Recollections

Thanks so much to Mimmi's for reminding me that I have a 'Blog' too .... oh dear, I fear I am wearing too many hats right now : -) I remember the days when I had spare time.... or do I??

I love everything that I do and maybe that's the problem ... how do I let something go when they all mean so much to me?
I'm finally getting the hang of Facebook(I think); I love doing workshops and creating beautiful things; I have a fabulous time working with my friend original doll artist Chris Boston; I love doing amazing visual displays and so the list goes on .... life is just one big crazy juggling act isn't it?

Maybe I should take up training for the circus? No wait a minute... knowing my luck they would probably put me on the tight-rope : -))

'With Love and Devotion'

Happy New Year to Everyone and welcome to another fun-filled year in the world of Whimsical Imaginings!
Wow, I have such a big year planned with lots of workshops, exhibitions and shows as well as the website, blog and facebook; oh and of course, then there's the family, friends, house and pheww.... I'm beginning to sound crazy already!
I had such a lovely day creating yesterday, it was raining and cool - just perfect to allow the creative juices to flow freely. This picture is called 'With Love and Devotion' and was inspired by a magnificent sheet of scrapbook paper from Bella Paperie and the stunning velvet flowers and trims from Miss Rose Sister Violet. Masses of pearls, flowers and gorgeous lace in delicate hues of soft pinks, creams and aquas ...... oh, if only you could see it in the flesh as it is so much prettier in real life!
I have decided that the phrase 'With Love and Devotion' shall be my mantra for the year 2012 as I tackle every new project. What a wonderful way to enjoy the journey, don't you agree?! Jule x

Reminiscing!

Well as the year comes to a close and I reminisce about the past twelve months, I am reminded of the hardships that we may have endured but more importantly the things that have made me smile. We can spend forever dwelling on the negative aspects in our lives or we can choose to shift our focus and place all our energies into remembering all the 'good' we have to be thankful for and that is precisely how I try to live my life each and every day.

And so it is for today, that I have a totally unrelated group of images here that have all made me smile this year, they have warmed my heart and brought me much joy and no they are not necessarily all work related but nonetheless they are part of my story, a story that I am sharing with you because you because you are a part of that story too.

I wish you every happiness for the New Year and may the year 2012 see you smile more and frown less!

Warmest wishes always,
Jule x


The coldest December day in Queensland for 40 years ... Love it!

My Christmas Garden Tea Party window - finished at last!

Oh so pretty that I think I could live in this window!

Chocolate and Strawberry Torte.... yumm!

Ready, set, blow - my eldest grandson just a few short week's ago!

I've never seen a prouder person than when Lisa revealed her half-finished doll at this year's Fairy Workshop Weekend Retreat....pure joy!

Mother Nature never fails to impress us up here on the mountain!

My favourite elf-helper and I in Lollipop Land!

Chris Boston and I... big kids at heart!

My youngest grandson finally puts his head under the water.... yay!!

Peace and tranquility.......

Planking, Chris Boston style... always the clown and a constant source of entertainment for me!

Travels through the house.

What a lovely, quiet Sunday afternoon on the mountain.....so peaceful with the sound of birdsong ringing in my ears. I just thought I would take a tour through my little pretties and share some images with you and if you visit my facebook page, you will also find some of my Christmas photos as well! .........as you will see, I have a had another busy week in paradise. Enjoy, create, inspire, share and love, love, love all that you do! x www.whimsicalimaginings.com.au

The 'Pink' Window

Hello to everyone again and I thought I would share this with you today.....enjoy!

The 'Pink' Window - created for Christina's Cottage in Merredin, WA

My thoughts were to create the ambience of an outdoor Christmas Tea Party complete with pretend grass and a lush garden ....... I began with a standard trestle table (one of those boring ones from the hardware store) and wrapped the table legs in masses of soft pink tulle, I then covered the top in a piece of torn calico. The dusty old chairs were discovered in the shop owner's garage, so I cleaned them up and covered the seats in calico to match the table; adding torn sashes of calico around the chair-backs and finally embellishing each one with a glittery pink bow.

The table was adorned with crisp white table-ware and glass cannisters filled with fluffy pink and white marshmallows. The little milk bottles were filled with yummy pink lemonade and pretty little pink & white striped straws. Glittered birds were then perched atop the bonbons awaiting the guest's arrival and of course, what Tea Party is complete without cup-cakes and bubbly, so I added pearl garland into the wine glasses to create the illusion of bubbles!!

The tapestry wall-hanging was purposely chosen to lead you to believe that you were outside looking in, and warms the window beautifully with the timber doors and chairs complementing each other. The eight and a half feet Christmas tree was lavishly decorated with pink and silver decorations along with some twinkly, starry lights and the spruce garlands up above were entwined with glittery bauble garlands and lots of sparkly fairy lights.

The doorway behind the tree was swathed in masses of pink glittery vines to create the illusion of an archway leading inside and of course what Christmas garden would be complete without a hedge of miniature Christmas Trees! The garden bench was covered in pink and cream scatter cushions with dozens of white and pink blooms billowing behind and over the top of the seat. A wonderful iron-framed mirror made a perfect back-drop and to complete the story, and ........for just a little bit of fun, I added two stunning 'pink' chandeliers........as any good fairy would do!!

Of course, none of this would have been possible were it not for Rhonda from Christina's Cottage giving me the freedom to dream up this gorgeous window; or without the assistance of my ever-helpful husband Steven with his strength, height and building knowledge far exceeding my limited capabilities :-))
I thank them both sincerely and am forever grateful for the opportunity to put this window together.

I hope you enjoy the window display as much as I did creating it for you..... remember to have fun with your Christmas decorating too!
Jule x

Best wishes for a beautiful day to you all!

I'm struggling with the juggling.........of time and life, that is. Sometimes the balance just gets all out of kilter doesn't it? What with work, family and friends along with the myriad of other 'stuff' that creeps into our calendar, it's no wonder that we all seem time-poor these days. It's times like these that I just have to stop, reassess and regroup and then work out what it really important and what isn't.

For most of us, we tend to put everyone else's needs above our own but at the end of the day if we don't take good care of ourselves then there won't be anything left to go around anyway. As weird as it sounds, we all need a moment of selfishness from time to time in order to recharge the batteries. I'm thinking my selfish moment might be coming up really soon : -))

I have two gorgeous ladies who come to my house every month to make and create wonderful projects. They never cease to inspire me with their fabulous ideas and we spend lots of fun times bouncing crazy ideas back and forth between us as well as having lots of laughs and eating ourselves silly of course!

Today I thought I would share an image of one of the items that was created last time by Judy. It's a three dimensional painting of a vase full of flowers.......both before and after.....very clever don't you agree??

Hello to everyone and just thought I would include today the latest news on what I am up to..........it feels like forever since I visited here - what happened to July I wonder?
Lots of hugs to you all and hope to hear from you soon! Jule x

PRESS RELEASE

Be mesmerized by the most amazing Christmas display that you could ever imagine at next week's Gold Coast Show from September 2 to 4. The theme for the competition entries in the Homecraft's Pavillion this year is Christmas and this enchanting, 'Lollipop Land' display is guaranteed to captivate and delight show patrons.

Allow me to introduce you to Sherbert Fizz!

Sherbert (or 'Bert', as he is known to his closest friends), puts the fizzle into the fizz and is responsible for creating that tingle down your spine when you pop the very first spoonful of his amazing confectionery onto your tongue.

Bert is just one of the many fun-filled characters who live in Lollipop Land, a land of frost and snow at the North Pole, where the cauldrons are bubbling away cooking up everyone's favourite lollies. You will discover fairies, elves and pixies all frantically working to ensure that there is a constant supply of sweets on hand to tempt and tantalise us.

Journey with us, as we take the trip of a lifetime with Bert and his friends when we visit 'Lollipop Land' - a wondrous world where imagination has no boundaries and anything can happen!

We hope you can help us spread the word and join us for this fun-filled weekend where original doll-artist Chris Boston and visual display artist Jule Barten combine their talents once again in an explosion of colour and creativity to create an enchanting new world called 'Lollipop Land'. Sit in the magic chair or make a wish in the wishing well and enjoy this extra-ordinary display of hand-sculpted characters residing in their imaginary world...... you will believe!!

Jule Barten Ph 0412 786 046
www.whimsicalimaginings.com.au
jule@whimsicalimaginings.com.au

Chris Boston Ph 0439 660 948
www.chrisboston.com.au
cboston@ine.com.au