New Beginnings and Some Endings

Thank you to everyone who has visited here recently,

leaving such inspiring messages and following along also

 -

thank you all so very much!
I try hard to visit you all and leave replies when I can!!!

There is some new artwork on my table

in progress for you to view -

a couple of pages 

for a

 new fabric, lace, paper and textural journal.

This is the front cover and already it has changed quite

a bit from this little part of what you see here

and

I have been using my felting machine

to create some of the pages in this

new book

so there are a combination of many fabrics, laces

and fibres like raw silk.

Hopefully it will be finished by my next post.

The next two pages are part of a Lacebook Round Robin

collaborative which I am part of and

these pages are for Karen Dorcas

you can visit her blog by clicking on her name.

Karen's theme in this book is

The Madonna 

and here are my interpretations of her two pages:

This is the second page of her book

here:

Some beautiful embroidered silk organza in 
the most beautiful shade of taupe/grey/mauve
colour. 

I have also been experimenting with some new digital

effects that Picasa has introduced

as well as some changes to my digital camera settings

so this explains why the images

all have different effects!

Finally just to show you some remains of the day

(if you like!)

from our Summer garden as we approach the more

subdued colours of a cooler Autumn

down here in Australia

such as these Hippeastrums

looking tired and spent after heavy heavy rains

in our part of the world

and

the roses

now into their third flowering of the season but still

showing rich and vibrant tones

like these -

and 

(I think just a little out of focus)

but this rose is a David Austin Rose

named "Ambridge".

It is described as a medium schrub and strong.

Our particular rose has grown to a height of approx. 3 metres!

****************

I'll leave you with this lovely little quote

by Orison Swett Marden:

"If you feel yourself growing

in your work

and your life

broadening and deepening,

if your task is

a perpetual tonic to you,

you have found your place!"

Have a wonderfully creative and fulfilling week!

Love and hugs, Suzy xxx

A bit of Lace and A dash of Velvet

Now get ready for a lace and doiley 

extravaganza!!!

(Not too much of an overload I hope!).

Well I have just been going through some of my

quilts

and I found this one 

in the stack which I made nearly

3 years ago now

and

thought I might share it with you

as I know

there are a lot of you who just

adore lace and doilies

just as much as 

I do!

So here are some of the doilies which I have

layered and collaged.

As you can see these doilies have been machine

sewn onto a beautiful shade of

champagne coloured crushed velvet

surrounded with two rows of

soft matching floral

cottons.

and each corner has been patchworked

with an embroidered taffeta

and then layered with more

doilies.

Finally after layering and quilting many of the laces

and doilies (many of which have been crocheted)

 together

I then hand sewed a very large number of 

vintage pearl mop buttons through all

layers to stabilize

the quilt.

I honestly couldn't tell you how much

(if any)

of this lace is actually handmade

but

I can really appreciate these gorgeous pieces

for their sheer beauty!!!

I need now to go and visit my friend Liz

www.lululizinlalaland.blogspot.com

as Liz has been collecting the most beautiful

vintage

linen and laces from France and England

for the last 30 years

and 

she just may know the answers

to which may be handmade

and which are most likely machine made!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend

staying well and happy!

Love Suzy xxx

More Creative Works from Blogging Friends

As I mentioned in my last post

I have some more beautiful works and gifts

given to me recently from dear blogging friends

including this

most gorgeous lace and fabric collage from my
very dear friend, Dorthe,
www.denlillelade.blogspot.com

Now isn't that a most beautiful image and she is surrounded 

with some of the finest organza and lace fabrics 

you could imagine adorned and embellished with

doilies and laces

and

also included were these

and

for a much closer look - one of Dorthe's tags embellished with more

tags, a bird image and one of her special transparent leaves

so delicately sewn

and some ephemera to use in my journals

Dorthe your heart is so much bigger than your clever

creative hands and your friendship is a real treasure to me!

Thank you so very much! - You know where these

will live in my home!

Alexandra from www.cottage-dreams.blogspot.com

sent me this from Germany

Look at these beautiful collaged cards with hearts
and butterflies and a sweet image!
and

a collection of unusual braids to use in my creations.
What a lovely friend you are Alexandra.




From New Zealand came this most precious 
ceramic heart with a lacey design pressed into it -

Isn't that so very beautiful and it represents a special love
and friendship I share with my dear friend, Jo, which spans
more than 40 years now!
Jo's special gift, among so many, is her gorgeous
eco-dyeing - creating sustainable colour
on cloth and fibre
 and the creations made from
these.
So go and visit Jo's blog at
www.aquaplusflora.wordpress.com

All of these beautiful creations plus braid and laces
came from dear Judy of
www.judysfabrications.blogspot.com


Judy's current passion is for paper journals
and she is one of the most talented bloggers in so many different
arts that I have met and she lives in South Australia
which is just across the border from me
which would be more than 500k away -
Thank you Judy so much - you are one of the kindest
friends I know!


and


lastly
from the United Kingdom
came all these beautifully hand created items
from Lynn Stevens of
www.trashtotreasureart.blogspot.com

A cleverly made cone filled with lots of vintage sewing items,
lace motifs and more laces and braid on a card
along with a beautiful selection of
vintage buttons.

I was thrilled to receive all of these gorgeous things Lynn
and you know that every piece will be used
(in fact, I have already used some of these items
in a brand new journal I am creating which
is almost finished)


and just to wet your appetite and with Springtime approaching
in the Northern hemisphere 
here is a little preview -

and just to finish this post I have made a collage
of some very beautiful handmade birthday
cards which I received very
recently!

Aren't these just so gorgeous
and
yes - I have been so very spoiled by
some very beautiful friends!
I feel blessed in so many ways!


I just love this saying too:
"The best feeling comes when you realize
that you are perfectly happy
without the things once you thought
you needed the most"!


Thank you dear blogging friends for visiting, commenting,
following, and supporting me in my endeavours
to become a whole person worthy of
being acknowledged for just who I am!
I hope your days are full of little moments of joy!


Love and hugs, 
Suzy xxx

Birthday Gifts to Share

It just so happens that very recently I had another birthday

(and I wouldn't dare even whisper the age!!!)

and a few dear blogging friends and other wonderful

friends gifted me with some truly

creative and beautiful gifts.

This very elegant little pouch decorated with a beautiful

rose image 

came from  sweet Marie

www.marie-lostbirdstudio.blogspot.com

Now isn't this the most beautiful image on this tag

she created?

And inside the little pouch was all manner of ephemera items

including these:

Vintage botanical pages, vintage bird images, cards, stamps

and yet another little packet

with this gorgeous miniature tag on the back of which

were these words defining the meaning of

"a friend"

which I will share as it is just so meaningful:

"A friend is 1. a person whom one knows well and is fond of.

2. an allay, supporter, or sympathizer.

3. loves you for who you are.

4. unconditionally accepts you."

Now isn't that the most precise definition of a real friend.

Inside the beautifully wrapped paper packet were these little

gifts which Marie created also

including a little bird tag and matching notebook!

Marie I thank you so very much for your incredible kindness and

friendship.  You mean such a lot to me!!!

And another packet arrived from Germany around the same

time from

Julia, my dear friend, of

www.vintagewithlaces.blogspot.com

Look how beautifully she wrapped everything!

and such a gorgeous card made by her clever hands

and when I opened the parcel I found all of

these gifts -

An incredible  French collage so amazingly embellished

and framed with vintage laces and doilies

A vintage lace heart with a beautiful tin she decorated

which was full of a collection of old buttons

and metal embellishments

for me to use in my own creations.

Isn't this rich in white laces, pearls and a pearl button?

and this Birthday Card

up close for you to see the image of the delicate vintage flowers.

Julia, my friend, how you have so enriched my life

and inspired me so much with your

natural creativity.

I feel so blessed to have met these wonderful woman

and now have them as my dear friends

through blogging!

It also gives me great pleasure in being able to display the

wonderful craftwomanship of some of our fantastic

blogging woman who are out there in all

corners of the world fulfilling their

dreams and creative

ambitions!

and Blogging has made all this possible.

Blogging has also made it possible for us to make valuable

friendships without which our world would not be as

rich!

and I am personally extremely grateful!!!

I have more incredible creations to share next time so 

until then 

continue to follow your dreams and be happy

with the little things that you 

achieve in a day!

Sending love to you all out there in blogland

and Thank you for visiting,
following

and leaving such inspiring comments
it is always a joy to read them and to know that you have
visited.
So for now, good morning, good evening or good night -
wherever you may be!

-Always, Suzy xxx