It has struck me recently how many creative and talented colleagues and friends I have and I wanted to showcase some of their creations and stories for you. I have known Simon Rowell for many years but in his non-artistic life so it was a delight for me to discover this side of him as well. Simon has an absolute talent for Life Drawing - and for writing too: I sent him some questions and he wrote his own story! I hope you will enjoy his journey as much as I did. I loved creating even as a … [Read more...]
Creating Scenes with Leading Ladies Stamps
In this post I share my creative journey to creating scenes with Leading Ladies stamps. This journey brings together two previous streams of focus (creating scenes with rubber stamps and colouring with Copic markers) and enabled me to gain the confidence to create free-hand scenes that capture something about my card recipients. I first came across the Leading Ladies series of clear stamps from Ellen Hutson via my favourite Copic marker guru, artist Sandy Allnock. I was instantly taken with … [Read more...]
Creating Scenes Using Rubber Stamps
This post shares my journey with creating scenes using rubber stamps and hopefully provides some inspiration for you to experiment with whatever stamps you have. Years ago now I was inspired by cards created with 'Stampscapes' rubber stamps and managed to track some down from a supplier in Australia so that I could try my hand at reproducing these amazing scenes. The cards that had caught my eye were mostly done on glossy cardstock using inks to create beautiful (planned) backgrounds that were … [Read more...]
Ceramic Painting
I recently had the opportunity to revisit a craft that I last did 20 years ago: ceramic painting. This was through a work function held at Paint & Create but I had previously been to Paint the Earth. You can go as an individual, with a few friends or organise a party. There were 8 in our group and we had booked for 2 hours. We were able to bring a catered picnic with us too as long as we took everything away with us. A big thank you to Margot for organising this! The format is … [Read more...]
Cake Decorating – creating a masterpiece
It has struck me recently how many creative and talented colleagues and friends I have and I wanted to showcase some of their creations and stories for you. Deb started doing cake decorating to surprise and delight her daughter for her birthday and it has now become somewhat of an annual tradition. We look forward each year to seeing the photos of the cake progressing and trying to guess what the final product will look like. Deb says that her first foray into cake decorating was modest. … [Read more...]
Photography: Creative Composition
It has struck me recently how many creative and talented colleagues and friends I have and I wanted to showcase some of their creations and stories for you. I got to know Sandrina through a shared love of interior design so it was no surprise to discover her creativity. (I first met Sandrina through a love of wine tasting but that is a different story). This story is about how she combines three of her passions (photography, cycling and her dog Lexi) with great flair and stunning … [Read more...]
Spinning and Weaving a New Life
This week's feature artist is a little different in that I haven't had the privilege of calling Barbara Wilson a friend or colleague - but I wish I had. I have met Barbara though and I wanted to share her story with you as she is truly inspirational. Barbara turns 90 this year and is still teaching spinning and weaving. Barbara's story is even more inspirational than her being an award-winning textile designer and artist (although that is inspiring enough). She has also had to overcome … [Read more...]
A Pottery Learning Journey
It has struck me recently how many creative and talented colleagues and friends I have and I wanted to showcase some of their creations and stories for you. Darja has been doing pottery for several years now - she started in 2016. I remember when she first started and was so excited to get into the pottery class. I got a pot plant holder in my favourite colour for Christmas that year and still have it now. It has been a hobby that has given her some very important 'me-time' along with a … [Read more...]
Homemade Hand Sanitiser Recipe
I thought I would try making some homemade hand sanitiser because it is very topical and useful in these COVID19 days. I love making things myself just to see what is involved in doing so, understanding what the ingredients are, and of course for the satisfaction of thinking 'I made that'. It turns out to be very simple: using ethanol (or isopropyl alcohol) and aloe vera gel along with your favourite essential oils. This recipe is courtesy of Go Native New Zealand. Homemade Hand Sanitizer340g … [Read more...]
Crafting for a Cause: Knitting
It has struck me recently how many creative and talented colleagues and friends I have and I wanted to showcase some of their creations and stories for you. This post is a tribute to my mother Gill and all the other people who 'craft for a cause'. Gill belongs to a group who get together regularly to listen to a speaker or just socialise and knit whilst they are there. The cause this group supports is the Kidz First Children's Hospital at Middlemore. The group also keep on knitting at … [Read more...]
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