Retreat to create

#1 my pizza box



#2 red bird pizza box




#3 lavender bird pizza box...I have just returned from a four day retreat with a group of scrapbooking friends. I even a little scrapbooking. I got to hang out with my friends Gillian, Renee and Suzanne, and I created and played. We were given blank pizza boxes to store our projects in, I decided to decorate mine and a couple of my friends asked if I would do something with their blank pizza boxes, so I did...I decorated four in total and did a mini lesson with a couple of ladies so they could decorate their own.
I also made a couple of cards, a canvas and one or two other little things, all of which I will take pics of during the week and share with you. 



yes I'm still here

Circle Blooms demo flowers

Demo Diva at Western Australia Craft & Quilt Show

Boo! Have you missed me? yes I know a few of you have, and to those thank you for the emails concerned about my lack of posting here on my blog. I have been crazy busy. I went to Melbourne for a weekend workshop and had a great time with Cindy Porter and the lovely students and staff from A Scrappe Angels Heaven. The work the ladies did was beautiful and I loved teaching them. The store is amaaaaaaaazing! 

So after my Melbourne trip I was off on another flight...Perth! It was so wonderful to get back to my home state to catch up with family and friends. Of course the trip was really a business trip and my first job was at the WA Craft and Quilt Show where I was hosted as "interstate guest". I did Circle Bloom and GT Dipper flowers using Lindy's Stamp Gang Colorshots and Magical Micas and Derwent Inktense pencils and colourblocks...all available from The Thread Studio. I was really lucky to be working at Dale's stand because The Thread Studio is stocked with some of my most favorite products. My next job was a workshop at Scrapbook Central where I taught a variety of techniques that went in to creating an original and GENUINE antique wood printer tray. So now my trip is behind me I am in the throes of moving house...again!!! The house that we are going to is actually the last house we rented...how funny is that!?! Anyhoo I promise I'll be a bit more active with my creations as soon as I'm settled in to my new work space.

the beauty of fiber

using a mix of goodies from the Thread Studio I have created a funky cuff for myself...I love how warm and soft it is and I'm thinking that I really need a different colour for each day of the week

I began with some silkworm cocoon fiber which is hand dyed, I added some of the stained gauze and hand felted some little flowers

the lace was stained with my Starburst Stains and once dry a little Smooch Ink finished the look

I used the Smooch Ink on the cotton thread to blend it in slightly and I just had to use some beautiful crystal beads to add a bit of bling

mini crowns

I'll be taking the little crowns that I have created (using a Collections mini crown kit) with me to the craft show in August as part of my display

I have used silk velvet from The Thread Studio

The kits come as a pack of three sets to put together and are easy to adapt and fun to play with

lovely fantasy film

this is a little stand I made for the crowns...they are made from chipboard and wooden plugs

 My two "Collections" mini crowns sitting on their stands

the rosey scent of bullshit

I pride myself on my ability to bounce back from stuff and the fact that I am as honest as I can be...I won't claim to be 100% truthful because that in itself would be a lie...nobody can claim it, so don't even try. Why do people lie? Because it makes them feel better about something. What a crock! How does looking somebody in the eye and lying to their face make you feel better?...Oh...hang on a minute...ahhhh...it makes the other person feel better!...?...??...??? Nope!...a lie is a lie, it may get you what you want but at what price? and lying about other people? What the hell is that crap all about? At the end of the day if you are spending your time and energy on telling tales of gossipy crud to people then you need to find a hobby that makes you a little more interesting. I have had nasty little bitches say shit about me...it used to upset me...which made them happy...then it made me angry and I quite happily posted their names on my facebook wall for all to see. Now I feel pitty for them as I listen to the interesting stories that I didn't even know about myself...such as having numerous affairs...I say to everybody "I'm off to see my boyfriend...", and then I am home ten minutes later...sooo either I was telling a porky pie or my lovers are in need of some staying power. Another fave rumour is that I have noooo unique ideas and that everything I do is stolen from somebody else...who? no answer? of course not because if I was an art nabber then I would totally expect to hear from the person I stole from. Oh and this is a great one...I use people to get what I want and then I toss them aside...again I ask who? I have always said to my friends that if ever I misused them in any way then they should tell me...and do you know how many have said "...hey Linda, you make me feel like shit..." none. Now I know I am far from perfect but that makes me me. I don't need to impress anybody but myself, I don't need friends, fans, followers...what I need is to do the right thing. I need to be as honest as I possibly can, I need to create art that I love and enjoy, I need to stay strong, keep smiling and enjoy life...and if by chance I am lucky enough to have people wanting to be a part of my life and creative path then they are there because I have earned their respect and trust...and maybe even admiration. You don't have to like me but please like yourself enough to stop patting and praising people who are nasty bitchy gossips. When you support a NBG you are becoming part of the problem, you are becoming a bully...you are destroying your good reputation, you are causing your own demise and destroying your life. Gossip is a virus that spreads and does horrendous damage. Promise yourself that if you are faced with negative people that you will say "stop, no more, I am better than this", and walk away. Because good souls support good whereas bad supports bad. One more thing to think about is meglamaniac...I love that word, I know a few...and not suprisingly at all it is the NBGs. Again I suggest that if you are faced by one of these creatures of self worship and gigantinormous egos that you deflate carefully so as not to be covered in their shit, then walk away and get on with your happy life. So in closing I would just like to say...thank you to those who remain a part of my life and fight a good fight for honesty and respect and if you don't like what I say then pucker up and kiss my fat white arse because I'm not going to change.

prepping for the show

I love working at shows, the atmosphere, catching up with friends, shopping, exciting people with brilliant products and techniques...but before all that comes the prep work...the playing with product, the experimenting...the discoveries. I have loved and played with the pictured products for a very long time. I use what I love and love what I use. In August I get to share some of my favorite things with the people of Western Australia...my home state!...my Mum has even told me that she is going to drop in and see me at work! I think I'm nervous, I've never thought that she would be a face in the crowd, watching me, listening to me teaching and sharing my thoughts and ideas.

If by chance you are going to the WA Craft, Quilt and Stitch Show in August, make sure you come and visit me at The Thread Studio stand, we can have a chatter, I can share some of my favorite products, you can create a lovely little "Circle Bloom" to use on a card/LO/OTP or wearable project...and you can buy lots of the wonderful things that I quite often use in my projects.

"Circle Blooms"

cherry bomb necklace

I love creating stuff...that's an understatement...but I really love having a goal in mind or a person to send the art to. This piece I have named "Cherry Bomb", it had to have a retro name because it's for a very retro lady by the name of Barbe Saint John...now if you don't know who she is then I suggest you click on her name and go take a looksee at her work.

Although the colour of this piece looks orange it is in fact red...that will teach me for taking photos in low light

I have used glass, crystal, rusted metal, silk velvet, brass wire and more

Inspired by Louise Nelson

Before you all start scratching your heads and questioning the happenings of my blog and the appearance of scrapbook pages...relax! It's not my thing, it's not something I'll do a lot of because it's not something that interests me...I do however have quite a few friends who are really in to it, so from time to time I like to try and impress them with my take on scrapping. One of my friends is the founding artist of simplistic scrapbooking, her style is the complete opposite of mine. Louise Nelson likes minimal colour and technique with emphasise on the photo. When I talk to to other people about Lou, the easiest way for me to describe the look is "spit art"...now don't go looking horrified and running off to tell Louise that I am saying horrid things about her work because she knows I love, admire and respect her and her work and she knows exactly what I think because I am honest enough to say it to her. We have had chats about art/craft/scrapping styles and we both like each other. My work is dark and grungey...so what. Anyhoo...Aussie Scrap Source were running a little challenge comp, and Lou shared the link with me...soooo I tried my hand at the style...for me it was really very challenging...fun...but not something I would do again.

At first I found I used too much colour, so I layered crumpled tissue paper over it to fade it out

I used LSG's Starburst Stains to dab some "flowers", and then used a drop of distress re inker, sprinkled with salt, and while still wet I dragged some lines out using an awl...Why salt? because the salt stops the colour from running more than I want, it dries up some of the liquid and leaves a little texture...soooo why not?

a simple black and white photo stapled over a flourish and lace

End result...not too bad. It's good for the artistic soul to leap out of your comfort zone and try something new

A Crown for Jane Clark

My friend Jane Clark is a big fan of scrapbook/craft icon Tim Holtz...and so I decided to create a crown for her using only his signature products. I have kept the piece quite simple...the next T.H crown will be for another friend...and it will be quite different

TH patterned papers

TH die cut flowers

TH grungeboard

TH stickles, distress inks and distress re inkers