What a busy weekend

Now you can see what I've been up to this weekend whilst NOT making waistcoats! This pattern arrived last Thursday and I just had to make her, it's Coleen Babcock's latest pattern called 'Give us a kiss' and her mouth is all puckered up ready. I made it for a friend in the USA so I'm hoping she doesn't catch my blog before it arrives at her place. However I have been good today and made up a waistcoat and cut another before finishing the doll, so I'm on track, so to speak.

I would like to thank everyone for their really kind comments on my challenges, these are so welcome and appreciated.

Another challenge

Here is my latest challenge piece - a zentangle! The challenge word was FASHION and whilst doing a search I came across the title in the Times newspaper and I just had to use it! Then my copy of Cloth Paper Scissors came through the door with an article on Zentangles and my vision came together. So instead of cutting out waistcoats which I should have done, I watched TV and zentangled instead. I could get used to this type of art because there is no limit and no guidelines as such. I just watched a utube video for 7 minutes and away I went. I had no idea this was out there and that so many people were doing it. There is even challenges set up and some really beautiful artwork done. Next time I'll try it with a pen instead of a pencil (I thought I'd need to use a rubber but amazingly that was not needed).

Inspire Me Thursday challenge

I really started this challenge too late i.e. Wednesday afternoon (how late can you get???) so it's not quite what I wished to portray, but hey ho, must go with the muse.

As the inspiration was SPAIN, which to me means Salvador Dali, I based this picture loosely (how loose can you get) on his painting of 'Persistence of Memory' or the Melting Clocks. My picture has a runner racing the clock trying to catch a memory that has eluded him and hopefully a spanish looking background. I feel very much in tune with this runner as I'm always trying to remember what I should be doing next.

Woe, woe, thrice woe...

Woe is me, I've had so many orders since I last posted that there has been no time at all to do any challenges. However, today I have time and no excuse, so I'm getting down to it. I went through a really low time recently which did not help but that seems to have passed, plus a couple of visits from my sons were greatly appreciated.

I did complete this month's Stitched Textile challenge - Moths and the Moon - but I'm not showing it until end of the month. We also decided to pick up on the Cloth Paper Scissors challenge for an Earth Mother Art Doll, so I'm thinking about that too. My scrap club was cancelled yet again, so nothing there, in fact a rather boring month all told.

Watch this space...

Challenge

Funny how these things happen, but I now have completed both challenges this week which is something I have been unable to do for a long time. A chance remark by one of my family stopped me short and made me wonder why I take these challenges? Then I decided that it didn't matter what they thought; I got enjoyment from using the challenges to stimulate my creativity. So although the above is not as exciting as I would like it to be, I'm on the right track and will do better next time.

Ravena

Here is the finished article, and I've named her Ravena. She now has a nest to sit on and read her book. I was sorry when this course finished, it was a lot of fun and the processes were quite easy to master.

Bert is out of hospital now but still has his chemo to go through, and hopefully he'll be home soon.

My Christmas presents are coming along, and I have found loads of inspiration from websites, there are a lot of good ideas about for those little stocking presents.

Catchup

This last two months have been very difficult for me to get going. I am feeling very out of it and have lapsed on so many things...must be getting old!

However, I have been making Christmas presents which I cannot show, and taking part in a doll course from http://www.joggles.com/ making Cindee Moyer's Raven doll. Here is the penultimate product:

She still needs her nest which we will be making in tomorrow's lesson. This is a lovely doll and so unusual and I have brain meanderings about a Swan or Egret to complement her.

The Scrapclub was cancelled this month so I didn't get to use my new papers and will have to wait until next month - shame. And apart from making waistcoats I am doing a lot of decorating. Bert started painting my bedroom for something to do, and I made use of the bedding from the guest room as it matched the colours, which meant getting new for that room and then I spotted some lovely cushions so that meant decorating the Livingroom too, so I just have to bring the Kitchen up to date to have a clean and bright house again. I think that's where all my energy has gone these last few weeks.

I'll be blogging in earnest again now...honest!