Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Christmas Countdown ....14 ...   Three Wise Men;   The   Magi , known as Three Wise Men or Three Kings   in Christian tradition were a group of distinguished foreigners who visited  Christ   after his birth, bearing gifts of   gold ,   frankincense   and   myrrh . They are regular figures in tra ditional accounts of the  nativity  celebrations of   Christmas .  In Matthew's Gospel, they "came from the east"  and while a number is not mentioned, it is widely assumed because of the three gifts that there were three men.  

I promise every year that I will be organised for Christmas and for our grandchildren's birthdays in December. It's happened again ... I am not ready. Only a few cards made of course,  none ready to post. And  I just "got over the line"  with a few extra things made for my friend's Christmas Boutique Sale  last Saturday. We had a great day.  My stick dolls were perhaps a little out of place amongst the absolutely beautiful fine embroidery, but they were all sold so they must have had some appeal. My own favourite was joyous one ( between the two green ones in the photo below)  - wrapped in sari ribbon and nurturing a baby dragon. Going with the popular trends, what seemed to appeal the most of my items were the matryoshka doll brooches, so I am currently making more for the Handmade Treasures Sale in a fortnight. Owls were also popular including my very large and heavy doorstop owl and the little owl families, made from hand printed fabric by...

This beautiful print is by an Australian artist. Lindy Longhurst of    Serpent Mandalas Please click the link to see more of Lindy's art although I admit this is one of my favourites.  I chose a smaller version of this for my sister's birthday gift and then I went  searching for other owl paintings and mixed media collages, depicting beautiful girls and owls. I was surprised to find so many on Etsy, so I created a treasury. It is called Owl Sisters  - just click to find some amazing art work, linking girls and owls or you can see the images in the Etsy Mini  in the side bar to the right. Some old  Australian Aboriginal beliefs assert that bats represent the souls of men and owls the souls of women. Owls are therefore sacred, because your sister is an Owl - and the Owl is your sister. A few years ago, I planned to make a series of "bird" women. I did finish the owl woman, but that is as far as I got. However, recently I have started t...

Who could resist this welcoming sign? I was told that this was the place with great coffee and scones but the recommendation didn’t mention the wonderful surprising bonus - the ART! I visited this really inviting, appealing, quirky and interesting art space last week - David Mahony Art Gallery and Coffee House - in Sandy Hollow on the Golden Highway Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Here are some facts about Sandy Hollow • Village on the Golden Highway bordering Wollemi National Park • Overshadowed by the dramatic sandstone hills of the Giant’s Leap • 255 km north of Sydney, population 140 Sandy Hollow was originally a campsite for travellers at the junction of the Goulburn River Valley and Halls Creek. The surrounding area was settled by pioneering graziers in the 1820s. The town achieved a brief moment of fame when Captain Thunderbolt, the bushranger, held up the Denman-Merriwa mail service in the 1860s. The tourist website blurb does not mention David Mahony’s sculptu...