Lonely Cuckoo Clock looking for love!

Today I finished off this embroidered roses cuckoo clock that has been sitting around the studio in pieces for several months. In a very similar situation to this one a customer contacted me with great excitment asking me to make them a customised cuckoo clock. Lots of emails back and forth, promises of money orders that never appeared and then SILENCE.
But now it is gracing the walls of Gleaners Inc. happy in the  knowledge that someone will love it and give it a home.

Doing the Decal Thing!!

Vintage Decals look pretty, but are very tricky to actually use as time makes the adhesive loose its stickyness and they get very brittle. Here are a few I managed to transfer successfully.
 If you want to buy some cute vintage decal plates check out these cuties by Middlemost!

 

Vintage Decal Decor

Way back in 2008 I showed you my Rye oppy score of a big pile of vintage decorative transfers or Decals. Well do you know what? I have never used them. I dug them out yesterday and now have plans to try to tranfer them onto..... as yet I'm not sure. Any suggestions??

 

This crazy eyed rabbit reminded me of the drumming teddy I had on my cot as a bubba.....

then what do you know?  I found the very teddy on etsy

Has anyone ever set eyes on this awesome Little Golden book? I found one on ebay with the decals still included? Sweet as!

Time Will Tell

The uber talented Madeleine Stamer commissioned me to make a clock for St Michaels Grammer where she teaches. I added numerals so the kidlets can practice their time telling!
I love the floral lino, which was a donation from a fellow hard rubbish scavenger!
You can order your own Owl clock here if you like this guy xx Liz

Glimpses...

 You can call me a blogger tease , but I am only showing you *glimpses* of my place because the wide screen vista is  pretty much disorganised chaos and bedlam.

 I like instagram filters because you can't see the dust as clearly. Cobwebs..what cobwebs?

 Smudgy windows ? Maybe, but with the Earlybird filter you would never know!

This is where my love affair with orange was rekindled. My burnt orange splash back that might need a wipe.... but with Lo-fi it's all good!

 

Some of the stuff that will probably end up in Gleaners Inc. Either way I still have to dust it :(

 I like a bit of coloured glass, but this Liz made lead light didn't shape up too well after my cat jumped at it trying to catch a blowie. Thanks  again Lo-fi for giving me cleanish windows...nice one!

So there, you didn't get to see the "honest" version of my kinda messy home. Call me a boring fibber, but pictures of washing piles, Lego strewn floors, streaky windows and dusty corners are not interesting and will not be given screen time......unless I get enough comments telling me they would really love to see the pots in my sink or the cat fur all over the couch!

Feathers....

Lino feathers. Much kinder than the plucked from a poor bird variety!

"Feather Your Nest"

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Today we announce the theme for the next Gleaners Inc. exhibition in the Stairway to Nowhere Gallery . 

Following on from the last two very successful exhibitions Flight of the Ducks (featuring the iconic Flying Duck) and I Say Doilies,You Say Doyleys (featuring crafts utilising the humble doily), this exhibition will be part of Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed  Festival. The show opens on Friday, August the 3rd. and runs through to August the 31st

We are inviting you to interpret the popular idiom and create a work  that references the theme "Feather your Nest".

Submissions are now OPEN and can be emailed to Liz  at gleanersinc@gmail.com . Register your interest and provide a brief description of the work you wish to exhibit. Accompanying images will be happily accepted. 

The term 'Feather your Nest' alludes to birds creating cosy havens by lining their nests with feathers to make them warm and comfortable. Feathers, nests and birds are recurring motifs in the craft and design world. After the popularity of Portlandia's "Put a Bird On It" spoof on bird craft died down, the avian trend has bounced back even stronger, with bird prints and feathers adorning many 2012 Spring/Summer collections and renowned designers embracing the bird in its many forms.

We love birds and feathers at Betty Jo Designs and know that the craft community will embrace this new challenge to start Nesting!