Sunday Treats

It must be autumn - the weather has finally cooled down, and the persimmons have appeared. The hardest part is waiting for the persimmons to be ripe enough to eat. But when they are and I cut them open, they're almost too pretty to eat.

Limes are in season, too, and they grow locally. At 3 for $1.00, I overindulged myself at the Farmers' Market, and bought far too many to use up in gin and tonics! So...


I used up some of the wonderful farm eggs, as well! Lime Poppyseed Muffins with Lime Butter were a lovely treat on a cool Sunday afternoon. No wonder I didn't get near the studio...

Silk Paper Inspiration

A piece of silk paper that had been moulded into shape while it was still wet was the inspiration for this. The colours remind me of the sea, and coolness.

I must need another trip to the coast. We're 400km inland, and the temperature is still hitting the mid 30s C everyday, although the nights and mornings are starting to cool down a little - a promise that autumn is on its way. We seem to look forward to autumn as much as those in the Northern Hemisphere look forward to spring. It's the relief from extremes of weather, I think...and I've had enough of summer and heat.

Bookmarking again

I run a school-based mentoring program which trains and employs community volunteers as mentors. These wonderful people donate so much time and energy to the program that I can never thank them enough. Like all community programs, it also runs "on the smell of an oily rag" - never enough money to go around.

So, as a gift for my volunteers, I decided to make some bookmarks. All it takes is some watercolour paper, some paint, the use of some wooden stamps that I have, some cords, and some of my time. I can afford that! These were done with a leaf shaped wooden stamp, and the cord is one I made with some wool, a zigzag stitch on the machine and some gold thread.

The ones below are similar to the blue ones I made a few weeks ago, but this time I used a pink painted background, then orange paint on the stamp to start, waited until it dried and slightly offset the stamp the second time, using purple paint. I think they look a little Indian...

Let's hope my volunteer mentors like them!