merry christmas everyone !

Well look how time flies ! i had a great time in Jamaica and since i got back it's been such a busy time.  I did finish one piece and i started a couple of new pieces, i know i said i was going to finish up the others first. but just couldn't find the inspiration for those yet !

I hope you all have a wonderful christmas and i wish you peace and joy and much health for the new year happy crafting my friends

much love

michelle xx

my finished little gem stitched piece....

A new one started........

A small felted piece i still have to add some stitching and embellishments !!

Off to Jamaica !

Just finished packing now off to bed for a couple of hours sleep, should be sat on the beach with cocktail in hand by about 2pm Jamaica time on friday 25th ! have a great week everyone ! xxx

Take a stitch Tuesday 2012

Hi folks, i have decided to sign up for Sharon B's take a stitch tuesday 2012 on her web site pintangle. Anyone can join in and i hope to learn some new stitches and hopefully keep up with it.  It's open to anyone so if you need a challenge or just want to improve your stitching then pop on over and sign up !

Pics of my little studio !

Finally i can share some pics of my new small studio, my camera was misbehaving and now it's fixed.  I love how i have a home for everything now, i feel quite organized i wonder how long that will last lol !!

 I am working on three projects at the moment and i will be starting a fourth which is from the embroidery guild. I hope i get them all finished by the end of the year.

I want to start the new year with new projects !  you can see a small peep of two projects i am working on by my sewing machine.

I'm a bad blogger ! sorry

Hello my friends, i just have been so busy.  I decided to redo my little studio room and i can't believe how much stuff i accumulated well yes i can lol !  Anyhow took me over a week to empty it and now my spare room kitchen and hall is housing all my treasures.

 I found it a little dark to sew in and the carpet was a nightmare for thread and dropped pins, so i ripped out the carpet and have painted it moonlight white looks so bright ! I just have to paint the trim and then i have to wait for the hardwood floor to be installed.

I can't wait to get it all back together and organised. will post some pics tomorrow my camera needs recharging !

A quick update ! gifts and altered book

I know i have been a a bad blogger of late, but i have been so busy with life in general.  It was my birthday last thursday and i had a fabulous day and i got lots of pressies !! books money earings a coat and giftcards i felt so spoilt !  some of my gifts !

I did a little on my altered book not sure if i am enjoying this class or if my mojo has taken a running jump somewhere else.  I have started a couple of the pages but not feeling inspired by it.

works in progress........

I Won woohoo !

I was so excited to receive the email from Vicki Welsh from 3creative studios, they were having a give away for a gift certificate for the quilt show and Vicki generously also offered a  certificate for the quilt show from her own blog which I won you can find Vicki's blog HERE .   I am excited to view some of the shows and lessons !  doing the happy dance !
If you have not visited 3 creative studios do so now it's a wonderful site with tons of free projects and lots of opportunities to play along with different projects and ideas !

Still learning my new machine! going for my second lesson tomorrow i am loving it ! Just treated myself to a few feet for it hopefully i will get to use them very soon.

Have a great weekend ! x

My calligraphy class pic's

Well i have finally got around to sharing some of my work from my beginner calligraphy class ! The teacher Susan Nelson was such a sweetheart and had loads of patience.  It was harder than i thought it would be but i see you really need to practice to perfect the strokes.  I had fun though and thats all that matters right ??  Hoping to apply some of my new writing skills to my journalling and who knows what else !
 Here are some of the little projects i made and some of my practice sheets.
The splattered piece in the background was fun to make we used acrylic paints splodged on and then combed around so thick grooves remained, when dry we heat foiled over the top so the foil adhered to all the raised bits, so cool !  We then started to cut up our sheet to make cards or bookmarks etc.

Calligraphy !!

Hi everyone, it's been a while ! my family has left and it took me a little while to get over the sadness of saying good bye we had so much fun !

I have been doing a calligraphy course all week and it's my last day tomorrow it was so intense but fun at the same time and the teacher Susan Nelson has been simply wonderful !  i will get some pics together of what i have been learning over the weekend !  Hope you are all having a wonderful summer i know i am but it is still very busy so not much time for creating !

I am going to try and catch up with my altered book i have done a little work so again i will post pics soon ! for now thanks for dropping by and happy creating !! x

Family visiting !

Hi everyone, just a quick post why i am not blogging, my family are here from England visiting and we are having a blast ! We are out touring most days or laying by the pool but keeping very busy ! I will catch up soon ! hope you are all enjoying the summer !

Online workshop !

I started another online workshop with Shelagh Folgate called follow my heart. Its altering a book and making a fabric book along side it.  My theme is The seaside and i am basing it on Blackpool beach where i am from in England.  I am just at the first stage but i will post as i go along with each stage !

Canvas art and 3creative studios quilt

I have finally finished a couple of pieces to share !  I have been going to Sandra Spagnuolio's studio to learn some mixed media techniques and we did a two part class on making a mixed media canvas.  Sandra taught us about layering and adding texture i have so much to learn but i kind of like my result !

I also managed to finish a small art quilt which i am entering for the 3 creative studios color palette challenge. I love the purple silk dupioni layered with painted orange batting and foil. I added angelina fibres machine and hand stitching and a few beads.

my canvas

my quilt

My gorgeous daughters prom !

Just wanted to share some pictures of how beautiful my daughter looked for her prom yesterday !!

My new toy !!! take a look !

Well i did it, i traded my janome 7700 in for this Bernina sewing/ embroidery machine ! It stitches beautifully and it looks so stylish !  It comes complete with matching bags so cool ! I have never had an embroidery machine before so something new to play around with.  I love the bsr that it has i tried it a little today and my free motion looked wonderful. Very excited to play with that little tool.  I also picked up a couple extra feet one for jeans and the 1/4 " foot still a few i want but enough to be playing with for now.

I am in for a busy few days so might have to wait till sunday before i can properly play, off to London tomorrow to a quilt show then Toronto on friday and finally St Jacobs quilt show on saturday.

Well here she is ......

It's been a while !

Yes i know i haven't been blogging like i should but honestly life really did get in the way !!  I have been renovating painting and getting new hardwood installed. I am still doing some other home improvements but i did manage to get together with some of my friends recently had such a fun time, just what the doctor ordered.  We made some ATC's and played with our journals, i felt like i was back at school painting stamping colouring etc.

I am also considering swapping my janome 7700 in for a Bernina 635/ 640 not sure which one yet do any of you own a Bernina !! would love some input !

Happy mothers day !!

                     Just wanted to wish you my lovely friends out there a very happy mothers day !

Happy easter !

Just a quick post to wish you all a very happy easter !

 i was going to share a couple of things with you but my camera was dead so charging it at the moment !   I will share a picture of my house i had taken in the summer it's an ariel view and i just got it framed i really like it .

Finished my quilt and vase !

Hi everyone been a little while since i blogged !  i had a great time in Florida apart from bad headaches which i have continued to have  but in between i have managed to finish my embroidered quilt and a vase.
My quilt started way back as a mixed media embroidery piece a class taught at my embroidery guild and i was unsure how to finish it.  I did a few sketches and settled on making a template for the patterned overlay and i really do love how it turned out.  I am thinking about calling it nerve ending or brain explosion unless someone else has an idea. i am going to enter this for the 3creativestudio quilt challenge it falls in their colour palette for this month.

My vase was a challenge issued at my embroidery guild it started out as a mop up cloth and i added more paint, stamping and some stencilling with shiva sticks. I then embellished with hand stitching beads and yarn. After it was quilted i chopped it into 5 pieces then rearranged the pieces and stitched it back together and shaped it into a vessel.  would love to hear what you all think !