Monday, January 18, 2010

Gifts in the Post. 18th January 2010

Dog In the Hole Studio, Wisconsin, USA

About a week ago, I received a wonderful postcard from Bea. Bea has done quite a lot of 'mail art' and I am lucky to have received some of it - from her 'Dog in the Hole Studio'. The link to Bea's blog is at the bottom of the page.


The people in odd pointy hats are Zettis. On the back, Bea has written:

Brought to you by 'The Order' of five Zettites of Zettiaba!! Down one side it says 'by ship's catapult'. Isn't it adorable?

Thank you so much Bea.

ABC of ATCs, Part Two

Having reached 'Z' before Christmas, our little group of ten artists has decided to do the alphabet in Artist Trading Cards all over again. We still have ten contributors, but 2 of them are new/replacements.

I have so far received A for Aleph from Lynn Cohen in California, USA. Lynn is going through the Hebrew alphabet and this is their 'A'. Ah, Lynn commented that it isn't necessarily their 'A' but is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

It's such a bold design and so colourful and I love it Lynn.

I have so far made A for Ants but forgot to photograph my effort! Hopefully, the recipient Lolo will do that for me then I'll be able to post it. In the meantime, I have made:

B for Bloody-Nosed Beetle


I have never been very confident at drawing and painting but I decided I'd have a go at it this time. I am trying to do insects and interweave them with the letters. We shall see how it works out.

About the Bloody Nosed Beetle:

It is a large, flightless leaf beetle. When alarmed, it exudes bright red blood from its mouth. The blood has a burning taste and birds soon learn to leave the beetle alone. It can be found in Southern and Central Europe and its size is 11 - 18 mm. So now you know.

My beetle will be crawling its way to Anchorage, USA to one of our new members, Patty. I could probably do the whole alphabet in beetles as there are so many of them, but that could be a bit dull.

Today at The Deenery

Jim was up early and headed to Ennis to teach at the silver surfers computer class. Then he was going to do a bit of shopping.

I washed our wooden floors and did things domestic for a while. Jim returned and nobody had been at the class!

This afternoon I spent some time in the orchard. There used to be a turkey shed and enclosure at the top of the orchard, which Jim had demolished. Yesterday I piled the shed onto the bonfire. It had mostly rotted and fell apart as I moved it.

Today I attacked the brambles with a mattock and pulled up much of the ivy in this area. The idea is that it will revert to grass and Jim will then be able to mow it along with the rest. I stayed out until 6pm, by which time it was very dark. I had to change my clothes as I had been sweating so much. What a change from last week.

E Bay

We have been looking out for curtain material, bedding and a settee or suite for the new rooms. Jim had bought some striped 'Roma' material and the lady had some more she was able to sell us. We measured and talked and thought and re-measured, but no matter how we tried, it was clear that there wasn't enough material to do the 3 large windows and double doors in the sun room. I love the material though, so we decided to get it anyway and use it just for the window curtains . We will then get some plain cream or beige material for the double doors and I will add some of the striped material to it so that it all blends in. That's the theory anyway!

We have also just bought 2 bedspreads, one for the spare bedroom and one for our new bedroom. The one for the spare is a 1970s tapestry weave cover in blues and oranges. I love it and we bought it for a snip.

Now the one for our room is gorgeous. It is a stunning quilt bought by some people on holiday but never used and was made by the Amish people. It is in shades of green and as soon as I receive it, I will take a photo of it. All these things are located in Ireland so the postage isn't too bad.

Finally, we saw a terracotta 3 seater settee for sale, ending yesterday also, and bought that! Now we have to travel to Limerick on Wednesday and hope it fits in our Doblo van! So we are gradually getting sorted. I am excited about the curtain material. But I will have rather a lot of sewing to do and we still have to paint the walls!

Right, now I'm going to have a go at my 'C' ATC. Happy Monday everyone.

22 comments:

Bea said...

I'm glad you received the postcard. :)
New curtains, new bedspreads, why you think you two were just setting up housekeeping together!
So, did the class decide they knew enough and were home emailing each other? What a hoot but a shame he didn't get to teach his class.
:)Bea

BT said...

I'm sorry I didn't let you know earlier Bea. It's fabulous.

We did have fun doing our buying. I showed Jim your comment - maybe you're right! He'll ring tomorrow to find out what's happening.
:) BT

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I like your Zetti gift. I would never tire of looking at beetles. I have some earrings made from beetle scarabs. They are amazing.
It sounds like you are getting your house and garden in order. I should have gotten outside today too. It was above freezing all day. Whooo hoooo...

Lynn Cohen said...

Thanks for featuring my Hebrew Aleph. First letter in the Hebrew alphabet, but not necessarily an A.
;-)

Love your giftees and idea of new curtains. You will make it all beautiful I am sure.

DK said...

what a lovely post! Love the bloody nosed beetle ATC... and I think your drawing of it is superb :D xxx

Not many sleeps left momma! :D xxx

Renee said...

Oh my god I love that top card BT. Love it.

xoxo

PAK ART said...

What an unusual beetle and I'm glad it's headed my way! The only beetle I'm familiar with are spruce bark beetles (they've killed a lot of trees around here) and of course lady bugs. I love it! Thanks!

Rachel Green said...

What a splendid art card!

Jason said...

What a nice mixed bag. Sound excellent getting all the new bits for the house, sounds entertaining.

Took Jack to his first pictures this weekend to see "Up". Which he loved.

xx

Mim said...

Bea's stuff is pretty special! glad you are having good weather, we're still in snowstorm land

Mim said...

I saw your comment on the paper mache bowls and went to find yours. Beautiful upside down bowl - all lovely red. Did you do more? that one has so much detail, I love it. I'm somewhat obsessed with the bowls and paper mache right now...and will end up with a houseful of bowls!!

BT said...

Hi Mim, thanks for taking the trouble to find my bowls. I stopped after that photo but when the whim takes me, I'll have another go. Your bowls have inspired me, but I have so many things to try now I'm in my new studio!

Hi Lisa, I'm glad you liked my post - the Zetti postcard is fabulous, isn't it? I don't think our garden will ever be 'in order' but I keep trying!!

My pleasure Lynn. aha, I see about it not beina 'A'! Thanks for the tip.

Thanks DK, of course you like it - I did it!! lol. If you saw the picture in the book, you'd see that my drawing isn't quite right!! 3 more sleeps!!

It's stunning, isn't it Renee.

Patty, I'm so glad you like your beetle. I was rather pleased with him I must say!! Thanks for dropping in.

Thanks Rachel.

Thanks Jason. Oh, how exciting, taking Jack to the pictures. I haven't heard of 'Up'. Glad he enjoyed it. Did you have popcorn??

Carol said...

I'm looking forward to seeing all this years ATC's...perhaps in 2012 I will be able to join in!! (Uni will have finished and my time will be my own again!)

C x

Heather said...

There's no let up for you then Gina, and you've a busy time ahead. Bea's art is so quirky and delightful and the Alphabet ATC's are great fun. I had never heard of the bloody nosed beetle and thought you had invented it! Good luck with the curtains.

BT said...

Oh that's a long time to wait Carol!! I'm trying to do insects this time - we'll see.

Me? Invent it Heather? No, actually it's a bona fide beetle - I'd never heard of it either but it did start with a b and another b and didn't look too difficult to draw. I hope I can make a good job of the curtains.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love Amish quilts Gina so can't wait for the photograph.

BT said...

It's truly gorgeous Pat. You'll love it.

soulbrush said...

1) lurv your header
2) lurv that card from lynn
3) lurv your beetle card, keep drawing, you are good.
enjoy life at the deenery and hopefully not too much snow again...

BT said...

Lurv your comment soulbrush!! xxxx

Anonymous said...

How very exciting to be planning the fun stuff now. The curtain material sounds pretty and I cannot wait to see your Amish bedspread. Wish I was there to help you with the sewing projects. Take care and I'll look forward to pictures of your new pretties.

Renee said...

BT you and kj are both so loving and kind and have huge hearts, you are both a blessing.

xoxox

Ces Adorio said...

BT I missed so much! OMG! you posted some great photographs here, absolutely astounding and outstanding!

What lovely mail card from Bea. I am attracted to the color scheme and the delightful execution of the Zettis.

ATCs sure are a lot of fun.