Today I wonder what came next ?
It is a bit like these rabbits in a much later time painting...
The wonderment of it all.
The creativity is exactly that the
WONDERMENT of it All
I am Barbara Smith the designer & painter of buttons, Christmas Decorations. Stitchery illustrations. The written word I love too
Today I wonder what came next ?
It is a bit like these rabbits in a much later time painting...
The wonderment of it all.
The creativity is exactly that the
WONDERMENT of it All
IT IS FAREWELL TO MY PRODUCING OF PAINTED BUTTONS AND DECORATIONS IN MDF WOOD
By the end of December 2024 I will no longer have any buttons or decorations for sale. I already have closed the door on the production of anymore... and using my blank and painted stock now .
To be honest it has not hit me yet, what will it mean, what will I do, what motivation will I be driven by..... and the satisfaction as I pack and send out an order .
It is around 20 years that buttons and decorations wandered into my design world.
I orginally started in brooches by laser cutting after the 1996 Sydney Quilt Show myself and my partner had taken a booth at.
I saw so many ladies wearing brooches and laser machines were rare and the information of any was held close.....
I found a guy who cut fret work in Fyshwick ACT for buildings on a huge laser and I think I had a vast amount cut 1000 comes to mind because his cutting machinery was for much larger pieces.
I was excited. but daunted too.
This ventured further as years progressed with a shop I supplied cloth doll patterns and did painting classes with larger scroll sawed ladies to hang on the wall.
The owner of the store had just installed a laser machine to engrave glassware etc and he cut blank buttons from copyright free designs for their shop.
He could cut the designs for wall hangers and explained how the same design could be shrunk ....
Helena Brooch was born and a few others followed.
Kits were also produced for painters in those days as folk art painting was a strong market.
I used to do them in little brown paper bags.
Helena Brooch was a great seller...
and believe me I needed no encouragement.
>>>>>>
LET US STEP BACK
I was not always a painter, bit of an illustrator as time progress , but pretty green on all sides of the craft industry.
I was working in The ATO and comfortable in my roles of 19 years....
I had a position I enjoyed and connected with 25 branches as their coordinator..
It was related to the processing function and had diverse elements to it as well as a branch processing knowledge helped a lot, as phone liasion was a good proportion of the work.
I did not fly but it never hampered our conversations and solutions and once the computer systems for keying were linked like we use today were networked it slowed the refresh rate and I and my stomach have an immediate adverse reaction.
All this was new but my boss one position ahead of me was fabulous as EEO was also law and I had no issues with one of my staff keying my work. Otherwise i would have been ill...simple as.!
The boss became ill and was absent a lot, we were well set up and each area worked along and he suddenly transferred to QLD and was gone.
There was another equal classification to myself who had no responsiblities to staff in branches and was a different role....
The boss' job became vacant and i was pestered by the other equal if I was going to apply ...I was not I did not wish to rise any further and I loved my job. Status has never been a driving factor in any thing I do.
But the threat must have been there as suddenly I was being targeted and could not work out how this was being done except it was like a dripping tap, one could not escape.
I knew the laws as I had audited many I was now confronting issues and eager to have solutions .
I tried all types of solutions and I would be out right sat on in meetings by this "Woman "
I was not used to this and the wearing targeting did it's job.
( stupid way to remove career threats that were not there !!!)
As I would drive home every day the lake on one side and Black Mountain on the other and a part of my mind would think drive off the road and into the Lake Burley Griffin freezing lake and I'd be dead, or hit the Black Mountain .
I knew instinctively I was in a very dangerous space and the other thing I would do was dissolve into tears at our dinner table...most nights.
I had thought of resigning and in 1990's giving up +$40,000 and my financial independence, my independence full stop and paying off OUR mortgage.
Could I save my soul and survive ??????
There was really no question to survive I had to get away from this woman.
I hated every day of my work, I cried as soon as I drove out each day and cried at my desk facing the Brindabellas .
So we sort of mapped it out as my partner earned more and most of my superannuation would pay the 2/3rds owing on our house and a small amount on my car and to do some classes with the small amount remaining
I RESIGNED
I asked to have counselling paid by the Federal Govt at the time as seems a lot of people were having issues ?
I used to have my counsellor in tears ... and my plight was certainly validated. Because you do question yourself over and over and from every angle
The Unions were active then and came to discuss with me the issue of going to court. I had seen another person on TV had gone through 6 years of hell to get a court decision and it looked like it had sucked her soul. I refused and was not so popular with them but I had thought it through.
My Ankylosing Spondylitis had flared for the time I was actively bullied and it was so so sore in my hip and I could barely put my weight on my leg . I had some treatment to settle the inflammation and we know today stress is a major factor in flares ups .
I had a wonderful partner who supported me, we paid out the house and were debt free and it was spring and our garden was well established and in spring happiness and I could hardly believe my luck... and Mishka the cat was with me each day.
I did go back after writing to the Commissioner and was asked to reconsider and I did ..I just extended my resignation with leave without pay until July a new tax era.
I had no intention of returning unless we needed the income.
I tell you all this as things started to happen on my craft side of the world.
The despair and being absolutely so lost within my soul was very hard to come back from...
Creativity is a great healer !
I did in total 3 beginners classes in folk art painting, a stencil class, some silk painting and maybe a cloth dollmaking day.
I bought a lot of books on painting and upskilled that way by practise !
Managed to buy our limited paints and brushes and used in those days flat pieces of wood to paint roses and cottages with gardens Remember trays and plaques etc...I shudder now .
*****
I had intentions of having a stall at Hall Markets ..no idea what that entailed.
I think I did book for the November market on the phone as I so feared any rejection after the bullying was still raw....in face to face encounters
But somewhere I have been blessed with a resilience I do not comprehend ...but am so grateful for it.
People would not know from meeting me that I was struggling to come back and still today is the same I grew up with a lot of practice in this.
Around this time I used to buy from Posh Pots terracotta pots they imported at a great price.
Robyn the owner confirmed with me one day if I painted as the lady painter of small pots was going overseas for 2 yrs...would I paint these pots for them .
I said I will bring some of my work for you to see, no she did not need that....so I collected a dozen small pots and went home with a sample and painted my style of roses etc and had a great time.
They were excellent sellers and life became so busy with pot painting !
On taking this on I did say I was booked to do the markets and did want to pursue this and was I still the painter.
Paint pots I did !
I will write more later
The designs are great to stitch each one as a separate and make a quilt....or pillows or cushions, bags etc framed or into hoop/s Small designs aas most of these are can be translated to use in small projects like pin cushions, needlekeeps, mini pillows , journal covers etc etc.....
I paint my illustrations using rough water colour paper and the paints I use for my buttons so not watercolour paints but acyrlics.
The stitchery Illustrations do not come with any stitching or colours or project instructions.
In today's world so many many projects are available on line if one does not have any in cupboards in forms of patterns ....and as these have multiple uses one would be stitching into oblivion....I share my talents for a modest cost and you can create from there. Realising of course the copyright is owned always by me Barb Smith of Theodora Cleave.com
Although, this year, I am working slowly on the way I will work for next Santa season.
It is involving stickers and boxes and a set of ...buttons ...decorations.
For me this is so exciting ... the stickers arrived yesterday and boxes to trial have been ordered in.
Then comes designs of what will go inside these boxes and what size fits....
The preparation time will flip and flop a bit..
but the focus is part of this...also once I begin to work towards Christmas again that time has really passed.