Excitements

I wonder what this is going to look like? What is it?

All White

Another of my pretty hyacinths to share with you today. This one was so heavy it broke off!

Goals and Desire

Still worjking in the digital sketchbook and today I have made a more stitchy page since this is where my main interests lie.

Beautiful

For this Digital Journal Page I chose to use a quote from Louisa May Alcott that seemed to fit the assignment 'Beautiful'.
I used amixture of sources for the work, Some from the Sunshine Kit from' That Digital Scrapbook Place' and some from the course materials. Some I made myself.

New Digital Journal Page - Family

This is the latest page to be completed. This one features family in the shape of my Dad with my younger sister and I.  In one of them I was about 18 months old and I'm receiving a prize won in a baby competition! :-) The one with the three of was taken on the beach at Criccieth in North Wales in the late summer of 1939, just at the time the second world war broke out. We are wearing our parents hats. Mum isn't in the picture as she hated having a photo taken.
We look all contented and happy and we were. Little did we know of the adventures awaiting us just a few months later when Coventry was practiaclly demolished in the raid of Nov 14th 1940.

Sketchbook Pages

Here is the latest page. The prompt for this one was 'I See'. I was looking at the things around me and kept thinking of the Louis Armstrong song which starts 'I see leaves of green, red roses too'.
As it is not yet  roses or even leaves time of of the year I romanced a bit!

It was raining as I made the image so this poem came to mind as well. I used colours and ephemera from the course materials in the main. The technique for making the torn paper behind the poem was learned in another class some time ago.

Home

Here is another learning page for my Digital Art Journal.

Lots of new (to me) techniques learn again on this one. Amongst these were:-

1. How to make a brush.. I used my grandfather's handwriting for the brush and used it here to help make the background. You can see it here to the right of the Red heart smoke coming out of the chimney.

2. I learned how to make that polka dot pattern you see at the bottom of the page

3. How to make those antique paper strips you see at the top right

I used a lot of the materials provided for the class as well as some I have made and some I bought some from Nancy Rowe _ Janitz, who is the co-leader of the class.

Next onto making a page entirely of my own

Spring is springing!

On my tour around my garden today I noticed that things are happening and I thought I would share them with you. (to be really truthful they were there yesterday but it was so dull I didn't snap them)
Today it has been gloriously sunny though so here goes. Spring IS coming.

Graffiti

We have all seen graffiti of various types good and bad. I more often class modern graffiti as bad when it is defacing something beautiful. In the right place it can be beautiful.
Here is some I found during last summer on the wall of an old mill. In this instance it was subtle and not at all offensive to my eye at least.

New Journal Page

The theme for the second exercise in the Digital Art Journalling class at http://www.jessicaSprague.com is Treasure and this is my interpretation of it.

I set up my own colour palette and used brushes and elements provided for the course. Then I added my own photographs and scans of family and places associated with them. The two views are of the Lake District where my maternal grandmother was born. The lake is an old photo of Thirlmere lake and the little church is Wythburn Church with just a bit of Helvelyn in the background. My Great Grandparents are buried there. Their home was on the edge of the lake before it became a resevoir and the houses were destroyed. In a very dry summer, however, the footings can still be seen.

New beginnings

I started a new series of classes with Angie Hughes at The Bramble Patch yesterday. I shall be going once a month for the rest of the year. Today's image is the start of a new sampler and has lots more to be added before I return. I am currently adding hand stitching to it.

This  was found lurking in my conservatory today... can you smell it? :-)



Digital Art Journaling

Here is an unfinished page I have made for my digital art journal.... still needs some more work but it's fun trying!

Hearts Aglow

Here are some new computer images I am working on.
This one began as spiky Euphorbias in my garden.

You will have to wait awhile to see what this turns into! :-)



Fantasy garden

I have another doodle to share today. I have called it Fantasy Garden.

I think this is where the fairies might live! :-)

Full of promise

Aren't these lovely? So much promise in all those buds.

I am not certain what they are, but they look like ranunculus to me. Does anyone know?

I took a trip out today

it was a lovely sunny, though cold day here. so I did a detour and took a few shots in the area where I live and I thought I would share them here.

It's rather flat country around here but still has it's charms. Do you like them? I think they sum up the cold winter's day.

Klimt Again

Well here is the coloured version of the doodle from a few days ago. As with all my pictures you can click to enlarge the image.

It's difficult to see in this scan but I have added some gold in some of the squares.

I am very unsure about the other colours, in particular that purple background and if I stitched this I would alter it a lot I think.

Play day

I  have been playing on the computer today so I will share one of the results here.

This started out as a heap of fabrics.

Another Doodle

This is the start of another doodle. This one is inspired by Klimt.

I shall probably add some colour to it next.

Here is some colour and texture from my garden

Hearts and Flowers

I have made another Doodle today for the Sketchbook Challenge.

And I also took a stroll around the back garden to see what's cookin' there. There isn't much out yet but there is lots of promise.... bulbs are showing now and I don't think it will be long before the first snowdrop.

I did find these pretties hiding in a corner....

And when I locked up this evening this was the view from the front door.

Just Doodling

I decided to join in with the Sketchbook Challenge, as if I haven't already got enough to do already!
See the icon in the right side bar to find out more about it.
This is the first of my efforts for January's topic of Doodles.

A Curiosity

I was treated to a lovely cream tea today at a nearby hotel. Very splendid it was too. Of course, at this time of year it was getting dark by teatime, but there was still a lovely view from the window.
The photos will enlarge if you click on them.

It had originally been a private house owned by only two families since it was built. It fell into disuse but has now been lovingly restored to it's former glory and reopened as a hotel. It has extensive grounds, a beautiful orangery that is also used as a theatre. Many other events are held there too.

The loos are very splendid with real terry hand towels which are used once only and then put in a linen bin to be washed! Even the disabled loo had a chandelier to light it! :-)

Here is another curiosity I found in the lounge, this one is a trumpet, there was also a clarinet elsewhere.

As there were many folks in the lounge taking tea I couldn't use flash for the photo but I think you can see it OK.

Christmas Gone

Well it really is over for this year now. Here are Mr and Mrs Snowbody saying goodbye before they hibernate till December! :-)

My neice made these. I wonder if there will be any little ones when they emerge again? grin.

My christmas wallhanging  will also be joining them in the cupboard for the rest of the year.

Real quilters better close your eyes before you look at this as it might offend. It's only the second I have made and it shows.

Finally it's goodbye for now to the lovely candle holder.

I hope to have some more craft work to share soon.

Christmas Past

Hi There,
I have been looking around at my Christmas decorations before packing them away for another year tomorrow. Many of them hold such lovely memories, this one for instance, was bought or me when I was very small so it is now Over 75 years old at least.

The next one is the fairy my Mother made for me for the tree I had in my first London flat in the 1960's

This one was made for me, also in the 1960's by my neice Ann.

Aren't they lovely?

Beauty

How do you like my beautiful flowers?
They were a surprise birthday present and have a lovely delicate perfume to go with the lovely colour. Only the white or yellow freesias have the full scent in my experience.

And a closer view below

They are being watched over, as am I, by the new superviser in the house!

New Year's Day Concert

I've been out on the broomstick again, this time to Vienna for the New Year's Day Concert in the Musikverein. This brought back such happy memories of my visits there in the 1960's. I went to concerts in this venue and in the Opera House. Magic!
Here they are, playing the Radetzky March. In the last one, the conductor is telling the audience to clap quietly as they join in.

NEW YEAR 2012

Hi There,
I just leapt onto my broomstick to go get you pictures of the firewoks at the London eye!
Happy new year everyone.
Dorothy