a new year a new attempt

Abandoned! i think it about sums up my blog!
life has been busy yes but really i just feel slack that i havent shared anything in forever, but really i was at a loss for what to share.  Its no secret i stopped scrapbooking, as many i know have.  And then we moved, so i faced no garden, shared family housing of which i thank my parents for while we sorted ourselves out and then of course the return to full time work.  eek about sums up the second hard of 2011.  And then i added to it all by starting my fine arts degree!  like i have the time, rolls eyes...lucky i spend part of everyday creating anyway, and so i dont see scrapbooking returning to this fair blog anytime soon, ive lost the passion i once had and its been replaced with ART!! not really a stretch after the uni statement!

So i thought i would share my journey into this fine art degree, a way for me to watch my own progress, esp this year after i start studio units in painting and sculpture.  Ive started and finished two units and did really well, both general art based units.  A high distinction and a distinction, i was chuffed after 13 yrs of not studying.  this term im slogging my way through my last two general ed units, and critical thinking and popular culture are both kicking me in the tush!  I know im working on a credit in one, but the other god only knows!  but i will be pleased to see the back of them in a few more weeks.  sometime in march its back to arts units in arts departments thank god for that!

this was my final art and creativity work, its a stop motion animation.  You dont even want to know how long i spent on the stupid thing, how many times a drew that damn bird, took photos etc, insane!

I shared some of my art journal after i started it last yr and this we moved and i disappeared, i did keep the journalling up and that journal was eventually filled with lots of uni stuff and whatever else was happening at the time.  This week i shouted myself a 2012 journal or two one that i will keep personal and one that will be filled with uni type stuff.  i was naughty and sprung for one filled with really nice paper, thankgod for sales right :)  I also sprung for the blue bazaar mixed media kit, which seems to be my go to shop for art journaling stuff.  Ive been lead and inspired to some great stuff from their site and journaling friday challenges.

Heres my first 2012 page, and i will share what i get up to with my kit when it starts in feb.

the person was inspired by the cover of an art journaling mag i got this week, how very post modern of me to rip off someone elses idea, thanks for the inspiration but, take it as the compliment its meant to be.  Big changes ahead for the yr of 2012, new school for me, new yr level, more uni, emily at school (eek)  its a big unknown!

We moved as i mentioned, and in december finally decided to be adults again and leave my parents house, rolls eyes.  such is life but hey.  anyway we bought of the south side of brisbane, a very very large ridiculous house that I LOVE! lol  im still sorting out and painting said ridiculous house, but will share pics shortly.

And to finish off this large post, heres some of the art work ive done in the last few months, some of it in the last few days :) gotta love the holidays even if they are rapidly finishing! cry!!

 I only just finished this today.  Its been a few weeks in creation, and months in my head, it will have a buddy on the wall exactly the same..:)  Ps thats the green of my feature walls Olive Reserve!  and FYI i hate painting rooms!

 I did this just yesterday, no guesses for who it represents and its on lillys wall in her bedroom, now if only they would behave like this!  they r a bit sick of each other after the holidays  ;)  again people inspired by the same artist from my art journaling mag (I get the feeling this will be my go to doodle for people for a while, i dont know y)

 this i painting for emily for her birthday

 this followed, lovely colour emily chose wouldnt you say (Insert sarcasm here..:))

 and this finished the set off, they are all on the walls of her room.

 did this the week we moved into the house we bought

 and i did this last week

 and these r some of my favs from the last few months.  The hearts i think im going to turn into something for my bedroom wall above my bed.

until next time...:)

HOME again

Im a total fail at blog updating these days, but what can ya do :)

You may of noticed a few changes.  We have moved from VIC back to QLD in the last week or so, for me it was actually an easy decision in the end, family vs no family and having your family and friends around wins hands down each and every time.  And so we semi packed up and headed home.  House was placed on the market and we said goodbye to country living and hello to a capital city once more.   I return to work for third term teaching at Caboolture East until end of year where i have then applied for a transfer into a school closer to the childrens hospital to coincide with Emilys start to school and having to have as many appointments as she can outside of school hours and with traffic and everything else to consider it made more sense for us to live and work closer to royal childrens in bris.

The week before we were coming home i had the decision to head back to uni and study a fine arts and visual culture degree.  Am i scared, oh yeah, but i cant wait too  So with that in mind i started art journalling to remember that which i had learnt previously and to just start creating again so its a habit for august when my course starts up again.

heres what i have so far.  Ive seen many journals, and mine is very much a working document, one half i have put aside for experimenting, practise draws, ideas, anything and everything to do with whatever is happening on the pages in this book.

 so my first page was inspired by my decision to go back to uni..:)
curtain university degree completely external for the next three years here i come, eek!!!

 I would like to put this up in one of the girls rooms, or a version of it anyway.  but again inspired by my own personal growth.

 experimenting with masking fluid to paint flowers using watercolours, and the day we made the decision to come home.

 more about coming home.  I saw the map used on blue bazaar and i just couldn't get the idea out of my head, but what can ya do.  so thanks to that person, killer idea, that very much spoke to me at that point.

 my knowledge tree, and the decision to go back to work full time and getting my contract job until my school comes up next year.  it all happened pretty fast.

 Do you have a hero?  i do, Emilys surgeon Christopher Coombs is quite the amazing man, a hero in my eyes in every sense of the word, for without him I don't quite know where emily and her arm would be.

 about being home, seeing family and loving everything about it

 hoping to inspire my students, who have their own hard luck stories to share, i want to bring them a little art in the form of their own journals

 heh, about the weather!! its so beautiful up here right now.  But this is actually a trial run of a painting i hope to do for emilys birthday.  i will share the final product because i have a few changes in store.  There may even b a repeat of it for my niece who turns one very very soon

Took the kids to the surrealism exhibit at GoMA on tuesday and the next few pages are about that influence.  The gallery is fantastic with its childrens activities and we will be back their frequently!!!!

so there you go.  Today i have been playing with gel mediums and texture paste, will share over the next few weeks.

a crochet rug.

i'd like to tell you this was an easy project, but going around in a circle is so not. its a little lumpy in places, but its flat enough for the floor
here she is with her floor mat in her room! lol, and yes i did sew non slip squares into the back of it. The colours match her wall quilt.
colours are a bit off, her room is far to sunny in the afternoons to get a good true shot of it.
i edges it with an edge Mel goodsell sent me towards on attic 24, one of my fav crocheting blogs. A bobble edge or something like that. its a little lumpy but not so that you will catch your feet on the rug itself.

and heres my next project just started. the perfect to make in summer blanket, cause its only little squares..:) this will be single bed sized when finished. in the distant distant future! lol the pattern is also from Attic 24 so check it out (excuse the pic, took it with the sun and my iphone, was far to lazy to get the big camera out heh)

www.attic24.typepad.com

a moment in time

time spent together, hanging out on australia day...:)

my garden!

my tomatoes to date, how sad is that!!!!

we have either had way to much rain, or not enough sun or the temps just haven't been right.

three organic cherries..:( they smell good but. they will go in my pasta tonight.

Now i have no idea whats going on with the other type, they should be so much bigger than this, can anyone explain?? i might fertilise. I did it before quite while before all the rain. So i don't know.

On the plus side of the garden, the potatoes have gone nuts, i hope they harvest well when its time..:)

just one moment in time

ok well more than one moment this week, heh, and with words, i can't post with out them, sorry about that. not much crafting to share this week, but im still working on ems floor mat, its so nearly finished.

out side my side door, the door that leads to the area we term our backyard. is a very very old rose. The first year we lived here i think i got a rose, and the next year a few more and so on it goes. This year the bush is going crazy with flowers. its so nice to see it come back to life!

I have no idea when this rose was placed there, but keep in mind my house was built in 1876!

its a beautiful rose, that comes with that old fashion rose scent that seems to be missing in new roses.

emily is going a little holiday crazy i think, you know that point where its so time for school and after school activities and swimming lessons to start again?? its so time for that to start again let me tell you!

they are sick of the art equipment i bought and have used most of the good stuff as they refer to it, the holiday away is done, christmas is over and the toys while still fun have lost there shine

yeah its time for school to start!

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One moment from our week.

Making it up as they go..:)