Finally…

… I finished the embroidery project. See below some of the progress it took.

A Beautiful Trap

A few weeks ago I noticed this cobweb in my carport, and simply had to photograph this piece of work.
A cobweb is a spider's home and food trap. It's design is purely out of necessity. And yet from a human eye it is a work of art.
Funny to think that I am so terrified of spiders yet can stop to appreciate what they create. But alas as beautiful as this web is it isn't meant to last long. And sure enough it was gone the next day.

I am reminded of a story from Aesop Fables, called —

The Silkworm and Spider

Having received an order for twenty yards of silk from Princess
Lioness, the Silkworm sat down at her loom and worked away with
zeal. A Spider soon came around and asked to hire a web-room near
by. The Silkworm acceded, and the Spider commenced her task and worked
so rapidly that in a short time the web was finished. "Just look at
it," she said, "and see how grand and delicate it is. You cannot but
acknowledge that I'm a much better worker than you. See how quickly
I perform my labors." "Yes," answered the Silkworm, "but hush up,
for you bother me. Your labors are designed only as base traps, and
are destroyed whenever they are seen, and brushed away as useless
dirt; while mine are stored away, as ornaments of Royalty."

"True art is thoughtful, delights and endures."

That Which We Call A Rose

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

— William Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet)

Extra! Extra!

A few more pieces of my art have been made available for sale at Red Bubble. You can visit my Red Bubble profile right here… http://www.redbubble.com/people/emjie

Enjoy the Sunshine

I couldn't ask for a nicer day. After two days of near constant rain the garden is looking magnificent. With a bit of grooming back in Autumn the rose bushes have truly taken off and have dozens of flowers in full bloom.
The day is looking bright and warm. It is the perfect day to be spending out of doors, enjoying the sunshine. Whether that be with a spot of gardening, a walk to the local shops or even a trip to the park.
When it is like this one of my favorite things is to put on a hat, make a sandwich, grab a reading book and go sit in the backyard and bask in the mild sunshine. And if it gets to warm I just move a bit into the shade.

Doodly Noodle

Ollie Ollie Ollie

The Cat's Hour

The following story is an extract from my cat's journal (to be taken with a grain of salt).

Meow! My name is Piper and I am a housecat. So they tell me. I don’t want to be a housecat. I never did. I try to tell the tall creatures but they never pay attention. So I bide my time and I wait for opportunity to strike.
One day the see-through wall swings open, and it stays that way. This is new. The tall creatures have not noticed. No one to block me this is my chance.
I run. I run for all it’s worth. Down the stairs, round the smooth path. At last I am out. I am free, and I can go anywhere. Meow! This is too exciting. There is so much to choose from. Where to first?
I see an unnatural patch of grass. I wonder over there. Chewing on the grass. I don’t do this often. I notice big yellow smelly things amongst the grass. I do like. 

I move on further up the path and notice the largest scratching post I have ever seen in my life. There are birds at the top. I am going to make this post mine.
I leap into the air, claws out, ready to grab the bark. Meow! I’m on… Oh meow! I’m off. I hit the ground. The scratching post has torn away. I brought some of it with me. Dodgy scratching post! How am I supposed to play with the birds?
The birds are laughing. Laughing at me? I’ll show them. I’ll make them see. I look around. Meow! I see a wall. I can take it. One push off is all it takes. I’m up. The birds are closer to me, and they know it. They squawk and storm from above.
‘Yes, my lovelies, come into my mouth’, I sing to the birds. The noise continues, and I am being pelted with leaves.
I consider my next move. How to get closer to the birds?
I am surprised. Meow! Something warm and hard clamps down on me. I am falling. But I am not falling. It is more of a pull. I am off the wall. I am dangling. It is the tall she creature. She has a grip on me. She looks relieved, but she sounds upset.
She’s upset? What about me? I might not have this opportunity again.
I am carried up a familiar path, up the stairs and back into the indoor obstacle course.
One week later: The bloody tall creatures have put a collar on me. Meow!!!

My Creative Space...

The past couple of weeks I have been working on a piece of embroidery. I am usually working on this in the evening or during the day when Gwen is having a nap. So it has been slow progress. It is getting there.

Embroidery WIP — So Cal Noir

The first few flowers in my garden have begun to emerge. Here are some photos I just took. The colours simply pop off the screen.

Check out other wonderful creative spaces and corners over at Kootoyoo's Meme — My Creative Space.

My Creative Space...

I have a few different projects lined up at the moment, as you can see below.

My first embroidery project.

Slowly but surely I have been working on my very own piece of embroidery. This will take a while to do as I decided not to have a deadline for this. So I can take it and leave it.

Punk Girl 

Punk Girl has the potential for becoming a homemade doll. I want to make her for the Softies for Mirabel project. But we'll see how I go for time and resources over the coming weeks.

Emjie zine in progress

Then there is my zine. Okay, admittedly I am not hitting the time that I wanted this finished, I am just waiting for some bits and pieces to come through. Hopefully not much longer though.


Check out all the other cool crafty corners over at Kootoyoo.

Punk Girl Concept

Does Punk Girl have the potential to become a homemade doll? Is the question I ask myself.

Evening Doodlings

A page from my sketch book.

My mind is positively fried and I should have a nap. But I have never easily adjusted to sleeping in the day. If it is light, then I just won't shut down, no matter how exhausted I feel. So here I am at the computer thinking about some potential projects for the future and going over some recent doodlings.


Would love a pizza right about now? How about you?

Animation Friday - Skipper

Gif animator

This entry is a response to My Poppet's Meme: Animation Friday.
My Poppet has easy to follow instructions on how to create these animations — simply click here.
Why don't you join in? It is as easy as pie.

What's Up Doc?

I have been knee deep in some projects, but I wanted to touch base with you.
One of my projects has been preparing my next zine issue. I actually missed coming out with a Winter issue this year. I am making up for it, by making my Spring issue just a little more special. I hope to finish the zine at the latest first week of October.


The other project has been my embroidery, as you can see below. I didn't know if this was going to work out well, as I am embroidering one of my own sketches, titled So Cal Noir. But, guess what! It is coming out just fine.

Embroidery: In Progress

I also want to share a little bit of retro with you. Yesterday I was under the house, searching for some old badges, which, by the way, made me feel like Alice when she grew too big for the room. I also stumbled across my Jem doll and this poster that came with her.
Oh how I loved Jem when I was a little girl, and I still do. This Hasbro creation has been in my heart since the age of seven. That makes… hold on, let me do the math — 27 years.

Front: Poster

Back: Catalogue

Animation Friday - Skate On By

Gif animator





This entry is a response to My Poppet's Meme: Animation Friday.


My Poppet has easy to follow instructions on how to create these animations — simply click here.


Why don't you join in? It is as easy as pie.

So Cal Noir

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by at the local Wool and Sewing shop. Thank goodness, it is a two minute walk away (30 seconds if I dash).


I picked up the few supplies I need to begin my embroidery project. The printer ink has been depleted so I draped the fabric over the computer monitor, and traced from one of my original sketches. For the first time I have used dissolvable ink. So I have no idea how long it will last.


It will be interesting to see how this will turn out. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship with the embroidery frame.

I Had A Thought

I am thinking about the sort of craft/art projects I would like to do next. I am also thinking about trying my hand at embroidery. Indeed I am! (LOL. I think Pip's mannerisms are rubbing off on me)

Last year I worked on a noir illustration in Photoshop, and I shared the progress on this here blog. One of the comments received regarding an early sketch of this work, was that it would it make a good piece of embroidery. I might just give that a go. I like trying something new — it's all about the anticipation.

Animation Friday - Sprung Spring

Gif animator

It has been such fun being involved in My Poppet's Meme: Animation Friday. It is such an easy animation to create, and My Poppet has included instructions of how this is done. Why not have a go?

Animation Friday - Ollie

This week I had fun making this little animation. This maneuveris known, amongst skate boarders, as an ollie.

I hear that there are not as many skater girls participating in the sport. So I felt inspired to draw a girl having fun with her skate board.


Gif animator

This activity has been a response to My Poppet's Animation Friday.

Time