A Month of Upheaval

Definitely an inside, in front of the aircon type day today. The temp is currently at 38.6 for Perth which means it is about 40 in Armadale. So I guess there isn't any excuse for updating the blog. I have been feeling a bit blog weary the last month, hence the lack of posts! but a quick update is in order I think.

The last two months have seen so much stress and upheaval in my family. First was Dads' heart attacks and death, then my brothers' wedding and lastly my Mums' move. Don't 'they' say that those are the three most stressful events in a persons' life, I guess the one other would be a pregnancy and birth but that ain't gonna happen anytime, soon or otherwise! 4 is enough for me!

Still, the Lord is in control and I can do all things through Him (my mantra!).

I managed to get ahead in an ATC round robin with just two people to go. Here is the second to last.

And the third to last.




This is a canvas for the Pandora's' Box swap. The photocopied image came up heaps lighter than I expected but I was happy with the overall product.


And here is the happy couple. My SIL looked just gorgeous as all brides do. My bro scrubbed up pretty good too I thought!

DD1 has decided that she would like to make Salmon Patties for tea and who am I to refuse a dinner made for me? Off to check the state of the kitchen.

Till next time,

Ky

You Asked For It!

So here he is!

This is how we usually see him, in his office hunched over the laptop.

And this is the front view! Perhaps I should have waited till he had a haircut. My DH's favorite shirts are flannel or as we call them lumberjack shirts. They are the bane of my existance as he wears them almost everywhere. Alright so not work or church but anywhere else. Ok, Dawnie, I saw your dare and raise you one of your own!

Now for something alot prettier than those last two pix! My Aunt is very sick with cancer and I wanted to make her something to brighten her day. I do have an ulterior motive. The last card I sent her was my version of one I saw on a gallery somewhere and she went on about how wonderful it was and how clever I was with placement and such. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was a copy so now she will have a 100% original. It is ATC sized.

This round of the Pandora's Box swap has me struggling. Apart from the fact that, since we are at the tail end of the swap, the contents of the box which we all have to work with is getting slim I just don't seem to be able to find the right thing to do. This is the first thing I did but since it is tiny I wanted to do something else too. I am working on a wax collage canvas and we will see how it turns out. Sorry about the shocking photobut I can't be bothered to take another! Got to get upo and organise lunch for us all in a mo so want to get this finished before I do.

DH is away for 5 days starting tomorrow so I am looking forward to some serious art time in the evenings over the weekend. I am hoping to finish my inchies and the wax collage canvas and maybe my Technique book ATCs too.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Ky

Art & Other Stuff

Let's start with the 'other stuff'.

These first few pix were taken by my 12 and 11 year old daughters. They had a good model don't you think, very co-operative! You can see quite clearly how well Noah's nose has healed from when he split it open a few months ago.


I love pansies and these colours are just gorgeous.

Now to introduce a new member of our family - Woosha. We inherited him from my BIL when he went to live in QLD. We were only meant to keep him till the RSPCA had room for him but he has wormed his way into our hearts and lives and we have decided to keep him. If the BIL ever wants him back I think he will have a fight on his hands! (consider yourself warned Matt!) He is getting a bit fat as I think the kids keep slipping him treats. He looks very noble in this pic don't you think? We really couldn't have a better dog. He is very obedient and great with the kids, even Noah who, at 2, thinks playing with a dog means chasing him round the garden. Bit unfortunate in a Dockers household to have an ex-Eagles named dog but he is a bit old to change it.

And now for my close up!

Ok, to the art part!

This ATC was supposed to be for a swap but I loved it so much that I kept it! Always a pitfall when creating art for others.

This one did make it into the swap. The idea was to make a couple of ATCs for someone who was needing a pick-me-up. It is all going into a decorated tin and being called a tin of wishes. Just a lovely idea.

I feel so bad. This is another one that didn't make it. I was just messing around cause I was feeling uninspired so began with a couple of SU background stamps in two different TH ink colours. That looked boring so I decided to really mix it up and added the red splotches by dabbing on some Poinsettia Red Gold from the Star Burst Stains range - got to get me some more of those! Went hunting for a pic to match, some appropriate wording, bit of black around the edges and shazam! it is done.

Another ATC for SGATC round robin. This one is for Genevieve Payne who's theme is Mythical Creatures. This is as close as I could get.

Lastly a Mystery Muse gift. I picked up a collage book at Spotlight last week and saw a simliar project and wanted to do it straight away and, since I was needing to do something for my MM match, what better project. I am sending it off tomorrow. I used some more of the shellac that Dad gave me. Stinky but cool stuff. I have had it for a while and just never got round to using it. The day Dad went into hospital I used it for the first time but things were so rushed and hectic that day and the next that I didn't get to tell him that I had finally used it.

I am working on some inchies for yet another swap (glutton or what!) but am not getting too far. I thought, as they were so small, that I would knock them over quickly. They have turned out to be more of a challenge than I expected. Also getting some progress on ATCs for the Technique book I am hosting. Lots of repetition now and then I should be finished - whew!

Have a great week everyone,

Ky

In Loving Memory

29th August 1946 - 19th September 2007

Taking a minute to add some art.

I've had an eventful past few weeks, which is why I haven't done a thing with the blog for a while. You may remember I told you all about my youngest and his unscheduled trip to the local ER to take care of his 'bump' on the nose. Well, the same night my dad had a heart attack. Since then I have had my hands full helping mum with what ever needed doing, not very condusive to creating art.

My brother has also brought forward his wedding date so who was asked to do 100 invites in two weeks? You guessed it - me! Thanks goodness my future SIL is easy to please!

Once again I was inspired by Julie H's blog and a gorgeous necklace she made with the pendant being the handle part of a spoon. For some time I have had a project in the works for the kids and I to try. It will be a wind chime once all the parts are assembled but at the moment it is just a jumble of knives, forks and spoons. The pic below is a close up of some of the handles, I love the scrolly ones. Still have to find a few more but I think I am going to have to go further afield as the opp shops local to me obviously know how much I want them because they charge like a wounded bull!




It was my birthday last month and for it I received a handmade bookmark from my eldest daughter. Do you think she has caught on that I like rusty things?! She is the first one to jump out in a carpark and start searching for rusty bottle caps or nails closely followed by two of her other siblings I might add! Got them well trained haven't I!

These next photos are just to add more eye candy to the post. I did this work at least a year ago. The first is a page from a calendar swap for Calling All Stampers, a WA based stamping yahoo group, some great talent from all over the world in this group as was evident by the pages in the calendar. The crown is actually a pink foam die cut from KMart that I painted with rust medium, looks a heap better don't you think?!

This box was done for a swap that didn't go ahead on the INKredibly RT yahoo group. Another lot of very talented ladies on this group too. I am glad in a way because I was very happy with how it turned out so now I get to keep it!

Box with out the lid on.

A page from an Asian deco swap also on INKRT. I really enjoy this theme in my art and was very happy with the book that finally came back, it was one of those swaps that took ages to finish.

This is the first altered board book that I did. Vintage themed obviously and so much fun to do. I went a bit wild with the sanding on the lady image on the front cover, I sanded off one of her eyes!

I am hoping to make it to tonights' SAJ's as I have missed the last few with DH being away. I am hanging out to catch up with everyone, seems like an age since I have.

Have a safe and creative weekend everyone,

Ky

Not much happening ...

Another school week begins but that is about it today, boring huh? Well to brighten up things a little how about some pix from last weeks' arty efforts and the mail. I received quite a few goodies.

Starting with what I got done, though this wasn't done last week, I only got it photographed last week, it was at it's other owners' house! This hanging was a joint effort between my good friend Charmaine and I for a shop which has recently closed. We had so much fun the evening that we played with the Collections little houses that we decided to make them into a little village.

I made this box to house a Mystery Muse pressie for my partner for July (or was it August?). It is on it's way to her right now, I hope she likes it, I know her taste is a little different to mine. The pic below this one is what is in the box. I dug out a plain papier mache box to send it in but couldn't just leave it at that, I had to decorate it.

This project was inspired by the Captured Fairies that Lisa Volrath makes which are just gorgeous. I would love to do one of her kits but they go so fast on her Etsy site and I don't think she sends to Australia anymore, too many mail issues, which I can understand, had my fair share too!
This is my first ATC from the SGATC round robin, the theme was working on canvas. I love using canvas myself but am always on the lookout for new ways to use it. This is from the Paper Pixie, Nikki Blowers.

This next is from my Mystery Muse. A little spiral bound altered note book, just love it.

The second of the cxanvas ATCs for the round robin. This one from Gen Payne. Love it, love it, love it! I have that Cuttlebug die so I can add yet another thing to do with it. Well, when I get to use it anyway! It is sitting in it's box until Saturday when my DH will let me open it. It is my birthday present and even though it has been in my house for some weeks I am not allowed to open and use them till Saturday, he is cruel isn't he! (Loves ya hon!)

This from the Calling All Stampers, Winner Takes All comp. Each month someone is chose as the lucky winner and the rest of the group send her an ATC. This is all the way from Texas by Kim Mckinney. The pic is a bit washed out which is a pity because that background is just yummy. Darker and shimmery. Definetly have to ask how it was done.

Well, that is it for another day. Soccer practice tonight and maybe some time in the 'craft room' since DH is away. Unbeliveably I have only one project to work on so I may even get time for a play, though the last time I said that I ended up in Armadale ER with Noah! He was jumping into a pile of clothes that were sitting in front of an old TV and, you guessed it, he had a bit too much bounce and went straight into the TV. Split his nose right down the middle, blood everywhere. It looks great now but a week and a half ago he had black bruises and a puffy nose, He wouldn't stand still long enough for a photo but I think he will have a scar for a while to remind us.

Take care everyone,

Ky

More Art Photos

What a glorious weekend we had in Perth! After a week (maybe more!) of rain and over cast days the sun came out.

Saturday was spent being a lazy lizard soaking up the sun and defrosting my bones, watching the kids play outside. Sunday, after church, we spent planting all the seedlings and plants we bought the day before. DH was away on a fishing weekend with his brothers and dad so we decided to add to our animal family as well by getting some aquatic snails to keep our goldfish company and looking at all the wonderful fish and birds at a local pet store.

I also spent some time looking through my photos and finding some art ones that I hadn't posted.

The first 3 are of a dimensional frame I decorated for a good friend. Heehee, I just noticed that you can see the camera in the first shot. Can you tell I like rusty things?




These were done as part of the Pandora's Box swap I am doing.



These two pages were for an altered board book swap.

This was a Mystery Muse gift for someone at a stamp camp in Busselton I went to recently. I hadn't quite finished it when camp started, it needed that one thing more, so I decided to wait to see what turned up. Well, the bottle is filled with Geograph Bay sand and the wire wrapped around the bottle was picked up in the carpark in front of the salvage yard that we raided. The funny thing was that the person who it was for was with me when I picked it up.

These next 4 ATCs were made at a scrap night I went to (I was desperate for some 'me' time, what can I say!)

This one was a RAK.



Another 2 sets of pages from the Altered Board Book Swap.





I hope you enjoyed all that art, I think it will be the last for a while, I need to make more before I can post more!

Keep dry,
Ky