I am nearly finished this little picture.  It is one I started ages ago and it has sat unfinished for a couple of years I think, without a background.  I haven't been game to put in the background - fear of backgrounds has been my thing but I am going to ditch this silly phobia as of now.  Anyway, as the little critters and balloons are watercolor I didn't think acrylic in the background would work, I thought it would be too strong, but yesterday I just though 'don't be precious, who cares if I muck it up' and just painted it all blue and am actually quite happy with how the acrylic actually almost highlights the watercolor figures.  Now I am just going to do a little line work with black ink around the balloons and the strings etc and then I think it will be finished.

I did this cover for a friend and I am really happy with how the owls worked out but I have made the case a little too cosy for the item as far as the zip space goes so am going to add a couple of centimetres to the zip side for future ones that are intended for the I pad (is that what it is called?).

Some more projects completed

1. A little boy's apron for wearing when helping out in the kitchen etc...

2. A couple of Elephant themed hottie covers for  Mum to chose from as a pressie for a relative.  The other I will put in my Etsy store!  One elephant is soft and 'fluffy', the other is 'groovy'!

Projects I have been working on lately

new designs

I have been working on, and have just completed 4 designs for a friend who ordered some special hotties for her nieces and nephews for Christmas pressies.

More Hotties...oh so much fun!!!

Here are 2 more of my 'Happy Hotties'...I am having heaps of fun creating these and can't wait to come up with some more designs!  I will be putting some in my Etsy store in the next day or so along with an illustration or two.  And wow, I have a number of orders now so that makes it more exciting!!!  :)

playing with faces

I meant to post this a little while ago but too much has been happening so I am doing it now.  In class I have been challenged by having to do faces without a model...from what is in my brain and heart (though I have taken peeks at others around me and even looked at what happens in a mirror from time to time).  I have experimented in the last one with a different technique to what I am used to, trying to create depth using several layers of paint and rubbing it back etc...  Just having fun with the brush and trying to stamp on the voices that say 'ick', 'hopeless' etc etc etc,  just learning to enjoy the process and not being afraid of the outcome not being 'perfect' or even acceptable to others!

Hottie covers are fun!!!

Haven't been here for a while as I haven't had a chance to be creative other than painting walls and re-arranging the place so children finally have their own rooms etc.  It has been like moving in and unpacking all over again...so chaotic and time-consuming!  Finally though, we are organized (at least superficially) so I can get back to creating...yay.

  My dearest buddy's darling daughter is having a birthday today and when I asked her mum what could we give her ... 'hottie cover' was the request.  She LOVES animals and pink and as it is something to keep her warm and cosy I tried it in the minky fleece ... I hope she will like it! 
Hottie covers are so much fun to make!  I think I will make tons of them...I just love doing them. 
Thank-you heaps Cam at Curlypops for letting me join in the hottie challenge at the last minute.  The 'challenge' was such a lovely, fun and successsful way to raise money for The Margaret Pratt Foundation. Congratulations Cam on your all your fabulous work and effort that you put into the Hottie Challenge, and all the very best to you. :)

Hottie

FINISHED!!!!  At last!
These little guys are now preparing for their (hopefully quick) postal journey to Cam's at CurlyPops so they can participate in the Hottie Challenge next week.

Now for some shots of this hottie's process.....

planning and designing

more of the same

Thank goodness for linings

Ollie - boo, my little helper..

sleeping on/in (almost literally) the job

Lulu...not real mice?...........not interested!!!

getting there

lined and waiting...

New and exciting discovery.

 These photos below are OLD photos (I nearly fainted when I saw the year - 1990 printed in the corner of a couple of them - oh how time does fly!!!) that I dragged out of an album to see what I used to do in the 'dabbling with sewing' era of my life...which I must say was a fairly short era at the time.

I made this for a friend's little girl (who would be grown up now!) and when I look at it now I think 'how did I do that?'  The little dress lifted up and there were little undies and a tummy underneath and her hat was all puffy and 3 dimensional, and her plaits were made out of wool.

During the making of the last apron with the Koala and Cockatoo, and the trouble I had doing the applique stitch around curves and corners etc,  I had an urge to 'drop the feed dogs' and have a go at free motion machine embroidery...I didn't know anything about it or even know what it was called until a couple of weeks ago and when I tried it I couldn't work out exactly how to do it, or if I needed a special foot for it or none at all etc etc etc.

Next time I was in town and near our Sewing Machine Centre, I went in and inquired about machine embroidery and whether I needed a special foot etc and the very helpful lady there sold me a foot for the job and mentioned that it takes about 100 hours of practice to master the technique.  Undeterred, I couldn't wait until I was home so I could try it out for myself...(thinking 'no way' to the 100 hours). Sadly at that point, I couldn't even work out how to attach the foot ... let alone give the stitch a go!!!   At that time my machine was being very naughty during the making of the Cockatoo apron, so I had to go back to get my machine checked out and while I was there I asked to be shown how to put the foot on correctly.   
Yay, now I could play!!!   And OH what fun it is....like drawing with a sewing machine! 

 

finally finished!

Yay, finally I have finished this apron for my friend who wanted something Australian to take to her friends in England.

I

They (my friend and her husband, and their English pals) are 4 friends who, when they occasionally are able to get together, love sharing laughs  and a bottle of wine...hence the wine glasses....

Bon voyage Koala and Cockie, hope you enjoy your trip to England and hope your new English owners enjoy you!!!

Work in progress

I am working on this apron at the moment - I have ironed on my design and now need to sew around it all. 

Old and New

 I haven't had much of a chance to paint or indulge in anything overly creative lately due to other things needing attention at home, but I found a couple of 'old muck-arounds' so thought I would post them here for fun...mixed with a recent piece of work or two.

Autumn treasures of the fungal kind

Another reason I love Autumn is that this is the time when nature presents us with a wonderful array of fungal treasures here on our very own little piece of land.  This season, for some reason, there hasn't been quite the spectacular quantity as in the previous years...but I still love exploring and discovering them in all their little places around our property.