My beading at the Royal Queensland Show

We visited the Royal Queensland Show (EKKA) on Saturday to check out my two pieces I had entered in the Creative Art & Craft competition. 

A friend who had also entered had already told me that the winners had been announced on the show's website so I already knew that my pieces had received 

2nd (Treasures of the North Sea) and 4th (Fingal Frolics).

However when we arrived my pieces were displayed with Fingal Frolics coming second and Treasures of the North Sea receiving a Highly Commended. I am not sure which is correct but I'll happily take both!

So here are my pieces on display. 

Sorry about the picture quality but it was difficult to get a decent photo through the glass cabinet. 

For some reason they had taken my Treasures of the North Sea piece off my black bust and displayed it on someone else's red bust... and then placed someone else's piece on my black bust (which you can see behind Fingal Frolics)...ahhh who knows! 

I just hope I get my black bust back as it's the only one I own!!

It's EKKA time

The Royal Queensland Show or as us locals like to call it "the EKKA" commences this Wednesday 5 August which means in a few days time I will be able to find out whether my two pieces I entered into the Creative Art & Craft section have achieved a placing and therefore receive a little ribbon or certificate.

For those of you that may not have seen my previous post about entering the competition here are the two pieces I have entered.

~~~~

Treasures of the North Sea

Fingal Frolics

The entries were judged the week of 5 July and as of yet I am not aware whether my pieces made it into the final stages of judging or have received a placing so we will be heading to the EKKA some time this weekend.

I think I am in for an expensive day out at the show though with the entry fee costing around $25 per adult... thankfully Spencer is still FREE!!

Add to that the rides that Spencer will want to go on, the countless sideshow alley games he will want to play  not to mention the 20 million show bags I can already see he will want.

They have a website with all the show bags, their contents and the prices listed so I can already see how many $$$ I will be spending!

I can remember visiting the show as a kid in Newcastle and nagging my mum for lots of show bags. I remember she would always let me buy two - one themed one and food one. Of course I always pursuaded her to buy me an extra bag.

I'd always choose a Cadbury bag and a Bertie Beetle bag (because they were always the cheapest so I used to think that perhaps because of that I could get an extra bag).

I remember one year I got the coolest Wonder Woman show bag that had these awesome arm bands as well as a mask and a cute little name plate for above my bed. Boy did I think I was pretty cool that summer dressed as Wonder Woman!

I think for nostalgia sake I will buy myself a Bertie Beetle bag at a bargain price of around $5!

Ahhhh that's better....

Further to my post below about entering my pieces into the Royal Queensland Show...

I am delighted to report that I have just got back from delivering my two pieces and the whole process was extremely professional, organised and very official.

  

Both of my pieces were labelled, entry numbers and my name were recorded and every i was dotted and every t crossed!  They even made a note that my pieces were delivered with two display busts so that they would be returned to me.

I could see lots of glass display cases and the lady told me that all of the entries are displayed in the glass cabinets which are locked so my much loved necklaces will be safe and sound, won't be touched by lots of icky sticky fingers and cannot be stolen!

Ohhh I cannot tell you how much better I feel now knowing my pieces will be looked after! 

Now all I have to do is win a pretty ribbon!

Feeling a little nervous...

Well I have just finished packing my two pieces I am entering into the Royal Queensland Show as they need to be delivered to the showground tomorrow... 

...and I have to admit that I am feeling a little nervous about the whole thing.

I am not nervous about whether my pieces will place and win themselves a pretty ribbon... I am nervous about how my pieces will be looked after. 

I was on an Australian beading forum and a fellow beader was saying she entered some of her work into her local show and she had to pin her work to the busts as people had been trying to steal some of the pieces.

WHAT THE?

Seriously I honestly think I would go into cardiac arrest if one of my pieces went missing. 

I hate to think how many hours went into Fingal Frolics ... 

Between making all of the glass fused cabochon and the actual bead embroidery itself ...

...well I can't even begin to imagine how many hours of beading went into that piece. 

The small starfish alone took a whole week each to bead.

I have to admit after Treasures of the North Sea winning a category in this year's Use the Muse competition...well I kind of have an emotional attachment to this piece now.

Anyway I guess I just have to trust the general public and be assured that my pieces will be ok and try not to worry too much between now and 16 August when I am able to go and collect my pieces...

Ohhhh it's going to be a very long 8 weeks.

The EKKA

 I am both excited and nervous to announce that this year I have taken the plunge and have submitted two of my pieces into the Creative Art and Craft category of the Royal Queensland Show, or better known as the EKKA here in Brisbane.

Here are the pieces I have submitted:

"Treasures of the North Sea''

which was the winner of the Wonderfully Whimsical category in the recent Use the Muse competition

and

"Fingal Frolics''

 I need to deliver my pieces to the showground on 23 and/or 24 June and then the EKKA runds from 5-14 August so I have a bit of a wait to find out if my pieces win themselves any pretty ribbons!

I will keep you posted on how I go!