Bear unfinished....

I've been spending my evenings on a little sewing project inspired by some incredible artists that use embroidery as their medium. They deserve a post all to themselves (and completely show up my efforts!) but go check out  Hiroko Kubota  , Stephanie K Clarke , Tara Badcock , Kimika Hara .....you will be amaze-balled (yes that is the proper term!)

Its a 10 inch embroidery hoop to give you some idea of scale and this shows the bear 8 hours in...at this point I'm wondering if I have bitten off more than I can chew.

I got some lovely cheers of support over on facebook and with it a second wind to carry on 

12 hours in....can you even tell the difference?

This is where I am at now...around 16 hours later...... and I'm actually liking him less with the more stitches that fill him in. Hmph.....

I'm leaving him for a while until the next step becomes clear......maybe he'll end up amongst the many other projects  that were started but never finished .... however that's ok...nothing is ever lost. I walk away from this with the firm understanding that I work way better when the outcome is achieved under 8 hours! And I have developed an even greater respect and awe at the embroidered works of art I have the fortune of stumbling upon. x

Love & Magic!

I'm kind of in love right now.... and the most JOY-full of that "love" feeling is that is doesn't need to make sense in the slightest..... Now there's an opening sentence :)

I've been wanting to make some animal heads for a long time now, but couldn't quite get MY head around the fact that fake/fabric or not I would be creating something based on the idea that a dead animal head was going on a wall.... ick!
That was until active imagination stepped in (hallelujah!), and suggested that in actual fact the head belongs to a very much alive and  magical  (of course!) animal , who peeps in from some sparkly realm bringing with it a magical quality to bestow on the home it finds itself in.
Well....Yes! When you put it like that I can TOTALLY jump on board that creative adventure!

So let me introduce to you the new obsession  love  in my life......my "forest friends"...... *sigh*
This is Bernadette, bestower of the magical quality FUN and playfulness...

 Little Doe......I really do love her..... and the magical quality of Innocence that she brings.

And Mumma Bear Mathilde...who's magic carries the qualities of nurturing and comfort.....

I have begun something I cannot stop...... Love indeed :)

xx

A birth of cushions!

I'm offski! Picture Dick Whittington heading off to London seeking his fortunes with a hanky on a stick and his cat, and you're half way there .... except it's a suitcase I carry and my mum for company!
I wanted to change up the vibes here even though my last post did end spectacularly on a HELL YEAH! (Which I must add...Thankyou so much for all the hell yeah hugs in reply! Made me smile  xx)
I'll also be away most of next week so consider this my blog post in advance.

I wanted to share the final items that are coming with me..the last of my "babies" which  have been gestating over the last 9 months!
They are all cushions...

and I have to say ALL my favourite (spoken like a true mother!).....

Fox!

You've seen the squirrel before.

Doe!

And big ol' Bear!

I'd done a little market research on facebook to determine whether "dangles" were a good idea or not.... in the end I reckoned  FUN  far outweighed practicality! I may however live to regret this as dangles are a pesky thing to sew...

Cuckoo!

Toadstool...

There's a red one too!

 And last but not least...Twin Peaks!

Hooray!

Finally they have made it out in to the world......I'm happy...so very happy indeed!x

Sharing...

I'm relishing the quiet that surrounds me right now, nothing but  birdsong...peaceful bliss!
I'm also finding it quite amusing that the first day we have had for weeks without sunshine meets the first day back to school! A gloomy day to match the kids' mood..how thoughtful of the weather :)

I thought I'd pop in and share the rest of the card designs I've created (some others can be seen here).

There have also been a couple of things that have popped into my inbox that I've thought "how great is that!"... and so wanted to share in case you may have missed them.

The first one is Andrea Schroeder's  "Lets give your dreams wings"  FREE e- course. Its a dip into the techniques and tips that she offers and is more than enough to get your dream up and on the road (and in a mere 10 minutes a day!). I've used Andrea's techniques for several years now and am a fully fledged member of her Creative Dream Circle. I love Andrea  and her work....some may find it a bit "out there", but if there is anything I have learned since starting this business journey of mine is.... growth requires doing the inner work, which for me was letting go of a crazy load of limiting beliefs and fears!

The next one on receiving, created the immediate response: "YES!.... How to write  the ultimate resume....
or ..... your "Really wild Bio"! I love the idea of a CV containing more than just the previous jobs worked/ qualifications gained... one that honours those moments and experiences in life that make you uniquely YOU, and highlight the unique and wonderful skills only YOU have! You can download a FREE copy that contains all the juicy ways to dig in and find out what your Wild Bio would contain here!
Seems so fitting at this time, when my eldest is at the stage of having to make subject choices at school , which to her feels like such a defining moment....I'm tempted to email the link to the school :)

So that's all I've got to share for now....all I have left to offer is a hug of the hairy variety...but I think that should suffice.... after all what better kind of hugs are there?! ;)x

A pleasant little interlude...

"Admiring from afar"

To counteract the feeling that everything I'm trying to put together is taking so long, it felt great to do a bit of tearing and gluing, painting and drawing, and end up with something to show for it...albeit  a bit teensy!

(A little jiggery pokery computery collage added to the mix!)

"Footprints"

I am really excited about showing you the goodies I almost have ready to launch into the world. But for now I offer you these little mixed media pieces. I love how they have turned out, especially the bear below..but you know I have a soft spot for these furry fellows!

"Friend..?!"

The tea bags even got involved in these ones...yet another excuse to pour a cup!

Hope you're all getting back into the swing of things again after the hols...did they even happen?! xx

Christmas Cards!

Hello lovelies! Can you believe it's November?

Hope you had a fun halloween...ours was suitably spent face deep in green jelly fishing for eyeballs and dooking for apples..oh and doing the Monster Mash of course!
Stu and I had a movie night watching World War Z...zombie apocalypse meets Brad Pitt and block buster..hmmmm interesting mix...though I'm such a light weight I did miss a lot of it hiding behind my hands.
Why do I put myself through it?!
Anyhoos just to change the subject completely, my christmas cards have returned from the printers and I can now show them to you! Insert little star jump *

"All is bright"

"Warmest wishes"

"Secret Santa"

"Winter Wonderland"

I'm really loving these little cards, my homage to to the festive season. I don't tend to dive right into the full Christmas shabang, but I do value the sentiment of love and togetherness this time of year brings, which hopefully is captured in these cards.

They are all available in my etsy shop if you are extremely organised!......

which I must add is where my christmas organisation stops.Damn!;)x

My first exhibition

Finally I have some photos to share! In the end I popped back to the gallery to take some to show you, as it turns out the ones mum had taken from the opening evening were more a sea of heads rather than pieces! (You'll see what I mean later) I'm afraid these aren't the greatest of photos but I hope you'll get the idea...

I have shared the embroidery part of  the pieces you see above and below before..here they are finished with a pencil sketch added. These pieces are the ones I love the most as I put a mammoth amount of effort and time into each one (plus actual blood on occasion!)  But they also hold every element of what I love ...contrasts, layers, colour and texture..and magic too! Inspired by the saying "coming out of the woodwork" my active imagination wandered to animals stepping out of wallpaper....I have fantastic bamboo patterned wallpaper in the bathroom, and while brushing my teeth often smile at the thought of a panda just casually sauntering out from behind the foliage! ...

"Peering through the patchwork"

"A kingly stance"

"Seeing is believing"

I've been sharing parts of the beach scene over on facebook...I created them with the idea that they all sit together to create the scene but are individual pieces....they make me smile..and keep me dreaming of summer! 

It's the most amazing feeling walking past a window and seeing your work looking out at you :)

There are 40 individual pieces of mine exhibiting, including some books and soft sculpture birds. You've seen some of the pieces before and I've saved a couple to show you another time. I have to add I have never seen my home so clutter free! 

Here are the heads I was on about! :) 

Despite  nerves, the opening evening was incredible. Its hard to put into words how whole heart-FULLY blessed it feels to have people take time out of their own busy lives to come along and support little old me. Actually makes me get a wee lump in my throat at the thought. And still the support continues with visits from dear facebook connections and sweet emails enquiring. Just incredible, and amazingly humbling. So so grateful indeed.

                              
What I also take away from this whole amazing experience (apart from the dodgy photo! ) is the realisation and celebration that I have achieved something  I once thought was impossible...so watch this space for the next " impossible dream" to come true ..yipee!
Thankyou all for sharing this adventure with me too.

Seeing is believing!

Silly me.....I have one whole photo taken from my debut exhibition!..so until I ransack my mum's camera (who was very proud and quite the opposite in frivolity of photo taking!) I thought I would share this piece and the stages of it.....

 

I've told you about my love of bears before..and I'd been hankering to create a piece with a brown beauty! My hankering is still unfinished...there will be more!...but this piece is one of my current favourites and is currently exhibiting.

The colours began quite differently from the finished piece....and unlike the way I begin most pieces, I drew a sketch first off , to see how the winged bear would fit....

Not liking the colours, I dripped and shlurped some tangerines, blues and turquoises...a different colour palette  from usual, but I was liking it more this time! Once happy with the background, after adding a cloud pattern using gesso and a hand cut stencil,  I went and bought some embroidery threads to match.

I embroidered the edges first , then began the 26 hour stitch-athon..squeezed into every moment of small child's back being turned!

Above we have 12 hours in ..this is the photo I shared and sneaky of, where I had you guessing who the wings belonged to!

15 hours above

Now I'm 21 hours in...oooh and getting so close ....

26 hours and finished. Hallelujah!

Next was the pencil sketch and a wee spray of artists matt varnish to seal.......and there you have it!

"Seeing is believing" on  8" x 16" boxed canvas.

As Gorgon Ramsay would say..."DONE!"