My latest student

Julie and I spent a lovely day together and she played with my stash. She choose blue agate beads and teamed them with three large amazonite beads from my stash. The small beads are 4mm amazonite.

I think she did a great job.  

The Milky Way

I got some blue sandstone beads and wondered what to do with them. Pearls seemed to be the answer so I used cream and blue/green ones. The two necklaces look very different. I love the blue sandstone beads as they have sparkles in them that remind me of the night sky on a summers evening in West Cork.

 

Dyeing the Warp

The Handweavers Guild had a great day at Gwen's learning how to dye warp. Heather had got lots of different dyes for us to play with. Here are some of the results. Next month we are going to weave with these warps.

  

Mine was inspired by the colours of the roses in Gwen's yard

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This is it drying on the mantlepiece of the lodge we rented at the Waterford Castle Hotel, looks like modern art?  

The lodge was on its own private island and we could use the facilities at the castle. Not bad for a 299 euros a week break for four people! You will find it on Supervalu breaks

Great Photographs

Jenny and I were out on the Copper Coast taking pictures of the gorgeous coastline. We met a really lovely photographer called Trish Punch. She too was taking photos. She was on a ledge further down the cliff than me and very kindly agreed to take a photo with my camera from her vantage point. This is my photo of Trish and her photo of the coast taken with my camera.

Check out her website at  http://www.trishpunch.com/ to see more of her great photos.     

Members Exhibition

I had a great night at the opening of the members exhibition at the West Cork Arts Centre. My painting is hanging where the evening sun lights it and creates ripples on the water.

 

Precious Memories

Here is a lamp that my Dad used every day, it was on his bedside table. The base was made by my very talented cousin Denis. He used an oak tree which grew in a crevice on a rock at Knockgorm. The timber is very hard due to the harsh conditions. My lovely husband has refinished it and and now it sits beside my bed.

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I will treasure it.     

Into the Deep

The Sea is our theme at the knitting group this summer. 

We are doing a window display for the library. Here is a fish I have made, he is a bit bigger than the ones my husband is catching at the moment!

Any colour so long as it is green!

Fence painting is not quite my idea of a creative session but needs must. Not too bad a job in the sunshine listening to the sounds of the river and birdsong and my new Julie Feeney CD. Back to painting the sea now.

Bling Bling!

I found some black agate beads with sparkle so had to get some. I used five of them in a necklace for Julie's friend. I might not use so much silver in the next version.

Members Exhibition

I was encouraged to exhibit at the Members Exhibition at the West Cork Arts Centre this year. This will be a first for me so I am really interested to see what my painting will look like in this exhibition. I have decided to show one of my Pathway to Heaven series as this has been work that has been created in the last year.

Did I get my love of making things from Aunt Nell

Here is a lovely photo of Patti Hayes taken at a wedding about 1951. She is wearing a hat and dress made for her Confirmation by my Aunt Nell who died in 1952. Patti remembers going across the stepping stones to cross the river to Knockgorm when she went to have clothes made.

I know that the sewing talents passed down to my cousins Hannah, Mairi and Esther but even though my sewing is not too good (no patience!), I do think my love of making things came down from Dad's side of the family.

 

Nell is on the left in this photo with her brother Denny