Beautiful Firenze

Hi Everyone,
Here I am in Florence - a really dreamy city. Everything was just so beautiful and I was just so lucky to have days like this. As I write Florence is under snow! I only got home last Wednesday so how amazing for the weather to flip completely and cover the city in white!

This first shot is probably what everyone imagines when they think of Florence. It was such a wonderful sight and I sat here with bread and cheese and olives and tomatoes. Yes it was cold so I sat on my bag!



Here you can see the Arno river and the bridges that cross it at regular intervals.




The famous Ponte Vecchio. this shot was taken from out of the window of the Uffizi Gallery




The river Arno in the evening light. Photos are bever quite the same as being there but this does revive memories of a lovely still evening.




I awoke early on my first morning in Florence and decided to climb the bell tower of the Duomo Cathedral known as Giotto's Tower. Small windows in the tower revealed little slices of the city that were just so inspiring.



The Duomo Cathedral, flanked by the tower and the building in front is the Baptistery - I was less than a minute walk from here and came to look at it at least once a day. The quality of the light would keep changing the hue of the marble and I, like thousands before me, was quite mesmerised by it.



Detail of the Duomo as I climbed the tower.



Walking around town there were 2 things I could do in abundance, shop and eat!



The Merry go Round at night.



Jewellery shops along the Ponte Vecchio at dusk.




Detail on the Baptistery doors.



Climbing up out of the city.




Sculptures abound in the city and these were located at the Duomo museum.



A beautiful day - I sat here for ages watching nothing and everything.

This is just a small sampling of the 982 photos I took over the week but if ever you get to go to Europe, be sure to make Florence the top of your list. I simply can hardly wait to return!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays dear friends,
I wish you all a creative 2010
Love Elizabeth

Grade 5 & 6 - mixed media dolls!

Mexican Boy

Mexican Boy ( detail )

Little Princess

Little Princess ( detail )

The Little Chef

Little Chef ( detail )

Blue Princess

Blue Princess ( detail )

The New Hat

The New Hat ( detail )

Hi everyone
Over the last few months I have been working as an Artist in Residence, again at MLC - Methodist Ladies College. I visit once a year and force the entire junior school to make felt.
I can hardly tell you how much fun I have - I learn so much from them all. From Prep to Grade 6 we make literally miles of felt and the Grade 5 and 6's girls have created these wonderful mixed media dolls.

I would really love to show you all 200!!!! dolls from the Grade 5 & 6's but..................... well..........................that may take some time to upload!

I have been making these mixed media dolls for a while now and can't seem to stop. Isn't it funny when your work takes a change. I just love it when a new vision arrives for a possible new look or range of work. You can never tell when a medium is going to entice you. For me, the last 12 months have been infiltrated by papier mache. I just LOVE it! I can remember doing it years ago but I did very little with it.

I have come to the realization that things come into your life just at the right time. When you have time and are ready for change. I just wish I could remember that when I am wishing desperately for something!

Hoping you have all had a wonderful weekend, dear friends

Love Elizabeth
X

Fab Students!

Hi everyone
Here is a class that happened a couple of weeks ago. This was a workshop in nuno feltmaking and some gorgeous scarves were made by all. For any of you who aren't felters - first of all, shame on you!! - Nuno, which means fabric in Japanese, refers to the fact that a fabric is integral to this type of felting. The fleece is laid on fabric and is felted until the two have combined to create the new "fabric". A glorious result!

As you can see these students have made some stunning pieces. I hope they will show them off for ages to come - believe me they looked better at first hand.



From left, Jo, Ro and Julia. They look so elegant and I really hope all the rolling will not put them off having another go soon!



Ro laying out her fleece on a purply tissue silk


The trials of design.................

Hope your weekend is full of fun
Love from
Elizabeth

PS: Nell fell asleep in a desk draw this evening -so cute - sadly my camera was flat so I missed taking a pic.

Sorry for the Absence!

Dear Friends

I am really sorry for the lengthy absence - so many things demanding time and I have been too tired ( or is that too lazy?) to post.

Here is the beauteous Nell. Isn't she just gorgeous? Well no one need worry - she has settled in like a pair of old boots. She keeps us laughing and we just couldn't be without her. Cane is her favourite material for chairs and she dreams in them for hours! Naturally when the sun comes to worship her, the bedroom window ledge is really ideal.

"Stretch............................"



"I think this is my best side, don't you?"



"Just take as many photos as you like...................I don't mind."

Will post again tomorrow .......................PROMISE!!!!
Love
Elizabeth

New Dolls!

Howdy! Here are some new dolls which I have fluffed and ummed and aaahed about getting done for some time. I simply cannot work out what goes wrong. You see the felt has been made for ages and the embroidery and sewing up as well. Just waiting for the right faces I guess. It is so very important to get the right face - otherwise the piece is lost. A good face = a good doll!

So that is my only excuse!

At any rate at last they have left the rapidly growing pile of porjects and are DONE!

The one on the far left is for Dot who ordered her some time ago! Here she is Dot I hope you enjoy her! No names as yet. Your can find Dot's gorgeous blog here. http://dotslifeandart.blogspot.com/



There is something very special about Aqua and Lime Green, don't you think?

Knitting and Naughty Cats!

Knitting is such a delight to do - it can be as mindless or as puzzling as you like. I tend toward the mindless and repetitive - letting the colour and textures of the yarns do all the work.



I am trying to include more golds and yellows in my pieces. This is the first attempt - of course I had to use something with lots of other shades in between!
I am looking forward to the challenge!

Thanks to everyone who has emailed with encouragement re my new kits!

Hoping everyone is well and happy
Love
Elizabeth

PS Our beautiful new cat Nell is up to great mischief and keeping us on our toes. She has now explored the outside - can you imagine, the first time outside ever! Will post some more pics soon.

It is now 2 hours later since I wrote the above and I simply must tell you about what has just happened.

OK picture us all calling Nell, Little Nell, Nellie......................etc for about an hour. Now we know she is inside and each of us has searched every room THOROUGHLY to no avail. Eventually we hear a plaintive cry and she sounds as if she either stuck in the piano or in a wall cavity - that far away sound.

Well after frantic yelling at her now, we finally work out where she is!
NOW WAIT FOR IT...................................our lovely new cat is caught inside one of the recliners in the living room!!!!! Yep you know the ones I mean with the lift out footrest. I shiver to think what might have happened to her when the bar reclines beneath it.

SO a warning - check where your cat is when reclining in the living room!!!!

New Kits at Etsy!

My new kits are finally done and I can see my bench again! I had a great time putting them together -with all my hand dyed fleece and fabrics and fibres. Available at etsy now: www.frostfair.etsy.com




Rainbow


Fairy Floss


Blue Mood


Autumn



It is such a beautiful morning I am going in the garden - see you later

Love Elizabeth

The Beauty of Bark - please click on to enlarge!

Over the last couple of days I have been walking, walking........................ in our Royal Botanical Gardens here in Melbourne. Signs of Spring are everywhere and I had a lovely time just photographing bark. You know those mysterious miniature worlds that appear when you look just a little harder. Having said that a camera with a macro lens is also a help. These weeny flowers were so tiny that I almost missed them. Only 1/4 inch wide!



This one reminds me or morse code.



The light was truly beautiful, no hard edges anywhere - like one shape just merging into another.


Knotty, lumpy bits are so interesting - the imperfections are what make it so attractive.


For so many years I have taken photos of bark and trees don't know why - it just makes me happy. The varying shades are so beautiful.



These little depressions in the trees side are so intriguing! I imagine some little person just sitting there smoking his pipe and catching the last of the evening light.



Perhaps they are listening devices from within the tree to hear who is approaching?



Something about this light I find so utterly beguiling - it is as if the tree is snoozing perhaps recalling other days.




Little worlds in bits of green and gold.






Hope everyone is having a wonderful week

Love from
Elizabeth