Sustainable Souls - February - Extreme Weather


Hello. Today I share my February Sustainable Souls Project

The area of concern we would like to raise attention to through our art this month is "Extreme Weather". 

I live on the driest continent on earth - Australia. Our water has always been so precious to us but we have always had enough to go around.  Recently the rain has slowed down and we are facing some of the worst drought conditions we have ever had to face since the records of weather keeping have started a little over 100 years ago in Australia.

I am lucky enough to have the chance to travel my beautiful country on a regular basis with my art workshops and I have noticed the dry barren paddocks are becoming more and more apparent as I gaze out of the window of the plane.

This small piece was created to represent the destruction that drought weather can have on the land. The dead tree sitting among the dry sand with the clouds above that never shed enough water.

One of the most impacted places in Australia has been the Queensland Droughts.

The devastation that occurred through lack of rainfall between 2013 and 2015 was the worst ever seen. There is a really good article you can find the link HERE

This piece is on a little 8x10" wooden  MDF substrate. I am really loving working on wood at the moment. The smooth base it gives is so perfect for lots of the pieces I create.


I've layered acrylic block printing medium first with a metal spatula and then with dribbles to create a "sand" effect over the bottom area.

 The top is also Acrylic block printing medium but I have also added a black area with my carbon block that is water soluble. When it was mixed with the acrylic medium the two melded together to create a grey divider.

Lastly I layered more white acrylic block printing medium over both the bottom and top sections and because of the thick consistency of this medium, it just levels into the paint around it. Once the first layer had dried I added another layer of the white which stayed sitting on the top and gave it a slightly raised effect. Perfect for depicting the clouds.


The tree is a Viva Las Vegastamp! and I used StazOn to make the impression. I was so impatient and I stamped WAY too early. The base had not set properly and so some of the paint pulled away with the stamp but I actually don't mind it. One of those happy accidents

See you again soon x



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A Little Framed Piece for 7 Dots Studio

Hello I'm here with you today to share a little collage piece I have made and framed to put on display using the gorgeous 7 Dots Studio "Writer's Block" collection.



I began with a little 6x8" piece of the Sincerely paper that i trimmed down from the original 12x12 piece so it would fit nicely in my frame.



I wanted a grungy look so I gave it a very light coat of gesso and added some watercolour in the browns to coordinate with the papers.



Then I began layering all my favourite elements from the die cuts, the stickers and the word stickers. Grunging up each piece as I went. I also followed through the staple theme that is on not only the paper but also the tag I used as a feature.



I finished the college off with some scribble drawing to emphasise the words on the piece and framed it for display. I'm really happy with the finished product. I never know what to do with these little pieces I make but i think framing is the perfect solution. Can't wait to do another one now.

7 Dots Studio products:


See you all again soon xx


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Aria Story layout for 13Arts

Hello! I'm here with you today to share a layout I have created using the lovely "Aria Story" collection from 13@rts.


When it comes to "Love" layouts, this is the best collection I have seen yet. The papers are so beautiful to use and the lemon and black together marry up perfectly. I have never had so much sunshine in my life since using this collection. it is so pretty.



I love using the yellow against the black and creating that ever so striking contrast. This time i have used the "Streets Rhythm" charcoal black for my base and highlighted one third of my page using the "Lyrics" yellow side.


Just a small strip to show off the beautiful wood grain pattern and to give that little peak of sunshine popping through from behind my photos.


I have complimented the pops of yellow paper with pops of METALLIC! yellow paint flicks and bubbles that i have hand painted on.


A tiny bit of texture using the "Aria Song" stencil behind my cluster. I simply used white Ayeeda gesso through the stencil. this gesso is so amazing that it holds it shape and adds so much gorgeous texture. I couldn't imagine using anything else.


13@rts products used:


I hope you like my little layout. See you all again very soon x

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SFS - TLC Retreat - Hunter Valley


What an awesome weekend I just spent with Peta McBeth and her crew. I'm still exhausted to be honest but it was most definitely worth it! I met so many amazing people that I have had lots of contact online with but never actually met IRL.

We laughed so hard my tummy hurt and made so many super memories!

My flight was delayed! AGAIN ...... so I was traditionally late as I usually am, which meant I hit the ground running with class number one being pretty much soon after I settled in.

I taught a little card class using Dina Wakely's gorgeous little Scribbly bird stamp set and Ken Oliver Color Crush Powders for a watercolor effect. The ladies learnt all about using Matte Gel Medium as a condom on their paper ... and well the weekend kind of went from there!


One of the things I absolutely love about teaching is the possibilities that are created by each individual. I teach techniques with a rough idea on how you could put it all together to make something and in general most students, once they have those techniques, are off on their own tangent. The results are AMAZING and this little card class was no exception!


Some basic heat embossing ideas mixed with some Ken Oliver powders and these girls went to town.


Here is one of the beautiful layouts made in the class. The option to do either cards or a layout were there and I love that people embraced that.


This is Helen using her mobile phone as a stamp block!!! Hey ... whatever works!



Next class was so different. It was a grungy, layered, vintage style tag. Again I teach the techniques..... students make with it what they like. Most made the tag but a couple got their creative hats on and came up with some cool ideas.



I was so proud of everyone who ventured out of their comfort zone and into this world of mess and layers! So many amazing projects came to life.


Including a layout! I didn't get a finished photo from Lisa but it was fabulous!


Next up I taught a quick and easy background class using the Ken Oliver Color Bursts again. This time with a bit of a twist.


The results everyone achieved were more amazing than I could ever imagine!!! It was such a popular class we had to do it a couple more times than planned!




And of course there were beautiful layouts turning up everywhere around the room from the backgrounds 



Next up was a class using Gel Press plates. Something many of the participants had never attempted before. I was so very proud of their "give it a go" attitude. They were well rewarded as it resulted in some awesome prints being made!


We used Dina Wakely's Heavy Body acrylic paints and stencils and a Gel Press plate along with a combination of different papers including smooth card stock in both black and white, deli paper and some watercolour paper.


The results were amazing!


And again the creations that were being made after the class as people took their ideas and pieces back to their tables were incredible.



And then somewhere in among all of that I taught a whole retreat class. Forty very keen ladies and one very keen guy created a layout based on my design using the beautiful 7 Dots Studio "Cotton Candy Dreams" collection.


Smiles all round with the collection!


So many variations, it was brilliant to see people getting really creative with the kit!


Of course there were also lots of laughs!!



But of course the best part of being at retreat is the people!!


So many happy faces, funny stories, memorable moments and much much more.


Meeting people I have only ever chatted to online is always a highlight for me and this retreat was no exception.


So many beautiful souls I have now been so privileged to meet. The connections become so much stronger!


A full heart is the best medicine for the soul I say! Mine was well and truly topped up by all of the wonderful people who attended. There were so many more photos and I'm sure they'll filter around the world of social media. These are really just a few.




Thank you to everyone who made it the BEST weekend retreat I've had in ages!

A very special thank you to Peta, Bev, and Nat for all the hard work you do behind the scenes to make this weekend run so smoothly.
and to Helen for making me feel so welcome and to Michelle and Jen for chauffeuring me back and forth from and to the airport xxx


Seriously can't wait to do it all again!!!

Oh and one last picture I need to share .........

CAPTION THIS


Yep ... that was my farewell party ...... 
So honored to have been a part of your crazy world my lovelies xxx

Until next time





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