Happy Christmas

Hope you're all having just as wonderful a day as I. Above you can see me with 3 of my presents and to save you from spotting them you'll have guessed that one of them is that Canon SX50 camera (50X Zoom no less!), the second one is the gorgeous sweater I'm wearing (if you're reading this,thank you, mom!) and you might just be able to see my new watch too. It's big, it's black and it fits!! I had been wearing one that was miles too large for my wrist and it kept getting in my way when stitching).

And this beautiful apple feeder for the birds was made by John's fair hands as a surprise after I had seen something similar in a garden magazine. This is a much superior model!!!

Happy Christmas!

My Christmas present

Can you ever have too many cameras? No, not in my opinion. And I was completely over the moon to discover that John had bought me the new digital Polaroid camera (Z340), which not only has the capacity to instantly print out 3 x 4" pictures of whatever you shoot but can also save these images digitally so that you can import them into your computer and do whatever you want to them. That means I can use them as my blip, as I did with the above picture, a very close-up macro shot (yes, the Polaroid has a great zoom facility) of a Saintpaulia plant. But I have also printed it out so that I can start using it immediately in my art journalling. Oh the joy of it! So now I have my compact Lumix, my Canon DSLR and the digital Polaroid. Only thing that remains on the wishlist is a rugsack to carry them all around with me.

And I almost forgot, I also received a bendable tripoid to with the Polaroid! You can bend it around tree branches, fences and the like. I just need to think how I can attach it to gravestones.

Highly Prized Journal Quilt

I had not finished with the Sketchbook Challenge yet. As you might have read on a previous blog post, I'm participating in this challenge and we are set a theme for every month. January's theme was Highly Prized. I made the page in my sketchbook dedicated to my wonderful azur-blue new Lumix camera which has already found a place in my heart.

Another decision I made was to participate again in the Journal Quilt project of the Contemporary Group of the British Quilters' Guild. Last year was the first year I did not make JQs consistenly throughout the year and to my surprise I really missed it. And the sad fact is that I did make JQs, 6 to be precise and pictures of them will be appearing here as soon as their various exhibitions open. I know I would have made the full 12 if only I had signed up, so this year I'm back in the groove!

I'm going to combine the two challenges and let my sketchbook pages inspire the Journal Quilts. They have to be 10" square and for the first 4 of them, circles have to appear somewhere. What could be better for a sketchbook page inspired by a camera, which has, you've guessed it, a circular lens. So here it is, my first JQ. I've used the sketch of my camera by scanning it in and printing it out onto fabric. The image in the centre is one of the very first pictures I took with my Lumix.

Other techniques include: machine quilting on a velvet background, raw edge applique, free machine embroidery and quilting and hand beading.

The JQs this year will be photographed rather than scanned (those beads almost make that impossible in any case) so my camera has taken a picture of a picture of my camera. Talking about going around in circles!

Highly Prized

After yesterday's adventures today was a studio day. First of all I finally figured out my next step re the quilt and that gave me enough peace of mind to make my contribution for the Sketchbook Challenge. You might have spotted the button for this project at the right-hand side but to date that was all I had done about it. Have a look at this great blog site and you can read all about it and participate. You don't have to do it every month, just whenever you feel the desire. A new theme is set every month and the one for January (the first one!) is Highly Prized, so I have been thinking about all the things I highly prize! A long list, but I finally settled on the highly prized object that I bought recently; my new camera.

The background for the page was made using my watercolour pencils, first dry and then going over it with a water brush. Stamping with images of snowcrystals was the next step. I added a sketch of my camera (sewn on!) and pictures taken with it during our snowy period (mounted on a sewn-on ribbon) when I started using it. I also journalled about how I came to buy it. I added a few more embellishments and then called it finished. I'm not particularly keen on my own handwriting but hopefully I will get used to it over the year. After all this project is all about learning and jumping in at the deep end of sketchbooking and journaling.

My open box of colouring pencils also provided me with a blip for today, taken with the camera I journalled about.

PS if you noticed that the L in Highly was missing, that has now been rectified!

My camera is dead

so long live the new camera. This was a very sad day as after faithful service lasting about 7 years my Fuji F410 has finally given up its ghost! The battery has been a bit dodgy for quite some time but I learned to work around that one. Then today when taking a wonderful shot (intended to be my blip) of the graveyard in West Linton I discovered that the lens was also kaput!

It's exceedingly childish of me to be so upset about an inanimate object but the Fuji felt like an extension of myself and has taken a gorgeous collection of shots over the years. It also had a cradle so it could be connected to the computer and at the same time recharge itself. A wonderful feature which sadly seems to have disappeared nowadays for new cameras. It also meant I knew at all times where the camera was to be found, a great advantage in my chaotic existence.

I simply could not face having to drag my digital SLR around with me on a daily basis and I was in a dreadfully bad mood, I have to admit, so the lovely, gorgeous John suggested a quick trip to Costco even if it was just to quickly get a camera to tide me over while deciding which really good one I want.

So the picture at the top (the whole day has driven me to drink as well, as you see) is the first one transferred to the computer from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS30. And not before I had moaned some more about the fact that all the instructions for use can only be found on a PDF file! I already know they will be printed out as going to the computer every time I want to find out how to do anything, is most definitely NOT ON!

End of moan, tomorrow will be another day, I'm sure I will come to terms with my loss, and hopefully find a gorgeous subject to capture on the Lumix for a blip.