Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

I feel very fortunate this week  to have visited the "Step into Paradise" exhibition at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, Museum of  Applied Arts and Science... it was enthralling, amazing, and inspiring.  From the museum website .... J enny Kee and Linda Jackson: Step into Paradise  is the first in-depth survey that captures the dynamic energy of Linda and Jenny’s creative partnership. It draws on more than four decades of one of the most influential pairings in the history of Australian fashion, examining the influences, inspirations and the compelling stories behind their work. Honoured as Officers in the Order of Australia for their contributions to Australia’s fashion industry, Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson transformed the nation’s fashion and cultural heritage with their pioneering style inspired by Australia’s cultural and natural landscape, melded with their global influences. The exhibition begins with their creative partnership in the 1970...

The team at Tag Tuesday choose the most interesting themes for our fortnightly tag challenge- Landmarks was chosen by Wendy from the design team, and when you see her two fantastic tags, you will see how I was inspired by them.  My tag is made using a technique I  learnt just last weekend, so I wanted to practise. The background is created by dry brushing three colours of acrylic paint on art paper, in this case, I used watercolour paper. Then, when the background is dry, with a fine rigger brush and white pigmented ink, I painted the outline of what I hope are recognisable representations of  landmarks - the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I added an Australian postage stamp, just in case there was any doubt. Although I don't live in Sydney, Newcastle is the nearest biggest regional city in NSW and only 168 km away, so these landmarks are almost local!  Please pop over to Tag Tuesday to see the other  tags submitted for this challenge - t...

This Sunday 6th May, I will be running a workshop, 'Making Messenger of the Peace Dolls' in conjunction with the "Stitched up in Sydney" exhibition. With the  exhibition being a huge success,  this workshop is nearly booked out! If you can't make the workshop,  I  will also  be hosting a curator's talk afterwards from 4-6pm.    If you are interested in  securing one of the last spots in the workshop or coming to the curators talk, please give  The Embroiderers' Guild NSW a call and they can give you more information on requirements and pricing! Phone 02 9743 2501 or 02 9743 2293 Workshop requirements: Please bring: a stick ( approx. 25cm-30cm long. However, size is not important -we can always cut it down to size) , small quantities/strips of favourite fabric (this can be any type - new or old , cotton, polyester, wool or felt), threads in coordinating or contrasting colours, a small quantity of alfoil (about 1 metre). If you are ...

'Passengers'  Exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum  In one of history's great migrations, more than six million people have crossed the world to settle in Australia.  At the Australian National Maritime Museum, the Welcome Wall stands in honour of all those who have migrated to live in Australia with names of individuals and families permanently engraved in bronze. Looking out onto the harbour from the Australian National Maritime Museum  Located outdoors on the museum's northern boundary, the wall faces Darling Harbour and Pyrmont Bay where some of the many new settlers arrived. Accessible all year-round,  it's lovely to stroll along the bronzed panels and learn more about the migration experience as well as reading the names engraved. Welcome Wall Plaque  In 1950, my husband Jim was a three year old and he travelled on the SS  Chitral  with his mother and father, Rose and Don Simmons and his sisters Patricia ...

Kung Hei Fat Choy - Cantonese for Happy New Year. Welcome the Year of the Dragon . A very auspicious year  it would seem … from the International Business Times … The Year of the Dragon is one of the most revered years of the Chinese New Year calendar, and those born under the sign are regarded as innovative, passionate people who are colourful, confident and fearless…. the Dragon is sometimes called a "karmic sign." The Dragon is larger than life and its appearance means that big things are to come. The Year of the Dragon is a flowing river, not a stagnant lake, so things happen quickly earlier in the year. The Dragon marks progression, perseverance and auspiciousness. It may also bring about unpredictable events. To celebrate the new year we spent a couple of days in Sydney with our  family for the launch of the Chinese New Year Festival. We are sorry we will not be able to enjoy the legendary parade next weekend, but it clashes with the beginning of the schoo...

No, I wasn't here either - this photo is courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald,  but I was at the "Not the New Year's Eve Concert - Live the Music" at the Sydney Opera House  to celebrate the end of 2010. It was a really fantastic concert with bright talented stars - soloist and orchestral musicians and opera singers. The venue was also magical . It doesn't matter how many times you visit the Opera House, each time is special . The architecture is amazing, the harbour sparkles and the concert hall is wondrous.  What else have I done to herald the New Year?  I finally gave in and went to a SALE. I don't usually bother with the post-Christmas sales, but I just couldn't resist this skirt. It was still expensive even at half price, but it reminded me of a  wonderful boat ride down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo and it fitted me! With the deadlines for the Art Dolls Only Challenges on New Year's Day, I have also been spending a lot of hours finis...