Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Only four days this week ... mmm .... what did I do? I finished off making some felt pins - to go with my scarves and my model Sodabeh , wore them as belts. Sodabeh is an exchange student from Norway, and is Riikka's friend. These photos are to advertise my felt accessories classes later in the year at The Eclectic Studio in Sydney and at LamboArt Studio in Thornton . Not sure how the month disappeared - still have a list of "things to do".... so this weekend is devoted to doll making. I am still making Mrs Chalumeau - a Pearly Queen for the Hello Dollies Challenge to be unveiled at the Craft and Quilt Fair in Newcastle 20-22 February. Our exhibition is called "Hello Dollies Goes Crazy" - a display of embellished dolls against a backdrop of embellished crazy quilts. It will look spectacular! I have also joined a group called ATC (Artist Trading Card) Art Dolls. I participated in a swap this month with the theme "Retro". The rules are that a &q

Happy Australia Day and Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Ox Here is my husband , Jim, resplendent in his Chinese coat (a traditional garment worn by dong ba, Chinese scholars from the Na xi ethnic Chinese group) and Brandon, our oldest grandson in his trendy Aussie T-shirt. We have quite a few family celebrations happening this week - all featuring lots of great food, of course. Our son and daughter and their families are both hosting parties this weekend, so there has even been cooking here in our kitchen. Brandon has been learning to take photos with my digital camera, and here is one of his images of Chinese New Year - he took many photos of food from various angles in various stages of preparation. This week I have been trying to catch up with the work from the online class I am taking from the Thread Studio - I have been working so furiously that I broke one of the felting needles in the embellisher machine. The "underwater" sample (left) is not quite finished - a fe

We have had some really hot days this week (I think Thursday was 41 degrees) , and of course, I have been playing with wool. I am still making samples for my felting workshop and while it seems quite unseasonal, I am really happy with a couple of my scarves and have even been modelling them around the house. I am also still working on the beaded felted jewellery and have started on a challenge doll for the Craft and Quilt Show here in Newcastle in February. I think most other doll makers have finished theirs and I am just starting. This is however, not surprising. – I like to think I prefer to work under pressure! This challenge is an interpretation of the pattern Mrs Chalumeau. I has only progressed as far as practising the button pattern on the skirt. .My plan is to make a Pearly Queen as I chose one of the suggested colour combinations -black and white. I hope to show some progress on her soon. Although the weather hasn’t been really conducive to creativity , what a good week it’s b

It's been a great start to the new year - a few days at the beautiful and peaceful Bodhi Glades in Wentworth Falls (Blue Mountains), lots of successful sales on ETSY, a visit from Riikka's mother and sister from Finland, a lovely "welcome to Australia' with friends (24 of us in total) on Monday night at our place, and the usual busy days with Dylan and Brandon, our older grandsons ... as well as some creative work, of course. I have been trying to get some samples prepared for my workshops with The Eclectic Studio in Sydney later in the year. I even had to write an artist bio - I felt a bit stange having to do that, but you can check it out on the studio's website : http://www.eclecticstudio.com.au/ and follow the prompts from "class and workshops" to "meet the teachers". While you're there, please check it all the great stuff and workshops Roz is offering this year. Anyway, this week I did manage to complete a sample (pictured) - a kind o

Best wishes for a a very happy new year. I've been creating more feltfollies but must stop as we are off to the Blue Mountains ... I'll post again on Monday with more up to date news.