Monday 22 March 2010

New doll by Jill Maas

Jill Mass's dolls are fun and quirky and this one has me in stitches. Her name is Maggie and she is a wannabee angel, trying out her wings for the first time. Note her stripey socks but I'm not sure where they come from, maybe you can take something with you for future use?

She is just what I need to bring me out of the doldrums (no pun intended) because the last two weeks have been rubbish. With Bert in hospital and only two months to live, I became mega stressed and then I fell in the street outside my house, banging my face on the edge of the kerb and pushing my two front upper teeth into my mouth. I pushed them back but I have to wait now for 4 weeks to see if I have severed the nerves and they go black. It has been quite painful, and stressful finding things to eat that did not involve teeth - like soup - I'm really bored with that; and jelly - up a tree with that.

So, as I can't go to the market, I'm taking time to be creative and hence Maggie, my saviour.

Thursday 4 March 2010

Zentangles

Here are some of the zentangles I have been working on since Christmas. Although I didn't start out with a definite theme in mind they all seem to evolve into sea forms. The one on the left reminds me of a ship being tossed by waves onto the beach below, the others look like moluscs and a sea horse. The only one I cannot identify is the one on the right which is a free form; I was trying out new fillings and quite like the flow of this one. I have also done heart shaped flowers and leaves that lend themselves to wierd and wonderful fillings.

I started out filling in every inch of space on the pages with fillings, but over the months, my preferences have developed into separating these out and using white space more. I think this enhances the beauty of the different fillings.

Whilst I have favourites, I try to incorporate at least one new filling with each picture, that way I can develop, but there are one or two fillings I just cannot get to grips with. I need more tuition for these.

If you want to know more go to the Zentangle website and look at the newsletters for instructions on the fillings. It seems to be a growing interest in the USA and I've noted it growing slowly in the UK too.

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Enchanted

This week's challenge was Enchanted. I had puzzled over this one for a while thinking 'fairies' but having no stamps or pictures nothing came to mind.  However when I did a search on microsoft clipart I saw this picture and decided that was it. Then the question - how to use it?

So I made a book bag for my granddaughter's birthday. She loves to write and draw and be able to keep her journals away from prying eyes, so a book bag is the ideal present. It is printed onto cotton and quilted (sort of) then beaded. A wide tape was used to enclose the raw edges and make the strap.

Now all I have to do is make the journal and for that I shall have to update my stamps to include fairies. I hope she will be as 'enchanted' with this bookbag as I was making it.

Monday 1 March 2010

Nothing to show

Today I have nothing to show you because I spent last weekend with my mother in Cheshire to celebrate her 88th birthday. I hope I'm as active and in charge of all my faculties when I'm that age (always supposing I reach it!) as she is. My sister Madeleine and BILs met up and we took Mum to the local restaurant for a meal which unfortunately turned out to be a disaster. Our food was almost inedible, cold and at least one of us was served late at each course. How can you spoil an omelette? well, we found out the hard way.

However, not a total loss as we headed home and spent the afternoon and evening playing Monopoly and Tom lost bigtime. As he always wins, it was hard for him to take as we all laughed and commiserated with him.

It was a very poor market on Thursday, no orders for me, but the lady who makes cards in the next bay to me, did well for the first time this year. So I took the opportunity to move my workshop from the outhouse (where it is so cold I ended up ill twice) to the small bedroom upstairs. I managed to give the furniture away and get my neighbour to help me move the work surface up and balance it on a small tressle table. Then I used my pasting table for a cutting out area. I didn't realise that this room was bigger than I had originally envisaged and I managed to move all I needed into it. I just need shelves, lots of shelves everywhere to house all the bits and pieces.

Then the outhouse can be fitted out with new walls, ceiling and door and made into a study - hopefully - and I can move my PC into there, leaving the dining area of the kitchen just for dining.