Books, Birds, (Letter) Boxes!!

I have been working on some journal covers recently and enjoying the process, once I figured out what I was meant to be doing!!
As you know there has been a fair bit of "Kombi Love" going on around here, so of course a Kombi had to feature. I wasn't 100% percent happy with the finished product, as there was a lot of blank space around it but figured some flowers in the top left and bottom right corners would do the trick. Playing on the "Flower Power" theme of course, so that's yet to be done. Looks like the front left tyre has had a blow out but I think it's just a thread to be cut off.


Next of course there had to be a bird and I am more than happy with how this cover turned out . As it was my second cover, I was getting the hang of things. Love the colours the green and brown on the natural background are very striking.

Last but not least another favourite, this book is alot smaller than the other two and it just cried out for an Owl! Owls happen to be another favourite "thing" at the moment. For a long time I have tried a number of different owl designs and have never been happy with one up until now. I realise the branch doesn't stand out very well in the photo but in real life it seems find. particularly love his feathery tummy. Owls may have taken over from Kombi's for the moment!!

For some time I have been driving past groups of letter boxes and they have intrigued me no end. I love seeing them standing there waiting patiently for the postie to deliver something, whether it be a bill, letter or junk mail.

Going up to the letter box during the day is always a bit of an adventure, you never know if there will be something there or not. If there is will it be exciting, interesting or just rubbish.
I enjoy seeing the different receptacles people use

as letter boxes, whether it be a shop bought proper letter box, or an old oil drum that's been cleaned out and painted up, a plastic drum of some sort or just any old thing lying around that will keep the mail out of the weather.

Before computers they were our connection with

the outside world, family and friends. My letter

box, not only contains mail at times, but egg cartons and egg money from my neighbour, magazines friends pass on and numerous other things. I think at times the postie must get quite a surprise when she opens it to put something in there!!

I think people should use something in keeping with the countryside, something slightly weather beaten, to give it that rustic appeal . The little white letter box on the far right, looks so out of place in the country it belongs in a town, where they have concrete guttering, street lights and manicured lawns!

Standing like sentinels, looking a little worse for wear but still able to carry out their job. I particularly love the last four, so much character in the size, shape and colour. Times like this I wish I was an artist, I would get my paints out and do a series of country letterboxes paintings.

As you can see the countryside is quite brown, but there is a tinge of green here and there. We need some more rain and soon. It's a struggle to keep the water up to the garden and by the end of the day all the plants are looking very droopy

indeed.

A big thankyou to Julie Whitmore for her blog posting tips, particularly the uploading of photos. Still struggling with text beside the right photo, but today I feel it has been 2 steps forward and half a step backwards. That's progress of some sort.

Thankyou for visiting and reading my 'wafflings'.

I hope you are well in your corner of the globe, till next time,

C x

I'ts play time

Okay, I am posting this in such a topsy, turvy manner tonight, please forgive me, I have uploaded the same photo 3 times, would you believe. Managed to delete it but have got the order higgeldy piggeldy, but we shall soldier on, forward into the fray and follow on behind.


Here is one side of a heart I have made, yet to be filled, I love the raw, natural look of linen , the two little hearts off to the right, need to be bigger next time. I cut away the linen to reveal a floral cotton beneath. I love how well the safety pin turned out and I am using them quite a bit in my work now.


There's a wee bit of Kombi love going on here as well. The van on the right was my first attempt and I was reasonably happy with it. No. 1 son thought it was cool and let me sew it onto an old pair of school shorts.


They were a blank canvas and needed some decorating. So roughly zigzagged edges of different sized stitching seemed to fit the bill.


I also stitched a "saying" I found on the net, it read "music washes away the dust of everyday life from the soul", (that's from memory, so I hope it's correct!)

As he is a muso I thought that was quite appropriate and he thought it was "cool", so that was a big tick of approval. The kombi on the left is the improved version , there's a bit of flower power happening.
It will end up on a card with a little slogan typed up and sewn on. Isn't it funny how once you start thinking about something in this instance, Kombis, you suddenly start seeing that very thing alot more?
Here is the other side of the heart which reads" Love fails only when we fail to Love" Hmm. Once again FH machine embroidery and I cut away the floral fabric to reveal the linen beneath.




After reading Viv's blog over at Hensteeth and being inspired by her wonderful work, I felt the need to sew a heart, after all it is valentine's day next month.
It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I have recently discovered a new "love" !! Raw, rough, uneven edges, yes, you read it correctly.
Rip the fabric if you can, use blunt scissors to cut it to achieve the rough edged effect. Then delicate freehand machine embroidery with swirls.
I love the Scandinavian look of red against linen. This used to be a pair of linen drawstring pants I bought them from the op shop and a little bit of fabric can go a long way, as I use small pieces for my cards. This heart is just a little sample, a bit of playing about on the machine to see what I could come up with.

Well, that's what I have been up to here, the weather has cooled down, which makes life alot more enjoyable and you don't feel like you are melting!
Having trouble formatting photos and text, any suggestions or tips, greatly appreciated.

Till next time,

C X