Natures Colours from my Garden

Bee Balm a red flower gowing in my garden, gives this colour. 

Margaret Merrill at Summers End

A bunch of 'Margaret Merrill' roses from my garden, gracing a vase in our conservatory.
The shape, the salmon-pink shading and the beautiful scent of these beautiful roses are a delightful gift.
An indication that summer is near its end for this season.

Naturally Dyed Fabric and Lace

Blogger has been playing up!  The above photo was originally part of my posting below. 
One of three photos.  Blogger didn't want it and tossed it aside.  So here it is.

Colouring with Nature

Over recent days I have been working on this project and enjoying different processes.
I have incorporated some different dyeing methods from India Flints book that I posted about last week. I loved the ice-flower dyes.
This is may test your patience but I found it was worth trying and worth the wait of a few days.  The colours can be rather beautiful and it is very interesting to watch as the process develops on your windowsill or other sunny spot. Cold bundled eco-prints produced some lovely clear prints from my rose leaves.
Overdyeing the lace and fabric gave a variety of colourings which you can see in the photos.
I used agapanthus flowers, onion peelings and the green colouring is from the rose leaves

This is the book where I learned about the dyeing processes typed in italics.   Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles

Freshly Laid Egg

One of these lovely chooks laid an egg this morning.
The hen on the left is 'Red' and the one on the right is 'Orpie.'
We hope they will both be laying shortly.

Jack loves the look of this little egg. Freshly laid, it is about the right size for him to enjoy in one mouthfull.
Sorry Jack, we're having it for lunch!

Eco Colour - Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles.

Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles

I pulled this book off the shelf at the local Library. It is written by an Australian women called India Flint.

If you google her name you will find she has a blog and other web sites which are also full of interest.
India loves to share her vast knowledge and experiences of Natural Dyeing.

It is beautifully illustrated and is a great resource for novices like myself or more experienced dyers.
If you want to have a closer look at the book click the Eco Colour link above.

Natures Colours - Onion and Geranium

Both pieces have been dyed with onion skins.  I love the strength of colour evident in both.
The bottom sample has been steamed with geranium leaves.  The grey-black outline of the leaves  gives a lovely contrast to the onion.     Working with nature is amazing.  What do you think?

Natural Dyeing

I have recently been having a lot of fun with dyeing using plants, flowers etc from my garden, over the fence and beyond.
This doiley was cream. I like it better in this colour. A lovely pink dye from my deep red roses. Here's to more of this!

Massive Damage from Christchurch Earthquake

Two buildings after the midday earthquake in the Central Business District of Christchurch.
  Miraculously people were rescued from these sites.
Sadly, the overall death toll is still rising.  Some injured people are being treated in different hospitals
around  New Zealand.
Assistance has come from many parts of the world.
(both photos were taken from TVNZ coverage of the earthquake)

The Nest Is Empty.

Our youngest of four left home yesterday.
He is now settling into Christchurch where he will study at engineering school.
Before he left, he went fishing a few times. He caught this amazing sea-run trout at a beach not far from home. His Dad went along too. They weren't away long when this fish was landed.
It was in beautiful condition. If I remember correctly it weighed in at five and a half pound or was it six?
A great catch anyway.



His older brother said it was a catch of a lifetime!
Although our nest is empty, we have many, many special memories.

Nuno Felt and Threads Go Together.

Some nuno felt completed recently set me into  making something small  with stitches,  beads and buttons for embellishment.

Each side, including the top and base were stitched  to create a different effect.

Although it is soft and flexible it  holds  felt balls.

I love how textural this little piece is.  It has own beauty.
It is definitely 'one of a kind.'

Woody Allen's Good Words to Graduates.

Summing up, it is clear the future holds great opportunities. It also holds pitfalls. The trick will be to avoid the pitfalls, seize the opportunities, and get back home by six o'clock. ~Woody Allen, "My Speech to the Graduates,"  1980

I find these words rather amusing. 
Here is my summary of them. 
1.  The future holds great opportunities.
2.  The future also holds pitfalls.
3.  Seize the opportunities.
4.  Avoid the pitfalls.
5.  Be home by 6 o'clock!

Actually, these are good words to live by  and I like Woody Allens sense of humour.

Be home by 6 p.m!

Summer Daisy

Fun Words for 2011

I was playing with this morning.  Unfortunately I was unable to master 'blogging' it directly from the site,
so ended up getting the camera and photographing my project and sending it through to my blog  that way. 
I need to spend more time on it.  It really is a good site.  Lots of possibilities.
 The site is  Wordle 
 There's a lot of  fun to be had there.
(if someone can tell me how to post from Wordle to blogger I'd love to kow about it, thanks.)

Milo biscuits for the Biscuit Tin

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I was enjoying looking at some great blogs and found this easy recipe with ingredients most of us have in our  pantry.  So, I got too and made them.  They were quick to make and weren't in the oven too long before they were cooked.   Great to have some homemade cookies in the tin for the weekend.
http://vintagehouseholdtas.blogspot.com/
This is the blog that inspired me to do some home baking!
Take a look, it is lovely.  Great photos too!

The recipe for these can  found by clicking the link below this posting.
Wherever you are and wherever you may travel, I hope your weekend is a good one!
Cheers to you all.

milo biscuit recipe

A Blog of Beauty

Kirsten is a fulltime artist from Canada.  She writes this amazing blog which features her work.  Mostly related to the seashore.
 Take a look here:   http://kirstensfabricart.blogspot/.

Double Delight roses

Summer Lavender

A different look at a bunch of roses

Red hot poppy on a hot summers day.

Farewell 2010 - Welcome 2011

 Out with the old and in with the New Year

2010 is over.  For my family it was like a roller coaster ride.  I think many others can say the same.
It is good to begin the New Year of 2011 with new opportunities and new beginnings.
I continue to enjoy blogging.  Extending myself artisticly, through  my photography, blog  posting and connecting to other bloggers of a similar interests. 
 What a great world! 
I love it when a visitor takes time to comment on my blog.  This never fails to delight me.  Who knows, we may meet one day!

One last thought about creativity.  This is our giving from the centre of who we are.  Giving of our gifts and talents to our world.  We do not know who may be touched by our giving.  Someone out there needs our individuality, our touch,  our words, our creativity.
 
If you are wondering about joining the blogging world, I highly recommend it!
It is an exciting world.  It happens  one posting at a time.

Best wishes for a truly creative 2011!

Christmas Wishes!

To  my blogging friends and visitors from all over the world.
May peace, love and joy be yours this Christmas!

Jack and the Stars of Christmas

Jacks night out!

J

Our wee dog Jack spent the night under the house.  He gets through a cat door. (yes he does fit)
It was dark before we realised he was  missing.  By then it was too dark for him to see his way out.
He looks rather sleepy at the door this morning.  Mind you he wasn't the only sleepy one!  Some of us thought he had gone further afield and got into trouble.
Good to see him again this morning!
Shows how much these animals mean too us all!

The 'rugged stars of Christmas are a little project I completed yesterday.

Fabric paper  cut and sewn onto felted fabric and a little fibrefill to fill them. 

I brushed on some irridescent  whatever and although the photo doesn't show it,

They have a lovely pearlised glow.

Keeping it Simple.