Birds and bullions

The kookaburras are back again.

Many of the older trees

in the area have been 

removed so the birds

are finding new places to live.

Another hour or so in the waiting room gave me an opportunity to do more stitching.

I have been trying out tiny bullion roses.

More loops for the hedge: these take so long but look so effective.







 

still working at day 34

 I am still busy with my "not thinking" project.  It is day 34 and it has lots of texture and paint.

 The piece is quite interesting to work on but I will be pleased when it is finished.

I have signed up for  a journal making e course and am keen to make a start on that.

My knot garden is looking good too so I think that will be finished soon.

It is good to be working on such different projects but it does challenge me a bit. 

Spring is on its way

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny, warm day and the twins and I went out to a nearby park and playground.  There were dozens of water birds, cockatoos an
d other birds to see and the girls were fascinated by the big ducks.  The ducks are very tame and come right up close which can be a little disconcerting when they start pecking at your legs.  Fortunately I was in my jeans (I did wonder if my jeans smelt like they might taste good though).

I love the shadows in this photo.  

Yes spring is on its way.

Sitting in the waiting room

Yesterday I sat in the waiting room to see a specialist and was amazed at the amount of time that is wasted by all the people in the waiting rooms in a large consulting suite.  People playing games on smart phones or  just sitting staring into space.  I always take my stitching and a sketchbook with me.  The specialist was delayed with an emergency surgery so I sat for more than an hour happily stitching.  It was an opportunity to chill out for a while and relax.  

 

raised stem stitch

I  thought this link might interest those people who don't go to facebook.

It is not a video tutorial but is clear and easy to follow check it out here.

Handkerchiefts and collage

 I am still working on the 40 day creativity experiment.  We are up to day 26 but I must admit I haven't worked on it every day.  It is a great fun project.

A recent trip to the Salvos resulted in some additions to my collection of linens and handkerchiefs.

These doileys were too good to resist.  Some lovely hand stitching and handworked edges.

The handkerchiefs are really pretty: again some lovely hand stitchcing and lace edges.

This pretty rose and the the tropical bird caught my eye.

Tiny flowers feature on many of the hankies.  I can imagine someone sitting by the fire quietly stitching these beautiful little pieces.


I find so few people use hankies these days but they are so much nicer than tissues.
 






 They are also great for use in textile projects.  How would you use them?

winter days

 I am making great progress with my little knot garden.  It is slow going because I am using single strands of silk thread but it looks so fine that it is worth the extra effort.

 This morning we woke up to a thick fog surrounding our house.

I love the spooky shapes of the trees and the duck in the tree looked so strange.

The view (or lack of it) up the driveway was even more obscured.  Once the fog cleared though we had a gorgeous sunny day.  Cold but sunny.

Painting and art

It seems like weeks since I last found time to blog.

Life is always busy and this week has been extra busy.  Hubby has been away for the week which has given me a chance to paint the hallway - he hates the mess involved in painting so I do it when he is not here.

I have had a couple of very early mornings and the painting is done!!!!!  The house is still a bit untidy but the painting things are away for the time being.

Today while waiting for the paint to dry I popped out for a bit of relaxation:  first stop was the Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery here .  I have been meaning to catch an exhibition that is showing there: Controversy: the power of art.  It finishes on Sunday so time was running out.

The weather has been really cold and miserable most of the week but I was glad to be out of the house.  The exhibition was fantastic - very moving - I am hoping to go back for another look on Sunday.

After that I stopped at Vinnies (op shop) which is not far from the gallery.  I managed to find quite a lot of beautiful linen and other vintage goodies.  I will write more about this on another blog I contribute to here tomorrow.

A quick bite to eat and time to go to the textile arts group here

We are preparing for an art show in November and so there is plenty to talk about - a little stitching too.  The art show is usually just to show paintings created by the members but this year the textile art group is going to be included which is very exciting.

I hope to have some stitching to show you tomorrow: I hope everyone has had a good week and look forward to a relaxing weekend. 

from the top of our drive

We can see for miles - some of the bay, lots of  trees, the roof of our house and a car in the driveway.

Not thinking - day 8

 

I am managing to do a little each day on this piece.  The challenge requires just a little extra each day for 40 days.  We are up to day 10 but this is a pic of where I was at on day 8.  It looks really messy in this pic but I am quite liking it.