Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

  "Santa Claus" dotee dolls - Wilma Simmons   No, not me! I hope every year that I will be ready by 1 December, with no rushing about during the festive season... it doesn't happen..  However this year, I am happy to have met some Christmas deadlines... For my doll makers group, Gumnut Dollies, Newcastle I made some dotee dolls for  decorating the  charity Christmas Tree. What is a dotee doll, I hear you ask... here is an explanation from another earlier blog post , Dotee Divertissement.  Yesterday, I sold some of my  handmade Christmas decorations at the Hunter Art Bazaar - a Christmas market held in a beautiful park, Lambton Park , near my home.  I had been working on these and my crocheted birds while watching TV  during the year - the photo shows a variety of  stitched and beaded decorations.   I was also touched that I was asked to make some Christmas dolls with a multicultural look... I must admit this made me think about being far more inclusive in my approach to

  I coordinate a unique community art group which comes together weekly to create, chat and share . It is a friendly, non-judgemental , socially conscious group. Our current project is to create stitched portraits in return for a donation to the Newcastle (NSW) Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service -  NWDVCAS supports women and their children seeking information and help about domestic and family violence, and how to get protection from the court. Domestic violence is the most common form of assault in Australia today and takes on many forms. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuses such as frequent insults or intimidation, economic abuse and control of your money, social abuse like not allowing you to see friends or family or use your phone, and spiritual abuse such as using your beliefs to ridicule you, are all examples of domestic or family violence. Domestic and family violence can be perpetrated by intimate partners, children, carers, other residents in a grou

Most days, I create a quick collage with torn paper and whatever is at hand...  Last week I steamed from a  gifted cardboard box,  a series of Japanese postage stamps  The stamps celebrate traditional arts.  PS. That extra one, in the bottom right corner,  was inspired by the kangaroo paw in my garden   togei - ceramic art  kami - paper  shuuji - calligraphy  chanoyu - tea ceremony  takeami - basketry  urushi - lacquer  ai -indigo  toro - lantern    These are all in the series #pulchra momenta ( beautiful moments ) ... see more in this series....  Instagram  @empress.wu.designs