happy new year !!

happy new year hope its a healthy, happy and creative year for each and everyone of you !! I have learned so much this year and enjoyed making new friends and being involved in the many swaps. I really look forward to 2011 and hopefully beeing more creative and sharing more projects.  Thankyou to everyone that stops by and takes a little interest in what i'm sharing and for all the lovely comments.

take care everyone
michelle  xx

silk ribbon christmas tree !

Merry christmas everyone !!  i finished my silk ribbon tree, it is my first attempt at silk ribbon embroidery and it was a workshop offered by my embroidery guild ! I really enjoyed making this little piece of art !! I also want to  share some christmas mixed media ornaments i made at a little workshop with Sandra Spagnuolo what a breath of fresh air that lady is !! so much fun !!  I really want to thank you all for taking the time to stop by and i love receiving your comments !!  well have a wonderful christmas i hope santa is good to you all !!
love and best wishes xx

Fabric dyeing and an Online textile workshop !

Last saturday i took a fabulous class with Elaine Quail on fabric dyeing ! what a lot of fun and i just loved my results ! we dyed a 12 step colour wheel and then 4 fat quarters of mixed colours. Elaine was a wonderful teacher and a lovely lady i would definately take more classes with Elaine ! you can check out Elaine here
http://www.elainequehl.blogspot.com/

here are my fabrics  the colours do not photograph to well !!

I have signed up to do Shelagh Folgate's online textile workshop ! It is a series of 8 workshops and the first one starts tomorrow but we got our first lesson today and it looks like so much fun !!  check out what it is all about for yourself  http://shelaghfolgate.blogspot.com/    There are artists from all around the globe signed up so should be very interesting and a lot of fun !!  Can't wait to get started just have to gather my supplies and maybe finish off a couple of ufo's and i am already to go !!

Talking of finishing it was my last embroidery guild class today till january and i really had a great time with my classes mixed media stitch with Donna Funnell   http://fibrejournal.blogspot.com/  we did a lot of fun projects stitching on painted peltex, lutrador, and assorted papers and on fabric. I have them all started but not one finished (smile )  i am hoping to get them finished over the next month, a couple of them or very close to being finished ! Today we had a little play !  making small purse books they were so cute here is mine

Look what i got !!

I know it's been a while but i don't know about you but i have had a hard time with blogger trying to post !! Anyhow i so have to share this wonderful encaustic piece of art that my friend Lucy gave me a good couple of weeks ago !  I love it and will cherish it ! The colours are wondrful !!

Next just look at my wonderful zentangle postcard i received from Judy and she also was kind enough to send me a christmas ornament and two magnets so sweet !!  Thankyou girls !!!!

I have been crafting but i have quite a few un finished projects and i realy want to try and finish them before i post so keep watch as i have a few things on the go ( story of my life hee hee ) .

Zentangle postcard for Judy !

I can now share the zentangle postcard i made for Judy, i have been trying my hand at drawing a little as you know with the help of Judy but lately i have found myself caught up in lifes happenings so my drawing has been a little at a standstill !  I decided to do a Canada theme for my postcard and i did enjoy creating it ! glad Judy likes it !!

october lace atc

Well i can share my lace atc i made for pauline in the october swap on stitchin fingers as she has now received it  !   I made the lace by freemotion stitching on some water soluble stabiliser.  You really have to make sure you stitch over each shape making sure everything is connected or else when you dissolve the solvy it will also fall apart !! I wanted my lace to look like flowers and i was happy with my result. I layered the lace onto a piece of hand dyed fabric couching it in place and then embroidered in some of the centres.  I also added some stickles glitter which i just love and then just finished the edges with a satin stitch.  I am going to make some more of my own lace it was fun !!

Lace ATC !!

Look what came in the mail from Marylou this adorable atc ! the theme was lace this month on the stitchin fingers site and Marylou created a wonderful piece of art that i am thrilled to have !!  I will post mine when i know they have received it.  I will also post a zentangle postcard when i know it has been received so stay tuned !!

Happy thanksgiving 10-10-10

Happy thanksgiving ! it has been a glorious weekend weather wise been able to get some more gardening done, beeing more careful this week as last week i fell off the ladder cutting my twisty tree i wasn't hurt just a little bruised it was rather funny :)  A quick update on my friend hubby he has had his surgery and everything went great just have to wait till thursday to see if they got all the cancer ! My friend in England is also doing as well as can be she is in great spirits even though she is now having her chemo ! i want to thankyou all for your kind words and thoughtfulness you are all such wonderful people and i am glad to have made friends with you all !

ok enough sad topics i am really enjoying my guild class we are doing mixed media stitch and Donna Funnel is teaching it. The class is inspired by Susan Sorrell from FAMM as Donna has taken many of Susans classes which Donna highly recommends . We are kind of doing a taster and starting new small projects each week so we have something to work on at home here is a little look at what i have done so far fom my week 1 I have not done much embroidery since i was in school  so this has been a little challenging but still enjoyable ! well hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy today 10-10 -10 !!!!

sad news and a quick update !!

I know it's been a little while since my last post but a lot has been going on with my friends and i have been helping them.  My best friends husband recently found out he has cancer and he actually goes in for surgery tomorrow but thats not all his brother comitted suicide just over a week ago and it blew the family away !  It is so tragic and i can see the pain he is dealing with. My friend is such a trooper whilst trying to mourn her brotherin law she is trying to keep her huband focused and not let this tragedy hinder his well being for his surgery. Her sisiter in law is now on suicide watch as she feels she can't live without her husband so my friend has also been taking turns to stay with her. I have been trying to keep my friend focused and help with the family etc. I am praying that her husbands surgery goes well please pray along side me !!

My very close friend back in England called me last week to tell me she had lung cancer and breast cancer wow i was blown away so much tragedy around me at the moment i feel sadned to the pit of my stomach for them all. I have been checking in on her and she has started her chemo she is such a strong person and she is so positive i admire her strength ! I pray for her well being also !  On a brighter note my dads cancer is shrinking the harmone treatment seems to be working so that is refreshing to hear.

I have started my textile class again though i am struggling to focus i have also joined the embroidery guild so i am being taught some mixed media stitchery by Donna Funnel. The guild i joined is a teaching guild so hopefully i will gain some embroidery experience.  I am also doing a zentangle postcard swap with Judy honestly Judy it is almost complete ! I am learning to draw better with the help of Judy she has set up a blog and she is such an inspiring person i would love to meet her one day as i would all my blogging friends ! here is a link to Judy's drawing blog    http://judymccarthysdrawings.blogspot.com/ .  well thats all for now thanks for stopping by and  stay healthy and happy !!  here is my first drawing of a face don't laugh ha ha she looks a little scary !!

it was my birthday today !

Yes another year older phew the time flies !!  so i realised today was 8/9/10 so how often does that happen ! But i did have a great day and my hubby bought me the most gorgeous diamond ring i  will take a pic tomorrow had too many wines tonight so i think the pic will be blurry ! bet i wake up in the morning and regret writing this post because i tell you the key board looks a little blurry lol ! so please forgive the spelling etc !   I cant believe i am 46 yep 46 flipping eck i still feel like im in my 20s but i definately don't look like i'm in my 2o's   ok talk soon love my blogging friend s

hugs to all xxx

congrats to my daughter !!

Hi everyone, a little bit of exciting news to share ! my daughter got her drivers license, she is so excited !!! she has been taking out my car but i am so nervous as i think it's too big for her yet and it is only a year old .  So we bought her a car yesterday a little black ford focus hatchback she gets it tomorrow.   I can't believe my babygirl is sixteen and driving and she even got herself a part time job i am just so proud of her !!  The excitement and job has really helped to take her mind off the family going back, although she has spoken to them almost every day lol !!!

I am finally getting back into a routine although it is so hot here at the moment that i still dont feel like crafting yet !  i am enjoying beeing outside in the pool too much !   It is in the 30's today and with humidity feels like its in the 40's .  It is supposed to break for the weekend and cool right down !!  I am hoping my momentum comes back soon and my creative juices start to flow because at the moment it's lost in space somewhere !!
I am thinking that once Sophie goes back to school next week then maybe i will get in my sewing room and try and create.
Hope your all being creative and thanks for taking the time to reply and for caring love my blogging friends !!! x here is a pic of my gorgeous daughter !!

I am so sad !

My family went back to England today ! we all had such a wonderful time together and our trip to Chicago was fantastic !  We had great weather great food and lots of great memories were made.  The three weeks went by so quickly i am so going to miss them. My daughter cant stop crying she really misses her grandparents and cousins and she had such a blast with her aunty.  I always feel so sad for a couple of weeks after they have gone takes me a bit to get over the visit.
I hope to get my house back straight and cleaned  then i can get back to my crafting and catching up with everyones blogs .

thanks for stopping by !!!!!!

postcard and atc !!

Hi just a quick post ! keeping busy with my family having fun ! here is the atc i sent for the stitchin fingers wings swap and the postcard for the postcard swap and the theme was fireworks !

my silk fusion workshop and visitors for 3 weeks!

This week is so busy for me, monday and tuesday i took a silk fusion 2 day workshop with Maggie Vanderweit, what a lovely lady ! the class was so much fun ! you can see some of maggies work on her website http://www.stonethreads.ca/
 Today i have spent the day cleaning the house getting it ready for my visitors which arrive from England on friday !  I am excited to see my relatives it;s hard beeing so far away from them. I have my parents, my sister and hubby and my niece and nephew coming for 3 weeks ! My house will be full and noisy but we do have fun !  We are taking a road trip to chicago whilst they are here so i am looking forward to that !

I guess i may be not around so much for the next three weeks as i will be busy entertaining ! hopeing this sunshine stays so we can swim in the pool and chill.  so if you don't see me blogging or on any of the forums this is why !  here are my samples i made hoping to embroider on a few of them ! click on the pics for a closer view !!

So much to share !

Well i had a great week last week ! i was taking an art quiltlet course with Heather Stewart and it was fabulous ! Heather is not only a wonderful teacher she also is super funny with a wonderful sense of humour ! i hope to take more classes with Heather in the very near future ! These are my quiltlets i made for each lesson she gave us,  i still have to finish the purple one.  The purple one is made from all the scraps and thread from everyone in the class we all through in our scraps onto water soluble then it was machine quilted and dissolved and once dry it was cut into small pieces, one for each person as a mememto of the class.

My next thing to share is this wonderful gift i received from Judy at http://judysfabrications.blogspot.com/ honestly if you havn't visited Judy's blog then go check out her wonderful creations !!

I have also managed to make a book cover from the painted lace i made earlier in the year and at the same time i made a postcard to send to Judy which has some of the same techniques and i also made another felted postcard .

 

And last but not least i bought a new machine to take to classes well i actually bought a small janome but had some issues with it and so i exchanged it for this little brother 900d which also does embroidery it is so cute, i think i will have fun with the embroidery when i figure it out ! well thats it a lot to share but now i feel all caught up lol ! Ok have to finish my postcard and ATC today and get them in the mail !

I am so stupid !

Yes thats right stupid ! you will never guess what i did, i burnt my right hand on the stove. I just finished dishing out supper and saw some crumbs on the ceramic and silly me thought i would brush them over onto the counter top with my hand, i mean who in their right minds does that ! so this happened last night and i spent 7 hours soaking my fingers in a bowl of iced water. each end pad of my fingers just came up in a blister and the pain oh my goodness the pain it was excrutiating it made me feel quite ill !

So now this morning i have woke up with a flippin cold and a sore throat i think i shocked my body into it lol !!  and a very tender hand.  I hope it is ok for monday i start a week long course making art quiltlets. well now i have had another day of feeling sorry for myself i will go make myself a coffee and read my new book stitching the textured surface !! x

More wonderful mail !

Happy monday ! i just got back from a great weekend in the states shopping and dining with friends ! I feel like i gained 10 pounds after eating way to many lindor chocolates.... and i just had to sneak into the NewYork cheesecake factory for a slice of their delicious cheesecake boy it was good !!
Enough about the food goodies though look what came in my mail just before i left these two awesome postcards which were from the swaps from Robbi and Linda. The top felted one is from Robbi and the beautifully hand stitched one is from Linda.  How lucky am i ?

happy canada day ! and some of my postcards !

The sun is shining and i am chilling ! it was my 20th wedding anniversary yesterday i can't believe i have been with my hubby for 28 and half years i know we had a long engagement lol ! Anyhow today is Canada day and we are going to friends for a BBQ and fireworks so it should be fun ! I thought i would share some of my postcards now i know they have been received.
The first one was a needle felted card swap on stitchin fingers site and i was paired with a lady from Australia called Robbie and this is what i sent her

The next one was for Linda in the US who i previously did an atc swap with, i decided to make Linda a needle felted card too!

I do have some more but i will post them later !! thanks for looking !!

solar planet ! my little beaded art quilt

Well i am happy to share my little beaded project,  I wasn't quite sure how to finish it and i was deciding between quilting or framing. After auditioning tons of fabrics i decided on framing and i am so glad i did because i really like this piece. I may change the frame though yet lol !  I have also been busy making postcards which i will share with you soon ! I have already mailed two and i have a third almost ready to go so keep checking back to see them ! The little beaded quilt is 8" square.

My first cloth dolls

I have just finished my two little dolls which i started in a class last week, they are only small and i found them very fiddly to turn but i did have fun !  I have named one little miss sunshine and the other one little wild woman. i had a little problem with the crotch area on little miss sunshine but it made her leg kick back like a dancer so i was pleased with my mistake lol !!  i hope you like them !!

my wild woman !

and my little miss sunshine !!

Wonderful mail !!

Hi everyone,

look what i got in the mail the past week or so,  a gorgeous postcard and two atc cards from three very talented ladies that i have met through stitchin fingers site. 

The first one is a beautiful postcard from Linda and the picture does not do it justice this lady is super creative ! thankyou Linda ! to see Linda's other wonderful creations visit her blog  at

http://billabongs2bling.blogspot.com/

My next one to share  is a beautiful ATC card from another very creative Linda and i just love it ! again the picture does not show the true beauty of this little piece of art. Thankyou Linda !! To see  Linda's wonderful creations visit her blog at  http://www.llkdesigns.blogspot.com/

The last one to share is gorgeous and vibrant ATC which i received from the Jen  she is so creative and produces some very creative pieces of art!!  i love my atc Jen thankyou !! To see more of Jen's wonderful creations visit her blog at http://jennie61.blogspot.com/