Winter Crafts and Crocheting

Winter is fast approaching here in my part of Australia, after a remarkably lovely warm Autumn.

So it's time to be indoors, with...

A warming corner.

... some indoor activities - and I started one today!
Deleting out-of-focus photos in the computer - and - finding some I forgot I had!

Shop interior.

Granny squares everywhere!

These photos were taken last year in a shop in Adelaide, South Australia, in their Winter style display. I couldn't resist photographing all the beautiful crochet work. Is this Guerilla Crochet - I have seen Guerilla Knitting projects from Melbourne and around the world, and Beanie Festivals (Alice Springs) and scarf festivals.

Crocheted clothing is around this year and I have to admit that I did have a crocheted bikini in black nylon yarn when I was young and svelte! What have you crocheted that is unusual?

A finished rug for a new baby.

However I think I'll just keep to my beanies, baby and toddler jumpers and granny rugs when I'm crocheting and knitting for the time being.

Red crocheted beanie and flower for my 4 year old grandaughter.

Lovely knitted beanie for a new baby.

And pink for my great neice...

Blues for her brother.

Happy days to you all.

Junk Journals, Travel Journals and My Prize!

A while ago I mentioned that I had won a competition with a poem about one of my favourite craft projects from Bronwyn's blog - 365 days of craft - a blog detailing daily projects she completed for 365 days in 2011.
She is a such a creative young woman and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her. Her 365 day project is inspiring and to be admired. On her blog she has them all listed in month and day order. Check it out - you're sure to find something you'd like to do too.

My prize - a brand new Brother Sewing machine! Look out grandaughters - your summer wardrobe is coming up!

Bronwyn creates, recycles, up cycles and invents - and I thought she'd be interested in my Junk Journals and Altered books so out they came. She even took photos and blogged about them!
I think she has found something else to try.

And now - some of the inside pages from my Travel Journal on my recent cruise to New Zealand. I love collecting brochures, tickets, information ... and always take my glue stick, scissors and some pens so I can while away some time, especially during the cruising days.

A place fro those brochures and words and pictures I can't leave behind!

With our Autumn weather now here it's been time to look at Un Finished Projects from last year - now that the very hot weather is over. I finished this crochet rug, of four 50 x 50 cms squares, making quite a nice sized rug for cool weather to have on a couch. This one will be given to our overseas visitor to take back home as a souvernir of Australia - and me!

Lovely bright colours in very large Granny Squares.

New Zealand Impressions

My recent New Zealand Cruise is now over but I am a very relaxed person after 2 weeks cruising around the most beautiful country and scenery. I noticed many arty designs and here are a few photos of things that appealed to me.

Art Deco buildings in Napier, a city hit by an earthquake in 1931 and re-built in 1930's style, celebrated in colours, shapes and design

Wellington, the capital city, celebrates the fern design in sculpture.

In New Zealand, thongs are called Jandals because of a Japanese influence of sandals with one toe separations.
I was particularly interested in these following displays in the Wellington Museum, reminders of so many settlers from across the world arriving in New Zealand (and other countries too) in search of a better life for many reasons.

Reasons for migrating

Detail from a Maori hut roof.

This was the design on the outside of the terminal building - food for sketching there!

Superb floral displays in Dunedin Botanical Gardens - cool climate increases colours obviously, as we wouldn't have such intensity in Melbourne.

Akaroa, above, a small place near Christchurch, has a French settlement  history and celebrates the connection in various ways.

Beautifully coloured birds on the cabin TV screensaver (Takahe birds).

Journals and more Journals

I have been having the nicest time this month ...
 - sorting papers and making the stash into journals - two for me as Travel Journals for 2012, some for friends and maybe some for Etsy - still to be decided.
 

My two Travel Journals for 2012



Decorated covers


- decorating the covers of two altered books using molding paste pushed through lacy curtain fabric and painted

 - preparing painted pages and starting collaging a page which I will work on further 

Ready for an Autumn collage

- making weekly journal pages influenced by Nicole, one of my Lawendula's Paper Swap friends. Nicole pastes down various pieces of coloured paper and writes over the top. Her pages are amazing!

Background prepared

A rotated view - does anyone know how to turn it around - it keeps jumping back even though I alter it in my photo folder!

   - and entering a blog competition hosted by Bronwyn - AND - WINNING - A Brother Sewing machine and a $50 voucher, courtesy of Lincraft! How lucky am I?
Browyn set herself the task of creating an item every day for 2011 and blogged about it. If you open the "Home" tab on her blog page you will discover paper and fabric and wood crafts - many recycled clothing ideas and many easy-to-do projects.
What a great creative year lies ahead for me! I hope for you, dear reader too.

NEW YEAR 2012

Happy New Year to you!

 Here in Australia, and particularly in my part, summer is in full swing! Beach walks, outdoor meals on our deck, tourists and holiday atmosphere everywhere.

We had a very relaxing Christmas Eve BBQ (prawns, special salads & marinated meats, berry coconut cake) and Christmas Day Dinner ( Turkey, special vegetables, plum pudding & brandy sauce).

As we  had such sadnesses during 2011, I deliberated for ages about whether to say grace, make a speech etc but in the end I lit 3 candles - a red centre one for our son-in-law, who died in July; one to "acknowledge" the sad and difficult times of the year and one to "celebrate" that we were together and are looking forward to good times.

I received 2 more cards from my Paper Swap friends - after Christmas - caught up in overseas mail & public holidays- they took more than 3 weeks to arrive. But I love them both - thank you Robert (card on left) and Nicole (right).
Nicole won second prize in a competition with her card, which is layered in red and green and features a tag from Cavellini and paper from anna griffin. Robert has collaged a monoprint and painted on watercolour paper - a lovery wintery feel.

I've been spending time finishing my Junk Journal (begun at the end of 2010) when I retired from regular teaching - which also means I've been getting rid - no - using - all those bits lying around on my bench, in drawers, in the cupboard ... you probably know what I mean!

I've used some old Christmas cards I'd kept because I loved them - to make 2 Christmas books, using paint, serviettes, wrapping paper, stamps, and the cards. I love the cover of the pink book!

 

Two pages from the Christmas books made with old cards.

 I've done 2 spreads for the Round Robin Altered Book for girls in the group and made 3 journals so far - one for our up coming cruise, one to just play in - and one I'll use to collage and write in - inspired by Nicole's blog. I want to make another larger one to work in for Effy Wild's course, Book of Days.
 

Altered book page for Joanne.


I'm looking forward to a creative, healthy and happy year - and wish you, dear reader, the same.

CHRISTMAS CHEER

Christmas has crept up slowly but calmly for me and my creative pursuits have put me in the mood. Family and friends are what it's all about and I am very fortunate to have many of these. Here are some of my preparations...



Simple Christmas Cards - using scrapbooking paper, ribbons, a border punch



 My Christmas Present wrapping has a recycle - re-use theme this year - newsprint and ribbons I have saved from previous Christmas' - I am very pleased with the effect. Why keep buying when all I/you need to do is look around at your stash!


Red and Green




Pink and Gold




Red stamps on newsprint



CARD SWAPS

I have met some lovely people through Lawendula's Paper Swaps over the past two years and emailed them to see if anyone would like to swap a hand made card with me this Christmas. All of them are from places other than Australia. Some people were too "snowed" under and busy, some don't do Christmas but I had 6 "takers". Here are my first 2 cards which arrived very quickly. They are both of gorgeous Christmas trees but so different. Lee has painted, used lace, glittered circles and 'gem stones' ; Emma has pieced together recycled Christmas cards and sewn over them with gold thread. Thank you ladies - I love them both! Hopefully the very busy postman will deliver my other cards this week - but I know some of them have a very long way to travel.

I sent...

The cards I sent - very easy to do - I used a card measuring 12.5 x 18 cms, cut strips of co-ordinating paper between .5 and .9 cms wide in staggered lengths the attached them on a 'trunk' of card with a couple of ribbons tied in between.This was mounted on a cuttlebug textured card which was the mounted on the base card. I used foam double sided squares to give dimension.

Then - another card swap - this time with the lovely ladies in our Beyond Altered Book Group, which meets monthly. As you can see there are cards, small canvas' and even a fabric star. Stamps, 3D shapes, hand painted paper, ribbon, fabric, buttons, punched and textured shapes, glitter - everything goes.

Thank you ladies.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.