Photos, snow and sew

Well the snow has gone but when it fell it fell thick and fast. I am still creating an image per day so as the snow was falling I went outside to find a photograph. I didn't get far as the snow had built up on the leaves and stems of the climber outside my front door and made the perfect image. It was just as well as my boots and wellies were in the car in the garage so I had slipped my feet into my OH's motor bike boots - very big and heavy so it was difficult to walk far. The snow was still driving and I was getting covered in snow as I took the photographs using several different setting. This is my favourite.

In the back garden the bushes were laden with snow and I refrained from going outside to photograph it. I simply opened the conservatory door and zoomed in from there.

In spite of all this snow, the snowdrops are flowering and became the subject of another of my images per day.

To avoid going outside I looked for an image inside. The sun was falling on the leaves of one of my plants so I took a photograph of it. As I can never resist playing with images in the computer, I did just that with the photograph of the leaves and this was the result. I loved the colours. and sweeping shapes.

I have spent lots and lots of time getting to grips with my new mac computer but I have still managed to create some textile pieces. These are mini panels to add to the project I am expanding.

For this panel I used metal shim and embossed some fish which were then overlaid with dyed fibres and threads. The background was my first use of texture paste which I like very much and will use a lot more in the future.

I had to make some copper wire spirals for this piece and they were stitched onto a weave of painted scrim.

This one didn't turn out as I had hoped. The darker fish underneath didn't show up too well and I had to keep playing and adding to it but this is the best I could get. I may still do more to it as it will bug me until I get an effect I want.

This one used some of the serendipity Tyvek I had in store and fitted the project subject perfectly ( sorry can't say more than that). It was a 'go with the flow' piece and the base fabric a recycled skirt.

These are simply technique samples to go in a folder and they are fairly quick to make.

Now I am planning the next series of pieces but I have my grandson with me this week - half term- so it will be next week. One piece of good news. The publisher sent me a PDF of the sleeve for my book. It looks really good. Hope it catches peoples eye when on the book shelves.

It is getting late now so time for bed.

Cheers everyone.

MY new BIG MAC!

I don't have any creative work to show as I have been busy with my new computer. It arrived in a big black box.

I upgraded the hard drive and the RAM so it is a very powerful system. It is also a very heavy piece of equipment. However the new keyboard is just the opposite. It is very small and light.

Once we began to set it up we discovered that some of my other equipment is no longer compatible. Even though my scanner is only about 4 years old there is no update driver for the latest Mac so I have had to buy another one. Then I discovered that my graphics tablet which I have had for a long time but which works perfectly well is also not compatible so .... a new one of those too. The speakers used the old 9 pin serial connection so they are redundant too. Not bothered about them as I have some very dinky ear phones. Just look at this redundant hardware!!

The computer I have replaced has replaced an even older computer in the work room and I have cleared it out and am loading my grandson's software onto it. I can also still use it in the workroom. I am putting Windows on the Mac and running a dual system for the software that will not run on a Mac- namely my embroidery machine software. That will keep my mind focused.

I still have a long way to go but getting there. It has interfered with my other interests especially my image per day so today's image was created by playing with yesterday's image - the keyboard.

I am getting used to Photoshop CS4 on a Mac which is somewhat different to CS3 on a PC. It is simply practice and time - LOTS of it. The trouble is - I am missing my sewing and mixed media work so I think I will take a day off and go into the workroom tomorrow and give the Mac a rest except for my emails and image per day!! I hope.

So I have stopped pulling my hair out and have calmed down from thinking I had made a big mistake. On a lighter note - when my grandson heard us talking about the big Mac he piped up that he had been allowed to have a big Mac for doing so well with his silver swimming award!!!

Now I would like to express my deepest concerns to my Australian blogger friends and the terrible disaster they are enduring. It is hard to watch the news without tears in the eyes and a lump in the throat.

So that's all for now -

Bye everyone.