Thursday, May 28, 2009

Casting Call

How thrilled was I when the multitalented Judy Wilkenfeld asked me to submit a piece of my jewerly using an original idea of her's that she had just had made. A "silver Charlotte" which she was having cast up in metal (hm metal.)
Judy asked a few very talented ladies Diana Frey, Ro Bruhn, Kecia Deveney, Deryn Mentock and myself to make up a piece of jewerly to be featured in Belle Armoire Jewelry (summer 2009). It's titled "Casting Call" and it's about the process of going from a metal casting to a final project being used in jewerly form.
Thank you Judy, it was so much fun to see how we all put our own spin on the silver Charlotte .
Make sure you buy a copy!
Jen

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Brissie or bust




Well it's been and gone again. Brisbane or bust.
I had the most wonderful time in Brisbane last weekend.Yes Captain Underpants reared (LOL) her ugly side again thanks to the lovely Diana and a present of captain underpants undies.











Below are some of the wonderful items the girls made. The talented Tamar book on the left and Annette Husband sparrow book on the right.




































Annette travelled from Humpty Do in the Northen Territory, and was so wonderful to meet. I put you through the ringer Annette using tools you had never used but by the end you were a real pro.

















What can I say about this man here Superman that's what he is. John was my knight in shining armor. If I needed anything it was there, he made anything I wanted, and would turn up from the shed and say "Hey Jen is this what you wanted?" e.g. he made bench pins for the girls.
He is an extremely talented and gentle man. I want him and Evelyn (who's house I taught at) to adopt me. Please, please?


The gorgeous Evelyn below this couple opened up their home and hearts for our class and I'm eternally grateful to them.

































Here are some of my willing students. All produced amazing art work. The very gorgeous Vanessa Henry in the middle (who is my angel and agent in Queennsland) I would be lost without you, your family, and your friendship.
















In the apron is my protashay Diana who gave me my underwear. I have big plans for this girl that will be revealed next year LOL
I will add more pictures

and stories later in the week.
Including trying to leave Brisbane
Till then....
Captain Underpants over and out!





Sunday, May 10, 2009

Play Time




I have been playing again with your awesome pieces from Terri Ventura from Dime Store Emporium, she has some amazing findings they are all just too yummy .Go check them out yourself .
http://dimestoedaze.typepad.com/
Her etsy site is
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5852215

Im also off to Brisbane this Friday to teach for the weekend,the Lovely Vanessa Henry always takes such good care of me while Im there, I call her my QLD agent LOL
Cant wait girls see you there.
Jen







Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Back To Normal Well !!!!




Back to Normal Well ! as normal as I will ever be LOL.
Im teaching In Brissie in a couple of weeks now,and as well in Sydney in June so here is a sneek peek and what Im doing in the classes.














I have been Playing as you can see
BFN
Jen

Friday, April 24, 2009

Home Sweet Home


"Home Sweet Home"

Yes finally after 9 days we are all home safe and sound.Matthews operation went well .My dear brave boy what he has gone through in 9 days is more than Im willing to tell you all,but he is home and safe and well.

Im so proud of Matthew and Nicole as well as it hasnt been easy at all,Nicole has been my rock as many of you mighten of known My hubby Mark was away through all this and left the day before we found out about Matthews surgery.

Matthew can breath now and his sence of smell is back, something he hasnt be able to do for many years now.

Apparently the nose was far worse than the doctors imagined , a 1 hour operation to begin with turned into 2 hours I was beside myself but he came through.

Something I want to share with you is in recovery Matthew looked and me and said "I love you Mum" and to Nicole "your so beautiful" it made me cry,blood all over his face and he was thinking of us.

How can I Thank you all for your sweet emails ,Comments and encouragement, it meant the world to me and to Matthew.

So Thank you from the bottom of my heart.


Jen

PS

look forward to more art work now as I feel I can finally relax now.

Monday, April 13, 2009

My Boy




I have had a very emotional time of late. Many of you that know me well, know about my boy and the wait for surgery since October. Well I got the phone call saying when he is to be done thanks to my doctor rattling some cages for me.

He is to go in this week, for intensive IV treatment to help prepare his lungs for the surgery.

Then he will have the operation for his nasel polyps. It will not be a easy operation as it is near his sight and brain. I'm hoping the polyps haven't grown roots as they are well known for this, and they do grow back.

Finally a chance for my boy to breath properly the first time in 4 years and hopefuly regain some sense of smell, and for his fingers not to be blue from lack of oxygen.

It's funny how you share so much of your selves to strangers on blog land yet people who know me don't often see this side of a mum worried sick.

I will be offline for a little while as I will be travelling back and forth each day to the hospital, a 3 hour round trip. I will check in though.

I was first given this poem below when I had Matthew, it is really how I feel and many others with children with a disabilty. Please take the time to read it


The Poem "HOLLAND"

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

It still touches me today, that poem.

Jen

PS: Thank you to all who have been sending me their warm wishes.

PPS: Just wanted to say "hi" to my dear friend Dawnie who is going through a rough time, I am thinking of you dear girl take care.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Many Thanks


Well this has not been a very easy week for those of you that know me well,with My sons Health issues and his ever changing operation date,it has reduced me to days of crying but still no end in site.We have been waiting since october last year,and with Private health insurance
I just want to thank you those have been there for me ,with a friendly ear,you know who you are and you are my strength.I will still fight on it is not over yet.
Enough doom and gloom from me.

These are the frames I have designed and were surposed to bring down to the art retreat to sell ,imagine my disappointment when I had left them home :{ I was not Happy Jan.
So here they are there are 8 in a pkt and they are $9 dollars if your interested plus postage .
You can email me at binga@netconnect.com.au


These are what you can do with the frames , cover the chipboard with paper and age them make then into a book.










Below are some wonderful gifts I have received from the retreat from good friends and some I received in the mail this week.I think the book Spirit by the lovely Julie H as really helped this week
Thanks again
Jen

Friday, March 20, 2009

Creative soul retreat 2009

Well the party is over three days of wonderful classes are now only a memory I will always treasure.
This is a view from my class room I had everyday,the venue was amazing and the birds that we looked out on to everyday were just so beautiful.
A huge Thank you to Bevlea,Eva and Lucy for there wonderful retreat they were just amazing,and worked so hard to make to run so smoothly.



My amazing teacher Stephanie Lee what can I say her knowledge and patience was awesome.I learnt so much from her,soldering,jump rings,an amazing book which I will share with you when I just do the finishing touches.

Thanks so much Steph for everything,and putting up with my warped sense of humour.




















What a girl Bernie Berlin is I didn't do her class but she was so lovely and giving in her time to me to encourage my art work and teaching,her advice was wonderful.And Bernie Nice ring girl???











Dear DJ Pettitt what a sweet soul she has,I played a joke on her and asked her to help me in a painting I was doing,she looked at it and said wow that's just beautiful,I then proceeded to tell her it should be that it was hers and that I wasn't even in her class she laughed so much I'm so naughty.








Here are some dear friends of mine all the way from Western Australia how I love these girls.Dawn Thomas was amazed at my guided tour on the way to the retreat all my amazing factors and figures from Population,to how many cats and dogs were in the area,I say only for you Dawnie and Julie would I research so much for you.

The gorgeous and talented Kelsey this girl is the queen of techniques it was so great to get to spend some time with you kelsey.










My alter ego reared its ugly head one night and Captain UnderPants was to the rescue for any one having a art crisis I was there weaving my magic.The Lovely Lady Di was rescued by me just in time.

What fun was had a lot of laughs alot of wonderful women to catch up with and meet for the first time.I just cant wait for next year.

My stall was a huge success and I thank you all.

Jen

(Captain Underpants)

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Busy,Busy






Hi Everyone,
I have had a really busy week since last Saturday I decided to do the Twilight market at the retreat next Friday night.
Nose to the grind stone and off I have gone.Making jewerly to sell,necklaces need chain to finish them,the list goes on.
And goodies to sell .

Here is one goodie I will have for sale this hand to put onto a altered Book.
The plastic bags below are a tease see if you can see some of the other goodies I will have.
It will be cash only girls sorry,Im not that big yet to have a EFPOS machine,well I can dream cant I.
I must thank a special partner in crime who has dropped everything to help me shop and shop we did.
You know who you are agent X.
Thank you so much alot of money was spent and LOTS of laughs were had.
See you girls next weekend I cant wait to do Stephanies classes,and meet old friends and My Dear WA girls are coming over Hoorah,Dawnie and Kelsey.
BFN
Jen
PS does anyone want any 1/16th metal punch sets I do have some and was wondering wether I should bring them to sell.Please email me if your interested?otherwise they are too heavy to lug around.
binga@netconnect.com.au

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Busy Times

















Hi everyone
I have had a busy but a very rewarding couple of weeks.
I had my class last weekend with the extremely talented Keith Lo bue in Halls gap in the Grampians in Victoria, My friend Chris came over fromPerth and we went junking on the first day over 26 klm and 2000 stalls of a car swap meet. It produced lots of finds, a type writer, tools, a Metal number set 1mm I have never seen them that small. We shopped till we dropped then headed off for Halls gap for Saturday/Sundays class.
Here is a picture of these cool units we stayed in we had visitors of ducks, geese, kangaroos, and beautiful bird life out our door every day.



I have also had the pleasure to be featured on Creative Therapy as a guest artist; I was thrilled to be featured. You can check it out here
http://creativetherapy.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/catalyst-fifty/
Thanks so much for this Karen.



















I also received my copy of the” Jewelry the Zine” by Catherine Witherall and Deryn Mentock.
Catherine approached me to submit a article and I’m thrilled and honored to be accepted .You can see my page in the zine
Here is a picture of a piece I made for the zine I have been holding off showing until it was published.
Check out Catherine blog for details they are a limited edition,they are excellent lots of articles.










A necklace made from a keyhole Tin photo and with the help of my love of rivetting wings are added on The back had been etched.


















Old Keyholes found at a junk sale ,turned into jewelry