What a week-end!!

It was a weekend of Paper Quilting for me this last week-end.

Saturday morning I taught at A White Paper Dragon Papercraft at Phillip ACT. www.awhitedragonpapercraft.com I had 2 students – Kaye a beginner who made a beautiful teal gift tag, ruby coloured fan greeting card and violet crazy quilt. All lovely work.

Denise created the most beautiful golden handbag with diamante clasp. It really was the most gorgeous creation and I hope she enjoys having it in her home. She is a very talented student.

Fiona was also at the shop for a class and she created her first commission piece. A most beautiful rose card. Fiona was taught by Anne, who runs classes on many different craft techniques and owns A White Dragon. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning.

I visited Addicted to Fabric www.a2f.com.au after the class to look at all the lovely patchwork fabrics as I am experimenting with some paper and fabric creations. Allways an inspiration. Then it was home to finish off framing and matting, making cards, attaching sparkles and generally finishing off pieces for my stall the next day.

I was up bright and early on to Sunday. Handmade Market was at a beautiful new location at the Kanberra Wine Company. It is very silly but every time I know I have to set up in a new location I get all nervous and wonder if anyone will turn up. Well. I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried. The place was swamped with lovers of beautiful handmade products. Handmade creations are winning in the retail stakes – hands down!!!! I started off the day by buying the most beautiful little bag for taking to my market stalls from www.formosadesign.com.au How could I resist a little money bag with 2 little wrens hopping about on eucalypt leaves.

I set up next to lovely Prim and Pretty’s Rachelle who is a very talented designer of fabric broaches, gorgeous scarves, little neck wraps and beautiful pendants. Her shop looked wonderful with all her lovely creations and beautiful props including a new season white cyclamen.

So- I had a fantastic day. Fortunately I was joined with my partner in craft, my husband Bill who was great writing out dockets and helping customers. Thank you to everyone who came to say hello and to support Paper Quilting. I am still on a happy high of joy after such a lovely day.

Well - now it is back to work in “the Shed” to replenish and fill orders. I had a sort of day off. House work has to be done sometime and just sometimes it is quite satisfying. Am I turning crazy!!! Well maybe it’s the full moon.

The day became busier and busier

                                                   Outside under the beautiful trees

        

Fun in Sydney

I’m back home after my quick trip to Sydney for the Kirribilli Art & Design Markets and to catch up with family and friends.

The Thursday Sewing group were in Canberra for the Masterpieces from Paris Exhibition on Friday so we had dinner at Ginseng that evening. It was wonderful to see them and I couldn’t believe my bad luck that I was driving up to Sydney the next day while they were in Canberra. Saturday morning I had four new Paper Quilt students and one experienced student for a class at a White Dragon Papercraft - then it was off to Sydney.

I had a very early start on Sunday morning so I was able to drive my car into the tunnel to unload all my tables and boxes. I couldn’t believe that it was over a year since I had set up my stall there. It was great to be back at this venue so close to Sydney Harbour that you can smell the sea and hear the sea gulls and ferries – not to mention the freshly brewed coffee from the little coffee shops which spill out onto the pavements. It was lovely to see many of the stall holders from the past.

Everyone is almost set up ready for 9am

Getting busier

A stylish shopper

Accordian musician, Philip Wittwer inspiring a French atmosphere

The Market was busy all day and had a real buzz to it. The musician for the morning session, Philip Wittwer, expertly played an accordion. It was as though we had been transported to Paris. It was truly magical. In the afternoon we listened to some great jazz. It was a very successful and happy day and I am sad that I won’t be able to get back there till June or July.

Driving back, I couldn’t resist popping into Berrima. Many of the shops were closed, being a Tuesday which was unfortunate but it is always a lovely spot full of old world charm. It is the first time that I have driven back with green country side as a view the whole way. Our little valley was brilliant green and the trees looked fresh and healthy after the rain of the last month. With the softer Autumn light it seemed almost unreal.

The Magpie Cafe at Berrima - ready for the lunch trade

Through the window into the new room at The Magpie

Berrima Cottage next door - full of treasures

Back home again - next morning sunrise on the back hill

Rain rain rain rain - beauitiful rain.

Life is pretty good in Canberra and surrounds this week. We have had even more rain and the grass and trees look beautifully green and lush . The dams and streams are full and sparkling. On Monday morning, after a night of heavy rain, I woke early to the sound of our usually little or even non existant creek. It was bubbling and roaring along, fed by numerous waterfalls coming off the steep hill. In the seven years we have lived here - this was a first and it was incredible.

My son had 5 friends over for a down hill mountain bike day as it was Canberra Day and therefore a public holiday. They had a wonderful time scaling the flood gate to get over the creek, then climbing the slippery mountain to build tracks in the soft soil. They returned several times, as boys do for food and drink, each time a little more encrusted with splattered mud. The sun came out in the afternoon to create the most perfect clear sky. I think it will be a day they will all remember.

Jerrabomberra Creek

Scaling the flood gate

Lovely dragonfly

An Autumn Wedding

I was recently asked to create the wedding invitations for a March wedding – which is in Autumn in my part of the world. I was absolutely thrilled and honoured to be asked to do this for a couple I met through my stall at the Old Bus Depot Markets. What a special treat. We decided to create the place setting cards with the same theme. Here are the results. My thought process throughout was – the season of mists and fruitfulness – one of my absolute favourite lines of poetry by Keats. Also, with the venue in mind – a lovely farm/restaurant on the outskirts of Canberra. The final handover of place cards was at the Old Bus Depot on the week-end. I wish the lovely couple all the very best wishes and I’m sure it will be a really wonderful day.

Late Afternoon at The Old Bus Depot Markets Kingston

Invitations to an Auumn Wedding

Wedding Place Cards

What a busy Sunday

The Hyatt Canberra Ballroom is a beautiful venue for any event and it really came alive on Sunday for Mathilda’s 2nd Canberra market event. The two rooms looked so beautiful with all the different stall holder’s wares. Everyone there put in so much effort to make their spaces look just gorgeous. The 9 o’clock opening time rolled around and in streamed strollers, Mum’s, Dad’s, grandmothers and friends. The crowds kept up the pace till the 1 o’clock close (very civilized) – just in time for a wonderful shower of rain. I always love the rain after living for so many years here with so little of it.

After a pretty quick pack up and load, off I went to the Royal Canberra Show out at Exhibition Park. After just dodging another storm, I walked through the mud to the Arts and Crafts Pavilion, stopping on the way to watch the dogs racing through hoops and jumping over hurdles, barking excitedly. I’m not sure who was the most excited – the dogs or their owners. I looked through the exhibits in the craft and ended up at the Paper Craft exhibit where I had entered 4 pieces. I was very pleased to win two seconds for a Paper Quilt card and a Paper Quilt of Gum Leaves for the Australian Flora theme and a 1st place ribbon for card making. Then a 3rd place ribbon for miscellaneous craft. Very very exciting.

On the way back to the car I spent quite a while patting the donkeys. There was one little fellow of only 6 weeks old. They were absolutely adorable and I could have taken every one of them home with me.

Autumn in the air

I think one of my New Year’s resolutions should have been – update my blog every Friday. Never too late to have a resolution though is it? I’ll start today.


I have been hard at work making Paper Quilt pictures for Mathilda’s Market which takes place this week end in the Ballroom of the Canberra Hyatt – 9am till 1pm. What a lovely way to spend part of Sunday. Taking part in a new market always gives me a few butterfly questions – how will I set up my stall in the space allocated, have I made enough stock, will my stall look pretty, will people come along – to name a few. These butterfly questions have started their flying this morning in my chest which is pretty ridiculous because I’ve set up for markets quite a few times now. It is a tiny bit like a stage show though and the show must be great.

So today will be a day of finishing off quilts and cards and then framing and packaging till I have paper, cellophane, stickers and tape coming out of my ears. Then, down to the computer to printout WNS info, laminate my new signs and printout other bits and pieces.

I will try to make it to the Royal Canberra Show to see the craft display over the week-end. I have five entries in various sections. It is always interesting to see all the talent on show and what the judges picked to win a ribbon. So many collective hours and hours of work under the roof of the craft pavillion. I also love to see the cakes, the animals, side show alley and the country wares for sale.

Autumn is in the air this morning. The sky is blue, the grass is green after the wonderful rain two weeks ago, the dams are full and there is that beautiful cool clear sparkle in the air.

What I've been doing in 'The Shed"

It has been a busy week up in the shed. It looks spick and span after the delivery of the shelving and cupboards and I am working more efficiently as a consequence. I decided mid week to take a spot at the Old Bus Depot Markets on Sunday as it is a sort of long week-end with Australia Day falling on Tuesday.

So it was finishing orders and starting new projects.

Too long

Is it already the 13th January!!

I had a good break away from "The Shed" between lovely Christmas and New Year after a mad scramble before Christmas. But now it is back to work. I missed my shed and had many good ideas which I am longing to try out. And this is not easy because we are sweltering under a heat wave which seems to just go on day after day after day. Looks as though we are in for another scorcher today. The house has all the curtains closed to keep out the heat and it reminds me of summers when I was growing up. Endless days of blue sky, that time after Christmas when everything seemed to slow down and relax, swimming in the pool, lying under the shade of trees, staying up late and being as brown as a berry so that I had a white skin swimming costume when I was naked.

Since New Year, it has been a very busy time again with wedding invitations and place cards to complete and orders to fill. Inbetween all this, I thought it would be a good idea to tidy up my studio. Well - I have had one trip to the tip so far - the car filled to the brim with stuff. It needed to be done but maybe the timing could have been better. Some shelves and cupboards were delivered yesterday so I can get organized - and more importantly STAY organized. So I will continue today.

I have almost finished the first two Paper Quilt picture patterns which will be on my web site next week. This has been a long time coming but we are here at last. I decided not to go to any markets in January so I could concentrate and focus on this side of Wren's Nest Studio - I just wish it wasn't so hot!!

It's that time of year again

While summer is a time for relaxing and having fun on long and lazy days, there are a number of things I don't like about it. Heat when the house heats up, flies, reptiles, dry, brown land and fire. Yesterday we were reminded that fire is part of Australian life when the Tea Tree Creek fire broke out about 40 kilometers south of us near Michelago. It was one of those stinking hot days and in the afternoon a gusty wind sprung up. Driving back from Queanbeyan we saw the sight we always dread. A huge billowing column of smoke rising up and forming a huge ominous cloud. As night fell there was a red glow to our south. We had a cool change this morning but this afternoon it is heating up once more so we hope there will be rain and we are thinking of the families who live close to the fire and who have already been affected.

Old Bus Depot Christmas Week-end Market

I was back at the Old Bus Depot Markets for the Saturday and Sunday Market this week. This makes for a tired girl today - but happy. It was a great week-end and I was next to some lovely stall holders. Cambows Heirloom Sewing and Melanie Swan Designs. I worked very hard to make sure I had enough stock - even Saturday night/Sunday morning. My Butterfly Dancing pictures made from my range of Collective Memories papers were the big stars of the stall along with Paper Quilt Pictures. So the hours in The Shed and at the dinning table (where I retreat when it just gets way too hot in the shed) paid off. I'm off to to do it all again next week.