New oxide

This is the first time I've used this new oxide and I absolutely love it. I can't wait to use it again!!!

Feather

Bunch of flowers

Yacon overload!

Last year my Pa gave me some tomato plants and a Yacon plant for my Veggie garden. I didn't really know what a Yacon was but thought I'd give it a go anyway. Throughout the year I watched it grow and grow and grow until finally it was so massive I thought it would never die. Eventually the leaves started to wilt so I excitedly uprooted it for my first ever Yacon crop. What a nice surprise when I dug up a whole sink full of Yacon. The only problem was I had no idea what to do with them all. After some research I discovered that although they look like a sweet potato they are more like a cross between an apple and a pear. I wasn't keen on eating them raw so decided to grill some. There wasn't a lot of taste so the next use for them was a filler in a curry. I still wasn't overly excited by the taste and since then have been trying to give them away to anyone and everyone. Although I enjoyed watching this unusual vegetable grow I think I will give it a miss this year and plant some more peppers instead!

More clay garden art!

Recently I've been making a lot of things out of clay. Myself and a few neighbours have set up a little ceramics group where we meet once a month or two and play with clay. These photos are from the latest batch. 

Round birdie

Ladybug in flower

Pot plant holder

Vegetable stake- Thyme

Vegetable stake- Sage

Bird house hanging mobile

Close up

Joey rescue

Below is a photo of a baby kangaroo (joey) we rescued who had a broken arm. We took him to the wildlife centre who will care for him until he's ready to be released into the wild again. He was so adorable. I put him in a large bucket with a blanket and wheat pack to keep him warm for the car trip.

Mosaic pot

I wanted another pot plant on my back verandah and decided to buy a terracotta pot and mosaic it. As the pot is quite large I thought it would look good with just a section of it mosaiced. I was happy with the end result as the mosaic band complements the colour of the terracotta nicely. I now have a yellow Gardenia in the pot and can't wait for it to flower!

Wood sculpture

While my partner was cutting wood with the chainsaw I noticed some beautiful smaller pieces of dead wood with smooth edges. I decided to attack them with the axe and ended up with a series of similar size pieces. I drilled holes in the middle of them all and threaded them through some thin rope. I have now hung my new sculpture in the fernery and I am preparing to make a second one!

Clay cow bells

I recently fired my latest clay pieces. Below are some cow bells I made from terracotta clay to hang on the fence of my garden. I drew little swirls on the bottom of three of the bells then brushed clear glaze over them. 

Latest painting

Watercolour and pen flower and bee

Latest watercolour work

Hummingbird and flower. Watercolour and pen

Floor cushions

Now it's getting colder I enjoy nothing more then lying in front of the wood heater. The only problem is it's not overly comfortable lying on the floor, so I decided to make some large floor cushions. I had some leftover fabric from a couch cover I made, which I thought would be perfect for the cushions. I found these great large coconut shell buttons from spotlight to add to the middle of the cushions. Finished pieces below!

I bought some new letter stamps off ebay last week and couldn't wait to use them. I made a hessian potato and garlic bag and used the stamps to label them. I was very happy with the results. Next I'm going to try the stamps on clay! Below are the potato and garlic bags. Onion will be next. These products will also be for sale on my Etsy shop soon. 

Latest clay creations

Last month I had a clay day with some neighbours where we made a range of different things, many of mine being garden sculptures. I'm still waiting to glaze most of my pieces but I decided to leave my vase and birdy/ heart decorations natural. I painted a design onto the vase with underglaze while it was still drying and like the effect of it without a clear glaze over the top. The birds and hearts were joined together with wool and I added some lace ribbons to the top of each. Both them and the vase are now permanent members of my bedroom!

Latest creation

I have just finished my latest mobile/ house decoration. It's a combination of hand felted alpaca hair, rust dyed fabric, crochet, hessian, lace, dress pattern paper as well as feathers and gumnuts from my garden. I have made a few of these and find they add a bit of warmth to a room. I currently have one hanging off my fireplace. This one will be for sale on my Etsy shop soon. 

Hanging on my wall

Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3

Feathers

Every time I see a feather on the ground I pick it up. I enjoy trying to figure out what bird it came from. As I have a lot of birdlife around my place this can sometimes be a hard task. I use a lot of feathers in my handmade pieces and as I have pet ducks and chooks I have an endless supply. All I have to do is search around the ground in the chicken coup for a nice clean feather and it's added to the collection. Below is a duck feather I picked up and took a photo of. I decided to draw then paint it!

Shop now open!!!

I have just opened an online Etsy shop selling some of my products featured on this blog. Click the etsy shop link on the right to check it out.

Drawstring bag

Yesterday I made a little drawstring bag using fabrics which vary in texture, colour and pattern. Some of the fabric I rust dyed and others I printed onto. I've also used hessian, lace, pieces of an old blanket and dress pattern paper. Below is the layout of the pieces before I stitched them down. 

Front view of finished bag

Back view of bag

Detail of drawstring