Better Late than Never

Well I finally got it all done, the important bits anyway!
The panels have gone off today, so I'm hoping to get boxes full of twinkly lampshades back very soon.
The bike is still at the bike shop and the tie is still a piece of fabric, but Granny June enjoyed the photos.
Wedding was a great success and I feel rejuvinated having spent some quality time with my family, including a wonderful walk to Hathersage, through fields of cows and sheep on a glorious Autumn day.
I have high expectations of myself today, but I won't bore you with the detail this time!
Even got in a spot of Morris Dancing!

A Day in the Life Of.......

Today is quite a challenge for me so I'm writing about it in the hope that I might be more successful if it is documented!
I have a banging headache and am full of cold. The back to school nursery germs seemed to have taken a running jump at me and are well settled.
I've just dropped Stanley off after a bit of a morning struggle to get him dressed and am now looking at the total chaos in my studio. I have fits of tidying which lifts my spirits massively and then the messiness gradually creeps in. I was the tidiest little girl imaginable and then when I hit 13 it all went down hill. I remember once, my dad could only get his arm through the gap in my bedroom door (he was brilliant at bringing tea for the whole family every morning) because of all the clothes and stuff wedged against it! So here I am a good few years later and I can't fully open my studio door for all the screens and stuff wedged against it.
SO..... today I have all these shades to sew. I've been printing like mad and now I HAVE TO SEW them TODAY as we are off to Sheffield tomorrow for a family wedding. I have orders pending so this MUST be done.
Other things on my list: (Small writing so it doesn't look so long...)
Clear a space for my poor old Bernina so I can crack on with sewing
Make a tie for Stanley for the wedding
Pick up bike from Spitafiellds, needed new wheel after being rammed by a car (not a good day)
Get photos developed for Stanley's Gran
Pick up Stanley and then dry cleaning.
All by 3pm
It is now 10.47am
Wish me luck!

Can't Wait to See Mr Kapoor

We went to the Royal Academy yesterday, to see the final touches being put on Anish Kapoor's massive pile of silver balls in the central courtyard!!!!!
I can't wait to see the rest, I love his work and we even spotted him having a cup of tea between tweeks!
Stanley thought a monster was about to come out of the main room as we gazed into a heavily pigment dark hole.
Starts next week I think.

A great article in the Guardian http://www.anishkapoor.com/

"Not going in there mum!"

Just a Little Note....

Thank you to Sam at Inklore for her supernice inclusion of my inspiration post on her journal/blog. She makes beautiful eco conscious stuff and I love the block printing!

Bubbles, Potions and Splash Painting....

Splash Painting......

Bubble Pictures.....

Perfume Factory.......

Ah what fun we had! More on Flickr

Splash painting quickly moved onto hands and feet.

Bubble painting was the most fun, but like most things it wasn't the painting Stanley was interested in. I got this brilliant idea from a bit of this and a bit of that via The Crafty Crow

The Perfume factory was a romantic trip of sweet nostalgia on my part and it was a big mistake, well for me anyway, to add food colouring.

Tips for next time:

Don't just put the apron on child, adults are a direct target.

Don't use glass jars, they make a great clinking sound until they smash on the floor.

Expect a lot of mess in a very short space of time.

Party Party!

Some more little bags just arrived in my Shop

Black is Back

A big thank you to Sam at Inklore for including me in her weekly 'inspiration' post for printmakers. If you'd like to know a little about the background to my ABC print then please take a peek. Her stuff is just lovely too.
So while I'm on the subject of Alphabets, I had a customer order for an ABC in the blue/grey last week and managed to get a couple of black ones made up at the same time. One of them is likely to end up as a wedding present for some friends and the other should be in my shop tomorrow. The lovely dog prop is a supersoft cotton knit from Blabla, I just love their classic range and cushions.
I've also been playing around with little purses in off cuts of my Shapes and Things fabric as birthday season is approaching. Stanley is soon to be 4 as are quite a few of his little mates. These ones are for the girlies of course!

Back to Print

So today was a printing day, a full session at the studio, the first in almost 3 weeks!
ABCs and Shapes and Things mainly. Got some out in my lovely royalish blue....

Autumn Fair

A great way to get me started for my week back at work was the Autumn Fair at my local Abney Hall. You can read all about it here, and also have a good read of a great blog about Fionnuala aka Basil Exposition and her summertime in London. That sentence is way too long!