Roses and Australian Etiquette

Winding up the posts for the Book of Hearts, it is finally time to post the pages of my mothers sister. The passing of my mother's only sibling has left an enormous void in my mother's life, and so the theme is roses, for what she was for us all, beautiful, sweet, and like no other. And so to the first part of the double page. A little book on Australian Etiquette. I must admit it was a great find, a little damaged and so the cover has been edged in lace to give it a bit of something extra and to tidy it up. (I must admit that I was a bit shocked, etiquette for Australia! We aren't really a nation of etiquette style people, are we? Must be a relic from our old colonial days!) Anyway the book was perfect for this spread as it is my Aunts debut ball. On the left of the page some old tulle and some catholic religious medals as she and my mother were raised and schooled in the faith.



Inside the book cover, a photograph of my mothers sister and the then archbishop of Tasmania who attended the ball, and a small vintage victorian angel image that I am really fond of.






And here is the photograph of my aunt at her debut. A small vintage pressed rose held between sheets of mica on the right.

I will post the last pages from the Book of Hearts later this week. I think this has been enough for now.

Caught in The Fabric

Those of you who viewed the post about what is on your inspiration board may have noticed on mine the images of a star system, time pieces and eyes (in the lower left hand corner). I have always been fascinated by anything remotely linked to the solar system, astronomy and like sciences. Oh, I can't tell you which star is which, or the like, but the exploration of it, how it was and is continuing to form, and the science of it's exploration is an endless source of fascination to me. I am happy wrapped up and watching film documentaries about missions such as Voyager and Cassini or Solar eruptions etc. This inevitably leads me to reading about other interesting things, like time, and relativity, (although I am the first to tell you I don't have any clue about understanding the physics of it all, it is just, well, fascinating!) Anyway I have been spending much of my spare (oh hahahah) time cruising around the NASA/ JPL web site in seventh heaven admiring the image resources. So what does this have to do with anything I hear you say, well not much but you know how it goes... once it's in there it has to get out, somewhere! And art is such a great way to digest everything. Roll it around and chew it up, LOL! So here is the result...




"The Fabric of Time" 14''x18''



The background is collage with acrylic washes and masking then a layer of clear wax. (Watch out everyone, I am also currently obsessed with wax, Umm, in an arty way of course. This is not the forum for discussion of other wax related topics! LOL)
Then the addition of some mixed media elements.


A closer view.

And one of the background. I know you can't see the wax but trust me, it's there. Lovely tactile experience too, I think I'm hooked!

If you're interested in visiting the NASA /JPL images page click on the link, but be warned...
Be prepared to invest some time...
It's fascinating!

Gratitude and Thanks

Some time ago the lovely Ro Bruhn sent me a packet of goodies to play with. It included some of her wonderful papers, napkins and other assorted oddments and also included some lovely beads and charms. I have put many of them together in a charm style bracelet along with some other bits and pieces of my own. I love the copper and turquoise colour combination. Now I'm no jewellery designer or such but it makes me happy, and reminds me of the spirit in which the gift was given.
Here tis.




So thank you Ro, I love it and it is much appreciated!

The Song of the Five Chicks

I have been so busy lately that I have almost forgotten to post the remaining pages from the Book of Hearts construction. Well I had better get it done, especially as I have posted the slide show for the book on this blog now, LOL. I saw this picture and just had to include it. You will see why in the coming pics.

As my mother was still very young, approximately 3-4 years of age here, I decided to depict this time by creating a little cotton shift dress, a miniature of one she would have worn and use this as the backdrop for the page.





The picture is attached to a green velvet covered board, and inside...


the five chicks.

Love this photograqph. Mum is the curly haired cheeky urchin on the right. (Always reminds me of Orphan Annie in this pic!) Her sister, Bev on the left. Her cousin that passed away last year next to Mum and two other cousins are the two boys in the photo. The five children ran around and grew up together into their teens and remained very close. (Bet they terrorised Burnie between them all, LOL). I also really liked the picture of the five little cherubs, and how fitting, 5 of them, so in that went too!





Below, the decoration from the bottom of the page.

And I just bet it was too!

Keep calm and carry on!

Sometimes it takes a bit of planning to get a project right! Sometimes ideas just run out whole and complete and at othertimes an idea will roll around in my head for forever then suddenly, pop! Currently I have several things rolling around, and a few ideas as well, LOL! Seth Apter has posted pics of his inspiration board for all to share and has posed the question. Do you use one? What do you have on it? Well, yes I do, but not as organised as yours Seth, and it's more of a chaotic view inside my head thing really. But seriously, I like to get it all down somewhere to help me nut it all out. Usually I write copious notes and have a hard drive full of images that inspire me. My computer desk (which is huge!!!) always has an area on one side with a neat stack of papers, usually containing notes, images, fabric and textile bits etc. These seem to be related to rabbits, breed overnight and cover my work table as well. The computer desk might be organised, but the work table is a whole other question:) (No, I will not show you pics either!) I do run a planning board though. Its covered in all sorts of stuff. Images that inspire me, other artists work that also inspires, pictures relating to current ideas, some that pan out and others that need more work, quotes I love, and notes. (I couldn't live without them). I am always scribbling down ideas. So Seth, here it is, my current crop of ideas in their plannning stages. (I don't believe I'm doing this! You can click to see details if you're feeling brave!)
Keep calm and carry on!



As you can see, bits everywhere. Probably a reflection of my inner psyche.
Now panic and freak out! LOL.
So now I've shown you mine... it's your turn to play!
(P.S. Seth did you clean yours up, it looks so organised! )

If Walls Could Talk

Confessions of a blog hopper!
I am always jumping from one blog to another, sometimes I admit, I get lost and can't find my way back to where I was, or worse see something I love, close a page then can't find my way there again! Do you do this too? Terribly frustrating! I am slowly becoming more disciplined about my blog hopping and bookmarking pages and sites I love so I can refind my way there again, but I still madly blog hop, driving my family nuts as they ask, "Are you downloading pages again", all the time:)! Umm, yup, that's me, sorry to the obsessive online gamers at my house but raspberries to you I say! In my mad dash from place to place I frequently find myself returning to Le Divan Fumoir Bohemien ( If you haven't caught this wonderful blog, then do. It's full of the most incredible fragments of interesting things!) So while there in recent weeks , an amazing piece of texture caught my eye. Paper and resin, brittle from the passage of time. Okay, I'm hooked just from this alone. LOVE texture! But vintage texture!!! Oooooo! The piece was all about this fantastic house built from paper. Okay so, a quick blog hop over to Rockport, Massachusetts (don't you just love the spelling challenges presented by some words!!!), and it's a quick spin through the paper house. Walls, furniture all made from paper and resin, how interesting. (Read that as brain ticking starting up). Alright, so now I'm thinking about the paper house and remembering a news article I saw sometime ago about how many years ago (that's centuries past), folks in the U.K. would bury sentimental items of loved ones in the walls of their homes. Baby shoes, clothes etc, and now workmen called in to do repairs are turning up all manner of strange items in the walls. Now, I have been watching with interest Seth Apter's Disintigration Collaboration where artists are making up bundles and leaving them out to the ravages of the elements for a period of time, only to reclaim them and produce something using their altered pieces in an artwork. Great stuff too Seth, can't wait to see more of this! (If you have been under a rock somewhere and haven't caught this one, then jump to it and check it out, it's a must see!) So with all of this churning around in the noggin, the beginings of an idea. Keep with me here, we are going somewhere albeit slowly. The birth of a creative idea. What would your walls reveal about you? What would you imagine someone putting in there, preserving for time? What could be hidden from view, secreted away in those spaces? Precious things, posessions, secrets waiting in time. Ahh, so here is the idea. Following along with the disintigration line, what would happen if there had been a fire? What would be lost or revealed?





And so...







the layers peeled away...

Under the wallpaper, inside the walls, what was hidden is now revealed.






a secret love...







a choice made...

a love lost.


Under the wallpaper, inside the walls the fire reveals, pictures of a love forsaken. Letters hidden within the walls, kept close in the secret heart of the home.




The piece in its entirety.




Layers of papers, glued and colour washed, then covered in dimensional magic. Now for the fun part, burned. Yes that's right, bubbled and blistered to form the texture of the piece. I had so much fun with this, burning the paper and dimensional magic to my hearts content. The family constantly checking to see I wasn't personally alight, (or at least the house!). I think I must be some sort of closet arsonist, LOL! Anyway, after the burning... lots of embossing in black, red and gold! More burning!!! (said with glee!!!). I seem to be on some sort of upswing lately, everything rolling along so well. I am pretty pleased with this one (just in case you are in any doubt. LOL). Here's another glimpse at the textures, click away for a closer look.

Now I think I might have to contemplate the issue of water and how to apply it. (Just to put out all the fires you know)!