Quiet Sunday

Kind of a "meh" kind of day, so I played on the computer, working on some fun photos I got via an App on Facebook last week. I thought I'd turn Mum and Sherman into an artwork, while I'm at it. Might even do something quilty with this someday. Just wish Sherman's beautiful blue eyes showed up. (And he is a little more svelte than he appears in this photo).

Earlier in the week I made some more cards, a couple of Easter ones, and a Bon Voyage one for a friend.

 Today, I worked on a steampunk card and tag. Good fun, but it took forever to do. Used some of my favourite embossing folders too. My main challenge at the moment is using the right glue etc. to adhere things.

Well, I'd better head into the kitchen, making a turkey on request of DH (he's been salivating all day...). It's only a small one (2.8kg), so hardly worth the effort. But it will last us for a few days.

Happy Lunar New Year!

I had this whirring around in my head for a while, so on Chinese New Year I sat down and put it to canvas.
The base coat is acrylic, red and some orange. The I used a stencil, some gelatos and oil pastels for the background. I used some Inka Gold for the edges, and i had ordered some nice Chinese napkins, which I used for background, glueing them down with Gel medium.
Then I drew on the goat, from a photo I had in my "Inspirations' folder.
I shaded the goat with Dimensions stamp ink. While I was in Chinatown the other day, I found these amazing coins that had Chinese script and dragons on them, and attached a few to the canvas as well. Finally, I found the birdie sitting in the tree, gave it a rub with Dimensions ink, and added it as well. Lets hope that the year of the Goat brings us all health, happiness, and prosperity!

Spa Country musings

How does someone get up in the morning and think - "I'm going to make a fish today, with colorbond metal sheeting and rivets!" That seems to be what happened to one of the artists at the Pantechnicon Gallery in Daylesford, and he's just about to finish the fish, hoping to sell it to a restaurant in Melbourne. Creativity is alive and well in the mineral springs country! We''ve always loved Daylesford, even before it became touristy and fashionable, and it is still a favourite destination for a country drive. Now, in autumn, the cooler weather brings out the warm yellows and reds of deciduous trees, and Daylesford's surrounds are well worth exploring with the camera. The town, settled in the mid-1800s with the gold rush, has two pretty lakes, Lake Daylesford and Lake Jubilee. Both are havens for birds, frogs, dragonflies and sundry wildlife. Wombat Hill Gardens are well worth a visit in any season and offer great views over the township and surrounding countryside. It is situated just above the Convent Gallery, a former nunnery turned into a centre for art which also doubles as a wedding venue, and has ongoing exhibitions of local artists' works. Daylesford is a hub for art and artists, food and foodies, and quirky shops and galleries add to the slightly bohemian ambiance. Day spas abound, and just down the road is Hepburn Springs, heart of the mineral spa country, with its many B&Bs and spa dating back to the late 1800's. While not as lively as Daylesford, it is not (yet) spoiled by tourism, and on weekdays it is a surprisingly quiet place. Some shops and galleries have started up, notably the "Wolf at the Door" Gallery, but just enough to explore for an hour after lunch. Peppers is a nice place to have lunch, a 1930's style resort next door to an Italianate villa complete with Mediterranean garden. A few kilometers out of town is Lavandula, a rambling property turned into a lavender farm. While the townships are interesting, it is the surrounding countryside which is surely an inspiration for many of the resident artists. Forests and waterfalls, enormous old trees, deep rich soil, bubbling springs, and teeming wildlife add to the attraction of this area. And I'm sure there's still gold in them hills!!