A quiet week, well, creatively I mean!

I haven't been desperately creative recently, other than to fill a couple of small card orders. I ran out of envelopes so made the cards but the poor customer had to wait. A silly thing to do as I'm always making cards - note to self; check stocks more regularly & make more stock in the winter so that when an order comes in during the height of the summer when you spend most of the time chasing your tail there will be less panic. A long note, but necessary.

I did make some bookmarks as part of the art group Aos (meaning 'a collective') for the book festival held in Portree. It was to be an edition of 5, one to be kept in Aos archives & 4 to give away if you put some money towards a local charity. I've never made an edition before! As you can see I had a 'card' background ready to go, added some gold paintstick ( I could wipe that over everything, it's delicious!) cut them into 5, laminated them, cut them & tied on bits of raffia & smokey blue wool . The laminating altho 'plastic' on an organic paper looked great, like a lovely shiny coat of acrylic wax. Quite sweet I thought.

I got them in to the post by the skin of my teeth to an extended deadline, with the DH helping me with labels, holding the floppy piece of laminate & forgetting to call the 'dil to be' on her birthday as all this was done 5 mins before going to work. Luckily the Eldest had the foresight to ring me (so I could speak to her). That's the problem with starting work at 1pm on one of my shifts, you can fit in so much before you go to work, (as long as you rope in the world & his wife to help).....why do I do this to myself? I was hoping to hear whether she'd got them, the chair of the group  who was taking them to the festival but I just found the email saying they were on their way hiding in drafts....!

Can't get any links going - google won't open them, sorry ;(

Last week & the week before I decided to be inspired by & support, of course, a jeweler Jilly Langton, from Plockton & a photograper friend Ken Bryan who set up in Broadford , down the road, years ago, both showing at 'my' gallery in Plockton. I went with my textile buddy who makes jewellery  to see Gilly, beautiful chunky silver pieces with her trademark fisherman's elastic & silver pieces.

She makes cards, above & sometimes collage & always adds a 'lump' of silver & I got this as it was that anniversary ;) I'll hopefully get to do a w/s with her in the late Autumn.

With my potter buddy Patricia Shone (the kind one who lent me the calico backdrops for my show) I saw Ken's lovely work, pale, ethereal & so gentle.

 
Do try & go to these peeps sites as they all make wonderful work. In fact Gilly & Patricia were both invited to a huge show in Philadelphia & New York last year.

I might take my first official blogging break next week. I've found all the extras this summer a little exhausting to say the least but I do want to make some more work for my exhibition, possibly my last so I want to make it a good one.  I've just decided to be realistic & to try to retain a modicum of  dignity by not being too desperate, that is, desperate to 'make a living' from my work.  I'll always be an artist/maker, no question, I just won't kill myself doing it, by having to get a show together. I will just ride it out along with everyone else.

See you soon!