on the art desk today.

A lovely Wednesday afternoon, inside the journal, I'm just reworking old pages I didn't like or have sat unfinished, I have a few of these pages sitting there, so my mission before I went any further was revamp...I added some fabric to the side of the page, scrapbooking paper old photographs, some acrylic ink flowers washi tape and pitt pen.

remember that pocket I showed u on my last post I think...well I decided to give it some flare. adding little elements like this to a page, just makes it that much more eye appealing...they are simple to add, usually I'm arting at the buss stop and just doodle where I want things come home and bring it to life with inks and paints.

adding photocopies of other artworks from other journals and glueing them down to alter and create new work, is also a new idea I'm exploring...what new art can come from my old art...who knows!
also in the shot is a cute old envelope I found it was one of those 'reply paid' ones for something, and I created a new look for it, by turning it inside out, washii tape and a little patterned paper to to the inside, label tag and away we go! making new from old, gotta love it.

getting my sewing things ready for my trip to armidale in a couple of weeks, to get my sew on with my best friends, as a birthday treat from the love of my life.

hope you enjoyed todays post, if you have any questions feel free to contact me, or leave a comment, I do love reading your comments and emails about things, makes me realize Im not talking to myself!
xx Courtney

Tuesday's Progress

Hello hello!
another Tuesday, more random projects in the works, I'm making my one day mother in law a present for her birthday in May, now she makes my little ones some amazing clothes, and sews so much for the other grandkids aswell, I thought it was time she got sewn for..so I'm making her a quilt. Its nothing fancy, but its bright and cheerful, just like she likes and will be turned into a lovely big lap quilt for her during winter for her couch knitting. She feels the cold heaps, so I'll use wool batting for it aswell...here is my progress so far, these elements will be sewn into a big pannel, then ill cut them down into squares, boardering the squares in white with a bright binding to make it all pop.


a little desk organization is in order me thinks...
while sewing, and no kids...I bopped along to some Lisa Hannigan.

and last but not least, my little purchases from the craft and sewing fair. Can you spot the Jane davenport stamp! I ADORE her!
thats all from me today!
I'll try and do some art tonight on the couch to update you guys with...but at the moment, I'm all about getting this quilt top done so my darling girls can help me with the rest in april when I visit them.

xx Courtney

just little tidbits

I did a little more work on my fairy girl today, adding layers of colour and some white paint pen.

still unsure of what to put on the opposing page..but I'm sure I'll get a lightbulb moment sometime or other.

it was nice just using paint and some coloured pencil here and there... I've been so worked up with my other drawings, going back to a face was like a nice big sigh.

I spent the afternoon reading to finish the second book in the Flowers in the attic series... enthralling books, its made me happily read in my spare time and in the mini trips we take in the car.

tomorrow...its me and the pile of fabric ...and the sewing machine.

xx Courtney

Five Year Old Friday

Evening my dears, it is indeed Friday here in the nook and as promised, I have Five Year Old Friday, the world through my little mans eyes. He has snapped over 300 shots, but I had the task of choosing only a few, here are some of my faves for...

today's shots were from our walk, a trip to spotlight and a trip to a garden center. Waiting at the traffic lights before we could cross.

this is one of my favourites he took, and I'm not even sure I know why but I saw it and it made me smile.

he went off into his own little world while I looked at fabrics, and captured things that I wasn't even sure of what they were...a bright glittery trim of some sort.

the last of their Christmas stock, bright tinsel.

after the craft store, we went to look at plants for our little garden we are thinking of having, he captured the sunflowers beautifully.

and these little deep pink flowers aswell, he didn't want to leave the plant place, as he wanted to keep taking pictures of the flowers. He really is adorable with his little camera held tightly in his hands.

my only image from the entire day was snapped while we were out on the ipad. Bolts of fabric I'd chosen to make my man's mum a quilt for her birthday. She makes so many beautiful things for my little ones, dresses and shirts, shorts and adorable skirts, I thought it was time someone made her something, so I chose some lovely Denise Schmit prints for the quilt.

so that is our day, from Elijah's perspective and a single shot from mine.
I hope you enjoyed 5yo Friday, it will be back next Friday, I wonder what photographic treasures eli will come up with next week.
xx Courtney

pop into my home for a cup of tea and some sewing.

Another hot summer day here in the nook, with the kids slumping from the heat, watching carebears and playing inside games in front of the fan. While they sat silent for a while, I got the boy to snap a selfie for me since its rather hard to shoot at that angle.

yesterday I mentioned we bought a simple little desk for my sewing table, and today I got a chance to put it together ready for the days when the little ones are at school and daycare, where I can concentrate on the little work in progress basket and to start some new projects, a few quilts need to be constructed this year, and with the purchase of a walking foot, I think I'm ready to go!

one of my fave things...my handmade cushion by the darling quilt goddess Ellie.

I thought I would show you lovelies a few sections of my house as the year progresses. Here is my favourite teapot in the kitchen.

and a sneak peek at the little lily's room. I secretly adore her room, I'm a young girl at heart and all that pink and white just makes me gush!

and on the arty front, using some of my blog photos in my art journal to create little photo journal pages so that I can see my year in pictures within my journals.

playing with my watercolour crayons since it's been too long since I got them out, on Sundays I'll be doing a Sunday Supply post, where I feature my favourite supply for the week, and show how I used that supply within my art work, and also links where to purchase them for the best price.

that's all from me today, it's too hot, I'm going to grab my book (Flowers in the Attic) and read in front of the cool fan.
xx Courtney

Sunday Snippets

Playing along with Tinnie Girl in her Sunday snippets. Today has been a long day indeed, the boy leaving at the crack of dawn, and the little ones being rather pushing of mumma's buttons. but alas, here are the pictures from my day...

adding graphite to my girls face, and giving her more defined hair.

I worked on a new journal today for myself..which resulted in me unpacking a box I'd already packed to get to my font stamps.

that simplest thing like the curl on my girls forehead...

elijah..playing hide and seek in a cupboard...(before the tantrums lol)

binding my first journal by hand... from scratch.

the cover of the journal...when you fold the covers out to size, its a dripping rainbow, I am slightly in love with her.

so that is my Sunday, Im worn out, drained and a little bit emotional after the day the kids put me through..but its all ok...because I have a new art journal.
xx Courtney

Remains of The Day...a journal, a journey

Evening my dears, today I spent the day with my mum crafting up a storm. I started my Remains of the Day journal a little while ago now and I had a bit of sewing rage hehe with snapped needles and things not going to plan. Well today I took over my mums new sewing machine and got down to business.


some of the signatures being prepared lots of loose thread that needed to be cut off!!
the inside of some of my pages, some of the boarders on alot of my journal pages are from the lovely GulfSprite's digital boarder download! they looked awesome against some of my pages, really popped which made me smile when I sewed them on.

coming together slowly...I spent more of the day patchwork sewing papers together.



adding accents to certain pages, sewing them on, the rest of them will be glued down as I finished up at mums but hadn't gotten all my accents on, another Gulfsprite boarder, and a cut out from page from Frankie Magazine.

I even went so far as to start the cover, sewing fabrics together to make a patchwork then slipping the cardstock template inside, and then stitching in the ditch to make sure the card doesn't slip around inside the slip. I'm also toying with the big wooden button to help with my wrap around closure when I make that...Since that shot, I stitched a little calico panel onto the front with Raven Ink hand stamped onto it...looks rather cute.tomorrow I hand bind the signatures into the book, create my wrap around closure and finish the accents and the journal is finished. I am rather in love with it!

enjoy your Tuesday evening, I'm going to curl up with my art journal and some pizza and just soak up the kid free silence.

xx Courtney

Get Your Art on Day 14 - Doll one Done..Almost

The night is young and yet I have alot of things to do, pack for sydney..clean the house well tidy up a little, make sure dogs stuff is sorted for his babysitting make sure my art journal is with me...and my new art journal since I have an inkling I shall finish my current one in Sydney.
This little darling is what I've spent two grueling days on, so my art time..is the art of doll making. I just have to knit her a little red scarf to go around her neck, and she be done. This little dear is Emma.

I'm so sleepy lol, these dolls might be small but they sure do take some fiddling. I have the proper enlarged size now, so if I'm game enough I'll make my little girl one, and my niece.

Pop over to Traci's blog to see her finished journal page spread, I shall see you tomorrow with whatever I do in between the crazyness of packing two small humans and a mamma up for two weeks away.
xx Courtney

Get Your Art on Day 13 - Doll Love

So today was sew boyfriends nieces a toy day, and I decided to do the Black Apple doll pattern featured on Martha Stewart a few years ago, I didnt enlarge the doll like it said because I didnt have the ability to do that, so I was making bubby dolls which are still cute too!

instead of doing the simple closed eye half moon eyes, like the pattern tells me too...I thought I'd get my art on and give it a Courtney touch....

so I got out my paints and pencils and started drawing, inking and reworking..then finally sealing them with a binder medium, attaching a little button and their heads are ready to be sewn to the little dress bodies. I did start their arms and legs...but there was some uber SEWING FAIL! and I will have to remake all their body parts tomorrow slightly bigger and with more seam allowance to stop seam ripping as I try to turn them out with a pencil.


sorry about the dodgy photos, I got so caught up in cutting and making these dolls that it was rather late when I photographed them so the light is appalling.

jump on over to Traci's blog to see her lovely jump start on a journal page, and I'll be back tomorrow with maybe *fingers crosses* finished dolls...if the sewing goddess isn't striking me down with a little bit of what my girlfriends and I like to call...a bad case of shit touch.

xx Courtney

a journal, markers and beautiful books

After a huge week, I fell in a heap and tried to recover from the madness! I did a little shopping while I was away, few art supplies few books, and a little odds and ends to keep the days a little bit brighter.

A while ago, I ordered a custom journal from Kira Harding - Journal Girl.
and it arrived today in the mail! way cute! I can't wait to move into it!! Also my darling man took me to the newtown Art Supply store, where I bought some glazing medium to play with, and some new markers from Caran D'Ache which are watercolour ones, haven't put them through their paces yet but I shall in time. In the background are a cheap set of watercolour paints that I'd had my eye on for a few months and finally bought $10.50 well spent, because they work sooo beautifully!!

working in my journal late last night, using the paints, prisma pencils and a few of my new stencils from Spotlight. I am still a little crazy over the faces Im creating, they aren't popping like I want, not 3 dimensional as I want. Where did u learn to draw your faces/girls/whimsy characters? I have done two Willowing Courses and 3 Suzi Blu classes, you would think I'd be an expert!


with the sad news of bookstores closing, sales were happening. The boy and I, both being book lovers and collectors, we bought up! here are just two of my purchases in the book department

the material obsession book is lush, I could flick through it over and over again.
a great book for any quilter, or sewer.

that's all I have at the moment, its late afternoon and I think I might bake some cookies.
take care my dears, spend your afternoon creating beautiful things.
xx Courtney

a journal - the rainbow yum

I was very excited to get my hands on some Fabriano 290gsm watercolour paper from the Art supply store Gallery 126, I was hoping to get a pre-bought journal already for me to dive into, but I was rather picky, and nothing jumped out. So..crazy me decides to buy the huge stack of 100sheets of paper and bind my own.

and here are my results...the cover is canvas, which I sewed up with the lovely help from miss lily who was my pin taker outer. (as I came to a pin she took it out carefully and put it in the pin jar, she also was my backs stitching lever pusher when I asked for it, maybe one day she will want to sew or be creative.

I used watercolour crayons, watercolour paints, indian ink, prisma pencils and gesso to create this cover.. I was also inspired by Samantha Kira's work the angel image is adapted from one of her beautiful prints.

I hope to fill this journal with brightness, and beautiful words....as my days are alot lighter and more happy than ever before, and all I want to do is get that down upon my pages..so I know when I look back...it is possible to be this happy.
enjoy your Thursday night, have a cup of tea and snuggle with a loved one in the chill of the night.
xox Courtney