I See You necklace

Happy Australia day everyone.Some of you may know but I have VERY shaky hands...it's why I never could solder in the past and why I had wanted to paint for years but thought I couldn't.Yet paint I have since done and soldering is no longer a problem either as I'm not aiming for neat...just joined and rough as guts LOL....Like this necklace.I used an old black coated metal ring as the bezel.
Here is the face closer.I love those little brass key holes I got from Jen Crossley.There are no specks on it IRL...I think I need to clean the scanner glass!!

The little glass vial is actually a tiny 3cm long test tube that I stuck an alcohol ink stained hanger on each end of, after I added my dictionary words.

The little glass bottle is just under 2.5cms long.It has "you" on one side and "vision" on the other.

Both the bottle and the test tube are from A Mark In Time.

Hope all you Aussie's had a great day and didn't drink too much.

hugs

Annette In Oz

Mo and Jo Return..bubble necklace

Ryan is safely back in Sydney and I've had time to create these last two days but Mo and Jo(alias mojo the creative nymph) went missing yesterday...I sat at my desk and tried to channel Jen Crossley, Susan Lenart Kazmer etc but nothing would work so I gave up and ate chocolate instead LOL. I cleaned up my desk and remembered a much awaited parcel came from an order to Jen's shop-Amarkintime. I eagerly unwrapped it and Mo and Jo jumped right out at me. I had ordered two gorgeous bubble necklaces. They have high topped glass pebbles on each side and open to sandwich images inside. It was 10pm by then and I knew if I started playing I would stay awake all night so I left them on my desk with a few things and images till today.
Today is a new day and get creative I did. I used one bubble necklace to make this fun vintage children necklace. I love this image of vintage children playing and add the dictionary word "play" to it.

This second image on the reverse is from Collections...I adore that over sized bow on the girl. I think her or her Mum are dreaming "big" things for her LOL.

After a session of resin work last month my paint brush broke. I sat the remainder of the brush down and forgot about it. When it set I liked how the brush fibres were incased in the resin and kept it. I think it looks great as my dangle to hang the bubble from :o). Lastly I added some tiny silver dice beads and chain. I've another two necklaces almost made so shall upload them soon. There is ink under my nails and my hands are nice and dirty...I think I'm home in my zone again LOL.

hugs

Annette In Oz

Sharing an experiment

2011 is charging full steam ahead. We have had Grant's 14 yr old nephew Ryan with us since the 9th so although I have had time of work I have had no spare time to get creative....doesn't stop me thinking about it all the time though LOL. Anyway I thought I would share something I experimented with at Christmas. I had run out of Inkjetset which is a solution you can soak material in, let it dry, attach it to freezer paper and run it thru your Inkjet printer. It makes the image waterproof, wont bleed and you can use layers of paints, inks etc over the top without it ruining the printed image. It's great for mixed media work.
Well I had decided to use an old angel image printed on fabric for my Christmas cards but as I had left making them so late I had no time to get more Inkjetset nor could I find alum powder here to make my own home made solution. I painted a section of unbleached calico with water proofing medium for fabric and left another one free. I attached these 2 pieces of calico to freezer paper so the centre overlapped. The image on the left, with dried water proofing medium pre printing, printed dull and washed out
.
To the centre one which had half waterproofing medium under it and half none I tried waterproofing medium on top of the printed image....it started to distort and wipe away with each brush stroke. Finally the last image printed on the right above was just plain printing on calico. To my surprise it printed well and was crisp so I sprayed it with Crystal Kote and then tried a wax rubbing and paint, dry brushed on top and all was well. My Christmas cards were saved. Below is the card I made and has a similar image printed on white ?cotton...it was fine weave like a sheet. It brang the colour out nicely and once sprayed with the Crystal Kote made the fabric a little stiffer so easily fed thru the Cuttlebug machine.

I doubt this type of printing would hold up well to paint washes and dye inks but it saved the day for me and maybe others if this helps someone...just sorry I made the cards so late they got to some folks after Christmas. Making Christmas cards early this year is my resolution LOL!!!.

While Ryan has been here we have done stuff nearly every day. It's awesome seeing the changes to the bush from the Dry to the Wet season....bulging waterfalls, animals, mushrooms and loads of green foliage everywhere. I'll try to share some images later on. Many of the walking tracks are closed due to local flooding but that's Ok...happens every year here. Monsoon overhead and non stop rain since Ryan came doesn't help but it has made it cooler somewhat. Ryan goes home Saturday so hope to get arty farty after that...I feel a need to get all inky and paint splattered...my hands are too clean LOL.

All you folks over on the East Coast side of Oz take care...my heart goes out to you all with rains, floods, loss of life and damage over there.

hugs

Annette In Oz

August Trip To Broome-part3.

We arrive at Broome at last. We stay just a few blocks away from Cable Beach at The Beaches Of Broome backpackers...it's a long time since I stayed in a backpackers and back then the accommodation was ROUGH. This was not so and was luxurious, air conditioned, own TV and fridge etc and a welcome sight after a days drive. Here is Mum and Audrey slumming it.

The view over the pool from our balcony.

We have to stay here longer then planned as there were accommodation problems on the way back. As it turned out that was a blessing as you will see. We spend lazy days exploring the beauty of Broome and its surrounds. It's amazing to go for a short drive and be amongst glorious wide open sandy beaches with very few other tourists around.

This trip also had many firsts for us all. Audrey had never been up here along the North of Oz. Mum and Audrey had never been in a helicopter till they took the Bungle Bungle's flight. Tim and I had never been beyond Fitzroy Crossing. Grant had never had to travel with two older ladies and a teenage boy LOL.

Mum and Tim had never been on a Camel so what better place to do that then on the gorgeous Cable Beach pre sunset. They have such sweet faces but can be quite nasty bitters too.

Here is Tim with a "quieter" one.

Mum and Tim prepare for the upward rise.

It looks like his legs are sinking in the sand with the weight of it all ...will he make it.

Of course LOL.

The Camels stretching and reflecting across the low tides.

A rival group pass by.

Tim and Mum's shadow.

Grant and I go for a stroll as we wait their return. I find these curious "natures drawings" in the sand...they look like Boabs to me *grin*.

I sink my toes into the cool sand. I miss the ocean.

On another day we explore around Broome itself. We have come at a great time as there are extreme low tides there now. Some magic happens here at this time. We race off to Gantheum point to capture some of this. The view from there back along Cable Beach.

A light house Broome style at Gantheum Point...

also makes a great nesting site for an Osprey.

The weathered sandstone sentinels all over the point.

and at last the treasures of the point at low tide are exposed...Dinosaur prints!!

Sunset is apon us and we go back to Cable Beach and secure a spot on the high sand dunes to watch the fading light and eat yummy fish and chips by the sea. I'm in heaven.

Another beautiful day dawns. We spend it looking thru the quaint shops in China Town and the Museums. In the afternoon we make our way to Town Beach. It's nestled on a red Cliff wall and as the tide goes out the red washes into the sea to give this awesome contrast of colours.

We find a spot with a zillion other tourists and wait for another magical moment that occurs here at extreme low tides. We wouldn't have seen this if we hadn't of stayed the extra days. The sun sets at last and we all give a collective gasp as the moon rises over the mud flats. Its reflection across the extreme low tide mud flats cause a stair like sight, to the moon....it's a well known event and something I had wanted to see for many years. Stairway to moon crossed off my bucket list!!!. This isn''t my photo by the way as I forgot to put my setting to night time and my shots were crap but this IS what I saw. Thank goodness for Google.

Time is running out. The next day we go to Malcolm Douglas's Fauna Park.

Lots of animals to see and a several HUGE fat Salt Water crocodiles.

Then its off to Roebuck Bay for Tim to have his first ever Hover Craft ride.

It's low tide again and Tim got to see more Dinosaur prints. These were larger Diplodocus impressions left on the mud floor from ancient times past.

Before we all know it we are back on the road heading home again.

We stop to take this shot of a gorgeous Grenville in flower.

We stop at the same spots we went too on the way over but back at Kununurra we take the drive to Lake Argyle....such a pretty spot.

Leaving Western Australia and onward to home.

Home again...The Wet Season is in full swing. Minty scared this poor young Possum up the back door. It came down again Ok and waddled off to find it's Mum.

Before Mum and Audrey leave we take them for a day trip to Kakadu. Grant and his Mum on a bush walk while we were there. Another treasured memory for him, her and us.

The perfect holiday soon came to end...Audrey left and then my Mum. A holiday of fun, unimaginable beauty and a treasury of memories. 2010 has also come to end and 2011 sweeps her arms out to embrace us all. May she give you all peace and happiness.

hugs

Annette in Oz

August Trip To Broome-Part 2

We leave Hall's Creek and make our way West to Fitzroy Crossing.When we travel Grant always spies his beloved reptiles.We stop to take a photo of this gorgeous Centralian Blue Tongue..he was a feisty little fella and flattened himself out,blue tongue dashing in and out in his attempt to scare us off.
Once settled in at Fitzroy crossing we take a short drive and go to Geikie Gorge.I have never been here.We catch one of the Geikie Gorge Cruises to be met by lime stone walls stained and ereoded away from the water as it raises in The Wet Season and lowers in The Dry Season.It's a beautiful place. Water ripples reflect along the walls and there are several Fresh Water Crocs lazying around.

Looking back along onew side of the Gorge.

and the other side looking back.

Unfortunately Audrey slipped on her way off the boat and fell between the boat and the landing area causing a large jagged skin tear to her leg.Poor thing...she was sssoo embarrassed and Grant's face went white as a ghost...you forget your parents are so frail as they age.I work as a Registered nurse with the elderly and had taken a large first aid kit with us so I cleaned the wound,dressed it and bandaged it up.

Next area to visit was Windjana Gorge.Mum and Audrey sat this one out.This is the entrance to the gorge thru a slit in the rocks.Tim and Grant are dwarfed by its size.I can just imagine the water running thru here in The Wet Season.

The rock faces of the gorge have been worn smooth by past rushing water.In one spot there is a large fossil preserved in it's grasp.

All thru the gorge there are Fresh water Crocs...they are used to humans passing by and you can get quite close to them.

Back at the Fitzroy Crossing Hotel we stayed at we spy a vintage car.It's a charity drive for the Starlight foundation to raise money for kids with cancer.I was fascinated by the rusty corrugated iron roof and that the cars(there were 3 we saw) looked so old and yet were still drivable.....hhhmm much like me LOL.

Next day we visit Tunnel Creek again.I'll only put a few photos of here in this time as we visited it in 2008 here.Boabs dot the landscape everywhere out here.They are very slow growing so larger ones are ancient.

Audrey getting close to some Boab's.

Looking back at the entrance of Tunnel Creek from just inside.

From the exit looking back.

The exit from inside.

No Freshies this time but as usual Grant finds a reptile in there.This time it's a Stimpson's python.

We leave Fitzroy Crossing and make our way to Broome. We do a quick trip up to Derby and stock up on supplies and fill scripts etc.There is another Prison Tree here.This one is ancient judging by it's size.

Back on the highway heading ever so closer to Broome we stop at Willare Roadhouse and are thankful this was someone eles's bill to pay and not ours!!!

1709 Kms (1061 miles) from home

and 166 Kms (103 miles) to go.

On our last trip over here we only went as far as Fitzroy Crossing so I was excited to be able to go to Broome.The landscape was slowly changing and becoming more sandy with lots of low shrubs.The beauty of Broome awaits us.

hugs

Annette In Oz