Playing catch-up

Well we finally have a new computer that doesn't crack the wobblies every 5 minutes and crash on us! So l now have to find all my favourite sites, forums and blogs and play catch up!

And yes, l did gesso over my painting disaster, in fact just this week l finished painting over it and while l still can see it needs a couple of finishing highlights here and there, it's pretty much finished.

I've also now sold 12 faery doors, 8 online and the others at markets so l'm one happy faery carpenter! Even Ruby helps me by handing me things, she's such a curious child and HAS to be involved in everything al of the time ; hs to know what colours things are, what their names are...such a delight.

SOLD SOLD SOLD !!!

l had my first sale on Madeit.com.au yesterday, and it was for all 3 faery doors! I'm so excited that someone loved all of them so much that she bought all of them....so of course l uploaded a couple more this arvo, and l'll do another 2 tomorrow once l take new photos. I'm so happy...now to make some more !!

to gesso or not to gesso

at the risk of sounding like a spoiled brat, l hate it when l do a terrible painting! I spent a good part of Saturday afternoon sweating buckets and smelling like  a taxi driver, busting my backside trying to get a painting finished in time for an art show in which the entries need to be in by yesterday. I would have finished in time if not for the fact it was the worst painting l've ever done!After a couple of hours both myself and my canvas looked like Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'...me moreso than the painting! Now, l know l've done some shockers before, l'm not egomaniacal enough to think that l've never done a terrible art work before,but l have never gessoed over a canvas this big before to paint something else. The quandry l have is to paint it over with gesso and start again, or try to finish the painting to see if l can turn it into something half decent? The background is working, the couch looks fabulous, but the figure on it just isn't working  and l just don't know if l have the chops to finish and see what l end up with.....................maybe l'll do it anyway and if it's really bad l'll gesso over it....OR l could give it away as a present ( to someone l don't like maybe ? but then, they wouldn't actually get pressies from me.......) 

ER.....

.......HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! Well....what can l say, I've been busy! l have a full on day what with the knitting, the drawing, facebooking, the painting, the dishes, facebooking, washing , making faery doors, facebooking, looking after Ruby, cooking.......wait.....what's that l hear you say.....making faery doors????


Yet, l've been making faery doors , at long last. I've been wanting to make them for ages and while l like the 'human' style of miniature doors and what not, they just arn't rustic and natural enough for me. So l stumbled upon pictures online of wild rustic recycled material houses and lo and behold- my version of faery doors. I love beach combing, particularly for sea glass and drift wood, so l combined the 2 with air dry clay for the doors themselves, and feathers and bells and crystals and bits of old rusty flotsam and jetsome that faeries love to collect. I also making little ladders, and little mushrooms and hats and boots to decorate doorsteps...next big task to tackle is Ruby's fairy house!


Here's a sample of some of what l've been making. You can also see more on our Facebook page too

I've named the doors with the house number and a street name.....for instance, the bottom right faery door is ' #1 Moonstone Way, Faery Forrest"....cute l thought.

These are all the doors l have so far using Amethyst crystals, so of course, the faery doors belong to faery houses in Amethyst Avenue!

Again....all of these faery doors have quartz crystals so these are from Clear Quartz Cres, Faery Forrest

Mixed shots ( some repeats) that l might used for a flyer, with wording to be added....maybe l only need to use 1 door....l dunno......another thing to work on!

Back to the grind...this time dinner needs to be made......now where did l put those takeaway menus.......

KIDDING!!!

been a busy few months

Wow!! It's been a while since l posted on my blog, l guess l've had a busy couple of months getting a good supply of tea pots cosies and teapots together. Mum and l had a local 2 day market this weekend gone, we did ok but l now know why l don't do local markets anymore! My goodness...the rude know-it-alls! All l can say is ( keeping it nice), if you think you or your friend can make exactly what l make in a record amount of time, then why are you at a craft market ??? Go buy the wool and needles, break all land speed knitting records, and bugger it up because the way you think l made that hat/ teapot cosy/toy is not the way you think l made it...and no it did not bloody well come out of a book, and yes they are original bloody designs and no l can not tell you how l make my flowers, it's $4 bloody dollars and if you can't part with 4 measly dollars for a hair clip then why are you at a craft market?? Oh...and if you took my card in the hopes of gleaning some more info about how l do what l do from my blog site....SORRY , not going to happen !!

l guess l didn't keep it as nice as l promised!! 

Oh well....TOUGH !! Now go look at the pretty pictures. :-)

Tea cosy frenzy!!

Finally pulled the finger out and took some decent photos of my tea cosies ( the ones l have left anyway)...AND THERE THEY ARE!

I'm also popping them on the items for sale page so if you do want one or you want to commissionme to do something for you, you will at least get an idea of sizes and prices......


so many ideas and so little time to do them all in!

Mum and my bestie and l ( and mini me of course) checked out the Scarfe exhibition on at the National Wool Museum in Geelong last week...what an inspiation! Loved love LOVED so many of the scarves displaey, but for me the real treat was the display of tea pot cosies on a little table in the foyer! I didn't take any photos, but l did take away a lot of ideas to adapt into my own little quirky way....keep an eye out on this space!!

market season almost over

Mum and l had a stall each at Geelong's Picadilly Market on Sunday. It was the first babies and kids market, and mums second market with Picadilly.....and while it was ans exhaustingly long day, we had a great time. We both had a fabulous response to our wares from market goers, my 'fruity' hats did very well, l'm bummed l forgot to take a photo of my cactus hat before the market because it was the first hat l sold!!!We got lots of positive comments and of course there was nothing like out stuff there! I have 1 more market till l take a break for winter; l have a heap of other events coming up over the next couple of months so l just won't have time on the weekends for markets. That said, l'm madly knitting flowers as l'm putting together a range of teapot cosies  and mug warmers.....what l've done so far looks fabulous ( and hilarious). The next market for me will be the June Steampacket market in Geelong, so l better get a move on on those teapot cosies!

And this little piggy went to market....

Robyn's Busy Nest and myself will be at the Williamstown Craft Market tomorrow from 10 am until 4 pm so if you would like to see our things up close and personal, pop on by! It's on Nelson's Place, at the reserve....going to be a beautiful day.

new logo

Here's the new Ruby's Creative Mumma logo that l whipped up

Ruby's Jools ~ brooches

last one........

Ruby's Jools ~ hair clips

Here's another one, l just love the photos of Ruby

Ruby's Jools

Sales signage for Ruby's Jools ~ headbands. Again, l like it but it too needs some tweaking.

Wonky woolies

signage for my market stalls....l love it but l think it needs some tweaking

I've been a tad busy....again!

My how time flies when you're having ( supposedly) fun. I've been knitting up a storm again as l have quite a few markets coming up in the next month or so. My fingers are tightly crossed that they will go well and l'll actually sell something 'cause lemmie tell ya, they havn't been too good so far! Maybe l'm not making interesting things...maybe people are not into knitted things....maybe my prices are too high? ( nah, l'm pretty cheap). Lots of people assume l flogged the pattern for my toys from somewhere ( l didn't...made it them all up myself because l couldn't find any patterns!! ) or people ask me how do l knit the flowers as they really like them and want to make them too....just buy them from me you cheap b______s !!! *sigh*

Anyhoo....l also have a few paintings on the go that are due to be delivered to an exhibition at the end of the month...there will need to be paintings coming out of my proverbial soon as l have another art show in May ( another 3 paintings) and my solo / 40th birthday show in June PLUS l have to organise another 3 more art show/exhibitions for the WCCA Inc for this year too!!! No wonder l'm exhausted these days!

On a positive note, l finally found my white frames that l wanted for Ruby's drawings that l want to sell, so l need to pull the finger out and get on with those too in time for the Piccadilly Market in May....

.....it never stops when you're a creative cyclone!!

SLIGHTLY OBSESSED

ok, l'll admit it, l'm obsessed with the idea of Fairy doors. I so badly want to make one that l've been plotting and planning and l THINK l have it all worked out.....l even have some twisty green thin twigs to twist into shape for some of it......will post photos as l go, unless l get too frustrated with it and it all goes horribly wrong.


This is a fairy door, absolutely nothing close to way l'll make and wayyyyy better than anything l'll come up with , but this is the idea behind it anyway. * l got this ofline, l did not and l WILL not be making it as quite frankly, l'm just not that good.

art frenzy

I'm back drawing again, well re-drawing to be exact. I've decided to publish Ruby's book through an online publisher, but l need to get more unity with the drawings so l'm re-doing them all to make sure they are all consistant in colour, tone, shade etc. I'm also back into the knitting, adding to the collect of Wolly Wonkys; l'm hoping to be at the Piccadilly Market in March so l need to build up a good level of stock, so l've just completed 3 of the critters in a darkish- teal blue.

 I'm also mid painting ( well l have about 4 on the go to be honest) which l take a dab at whenever the mood strikes me. Also getting heavily into researching Mike's Family history which l'm trying to wean myself off....getting a tad obsessed there which l tend to do when l'm researching something the l find particularly enthralling !

Life's pretty busy, Ruby is 18 months now and showing signs of being very creative herself......might even have another tattooist in the family!! ok....enough slacking off...those woolys arn't going to knit themselves!

ALL DONE

At last, l finished Ruby's story book that l had been busting my butt on for about 2 months. I had it printed online with Officeowrks, only took 3 days ( plus a weekend) to be printed and in my excited little hands! It came out really great...l'm so pleased! A couple of the drawings didn't have their white balance quite perfect so there is a little discolouration around a couple of the drawings, but l can always get it reprinted again down the track if need be ( ie, my brain has a conniption and l can't stand the imperfections any longer ) . I'm pretty sure Ruby will love it, she OOO'd whenever l showed her a drawing so l'm sure she will go ape when she has the book read to her.

                                                               " His name is Oliver""Oliver likes to dance too."

" Ruby eats vegemite toast for breakfast"

Here are a couple of illustrations from the book, including the text that when with them. I already have a second book half planned, though this time l' will do more detail in the drawings l think, Oliver won't be quite so cartoonish this time and Ruby will have much more detail in her face. My brother and SIS have very kindly offered to by me some fabulous illustration pencils that my bro uses in his tattooing illustrations, as a belated birthday pressie...l'm so excited to get started on this new book...but l think l'll wait until the end of August as l have soooo much stuff coming up between now and then to do!

"Oliver likes to drive fast "

" Good night Ruby, Goodnight Oliver "

Where does the time go?

BUSY BUSY BUSY !! The market has come and gone so the knitting frenzy that happened for a couple of months has died down, much to the relief of my hands! The market was a complete waste of time and money, mum and I were so disappointed and to be honest , l didn't think it was run all that well anyway so it's not one we will be returning to. We don't seem to be having much success with markets anymore, l wonder if people are all ' marketed out? There are so many out there now, and so many of the same stalls at most of them selling over priced stuff...that's what happenes when you have a market stalled by professionals;  it loses it's 'craftiness'. So we've decided to really focus on our websites which l have also neglected over the last few months, and on selling at parties ( though we perfer to call them afternoon soirees hahaha). I've decided to be first cab off the rank and have one here at home just after Ruby's birthday which is fast approaching.....it's so sad! I don't have a baby anymore, l have a 1 year old =(

So, this is some of what l have been working on and is now for sale.....see, told you l've been busy!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

It's been a while since l blogged...been very busy painting and getting a couple of canvases ready for an art show this weekend. I was well on schedule to get it all done about 2 weeks ago, but l had a disaster with paint retarder....l won't go into it but the moral of the story is, when you have bottles of painting products that all look the same, best to read the labels first before you go doing a final coat of vanish and instead paint a nice thick layer of paint retarder all over your newly finished and much laboured over canvas!! *sigh* but l managed to save it , in fact , l think it looks better the second time around...will post some photos once it's up on the wall, might even pop my mug in the photo too!

I thought today l would post some  pictures of the work l'm usually known for. I started leadlighting as a hobby some 15 odd years ago, it turned into an obssession about 14 years ago.......over the years I've done all sorts of 2D and 3D work in many different styles and l have a lot more planned to do , especially around the house! I have a fabulous dragonfly window waiting to go into it's designated spot, and l have a matching front door designed . I also intend to do the bathroom window as well as internal doors to help let some more light into passageways while keeping privacy , particularly for the bathroom and mummy and daddy's bedroom!! I've done a lot of commision work over the years ( the magpie window shown is one of them) as well as designed a lot of leadlight for other artists in my circle. Hopefully once the home studio is built l'll be uyp and running again, doing all of my own projects as well as getting back into commission work. Hope you enjoy my stuff as much as l do =)