Web site!!!!!!

Well my computer and programming expert came last night and whew - my head is swimming. He is setting up templates for me to add my images etc. He does it all in code!!!! I have learned how to use layers/divs so that should make it easier. Sounds good doesn't it? Lets hope I can do my bit as well. He is coming back to finish it off and then......! Lots of images still to prepare.


Managed to photograph another piece this morning before the skies darkened again. Purely made this one up as I went along - rummaged through stock and just let it grow. Colour ruled this one I think - the only connection to Ancient Egypt are the motifs and stamping - could have been anything although I have used a blue background for the Blue Nile!!!

Back to some machining while there is some daylight and then on to those images for the web site.

Have redesigned my opening page AGAIN - think I will stick with this one - like it the best.

Not a lot

Haven't blogged for some time but have been busy. Most of what I have been doing has involved sheers which are difficult to photograph and don't show what they really look like. However - here is one piece which has lots of sheer layers, stitching and burning then overlaid again and stitched then some burnt away again. Doesn't really show up in the photo.
Will send some digitised images over to the embroidery machine now ready to stitch out - again on sheer sandwiches.
Will make a frame tomorrow to mount the piece I did today. Also have a decision to make as to whether or not to leave some threads dangling or cut them to the frame.
Must get on.....

More on the Egyptian theme

I was working on the clay motif's piece this morning and the more I looked at the clay pieces the more I kept thinking that the blue hieroglyphic motif would make a nice pendant. By lunch time I gave in to this thought and began to make a necklace.
My husband had to go into the garage and strip some cable to get me the thickness I needed to make the necklace.
By the end of the afternoon it was finished.
Not a brilliant photo - poor conditions and I didn't want to use flash with so much gold. Will have to retake it in daylight.
Back to the other piece which will have to be re-designed now.

My computer man didn't turn up so no help in the DW direction. So back to the hard slog.

Grandson time

Spent all yesterday with my grandson and in the afternoon we created a picture for his bedroom wall. I showed him how to mix the paint and create a colour wash for the sea then he added paint to stamps to add dolphins, starfish and waves to the background.
He came up with the idea of using several colours of paint on each stamp to add more interest - that pleased me.
He also had to learn to do the cleaning of the brushes and stamps - look after your equipment.
Hopefully in time we can build up to creating a larger mural of mixed media.
His parents came to collect him so I didn't get to take a photo.

The rest of the time was spent preparing images and thumbnails for my website.
I did get some time to start building the layers of another piece.
I had applied some tea dyed scrim to a sheet of thin card with pva. I am now using a darker stained scrim to create pyramids and texure in the background ready for the painted model magic clay accents which I posted a few days ago.
It is looking promising so far.

Oh and on Friday we went out to do some photography and took a series of photos to create a panorama.
I managed to stitch them together today - 6 of them - this CS3 is brilliant.

I took some very useful photos of beech trees now in full copper dress. Looking forward to using them.
When I was opening the raw files I increased the black to give the views into the woods a more dramatic and mysterious effect. The sun was streaking across at a low angle keeping the floor a rich copper colour. A good days results.

Is it or isn't it??

Well I have done more work to this piece and I think it is finished.

On with the next one for now while I deliberate.

Just visited Lynda Monk's blog and what a busy lady. Some fabulous sample backgrounds.
Wonder if I should do more creative work and give the web site a rest - it would be more productive and satisfying.

I step forward, 2 steps back

Spent all day on Dreamweaver thinking I was winning .Some bits have come together but then I get stuck on something spending hours trying to solve it - getting nowhere.
Very frustrating.
Anyway, posting a picture of finished piece.

As to the other piece I am on with:
I have wrapped the pipe cleaners with tea dyed scrim and cut some pieces of scrim to put under a few of the accents/patches. Now need to decide on how I am going to do the stitching.

Decisions, decisions again.

Have managed to do some work today even though I have had my grandson and my hairdresser here today. Did some cleaning too!

Have played a bit more putting more bits onto this panel - the pipe cleaners are to be wrapped (mummies link!!!!) but still deliberating.


The silhouette of the gods piece was actually finished just half an hour ago but will wait until tomorrow to photograph it. I did, however, take a photo of how I was tackling the overstitching. I didn't want to stitch directly onto the piece in case I didn't like it and to pull out stitching would have ruined it so this way I could see what it would look like. I did like it and the net hardly shows.


Not sure whether I should do this but had a request so here goes.
I am redesigning my website and have designed some new opening pages to see how I want it to look. Now I have to chose which one unless I design more of them!!








The 'Enter' word will be a link to the next page when I discover how to put text over an image - all of these were created in Photoshop as images and I am struggling at the moment to put text over the top of these images and to place images just where I want them. Will persevere though and by the time I can lay out pages in DW I will be ready to choose which style I want to use.

Have painted the clay motifs/patches/accents - whatever people call them - and I like them. Now to decide how I am going to use them!! I have a vague idea for another piece

Bit by bit

Today's post will be an ongoing one posting bits as I do them.

Have taken photos - then found it wasn't convenient to go visiting (new gas lines in progress so no access), then we were going to go out to do some photography - the sky blackened and the rain came down so will get on with the Egyptians.

This is the one I am pondering about. I was thinking of stitching line drawings of each of the figures over the top or off set. Or stitch line drawings on a sheer and overlay that.
This piece wasn't really planned - I had these outline shapes left when I cut out the figures for the box and didn't want to throw them away so I used them as stencils.
A bonus piece.




This piece is building. I will go with the flow on this one. I have an idea in mind how it will look but......
These clay patches are drying nicely and should be ready to paint today. One is already destined for the other piece and is in situ. Watch this space for what happens to them next.

Thanks for comments about sticking at Dreamweaver. I have a book to 'learn it the quick and easy way' Hmm - I'm beginning to think I'm as dumb as - not getting anywhere at the moment. But.. will have another session and see if anything clicks.

A productive day

No pictures today - by the time I was ready to photograph the light had gone.

Made some clay embellishments with Hearty - they are drying ready to paint.
Painted and stencilled another piece but not sure what to do next on this one. Like it as it is but at the same time I want to do more on it - dilemma.
Stamped the painted background from yesterday. It is now ready to embellish with all sorts.
Think we are going to visit relatives tomorrow so hope I can do photographs before we set off as it will be dark by the time we get home.

Not doing very well with Dreamweaver - very tempted to go back to Front Page.

Completed tags

The Tags piece is finished although not quite as I had envisaged. When I laid out the tags to look at them - I did it on my window ledge and so they were side by side - I liked the way they looked so decided to keep them that way. The header was made to fit this arrangement.
I couldn't blast it with the heat gun as the fibres were synthetic and would have melted so I removed some of the sheer carefully with the soldering iron and a large pin. Could have done this better if I could have found my glasses and magnifying lenses. Searched the whole house for hours. Today my husband found them - inside one of my bead storage boxes!!!! The age thing again.
As each tag has a back as well as a front - so it can also be hung as a mobile.

Photos & design

Finished the tags and have designed the header for them which I hope to make tomorrow. There are too many to post all of the photos - here are a few of them.


















They have backs too and they will be hung from a main piece all at different levels. There are 9 altogether.
The header will be layered up with fibres, sheers, stamping, maching and then blasted with the heat gun. Hmmmm - hope what is in my mind works out.

I have also created more possible opening pages for my web site. Once this decision has been made it is all systems go to begin Dreamweaver proper.
I have decided to scrap the spectrum logo and designed a simpler one.

Here is a photo for Sharon. My husband took 2 photos side by side and I made them into this panorama using CS3. I cropped all the upper areas and some of the foreground of the photo to make it a letterbox panorama. An impressive piece of software isn't it? I used to do it the long way - stitching and blending the two which I had done so I was able to compare the two and there was almost no difference so I was very impressed with the software.
I am off to set up the header for the tab hangings now ready to stitch out tomorrow.

Busy, busy - too many things I want to do

Haven't posted for a few days. Have been busy with my latest piece which has snowballed a bit and I have been enjoying getting on with it. No photos yet - will take some tomorrow. It is actually a series of little pieces - they are tags which will be hanging from a main piece - now that part may pose the problem as I haven't given that one any thought yet. - Just had a thought - wonder if it will work?????

Have also spent time learning to use Dreamweaver to revamp my website. It is time consuming with not much to show for it yet. Have made a layout of my opening page but cannot decide whether to have a bold theme or a gentle one. My husband says to go bold. Will create a few and then decide.


This is one idea.
Back to the tags - was having a problem machining a piece of gold leather then realised I hadn't put the embroidery foot on - feel such an idiot sometimes. It's an age thing!!!!