Time Off

I am having some time off in Broome over the next week or so and looking forward to days of quiet sketching, long walks on the beach at sunset, swimming in the pool and just being with my best friend.  We are hoping to get a scuba dive (since it was one of our treasured pastimes when living in the same city), but it might be too late in the season for such blissful activities due to WA huge tides and it already being the Wet Season.  I would settle for a snorkel but will check it out when we get there .... they might have big beasties in their waters too!!  A time away from the pressures of everyday life where I can plan on paper (of course) all the ideas racing around my head and heart for things I want to do and experience.  I have been researching and have some excellent books heading my way for new things to incorporate into my papers, journals and more in the new year.  Life is so wonderful!  Hoping for the odd game of Scrabble while enjoying a favourite wine and the odd DVD with no interruptions!  How blessed am I?  Wishing bloggers all the wonder and inspriation for your own time in November 2011.  Happy creating ;-)

Books and Journals

Pics of books I have learnt to bind using my own papers as well as leather by a dear lady, thanks Natalie.  It has been a while since I made these journals (all the others have been given away as gifts and I rarely have anything left) but if you are interested in making your own handmade papers and putting them into or within a journal for yourself or a friend as a handmade unique gift, let me know as I will be running one last workshop in late Nov/Dec 2011.  At present I have family home which is wonderful ( no papermaking gets done) and the next batch of papers I make up will be using pineapple and recycled cotton and other fibres in my old outside freezer to clear it for next season's cookups.   Happy creating!

Postcard Swap

Australia Theme for Passion

Time is flying this year and I haven't been much of papermaker but a jet-setting Mum it seems!  Just got back from my eldest daughter's wedding interstate which was a fairytale come true!  Very happy couple and enjoying their honeymoon!  Absolutely gorgeous and a delight to see my other two wonderfully talented children in the bridal party and also sing a couple of songs they had rehearsed for the Happy Couple!  Just wonderful and obviously a proud moment for myself and hubby!!!  Sorry, no private photos allowed!

Old Blue Jeans is one Passion

When I got home the postcard swap from Papermakers of Queensland arrived with 10 wonderful treats of other artists to get my hands and feast my eyes on.  If you want to view some, check out http://poqinc.blogspot.com as I do not want to infringe anyone else's privacy or copyright etc.  What I can share is a few of mine that are out there.  I took a fun approach as I ran out of time and of course I couldn't stick to one "Passion" theme, I had to have 10 different ones!  So here are a few of mine...  Australia is top pic, denim and my old blue jeans next and then Love and Family at the bottom.  All cards made on 100% recycled denim jeans and a variety of stamps and colourings used on them to portray my Passions.  We were asked to actually send them via the post so I didn't add any dingle dangles for fear of it clogging up the post!  They all arrived safe and sound.  The next challenge will be a small book swap for the Papermakers of Victoria which I hope to do a much better job of as I will have a bit more time to prepare.  I have been attempting to organise my work space at home in the interim which certainly needs my attention.  Apart from that I have been making cards for family and friends.  I read a blog recently that was quite scathing in their opinion of "art" and people using items such as bling, ephemera, embossers, stamps etc which my reaction was "ouch"!  I admire all those out there who can produce "art" from their own vision, inspiration and hand but "art" itself to my definition is a skill derived for pleasure and perception by the creator;  a human skill but mostly it is for the soul.   If you have a Degree in Art then Kudos to you and how I envy you ... your in fact "an artist"!  To create anything is healthy for our souls and therefore all should be able to enjoy without criticism from anyone - for some it is painting, some embroidery, some drawing and many artforms in between.  I some been to many galleries and seen "art" from all walks of life and I have wondered how someone's "art" has hung on grand gallery walls when they look like a groundsheet!  Seriously, art is the process of creation in any form it may be created by and however (remembering not all people are able or have the time to create a masterpiece in our daily lives) but we are all able to create, craft, design, handicraft or make a practical application of composition using whatever we are able to.  So all those of you out there who enjoy what you do for your "art soul" ... go for it and just do it for YOU!  Happy Creating!  ps still working on the Zebra Pastel pic!

Love and Family is my first Passion

Playing with Pastels

I have been learning how to use soft pastels in the last few weeks and whilst it is quick to get colour on the paper, it is messy and hard to get fine details (for the novice anyway).   I have had fun learning and these are just some quick works I did at class.  I am currently working on a zebra with a fair amount of work needed to get the white and black definite and in the right place!  Sounds easy but proved a little more tricky than I first thought.  I hope to get it finishing in the next week or two.  Working on making up some cards from my last batch of papers also and thinking up my ideas for a postcard swap with Papermakers of Queensland.  Happy creating!

Family First and Fibres Finally

Loving this cool weather and I have been working mostly with my family so far this year so not a lot of papermaking and my plans will have to stay as such for a while!  Very excited to have my son coming home on holidays soon.  In the small amounts of time I have had a private workshop, also I have been preparing fibres and getting workshop ready.  I have had small workshop sized frames made up that I am trialing - so far very happy with.  Trialling with additives, sizing for paper quality and strength.  Have entered a postcard swap with Papermakers of Queensland to make up 10 of my own postcards and thinking up ideas.  The theme is Passion!  More on that by the end of July.  In the meantime I am excited about getting ourselves a worm farm for the household to use up food scraps and of course left over shredded paper and the odd cow poop.  That one is also easy due to our new family member ... meet Amber our Brahman cross Drought Master!  She is lovely and very friendly.  I am also creating something funky for my plans in 2012 but I have to keep that one a secret for now.  In the meantime, lots of lemongrass to harvest and heliconias to prepare for fibre, when I can get time to make paper.  Also preparing lots of denim and cotton for pure cotton papers.   Art wise I have been dabbling in pastels and love the speed at which colour can be laid and the blending possibilities to create wonderful colour and subdued hues to create depth - very exciting!  In the meantime, I have my daughters wedding invitations almost ready and this year is full of family excitement!  Cheers to all and Happy Papermaking etc.

Plant Paper Preparations

At this time of year, the only thing I am getting done is plant paper preparation of cooking up lots of different plants in caustic in preparation and then freezing it for some dry weather to make paper.  I had really good results of the varigated pineapple and rogue Gamba Grass is always plentiful at this time of year!  I also have cooked up my lemongrass.  Soon I will be dying some different fibres to experiment with.  Also cooking up some native vine to experiment with.  Hoping April will allow some gorgeous weather to get outdoors again! 

Papermaking Workshops for 2011

Happy Valentines and best wishes for you and yours.

This season has indeed been a Wet Season!  Workshops are not planned at this stage until April/May 2011.  Please let me know by email if you wish to book into a workshop by contacting me on ntpapermaker@hotmail.com and I will advise dates and times.  Happy creating!