The Three Muses Challenge

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here is my " wonky " entry for

the three muses challenge

fowl related

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Not so pleased with this ....it's for a challenge on The Three Muses theme Chicken related.

First I toyed with an Edwardian lady in a hat - trying to get a hen plus real feathers out of the hat. It all went wrong !

This is put together from a Warren Kimble calendar, & bits & bobs with a feather from Lucy our Silver Sussex hen and photographed in the nesting box.

I don't have much in the way of equipment - tend to see images I like in books. I'd like to get some stamps ... I've seen stamper's anonymous but that is in the US... can anyone recommend a UK company ? I like old vintage style stampers. Ideally I'd like to collect some really old ones.

I see that people get images from different sites but I prefer to get mine from old books etc as they won't be doubled by anyone.

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Ah well it's all experimental !

Gothic Arches Challenge

BLACK & ORANGE

very

H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N

LANTERNS...

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I've joined a site called Gothic Arches
there is a challenge set every week
to design an image incorporating the theme
using mixed media, stamping and a quote

in the arch

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There may be more rules
Patty from Magpie's nest is helping me

as I'm not totally sure yet !

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Here are my first attempts for next week

I need to make some arch templates

though for these I have incorporated the arch


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A bit more tweaking & I'll get there hopefully

It's good as it sets me a challenge to work to

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Been messing around again....I rather like this one. It took ages to sew on those buttons as I'm no needle woman but looks so much better than just sticking.

Bought a pile of old Pennies in a reclamation yard....

and found my old sew in name tags from school ! The silk I painted at a craft weekend I go to with friends. I added salt to get the speckled effect. That's Anglesey sea salt in the bag too and part of a label from my favourite brand of clothes. I think it would look better without the Penny now.

Part of my cut off pony tail aged ten. We keep everything mum & me !!! Pics of Penny Black stamp & Penny Farthing spokes in background .

As you know I've been going through a bit of a watershed / goin' thru changes / menopause ? MID LIFE CRISIS !!!


I've started a course, gone on a retreat and started messing with art again. I was always best at collage and my paper came quite heavy at times ! So I thought I'd start by making marks with my favourite colours / materials and images that appeal to me.


I've been inspired by some of the creativity on the blogs ...and I truly hope I haven't copied anything....I'm using things which I love. Red which is almost brown - brick red. I have some rouge powder. This makes me smile as one of my brothers worked in the jewelery trade and used to come home covered in a fine layer of rouge !


Blue which can't decide if it's blue or green - love it ! Coffee & cream...I've been staining fabric - calico & muslin looks good. I want to print straight onto fabric but haven't tried yet.


Mother of pearl / feathers/ buttons/ berries /old documents.





I bought some lovely little sketch books with hand made paper covers and I've started collecting images I like. Remember him ? He was tucked in the corner at the house where my retreat was held.

I've printed out the picture and as the ink cartridge is low.... he came out pink ! Lovely !!!!

rouge & coffee stained newspaper

blackberry stained fabric

salvaged postcard

it's been fun

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These lovely wooden boats were made by the kids when they were at the village pre- school. I just love them especially as they were used in the bath and have weathered a little.


A friend's father used to volunteer at the pre-school and all children during those years made wooden boats with him. Sadly he is quite elderly and not well these days but in those days he was such fun.


It was particularly good for my two as they had no grandfather figure - my father dead & father in law too far away.


Beau as his own grand children called him, was also Father Christmas every year at the pre school Christmas bazaar ... my two never guessed nor the others for that matter.


My friend laughs that her dad was the " Pike " of the home guard - too young to join up. He was thirty six when he married his sweetheart - she just 19 and had been asked to wait by her parents. I see Bill out in the village sometimes and remember what a joy he brought to all those children... probably wouldn't be allowed these days..." Health & Safety " / CRB checks etc etc etc.

Do you have anything special you or your children made ?

Isn't this just marvelous ?

I wonder what was corrected ?

It is set on a tiny building in a square in Brighton. One year my mum & I took the kids inside when it was decorated for Christmas. It was lovely then... I bet it wasn't very nice in 1835

I can't seem to find out anything about it. If you search Brighton and House of Correction... you can imagine what sites are coming up !

If you know about it's history, I'd love to hear from you.

Up Date

The only thing I have managed to find out is that it would have been the origional poor house which moved around !

Brighton General hospital stands in the grounds of the poor house - but this building is no where near the hospital !

What a lucky girl I am ! Lovely Suzie at Itch2stitch has passed this award on to me here in the Linen Shelf ... and at the same time gorgeous Tracey at Tracey's crafty scraps has passed it on to The Hen House ... (all originally from sweet Michela at Little Secrets From My Garden )

The thing is if I pass it on to nine others, I'd have to return it to those three ! Also, I have just made my own award at The Hen House ! So thank you ladies... I guess if you are reading this or over at The Hen House ( do check out my " girls " ) consider yourself awarded !!!

This is Katie and Ted. Katie is about the only doll I kept. She is a Kathe Kruse doll with a lovely face & real hair. Her dress & shoes are original but I think she may have had a straw hat too at one point. There was a label about her which sadly went missing years ago.

Ted belongs to my oldest brother but when mum was down sizing her home, Ted came to live with me. He must be fifty four now bless him.

Along with Katie I had a stiff walkie - talkie doll called Diana, a straw filled doll called Suzie Wong and a very life like baby doll called Joanie. Joanie had glorious red hair but I cut it all off. We took her to the doll's hospital in Brighton and they gave her a ridiculous wig of brown curly hair. I suppose I chose it.

Katie also went to the hospital to get her feet repaired but her shoes have never fitted since - too loose.

My God mother knitted me the Whinny the Poo characters. I loved the one of Kanga & baby roo. I'm afraid the mice got at them in a packing case. I suspect their home was rather nice with kapok stuffing !

Later came a Tressy doll with the ability to grow her hair and an inherited Sindy who set up home with my brother's Action Man ! I never had a Barbie.

I loved my dolls. My daughter has NEVER liked dolls ... her love was a little pink rabbit called Auf. When Wee Man was born, I bought her a doll & a cradle. She got home from visiting us at the hospital - saw the doll and said, " What's that ? !" then threw the doll out of the cradle and put Auf in. At least she did treat her little brother with more kindness though at the hospital she had ignored him and eaten all the chocolates....

My Mother was born in 1930. She made this for her Aunt, my Great Auntie Wyn. The doll has a silk & lace dress sewn at the hem and with a slit in the back.


Inside is a small piece of paper where mum wrote;

WHEN YOUR HANKIES HAVE DONE THEIR WORK
JUST PUT THEM IN THIS LITTLE SKIRT
STUFF THEM IN AND LET THEM STAY
UNTIL YOU SEND YOUR WASH AWAY

By R Downs

It's so charming. Auntie Win was a marvelous woman. She never married though she wasn't short of suitors according to her dance cards and written invitations which I now own.

We have wonderful photographs of her and my grandparents in the 20s & 30s and when I get printing on to fabric, I'm going to base my work on these.

Auntie Win worked in Ladies ' Gowns in Marshall & Snellgrove Southport. When I was a teenager she had just the right trim or accessories for me. Sadly a lot were lost when we moved here from Spain.

She lived to see my daughter grow to be a toddler and walk around with her walking stick which she thought was a hoot.

The skirted doll reminds me of the poem by Robert Luis Stevenson

WHENEVER AUNTIE MOVES AROUND
HER DRESSES MAKE A CURIOUS SOUND
THEY TRAIL BEHIND HER UP THE FLOOR
AND TRUNDLE AFTER THROUGH THE DOOR

We miss you Auntie Win .

....so what is his story ? Difficult to ask too many questions on a silent retreat !

I do know the land was under Turkish rule at one point... could have got the bullet holes then. They certainly ain't moth holes !!!

I should have asked Aristidis. Ah well, next time.

I have asked Griffin to write my bullet hole boys' story but like me he is poorly at the mo. After I got home I caught THE BUG / LURGY/ VIRUS FROM HELL.

I haven't eaten for two days and I had wanted to cook the family a lovely meal. I usually unpack & get the wash on immediately but my things are strewn all over the landing. I curled up & watched The Magnificent Seven. Dillon can't understand why we haven't had our lovely long walk.

My dear friend Su thinks I have Swine flu but I think it's not. The trouble with me is I always look well... a " healthy glow " even when I feel terrible. My skin is a glowing pink & I'm loosing weight so something good may come from this bug.

I hate being like this... will miss my course for the second week and have double to catch up. I want to get out for coffee with friends & a good dog walk, see my washing flapping on the line, cook my family supper Greek style !

I came home to bad news about my brother in Thailand - financial trouble as his restaurant has been cut off while a new road is built and he is marooned with no customers, trying to keep on his staff. His wife has left him. At least he is in touch with the family again.

The horrible thing is that I probably caught this bug on the plane. I was chatting to people in the queues. " Have you had a nice holiday ? ".... well, it wasn't really a holiday - I've been on a T'ai Chi retreat... " ooh, I've had a day at the Sanctuary luv "

For lots of pictures from my retreat

visit The Hen House.

Who would live in a house like this ?

Tune in tomorrow at The Hen House to find out !