materials and using the frame as a base for something else.
Paper mache kidney bean, anyone?
This weekend Michele and I are off to Primrose Park to do a workshop in sculptural basketry making with Meredith Peach.
When a rather bemused Damian asked "why" , the obvious response was 'ahh, well, umm, just because'.
I'm sure it will come in useful if I ever find myself at the local shops without a reusable bag. A quick hunt around and hey, presto a handy( and aesthetically pleasing) basket made entirely of grass clippings and old bits of packing tape.
See. A Very Useful Skill
If you need a little more convincing then have a look here at Per Benjamin's amazing sculptural forms ...sigh....
One of the mother from Rose's class does some fundraising work for Australian Doctors International.
A little while back she asked if I would like to donate a piece of work for a fundraising auction in early November.
I finished my piece over the weekend...
a Gocco print and collage on a vintage botany text and music page.The birds are from some old Australian stamps.
All framed and ready to go....
( hope someone is willing to buy it to help a good cause - I'm a little nervous as it's my first ever time in an auction.Fingers crossed ,please.)
Oh and here is the recipe for the Chocolate wheaten biscuits as promised.
Source: the good old Women's weekly naturally!
Ingredients:
90g butter softened
1/2 cup(110g) firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (20g) desiccated coconut
1/4 cup (25g) wheat germ
3/4 cup (120g) wholemeal plain flour
1/3 cup (50g) white self raising flour
150g dark eating chocolate, melted
Beat butter and sugar with electric beater until smooth;add egg , beat until combined.
Stir in flours, coconut and wheat germ.
Roll dough between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Cover , refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven 180deg C. Grease oven trays/line with baking paper.
Cut dough into preferred shapes & place on oven trays 3cm apart.
Bake about 12 minutes until golden, cool on trays.
Spread tops ( or bases if you prefer) with melted chocolate, set at room temperature.
Eat and enjoy.
what you get when you find a bag of flour complete with resident moths.
The two girls had great fun mixing up their cakes while I kept myself busy baking these.
Chocolate wheaten biscuits.
BYO moths.
trying to get the creative thing happening again - a bit of a play with this chair.
Maybe it's time to do something more with it.....
whoever crocheted this scarf had it in bucket loads...a beautiful piece in linen thread from Madagascar, that my sister in law discovered.
Love the colours and the fineness of the work...admiring the tenacity of the maker who must have spent hours joining and weaving in all of those tiny ends!
This looks like just the project for crochet whiz Alex...how beautiful are her colourful hexagons?
( and so chuffed that you all approved of the dress! I have had such a lovely time reading all of the comments...but it is definitely my last wedding dress for a very long time. Remind me of that if necessary.)
Late on the evening before we flew off to Queensland for my cousin's wedding,I went over in my mind all of the things I had packed.....sunscreen, swimming costumes, knitting project, wedding dress....oh, oops.....that would be the carefully wrapped parcel still sitting on the bench at the foot of the bed, not packed.I swear I slept holding onto the bag containing The Dress and didn't let go until I handed it over to the bride to be at the Goldcoast Airport the next morning. It took me all week to finish the handsewing, right down to 9am on the morning of the wedding when I put the final stitches on to hold the straps in place. In between times, I altered the girls dresses and made their flower crowns. Must confess, I love a hot glue gun. And making flower crowns.Now that's something I would do again.
The weather obliged by being perfect, the bride looked radiant, nobody fainted and Charlotte gave us all a bit of a fright by tumbling down a small flight of stairs out by the pool during the pre wedding shoot.
And finally, I was able to breathe a great sigh of relief as the bride floated down the beach boardwalk in The Dress. Here's to the bride!
