AND THE WINNER IS

AND THE WINNER IS....................................................................



KRISTIN HUBICK OF RETRO CAFE OF ILLINOIS.

Congratulations, I'm emailing you for your addy.

ANOTHER GIVEAWAY

The last of my craft stuff is being taken to its new home tonight, but managed to squeeze out an ATC.

It's a giveaway, and all you have to do is post a comment.

I will draw it on Wednesday, as my broadband is going to go offline for a while, and so it
is a farewell gift lol, til i come back.

ZETTI ONE HOUSE

GIFTS FROM FRIENDS

Last week i received some beautiful gifts from friends. I still find it amazing that friends who I havnt even met, send me lovingly handmade gifts. I am very honoured to have such great friends.

First of all i received my House swap from Cindy
I was absolutely blown away with her work. The attention to detail is amazing, with pull-outs, moving parts and doodles and drawings........ FANTASTIC. Even the back was a work of art.

First Floor
Ivory Tower


2nd Floor
An Englishman's Home is his Castle



Bottom Floor
Doorway Home - a refuge from the world
or a gateway to explore it.

ISNT IT FANTASTIC

Cindy also included 2 ATC's, one with a domino on, a domino necklace and a New Home card. (I havn't a scan of this as it is already in my new home.

Also this week i received another 3-part House ATC, this time from my friend Sherry. This was such a suprise, as Sherry backed out of the House swap, and instead sent one to me. I still have to get a scan of this, as this is already hanging in pride of place in my new craft room.
I'll try and remember to bring it home later today and scan it.

THANKYOU SHERRY AND CINDY.
XX

Embroidered tablecloth

Still extremely busy, so more old work to show you.

This was the second part of my degree show. It centred around an embroidered tablecloth, that was left to me by mother. She died when I was 10 years old, of a brain tumour. Whilst lying in her hospital bed, she started to embroider a tablecloth, this was her first attempt at embroidery.
Needless to say it was never finished.

I was then fostered out to an Aunt, but when i was 18 years old, i ran away, to go and live with my now husband and his Father. The embroidered tablecloth was left behind.

Years later, looking in Charity shops, i would see other discarded tablecloths being sold for 50p. This really upset me, as these tablecloths would have been lovingly embroidered by someone's Mother, especially to adorn her beloved family home, only to be given away and sold for pennies.

Here is a scan of a back of a tablecloth, which shows the great care women took to make the back of the cloth look just as good as the front.

So for my show, i bought a cloth, and systematically removed all the embroidered stitches, leaving the holes where the needle had passed through.
This was placed on a large light box, so the holes could be seen, and with tiny little traces of the silk cotton showing here and there.

Here is a scan of a scan of part of a cloth with its embroidery removed. not a brilliant picture i'm afraid

As well as the light box, i also used a tablecloth to make and cover recipe books. As a child, i can remember my Mother baking egg custards for anyone who was taken ill, and myself having to deliver the custard to the sick person. This is even though she was seriously ill herself.

Here are just 3 sections of one book that i made, and had covered with a cloth.
The stains are to represent the impossible dream of perfection.

I made or altered about 10 books in total, most of them with recipes that were personal to my mother.

Here is a poem that i wrote at the time.

A MOTHERS LOVE
by Margaret Field
-

Caress the skin that sheds itself upon the once nimble fingers of desire.

Embellish the cloth as a token of your love,
reflecting the dreams amongst the linen.

Piercing, where the tender silks once
toiled themselves through the holes of adoration,
tearing us apart.

Leaving behind a trace of a Mother’s love.

MOP HEAD - THE HISTORY BEHIND IT

As i'm still unable to do any new work, i thought i'd explain to you the history behind the picture of myself with the rollers.

This was from a series of 3 photographs that were used for my finishing degree show.


YOU CAN TAKE THE WIFE OUT OF THE HOUSE BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE HOUSEWIFE OUT OF THE WOMAN

This work is about the struggling identity of today's modern woman. It addresses issues of motherhood and the domestic scene. Women fought for equality, only for them to labour even harder, juggling full time work and domesticity. This work shows this strife for unachievable perfection.
My feelings as a wife, mother and grandmother conflict with the feelings of entrapment and being tied to the family life, even though I wouldn't want it any other way.


The first picture i came up with was this

This was using a mop head, with large rollers on a wig stand. This photo wasn't used in the end.
The rollers were used to signity the 196o's when women would walk around all daylong on a Saturday, with their rollers in, ready to look beautiful on their one night out. You would see women like this doing their shopping etc, and nobody would bat an eye lid. Can you imagine this happening now.

From this photo it evolved into me wearing the mop head and rollers, and here are the other two photos that went on display alongside


The first one obviously just wearing a mophead, and the second one, with a flower in to depict a bride

Also part of the exhibition were other photos again depicting the woman's struggle for perfection.
This time pearls and rollers were used on ordinary household objects.

DUSTPAN AND BRUSH WITH HAIR ROLLERS

ROLLING PIN WITH PEARL EMBEDDED
RENDERING IT USELESS




FULL SIZE SALT AND PEPPER POT
MADE INTO EAR RINGS WITH PEARLS ATTACHED


SUGAR TONGS AND SUGAR CUBE WITH PEARL EMBEDDED

Little did i know when using the pearls with my work, the REAL connotation behind the pearl necklace. It took the young students to explain it to me.
Oh well, the reason I USED THEM was because of the perfect housewife wearing her pearls and twinset. lol

Last but not least was a pair of oven gloves, sewn together in the middle, again rendering them useless.

HERE IS A POEM THAT I WROTE AT THE TIME, BUT IT WASN'T USED IN THE DEGREE SHOW.

DINNER'S ON THE TABLE by Margaret Field

Your dinner's on the table love. The pots and pans scrubbed clean.
The hoovering's done, the dusting too. Even the coalman's been.
Your dinner's on the table love. Washing and ironing done.
I've changed the beds, and scrubbed the floor, the battle of dirt's been won.
Your dinner's on the table love. The larder is now full.
I've painted the walls,and ceilings too, and picked the kids up from school.
Your dinner's on the table love. The windows and mirrors they shine.
The kids are bathed, scrubbed up like new, and the garden's looking just fine.
Your dinner's on the table love, I've spent all day on this grub.
My day is done for all of you.
And now I'm off to the pub.

NEXT I WILL SHOW YOU THE SECOND PART OF MY DEGREE SHOW INVOLVING AN EMBROIDERED TABLECLOTH.

BUTTON FAIRY TUTORIAL

I know I've shown this tutorial to some people already, but here it is again for those who havn't seen it.
It's a basic tutorial on how to make a button fairy.

First I took an approx 10" (25cm) piece of flexible wire.
Threaded buttons on, leaving wire at top and bottom free.


I then added beads to the bottom half and curled it round to finish it off


I collaged a face and wings onto card
Notice under the face i left card to enable me to glue the first button on to the face.


Button wire attached to the face
excess wire at the top was formed into a hanging loop



I added gemstones and feathers and glitter

HERE ARE 2 MORE THAT I MADE

MADE WITH RESIN BUTTERFLY
(CHRISTMAS DECORATION)


MERMAID BUTTERFLY

This technique can also be used for other things.

BUTTON FAIRY ATC


BUTTON FLOWERS
I flattened these just so that i could scan them
These would look beautiful in a silver topped sugar shaker.

HAVE FUN

PS. I seem to be getting a lot of viewers from Israel, on this tutorial, and i would dearly love you to leave a comment or two on my blog.

Many thanks

PRECIOUS FRIENDS

Just got back from the Doctors, and it seems i have quite a few illnesses, but i won't bore you with that.

Laying on the doormat was a large envie from my friend Jinny, and inside was this fantastic pastel drawing she has done of me (slim version lol) with my rollers in my hair. Isn't it fantastic. This will definitely be hanging in my new craft room (when i've finished painting it lol).

Jinny, you sure do brighten up my life. I have never known anyone so kind and generous as you.Thankyou for being my friend.

Arte y pico Award

Today, i was honoured to be given the Arte y pico Award, by my very dear friend Jan
To say i was overwhelmed is an understatement, and am truly grateful to you Jan. We have never 'met' but hope to one day soon. I am truly honoured to have you as a friend Jan.

Now I have to nominate 5 blogs who I think deserve this award too.
BUT ... my winners then are requested to do the following :

1) You have to pick 5 blogs who deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material and also contibutes to the blogging community no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to the blog to be visit by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him award itself.

4) Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "arte y pico" blog (linked in my title) so everyone will know the origin of this award. (Cut and paste the info into your blog to make things easier)

So who do i choose, well this must be the hardest thing ever for me to do. I have made such great and talented artistic friends in the past year, and would dearly love to give each and every one of you an award. But alas this is not possible.

My first award goes to my dear friend
Jinny (A truly great friend, an amazing artist, and a great drinking buddy.) you know how much you mean to me
Jafabrit. An ex-Brummy, living over the pond, and I have only known her a short while. Her work is amazing, I love her outlook on life, and she makes me smile a lot. lol What more could you ask for.
Dot. The dotee Queen herself, she inspires me so much, and i feel honoured to call her a friend.
Viola. This lady's work is truly amazing. I find her very inspirational in every way.
Mieke. A new found friend from the Netherlands, I'm loving her art dolls.

As i first said, there are so many people i would have loved to have given an award, but I'm not allowed.
So Jan, Maureen, Wendy, Cindy, Angie, Ange, Jacky in Australia, Sian, Nicks, John, Sanja, and the list goes on, ALL ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC ARTISTS, THANKYOU FOR EVERYTHING.


Well completely dumbstruck, now, my dear friend Angie has also nominated me for the same award. BIIIIIIIIIIIIG THANKYOU ANGIE.
So everyone above is now been given the award. I'm soo pleased to beable to do this.

I AM NOT WORTHY

ATC's with a sense of humour

As i am still up to my neck in decorating and packing up for the Big Move, i have to resort to showing you my old work.

Today it's the turn of ATC's with a sense of humour.

There are some that i won't show, as there has been controversy over some of them already, lol.

ROYAL FLUSH

DARLING OF COURSE I'M NOT MARRIED


DIRTY BOY


DOES MY BUM LOOK BIG IN THIS


TOO LATE NOW


ROYAL THRONE


TIME GOES BY
SO SLOWLY


TOLD YOU NOT TO EAT THE SPROUTS


WHO ATE ALL THE PIES
(the burger swings like a pendulum)


WHY DO GIRLS ALWAYS
GO TO THE TOILET TOGETHER.

FEATURED

Wow, this week My etsy shop is featured on the naturemanipulated blog. It sure could do with a boost lol.

HOUSE SWAP - ZETTI STYLE OF COURSE

This is my final swap that i will be entering in until early May. This is one i organised on the yahoo group i belong to, a 3 part ATC, called House swap.

Naturally i had to do mine in the zetti style, but wanted to incorporate a little extra. so went along with Garden Zetti.

Hope you like it. (click on to enlarge)

This folds up into ATC size, the 3 parts are attched together by ribbon.


GROUND FLOOR


MIDDLE FLOOR


THIRD FLOOR.

ZETTIOLOGY

At the moment, I am extremely busy, as i am moving home. The new home needs decorating from top to bottom, and as my husband is disabled, i have to do absolutely everything. My dear darling daughter is helping me decorate when she can, but as they run their own business (don't laugh, Gravediggers, and grass cutting for various local councils), so she is very busy. my friend Jinny, calls them
'GRAVEBUSTERS'. LOL ROFLOL

Anyways, because i will hardly be making any work, i thought i'd show you some old work. I know some of you already know about them, but please bear with me.

One of my loves at the moment is Zettiology, so i thought i'd start with those first. They are mainly ATC's.

These first two, were more of a doodle type of zetti, both of them ATC's


These next three are House Shapes, another of my favourites. lol The first is anATC that folds up

These next two, are not ATC's. The first is approx 6" x 4". The second is a Mini Zetti House.

This is Lucky Zetti. An altered doll made from a child's building block, playing cards, dice and dominos. She looks like she's out of Toy Story lol.

NEWSFLASH

JUST as i posted thisblog, the postie arrived with a beautiful handmade Zetti House Card.

It's a card to welcome us into our new home, done in theZetti style, and it's from my dear friend Jinny. Isn't she a sweetie. A really great friend, just wished she lived nearer so we could chat and craft.

Isn't it great, i just love it, lol. Oh boy, you brighten my day you do girl.

BIIIIIIG THANKYOU JINNY, SWEETHEART.