$100 and Under Christmas Sale

Stitched Journals

Here are a few examples of items I plan to bring to the $100 and Under Christmas Sale in Carp, Ontario December 4-6.   This is a unique show with all items priced at $100 or less.  See show details below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Unique Fabric Under Glass Jewelry

Fabric Beaded Necklaces

Framed Stitched Art

     

Don't forget this weekend I am at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans for Baz'ART.   Please see my Exhibition page for more details.

Recent Workshop with Mary Pal, Glebe Craft and Artisan Fair and Baz'ART

This weekend I will be selling my textile art and jewelry at the Glebe Community Centre in Ottawa.   This is a great juried show with a variety of quality handmade items - jewelry, art work, wood turning, clothing, glass art, products made from recycled items, paper art - just to name a few.    I will post details of the show in my Exhibition section.

Next weekend - November 28 and 29 - I will be showing my work at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans.     Besides a wonderful variety of hand made items and art works, there will be demonstrations, music and information about local arts organizations, with a variety of theatre performances throughout the weekend.   Their galleries will also be showing various artists' work.
Baz'ART



Here are a few hand embroideries I will be taking with me this weekend - I'll have lots of new jewelry too.   These pieces were stitched using floss as well as my favourite variegated threads from Colour Complements.

Fern

Lavender Fields

Poppy Fields - I cut individual petals for foreground/french knots in background

 I have to show you the results of a wonderful workshop I took part in recently - working with cheesecloth with Mary Pal.  Mary is a great teacher and shared her knowledge freely.   Her work is amazing!!
Mary Pal Designs


I used a photo of my cat to create this piece with painted background. The white part is done with the cheesecloth.

And here is my cat - not the photo that I used though

Hope to see some of you at my shows!!

West Carleton Arts Society Show

It looks like I took the summer off blogging!  It wasn't intentional.  I spent the summer creating new work, went camping in Quebec at Mont Megantic to visit the observatory there, and I just came back from my annual Hike the Highlands festival in Cape Breton.

I am taking part in several shows this fall and the first of these is Expressions of Art with the West Carleton Arts Society.   This show takes place on Thanksgiving weekend at the Carp Fairgrounds (Agricultural Building).   I will post more information on this show on my Exhibitions page.  See more details    here   
 video

 Here are a few of the new pieces I plan to display at this show.

Sunset over Cavendish Beach

Sentinels of the Forest in Spring

Focal Point

Wildflowers II

 Of course I will also have some new fabric pendants, postcards and journals.  

It is my first time at this show and I am having a few challenges with finding ways to display my work on grids especially my smaller pieces which don't fit properly on my grid hooks.  I will need to be innovative.


In mid November I will be at the Glebe Community Centre for the annual Glebe Craft and Artisan Fair, and the following week I will take part in Baz'ART at the Shenkman Centre in Orleans.  I will be posting more information about these shows on my Exhibition page soon.

My new grandson is five months old already and a happy healthy growing boy!  I don't like to post photos of him without permission but take my word for it, he is a cutey!!

I was at my friend's condo on Sunday and we went up to the roof to watch the eclipse......

Juat Beginning

Clouds rolled in so the final photos are not so defined

An added treat to see the city at night

 

 

Images from The Rock

Oh, how I love Newfoundland!! I just returned from 12 fabulous days of music and hiking in Gros Morne Newfoundland.   Why so early in the season?   I went for the Trails Tales and Tunes Festival, a celebration of music, storytelling, readings and hikes.   We hiked every morning, sometimes in deep snow, sometimes with the ground under our feet.   However, the weather was so good (yes I did say Newfoundland) that we were often in our shirt sleeves walking through the snow.  We had sun every day for the first week and temperatures rose well above the mid teens celcius which was perfect for hiking.   It was even warm enough some days to sit out on the dock by the Cat Stop Pub - drinking a cold beer and listening to music (on day 2 I got a sunburn even tho I was wearing sunscreen).

We hiked up to Burnt Hill where a wonderful a capella group from Corner brook gave us a mini concert!

Sun, music and drinks anyone?

32 members of Folk of the Bay - just folks who got together to make music - now they have 100 members - with all sorts of instruments!

We saw caribou and lots of moose, even a minke whale on a boat tour complete with musicians from the Claire Lynch Band who were acting like tourists too but ended up playing music on the upper deck.  

We started every day with a guided hike and ended it with a concert then after hours music at various venues.   The performers were so talented and included Acadian and Labrador connections.  So much fun!!!  And I learned so much about Newfoundland, the history, music, cultures.... This is the 9th year and the organizers did a fabulous job of it.   They are becoming too successful because most of the venues are small and the crowds are growing.

I even was able to find some lovely fabric at a PharmaSave in Norris Point!! 

And we ate traditional NL food - fish and brewis, fishcakes, cooked dinner/jig's dinner, and great fish and chips!  This was the first time I had seen NL in the spring and after the winter of snow there was still a lot of it around.  We saw people skiing and snowboarding on the Tablelands - not too safe at this time of year.

View of the Tablelands from Norris Point

This is me walking through the snow at the base of the Tablelands - a little chilly there!

Lobster Cove Lighthouse next to where my friend grew up

This was the view we had of Gros Morne from our patio door - my friend's brother graciously let us use their home

We hiked up to Bakers' Brook Falls one day

And met up with this moose on the way up

And all the time I am pointing my camera I am thinking - how would this look as an embroidery/art work/wall hanging/painted background etc?  I see so many opportunities for stitchery in the photos I took.    Now I just need some time to do it.   On Monday I am giving a workshop on making landscape postcards so busy preparing for that.   Then I hope to dive into some creative work.  I have applied for fall shows and am looking at  two SAQA exhibitions that really speak to me - Concrete and Grasslands and My Canada.  My son is also planning on making some changes to my website so I need to give that some thought as well.

BTW, you too can see the wonders of Gros Morne and enjoy their upcoming Fibre Arts Conference  at the same time.  I took the time to visit an exhibition of Fibre Art at the Discovery Centre in Woody Point called Wild, Pure Aesthetic Wonder.    Very edgy!! This exhibition is a precurser to the Fibre Art Conference that is coming to the area in October of this year.   You can find out more about this Conference and view the exhibition here.    Fibre Art Conference

I wish I could manage two trips to NL in one year - probably not though:(


I have to mention the new love of my life -  my sweet new grandson who seemed to have grown a lot while I was away.  He was born on April 23 and is becoming cuter and more alert every day.  He even smiles when his mom makes funny faces at him.   I don't want to post any photos of him without his parents' permission.   But take my word for it - he is a cutey!!

Now back to work!

Fibre Fling 4 was a Great Success!

Our Fourth Annual Fibre Fling held last weekend was a great success!   We had lots of visitors, received many positive comments, sold lots of beautiful pieces and even signed up new members for Out of the Box.   We haven't got all the figures yet but I am guessing we raised many $$ for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.   The high tea was certainly popular!

I sold most of the necklaces that I had at the sales table.  Luckily I have lots more at home and will add some to Etsy this week.   I was very pleased that many of my smaller stitched pieces were sold as well.  I also sold one of my favourite hand stitched pieces (aren't they all my favourites?) called A River Runs Through It.  This piece travelled to Edmonton last year to be part of the FFAA exhibition called 'Prairies'.  It is going to a good home:)

A River Runs Through It

Here are a few of the others that have gone to new homes.

Moose Sculpture at Sunset

Dill

As Far as the Eye can See - leaving me shortly.....

Two of my tiny shadow box pieces are sold as well - Forest Floor and Wildflowers.   I think I say this after every show but I don't seem to have photos of those pieces.   It's like they all migrate from my camera roll as soon as the piece is gone!!   I have lots of photos of the pieces which I still have!?

So now besides getting seriously to work on my taxes I am rushing to finish a wall hanging for a very special little person who is coming any day now.   It is a surprise but I don't think I will spoil it by mentioning it here because his parents are very busy right now preparing for the new arrival.

When I have a chance I will add several new pieces to my Etsy shop - since I don't have any shows coming up in the next few months.  I am hoping to squeeze in a trip to Newfoundland this spring.

Fibre Fling 4 is Fast Approaching - Some New Jewelry Designs

Another week till Fibre Fling 4 - our fourth annual fibre arts show.  For more details please see my Exhibitions Page.   I have submitted all my lists and information sheets so all that's left is to do a final check and pack up the work.   Whew!!

This winter I worked on some new jewelry designs and ordered some new and different metal 'trays' for them.  These ones are all machine stitched, protected with a gel medium and placed in the settings without glass.   I will have these at the show but will still be showing lots of  my fused fabric landscape pendants covered with a glass cabuchon as well.

I will have lots of fabric postcards which are great to send with or without a plastic sleeve but also look good in a frame.  Sorry for the duplication but I took photos of these in batches and just noticed some got in the picture more than once:)

Here is a preview of a couple of pieces I have made especially for this show.  Both are hand stitched.   The landscapes were painted on fabric then stitched.

The Waters of Cape Breton

Dill

Now on to a special project I have started for a special person.......but it's a secret!

How Time Flies

As you can see from my last post, we have been busy with preparations for Fibre Fling 4.   Now I need to get down to work and prepare some pieces for the sales table at the show.

I haven't done much lately but I did finish my colour challenge - magenta - piece.  It is machine stitched and covered with a layer of fine tulle.  Then mounted on a stretched canvas.   The truth is I got my inspiration for this piece from a shot I took of a sunrise from our rental cottage in Cape Breton.   Then I turned it into a sunset!

This piece will be part of an exhibition which will travel to venues in Ottawa and hopefully end up at the Almonte Textile Museum in  2016 as part of an Out of the Box group exhibit.

Red Sky at Night: Sailor's Delight

I also managed to finish 5 new journal covers.   It seems I am into sunsets right now.   This idea came from a customer who was looking for a journal and was interested in an image of a previous sunset piece -Red Sails in the Sunset - which was sold last fall.   I have finished two so far.

For this journal I used fabric that I stamped with my own Tree of Life stamp made in a workshop with Connie ten Bruggenkate.  I stitched a gold tree and on the back I added a stamped butterfly which I also stitched.

 Another stamped piece from the workshop was used for this journal cover, this time stamped with an orange and kumquats in metallic paints.

These are front and back views.

This last hand embroidered journal is similar to the one I made for my friend's birthday.  I just had enough material to make this cover.
















I also finished a small stitched challenge piece and some stitched jewelry which I will save for another post.   Now I need to get to work on more jewelry and post cards if I want to have enough for the upcoming show.

Announcing our Fourth Annual Fibre Fling

Spring is just around the corner - honest it is!!   And it is almost time for Fibre Fling 4 - a collaboration between Out of the Box fibre artists and the Kitchissippi United church.  I am reprinting here the information that is posted on the  Out of the Box  website

Fibre Fling 4 Show and Sale!

April 10^th – 11^th, 2015

Friday 10am-8pm

Saturday 10am-5pm

High Tea  Saturday 12-5

Admission $5    High Tea an additional $10

Location: Kitchissippi United Church, 630 Island Park Drive, Ottawa

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR FOURTH ANNUAL FIBRE FLING!

Out of the Box Fibre Artists are pleased to announce our Fourth Annual Fibre Fling and Tea at Kitchissippi United Church, 630 Island Park Drive, Friday, April 10, 10 am to 8 pm, and Saturday April 11, 10 am to 5 pm.    A delicious high tea will be served on Saturday, April 11 from 12 to 5 pm.  Light refreshments will be available throughout the rest of the show.   Once again we are partnering with Kitchissippi United Church to raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation which supports AIDS orphans and their caregivers in Africa.   At the same time we hope to raise awareness about the rich diversity of fibre art being created in the Ottawa area.  What could be better than an art show coupled with a delicious high tea and at the same time providing much needed help for a worthy cause!      

Our members are passionate about fibre art.    Last year at Fibre Fling, 34 members of Out of the Box exhibited 171 pieces from framed art work, quilted wall hangings, mixed media, wearables, felting, embroidery, beadwork, rug hooking and much more!   This year we will also have on display art work from our hand stitching challenge along with this year’s colour challenge pieces.  We will have an expanded sales area where you can purchase small artworks, wearables like scarves, hats and bags, jewelry, bookmarks, art cards and other creations.

Admission is $5 and if you wish to indulge in the High Tea the cost is an additional $10.     An array of mouth-watering sandwiches, scones and sweets will be provided and served by volunteers of Kitchissippi United Church, raising much needed funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.    Fibre Fling has raised over $10,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation over the last three years and we hope to raise more this year for this important work.    So please plan to join us for our fourth annual exhibition, tea and sale!  Bring your friends to enjoy the artwork and sales area then take a break for tea surrounded by colourful works of art.  We hope that our exhibition will be eye candy for people who love fibre as well as those of you who are being introduced to fibre art for the first time. 

 You might even be inspired to join Out of the Box or visit one of our meetings.   We are happy to  answer your questions about our group and process your membership form on the spot!  We are always pleased to welcome new members to Out of the Box - a place where we can learn from each other, challenge ourselves, and grow as artists.