inactive...inspiration

Whilst the serious making is on hold for the time being, I thought I'd share with you some of my recent inspiration...Cloth•Paper•Scissors.

Probably not new to any mixed media artists out there and it wasn't new to me either but, whilst inactive & needing inspiration, I asked the mister to buy me the latest issue whilst he was out & about (the newsagent in the Town Hall car park in Skipton stocks a wealth of hard to get publications & a lot of them arty/creative).

Back he came with the Jan/Feb2012 issue & I swear I have never devoured a magazine quite so thoroughly & with such pleasure! I carried it around with me for the first week, dipping in & out of certain articles as they caught my fancy & trying out one of the tutorials...Word Birds by Ann Ellis.

I have wanted to try collage for a long, long time but seeing the amazing creations other people dream up, very much stopped me from trying it myself. Silly really but when I see collage and mixed media art I'm always struck by how free the artist must be to pull it all together so naturally...I was worried I wasn't 'free' enough & that anything I created would look forced. So, with the idea of filling a whole canvas being a monstrously daunting task, I hadn't bothered even trying.

Until I came across these birds! They were the absolute perfect size to break my teeth on...and so I just got stuck right in, drawing and cutting out 8 bird shapes and their wings [this is another problem I have...I can never just try 1, it had to be 8 *shakes head at self* ] & then pulling out tissue papers and the like ready to make. Now I will say that after gesso-ing all the shapes (I'd used old Graze boxes which are brown in colour & I didn't want this showing through) and pva-ing 6 of them & gluing on the torn tissue bits, I did start to think I was wasting my time.

You know that "what AM I doing feeling"? But I persevered & even dug out the paints for a couple of them. Once the wings were on I could start to see them come to life and quietly lost myself in the process for a couple of hours, playing with colours, sticking on embellishments & writing out little sayings.

Now, you can see that they are hugely influenced by Ann's own designs but I am so pleased with them - they were such fun to make that I'm having a crack at some of my own designs but using a similar method & hoping to use them in a different way. 

Well, I've become very sidetracked with telling my birdy story when what I intended to do was to tell you all about Cloth•Paper•Scissors *tsk* *tsk* Ms Ditsy!

I loved this issue & I think a lot of it was down to timing...the whole mixed media/collage slant plus my break from making-to-sell giving my creative mind time to think, ponder & stretch a little. Wanting to feed this stretching, I registered with the CPS site and my, oh my, there is SO much help & information & inspiration & wonderful free resources...and for all sorts of media. I urge you to take a look when you're next on the pc or your phone and having a little internet browse. You never know what it may spark off so remember...

x

Flickr group picks

Whilst browsing Flickr yesterday, I came across these delights posted within the groups I'm a member of and thought I'd share the joy...

Valentine's pouch by listen to the birds sing found on the Craft Blog UK group stream

Silver elephant brooch by The Beauty is in the Detail found on UK Handmade Magazine group pool

Lavendar by Cristina Papacu from the Cuteable group pool*

Beano stickers by Swirlyarts on the We Love Folksy.com pool

Green Hare Pincushion Ring by Wychbury from the Craft Soup pool

*if you've yet to discover Cuteable, then please, allow me to introduce you...click here for loveliness

x

Clear the cobwebs

Hello! 

So half term hols are over, boyo is back at school, the mister is back to work and I'm back to painting today.  But whilst the paintings dry, I thought I'd show you some photos from our walk with friends last week. We were having one of those "I NEED to get out of the house" moments, so arranged to meet a good friend and her children in Malham (we are very lucky to live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales) to do a circuit walk...taking in Janet's Foss and Gordale Scar.  Both are very beautiful but in such different ways. It was an overcast day which rapidly turned into a drizzly and very blustery day (I had the most special blow-over hair do [like a comb over only purely down to the wind plastering damp hair against my head] at the end of the walk but we certainly blew away the cobwebs :)

posing in the car park

the view over a drystone wall

the wall

looking skyward

very pretty but it looks seriously chilly in there *brrr*

close of the rock on our way to Janet's Foss...can you see the face in the rock behind?

Georgie takes the middle road & very pleased with himself he is too ;)

nearly there...that waterfall up ahead is Janet's Foss

here it is in all it's glory

Georgie goes in for a closer inspection

peepo!

the intrepid explorers head off to the waterfall at Gordale Scar...you can actually climb it!

in all it's twin waterfall glory...a truly majestic sight

this gorgeous fella was munching his lunch as we passed but he stopped to get a good look at us

x

Perfect

How's your weekend been? What have you been up to?

This weekend was George's weekend to go to his dads so Mr Bird and I made the most of grown up/no child time.

herbs in a planter in the garden...using iPhone apps

Yesterday involved a delicious ladies-what-lunch meal at the Copper Dragon Bistro...it's Mum's birthday on Monday (the big SIX FIVE & I'm sure she'll be delighted about me sharing that hahaha) as well as cousin Jo's birthday on the 20th. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, we Center Parcs* gals all got together for chats and food, pressie giving and celebrating. As usual, the food was totally perfect...there were so many oohs and ahhhs over the desserts, is was almost obscene!

some of the Center Parc lovelies

Back home, rugby watching, reading the papers on the sofa and then a bit of gentle persuasion (a swift kick) and the Mister and I set off out in the cold for a brisk walk to the train station. A short train ride & another brisk walk later and we were in The Narrow Boat in Skipton for some oh so tasty Mary Jane ale. Yum. A couple more in the Woolly Sheep in an ever so cosy corner, and we were ready for fodder. Cue a very tasty curry in Mastabs with great service & we were home & snooze bound. Perfect.

our cosy corner in The Woolly Sheep

Today has seen the longest lie in ever, a pampering bubble bath, playing about with iPhone photo apps, reading the Sunday mags, scoffing a Subway butty that Mr Bird brought home for me (thank you fella!) and some quality (and why? free) time up in my studio/work room.

A bit of painting and a super cheesy film were the perfect thing for this Sunday afternoon...Battle: Los Angeles (yes really) and a Puddle Jumping door plaque later and here I am, typing up my ramblings before I head downstairs for more food, a glass of wine and (hopefully) The Lincoln Lawyer & a sofa snuggle.

I hope your weekend has been exactly as you hoped it would be!
x

*every year, I go to Center Parcs with 7 other female rellies for a weekend of bubbly, bubbles (hot tub), catching up, chilling out and general stupidity...bloody brilliant!

Why?

Some days I walk into my little workroom, plonk down my cuppa, pull up a chair, switch on the laptop and then stop. And think "why?".

Why...

   am I sitting here alone?

   do I spend my time making things & photographing & listing & promoting?
   am I not reading my book, or a magazine or watching the telly?
   am I using up all of this time in the vain hope that my products will sell?
   am I not out walking in the countryside?
   am I not cracking on with household jobs & chores?
   am I not meeting up with a friend for coffee?
   am I sat here wondering why?

Away from my room I make great plans - I schedule time for emails/making orders/designing/researching/editing photos/listing/promoting. I draw up timetables and print them out. I scribble down flashes of inspiration on scrap paper. I get all jazzed up with enthusiasm and write copious notes and plans and ideas in my notebook.

And then I walk in here and this happens. All impetus abandons me...all my "yes, this is what I should be doing" goes *poof*...and all of my plans just seem kind of silly.

SO the question is...why am I unable to maintain the motivation and the excitement, and how do I rectify it?

To be continued...

x

Silent Sunday

Tuesday

it's been a funny old day here in the nest...it started off with a head massage* followed by a long natter with Mum -who had an appointment straight after me - and another stonking headache (result of the massage).

*due to years of abuse of my neck and shoulders...bad posture people, bad posture...I'm in a painful, stiff and creaky way at the moment. A month long headache (and muchly interupted sleep) led me to book a neck & shoulder massage with my friend Sue, which I then spoke about to another friend, Anna, who happens to a truly excellent osteopath. Cue appointment with Anna, an assessment and some 'deep tissue' manipulation and I have much improved movement...I can probably turn out of a junction in my motor now, without moving bodily to see in both directions. Today's massage was to keep on top of the situation and not let my muscles stiffen up too much...I will get this sorted!

Basically, I'm (you too perhaps?) terrible at looking after myself in that way. I'll happily fork out for good, healthy food, with happy chickens and organic produce here and there...I'll make sure my walk to school and back is a good old stomp to get my heart going...I'll have regular hair appointments etc but when it comes to something as simple as bad posture...tut tut tut. I sit at a keyboard and screen two days a week when in Management Accountant mode, and at a desk hunched over a drawing/some sewing etc when in Ditsy Bird mode, a slob on the sofa at the end of the night, or lounge against pillows when reading in bed = I rarely sit up straight = sooooo not good for me. I mean, Anna had to massage my front neck muscles - I didn't even know that was possible! I thought I'd got sore glands but no, sore (oh so sore) neck muscles. I know. Or rather, I didn't know.

For years I've been joking about how I could do with a full body MOT but had never actually thought about how I could go about that. You see, I've always seen massages as a bit of a luxury...more of a treat than a treatment. I now know better of course and will be having regular, preventative, ones going forward.

Hmm this wasn't intended to be a 'look after yourselves people, sit up straight, stretch and give those muscles a rub once in a while' post. But hey diddly ho ;)

Anyhoo...headache under control and finances addressed, I realised that the funds I'd hoped I'd be able to buy myself a beautiful, shiny, brand new DSLR no longer existed. Hmph.

But last night, whilst twitting on Twitter, I remembered some amazing photos a pal had posted using a special lense for his iPhone, no less! A quick chat later, and a bit of web browsing this aft on Photojojo's store, and I have ordered these and this in the hope, that they + the camera on my iPhone 4s will suffice for some fairly decent product shots...

I was sorely tempted by this but will have to see how the lenses go and perhaps invest at a later date. There are so many very cool things on the site, but I had to resist my 'by them all!!!!' urge - I will report back on how I fair with my lenses and tripod attacher doobery wotsit. Hurry post people...hurry!

That's it then really, we're right up to date and now I have to go get my delicious wee chap from Dodge Ball club.

here's a piccie of a card I made for a friends birthday...the Indian Leaf is a magnet :)

TTFN
x