Display Ideas...perhaps

These were prepared for a talk I did last year at University of 3rd Age

I had forgotten about the tree I made up with a canvas board, bakers twine, scalloped paper, load of santa buttons & double sided tape 

www.theodoracleave.com

 The canvas painting boards as you can see

I get rather attached to them!

They are terrific if I have to travel & set up in an unknown space as well as in limited time... also when I pull down a display it all comes as it began.

prepared before setting off.

Because buttons & small stuff take forever to attach

 In this display

The advent calendar is made from another canvas board... kraft paper tags.. bakers twine ..number stamps...my buttons all in off white

and double sided tape !

Also I see the house stitched on the journal cover..bon bon with button.

Actually I have been meaning to tell you I found some fat sort of bon bon cardboard a few weeks ago & the closet I have got to experimenting with that is line fabric tied to the bob bon...but I gaze at it a lot & it would hold some of the small stithery designs in

the little booklet...just in case you are pondering where to put yet another santa face stitchery.

Pop your own little thing inside or a lovely few words on a strip of paper...

 

I am going to look at a  Market in the Square at Townhall Bendigo..

it is on today & tomorrow

AND I HAVE ALL BUT CAUGHT UP WITH MY ORDERS

Another decorating moment !

  The only moments are some fun to admire often as I pass this small table by...

I thought the donkey would enjoy it being here 

where I could admire it ..

The little trees were in a kitchen shop window for an excellent price..

They do look prettier in the real life..

I will use them in styling photos..& if I happen to do any displays out next year..

SIMPLY VINTAGE MAGAZINE ARRIVED

SIMPLY VINTAGE Volume 9

arrived in the post yesterday



Marg Low using my button designs

look really gorgeous.

So thrilled... to be again in Simply Vintage

 

The magazine has many gorgeous projects

& as I said in a recent post

it is also now published in English.

 

Order on line...

I have yet to see this part of the Quiltmania magazines on sale in newsstands in Australia

Maybe it will be now it has an English  version.

It's the magazine with a very happy cover !

When A Bird Sings

www.theodoracleave.com

Copyright Barbara Smith

The booklet reprint has arrived 

from the printers

and 

the last of the pre order booklets are being posted today !

The new cover colour I like in a muted grey.

The collage are some of the samples Jenny made up from the stitchery designs in the booklet.

There are more than just Christmas in the booklet..

birds...bunnies..cats of course.

Home sweet home..flowers & things.

Over my Christmas break I so want to work on the next little booklet & finalise Millie's stitcheries to go to booklet form.

***

I love it when I have space to create & play again...

Things sit in the holding pattern for a while at times..

I have some birds & leaves...santas...& ???

They are on sheets of paper ready to clean them for the machinist...

I do them when I wait for appointments or when I meet friends for a lunch somewhere..

It's my "free time"

I need to return to the paintbox now...my break is over......ohhhhh

  

Cats

I needed to remake this design pattern of 2004 last night

A project that had come to my attention..

So these puss cats came in linen & linen/cotton mix

 They were not keen to be left lolling about... so I leaned them against the now barren Christmas tree

 Just another style of fabric for one of these..

The smaller size was sewn inside the tracing line with about 1/4' seam allowance.

My habit was to design to sew on the tracing line..

So here we have some slim & some plumber cats

 These were  after their second release as French cats

The overlay pair went to the last quilt show I did in Melbourne and trunk shows around...& were in a couple of classes oh yes and a Gathering where these & a few birds were in the same pattern. Could say been around a bit & seems it is now spreading itself around... trip to the vet is needed..unneutered it would seem.  

 These are ones that Jenny in NZ did...when she was not stitching samples for me.

www.theodoracleave.com  copyright 2004

Big ANGELS !!!!

Angels have now been made into 12 cm decorations

like the big santa & snowmen ...

They do look rather stunning on a white tree branch..

 

www.theodoracleave.com

copyright Barbara Smith

 

I was in Melbourne for the weekend..

I needed to leave my work for one entire weekend

Lovely to catch up with friends.

&

Sunday I popped into the Quilt Trade Fair.

It is a small but lovely affair..

I was pleased to have that bear hug from Pete, Anni's husband.

Anni & Pete Downs are favourite people ..

for a few years we were neighbours at these shows..

Anni's new fabric is divine...

her new quilt is beautiful....

she was cutting that fine ..as I was reading her blog how she was stitching it together

and

There it was on the wall just in time..

It will be in the stores soon.

I wasn't there to buy as such but maybe ...

I love to watch the display of creativeness

See what fabrics are coming

See even there these days if I found a room FULL of linens ...I'd be hard pushed to pass that up or even leave the room.

but I observe

I love to see the Australians who have had their own fabric printed & made differently

A dress designer from Brisbane was also an interest..

Love that surprise find.

*****

Bit weary today...but I am sure myself & I will meet the paint brush shortly.

This picture below the small wood tree is rather sweet...not sure it is for decorating but a decoration in itself..no not my idea ( pity )

But I do love it's simplicity.

****

One more thing...

I hope the printer's have the booklet ready today..

It was being printed on Friday, however it needs cutting & stapling & folding of course they said today !!!

I have sold over half the run in pre orders..

so I need to bag for posting time !!!!!!!!      

as I wait for the paint to dry

www.theodoracleave.com

As I wait for the paint to dry & the post to arrive with my raw stock

&

wondering

how I will

paint all I have here...

 

It is so so lovely to hear positive praise ..

Well who isn't up for that ?

The words that follow just lit me up

 

 

 

One of my lovely customers sent me these gorgeous words in her email where lucky her is still holidaying in France.

 

"Dear Barb,

When we got back to Paris

 I was in time to go to their version of the Stitches and craft show

and

saw a beautiful display of your buttons

 and Marg Low's designs

on the Quiltmania stand.

How proud I was on your behalf.

You do Australia proud. "

*****

Marg & I are in Issue 9

of

 SIMPLY VINTAGE magazine...

by

 www.Quiltmania.com

the link is & on the left hand side is a tiny picture

the first words under that will take you to order..

20.80 Euro's to Australia

http://www.quiltmania.com/simply-vintage-magazine.html

 

On the front cover ( see top left in picture ) & the back cover

&

some pages in between.

There are my painted wood designs

in

Marg Low's Christmas designs !!!

 

 

Simply Vintage makes it's debut into English  translation as well as it's native French.

 

You will need to buy the magazine online as it isn't usually here in the newsagents ...

Get your shop to stock some...always a wonderful magazine

full of inspiring projects. 

and from another customer  a day or so ago

 

"There is no one else out there doing anything like you!!!!!!! And that's a pretty amazing thing to say. Your work is truly your own, and they are 'one of  a kind' designs."

 

I set out 18 years ago with a mission statement & some sort of ? belief

to have my designs ( then it was cloth dolls & later stitcheries)

to be known in their own identity.

It was easy to be influenced by much of the American designs we all adored & I still see most of my favourite people are around...

I still cringe when I think of my first catalogue in black & white hand drawings..

on the cover.

It was all I had and was affordable

But over & over I have been grateful not to ever try & be someone else in my work.

It is me...

So it's been a long enjoyable journey thus far..

always I risk...I land something at your feet...like a cat with some prize it has found..

how will I know anyone but me will love it ?  I don't I have something within that picks up a pencil & draws....

I talk most with my hands...

if someone is discussing a problem they have

I grab pencil & paper & draw it out in bubbles & words.

I used to do that when I was in internal auditor

I thought it was just from that job I was doing..

But it's part of the way I "listen"

Enjoy the celebration...

I must begin work

Bonjour.

Barb

 

 

Big Decorations

www.theodoracleave.com

copyright belongs to Barbara Smith 2013

Yesterday I finished painting a load of the BIG Christmas decorations for a quilt shop..

Thought I'll try them on a tree before I send them out !!!

So I did!

This tree I had recently purchased at Bed & Bath & it is a rather good tree for hand crafted wares.

These decorations are 12cm round...

I tried them on a white twig thing a recent purchase just for this sort of display.

&

My sparkly vintage tree got the treatment too

All looked terrific.

Yesterday I posted out a NEWSLETTER to all my folk on the list 

so they could see all the versions.

Back to painting some santas now

Stories are told in Linen mix cloth

www.theodoracleave.com

copyright belongs to Barbara Smith

Julie has finished stitching the little wreath button story 

which I think I will sew into a mini pillow.

The little stocking will be just that.

These 2 were stitched on a linen/cotton mix cream & look gorgeous.

The cats... they began life as here as felt cats...decorated in the country style as the Woodcutter's Daughter designs were about..

They were remade with spotty happy fabrics as French Cats..& I have spotted them strayed way off course at a show in another country..

 some old santas..that went in an ad in Homespun I think a long while ago

And 

I did have a bundle of big ornaments ..

but it didn't come over to the collage place...

So back to painting when the sun shifts a fraction..so bright i cannot see!

J

Santas

www.theodoracleave.com

copyright Barbara Smith

I am well into Christmas mode....

These are my santa designs I made into patterns from 1996..

5th one in top row right to left and 4th one in bottom row right to left

were 2 of my very first designs

The bottom one was the first to be published  after a quilt  & craft show in Sydney

All these were pre 2000 designs...

Maybe I'll do another santa pattern ????

When A Bird Sings

www.theodoracleave.com

The little stitchery booklet is at the printers

having a reprint run this week !!!

The cover this time will be a soft grey

It is an A6 size of little stitchery designs to place on whatever...

a purse..needlecases... some Christmas things..

You could use the stitchery drawings for a quilt...

PREORDER SPeCIAL ON NOW UNTIL 21 NOV 2013

FOR $10 + POSTAGE...

( Australia $1.50 & International $2.50 & internationals less GST of $1.00  )

You will find the booklet on the website

www.theodoracleave.com under Things to Stitches