Moroccan Adventure

Did I finish my buttonhole bag? Yes, it’s on my Facebook page, so have a look. I have only just got around to Facebook as I have enough trouble dealing with my face on a personal level. Still don’t quite know what I’m doing so don’t be offended if I have failed to be your friend yet, I will be soon. Can’t have enough friends can you?
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Now it’s on with Lesson 3 of the d4daisy classes and we’re going to try to bring the previous lessons together with a finished piece. Well, I am doing that, and I’m hoping it will be able to go into the Ramster exhibition next month. This is always a lovely event – a super show with more and more of the big names entering. A lovely garden to explore and loads of scones and cream! Find out where at http://www.ramsterweddings.co.uk/events/
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This is a rough design – the piece is called Cross Section and it continues a theme that is a favourite of mine, a chunk cut out of the earth – sky, trees and plants, earth and below – you get the picture.
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It’s a good chance to bring in the fossils and I enjoy working in layers, like the pic below. I hope to vary it with a cross section from an unknown planet. That could be exciting. Watch this space.
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We accidentally decorated the hall. The wood-working son-in-law built is a dark wood cabinet over the top of a very ugly meter cupboard. I thought I only liked pale wood but I liked it so much that we brought in a dark, basket holding thing from the garage.

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When we added our Marrakesh mirror, it looked very Moroccan. It now made the walls look shabby so Clive painted them white.


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So I ordered two lantern lights. Will have to get the electrician to fit them as they came without interior fittings, rather annoying.
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When the boiler has been fitted. we will take the carpet up as there is a wood-block floor underneath, like this one.


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This is in my workroom and was in a terrible state – all covered in paint splashes. Clive has scraped them all off and sanded and polished it. I shall now be very scared in case there are new paint splashes of a Maggie kind.
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Spring is coming at last, although we’re still having frosts. Lovely at midday so must go – the garden calls.

Urchfont Delights

Hi Again - yes, it's me, the errant blogger who has been neglecting her post. Been frantically busy, lots of trips to the DIY store as well as finishing the classes for the mixed media book.
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Here's a sneaky look at a sample from the next class.
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Oh yes, and the garden did call a bit, as well. Add to that the fact that I sneaked off to Urchfont College and had a wonderful couple of days - so, a bit of fun too. I belong to a group that meets three times a year and, while we don't have a tutor as such, we are all very generous at sharing our ideas. We also help each other when stuck on a piece of work. It's amazing what other people can see that you can't. We have a space for another member so, if you are interested in a two night course in Wiltshire (near Devizes) and are prepared to abandon your diet for a few days, drop me an email.
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Although we don't have a tutor as such and tend to do our own work, we also have themes where we'll take a topic or a technique and all have a play. Our next theme is stiffening and wiggling (no obscene comments, please). So what do we do?
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Well, Jane Wild had found a wonderful set of American water colours and produced some amazing results.

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She is very generous with her considerable knowledge and has given us some exciting drawing tutorials.
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You'll all know Anna from her blog - she is making costumes for an exhibition at the Urchfont open day in July. That will be well worth seeing.
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Chris is a quilter and did all her finishing off bits - you can tell I'm not a quilter, can't you?

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Sue is our organiser and also has great ideas for work. Here she is busy deconstructing a piece.

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' And putting it back together again.
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So, if you'd care to join our happy band drop me an email and I'll tell you more. maggie@workshopontheweb.com
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I'm sure you'd love it.

Silk and Sanitation

Amo - we are indeed holding onto our sanitation and at last have something in place to hold on to. We are very nearly there, as you can see. There is still a very slight loo leak for the plumber to sort out and a bit of painting, but I could at last clean up. As it's all shades of grey I decided on sharp pink accents but haven't had time to go and buy any so it was down to a desperate search around the house. I came up with an orchid, some tulips and a pale pink china box that Val gave me. Not bad for a quick sweep. The blind man came and measured us and rasperry pink blinds should soon be in situ. Oops, should have moved the toothbrush - just ignore it.

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So glad we went for the slatey tiles over the bath as I think the big pale grey ones might look a bit insipid all over. The hand shower is for washing hair in the bath - too much information?

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Back to things stitchy and lesson two of the on-line classes. We're continuing with a silk paper theme and I'm making something that I'm quite excited about. It's all to do with buttonholes. I'm also having fun with a large lump of silk that was purchased from Oliver Twists, I think she called it silk lapp - I'm no expert so does that sound right? It comes in a big hunk like this in wonderful colours.
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I'd had some success by making a very thin layer of silk paper with it and then pulling out more of the the silk into a lattice shape and laying it over while the base was wet.

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This produced an interesting surface which looks lovely when the light shines through it.
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Current experiments, for lesson 2, involve making use of the fact that the silk forms a tube - see below.
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If you want to join our classes, they are free if you have the Mixed Media: New Studio Techniques (written with Isobel Hall) details at www.d4daisy.com
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I am a reluctant blogger today as the weather is wonderful. It's one of those warm, sunny days that we sometimes get in February and we have been for a huge walk, exploring our new trails. Went through woods, a farmyard, a snowdrop bank and lots of puddles. All without getting in the car. Heaven.

Signs of Spring and Melting Stuff

At last - a warm, dry day. According to the forecast, it's a one-off but it's been so lovely to have a really good walk. Having a new garden is interesting, too, as it's all a complete surprise. I've got daffs in the woody bit and really lovely crocus, with pretty orange centres, behind the summer house. I spent a fortune in one of the plant catalogues before Clive reminded me, after it was posted, that there might not be room for all this new stuff when what's there already comes up!

I opened the door of the summer house to air it a bit and Smudge thought it was great - he immediately stretched out on a sofa - I think he'll enjoy the alfresco life.

The classes have started and we have immediately found fun things to do with clear embossing powder. Gill had a play and inspired me to have a go, mixing it with Perfect Pearls. It melts down so well (no melting pot or ladle).

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I loved the shape and made this cute little brooch.

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Thanks for the comments: Hi to Heather - great to see your name on the Yahoo list, glad you're enjoying the class.

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I wanted that Pat Hodson book too, Celia - apparently she is doing a book, don't know who with - wish it was d4daisy.

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Hi Emma - the classes will always be there, although the Yahoo group - where we chat and share ideas - is limited to six months or so.

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Penny - I hope Isobel is OK. I haven't heard from her and she hasn't popped up on the Yahoo group yet, so I guess she is either in the middle of teaching or she has a dodgy dongle.

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Liniecat - yes, I was only briefly at Harrogate to help set up our Wessex Textiles exhibition. Thanks for getting the book at our stand. Thanks also for the kind words about the book and the classes. I do view them as an extension of the books and love the chance to meet the readers. Now I don't teach so much, it is great to have a bit of interaction.

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The bathroom saga - a bit of a knife edge as the plumber is going on holiday next week and he still has to fit the loo and the radiator. He can't fit the loo until the floor is done and that is underway at the moment.

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Will the floor be finished in time for the plumber? Will the house ever be empty of bathroom bits that can't be stored in the garage? Will Maggie and Clive hold on to their sanity? Don't miss the next exciting episode.

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Free Classes, an Exhibition and Standing in the Bath

I can't believe that it has been two weeks since my last blog (shades of the confessional). The excuse is that I have been working almost non stop on the free classes, which begin on Monday.

I wanted them to be more 'joined up' this time so I've planned a more structured course where techniques used at the beginning (working with silk paper, water-soluble paper and other bits) will expand and gather pace. I'm also going to make sure that samples from each lesson can be used in the next.

I've had such fun with embossing powder - set myself to find a way to melt it that doesn't need a Melting Pot or a ladle. It works - see below.

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The detail below is from a piece that mixes silk paper, silk carrier rods and 'flaps' of water-soluble - great for texture.
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Don't forget that the classes are free to anyone who has purchased the book Mixed Media: New Studio Techniques from any source. If you haven't got a copy head over to http://www.d4daisy.com/ and buy one.

The free on -line classes build on the book's techniques and we will have a Yahoo group where we can chat. My co-author Isobel Hall and I will pop up and chat, too. Isobel is in Australia just now with a dodgy dongle but she will do her best to keep in touch with everyone doing our lessons. Hope to meet up with old and new friends on Monday.

Having become a little stir crazy with all this studio work, Clive and I went to the Pat Hodson Exhibition at Walford Mill in Wimborne, Dorset today. I must confess I hadn't heard of her and her work is fabulous. Do get to the exhibition if you can - it's on until February 27. I'm not going to tell you a lot about it because I immediately decided to review it for the March issue of Workshop on the Web. The reviews are always in the unrestricted part of WoW so have look on 1st March http://www.workshopontheweb.com/.

Here is a view of the gallery.

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But you need to see the work 'up close and personal', as you can see from the detail below. She uses text in wonderful ways, very fresh and innovative work. It takes a lot for me to go 'Oh Boy' but we were really bowled over by it and purchased two of her delightful little books.

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I have also managed to get out and partake of food and drink. An evening treat at Pizza Express to celebrate grandaughter Lauren's seventeenth birthday (needless to say, the present had to do with a course of driving lessons).

Yesterday was a trip to the seaside to go to Urban Reef - a laid-back cafe bar on the coast at Boscombe. Good company, a glass of something bubbly (I wasn't driving) and lovely fresh mussels.

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I hear you wondering about the bathroom. Well, three days of plastering, plus layers of plaster dust later - we have a bath. I like showers but there are times when only a bath will do. We crept in and tried it out, trying not to splash the new plaster.

What can we be doing in the pic below? Standing in our new bath on tiler Justin's jacket to make it go down one thousand of a millimetre at one end so he could tighten a bolt. I've heard of precision but is this a little over the top?

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Hopefully pics of the finished room will soon follow. See you at the classes.

The Roman Pavement

Thanks for all good wishes everyone.

Julie - having your bathroom in bits does increase the need to pee - one of Newton's laws, I think. We do have a shower room, so are not too deprived.

So glad you have sold your house, Diane. The floods are awful in Queensland. Liz, who designs our d4d books, lives near Brisbane. Luckily she's on a hill and not directly affected but she says that, even where they are, the mud is terrible. Such awful scenes of flooding all around the world.

The work continues

Smudge is being a great trial to Martin Plumber and Sparky Gordon. At first they were charmed by his dog-like qualities - he runs up to greet them and wants to talk to them all the time. Now it has rubbed off a little as, however hard I try to keep him out, he is always under their feet. He's been a pain from the start - this is me trying to empty a bathroom cupboard that is full of cat.

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Wanted to take a couple of photos of the 'before' but Martin had whipped out the huge, ugly corner bath that took up so much room.
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There were three layers of tiles, the last layer stuck firmly into a sand and cement mix. Good thing we booked a plasterer. Interesting patterns emerged, including this Roman pavement. It was like an archeological dig.

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And here's the throne! I wonder what it looked like with the geometric tiles on both wall and floor. Migraine material.

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In view of the state of the walls, I think it will be at least a couple of weeks before we get to the 'after' pics.

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Never mind - here's a sign of spring, below. I have a new pocket camera - a Canon Ixus and I'm delighted with it.
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Look at this macro shot - I hate photographing beads. This one is from an article on beaded beads by Heather Kingsley-Heath which will be in the next issue of WoW.

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And that's without any practice, straight out of the box.

I am actually doing some work for the classes. Shutting myself away is the best way to cope, I think. It's wonderful to have lots of electric sockets at worktop level. More news soon from the home front. Keep the comments coming - I need the support!

Wired and Re-wired

Happy nearly new (slightly used?) year. My blogging attempts have been frustrated due to the fact that no sooner had the old year moved out than the electrician moved in. So we are half way through the rewire and our lights are no longer lethal. We have been spending our time rushing around the shops looking for wall lights, spotlights and bathroom mirrors with shaver points. Exhausting.

Next week, the sockets will be done and the bathroom begun (luckily the electrician and the plumber often work together and they assure me that it will work). I'm thinking of leaving home. All our time will be spent making tea!

Back to things of a stitchy nature. Emma http://emma-alittlebitofeverything.blogspot.com/ who won a birdie brooch asked me how I made the background for the birdies - she thought that it might involve intricate work with printer and tissue but I have to confess that it was this stamp. Sorry - the pics are not good - I'm not back in production yet so it was taken in the dark with the iphone.

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I took a very weighty sheet of watercolour paper and tore off bits around the edge to reveal the layers. Then it was stamped with the words, using a black Distress Ink Pad. I then used a lighter Distress Ink Pad, rubbing it over the paper, especially the edges. When dry, a little metallic wax highlighted the torn layers.
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I also have a script style stamp which is in French. Most impressive until you translate and realise that it says, 'Thank you for your letter of the ......'. Not very romantic.

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Thanks for all the lovely good wishes. Busy Lizzie - I so love my handy postbox and sometimes pop across the road just to give it a little pat on the head.

Carol - I drive Clive mad in just the same way. He now gives me warnings, telling me that it's getting complicated and we both need to watch so that our combined intellects can be applied (we share a brain cell these days).

Welcome Lynda - good to meet you.

Thanks so much Ellen for the praise of the book. So glad you like it. I'm having a lot of fun putting the first class together - it will be a mixture of Isobel and me. I'm working on the image, below, together with water-soluble paper and silk paper and embossing powder. I expect to go live with the classes towards the end of the month - watch the blog or the d4daisy site. www.d4daisy.com.

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For those who don't know what I'm wittering about, these are free on-line classes for folk who have bought the Mixed Media: New Studio Techniques book. We have a Yahoo group and chat and play and show results.

Will be back next week to escape from the hell of the bathroom - might even give you a quick flash of the tiles (if I can find the camera).