Before and After projects I am loving.....

All via Design*Sponge

Owlies in production - March 2011

Sweet vintage upcycled owlie

This month has been a big one for me. Mentally challenging as I ponder what to do with my owlies. Lots of thinking and listening to various points of views about what to do about selling and displaying and sharing my craft with others. Ive appreciated this time and know that no matter what I decide I will always have some very caring, interested (and interesting) friends which makes my heart fill to overflowing! 

The owlies are now more than ever becoming something I am easily creating.  The creative process feels like breathing and I find myself getting lost in every new piece of fabric I find or (very kindly) am given.

This recent batch has had me working with fabrics from Japan, Germany, USA, Chile and France. All of them, were either a piece of clothing, a soft furnishing or a failed print run.  A suit, cushion, business shirt, jumper or curtain.  Together with new materials, stuffing and thread now getting a second life in my owlies.Yay!

cut and sew

Doilies, curtains and fabrics

Once was a cushion and a wool jumper

mini owlies ready for hand sewing and stuffing.

Google Art Project - Art Appreciation without leaving home....

Van Gogh Museum - Amsterdam 2008

 
Want to view a Van Gogh over breakfast?   Study the brushstrokes of a Rembrandt whilst doing your laundry?  Admire Boticelli's Birth of Venus sitting back on a Friday night in your comfy chair, with your favorite drink in hand?  Well now you can with the wonder that is Art Project powered by Google.

For over 18 months Google has been busy collaborating with 17 galleries and museums around the world to offer virtual tours of each space. Using Google's Street View technology you can now virtually stand in front of various works of art and view them in high resolution  - some images in 1 gigapixel (that is 1 billion pixels!).   This allows you to clearly see brushstrokes, colour build up even cracks in the paint. The detail of these works is nothing short of astounding.

Art now becomes accessible to those that for many reasons are not able to visit these galleries and see these great art works for themselves. A wonderful thing.

Here is a great video on how Google accomplished this incredible task




Enjoy!!

Market Wanderings- Lane Cove Alive - Art & Design Makers Markets

Last weekend we headed over to Lane Cove to check out the second Art and Design Makers Market for 2011.  Although the weather was not as co-operative as we would have liked, people still came out and supported some incredibly talented artists who were showcasing their skills.

One of these talented artists was our lovely friend Lindy, who had some new works on offer. All of them dramatic, amazingly detailed and proudly representing countless hours of hard work and steady determination.

Raw, Regal, Rebirth

As well as being a sculptor Lindy is also a photographer and is now offering prints of her pieces.

Of course as soon as I spotted these owlies from a distance, I knew I had to head on over and meet their maker - Hannah from Miss Odd Pocket.   Super cute, fun fabrics and very cuddle worthy!

Hannah is super talented.  Not only creating funky looking owls but also brooches, cards, prints and buntings/banners.  A Lane Cove market regular ready to share with you her creations.  If you are lucky, Hannah will also show you some of the brand spanking new bits of goodness she is working on for future markets.

peek-a-boo!

How cute are the birdies hanging out on the tree branch?   so sweet! 

One of the reasons I love, love, love  visiting markets is to get a chance to meet and chat with the makers.  I believe that this is where we really get to know the essence of their creations.  To see their faces light up when they share with you a process or what motivated them to work on a particular piece or describe what they are working on next is truly inspiring.

Music, food, hand-made goodness.....all part of the market experience.

We also met lovely Tamara from Tam.Art.O.  A photographer since the wee age of 9 who also designs and creates her own frames!  Her photographs capture the beauty in everyday items like flowers, fruits, gardens as well as some travel locations.  The photos can be purchased as cards or as stunning canvas art making it affordable for everyone to take home a little handmade goodness.

Original and affordable greeting cards.

Have a greeting card you simply love and dont know what to do with?  Frame-ya-card!

Travel far and wide....Roma on Canvas.

So visit your local hand made market.  Not only will you support a wonderful community of artisans but you will walk away knowing that what you have purchased was made with much love, thought and skill.

To check out the next Lane Cove market dates clicky here

To contact Lindy visit her website here

To contact Tamara visit her bigcartel online shop here 

To contact Hannah email here 

Repurpose project - Doily becomes a brooch

One of the good things about sharing with people your love for all things recycle/re-purpose/re-use, is that often, they will think of you when they come across something a little too special to throw out. So although they may no longer want or need the item their little thought bubble has your face in it! Case in point - this little doily.

I am loving doilies at the moment.  Using them to give the owlies a little feminine vintage flair.  However this doily, was a little too colourful for that.  So I gathered my supplies:

doily, scissors, thread,needle, random glass bead, felt scrap, brooch backing

I cut 2 pieces of felt from a scrappy piece. Using some embroidery thread I sewed on the brooch backing  to one piece then joined both pieces together with some decorative blanket stitching (which I am slowly getting better at)

I decided to sew a little glass bead I had in my jewelry stash to the centre of the doily.  This helped to hide all the stitching as well as give it some weight to help it look more like a flower.

Here is the finished product.   A fun project which even if you only have very basic sewing skills can be done in less than 30 minutes.  The doilies can be folded or scrolled or left flat even.  Your creation, your way.

Gallery wanderings - Nick Bassett - Power Moves at Carriageworks

One day long photo shoot , 9 dancers (only 7 of which made the cut) and over 4000 images taken to get a dozen or so photographs to exhibit. 

Carriageworks really lent itself to the culture these photos draw inspiration from - raw, urban, exciting.

Its one of my favourite venues for art displays in Sydney and every time I am there, I cant help but look up.  A good thing - seeing that Nick's photographs were suspended from the ceiling.  This added to the magic that Nick captured in still.  Dancers suspended in air showcasing a signature move, seemingly effortless.

yep yep!

 

Nick's exhibition runs until April 9 at Carriageworks.  Its F R E E .  So throw on your flyest pair of kicks and head on over to check it out (and fight the urge to be a dork and do the robot like I soooooo wanted to do )


Carriageworks info here

5 Minute repurpose project - Calendar becomes gift tags

Really Claudes? Yes! I know...its probably more like 1 minute.  I am prone to a little hoarding, especially when it comes to pretty cards and calendars. So on a recent declutter session of the crafty studio I decided to get my creative-on and save some trees at the same time.  You can too!

So take some old birthday/Christmas/wedding cards, calenders, post cards, recipe cards, etc.  Some scissors (or guillotine if that way inclined) and a hole punch....

If you have it, also some matching ribbon or twine saved from all those birthday/Christmas/wedding presents and hey presto....a new card ready for gifting!  These also make pretty cool book marks.   Easy peasy  - green and clean!

Colours of Spring/Autumn 2011

We spent the weekend visiting family in the Southern Highlands.  A beautiful, relaxing and most colourful weekend.  The garden was an explosion of life and colour.   I still daydream about it.