Another lovely week & I'm on Holiday!

Another beautiful week has just gone by, with a little bit of rain here & there otherwise lovely blue skys. Still no more Swallows but lots of Cuckoos. I've even managed to sew some broad beans & altho they'll be late I'll still have some ;) I was givena couple of tiny spare tomato & mange tout plants & found some self seeded rocket from last yr so the greenhouse is filling up (!)


We had  friends staying for a few days, their first visit here. Old friends, - we've known them since '76 as we were all in Oxford, the DH earlier as he went to school  with him. I knew him & therefore her when he was in a band; she & I  were long term groupies,  I guess we still are! Having friends up gives us the opportunity to be 'tourists' so we did the boat trip thing over to Loch Coruisk which is set in the Cuillin Hills.

On a creative note I was worried that as it was 4 days of talking eating making merry & travelling about the place, I wouldn't have time to make anything this week, but of course there's no reason why I couldn't produce a few photographs, mount them & put them in the studio, I've done it before! so the first 4 pics are my chosen ones, the rest are pics of the trip but don't feel you have to stay till the bitter end!

Arriving at Elgol Pier

 



You get to see the seals (Common Seal) on the way, last time we saw a Sea eagle & you get great banter from the Captain. We've always done the trip where you get dropped off for 1 1/2 hrs, run round a bit, eat a quick picnic & then hop back on the boat for a delicious hot chocolate & a bumpy (because the wind's picked up!) ride back to the pier.

You also see Cormorants

& islands; Eigg & Rum

Here's Eigg again viewed over what we call the vanishing pool, the river flowing from the lock into the sea.

This time we decided to walk round the lock, warning our friends who don't do a lot of walking that it would take about 5 hrs, they said fine......This is the start.

Intriguing rock fromation 1/4 way round & more of the hills coming into view

Reflections

Sundew & Violets

the odd sculpture

Half way round looking back

 Looking  up into the sun

Tam loving it!

 Arty rocks

 Last but not least, while the boys reminised over loud music each evening, mainly the favoured Motown we girls stitched our tapestries. I hadn't done mine in years, but it's actually where I started, way back when, thanks to my mum teaching me the stitches.

I may yet do some more ;)

What a beautiful week!

We've had sunshine with showers, I got laundry dry in between them ;) sunshine with hail, with stunning rainbows & sunshine in a cloud free sky. No more swallows to be seen, it's still Baltic! Where do they go while they wait?

Spent some more time in the garden which is why I didn't get as far as I'd hoped with my collage

I was inspired to do a couple of these to replace the last 2 similar ones (scroll a 3rd of the way down) which have gone off to the Elgol Shop along with a small card order. Elgol is at the beautiful end of another peninsula on Skye. I'll add some beads & possibly some hand stitching after work tomorrow. Strips of recycled fabric, velvet heart & a tiny piece of matching  painted paper. I wish I'd printed that fabric, too. (I miss that dress!)

While looking for the golden orange velvet for the heart above I came aross a piece of velvet about 2' square covered in beautiful flowers & I thought perfect. So I stitched round the petals, cut it out & applied it to the 2nd background of strips. I'll add a bit more to the bottom along with some beads. They're only about 4" x 7" but I like the approachable size.

I've had a better week in the studio, nice when customers appreciate your work enough to take it away with them. I also sold a little purse so got as far as making some fabric along the above collage lines while I was about it.

Hopefully I'll be able to make a button out of the trimmed bits & maybe a brooch & an earing out of the corners when I  cut them off;) Hope you're all well, I haven't managed to get around as much as I'd hoped ....but I will be back!

A lovely night out

Just been to see 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the elderly & beautiful ) That's what I'm going to be from now on, old & beautiful! It was a fabulous film, my textile arty buddy Jo suggested it - she's actualy been to Jaipur but I felt as tho I had been tonight. See it if you can ;)

Finished my collage, hope my customer likes it! Thanks for the 'love' word suggestions.

A 'beige' (!) brooch to match, a corner left from the heart. The origonal collages from early last year were inspired by Ruth Rae if you remember.

I wanted to start on a hanging based on a flower, no surprise there, inspired by a flower I made in a class given by Diedre Nelson a few moons ago. But due to the upheaval of moving things around to make a second B&B room I couldn't find it. I'll let you know if I do ;) The link is an old blog post on flowers in a hosital....probably similar to her class then. This is a quick sketch I made last year (it would have been quick as it's on receipt paper....from work  shhh ;)

It's going to be quite big, 3 or so feet long, anyway.....I think. I want to make the elements in parts & bring them all together as one, just like she who inspires me Beryl Taylor who wrote Mixed Media Explorations. Wish I'd been to Egypt! I've got a way to go, I think, this is all I managed!

I've decided I need to make 6 or 7 petaled flowers from now on, Clematis, say. It looks like a starfish with barnacles!!! The pre dyed cloth came from an inspiration pack I think & the cerise colored silky feel fabric, good old charity shop stuff. So I still like the color combination. A sample for sure ;)

I've got a few hours gardening time in this week (oops, given away my secret!) I heard my first Skylark, unmistakable & even saw my first swallow this year. Unbelievable, but all so promising ;) Nothing like a little sun on your face.

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 lingering lurgy

or too much on my plate? I don't know but the result is not a lot to show for my week ;(  I guess we did have our first two room B&B - lots of prep ( tidying away stuff that should have been done earlier) & I did have a craft fair to get ready for, it was only a small one but it's got to look good still. It went ok, well, 3 cards, miserable weather & lots of families out for the egg hunt. But you've got to try.  I didn't do any demonstrating as my buddies dog had been up all night ill.  Wonderful setting on the green outside Rag Tag tho, so I didn't feel despondent, I felt I'd done my bit, i love the atmosphere. I do what I do & I enjoy it & I guess it's a question of getting it to the right market. I was asked by a customer would I take a workshop in Uist, the Outer Hebredies, so that was good....would I ?!

welcome to my new follower by the way, if you comment I'll visit but I can't see a link ;)

 my little treat -  £4 from Rag Tags 'second chance rail' How could I not? These are the color of my bridesmade dress from nearly 25 yrs ago, still love it, along with the turquoise that i also had in very small doses. To avoid the veiny look I lay on the floor & took this, very good for the abs, too;) My family think I'm completely mad but there's a certain freedom in that...

One of the stalls was lovely knits & tweed & tartan by Alison (sorry, don't know her last name!) who I regularly meet at craft fairs & I was picking her brain. I've been asked to make some tartan cards to add to the range I supply to Isle of Skye Candles, wonderful smelling shop & they've just won  best new Scottish company at the Scottish Variety Awards, brilliant ;) I think this kind of tartan  is what they're thinking of, traditional, classic. But how to interpret  it in my style?   Then I found this what I would call  creative tartan (scroll down a bit in the link).  Wonderful!

It's got me thinking, I love Maryanne Pollock's work, from what I can find it's her old work - we all move on I guess. I also saw somewhere quite thick paint laid down, lots of colors & then scored thru with a comb & then again at right angles - I think it's in the above link. I'll do some of that, but given the time I had I tried this above. With the idea of cropping to this below. Or something....

It needs a lot of work. The colors were a bit shocking but they're growing on me, hah! One of the books I borrowed from Lesley was Jan Beany & Jean Littlejons exploring color books - purple & yellow...(it worked for them!) So I went for it & added orange...

the Middlest was horrified & told me to go back to my blues & greens!

 

for example

 

I had fun....! & I will work out some traditional ideas too ;)

Happy Easter!

A snotty week

 
It's my turn to complain about a cold/bug this week. I sometimes think I'm allergic to ripping fabrics & I spend  time stitching away trying to stop a runny nose ;( But this week it turned into feeling grotty altho I only had a gravelly voice for a couple of days ;) Extra tired & extra lethargic but I feel better now. Bit behind on things but with an excuse! Before I didn't feel like it we had our first kayak of the season. It looked a little like this

 I confess I took this last year, sunny but misty at the same time & totally calm.  I didn't take my camera this time,  it was 8.50 in the am for heavens sake! Glad I seized the opportunity, tho, well, the DH made me! (I'm grateful!)

Got my books to the art group 'Aos' meeting & I am on the committee it seems!  I've volenteered to be one of the studios to visit over the summer......a little bit of tidying to do! Made sure I wasn't the first, tho. What shall we do for the visit, to keep people interested in the studio, I wonder? Hmmm. We're also looking out for a place to have a 'pop up' exhibition, a new phrase to me. There was an idea to use an Estate Agents window, the 'shop' is bing sold, so sadly they didn't want any art cluttering it up . Good idea to try to find an end of lease place, or something.

There are 5 on the committee so far, me & these others, just for your interest!  - Caroline Dear, photographer. Emma Noble, printmaker  Margaret Fergusson mixed media. Couldn't find many images for Margaret but I did a Cyanotype w/s with her a few years ago. & Lesley Linley, watercolorist. Quite a diverse group, we'll see what opportunities we can make happen.

As I said, didn't feel like doing anything this week but as I've got a table with my arty buddy Jo at a 'Fayre & Square' next week on Good Friday I thought I'd better russtle something up. It's being run by NTS & Rag Tag n Textile in Balmacara Square. It'll be an eclectic mix of things, I think. I'll be doing an hour demo of textile bits & pieces which will hopefully encourage people to do the future w/s with me there.


So I decided I felt like cushions, covers for the blanks I bought a couple of weeks ago.
 The youngest said it was very neat for me & I think it's a little pale, well, I still feel a bit pale!

 I didn't want anything too strenuous so rummaged around in various drawers & found some silk painted fabric, added a bit more color & stamped using my wonderful Indian block. This is about 4" square., the cushion 14", or it will be ;) It's got gentle gold stitching & the evening sun shows up the stitching ruching but it looks pretty even! I bondawebbed it in place before I stitched. I've learnt my lesson. I may do some hand stitching during earth hour (as long as it doesn't interupt Casualty....I know I'm a sucker for a hospital drama!) Oh, it is earth hour here, I'd better finish up!

The above is something I used to make cards from a while ago, strips stiched, cut, turned & stitched cut & turned again a couple more times. I meandered about with my faithful gold metallic adding bits & pieces from a bits bowl - organza, velvet & silky pieces. Again I may add some hand stitchng & possibly beads if I can see ok. I'm no good with piping round the outside, oh what can I add to stop the denim looking too, well, denimey?!

I'll try to get more made in the week but the boys are home for the holidays which is lovely & B&B is hotting up too - we have our first 2 room booking in the week. I will get round to making a bed quilt for the 2nd rm...one day ;)

Another week flown by

I've spent most of it finishing off my samples for the various workshops I'm writing/giving - I'll put a sneak peak up next time ;) Then I've been dithering, then I made or started to make a couple more books.

 Actually I've also wasted time (but greatly enjpyed) oohing & ahhing over artists books all over the net. An art group called Aos, pronounced 'eusse' which is Gaelic for a 'collective' of arty or poeticy people, is re starting up & at the AGM it's been suggested to bring along a couple of 'Artists Books' & I think that's what i'm making....ish, so it gets you thinking & distracted.


I spent this morning helping to dig holes for 6 apple trees, 2 1/2 hrs, nearly killed me! I left them planting some currants & raspberries, in the Community Croft Garden.

It's crooked, very disapointing, that's the pic & the middle bit...oh well.

To cap it all I'm doing a fundraising drive tonight getting people to their meals, so this is an ultra speedy visit!

Back soon to read up on you guys ;)