Pretty ladies

This is the front of a silk needlecase I made in the shape of a fan.
It will fold closed for ease of placing in the sewing basket

special flora

I love these flowers, sort of special designs.
I learnt them when I was in Japan one time.
They turn out quite dimensional and different every time.

Coastal Stitchery

I made a wall piece from hand dyed silk and other fibers to create an image of tide pools I had seen.

I used soft colors and lots of stitchery with ribbon and threads.

The edge, not shown is finished with feather stitch and crystal beads.

The photos show either end of the project.

It is 18 x 12" so fairly large.

To achieve the effect of a seascape I wanted the picture to be much longer than the width to give the illusion of stretching into infinity.

I am hungry

A quaint cafe in NZ. I like to sit here by the beach across the road.

Good deal, wine and pizza for 15.00 NZ.

How could one resist?

Crown for the King

I am working now on the King's outfit for the recycling fair.

Here is the crown for his highness. Very Royal I think.

Funky art piece.

Pink bubble wrap, old flowers, cut pieces of a floral skirt given by a local senator to use.
Did it for the Show, the center has a woman's image, some ribbon and a jewel.
I made a heart because of the color and made a hanging tie with wrapped fabric from the dress.
It is 12" square, has multiple layers and is called Ooh la la.

Wonderful Urban Art

To give Graffiti artists another option a group called 808 Urban, gives canvases and paints to

budding painters.

I captured this group today in our local park.

They created a mural for the newly renovated library.

It features Menehune, the little people found in folklore of the Islands.

Here then are some moments I captured while watching their talent with spray cans of paint

and lots of imagination.

Summer festival

Our little local park is having a great summer festival.

Lots of games, good Hawaiian food and music to enjoy.

I worked in the Keiki tent last evening and took these pictures.

The fish pond game was a hit. I helped the keiki 'go fish'.

Love the band, they had a great happy sound. So fab. in the Hawaiian sun.

The rides were a big thrill and the food plates such a mixture of the various cultures that make up the Islands. Food aka Grinds were very Ono.

from the sublime to the ridiculous

Couple of projects. The bad one is a re-cycled purse for the Show I mentioned before.

It was a silly plastic number so I jazzed it up with paint, fibers, words and more. Pretty crazy but someone seems to like it.

Got to love the red 10.00 tag

The other art box was a challenge using Hawaiian stamps.

I sewed the box and put on patches with stamps and stitching.

It sits on little mache' legs.

Closes with a toggle effect. About 8" high and in the style of a medieval reliquary.

Cool little shop

Here in Honolulu hidden on a small street , is the coolest Arty shop.

It is tiny and chock full of handmade wares.

A great place to look, find inspiration and take a class or two.

Two altered books.

Some altered books from my hands.

The composition book is from a class I taught and is mostly sepia colored. Old lace, photos and scrap on dictionary pages.

The other book sits on the bag I made to keep it in.

The pages represent each color of the rainbow.

In the correct order.

This book was in a show downtown.

My altered book group were the gallery participants.

We made a huge used book sculpture as the centerpiece, and asked anyone who attended to help themselves to the free books.

Then we had a blank book and lots of supplies out for anyone interested in creating a page.

The book was filled. A big success.

re-cycled Mine

I had to make little displays for the Re-cycling fair in Honolulu.

It was to showcase the use of old boxes in this case.

So I made a shirt box into a gold miner's cottage complete with a gold nugget.

Real of course.

The Waihi gold mine in Waihi NZ is one of the most prolific in the world.

I went to the huge open mine while home in the country.

There miners cottages can be found in the valleys, some well over 100 years old.

Kauai

Some pictures of the diversity on our Islands.

My Eiffel

Since my last trip to Paris, I have made Eiffel towers out of cardstock and german glass glitter.

I attach them to little gift boxes, that I cover with French script.

This weekend I worked at a Collectors Fair and sold some of my boxes.

One customer said I should put them on Etsy, I never thought to do that.

Anyway, here is one pretty Tower.

Yasawas needlecase

Another item from my Yasawas sketch.

I do get lots of mileage from the one little drawing.

Pandora's Box

I made a box for treasures of the sea.

It even has one, a silver shell .

Find it on my Etsy if you want details.

Fun to create, I hope the mermaids would be happy.

Brooches from a class I taught

Four fabric Victorian style brooches from a class I taught couple of years ago. 80 yes 80 plus students.

Needless to say, not doing that again!

Thank goodness they came in batches of 6 over two days

Asking about the Yasawas

No I have nothing to do with promoting the Islands.

Several emails later I am putting some more pictures here, and a way to contact the tiny atolls.

I took a very long and hot fishing boat for 8 hours to get there.

The boat is tiny, waves rough, leaves from a rusty little pier in Lautoka.

For the hardy for sure and those who are not sea-sick.

Artfest Honolulu

I braved the crowds and the heat and went on a school bus up the winding road to the annual Happening here.

It is so jolly, festive and friendly, geared mostly for kids and they had a great time.

Some of the activities. Such fun in the sun.

Brillante Weblog

Surprised to be nominated as a brillante weblog by my friend Pat Winter.

Gratitude is in order, hope I can live up to it.

I have nominated some I enjoy almost daily. For differing reasons.

First I do nominate CQ artist Pat Winter. She does lovely quilts and things with an updated embroidery style. Go visit Gatherings.

Next is Calico Daisy. Michelle is a quilter who I have known since my daughter was at college with her.

Love everything this young Mother does. Way to go Michelle.

A Heart in Provence is the English version of Un Couer en Provence.

Since her site is so French and wonderful and I too go to Provence, one of my favourite regions, let's say Bonjour to her .

Cream Puffs in Venice. Love the pictures and the food recipes on this French Canadian's site.

Do visit for some mouth watering pastries and more.

Across the Pond has me hooked. She is like me, living with a foot in two cultures.

Oh my the garden. Too beautiful.

Judy Scott is a mixed media artist in Scotland. I enjoy her wonderful stitchery and the way she works with wool and other natural fibers.

Sofia Barao, of La Fee Coriandre is another french site.

I love the articles and the whimsy she uses in her work. It is always fresh and new.

Little French garden House. The blog has very pretty flowers and antique linens and flea market finds that make me so envious.

A sea shore box and jellyfish brooch

The box top is a bit of CQ and the inside is lined with silk.

I painted the lid.

Made the brooch to resemble the jellyfish that wash up on our shores, about 8 days after a full moon.

OK here is where I shop.

On occasion I help out in the jewelry dept. at this my fave shop.

I can walk from my place. Maybe it is too close?

I also sell my older crafts and bits here so others can enjoy.

Re-cycling is important to me so out they go.

Half a project

I am in the process of making a round table cover to be shown over an old lace cloth I have.

The theme is butterflies and pansies.

I will add more pics to show progress.

I have an audience

I paint on my Lanai and the birds come and watch.

Really cute, sometimes when I am not looking they play with my supplies, other times nibble my feet.

Other picture is the inside of an altered book I made. There is a small scene inside the niche.

Take a trip to the Yasawas

Tiny little islands, in a chain of pearls, near the equator in the South seas.

Adventure is there for the hardy, plenty of reefs to dive over, bats in the coconut palms at sunset, and shells for the picking.

Sure there are mosquitos and some Dengue fever, but to be in such a remote place away from it all is worth the discomforts.

Memories are made from these journeys.