A fabulous contrast between light and dark       The clocks have changed - it is getting darker earlier. It's the time of year when  you want to start snuggling in, getting cosy. There is a definitely nip in the air. Time to get out the thick jumpers. The light is changing, getting more dramatic as the days are getting shorter. Because we have so much rain in Ireland, and of course on Loop Head where I live, we have the most wonderful displays of light and colour. The day can be dark with glowering grey clouds, then the clouds part and a shaft of sunlight hits the green fields, Wow!! I love it. 'The Last One' - Mixed media and collage This is one of my latest canvases interpreting the local cows ambling up the low incline on the way to milking. It is one of my favourite sights. I find the rhythm of rural life here very comforting. Another great sky And my interpretation in painted fusible web and newspaper The huge skies and ever changing light will be inspirin...

   A finished brooch. Decorated , layered newspaper ironed on to S133 (heavy iron-on interfacing) and cut with a die cutting machine. My first workshop at Nadelwelt was a newspaper based one - the idea was to make brooches and bags or boxes. The workshop was for four hour s . I had pre-painted Bondaweb and dyed up loads of newspaper as we wouldn't have time for the students to paint anything and have time for it to dry. As it happens it was VERY hot on the day - 28 degrees. So we could have painted Bondaweb, but there was no way of knowing that in advance.    There were nine stude nts in the group - the lady on the left looking into the room was my Quilt Angel, she translated and helped me during the workshop. S he was great fun - we had a really good time with her. So - you know the drill by now - we layered painted Bondaweb with newspaper, gilding flake and glitter. T he group also had a go with transfer foils. T here is somet hing a...

  The Freudenberg Vilene stand at the NEC. Whew!! Well that was a weekend! The show was on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. It was VERY busy on Sunday and then less so as the show went on. I enjoy working at the trade show. It is less frantic than the usual consumer shows that I do. There is an air of calm as all the visitors wander about the show meeting their contacts on different stands and doing deals. Everyone is very smart and tidy. My job was to demonstrate the more unusual techniques that you are all familiar with using Vilene products on the stand and also running the retailer workshops for Vilene. This involves teaching a forty five minute workshop every day for twenty retailers. The workshops were a bit manic - I think I tried to do too much . . . We were foiling on to my new loves Decovil 1 and Decovil light. We then printed onto the Decovil light with acrylics and the excellent Colourful Thoughts multi surface paints from Craftynotions. www.craftynotions.com Thes...

 Foiled and engraved Decovil 1 cut with a Big Shot Pro die cutting machine to create a heart shaped box.   Hello, Yes! I know I have been quiet - did you enjoy the peace? I have been fighting with finishing the manuscript for my next book and getting samples made for the shows that start next week in Manchester. The manuscript is with my publishers (Hurrah!) and I have a few samples to show you. I love teaching and meeting new students - and old ones! Claire Pain was a new student last year on my Foredown Tower workshops. She was great fun and fitted in well with the usual slightly bonkers ladies that attend my workshops.  I love working with people who know how to have a good time. Decovil 1 and Decovil light pre-coloured and foiled and then engraved by Claire on her laser cutter . We were talking in class and Claire mentioned she had a laser cutting business, well, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I have been looking for someone to work with w...

 One of the delicious slip covers ready to be stitched to fit the book. Well that is the last workshop for this year. It was great to back at Foredown Tower , you may have noticed it is now one of my favourite places to teach. I had six fabulous students on the course who worked very hard and were good enough to help with eating the cakes.       One of Claire's lovely samples ready to iron onto the Decovil light. The workshop was 'A New Starti ng Po int'. I have never known a workshop to be so popular, it certai n l y seems to have piqued everyones interest. The idea is to make some gorgeous surfaces by layer ing old newp apers with painted Bo ndaweb and all things spar kly. Gilding flake seems to be the most favoured spa r kle this year. Y ou can get this from www.craftynotions.com     Cla ire tearing up one of her samples ready to iron to the Decovil light.  The pa per layers are then ir oned onto pre-co loured Dec ovil...