Art, food and friends

It was a tough assignment but someone had to do it.  Last weekend we headed off to the Barossa Valley with the intentions of seeing great art at some of the SALA exhibitions and also having some wonderful food.  The friends part was easy - they were all very willing accomplices.

The SALA exhibitions we visited on Sat afternoon, were a little disappointing - just not our 'thing' but we did enjoy this one.

All made from corrugated iron and metally bits - how smart.

And then on Sunday morning we headed off bright and early to see the exhibition that we really wanted to see. Thankfully it was all that we had expected and more +++

Sue rescues unwanted bits and pieces that have seen better days and with skill like a plastic surgeon, she rebirths them into unique pieces of jewellery.

I still can't decide what was my favourite piece.

The babushka looking necklaces and earrings were once the pull-tops from the tops of cans.

Of course its the kind of thing I notice and think about when I'm opening cans!

She can even produce some arty prints - wonder if there is anything she can't do?

Marion fell in love with this one.

I really liked the necklace on the left - made from pieces of china. 

I've been spotted since eyeing off the china in my mother's cupboard!

Play Day

I've been fortunate this week, to have time to play....not play in the sandpit type of play, but creative play. Marion has been wanting to paint some emus to take overseas as gifts, later in the year. So under the tuition of Kirsty, she created this painting.

And now Marion is working on the second one.

I think, from the latest reports that the one with the white cap has had a makeover - wonder what he/she's wearing now?

Kirsty is getting ready for an exhibition at the end of July so she has a few paintings "on the go".

This is the one that she was working on, while we were there.

And this is a nearly finished commissioned painting ready to go to it's new home.

Kirsty's emu paintings adorn the walls of some of the local hotels and homes around South Australia

and as welcome signs into one of our local towns.

What a girl!

We have a wedding to go to this Saturday - the first of our nieces and nephews is getting married, so it is quite a family event.

I'd bought a dress but couldn't find a necklace that I was happy with so I sent an email to Sue of Viva la Diva fame, and asked if she had anything made that would match my dress.

I've seen her work in person a few times and own a few pieces as well (as do some of my friends around here) so I know that I love her creations.

I sent a photo of my dress and just a few days later a parcel appeared in our letterbox with 2 lovely necklaces and matching earrings for me to choose from. I feel a bit like the Queen or a movie star, having jewellery made to accessorise my 'frock'.

And guess which one I chose??? Yes, both of them.....they are both gorgeous....and which one will I wear? Well I'm going to take both with me and decide on the day!

Thank you Sue!

Trying to get back into the swing of things....

After a wonderful month's holiday, it's hard to get back into routine again but we're getting there.
I enjoyed making a super quick card for a birthday yesterday - the brooch is supposed to be taken off to be worn - hope the recipient realises that.

Cherub 2 has a new regime for his spelling homework - including this one.

He hit the nail on the head last week by saying that if he never learnt the words, at least he would learn how to make ransom notes. It's so good to see what they are teaching our children at school!!....and it's a very interesting group of words for last week. One of the words for this week (the only one I can remember off hand) is genocide - what the?

Let's not talk about it.....

...the weather that is......as the temp is currently 41C outside and the hot north wind is picking up...I would rather think about something nice!

With the beginning of the new school year, just around the corner, it was time to get the boys some new stationery - and that means that Mum can get some too!

Some wooden rulers (much better than plastic), a set of watercolour paints, some of those pens that we had years and years ago, with all the different ink colours - and the best is this set of Staedtler fineliner pens.

Not only are the pens great for writing and drawing etc but the case they are in has been created like a "Jacob's ladder" - where you keep folding the lid back onto itself - so much fun.

If I can only stop playing with the case, I might get some work done..............

Two posts ago, I asked for help in locating an artist and I am happy to say that my blogging friends came to my rescue, which has alleviated this aging brain in trying to remember her name.

Funny thing is that I have an old friend with the same name, surely I would have remembered!

Treann had offered the name of Emily Martin from The Black Apple - she does gorgeous work too and then I stumbled across the work of Cori Dantini which I love, she combines vintage papers in her art.....Finally Jo has found my artist though, it is Leanne Ellis

- thank you Jo & Treann for helping to solve the puzzle,

now I just have to work out which prints I want to order,

it might have to be one from each artist, I think.

Brisbane girls

Do you need somewhere to take your husband to, this weekend

or maybe an afternoon out with the girls??

Then you might like to check out this exhibition -:

It is a unique concept of mother, son and daughter exhibiting together.

Included in the exhibition are some pottery pieces and jewellery.

Paintings and pastels by Marie and Allyson Parsons

Art photography by Nigel Parsons

Creative jewellery by Sue Garrard

Pottery by Jan Ferguson

Marie (the mother) was my art teacher at school, and Allyson was a couple of years younger than me, so if you get to the exhibition they would be really surprised if you were to say that you learnt of the exhibition by reading Christina's blog!! The Parsons' live not far away, so some of the paintings are of local areas.

I have a couple of Sue Garrard's necklaces which I love to wear, she won't be there at the exhibition herself, but you will love her creations.

Do you aspire to be an Aussie????

I was reading Jenny Doh's blog recently, only to discover that she was talking about the infamous Australian "Tim Tam Slam" - have a look here.

Are you still unsure about the Tim Tam Slam - then check out this You Tube clip featuring Natalie Imbruglia

Do you live outside of Australia and would like to experience a Tim Tam Slam for yourself? Leave me a comment and I will post the first two 'wanna-be-Aussies' a packet of Tim Tams each - and for you other Australians who blog, maybe you would like to offer a similar deal - lets spread our Tim Tams around the world!

I have often read my Somerset Studio magazine and been amazed at how some people decorate their envelopes and parcels before they post them - I often include one photo on the address label of parcels that I send and think that is decorative....lol! On Friday, I was the lucky recipient of a parcel from Denise. Not only was it gorgeous on the outside but I loved what was on the inside.

I'll show you the contents next blog, as the camera battery is recharging,

but I can tell you that I am sitting here typing this with my bling ring on!

Husband and the two cherubs have gone to Adelaide tonight to watch WWE wrestling - I can't believe that my cherubs are keen on wrestling! So I am off to get settled in my chair ready to watch Masterchef and finish this project.

You know how it is.....

When you are really wanting to offload some of your 'stuff' - things that you don't really want anymore but before you have a chance to do it, you see something else that you WANT?
We spent Saturday night in Adelaide - the cherubs invited a school friend and so we went to see the movie "Night at the Museum 2", (which has made us also want to visit the Smithsonian Museum in Washington next year).
On Sunday, my lovely nephew offered to look after the cherubs+1 so husband and I decided to go and check out the Gepps Cross markets - held on the site of the last existing drive in cinema, in Adelaide. That is the place to go to buy wonderful fresh fruit, veggies, fish, bread etc - and there were some trash'n'treasure sellers too.
We found some lovely old books, with covers full of charm and promising all sorts of things!

I love the pattern on this spine

This is from The King's English Dictionary - great pictures, if you don't understand the words.

This is the book that had provided lots of laughs though.......

(oh and it also has a lovely textured cover!)Two doctors have written this book and it is interspersed with photos and pictures like these:

LOL - I might learn something yet! Watch out for further developments....

No time for blogging......

I'm too busy doodling............... Free online doodling class here:

Coming Tomorrow on.......

The new edition of The Chocolate Crow Trader is due out tomorrow - 15th June.
Here is a preview of our items for this month.

"Antique Memories "
Size 15 x 15cm (approx 6 x 6”)
Using the reverse side of a stretched canvas, we have created a collage of ‘antique memories’ that will look wonderful amongst your collection.
The inside of the frame has been lined with pages from an old French dictionary, whilst the edges have been covered with vintage cloth measuring tape and some torn fabric. A wool felt strawberry has been attached on the side along with some antique mother of pearl buttons.
The treasures inside the frame include a bisque china porcelain doll head which was unearthed from the rear of a doll factory in Thuringia, Germany which operated between 1890-1920, an antique tintype photo of a young man and an antique writing nib.
Price $40 plus postage "Ladle of Love"
A vintage soup ladle has found a new life as a nest holder!
Inside the real bird’s nest are 3 quail eggs which have been ‘blown’ whilst a mother bird, sewn from calico and painted, sits waiting and protecting.

Price $22 plus postage

Babushka Dolls
These Babushka dolls were popular the last time we offered them but unfortunately we ran out of the fabric. However we have found more of the fabric so we can offer one last set.
Our set of Babushka dolls has been adapted from a Tilda design.
Their faces have been drawn, stitched and then appliquéd on and they feature some decorative hand embroidery.
Heights of the dolls are 9cm, 12cm, 16cm.

Price $30 set plus postage

The crystal necklace

Another necklace that we made at our weekend away was this lovely necklace. Our hostess, Margaret, gave each of us an antique chandelier crystal as a gift and with that we were able to produce this necklace. It is a bit hard to see but there is a black and white image on the back of the crystal which has undergone a few techniques to get it to that stage. The building, with the smoke coming from the chimney,

was where we held our classes over the weekend.

And this was the front view, it would have been easy to daydream

out of the window if only we weren't being kept on task all the time!
Finally - happy birthday to my second brother. Here he is using my plaits as a moustache. He has his own moustache now and I don't have any plaits....that's life!!

No thanks necessary!

I selflessly volunteered on the behalf of all of you to fly to Sydney

and travel further afield to be part of this group of ladies for the long weekend.

I knew that you would hate to stay here, in this lush and peaceful environment

with just the sounds of birds and cows to keep you company. There was no way that you would want to sit under this chandelier

and eat the delicious meals that were prepared.

You wouldn't have wanted to have fun and create a little 'poppet' (Claudine Hellmuth project) as the first fun project. An enticement as to what was in store for the rest of the weekend.

There was even a line up of impatient chooks waiting for me to finish my game of tennis.

Some of us were forced to sleep in here - the "Guest House " - yes you can see the conditions that we had to endure..................

We dreaded opening our eyes each morning, just knowing that we

would be presented with a view like this.

And being made to create an etched metal necklace was truly horrific!
On the last day we were forced to smile for the camera, just to make it look like we had enjoyed our weekend. Thank goodness Kirsty and Jen (our teacher for the weekend) were standing next to me and you can't see where our arms were twisted behind our backs as a form of submittal.

(more next time)........