Flowers II

Yesterday I finished the flower page for Kath.
I will post the page today.
The page is still a bit grey. I hope it will get the color back arriving in Greece ;-)

This is the lovely page I had from Carmen isn't it just beautiful. Thank you so much. Sorry the picture is not good but i am not the best at digital photograph on this computer as my hubbys has all the photoshops etc still the page looks good.Thanks again

Juliette's page

Hi Juliette, I've just posted your page. Hope you don't mind if you get it early, we've so many strikes going on here in Greece now I thought better safe than sorry! Hope you enjoy whenever you receive it.

Playing with leaves.

This is just a quick post to show the result of playing around with fabric paints.

Yesterday, I was lucky to find a box of ten Setacolor Opaque fabric paints. I had gone into a shop looking for two or three colours to enhance my diminishing stock of colours, but came out with rather more than I had intended. The box made much more sense............ more colours to play with!



So this morning, I had some fun playing around with colours. I hope this might turn into the base layer for the page I shall be completing for Maya this month. Her theme is "Leaves".

Snippet for Juliette

Here's a peek of my page for Juliette plus a photo I got off the web hoping to be able to emulate in Kantha, but I chickened out! However hope it brightens the February weather for you! Are you due the snow again? We've got strong southerly winds at the mo; means it's quite warm, but also that we get 'Gadaffi's revenge' that is a lot of Saharan sand so the sky is about the same colour as part of your page!!

A Peak of Ann's February Fairytale Page

Here is a peak of Ann's page for February. I am going out of town tomorrow (if I can fly into Richmond, VA between storms) and finished my page for Ann several weeks ago. I was quite surprised to see Johoanna's page was based on Rapunzel because mine is too! I did send an e-mail to Ann and Johoanna about our pages being based on the same fairytale. Luckily, neither of them minded about that. My page doesn't resemble Johoanna's so it will just be a different take on the same tale. Ann - I had hoped to get this mailed off to you today but couldn't get to the post office. I will mail it to you when I get back on February 17th.

Thank you for my first page

Carmen when i returned from holidays this morning i could see an overseas's package waiting for me. Of course i had a tonn of rubbish in the mail and i kept yours to last so that i could drool over it. And drool over it i did to, its beautiful. I love it, If you could post a picture of it i would appreciate it, i will take one tomorrow but i haven't slept for nearly two days and i don't think i would do it justice. I will write more tomorrow sorry.
love Chris

Bookkeeping

Hi everyone!

According to what everyone has posted, it appears that most pages for January have been sent out. There are a couple that have been sent but not yet received - the page Cobi made for Elizabeth and the page that Carmen made for Chris. Chris was going to be out of town so she might not be back yet. I don't remember the exact dates that she was out of town.

It looks like Carmen and Gayle may not have received their page yet. Is that right, ladies? I am trying to keep track and make sure that all the pages are received. So if you are behind or have sent your page, do post so I know what's happening in regards to the different pages. Thanks!

I also sent an e-mail out to everyone with Johoanna's new address. Please make sure that you received the e-mail and that you change her address in your records. We don't want any of Johoanna's pages to get lost! If you didn't receive the e-mail, please let me know and I'll send it to you again.

If you made and sent a page and you know it was received, but it hasn't been posted yet, please feel free to post a photo and how you made it. It is always such a good learning process to hear about how the different pages were made. Hope everyone is having fun!

Liz's First Door Page

Liz has asked me to post pictures of the Doors page that I created for her, once she had recieved it. As we are anticiapting our second major snow storm in three days here in Virginia, I am doing so now as we will most likely loose power again, soon!!! I have had enough of winter so creating this page as ahidden forest doorway, was a breath of spring for me!!
one of the committments that I haqve made to myself in the creation of all of my pages for this swap is to use what I have and to recycle and repurpose in creative ways. This will ush me to think ab out what I ahve , find what I have and make room for future hunts for more treasure!! the background of this page was a wonderul green and brown plaid wool that was given to me just before it was put in the trash. I made the doorusing heavy duty interfacing that I painted with acrylic paint and then did some stitching for the wood details. I added leather hinges and a door handle. Then i got out my needle felting supplies and added the surrounding forest.
The hinges were added because the door opens to reveal a fabric/paper collage of endless possibility.

The photo is a bit dark but if I had used a flash, there would have been glare on the collage piece. The phrase reads, "Every Exit Leads To A NEw Entrance".To finish the page I added some hand stitching wih french knots and lazy dazy stitch and beads.Here are a few more detail shots.

Here is a piccture of the back. I kept it pretty simple and stitched on apocket of my own ahnd dyes fabric to hold a tag with all of the info for the swap.
I am now working on Shabby Chic for Deb and waitnig for the next storm!!!
Happy Stitching to all!!!

Page arrived

Hi Ladies my first page arrived today from Maya in India, I love it , all hand embroidery , fabric and some paper very cleverly manipulated into rocks , I will take pictures to post asap. What a lovely idea this was I was so happy to get my page and took it into college today, everyone loved it Maya.

Flowers

Just started with my next page: Flowers.
These three books I took as pool of ideas.
Have a nice Sunday - happy stitching

Opening Doors

My DOOR page has arrived! Woohoo! Elizabeth, it's better than I could have imagined. A door under the trees that calls invitingly - especially since we have half a foot of snow outside my real door this morning! Please post pictures for everyone to see and I will post some more on my blog. Right now I am working on Valentine's cards - which are late!!!! Oh dear, oh dear.

Chris-Coastline

Chris I mailed your page out on Feb. 29, so it should be there soon. Dreaming Quilts : ) Carmen

The "Real" Redwoods

Walking in the redwoods is truly an awesome experience. For those who have not had that joy, I thought I might show you a couple pictures of the real thing that show clearly the bark and the needles. I took a little artistic liberty with the needles. They are quite short and a medium to dark green. We live 3-4 hours from the coast where they grow and try to get over there at least once each summer. A belated "You're Welcome, Ruth." I'm glad you like it.

The first leaf in the book of Leaves

Here's the first page of leaves made by Kath in Greece which I recieved yesterday.

Its a wonderful page full of texture and great embroidery no doubt inspired by the beauty of her surrounings on Crete. Thank you for the brochure about Rethymno.

Thanks Mandy

Just got a great page from Mandy. Machine embroidery, lino stamps and beads ON the card with extra flower beads for when I make up my book!! Thanks so much, Mandy, I love it - such a varied and colourful start to the year.

window

Elisabeth, today I finally mailed your window page. Here's a tiny view of the page. I hope the mail will be quick and I hope you like it. I enjoyed making it a lot. It includes snow dyed fabric, neocolor wax pastels, SRE, appliqué, reverse appliqué and embroidery.

Fairy tale book page

Yesterday I received my first fabric book page. I love it.
Do you recognize the fairy tale? I am sure you do.
Yes it is Repunzel

The page has a lovely blue sky. The castle is applique and the hedge is confetti yarn.
The back of the page is out of the same fabric as the sky. It has a pocket with the tale in it.
Tank you very much Johanna.

A Note About" Windows"

I was just reading over the mailing list for our swap and seeing who I was creating a page for this month, when I noticed that I ahd added a caveat to my theme preference. I did not remember that I had added No Goth after the theme. I would like to explain that statement a bit.
I LOVE medieval architecture but I do not like the dark sinister goth style of today. I guess that I don't really understand the whole Goth thing, just assume that it is another form of self expression for many young people. It is not my thing! However I do love all things Medieval in the historical sense. I hope that this clarifies things a bit for everyone!!!
It looks like I will begin creating a page for Debi next, what fun!!!!!
I hope that all is well with everyone!

A Walk In the Redwoods

Look at this gorgeous page that Gayle sent me. It is based on the redwoods near her home in Redding, California. She used a recycled crinkly skirt to make the bark, ribbon floss to make the ferns, Caron Watercolors for the path border and the rest in DMC. She included a poem on the back by Robert Louis Stevenson.

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest

makes a claim upon mens' hearts, as for that

subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation

from old trees, that so wonderfully

changes and renews a weary spirit.

I love it Gayle, thanks so much. And the poem is perfect. I absolutely agree that the quality of air in a forest is wonderful to behold! I can almost smell the fresh clean air in amongst the redwoods.

tree of life á là Klimt by Chris

A couple of days ago I received an envelope. The outside was exciting already with pretty drawing. When I opened it, this gorgeous page came out. I totally love this tree of life, thank you Chris. You've done a wonderful job. When I turned it around I discovered viewcards, a notecard and the pin. Thank you for everything. I feel totally spoiled.

Page For Liz- Hints!!

Well here it is Saturday January 30th and we, here in South eastern Virginia (around Fredericksburg) are being hammered by a winter storm, yet again!!!
We have an unprecedented 10 inches on the ground and it is still snowing!! This is all well and good for those of us who were brought up in New England and are used to driving in snow, but Southerners do NOT do well in snow. So we stay off the roads!!!!

This has been a very haphazard week for me and not at all what I had planned. I had not planned on coming down with Bronchitis but I did, I had not planned on being snowed in but we have been . I did not plan on being late getting my page in the mail, but here we are!!! SIGH!!!

Liz, your page will be in the mail ,winging it's way to you on Monday morning, assuming that it stops snowing by then!!!!

Here are a few hints, teasers if you will to let you know that I have been playing and creating and having wonderful fun crafting this for you!! What you may not know is that if you had not chosen Doors as your theme for your fabric book, I would have !! SO two Elizabeth' s with an interest in doors, portals, entrances and exits- very intrigueing!!! When is your Birthday? What other things do we have in common , I wonder!!!

I am thrilled to be involved in this swap and I love seeing everything that everyone else is creating and I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you!!!

Do let me know when the page arrives and I will post more pictures and tell all what I did with it!
Wherever you are I aope that it is warmer where you are than it is right now in snowey windy -10 degree F Virginia!!! As Ruth would say this is Wyoming weather not Virginia weather!!!!

Flowers are travelling.

I have just returned from posting off my first page. This was "Flowers" for Kath. The detail above is a piece I was free machine embroidering for the page. Fursther photos will follow as soon as I know the page has arrived safely.

A Walk in the Redwoods

I have mailed Ruth's page to her, and will post the complete scan when I know it has arrived. Here's a little piece.

Castles

This is my page for Carmen before any machine work was done on it, I have almost finished and will post Saturday.

Castles

I'm starting the page for February. This one is for Carmen and the theme is Castles.

Since I'm from India I'm trying to incorporate an Indian flavour to the pages I make. We don't have castles in India as far as I know but we do have fabulous palaces, forts and palaces within forts etc.

As you can see from the pictures I've collected for inspiration, arches are an important architectural feature in most Indian palaces and forts and the arched shape of the page is going to lend itself beautifully to the theme.

I've posted my first page of The Seashore out to Juliette. I think you should have it in your mail box by the end of next week.

window

I've started working on my page for this month. What do I need for a window?
A wall, check; wood, check; net curtain, check.
Let the building begin.

The sea - first page.

Oh thank you Trillian. My first page has arrived!



I just love the way Trillian has interpreted the fish and coral. There is a delightful starfish too!

It is so exciting seeing just how others depict the same theme. Now I must go and complete the first page I am making.

January page for Debi

Debi has received the page I made for her and I have posted pictures on my blog From the Basement.  Please go take a look!

That was so much fun that I am ready to start the next page right away!!  My next assignment is Gayle and All Creatures Great and Small.  Oooh.  I can think of a LOT of ideas for that one!  While I'm choosing, here is a cute picture of some critters from C&T Publishing:

The picture is from Mary Link's "100+ No-Sew Fabric Crafts for Kids."  One of these animals will make it onto my swap page.  Which one will it be?

Ready to roll

Here's a snippet of the page I'll be sending to Maya on Monday, hope she likes it!!

Finishing Up

Chris no pics yet. I have all my stitching done now it's to put on the back and bind. I think it looks good. LOL Dreaming Quilts : ) Carmen

OMG!!!! I Just Received My First Page!!!

Oh wow!  I'm so excited.  I got my first page today and it's from Ruth.  Thank you so much Ruth.  It's more perfect than you could ever imagine.

Ruth did the Tree Goddess for me.  I love her.  She's beautiful.  What can I say?

Ruth attached a poem to the back.

Think Like A Tree

Soak up the sun
Affirm life's magic
Be graceful in the wind
Stand tall after a storm
Feel refreshed after it rains
Grow strong without notice
Be prepared for each season
Provide shelter to strangers
Hang tough through a cold spell
Emerge renewed at the first sign of spring
Stay deeply rooted wile reaching for the sky
Be still long enough to hear your own leaves rustling
- by Karen Shragg

The sea

I finished my first book page. The theme is the sea. I used felt for the background. It is wet felted wool. The background is quilted and decorated. I hope Mandy will like it.

A Personal Update

I'm not sure if you know or not, but I am moving away from Orange, where I currently live.  There are lots of reasons for this, which I won't go into.  But let's just say....

I'M SO DARNED EXCITED!!!

Well, here's the short of it.  I'm moving up to a small place called Nimbin, small in name, small in population, BIG in character.  How big?

I hope that gives you some idea of the character of the town.

Nimbin is an artist and hippy community.  It is touted as the hippy capital of Australia.  I'm certainly looking forward to getting involved in the community.

I'll be camping indefinately.  I honestly don't know what's around the corner.  All I know is that this town is tugging on my heart strings, and has been for some time.

My travel plans are all arranged, and everything is now booked.  I'm leaving Orange on the 4th of February, staying overnight in Sydney, then continuing onto Nimbin (north of Lismore) on the 5th.  I'm catching buses and trains as I don't have a car.

So, most of you will get hand stitched and embellished books.  But that's fine, I often prefer handwork to machine work anyway.

Shall keep you all updated on my travels, and will upload pics to my profile on Ning as I can.

Fairytales

I honestly didn't realise there were so many different fairytales to choose from.  Hundreds, litterally!  Oh My!  What's a girl to do?  Pick my favourite of course.  I've had this one fairytale that I've always loved, and so that is the one I have chosen.  Ann, you will have to wait to get your page before you'll find out what it is.  But I do hope you like it.

Here is a small peek.  And yes, I've just finished it for you.  Shall wrap it up safely with a few little goodies for you.  It was fun to make.  Thank you for encouraging me to go back to my childhood to find inspiration.

The Seashore

Here's a little sneak peek of the page I'm creating for Juliette's book - The Seashore.

I hope to have it finished this week.Keeping my fingers crossed you'll like it Juliette.

Finished!

Johoanna, your page "The Goddess Within" is completed! I will be sending it out to you either tomorrow or Monday. So keep an eye out. Here's another little sneak peak for everybody. I know Chris is finished with her page for Cobi. Anyone else getting close to finished? I'd love to see a sneak peak from everyone if you can.

Liz Getting Started

My first page is for Debi - "Shabby Chic Vintage"  I'm not real sure what that is, so I did some web surfing:

I'm thinking lace and pastel colors . . .

. . . and buttons!

Will that work?

Flowers

For some reason I have been taken by the urge to make some lino cut blocks today. Not sure how this is going to help me make my page for Kath, but I tend to follow urges like this to find out where it is all going to lead. I wish I was more organised and could sketch everything else first, but that just doesn't usually work for me.

Just for now I have this fascination with the idea of mixing print with stitch. I shall let you know what happens next as soon as I have worked that out for myself.

Have fun!

A Beginning

This is a very small peak of what I started for Johoanna today. Her theme choice is "The Goddess Within" and I'm sure this doesn't look like a goddess at all. I made the background on my needle felting machine today and now I'm adding hand stitching. I should be done in a week or so Johoanna and then I'll send it off to you. How is everyone else doing? Have you started your pages yet? Do let us see a peak.