Animals , Wild or Tame ... Tags

For the Tag Tuesday theme " Animals, Wild or Tame ( no insects" , I made two small tags, both with my favourite collage material - postage stamps.

For the first one , I chose an Australian stamp , issued in 1982 , rasing the awareness of the endangered corroboree frog. Here is some information about it....

Corroboree Frogs are Australia’s most iconic amphibian species and amongst the most visually spectacular frogs in the world. They can be readily distinguished by the bold yellow and black longitudinal stripes on its top, sides and legs. Its belly is marbled black, white and yellow. Both the males and females have the same colouration but females are slightly larger than males.

These frogs are found in marshlands and sclerophyll forests under logs, and subalpine bogs of south-eastern NSW and the ACT. Catching a glimpse of these stunning creatures is a rare and exciting occurrence. They are largely nocturnal but are also occasionally active during the day on cloudy days.

From high altitude bogs and swamps, the male Corroboree will call to the female during mating season (January – February). This song that is more like a ‘squelch’ begins the life-cycle of these tiny amphibians. (from https://www.taronga.org.au/animals/corroboree-frog)

The second tag is a Hong Kong stamp issued in 2007, to mark the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Pig - a much favoured animal in the Chinese Zodiac ... With a round and fat face, the Pig is the symbol of wealth, felicity, honesty, and practicality in Chinese zodiac culture. Many money pots (Chinese piggybanks) are made pig-shaped as people believe Pig invocation will bring good luck monetarily.

Of course, pigs have been more maligned in the wild state in Hong Kong - perhaps you have seen reports like this in the news.

Hong Kong authorities have captured and euthanised seven wild boars as they began a campaign to reduce their numbers in urban areas around the financial centre after one bit a policeman last week.About 30 boar attacks have been reported in recent years, authorities said.

Hong Kong’s policy had been to capture the animals, then sterilise and relocate them to remote, unpopulated areas.The city is home to about 3,000 wild boars, according to government data, and they are not a protected species. Boar have at times been seen on subway trains, or waiting for the traffic light to turn green at pedestrian crossings by the harbour... ( from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/18/hong-kong-begins-hunting-wild-boar-amid-public-safety-fears )

#the100dayproject : Inspiring Women Days 1 - 4

#The100DayProject is a *free* global art project that takes place online 🎨 E very year, thousands of people all around the world commit to 100 days of creating. Anyone can participate . The idea is simple: choose a creative project, do it every single day for 100 days, and document and share the process online. 2026 is my 8th year of participating. I have stitched daily observations, painted my egg cup collection, collaged postcards and envelopes, written poems, explored colour palettes .... this year I am researching, sketching and stitching 100 inspiring women. Fortunately I purchased a piece of beautiful linen, with preprinted outlines of 100 women ... just one issue - the figures are tiny (height 6cm /2.5 ins) My first week started tentatively ... I thought I would start with Empress Wu, after whom I named my creative activity. This is when I discovered how difficult it is to applique and stitch on these very small figures - I used tweezers to put pieces of fabric down, tried t...

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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