Another try

Have tried since the weekend to post another blog but keep ending up with the message that blogger can't be found. Which seems odd since I am writing here. Perhaps today I will succeed?
I am off this morning to put up my dolls etc at the first exibition I am taking part in. I shall be glad when its done.

I have finished these two journal pages, I would like to have made more of them but as I am still experimenting with the gels etc make so many mistakes each page it takes me a
long time to do one.I decided to find an online workshop,thats if this slow internet connection will be fast enough.

The cream page is going in the journal and will stay blank until the day occurs that is right to be recorded on it.

Another Quilt

As I have worked all day and finished nothing I thought I would post another quilt.Again I used some recycled silk as well as some mens ties for the striped blocks. I had fun first drawing all the flowers and creatures to machine stitch for the border.I used and still do my old Toyota machine. Its so old it only does straight stitches and zig zag but with the free motion foot I can do curves as well,I live in fear the motor will give up. I have a new Brother and use it when I make my dolls but have never really got to grips with all the complicated things it does.

Two felt purses

I spent much of yesterday and hours this morning finishing these two purses. I hadn't expected they would take so long, each step I needed to take I found myself deliberating over what I was going to do next. When they were almost finished I realised I hadn't put in the linings, happily it didn't matter that much so I decided not .
When they were finished I heaved a sigh of relief and went to our local wednesday market where I treated myself to a small haul of beads, buttons and ribbons. Not that I need any as there are boxes and boxes in my workroom !!
Now I need to decide what to do next, only a week untill I have to take stuff to fill my first lot of exibition space. It will be mainly dolls, I think my quilts need too much room. I also have to put prices on things,something I am hopeless at doing and more often than not feel quite possessive about things I have made and don't want anyone to buy them. Tony has often pointed out that I do enjoy giving them away if a friend or relative admires them here at home.Perhaps if I put a high price on them they will be too expensive for anyone to buy if of course anyone wanted to.

My favourite quilts

I have made quilts for many many years. When I lived in England I used to go to local boot fairs and often buy second hand, silk saris, I loved them because the colours were so vibrant. The trousers were very useful to me as they had masses of material in them . I would always cut just the trousers up and soon had accumulated a good pile of various colours. I kept the tops and the long lengths that went with the outfits.
The quilt in the photograph is the first quilt I made using mainly those pieces of silk. Each square measures about 7 inches and is a sort of log cabin around a starting point of a small square.

So much more to do!

When I've made the bed,had breakfast, and finished the bread am determined to finish these little purses. They have been sitting on a shelf waiting for sometime, I have been side tracked by making the journal pages but now have to face up to the chaos in my workroom and the number of things I need to finish.

So much to do!

I am up early ,have begun to make some bread, read my e-mails and had a quick look at the moorhens over in the lavoir. She has at least five little ones ,maybe more. Our cats are very interested in them, I shall have to make sure I give them large meals so they don't feel hungry and hopefully feel very lazy!!

journal covers and...

I started to make the cover for a journal several days ago and found it extremly difficult. i had no idea just how the various glues, gels , paints, pens and pencils would react to the board covers I was using. I was amazed how worried I was about how it it would look, and what if anything it would be about. I wanted to make a journal after seeing and joining a group on Journaling on the site Roses on my Table. You are given a regular prompt and guidlines to follow if you so wish. I started out thinking I would, but soon realised I had lost the plot and have had to settle for what I did. At least there are two covers, one it seems will be about remembering important happenings in my life and the second needs some lettering and maybe I shall be able to follow the next prompts form the group. They do interest me because you can choose a book for whatever reason and make a page connected with it.

Time to think!

My lovely family left this morning and instead of sorting out bedrooms etc went straight to my workroom to gloat over yesterdays fleamarket purchases. I was so lucky to find one person's table overflowing with things i just had to buy. I had begun to make an altered art journal, I bought 2 new plain card books especially to use. I wasn't at all sure what you did, I still don't know,just keep trying different ways. When I saw several old books on the table a penny dropped, they would be perfect for altered book art and became carried awy and bought too many. Then my eyes lit on an old battered school atlas dated 1898, it was in an awful state but there were still pages and pages of usable maps.I added that to my pile when I noticed a pile of black and white illustrations stuffed inside the covers of a huge book dated 1884. There were still a few pages attatched inside the book that matched the loose ones, what joy! so I bought that as well. More was found , a set of wooden primting blocks all the letter M, each slightly different and a pile of tiny printing blocks of flowers.Now I don't know what to do,continue with my first journal attempt on the modern book or start again with one of the old books? Certainly I have too much and too many things so am going to ask Tony to put some on our eBay site. My workroom is geting out of control, I know I need to let go of things, but it is so difficult.

Bad photos

I am sorry for such dark photos, I have some how managed to down load the photos I rejected. The dolls skirt is much lighter and her hair a pretty light heathery mixture. The cut out flowers are a bright white. Its still early morning perhaps I should have stayed in bed longer?

Getting there!

Yesterday I finally made myself finish the doll. I had taken off her head and was going to give her another one but instead changed her hair and added the decorations to link with the colour of the flowers on her dress.I may still give her something to hold but thats for another day when I haven't so many other projects on my mind.

I spent some time yesterday playing with a large dirty and full of holes, piece of material I had bought weeks ago. I felt it would become worse if I put it through the washing machine so decided to cut it up into small bits and waslh those by hand.I then ironed on some light weight bonderweb and cut out the flowers. Not sure yet how I will use them but am pleased with the results

Lots and lots of little bears and my first ATC swap.

We have family staying at the moment and spent some time yesterday sorting out the spare room for my sister to sleep in. I dusted my collection of little bears then decided I would post a photo of them. I bought all of them here in France over several years. I have no idea how old they are, the bigger whiter one has been a little eaten by moth and the others have shabby worn coats, they must of been played with and loved for many years.

In the post yesterday I received my first ATC swap, it was such a good feeling to open the little packet. Debbie had kindly also writton lots of info on how she made hers and sent me some bits to help me on my way with new ideas

Too hot to think!

This week has been wonderful, hot and sunny day after day,it has made me feel very lazy. I was so pleased to receive a much wanted new camera for my birthday and have taken loads of photos. Much despair has followed as there was no disc in the box ,no problem said a kind friend and explained that you just do this and that and all will be ok.Well how I have tried! and have to face up to the fact that its too difficult and I have reverted to my old camera for the time being.I'm hoping it was the hot weather that caused my brain to refuse to function but I'm not to sure.
I have finished another doll except for shoes, I may add some later. I have been offered two lots of exibition space, and must finish so many things in the next few weeks.I am not altogether pleased with the new doll and know that I did rush to finish her so if I have the time I will probably change a few things and you will see her again.