Showing posts with label Things I love Thursday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Things I love Thursday. Show all posts

Summer stuff

"Foxglove, foxglove, what do you see?"
The cool green woodland, the fat velvet bee;
Hey Mr Bumble, I've honey here for thee!

"Foxglove, foxglove, what see you now?"
The soft summer moonlight on bracken, grass and bough;
And all the fairies dancing as only they know how

Cicely Mary Barker
foxgloves at Morvah

I've never had a lot of luck with foxgloves in my garden
but these quintessentially English summer flowers
grow prolifically in the hedgerows and woodlands around me
so I delight in them there

I love foxgloves almost as much as I love honeysuckle
the hedgerows far more alluring than a cultivated garden
"round whose feet ... a thousand fairies flock with blossoms sweet"

July and summertime bring many sweet pleasures
the strawberries that grow in the wild are by far the sweetest!

of course ... I sampled :o)

and this was on my way to Tescos
which was a rather strange experience for me since
I got half way there and discovered I still had my slippers on
my mind not quite on the job in hand obviously!

in fact there has been too much going on recently
and once again a bit of a catch up is necessary

Friday 10 June

I had a trip on the open top bus to visit a friend
who lives in the stunning countryside near Morvah

I always enjoy sitting out in the fresh air (and I mean fresh!)
it's alright so long as your dressed for the occasion
(and take a plastic carrier bag to sit on)
so would thoroughly recommend it if you get the chance!

the day passed far too quickly with visits to galleries at
Morvah School House and Yew Tree Gallery
as well as lunch at The Cook Book in St. Just

and a trip to Flying Squirrel for the purchase of batting
for my art quilt for Festival of Quilts
(separate post about that later)

and another blustery ride back to St. Ives!

looks can be deceptive!

Wednesday 15th June
Crow Day with Jo


Crow Days with my friend Jo are always loads of fun
really it's just licence to be silly, laugh a lot and have time to stitch
otherwise known as "professional development"

I started this spring landscape piece earlier in the year
but it has since turned into an autumn landscape
with the addition of seedheads, bare trees and autumn leaves

it's still not finished ... there are many more leaves to stitch
but soon ... I hope ... there will be some peaceful time to sew

Jo and I went to see the poignant exhibition of work by Roy Ray
"Observations on a Journey" and
"Where their footsteps left no trace"

Roy Ray with four of the five panels
an incredibly powerful exhibition of his paintings and assemblages
which form part of The Evilution Project
(please do visit)

These five panels each measuring 5ft x 2ft are part of the first phase of the Evilution Project and are memorials to the millions of innocent men, women and children who became victims of conflict by the corrupt use of science and technology: many because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or from the wrong country or wrong race. Every single one of those people meant something to someone and should not be forgotten

the panels are shortly to be installed at
St Peter's Church, nr. Ground Zero, New York


from 30 July 2011

they will be exhibited there during the 10th anniversary of
the September 11th terror attacks on The World Trade Centre

see press release for more information

Friday 17 June

We had friends arrive to stay with us in the cottage for two weeks

Just before (really bad timing) my washing machine "conveniently" broke down and I waited all week for parts to arrive and then it became apparent it couldn't be fixed and I needed a new one so then a frustrating few days was spent catching up with laundry etc.

The weather was really bad too with rain and cold chilly winds
so I stayed home and made beads whenever I had the chance

Tuesday 21 June

Jo and I went to see the exhibition of mixed media
and fine art textiles at Camborne College

I enjoyed seeing some fabulous and interesting work
from the fine art textile students
my favourite pieces were by Annie Ward

followed by a trip to the Cornwall Scrap Store for stash top ups


and photographing some natural patterns on the wall
of the old building round the back of the Scrap Store

and a treat of hot chocolate drink and
lemon cake at Costa Coffee in Hayle ... yum!

Sunday 26th June

We had our hottest day of the year so far ... swelteringly hot
and on Monday we had a day of fog and Cornish mizzle in St. Ives

we woke to a misty morning

our misty morning inspired this mosaic for Mosaic Monday
with thanks to my friends on flickr for sharing their beautiful photographs

1. Somewhat compulsive 2. Beach
3. Porthmeor beach, St Ives 4. Misty water spotty rocks

it didn't stop us getting out for beachcombing
and it didn't stay misty too long

early evening in St. Ives

Thursday 3oth June

a seaside inspired mosaic for TILT

Things I love Thursday

seaside piers, board walks, shiny shells, white coral
sea fans, sea urchins, mussels, ethereal seascapes
birds, shimmery wet sand and white surf spray


1st July

better late than never ... my calendar for July

image courtesy - rosewithoutathorn84

July wishes ... sunshine and time to enjoy it

Sorry it was a long one again but I had to catch up because the next month is also going to be another busy one with family coming to stay on Tuesday and the rest of the month spent bent over my sewing machine working on my entry for Festival of Quilts. I will be sharing the progress of my quilt at a later stage ... for the time being I need to make some serious headway with it!!!

I shall be at Festival of Quilts on Thursday 11 August

I don't leave Cornwall to go "up country" very often
so it would be nice to meet as many of you as I can on the day

please do let me know if you will be at FOQ on Thursday
it would be lovely to say "hello"

creative wishes
Carolyn

Autumn blessings (part 1)

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans
John Lennon


berries, shining and scarlet
Life seems to be so busy all the time...

We all seem to juggle so many things in our daily lives and working weeks. I don't know about you ... but I am constantly trying to find that elusive balance between meaningful time with family and friends, working, blogging and actually creating

I make endless lists and try to work out new "realistic" housework schedules in an effort to gain control.
The days rush by ...

~ petite pomme ~
a tiny apple the size of a cherry



I feel like I missed the best of the summer ... so I'm making sure I don't miss out on my favourite time of the year. Every spare moment I get I've been out walking, gathering Autumn treasures and taking photos

berries, shining and scarlet


conkers ... richly dark
Sadly, I didn't find time to go blackberry picking and make jam this year. Devil's Blackberry Day is nearly upon us and the blackberries I've seen in the hedgerows are now past their best ...

... but I did make a collaged card for a friend's birthday
with sycamore seeds and a leaf

on the dry leaf carpet
and the colours in the leaf inspired this mosaic for
Things I Love Thursday

Autumn blessings
Things I Love Thursday

... rich rose pink tones, warm Autumn reds, berries
pomegranates, roses, sunsets, poppies, nature and textiles ...


I also made a couple of little stitched ATCs from silk velvet and beads

with love


I like to ramble!

it was such a glorious day

in the woods and lanes the leaves were beginning to turn

Autumn's rich berries


and I like to press a few fallen leaves for projects through the year


leaves of many colours


A busy time ... we went "up country" for a wedding at Chiddingfold, Surrey on the 18th September

We had the St. Ives September Festival from 11th to 25th September and went to see Robin Trower, The Hamsters, Limehouse Lizzy and Livewire AC DC "For Those About to Rock" which took me back to my NWOBHM days :o)


Then on 24th September blog buddies Julie and Stewart came down to St. Ives for a couple of weeks staying in a cottage at Westcotts Quay

The day we chose to meet up it was dark and raining heavily so we were quite happy to sit in Bumbles Tea Room in The Digey most of the morning, drinking tea with a tea cake, chatting, catching up and exchanging gifts

Julie's DH gave me some of his cards featuring his beautiful photography. This is one that he took in Italy, one of my favourite places, and I chose to show it because I love those warm rosy tones. I think it's a great photograph. Thank you Stewart ♥

Julie is such a nice blog friend, we get on so well :o)

I had some lovely pressies from her ... some cream lace from a vintage dress, a rose scented heart, some red beads made from carved stone, some textured hand made silk paper from textile artist Dawn Correia in Lincoln and something extra-specially gorgeous that Julie made for me (which is connected to my pebble project on the other blog so I will be showing it there). Thank you Julie ♥

We had lunch in their cottage in Westcotts Quay and her DH made us delicious cheese on crumpets and we had buns with our tea. Soon after, it stopped raining and it brightened up so we went on the lifeboat beach for some beachcombing

flotsam and jetsam washed ashore

ballad of the fisherman hauling his nets

To top off our day nicely Julie and I had a look round an exhibition of textiles and crafts in The Arts Club where I bumped into many friends. It was a grand day out :o)

Thank you for visiting my blog today

I do hope you will pop back for Autumn blessings (part 2) coming drekly ... natural dyeing with plant dyes, Alfred Wallis hearts, nature tags, more autumn photos, a workshop Julie and I did with favourite artist Sally MacCabe and special things from friend Cathy Cullis ... and there will also be a post on my other blog some time this weekend ...

Happy days
Carolyn ♥

The golden glow of September

Things I love Thursday
the golden warmth of sunrise, soft warm light from candle glow,
Viv's delicate moth collection, perfect pomegranates,
encaustic leaf art and paint runs in a sketchbook

1. Summer dance detail 2. Where I've been 3. Christmas table 2009
4. Sunrise 5. From butterfly/moth/insect collection 6. pp

Thank you to my flickr friends and faves for sharing their beautiful images



September was a golden month ...

I took some time out to work on sketchbook pages,
natural dyeing with montbretia, eucalyptus leaves and onion skins,
stitching little Alfred Wallis hearts in gold and
making nature inspired tags and ATCs

September brought ...

a joyful and beautiful wedding to attend
a chance to visit family and friends and
the celebration of our own wedding anniversary



Have a lovely day and if it's a bit dull where you are ...
light a pretty candle and enjoy the golden glow!

Things I Love Thursday






















Things I love Thursday - old bears and playing with textures to make my photos look grungy and old. Textures used are from playingwithbrushes

Please click on the links to see who owns the bears above :o)
1. Otis 2. Chicory - a new bear 3. Teddy 4. Pepper

Have a lovely day whatever you are up to ;o)
Carolyn ♥

Things I Love Thursday ♥

My mosaic is loosely inspired by a vintage copy of Gray's Anatomy I found in a charity shop this past week
























Things I Love Thursday - faces, forms, figures, fine art, phrenology, textiles, journals, collages, childhood dollies, playing with Photoshop ...

... and being back home again!

1. Womans' suffrage card - detail 2. Risk & faith 3. A winter's tale 4. Women 5. La prière d'une vierge 6. Kindness and respect 7. Dans la vitrine 8. Stella im Hultberg 9. Antique fair 10. Phrenology journal 11. Trio 12. Lady 13. Vintage dolls found in trash

Thank you to my flickr friends and faves

My dolly - layers and textures added in Photoshop



















Carolyn ♥

Tea and Textiles

Thank you for visiting me today. I hope you will share a cup of tea with me while you visit ... and pass the biccies ...

I'm up to the letter T in my alphabet series. T is for textiles, tea, teabags, tea cups, teapots, tags, teabag art and thundery skies

poured tea





















Tis for tea - my inchy for the inchybyinch challege. I used a scrap of torn tea towel (drying up cloth) and a teapot button mounted on a black inchy chip with a snippet of text - poured tea

The teabag is raspberry, cranberry and elderflower. It's such a lovely colour I like to use the tea to colourwash sketchbook pages and papers

having tea













Torn linen, text and image from Emma













T is for tags coloured with tea and embellished with tea time thingies

fairy cakes






















This one was made with a tea dyed tag, torn linen, a dried teabag, cup cake and some text






















I photo'd the tag on the first cookery book I ever owned when I was aged 13 called "Good Housekeeping's Cooking is Fun". It even has instructions on how to make a pot of tea or coffee including wise counsel such as "fill the kettle from the cold water tap and put it on to boil" :o)

the tea tray


















This tag was simply made from a scrap of torn tea towl, a tea cup button and the words "the tea tray". It just needs a little bead or button for the lid which I forgot to do!

share a cup of tea





















Torn linen, torn (are you reading this Carole!) tea towel, torn teabag edge and a snippet of text ... share a cup of tea

Tag treatments





















T is for tags dipped in tea ... I added some paint and specks of copper metallic powder while the tags were still damp. This is how I do my tags and then I sometimes edge them with distress ink to make them look like they've been around a bit

I made a teeny mosaic inspired by the colours of these gorgeous tea cups - this is my particular favourite tone of red (but all reds are lovely!)

Red spotty teacups





















1. Wall Hanger Be Mine 1 2. For those of you who love those cups 3. Tiny Spark Mixed Media Collage 4. Untitled

The picture on my kitchen calendar for June was pretty and aptly tea related ...






















... make the most of a sunny afternoon, bring out the best cups and saucers and linger over tea on the terrace ...

Thundery ... our weather this week has been more humid and moody than sunny

Stormy skies
















I took this photo from the top of the open top bus on Wednesday. I went on the bus to Geevor to meet up with a good friend. We went to Morvah Schoolhouse gallery and tea rooms and had a pot of tea and hot buttered crumpets. They were yummy!

Textiles - the current exhibition was called "Natural Elements" showing textiles by Gillian Farrell and ceramics by Jemima Mitchell

Treading Lightly - we also visited the current exhibition "Treading Lightly" at The Yew Tree Gallery at Morvah ... a wonderful gallery of contemporary art in all media

I was so pleased to see the beautiful woven willow work of Lizzie Farey at The Yew Tree Gallery. I was at school with Lizzie and her twin Rachel for five years ...






















... and I really enjoyed seeing the whimsical art of Edwina Bridgeman






















I made a little mosaic from photos I took on Wednesday






















1. Jemima Mitchell 2. Interesting patterns in wood 3. Magie Hollingworth 4. Gillian Farrell 5. Pebbles 6. Edwina Bridgeman 7. Edwina Bridgeman 8. Gillian Farrell 9. Jemima Mitchell

Textures - the 3D paper pieces by Magie Hollingworth were wonderful, with such interesting and inspiring textures



















Thursday I had another go at dyeing with avocado skins, this time with a bit more success! I boiled the skins for 15 mins and then added the fabrics for another 15 mins






















I had these fabrics (below) in the dye jar for two days






















I'm leaving the fabrics in the other jar for one more week to see what happens and will let you know if anything interesting develops

Things I Love Thursday
Tea dyeing and teabag art





















Things I Love Thursday - fabrics and lace dyed with tea, natural dyeing experiments and samples, using tea as a colourwash on paper and beautiful teabag art

1. New works 2 - flock 2. Highfield Wagga 2002 3. Tea + iron 4. Teabag art 5. Autumn 6. Muslin lavender sachets 7. On a rainy day 8. The tea bags - so far 9. Cyanotype tea tone tests 10. Teabags 11. Tea 12. Pure but never simple - scrap salvage corsage brooch 13. Winter acorns - a mosaic I made for the flickr group TILT on Thursday just gone

Thank you for reading my rosy ramblings. Hope you have a fab week
Carolyn ♥