... wet and gray

hot pink love beads
hot spacers beads - in pink!

... made a few weeks ago but not photographed till the weekend - and a complete colour contrast to the weekend that just was. Wet weather days (which I just love) are perfect for getting all those "other" jobs done. You know the stuff - sorting, shuffling, surfing the net .....

I did manage to list new items in my shop, finish off some important paperwork (which was now very overdue) and pack and post some gallery items.

A walk in the rain on Sunday along the city's river walk was the perfect way to spend time with my boys - puddles, umbrellas and a cafe brunch. Fantastic! Talk soon - Liz

... paris dreaming

this is where my head is at the moment....

and here.....

... and really, a million miles from where it should be!

I know this is because my sister has just come back from a weekend in France. It's been on my mind now for the past week or so. It made me ache inside to want to be with her. Paris is beautiful and it was Emilia's first visit. I wish I'd been there to show off all my favourite places ....

You know, the places that you always visit again and again even though you've been there before, and the big gallery on the riverbank, and that wonderful cafe with the patisserie on the corner ...... *sigh*

Well there! It's off my chest now but I don't know if it will make me feel any better. I will struggle today to get thru my "other" to-do list. Wish me luck - au revoir.

** We took these photos the time before last - but they are still some of my favourites. Night time photography can be a bit tricky but I reallly like the tower image.

... where does it all go?

... Friday already and I'm exhausted! Where did the week/month go without me noticing? With the both the boys back at school (yay) and the obligatory Aussie Day BBQ down and dusted for another year - I have been focused on finishing pieces for the forthcoming exhibition "women of substance II".

Again, it will be hosted by the lovely Margaret Campbell-Rider from the Red Hill Gallery. I am thrilled to be part of this all-girl show where talented female artisans get together to celebrate their artistic talents, in the name of "wearable art". Make sure you drop in to have a look - show starts Feb 12th, 2010.

One of my new year promises from (me to me) was to stay on top of my ever increasing workload and manage my time properly - you know, so you don't stress and feel like you are drowning in work. The lovely Thea (Thea & Sami) has some good advice for helping you to stay afloat and keeping on top of things - makes perfect sense to me! *Thank you too Thea for posting about my up and coming workshop on making felted beads - I'm off to relax now, so talk to you soon - ciao!

.... variations cont'd

The times and dates for the wet felting "felted beads" workshops have just been announced.

I said you would be the first to know, so here they are:

Week 1

creating felted bead - wet felt techniques

Week 2

beading and embroidery to embellish felted beads

week 1 - wed 10th March ~ 6pm - 9pm or sat 13th March and

week 2 - wed 17th March ~ 6pm - pm or sat 20th March

To register for the workshop or for further details, follow the link ---> here.
In the mean time, I have added more items to my etsy store where the focus at the moment is all things love, red and hearts! Talk soon - Liz x

... je t'aime, ti amo, love u

... got the message yet? I've been having a bit of fun making these hearts of glass to celebrate St Valentine's day on Feb 14. I've just about used up my entire stock pile of red glass so I will be ordering more soon. In the mean time, some of these lovelies are heading up north ... and some will stay with me.

See something you like? Let me know and I will set it aside for you or better still, make one up, just for you!

And while on the subject of love, a fabulous etsy store named Hearts for Haiti has been created solely for raising funds for the earthquake victims of Haiti.

They are accepting any heart inspired goodies so donate what you can. If not, then GO SHOPPING!!!! Every cent you spend in this shop will go toward the cause. Liz x

... how can you help?

... Like all of us, we often wonder what we can do to help those less fortunate than us in times of crisis - my good friend Renee Blackwell is doing her bit to raise much needed funds for the earthquake victims of Haiti.

This beautiful piece created by Renee will be auctioned off and money raised will be donated to the international red cross to support these survivors. Follow the link above for more details on how you can help.

On my never ending "to-do" list this month, included restocking items in my etsy store. I have started doing this today so you may want to head over to have a look.

With Valantine's Day not too far away, "love, red and hearts" feature heavily. There will be more to come later today, so come back soon - ciao, Liz x

... variations on a theme

... spot the difference yet? Well these felted beads (as opposed to the glass ones I normally make) have been on my mind for long time. Re-visiting techniques in this medium brings back lovely memories from workshops run by the very talented Carol Dival in the N.S.W southern highlands a long, long time ago.

I thought I would be a bit rusty - but I guess once you learn the technique, it embeds itself deeply in the brain ... just like riding a bike, right?

It was lots of fun - especially using these gorgeous size 9 delicas to decorate the surface .... (think dot placement, even spacing etc. etc.)

OK ... the good news is that you too will be able to make felt beads as I will be running workshops at Mad Monnies. I am sooooo exicted about this - no dates yet, but you be the first to know. I can tell you though that is will be some time soon! In the mean time, feel free to contact me if you need any further details. Ciao ~ Liz