Much better now!

Thank you for all your kind wishes helping me on my way to recovery ;) It's been the usual kind of week which flies by in 5 minutes. I had a last minute craft fair in Dornie Hall overlooking Eilean Donan Castle (scroll down half way to the castle pic) on Friday , a wonderful setting. I covered my costs plus a bit - it's early in the season, yet. I was on a cancellation list & got the call the evening before. Quite tricky to not strip the studio  & have enough for a reasonable stall. It's thanks to 'smalls' that I can do it ;)

I sat there working away cutting pieces for cards using a sliding cutting machine that my arty buddy Janet lent me - good for doing on your lap! Then I ran out of glue ;( I was using that fabulous dry glue on a roll thing, doesn't last long! Then I did some hand stitching on this.....well I promised you a sneak peak, didn't I?!

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I hadn't realised there were so many last minute things to check & refer to when writing but I finally got there & my Workshop on the Web article was sent off today, phew! Lot's of help from the DH proof reading etc...he's learnt a lot! So exciting, exhilarating, fantastic to have been invited to do this. You'll have to subscribe to WoW to see the rest of the above pic, it's only £15 pa for what must add up to about 32 plus articles, well worth it (aren't I naughty ;)

When I wasn't running around like a blue arsed fly making words fit pics I started to work on a collage like this -

I got a commission for one similar for a wedding present at my exhibition last year ( oh my, the next exhibition is less than 2 months away!!!) I've been thinking about loving words; loved, to be loved, to love, one love, much love,  lovely one....hmm Any ideas I could borrow? So I've been laying down fabrics , pulling out lovely bits of forgotten lace, stitching away. I'll show you when I'm finished.

Said goodbye to my Middlest today, he's gone to sea! Had him home for the Easter holidays tho - so it was good to see him before he went off on his next phase. He'll be in Norway for a few weeks, just off the Arctic Circle! Went for a brisk walk along the shore after they drove off this evening to dry the tears (which nobody saw! ;) aren't I good keeping them to myself! Sweet rainbow, crystal clear on the hills, slanting evening sunshine & I think I heard my first cuckoo.

A brand new year

Well, how wonderful is that, a brand new year? We had our first new year's eve without our Youngest at home - first time he's looked old enough to go out on the razz (shhh! he's legal next year - will I get arrested now? I didn't say he could...) Anyway a sign of time passing, so, so quickly.

We watched the local hotel's fireworks thru the open French windows, a foul night but the dog wanted to smell the wet air & didn't mind the noise a mile away. We decided the world was our oyster, & thought it terrifying, but exciting at the same time.

 cards from last weeks background

I've enjoyed reading  some resolutions, plans, promises here in blogworld. It was making my own committment 2 yrs ago that took me to making over 360 daily squares & then to a saleable piece of work each week last year, which was the only way I got a body of work ready for my first show in September.

My first promise to myself this year is to find more balance  - I still have a small body of work & plan to add to one or 2 of the different series, so I can afford the time to recreate my neglected garden, take more walks, not just because it's healthy but to explore this wonderful place we live in. I need more yoga time to unwind from the hunching over stitches or leaning over the painting table (not to mention the stiffness & tiredness caused by the day jobs!) If you take care of yourself first, you are more able to do all those things that you want, that's my excuse, anyway ;)

heart background

So each week I will be working towards our show in June, but not just a saleable collage a week, I may take 2 weeks ( or longer) to work on a large wall hanging. It might be a selection of textile jewellery or notebook covers. I may try some sketchbooks or accordian books - my friend's been telling me they're just up my street. I would love to learn to draw/paintsea birds like Claire Harkess look at the bird 4th pic along. I first saw her seagulls a few years ago at an exhibition in Plockton & I never thought I could be so moved by a simple seagull.

 heart cards

of course I need to keep the studio full, too. I want to make more scarves so the place feels warm. I used to decorate lampshades to go with the driftwood lamp bases we made. I've sold all the ones we had, why not make more just because the driftwood's run out?

squares background

Photographing these backgrounds & cards without getting them wet in the rain or muddy dropping them on the way is a nightmare - I use the greenhouse where there's some light & to get out of the wind but it in itself is full of mud! So, I plan to make a permanent space in the studio, up against the sunny back window where I just store stuff, with my trusty college tripod for the days there isn't any light - I mean, hardly a week went by in the last 2 years when I didn't take a photo. I could at least keep the things flat! I might also install a white roller blind in the greenhouse for bigger things but it would probably go green or be eaten by mice within 5 minutes!

Square cards

I've really enjoyed the freedom in these cards & collage backgrounds. This week seems to have been a card week but I found time to make a couple more samples from that wonderful book Stitches Straps & Layers by Maggie Grey.

This a sample using silk carrier rods split into a few layers, no mean feet with my broken nails! I chose to use  them flat (instead of wrapping them round the side/bottom of a piece) My sample is based on a pic in the book of a beautiful bag made by Anna Nowicki using 'flat knitting tapes' My interpretation of that is to use ribbon... maybe that's what it means ;) Have a look at her blog thru the link - she's doing amazing things with bits of thread...!

The next sample, above, was to use foiled grounds with needle felted things on top. The sample in the book had me & my arty buddies drooling so I've tried my best with my sample. The first 2 strips are machine & hand stitching & using the embellisher machine over the silk & the stitches. Then Maggie used sumptuous silk velvet ribbon & lightly felted it down. I've had a meter of this purple velvet ribbon for ages & finally I've used it! The next strip is a skeletized leaf under black organza - you needle felt all round the leaf then on the leaf for a bit distressing it as much or as little as you want. I don't think my fabric was sheer enough, but that's the whole point of having a sample book, of course. I missed out the lutrador bit & tried the puffed & purple painted scrim with an added bit of fabric (Maggies was purple) I had hard scrim to hand & just stitched it. The last strip is painted tissue paper & painted with acrylic wax AFTER embellishing to stregnthen. Well, I didn't read the instructions & used wax before felting - lovely holes in stiff paper! I love this learning lark, what would I have achieved I wonder if i'd loved learning at school? These little samples will look so lovely in my samples book; wish I could show my teachers.....

I'm sure I could go on about all I plan or want to do. Despite my schooling ( the best was done for me at the time!) or maybe because of my schooling (!) I find myself doing something I absolutely love, even tho I haven't managed earning a full time living yet, but I know I will never be bored in my life, there's always something exciting I can be doing (hence the yoga/balance thing!) I took time to join the Middlest & Youngest watching 'Coach Carter'  before the M went back to college & even tho I'd watched it before I hadn't remembered  the lovely quote from it - got to say I'm delighted that my teenagers so enjoy the uplifting family film - the basketball that they both play might have something to do with it. Anyway, here's the quote!

edit - this is the version by Marrianne Williamson from her book 'A Return to Love'. Coach Carter left out a few lines, I think.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

The fog is starting to lift!

"I can see blue sky throught the tears in my eyes & I know, I'm going home" Probably miss quoted but does anybody recognise that? I know I'm home already but sometimes you can't see what's in front of your nose & need reminding. I'm feeling like the fog is starting to lift but it may be a while till I stop grumbling at everything! I've had some wonderfully supportive comments (when blogger allows - so frustrating!!!) & emails for which I'm truly grateful. I know I'm not alone but I guess there comes a point where you've just got to get on & deal with things, whether you feel like it or not. The DH has been great....just getting on with things, it's his way. Me, I yell & moan a bit....then eventually get on with it. Huh.

So all I was able to do last week was make backgrounds knowing I was going to cut them up for cards (I'd kind of let slip from my mind a couple of small card orders...) I waited till this morning for some pics as I keep running out of light in the day (oh for a daylight studio!) & now it's black sky or blinding sunshine!! so excuse the lack of quality in these photos ;)

Gesso on an old calendar page 'drawn' into, scrbbled on with watersoluable crayons when dry, dissolved  a bit, cut up & edged with gold leaf pen

Oh, crooked, too - no time for photoshop!

Strips, stitched down, cut into strips across the top, stitched down, random stitching all about,  cut into 1/4's stitched together (you don't want too much bulk) cut to about 2" x 1" 1/2, edged with  zigzag.

Painted ground, stamped & paper from the bits & pieces box stuck down, a bit of crayon & gold wax

Same as above. These do well at Christmas craft fairs as they aren't Christmassy I guess, altho I will make some trees & icicle types, too...

Off to my day job I go, you've just got to be grateful, really, being able to do lots of different jobs, haven't you?