BLUEBIRDS , COWS,AND THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT.

 

I have received the  first set of ATCS for my Bluebird of Happiness swap over at milliande. And they are are from my dear friend Trine in Denmark who as I have said before has a unmistakable Scandinavian style which I love.

Trine has used stamps and ink? to create wonderful cards.

Yesterday my husband wanted to go and see a Man about a Boat  six miles further up the River Severn ,but to reach the mooring we had to go through some very narrow country lanes  and I saw something I had not seen for a long time.Cows coming in from the field to be milked.We were running a little late so we could have done without the delay but it was fascinating to watch them walking past,it was even more interesting watching the teenage girl who looked as if she wished she was somewhere else.

 

my husband was quite concerned she was only wearing flip flops.

every now and then she would go and push one in the right direction

This farm is very close to where my son’s attended senior school and watching this yesterday bought back memories of the Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2001.

Some days the school had to close because so many fires were burning the carcasses of slaughtered livestock the air was acrid,and at night the sky was glowing red.

I hope we never ever see those sights again.

He got to see the boat.

I made a start on my sketchbook project journal yesterday ,to be honest my heart is not in this and I am not really sure why I signed up again. You are allowed to alter the journal as long as the dimensions stay the same and it is not more than 1 inch thick. So I decided to make a completely new journal with a 1 inch spine and I hope that is  O K.

This was my 2 prototype  covers I was quite pleased with the colours but I wanted to strengthen it some how. I remembered I had a Xyron  in the back of the cupboard which luckily had a laminating cartridge in it. These would not fit so I  made another cover in 3 parts ,laminated each piece and then assembled with eyelets.

My first thought was to try and find a small ring binder fitting to fit but if not I will do an concertina fold or I may just start all over again.

Watch this space.

36 BRIGHTON ST.

I love history I am not an expert but I like to imagine the lives of the the people in old photographs.I have amassed a vast quantity of vintage photos and some give clues to their past. This is one such photo

It had the bonus of an address.


As I wanted to know more I decided to contact the local history group in the area and I was put in contact with
Leesa the Local History Librarian in the Town Of Cambridge and this is her wonderful reply.
Dear Mary,
Thank you for tracking me down, I just adore the photograph and it has started me on a trail of detective work. The house at 36 Brighton St Leederville is now a 1950's dwelling so the original house in the photo was probably pulled down around the end of WW2. I have dated the clothes, hairstyles and accessories in the picture to between 1900 and 1913 and the house was probably built in the late 1890's as the area was becoming very built up around that time due to the gold rush. I want to believe (but without absolute proof) the couple in the photograph are William John Farrow Urquhart (known as Farrow) born 1879 in Queensland, his wife Annie Beatrice Evelyn Duff (who he married in 1905) and one of their daughters also an unknown woman. Farrow and Annie (aka Beatrice) had three girls, Edna Muriel b: 1906, Phyllis Irene B: 1909 and Thelma Meryl B; 1912
They lived at number 36 from  1910  to 1912 when they moved north to Cunderdin where Farrow became a boundary rider on the rabbit proof fence. Unfortunately an accident with his camels saw him killed on the job in 1919 at Youanmi, when his cart overturned and pinned him down.
Other people that lived in the house were:
1898 Frederick R Sims
1899 John Mason
1900-1905 Robert Miller
1906 A. Read
1907 Charles A Hudson
1908 William Porter
1909 Miss Fanny Pickett
1910-1912 Farrow and Annie
1913-19? - John Younger
So as you can see it could be any of these people but I like Farrow and Annies story the best.
regards
So as you can see this one simple photograph has been brought to life  and I would like to thank Leesa for her detective work and also Maxine the local historian for the Town of Vincent  for her guidance.
I am sending this photo to Leesa for the towns archives and it will be back where it started.


I had a little visitor today and if she is this well behaved when I have her for a full day in 2 weeks time we will all be smiling.

 



The puzzle mat was fun to pack away I was thinking it would make great rubber stamps as the letters are separate from the background.

I am not sure what time I will have for art when this little one is with me two and a half days each week later in the year . But I am hoping that the speed she moves will help me keep slim.

FABRIC PRINTING

As you know I have started to de-clutter my studio/craft room and so I should be in there  enjoying the space.But Today I decided I housework HAD to come first and so I stripped beds and washed everything in sight this was helped by the free electricity being supplied by our 18 solar panels.
I  had to take Wilson to the vet’s to have his ears checked AGAIN.I do wish I could have taken a photo of the four 9kg pure white German shepherd puppies that came in to the reception area. Two under each arm of a husband and wife they were adorable but quite a handful.
As I could not take a photo this is Wilson as a puppy eight years ago .

Actually I am not sure which one is Wilson.
I received my copy of Cloth Paper scissors yesterday and my copy of Prima arrived today so lots of reading required for the next couple of day’s.


This is my first successful fabric printing.


I was really pleased how well it turned out.
It is so much easier now I have freezer paper.
This was the sorry sight I found out in the Garden today

The young plum tree succumbed to the weight of the fruit and the wind.

I thought  the old bird house looked particularly attractive today.

CLEAN UP

 

I knew after my last post that I just had to de-clutter after all it must be easier to create in a tidy place .

So thank goodness it was a wet day and  I was motivated to clean up.I have a long way to go but at least a start has been made.

BEFORE

AFTER

Yes that is the same desk

Yesterday I posted a photo on Facebook of my pile of sketchbooks/journals which created a bit of journal envy.

I felt very ashamed that only only 4 had ever been used and I had even purchased another yesterday.

but it had been hard to resist

I decided to sort out actual journals from the collection of watercolour/acrylic/pastel and cartridge pads.

And this was the result.

Now I do not feel so guilty

They are mainly the simple plain ones with a few small Moleskines but I just have 4 special ones including the Bird one from yesterday.

I have a problem with my art space in the summer as it is a North facing room and I have a ornamental vine growing outside the window which makes it dark. I could cut it back but if you look closely you will see one of my many bird boxes and the vine is a great camouflage

.

If you could only hear the noise coming from this box.

I would just like to thank you all for your kind comments on my parents health My Father has been released from hospital  he is still very frail and their home is not really suitable for them with their  health issues.But it is where they want to be and hopefully we can arrange for some support.

WATERMELONS AND A LITTLE BOX

 

 

I  finished the ATCs and twinchies for Lauren’s  Watermelon swap over at milliande. Lauren wanted us to include a watermelon  or part of  one somewhere on the ATC and twinchie  and this is what I came up with.

I added just a little extra for Lauren’s Watermelon Workshop.

Palma over at milliande put out a request for someone to make a extra decorated matchbox for Candace as hers were lost in the post.. I really enjoyed making these small treasure chests and I jumped at the chance.

Some of you may have noticed that this is not a matchbox but a much larger but still small Treasure Chest. and even though it was biggerI still had a struggle to get everything in.

And this is the aftermath

This is my main work bench and because it is always cluttered I have a second smaller table to work on under the window.

And here it is

SOMEWHERE

under this mountain of crafty bit’s

 

It really is the only way I can work.

Now to tidy up before I start on the next swap.