"A Chance to Grow Your Blog" and GIVEAWAY!!!

Grow Your Blog Party

and GIVEAWAY

What a most wonderful opportunity our dear generous Vicki of

www.vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com

has provided to bloggers to showcase their blog and to bring

to light so many new bloggers and their wonderful

gifts of art to the rest of the blogging world.

I love to support Vicki because she is one of those souls
always out there ready to assist anyone in a far less 
fortunate situation than herself
so I thought I might join in the party and welcome all
new bloggers and old friends and followers into
my blogging world here

to share my secret space of creativity with

 a little background about myself.

But first, at the time of posting this, within the last 24 hours,
 we have been dealing with this crisis on our back
door step - OMG!!!  45deg.C (113deg.F)

approaching our property

and behind our shed and attached flat

but we are still well and safe
with no property damage (unbelievably!!!)

 somewhat terrified!

 due in no short measure
thanks to good preparation, hard work,
a great deal of luck and
a fantastic and well equipped rural Fire Service

(I am just so pleased that I had pre-prepared this post
before the outbreak of this fire!!!).

I really would not like to face a fire this close ever again!!!

♥♥♥

I started blogging about 3 years ago with the intention

of sharing what I do, offering inspiration to others

as well as gaining new visions,  knowledge, musings etc.

about those things which inspire my works.

I had no idea what blogging was all about really but
I just followed Blogger prompts and in no time
I had my own blog - much to my amazement!

So this is where it all happens!
(Click on my Studio button on the sidebar to view more images)

and these are some of the items which I create.

I honestly can't remember when my passion for creating with

rich, vintage and textural fabrics begun but 

my current work in mixed media has sprung out of 

my love of and my exploits into crazy quilting

as well as my love of embellishments such as vintage lace,

brocades, briads, velvets, doilies, buttons, ribbons

and sari silks from the costumes of the

belly dancers over 

the last 20 years.

Although it seems there is still much interest in my quilts

especially this particular one via Pinterest

and

my main urge to create these days is for fabric

and paper collaging which I love to apply

to fabric art journals like some of these

 and this one

and this Bird Journal which I haven't shown here

as yet but plan to soon!

These are a few felted books often needlebooks.

and

as well as collages for wall hangings and pages

to go into books and journals.

such as these.

and

and this smaller collage using a

vintage tart tin

and there are always tags and hearts and clutches too.

And a few pincushions here.

I know how everyone loves to look at images as this is 

where we get inspiration!

so the more the better!!!

I made these Heart Strings some months ago which I 

so enjoyed and hope to get back to creating

more sometime!

Last but not least is an image of a fabric and paper doll.

The other favourite things which I share here is my love

of  both my garden and treasure hunting - not just for my creative works

but just because I have a passion for things old, worn,

tarnished, tattered and collectible

so you will also see things appearing here

amongst the velvets and lace such as these.

As you have been so kind in coming to visit and view

my artwork I've planned a little 

Giveaway

A collage using all of my favourite doilies, vintage laces,

cottons,  burlap, string and buttons.

for you to enter by leaving a comment here on this page.

You don't have to follow but we all love and welcome

new followers so

I will be drawing the winner for this on 

Friday, 1st February

so don't forget to leave me a way of contacting you

via email

♥♥♥

Now I really wish everyone the very best luck with this

but more importantly the very best of luck with your blogs 

where you will be rewarded over and over

in so many different ways.

Thank you Vicki once again for all you have contributed

in making this event so successful!

Love, Suzy xxx

P.S. If you are interested in me creating an item for you

just email me at 

suziqu@tpg.com.au

Relief at last!!!

Well, at least for the time being,

it looks like our prayers have been answered with the

most welcome arrival of some beautiful refreshing

rain after an abnormally hot and hazardous week of bush fires

surrounding many properties and homes in our area.

(100's properties damaged but thankfully no lives lost).

I have been totally pre-occupied this week with the

care and safety of ourselves and our family and friends

living close to the bushfire areas here where we live in a coastal

area of the far south coast of Australia in New South Wales

Our family - kids and grandchildren

have just this morning travelled

back to their property which was undamaged.

♥♥♥

I do apologize to everyone, who left such supportive comments

in my last post, if I didn't get back to you this time but

your kind thoughts were soooooo appreciated and

I thank you for each and everyone 

and 

welcome all my new followers also!!!

  

This is how some of our hydrangeas were looking only a

couple of weeks before we went into the heatwave

and after one day of 42 deg.C (107 deg. F) with a roaring hot wind

it turned these gorgeous blooms into this! 

  

burnt and scorched (like much of the garden and trees)

but 

 it will all recover -

maybe not this year but certainly next Summer

we will see their beauty return.

♥♥♥

This morning I went out into that lovely soft warm rain

and visited a local market where I purchased 

this!

Being a lover of spinning wool (particularly that of our

angora goats) and still owning my spinning wheel

of almost 40 years (now that's almost vintage - hey???)

I couldn't resist this beautifully hand crafted spindle

from the 1800's made from copper and brass

with tiny rusty hooks

and 

it weighs a ton too!

♥♥♥

Just before Christmas I was commissioned to create a needle book

as a gift for another fibre and textile artist as a surprise

and I used this beautiful image of William Bouguereau

to create this.

The image depicts "Sisters"

I dyed the smooth woollen felted pages in a soft mushroom pink

before embellishing with 

pieces of vintage printed satin, dyed laces and silk fabrics.

Now before leaving I thought I might just remind you that

next Saturday, 19th January is the

"Grow Your Blog" Event

which is being sponsored by Vicki at

vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com

so if you would like to visit the list of bloggers

entered into this along with my own

then you will be entered into

my small Giveaway

Here 

on the 19th by leaving a comment.  This party was so very

generously created by Vicki as a way of promoting

an awareness of new bloggers as well

advertising their creative arts and skills.

So

come on over and join in the fun then.

Until then, I'm sending you some rose love from

some of the roses I have recently dried from

my garden.

See you soon!!!

xxx Suzy

Bird Fabric Collage Book as a "Thankyou" Gift

Well in no time at all since returning to my studio
after our humble Christmas celebrations
(and that's only 2 weeks)
I've found myself completely surrounded by all manner
of bits and pieces like bits of lace, fabric, motifs, buttons,
string, glue, cottons, doileys, etc. which I've
managed to spread all around me in
such a mess!
Tell me - it's the same for you when creating!!!???
However, through it all I have some finished projects.

It's not everyday you receive an email from a woman

wanting to gift you with her collection of

mixed media materials just because

she loves your artwork!

Well, the truth of the matter is that Lisa who currently

resides in New Zealand is about to embark on a new

phase in her life which will take her to live in

Tasmania and she wanted her collection to go to someone

who followed her heart's desire and who would really

appreciate its contents and that person was

me!!!

How incredible! When Lisa offered it I had no idea what would arrive

but inside the two boxes were crammed full with vintage doilies,

laces, ribbon, bindings, vintage jewellery etc.

all of which represented most likely several years of

collecting!

I also found the beginnings of a fabric bird journal 

which she said was inspired by me!

There was also a partially completed front cover and a few

loose unillustrated fabric pages as well as some images

of birds and feathers.

I was so in awe of such an incredibly kind act I decided to create a fabric book for her using her bird images and several of

her items

from the collection along with many of my own

and before too many days passed I was able to present her 

with my finished project.

Front cover modified and embellished using Lisa's vintage

jewellery, feathers and fringing.

Detail of some embellishing.

Inside cover using upholstery fabric

(this was some gorgeous fabric included from a beautiful

parcel from Robin

So here you can see Lisa's bird images once collaged

and incorporated into the pages

along with some of my own bird images

and printed silks.

I created the nest here from a vintage chair I took apart some 

time ago!

A particularly pretty doiley here from Lisa

with some soft pastel chiffons.

With the feather images I made these tags which

now live inside the cut lace pocket

on the inside back cover.

It all comes together here!!!

And, of course, the accompanying tag

was with a bird theme also!

And here it sits on a wash stand

as I get it all packed up

ready for sending

to Lisa.

Hope you enjoy viewing this and I have several

more projects ready to share which

I hope to soon as I journey along

with you all!

On a more sombre note

I would just like to leave with these couple of images

of the Tasmanian bush fires in the hope of you

sparing a little thought for those left

homeless, shocked and in 

desperate situations

as a result!

I'm simply lost for words!

We are today facing the most possible catastrophic

fire danger

 situation here in our state yet!!!

Stay safe and show a little kindness

to each other!

xxx Suzy