Thursday, April 17, 2008

Art for and from the heart.

Eheactl
Grrrr.... all the photo's are in the wrong order and I am not sure why...
My visit to Perth was pure bliss and emotionally stretched. Driving along the freeway my heart (as always) swelled with that amazing feeling of coming home; cars racing along, horns blazing, yachts on the water and the city skyline. This country girl lived in the city for almost a decade and still feels a strange sense of pride and ownership when she conquers the lanes of traffic to reach destinations old and new. This beautiful city is growing and changing so many cranes among the buildings and new housing estates, and yet the city still feels the same. There are still tree lined streets, parks, water views and glorious shopping opportunities.

Dawn, and her children, were the hosts to beat all hosts – nope they didn’t cook 5 star meals or have the house bleached from top to toe – they made their home mine. What a privilege and joy it is to be able to relax in a friends home and to treat it as your own. Archer loved the extra cuddles and spending time with his good friend Billy the cocker spaniel.

I recently bought a couple of Dotee Doll kits from Dot’s Etsy and made this one up while I was away. My first ever attempt at a Dotee Doll and I am pleased with this cute little ‘Flying Dog’ doll. My second one is very retro and should be finished in the next day or so.
Eheactl is the beaded doll I made in a class taught by the very talented and patient Kelsey at Scraptivate. Dawn and I were delighted to find our friends Shirley and Gen (who I had not met face-to-face before) in the same class. We laughed and groaned occasionally as we learnt beading techniques and shared stories. We even made plans for Shirley and Dawn to travel south to my home together, Woo Hoo!

I caught up with so many arty friends, and met some I only knew from swapping art on line - as usual I was spoilt rotten. The rust and fork are from my friend Kerry's farm, the tins and shirt from Dawn.

The shirt does not come with designer creases - you have to pack very badly to achieve those; however, it does remind me of Harvey's old home. I took a lot of dog and cat photo's at APS (Animal Protection Society) and will post about the wonderful work (and needs) of this organisation later in the week.
This tin is my March Mystery Muse from Paula, the tin is just the right size for 'moo cards' so now I can keep safe all the beautiful ones I have received from friends. The dichroic glass pendant was made by Jen J - I mentioned I liked it and the next thing I knew it was mine, thank you so much! Ev made me this fabulous journal (with the tiniest sequins in the world, hand stitched) as a PIF gift for a give-away she recently held on her blog.
I am back home, and happy to be here, still basking in the warmth and good times from the past few days.

6 comments:

Jacky said...

Julie, what a lovely post and how lucky you were to spend time with Dawnie and her family. I can only imagine how WELCOME she and her family made you and Archer feel.
Loooove your little Dotee Doll. Very apt - flying dog!

Janet said...

Glad you and Archer had such a fun time but it's good to have you back home. All your gifts are fantastic....that pendant is beautiful!

Eheactl is so cool. It reminds me of Native American art which I love.

Jen Crossley said...

Looks like you had a wonderful time .Oh Dawnie she is such a special girl,your so lucky to spend time with her
jen

Natalie B said...

WOw wow wow.... so much loveliness all in one post. Sounds like you h ad a blast.

Dot said...

Oh Julie ; this is a post to warm my heart. And thrill my senses.

You write so beautifully. I always feel like part of me is on your travels with you.

What an amazing time you had!

Love reading about the closeness you and Dawn share. And I can imagine that you were made very welcome by her family. I am sure they LOVED having you (and Archer) come to stay! Hope Archer worked some of his kitty magic on Jade too :)

The class with Kelsey sounds like it was terrific and I love the doll you made. So earthy and so you. And stunning, stunning, stunning. I want to reach through the screen and touch it.

I am glad that you spent time with our Shirl too! (can't wait to see her in 3 weeks time).

Thankyou for mentioning my blog and Etsy store. I love what you did with your first Dotee doll kit! And am smiling thinking about you stitching away.

Have a great weekend my dear friend.

I love you.

Dotee xoxo

Still Waters Studio said...

What beautiful gifts and I love the doll! It is so ornate, with all of the beads. It must have taken a lot of time. The class sounds like so much fun with all of your artist friends around.
Looking at all of the beautiful cats in your next post almost made me cry. If I went, I would have trouble leaving without one.
Hugs,
Sherry