Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Tea on Thursday , sorry a day late... this week the theme was decay, and I chose Miss Havisham  from the Charles Dickens novel, "Great Expectations". Miss Havisham was left at the altar, and from that day when she was meant to be married,she wore her wedding clothes, and left the wedding breakfast to decay over the years. The flowers around her veil are made from tea bag paper. I thought they look just the way white roses decay , wither and turn brown.. The roses are simple made by tearing tea bag paper to a desired width,  rolling the centre, and gradually fanning out the paper to make the outer petals  

Photo - our neighbourhood    26  January  - the date of the official national day in Australia. This day marks the anniversary of the British  landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. In contemporary Australia, its significance has become more inclusive, recognizing  and celebrating the diversity of our community. It is the day many become new citizens of Australia and we are all asked to reaffirm our citizenship.   As an Australian citizen I affirm my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I uphold and obey. To mark this special day, here are some images of past favourite tags with an Australian flavour - flashback from my work in early 2013.  Eucalypt leaves - sun sensitive paint on cotton fabric.  Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon' :  flower  print on fabric, with additional  colour - felt tip pen & pencil  Acacia (wattle) : applique  Banksia : digital p

Tea bag paper over a small stretched  hand- stitched canvas with polymer clay heads and tea bag paper head accessories ... I was trying to depict " Russian Caravan" tea ? 

workshop 19/1/14  Today was my  first workshop for 2014 -  a stick art dolls workshop ... This was a repeat of a workshop offered  quite a few times recently , so I started thinking  why do creative people love workshops and why they  are good for you.  Here are 10  reasons I've thought of ... I am sure you may have others?   1.  An inspiring  workshop tutor can motivate to improve your work, change the direction of your work or try something new and different.   2.  A workshop offers a supportive and encouraging environment where you can learn a new skill (s)  and/or  experience  different approach ( either from the tutor or fellow participants)  workshop 19/1/14  3.   Being with other artists assists you in finding solutions to problems as well as making new contacts and friends. workshop 19/1/14 4. A workshop allows you to experiment and try  new/ different genres, media, products and equipment. .    workshop 19/1/14  5. During a workshop, you have the

It is now the trend to choose a word to motivate and inspire, rather than making New Year resolutions. Strange, I know ... but I have chosen "TEA" as my word. Later in the year, my exhibition will be based on tea, so most of my creative activities this year will involve tea. Lots of  tea drinking is the most likely activity , So each Thursday ( most Thursdays) , I will post something  "tea" related. Here is my first for the year... An art tag made with a used tea bag paper , with some purchased images and stitching, created for the theme Homes/Shelter. I have added the words " A home is not a  mere transient shelter; its essence lies in the personalities of the people who live in it... H.L. Mencken )

 I love working with blue .... much of my recent work is blue. In the latter part of last year I saw blue everywhere - I stitched a series of blue temari (embroidered thread balls) and felted dolls in shades of blue.  - Blue Temari  - "Layered" exhibition ,January 2014.  Blue felt doll - Bonnie  Blue felt doll - Maribel  I love the colours of the traditional Willow Pattern… these blues induce a sense of calm and peace and the sight of a blue bird is often seen as a symbol of happiness and contentment…. One of the works in the current "Layered" exhibition by the Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists is  Blue Bird which was completed in December. I  covered a  wire frame  with different fabrics, which have been felted, stitched by hand and/or machine, painted and stamped, dyed. This textile art is a derivative of an earlier collaborative work created for International Women’s Day 2013. Blue Bird - "Layered"

I have adopted the "5 simple rules for happiness"  as  a guide to my new year's resolutions. I don't think I usually harbour 'hatred", but I thought it was a good reminder to get rid of negativity in feelings and attitudes. Of course, I should have added "losing weight" to those 2014 goals... but I have for every year previously with mixed success. It is not surprising then to see the top 10 New Year's resolutions statistically are: 1 Lose Weight 2 Getting Organized 3 Spend Less, Save More 4 Enjoy Life to the Fullest 5 Staying Fit and Healthy 6 Learn Something Exciting 7 Quit Smoking 8 Help Others in Their Dreams 9 Fall in Love 10 Spend More Time with Family It is also then not surprising that  Google   searches  for "diet" surged by 82 percent immediately following New Year's Eve! However, statistically,  fewer than  50% of people who make resolutions on 1 January keep them beyond six months