A quote I like

"Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found" - James Russell Lowell (1819 - 1891)

This quote really resonates with me as I love finding 'things', I love old stuff and used stuff, I love ephemeral stuff....I really enjoy putting the 'things' I have found together and creating all sorts of 'things'....this way something that is old or discarded can be reborn into a new 'thing'....

I'm looking forward to reading others favourite quotes....and also seeing everyone's postcards as they are finished off....
take care, Peta

November Challenge for Collaborators !!!!!

A Post a Day - Be it a Quote, Photo's of Postcards or a Story to tell........

Themes......tell me your themes for Round 2 & 3 to update the Blog.

Any interesting websites or blogs you know about- even your wishlist for Christmas :)

Exciting Stuff. Oh.... 8 weeks and 3 days till Christmas.

Australia Post will tell you how many days :) hehehehe

Having Fun with ART

Kym :)

This is a Lagotto........

For Donna and other collaborators who may have read my post from last week about my daughter's breed of dog, this is 'Guiseppi' (Seppi, for short), he is much bigger than this now, he was under 6 months old when this photo was taken. Lagotto's originate from Italy and were bred to sniff out and dig up truffles, which are apparently quite a delicacy and very expensive......Seppi has a wool coat so he is a great dog to have indoors as he doesn't shed any hair, he does however need to be 'shorn' or be groomed very regularily!! Seppi is a dog with a lovely nature, he is fun and can be lazy, he loves his food, (what Italian doesn't!!) Seppi seems to think he is a person, he loves swimming and is very intelligent.

Enough about the dogs in my family....how are you all??? How is your progress with your postcards....hopefully now with the school holidays over we can all get back into the swing of things and get on with our art!

Peta

Snapshots from Toad Hall

My two absolutely adorable grandchildren....Campbell and Scarlett. We had lots of fun, drawing chalk towns, making pirate maps, reading stories, having breakfast on the deck, catching grasshoppers and taking the dogs for lots of walks.....oh for those carefree days of childhood....it's simply delightful reliving them again through my grandchildren's eyes!

At Toad Hall we are up pretty early talking Sirius for a walk, so we often get to see some pretty spectacular sunrises over the Pacific Ocean. Over the past week we have also been looking after my mums Hungarian Pulli, 'Zelle', and my daughter Brooke's Italian Lagotto 'Guiseppi'...it has been a whole lot of fun walking 3 dogs on our 98 acres, 'seppi' loves water so he dives in for an early morning swim, with sirius on his heals, Zelle enjoys running after the two boys, but does not like to get wet!

hi there from donna

wishing everyone has their wishes come true!

i took this photo at the place where i used to play when i was a preschooler... north palm beach, sydney

this is 8 yr old Eli, my nephew and uncle to the little guy below.

which maks Koby my great nephew. isnt he gorgeous?! he is having a stretch. tomorrow i am hoping for a hold! he is 1 week old.

this is 'peter' who has been sitting here in mona vale sydney since the 1930's. today i went and talked to his carer maurie who was full of info about this beloved landmark. i remember my parents threatening my big brother and me with being left with him if we fought in the car! sadly he is now caged to protect him from vandals.

hi all, am writing from sydney! came down to visit family and house and pet sit holly (beagle)and jasper(cat) for my sister in law avril.

am staying near mona vale beach and it has been a lovely visit so far.

saw the dobell drawing prize and the newly discovered chinese buddahs at the AGNSW.

went and visited places to do with my first 5 years as it is closeby to where i am staying. things seem to have changed so much and am feeling a bit melancholy tonight.

thanks for taking the time to read. love donna

Share my weeks of excitement.

Camp parent last week of Term 3.

The week away was wonderful with whales just off Hervey Bay, dolphins & turtles all over the place. I got to feed "Greg the Groper" at Reefworld in Hervey Bay, one huge fish.

When we saw the whales in Hervey Bay, there was about 7 pods & there was 3 babies in those groups. Huge days & packed with lots of adventures for everyone. Went out in a glass bottom boat & had lunch on a island off Hervey Bay.
Went to Bundaberg and cruised down the Burnett River on the Ruby Belle...lots of history there.

Then went to the Bundy Ginger Beer Barrel. The ladies there were really friendly and the taste testing was really good too. (There are lots of different flavours). Lots of interactive resources for the kids to have a history lesson at the same time have fun. Game of Ten Pin bowling, I fell over playing (flat on my back) & got a strike at the same time. No one gave me CPR -just laughed at me.

Friday we were at Lady Musgrave Island,this place was excellent.
Just beautiful... So blue....blue....blue the colour and the weather was awesome.
Kids were great, I really enjoyed the sites & experiencing it all with my daughter Monique:)

Exciting News - Tuesday Ladies Tennis (23rd September. Breakup & Presentation)
I was presented the Norma Simms Memorial trophy @

Tennis for the Players Player for B Grade. What a surprise, I was so excited to be chosen by the players at Tuesday Ladies Tennis. We organised the trophy after Greg's Mum~ Norma, who passed away in 2000 from cancer. Norma loved her tennis & played for years with her children also when they were growing up. A Grade was presented to Barbara Wilson - long time friend of Norma's also, had to hold back the tears when the presenting was going on. Greg's sister Wendy was there also to do the presenting. The trophy has a special place at home on the the bookcase.

"Funtastic Acrylics" in Biloela last weekend with Jenni Kelly.
You may see some familiar faces in the photo's.

The 3 day workshop introduced fellow artists to some very creative ideas with acrylics. Artists were prepared to scrape, spray, fling,throw, roll and glaze PAINT, in other words "PLAY WITH ACRYLICS”, and leave the workshop with a greater understanding of acrylics and a new found confidence .
The work was very impressionistic to abstract - fun & exciting.
I'm creatively burnt-out now.

This is my abstract with sunflowers,(not finished)it was fun to produce this piece. We went on to do a lillypad & poppy scene and other artists worked on their favourite reference. Huge 3 days. Jenni was a great tutor and worked with the participants really well.

Throw in 2 weeks of school holidays and I think I've had a great month. Going off to the movies on Saturday with the family & put my parents on the plane for Perth.... 2 weeks tripping around the coast of WA. Gee what a hard life.
Our last BAVA workshop is on the 11th & 12th Oct, COLOUR with Sharon Muir & then Brigalow Arts Festival for that week. News on the postcards, well I hope to start on them when everyone goes but to school next week.Pull up for 3 or 4 months and chill with them. Take Care & have fun with your Art girls. Kym :)