Walk around the Bluff and an embellished piece

This morning we had to be in early to get a freezer a friend had for sale and after loading up the kids trailer we went around by Whalers at the bluff and walked around the bottom and that is the first photo I dont think I have taken this bit before.
Then to my delight we saw a seal playing very close to the road and the rocks. We used to dive all over this area so the bottom is as familiar to us as it probably is to the seal. I had awful trouble getting photos as every time I clicked he had rolled over so I have several photos of the sea but this one isnt too bad.
We went around by the jetty and as it is a long week end here (Queen's Birthday, happy Birthday your Majesty) there were lots of people fishing there and off the rocks and I doubt if any had seen the seal. Probably why they were not catching much.
The next photo is of Wright Island looking rather like a giant whale.
Click on the photos to enlarge them.
It was 11 degrees so we stopped for a coffee and came home.
The couple of samples are embellished but not so far enriched, this is seeing what happens when you push from the back of the piece. It is quite interesting.
It is supposed to be raining this afternoon so before that happens I have caught the last of the bantams who have large bits of rock hard "stuff" around their toes and moved them up into a shed with a concrete floor. Probably rats and mice but better than losing their toes.
I am trying to attack my mermaid pattern but other things have got in the way, like painting lutradur but more of that another day.

A mixed bag

the first scan is of some samples I have been doing for a class I will be teaching at the Grumpy week end, it is a lot of bits of tyvek bonded together with Bonding powder, some embossing powder sprinkled on and heated, I wasnt sure if this would work but it did, then some beads and a button and some wire and then all sewn onto a piece of crumpled and painted brown paper bonded to some felt.
the other samples are pretty boring, just how to do it.
The second is one of two pieces I bought from DJ Pettit on her etsy site, I love her paintings and this can be used on a bag or a book or whatever.
Then two photos I took on this mornings walk, one of the Bluff and Wright Island and the other of families on a cold beach. Only about 13 degrees in Victor when we went in this morning. I loved the way the spurge on the sandhills has gone this golden color.
I am hardly able to walk my joints are complaining so much, so I watched the Crows (my football team) who managed to win by 50 points after being down at half time. Whew!

Celina on show

We didnt sit very far back but I still had problems getting a decent photo of Celina doing her thing. the School she goes to had their year 6 and 7 concert which was in the form of a musical, a historical musical about Australia. Celina was part of the farmers at the end of the play and had quite a big speaking part which she carried off with aplomb. I would have died of fright. Her arm is in a sling as she broke her collar bone quite badly 2 weeks ago.
The next photo is of the muslin (cheesecloth) that I dyed using the dyna flow paints and the bottom photo is of me trying to make some sense of picasa and how to make a collage. I was actually quite pleased with the results, the background my leaves from the other day and the fuchsia on top.
Had a miserable day with aches and pains always made worse by doing the weeks shopping, I think the fact that my grocery bill is double what it was 12 months ago is also depressing me.

Hearts and flowers and winter drizzle

The second scan is of my latest effort for my Machine embellishment class, I have called it hearts and flowers as on a really boring bit of background i embellished some hearts from the very light and gauzy sample I did on scrim and then cut flowers out from another piece I did on felt, then some hand embroidery and it looks so much better.
We had a tiny bit of drizzle this morning, with no John I had to get my own breakfast, what a chore! It means I am in a muddle with writing up my daily diary and taking my pills but I managed it.
Went down to get the paper and only one paper again today, you would think they could get it right after weeks of complaints, any way I then walked around the block so to speak, down the road and up through the paddocks.
My reflux is feeling much better since I stopped having the nightly wine, think I over did it while we were at Coffin Bay!! so a nice walk in the damp morning was great.
I took some photos in the late afternoon yesterday, the view from the back gate, it was a bit misty and unclear then some of the remaining flowers in the garden, the autumn leaves that are still on the liquid amber and the fuchsia a nice hardy one that doesnt often succumb to frost as it is by the wall of the house. Sorry somehow I lost that and it is now up first!

Embellisher play

This is the first day of my embellishing on line class with Dale Rollerson.
As John is away for two days I found time to have a bit of a play. The large piece is silk tops on scrim, very fine and airy fairy, then some small houses, actually I made these a while ago and I must make some more, then some felt on felt to see what the reverse side looks like of a flower.
I have dyed some fabric done some washing, made a couple more embellished bases to work with and potted up some geraniums. A cold and miserable looking day so the fire has been going flat out.

I've been playing

I made up a few of these little pages over the week end and painted and puffed and did things and then cut out shapes and hearts from some of the vliesofixed material I have in a bag and sewed and stuck them down, not sure what they will be but I had fun and it was a break from knitting the pink jumper.
We were in Adelaide yesterday and I found a marvellous fabric shop I knew about but had never been to, in my quest for US cheesecloth which here seems to be called butter muslin, I was terribly restrained and only bought 3 metres and a couple of metres of ribbons.
Home tired and I have been trying to get myself organised to dye the cheesecloth but other things seem to get in the way.

Opening of the Victor Harbor Whale Centre

A busy day today, they have re furbished the Whale centre and it does look a lot better, things like this need to be on going and new looks given to them every so often. apart from the fact that I couldnt read much on the displays in the cellar due to poor lighting it looks great. I have a few whale bones and it was interesting to see where they came from, as well as the one on the beach last week.
The sea dragon I found on the beach by the Hindmarsh River a couple of months ago was as I thought a weedy sea dragon not a leafy one.
Last night we had an enjoyable meal at the Anchorage with friends, the food was pretty good too.
A busy day as well as going to the opening and taking these few photos of the crowd, the children having fun near the whale tail fountain and a shot of the Whale centre which began its life as the railway goods shed.
I have downloaded my latest Work Shop on the Web stuff which looks really interesting, a great article by Lynda Monks, the new TIF challenge is out and I am not sure what I am going to do with that, and I have started playing with paint and threads for a new little book, maybe not, sure what they will be, some painted and hand stitched little bits maybe for cards, we will see.