Summer Came Back to Manly

I  spent two wonderful weekends at Manly - and pretended it was summer again - the summer we didn't really have this year. The sun was shining and the water was warm (23-24 degrees!) so of course I visited the surf beach and of course I had a swim. Strictly speaking, the second swim wasn't really a swim, more like a paddle. Why? The sea was very rough and the life savers had closed the beach.

No pictures of me at the beach - you wouldn't enjoy those at all! But here a few of the harbour, taken from the balcony.

Harbour View. Paddling, kayaking, sailing, fishing.

These people really are paddling. How do they manage to balance? This activity has become popular recently. It wasn't long ago that we would see just one person paddling around the surfers while they waited for that elusive wave. Now they are a common sight both on the harbour and the surf beach.

Apparently it is called "stand up paddle surfing" and originated in Hawaii in the early 1960s.

Paddlers. Closeup.

Paddling and kayaking just below our balcony.

The Manly Ferry. The paddlers and kayakers had better watch out!

Liebster for LorikArt

LorikArt has been one of a lucky group to receive the Liebster Award by Deb of http://www.rosesandcream-qld.blogspot.com.au/

Thank you Deb :)

Liebster (German) translates as "favourite". This award, which originated in Germany, recognises up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.

In accepting the award the recipient agrees to:

•thank the person that gave the award and ket them know by commenting on their blog
•reveal the 5 blogs they have to chosen to award and let them know by commenting on their blog.
•hope they pay it forward by accepting and awarding it to other bloggers.

The 5 blogs I have chosen to pass on the Leibster to are:

earthapplejewellery
Amazing jewellery from the earth - literally
(Fellow Madeit seller)

whimsigals
Wearable art dolls and lots of goddesses
(Fellow Etsy seller)

artnomadix
Wearable art beanies and lots of colour
(Fellow Etsy seller)

fitfabover50
Fitness tips given in a most entertaining manner.

roadworkink
Interesting thoughts and tales



http://www.fitfabover50.blogspot.com.au/

Pickles Progress

Meet Pickles, a very nice, often helpful and always curious cat who lives in Melbourne with her Mummy and brother Cocomo. Being the object of her mummy's devotion she is now  a star - a star that dangles from her mummy's earlobes. 

So this is the story of the Pickles earrings...Pickles Progress in fact.

Pickles centre.
Clarence Earrings top left; colour scheme chosen by Pickles Mummy top right.
Bottom Row: Clarence on a Persian Mat, the original photograph; Transformation of background.

Pickles's Mummy admired earrings I made which starred  another special cat, Clarence. Clarence is  probably famous by now. He features in earrings, brooches, cards, a bracelet, pendants and even a canvas painting. Pickles was destined to become a star too - so I was given the task of making that dream come true. Pickles was to be sitting on her own special carpet - a red, white and blue one.

These photographs show the inspiration (Clarence earrings) and the colour scheme as well as Clarence and the transformation of his carpet.

Of course Pickles is the big centre image.

Pickles...of course. 

This particular image was chosen  because it needed to be divided into four parts - and composition is important in this case. 

In the first image I was experimenting with her actual colour. The others show her in black, white and  grey as her Mummy preferred. Black, white and grey looks good with red and blue.

Back and white Pickles on a decorative, coloured background.

I chose the last one finally. I made lots of images, these are just a few. Making up my mind in the end was very difficult - always is...

Pickles is now going on all  sorts of outings getting a "cat's-eye" view -  from her Mummy's earlobes.

More of my cat jewellery (and non-cat jewellery too).


Show and Tell Saturday where you see progress of other peoples' art