Shadow Shot

Sunlight on walls filtering through vertical blinds and security screen.
Reminds me of ash trees with sunlight glinting off their fissured silver bark.

The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap

I AM!

Head on over to Do What You Love for Life to join in too.  There'll be a giveaway draw for luscious Japanese stationery for everyone who takes part... but you've got to be in it to win it!

Fave ICAD from 2011

Daisy Yellow prompt for yesterday (yeh I'm a day late in reading her post.. oops) was to post a favourite card from last year's challenge.  I think this is mine.  It started off life as a small rubber stamp that I bought years back.  It has the row of little bird houses along the top of an empty frame.  I copied the houses freehand to fit the icard, and then added a tree to give them a background.  Looking back at it I love the vibrancy of the colours.  I'm not sure I got the shading right though - the light seems to be coming at it from all angles!

Hop on over to Daisy Yellow to find out more about ICAD and join the fun!

Have fun x

ICAD 2012 - vive la carte postale!

It's back, it's big, it's fun!  It's two months of making art every day within the confines of an index card.  Now I confess that I didn't see last year's event through to the end, but this time around, I think if I stick to the smaller card format, I might just be able to keep going.  And I'm not going to be drawn (ha) into competition to make my cards the best, because I can't!  It's hard, but I should just concentrate on 5 minutes making creative (?) marks on the card, rather than thinking I have to have a style, a point, a purpose, lots of colour or a perfect work of art. 

So, if you too want to have some fun, get some inspiration and make something arty, head on over to Daisy Yellow by clicking on the badge in my sidebar.

Have fun :)

The Eco Prints Are Out!

These are the results of various bundles that have been lying around drying out slowly.  These are a mixture of plant samples from rose leaves on the right of the collage to eucalyptus cinarea on the right.  The purple is from red cabbage - some of the bundles came into contact with another which just contained red cabbage and absorbed some of the dye.  I'm loving the central print which is a mix of very semi successful eucalypt (black prints) with a blue to purple cabbage patch!  Looking at it in the frame of pictures it looks almost like the ghost of an abstract landscape.

The circular prints are in fact from shibori style wrapping around pecan nuts (unshelled) and simmered in plain water. The fabric is old cotton sheeting.  When wet these looked pale and insipid.  Only once left to dry in the bundle did the colour concentrate and develop.  They have not been rinsed.

The purple-ish prints at the top of the collage are not cabbage, but rose petals wrapped in cotton around a glass and steamed (in fact all prints above are steamed).  The little brown stamp you can see is from a printed image on the glass itself!

To see more detail click on the image.

Current Inspiration
India Flint
Windthread
Jude Hill
Blue Eyed Girl

Editor's note: Also hugely inspired by Soewn Earth - do check out her latest on tea bags and eucalypts.

Red Cabbage

Progression: Reused and unloved cotton scraps wrapped with eucalyptus cinarea (scuse spelling) and other random gum leaves.  Mordanted with bougainvillea flower soak which didn't dye well.  Old cotton hankie rolled up with slices or red cabbage.. no mordant other than previous laundering.  Cotton scrap with whole leaf of red cabbage, mordanted with soy milk.  All mordanted with a quick dip into vinegar bath to moisten the fibres.  Steamed for 1 hour.

Observation: The cotton hankie has taken the dye from the chopped cabbage amazingly well and has turned a deep blue.  Note the colour difference with the purple wrapped cotton bundle.  Same head of cabbage, different initial mordant.  Other bundles which were touching the cotton hankie (the blue bundle) have picked up purple tinges.  Waiting to unwrap.. patience is hard!

Our Creative Spaces - a wealth of inspiration

The After?

There is no before because I didn't take photos of before. I forgot. I didn't think about it. I was busy cleaning out all the moths and the c^@) they kindly left behind. Larder moths are not good. Neither are flour bugs. Nyeh! Yeugh!

They have been banished. Washed up. There is a new moth trap. All of the boxes are recycled Aussie Farmers Direct big and small boxes and box-lids. Strong, working like drawers, keeping things contained. Almost co-ordinated!

The floor is clear. Almost. All bags have been organised. All cloth bags are together ready for the next trip. Oversize carriers have been folded and stored in the white boxy bag. Paper bags are flat and stored in another paper bag... you can't see it from here. I am enjoying looking at my pantry. Is it now good feng shui? It makes me feel good. That's good enough for me.