A NIGHT OUT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

I thought this would be a Christmas image that would make you all smile. Thanks to my children and their friends.

To all my friends at Blog Spot, a very happy Christmas and a creative New Year.

FAIRY EXCHANGE

A fairy exchange is no robbery. My friend Caroline( http://www.carolinemccatty.blogspot.com/) and I have been exchanging fairies at Christmas for some years now. The enamel fairy is my offering for this year. We have a theme which we choose in January, this year was faded fairy, in the past we have swapped scary fairy, furry fairy, famous fairy the list goes on. But I think this year we have both been so absorbed by the new processes we have been learning that the theme has taken a bit of a back seat. I am thrilled to be the recipient of Caroline's first posted automaton, as usual I feel like I am getting the better end of the fairy deal (not complaining). It does look like we have both upped our game some what, goodness knows what we will do for next year.

Collaborations with friends is a wonderful way to make things, it is always an inspiring and fulfilling process. Thankyou Caroline!

OBSESSIVE

As you can see I am in the middle of decking the halls.
The tree is now up and covered in my favourite vintage baubles.

With everything still to do for Christmas, I am well behind on the mince pie production, I can't seem to stop making these enamel brooches!!

I think it must be a displacement activity?

CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION

I am starting get into the festive mood and have begun to decorate here and there starting with the mantle piece.

When the sun shone through the windows this morning the decorations took on a life of their own throwing rainbows,

reflections and shadows.

Of course I have a great deal of spare time and Christmas pushes my creativity

into overdrive, so I can't help but experiment with bits of steel and enamel

and have made these broaches just to see if I could. The faces are enamelled using a stamp I have had for years, the legs swing...all very silly, but great fun to make.

BUGS LIFE

A number of experimental enamelling techniques are gelling together

for me in these steel labels. Sgraffito drawing into wet enamel and screen printed transfers. Etched copper fired with clear flux to achieve these warm red tones.

These are then riveted onto the labels.

The transfers are from photographs I have taken at the Grant Zoological Museum at UCL and

the Oxford Natural History Museum. I am also starting to include lustre to get the iridescence found on beetles, but the photos do not show the twinkle.