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Monday, November 28, 2011

Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST)

Anyone interested in this?

http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2011/11/26/the-big-list-of-2012-tast-challengers.html#comment16009104


Have a look at the Pintangle blog.  The idea is that every Tuesday the author of the blog posts an embroidery stitch and participants learn it, experiement with it, and post a picture of it.  Participation every week for a year is NOT compulsory.  This is some of what she says about it:

'Cost:
The challenge is free

Skill level:
All skill levels are welcome

How does it work?
Each Tuesday I will post a challenge stitch for the week. You work an example of the stitch. Learn the stitch, experiment a bit, take it a bit further if you have time then photograph it, and load it to stitchin fingers or put it on your flickr site or write about it on your blog. Then you come back here, leave a comment on the post where I posed the challenge and tell everyone where they can see your sample.

If you are busy and want to swing in and out of the challenge as life dictates that is fine too. I cant make it more guilt free than that. Simply put all who want to stitch are welcome. However, last time people that worked all the stitches said that they learnt a lot! Even stitches that did not initially appeal to them, they learnt from, discovered a way of working and sometimes were surprised to find they enjoyed them.
When does it start?
The first Tuesday in the new year which is January 3rd. It will run from this blog every Tuesday after that.'

I thought it might be fun to at least dip in and out of.  I remember seeing some of the results of the 2010 challenge and they were interesting.  I thought it might encourage me to learn, build upon and force myself to document some new embroidery skills.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

My Creative Space

I have been knitting, slowly and not very interestingly, on the green cardigan from a few weeks ago.  Nothing much to show so we'll just move along here.  I will take more photos when it gets a bit more exciting.

What I have also been doing is playing with photo software on my phone.  It is ridiculously amusing.  And creative - sort of :)

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This is a bowl of pansies picked by George and floated in a bowl to make me happy :)
2011-11-23 17.47.35 PaperCamera

This looks like I have been all clever and done a painting, but actually it is just the photo, fiddled with.

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This is a Mazey Pretty Things brooch, and a prototype of a new type of brooch that will be forthcoming in due course (ie. when I get it right!)  This one is actually a button, not centred very well, but the real ones will be button brooches, a bit smaller, and hopefully properly centred :)

Then I played around with different effects.  It was fun :)

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I hope to do some more knitting this weekend, start some embroidery, and maybe organise some craft books/magazines.  Plus reading, and cooking, and watching TV (oh, and washing and ironing and going to the supermarket and maybe even having conversations with family members!)

For much more interesting creative spaces, go visit here!

Friday, November 18, 2011

My Creative Space

I needed a good long rest after Blogtoberfest!!  I have been slowly knitting away at the green cardigan I showed a couple of weeks ago, and reading, and watching telly.  Oh, and working.  Eugh.


The makings

What is this?  A staple gun.  A pile of vintage lace.  A square artist canvas covered with quilting fabric.  (Badly.  The front looks OK, but you should see the mess I made of the back!  Or rather, you aren't going to see!!)  I bought the staple gun but the rest comes from the stash.  I have been collecting bits of lace for yonks, and the fabric covered canvas dates from TAFE days when it was going to be used for something but wasn't ultimately.

After much use of staple gun

After much stapling. Some of the lace isn't dead straight, but you will see in the next picture that doesn't matter too much. My dog doesn't like the sound of the staple gun, apparently :(
A new earring display

A new display thing for my earrings!  (Err, some of my earrings.  You can't see the three necklace boxes full of studs and non-hook hanging ones).

Not an original idea.  I saw a similar thing on Pinterest, using an empty frame with lace across, but I didn't have a suitable frame, and I did have the canvas, and I am trying to shop from my stash when possible these days.

More lip-smacking Creative Spaces here

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Blogtoberfest Giveaway

Well it has taken me a while to recover from all that Blogtoberfest posting!  But I did do the draw for the giveaway and am delighted to announce that the winner is Robin Norgren of http://www.mycreativepeace.blogspot.com/.  I have notified her and will send her a Mazey Pretty Things brooch as soon as she lets me know her details, and I will post a pic of it here - AFTER she has received it though!

Blog posting will return in a few days.  Well, maybe next week.  That effort wore me out a bit1