Three of my favorite things

I thought this week I would share some of my favorite tools of the trade with you. This week, sewing. The picture here is of Berty Bernina  record. I got him at the local car boot for the princely some of £10.00. He was dirty and missing his power lead, so off he went with Andrew in his, motorized translocation unit of a box like mien, his van! Andrew is the local  king of steam-punk, and can Frankenstein most things. It may shock the reader to know that Andrew was/is a fan of star trek! I will leave that one with you. I didn't think Berty would work that well, but he looked so good I thought he would make a good prop for the studio. Anyway when Andrew returned, Berty he shone like a new penny and once plugged in he purred like a dream. You see Andrew may talk funny, but he gets the job done. Berty works perfectly and has lots of stitches, I love him. If you can get your hands on one of these I can't recommend him highly enough.

Berty, 1965, handsome chap.

Now this one is Bernice Bernina  Sport 801. I also bought her at a car boot for £25.00. I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted her. I knew this type of machine and I never thought I would find one at that price  Hence why I love car boots sales so much. Got her home and off she went. Brilliant machines, I have several now and she is the one I like my students to use.

Bernice 1985, fabulous machine.

Now this little beauty I didn't get at a car boot. I had to buy her from a shop. She is pearl and she is a Singer, 160. Singer brought her out to celebrate a 160 years of Singer. As you can see she is black... black pearl! and sits lovely in my room without looking out of place even at a dinner party. I can stitch new napkins minutes before my guess arrive!

Pearl the Singer

And they all sit together, and no fighting,

All friends together.

If you would like to read more of Andrews ramblings... http://cognoscienteblog.blogspot.co.uk/

I am doodling on fabric now!

I got some pens the other day and I do like to keep them sorted in sets. It's not O.C.D, it's just organised! The container they came in was dreadful, so I thought I would make myself a pen roll, twenty four of these new pens and six spaces for extra black pens.

Stamped cotton fabric.

Not awfully keen on white and cream, so some colouring had to take place.

I used Dyalusion, not colour fast, but I don't intend to wash my pen-case.

Some stitching

OK, quite a lot of stitching

Well we all know we drew on our pencil cases at school, so lets do it now. I stamped, drew and doodled and now I am in the process of colouring it in. What joyous fun!

I will let you know when it's finished.

Finishing this could take a while, as I feel once it's coloured it may need beads and buttons and embellishments. Note to self, leave room for the pens!

The Great Northern Papercrafts Extravaganza

What an absolute privilege it is to have the Yorkshire Event Centre on the door step as it were, OK about forty minute drive, but hayho. I do like this Centre. All the events I go to there, about four a year, are well organized. The venue is clean and tidy, supper toilets, always a very important point.  Great coffee, hence the importance of the toilets! And the staff helpful and courteous. What more could you ask for........? Lots of craft "Stuff"! And that's just what you got depending on what sort of things you like. For me it was a little lacking, as a lot of the more, "out there" vendors didn't attend, but I think that is down to the economy. With fuel the price it is,  and all the other cost entailed in standing at one of these shows, it's not surprising that it's become prohibitive to attend every show. 

oooow, stuff!

PaperArtsy were there which was a great surprise and joy to me. Had to spend a small fortune there.
 A lot of the stands were your basic supplies, card, paper, ribbons, inks, storage always an important topic!  I can't lie and  say I wasn't disappointed not to see, Sissix,  Skiptons, The Stampman,  and Art from the Heart, to mention a few,  but I imagine it just wouldn't be worth their, time, money and huge amount of effort. Art from the Heart reside just around the corner from the venue, and were kind enough to open on a Sunday, thanks for that chaps. So back into the van and finish off the shopping there. Of course the best part of the day was to call in at the lovely sister, Elizabeth and show her my treasure over a few welcomed cups of tea.What more do you need in life than family, art, and cups of tea? Maybe a top hat!

Deck the halls with all things spooky!

Here we are early October, so we must crack on with all things Halloween. I took it upon myself to make some bunting for the festivities and what better than pumpkins, bats and cats. I have made meters of the stuff to decorate the hall for when the lovely children come to call.

Pumpkin bunting!

 Also I had to make cats on sticks, don't ask me why, but it had to be done! With bells on of course.

They are a lot happier in real life!

They don't like having their picture taken.

Then there are the hands, I need to make more of these, it's such good fun.

The fingers are wired , so they can hold onto things.

A hand full of  hearts.

This is the Haveasham hand.

No sooner are we finished with Halloween then Maisie and Andrew are off to the goth festival in Whitby North Yorkshire, and for that Maisie needs a new costume. They used to go once a year now they have doubled their dose. They have a fabulous time, and come back very excited. I shall have Maisie report on this years event for you.

Andrew Dale and Maisie Wilson, 2012.

Maisie Wilson, Whitby 2012

OK so onto Journals. How I love journaling, it truly is therapy. All those things that niggle and naggle at your brain just blitz them with a dose of journaling, you will feel better.

October coming along nicely

Page a month journal, great for those odd little notes or quotes.

The mini A.T.C. journal, invaluable for creating new designs for my A.T.C. group.

Last, but never least the altered book journal, share thoughts with yourself and heal, just do it.

Grate book for learning new skills, I wish to learn how to draw faces. Not factual representation, more your cartoon style. You may see a lot more faces in the weeks to come!

Yet more doodling!

If you cant shine today, try a little smile.

Everyday, but not with silly cocktails.

Please be aware that there are a few more new post under this one, new today, (10th October), I am doing thing a little different, improvements I hope. See you next week. Now I really must make a horse!

I do a bit of doodling now and then!

It is common knowledge that I am always doodling. Sometimes I doddle, because I doodle better than I spell! But I have to confess it has reached a new level. I am hooked, I jest not, this is serious. Dishes not washed, children not feed, dog not walked, oh that's not so bad, as I don't have a dog, but I do have a fantasy of doodling on rows of parked cars, it would look so cool! I am thinking of putting up a fence in the front garden just to doodle on, hang on , I will doodle the fence then put it up, "DOODLE YOUR ART OUT", plastered on the side of my house, fabulous!!!

One of many!

At least I know I am not alone with my passion, thanks to all the fabulous, talented ladies on Daisy Yellow.

arrr?  Two of many

Waves

Then it's, what else can I do with doodling?

A daily paper prompt from Daisy Yellow

Then I had to colour it

Adding an image.

Again!

Now what happens with shapes?

I haven't stopped yet!

I could go on, but I won't as I have to go and doddle..., I mean doodle!

She who has been shunned, so sad a tale!

I got my letter back from my application for York Open Studios on the 4th October, and to my sadness,  having been with them for the past two years, they have turned me down! Needless to say I was upset, but as the saying goes, Sometimes good things fall apart, so better things can fall together. And I have to confess, it is quite nice to think I can go and look at other artist studios and work,  and not have to do all that work myself! So all you gorgeous people who wanted to come here next April I am afraid you can't. However my NEW teaching studio should be near completion middle of next year, maybe sooner, therefore I shall throw a spiffing "My New Studio Party", and we shall have tea and cake and get very excited about all things arty.

On a super, very exciting note, Andrew, the gentleman in my life, has got into York Open Studios 2013. This will be his first time and he is suffer from stage fright as we speak, so please go and see him and the other artist if you can..http://cognoscienteblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Click on the dodab there to see his work and experience his ramblings!

More details on York Open Studios as I get them.Go to their Webb site or Facebook thingy and order a directory from them.

Happy Birthday Mummy

Just a little post to wish my Mummy a very happy birthday.If she was still here she would have been 83 years young today, 7th October. I shall have, "Just the one", sherry for her later!

Barbara Roberts of York, eighty three today

Here she is aged around seventeen, painted by a prisoner of war. I don't know his name I wish I did. The story goes that a solider who was sweet on  Barbara, took a picture of her and gave it to a prisoner of War he was in charge of  to create a painting for him.The price, cigarettes.

It's October!

Hello folks, thank you for tuning in for another nail biting installment of Jo Bloggs. Much has been happening in the world of Me!
The other week, whilst at the car boot I chanced upon Victorian  french, paper scraps. You know the kind, delicate Victorians collected and pasted into scrap books, hence the name. If I didn't have a mortgage and children to feed I would have bought the lot, as it is I satisfied myself with six beauties, four of which I then set about to play with.

feast your eyes upon theses.

Isn't he handsome?

Gone Fishing

I thought these little chaps would make great dolls so off to the photocopier,

colour copied

Transferred onto fabric

Quilted

Stitched and stuffed

I will finish these off for next week when they will have been embellished, I like the sound of that.

Onto other things, The Edgar Allen Poe, book, what a joy to play with. And if you are working on a project about a person and his or her work, you just have to read some of their, "stuff". It's only polite.

A little tell tailing heart, anyone?

A Raven

A dream within a dream

Great fun to work on, just a little embellishment and it will be finished in time for display at our Halloween party. I will show all the preparations and indeed the night its self to you on the blog. Also for the great evening we need a cook book and mine is coming on well,

Some recipe cards!

Most recipes are from Martha Stewart fabulous Halloween book

Onto journaling, oh joy, All three books are coming on in leaps and bounds, and I can't tell you how much fun it is to work on them.

September complete

October raring to go!

The mini A.T.C, journal,

looking good

and ready for the witching month.

The altered book journal is still my favorite I think. Any crafty leftovers get put in it. Anything I have enjoyed  creating for a different project, gets recreated and placed in it as a keep sake of those project that will leave my possession.

Fabulous new mask

arrrh!

Mr Poe, himself.

Happy first of Halloween!

Well I think that will have to do for this week. I have to go and  make a horse! More on that later, Artfully yours, Jo X.