Colorful day 意外收穫

 Today I'm on my light summer top of own leave prints.  Kind of  rose leaves, eucalyptus leaves and euca barks. These days I'm quite crazy about eco prints/dye.  My plate is full. 

On the way to office this morning, my shuttle passed by the train station, my eyes wide opened to see some blew off euca leaves with  flowers laid on the pavement.  I told myself I must  pick it up during lunch break. I rarely have the chance to get some fresh euca leaves, not to mention with flowers on. They're treasures.

There're still some blew off euca tree trunks on the slope waiting to be moved since two weeks ago hit by typhoon.  The  blew off tree with little soil still  thriving with new leaves.    Sad to have them moved out.   I plucked some fresh leaves for future use. Thought it's not offense since moving away soon ! 

 A bag full.

Call it a day with the bright leaves - I'm off home now.

Think of you Ginny.  You know I was off by bus to the station to pick the leaves.


Full look of the top, a one piece silk fabric with nuno felted neckline and fringes on shoulders. It's more proper on my girl indeed.

BTW, I've problems in putting comments on other bloggers since the "Words Verification" I never succeed, though typed correctly.  No clue why.  Any of you encountered the problem and how to tackle it?  It drives me off to the wall after 5-6 times. Friends you've visited me, I've also stopped by your post.   If you do not find my comments please excuse me.

Story of a binding book 手作小本子

 Inspired by others, I started eco print.  The more I find the wonder of leaves, the more I want to dig and experiment.

 從喜愛植物印染織物到現在用簡單加熱法將葉紋印在紙質上這是我的新嘗試, 繼而做了這小本子.

 In the past I tried leaves prints on fabrics. Now I love the subtle prints on paper.  Just  done some and made a little book with the felted covers. 

 See how it's made.....

1. Last week after lunch with colleages in the cafe near offices, I picked some wild yellow daisy, some leaves of  Melaleuca tree (paper-bark tree) , maple leaves  and blew off euc leaves. 

 2. I wet the conqueror paper and sandwiched the leaves. 

3 - 4.  All clamped and boiled in a thermo pot for an hour and stayed overnight. 

 Prints of Melaleuca are quite brown, euc leaves are bold and yellow daisy is quite obvious. 

 I also put on some other leaves of euc cinera (round ones).  I thought to have some red prints as on silk fabric but it didn't, only yellewish.  Believe due to silk is of protein.  Paper is of different materials. 

 Flat drying

Wondering what to do with these papers.

 Come to my mind to make a little book with a felted cover. 

This isthe binding book made with little curly wool fleece and...... 

 Oh, sorry I didn't alert you the cover is made with my cat's hair.  Please don't find it weird.   My cat's hair is clean and soft as merino wool. Every day I comb and save it.

Base of the cover is of chiffon, layered with cat's hair and wrapped the cardboard resist.

 Finished and embellished with the dried Melaeuca leave.

 Front cover of mirrow prints of maple leaves 

 Yellow daisy prints

Subtle and vintage look

 That's why I thought to make a vintage little book

 Marks of Melaleuca are wonderful

Mogi asked, "it's a sunny day, any news? "

 "Oh, yeah, mum's showing me something?"

 "What? mum done this little book?  Hummmm.....still got the fragrance of leaves.... "

 "Got something of me?"

 "Mum's crazy!!??"

 I'm not crazy, I'm imaginative. I want to make use of everything.  I love nature, I love leaves, I love wool felt, I love crafting.......

This little book may be a wrap up of my work after decades with the memories of working environment and workmates, also a new chapter to mark my fabulous ways of life next....

這小本子許是我的職場總結, 記載著我工作環境的花草與同事的點滴, 也會是我往後展開豐盛創作的 新一頁……
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They say hi ! 咩咩問候 " 你好嗎?"

Ever since I encounted wool felt I find the sheep are naive and innocent.  This is Wensleydale sheep with typical long and curly fleece.  She says hi to you.  She sees you smilling at her.

This is Finn sheep.  He's smart and says "are you watching me?".

Fleece from Wensleydale and Finn sheep are what I love to do recently.  I got the big supply of raw fleece  from Kim last Christmas and still playing around with them.  Just made a "skin" for a journal.

Indeed I got a free premium pack of  journal and  luggage tag.  They're of genuine leather cover and more than pretty it's own.  I just wanted to top it with wool. Below is how it's made.

1. Wet felt the mixed fleece of Wensleydale, Finn and some alpaca

2. 3. After dried, glued with a hot gun

4. 5. Use the original leather strip for closing

A finished set of journal and tag

Keep the original leather strip closure without any waste.

Set of journal and luggage tag

I like the wool texture and the mixture of the raw fleece is my favourite

A set of gift pack - only the journal was given to my friend in the UK and the tag is for my own use.

I played around the raw fleece and made lots of bookmarks for special occassions.

Keep one for my own diary.  Loving the curly locks with alpaca fleece in the middle.

These adorable alpacas are not to forget.  They're sweet.

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Mogi telling story 說說故事

 "What did Mum write on the book?" Mogi queried.

"Ah...... Mum's imagative and always day dreaming."
大自然是創作的靈感, 但地球上資源並非耗之不盡, 有些物料可加點心思, 使其物盡其用, 且聽 Mogi 說 Mum 的 "雲與海".....

 "She said this looks like me - fluffy and cheerful.  I'm in cloud nine!"

 "The beach near Mum's studio she always shows us something from there ."

 "The earthy inspired nuno felt texture of her scarf"

 

 "She made this textural effect with shells."

 "Cross over of wool and  the shells picked from the bay."

 "Inspired by Heather Woollove's  felted book covers, Mum got the ideas to make one."

 "It's done."

 

 "Just a piece slip-on."

 "Incorporated with a shell, Mum called this 'Cloud &Sea Wave'."

"Original notebook of plastic folder."

 "Only one page was used formerly our girl's but discarded".

 "A nice covered notebook to use again." 

 "Mum said 'waste not want not', nature is full of resources."

 "Found trees fell down and sawn after typhoon and trunks were going to dispose off."

 "Why not carrying it for the wool felt baby hat and booties display?

"Reborn of a tree in Mum's studio."

Thought for food.  Nature is full of resources and inspiration. Something may not be used anymore but can be recycled and treasured.  Waste not want not.
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