Back to painting

The studio prepared for painting…DH commented ”It looks like a scene from Dexter”.

I should have started with red paint.

Busy, busy…….

 

One 3,000 word essay to organise and submit

Two textile commissions

Three magazine articles

Two exhibitions in the next two months – posters, press releases, planning, finishing off (OK and creating too)

One web site to update

Numerous business emails to reply to (tick, finished that task today)

3 business meetings to attend this week

One painting course to finish

What I’m really trying to say is that I might not be around much in the next few weeks!

I’ll leave you with some pictures of Castlerigg taken last week.

The new copyright notices are because of Pinterest and similar sites. I think I need to tweak but the information is there for now.

OK, I’m off for a break - to cut the lawn wearing fleeces and ski gloves as its COLD out there! Oh and I forgot to have lunch!

Holidays

Hello!  You might be wondering where I’ve been after the show report?  
I’ve had a dreadful cold for 16 days now and feeling very sorry for myself.

I’ve carried on (as mothers have to) you can’t take to your bed in the school holidays, especially when you have booked three days away in the Lakes with your DS.

We had a wonderful time – lots of snuggling up watching TV in bed and eating chips by Derwent Water – where we sat huddled in fleeces, looking out across the lake at the snow on the hills and the sunlight making it all sparkle. 

It was magical.

Here are a few pictures, more to come.

These stones above are known as “Helen’s Stones” as I took an iconic picture here in…. let me think…. autumn 1989.  Gosh, really that long ago?

In that photograph the stones were partly submerged in the lake and I got one of the best photographs I’ve ever taken. 
It was also a special time in my life.  I worked for 12 months in Cumbria as part of my degree and I totally fell in love with the area (and the guy, who didn’t stay around long enough *sigh*).

Anyway I digress….. every time we visit here we HAVE to see if the stones are visible.  I’ve seen them (or not) totally submerged but I have never seen them this high and dry.

DS enjoyed the climbing wall and I learnt how to be an “anchor buddy”.  Great fun.

And here he is wearing the hat HE MADE HIMSELF!
Now, who’s a proud mummy???

ME!!!

Finally – this is where I’ve been over the Easter weekend, Friday at Alnwick (above), Saturday at Kelso and Monday at Norham.
Hunting out old linens and laces. 
I think I am enjoying the hunt as much as the dyeing and creating!

Fashion & Embroidery Show

What a fantastic week I’ve had.
We drove down on Tuesday (both cars), settled into the hotel and had a lovely meal in the restaurant.  Just the two of us for once in a long, long, time.

Wednesday was set up day, we arrived at 10am, found the stand and grabbed a coffee whilst we waited for the paint to dry (quite literally!)

By 11am we were hanging pictures and at 7pm, we finally finished.

Back again at 9.30am and the show was live!

The show was wonderful, I met so many lovely people, some who read the blog (hello!), some who have seen my work in Stitch and Quilting Arts magazines.

There are three magazines interested in featuring my work, a thread company to liaise with, I sold five pictures and lots of fabric packs and made lots of new contacts and had wonderful, wonderful feedback. 

I met up with internet friends and said hello to an old friend from school that I hadn’t seen for 26yrs.

Best thing of all – each day someone (and Thursday and Friday several people) came back at the end and told me that, having looked at everything, in their opinions I had the best stand at the show.

It gives you a lovely warm feeling inside!

So here you go – lots of photographs taken from all angles.

Postcards

New postcards for the show.

Fabric Banners

For the show there will be four main themes of colour, on the outside walls creams, inside there will be greys, “coast” colours and purples.

In each section will be a costume (or two), a tower (or two), framed pictures and fabric banners.

The banners are printed onto silk chiffon and are just under 50x200cm.
You have no idea how excited I am to have these as its something I have thought about for many years.

The clock is ticking

 

Less than two weeks now until the show.  I’m on stand ZH07, please come and say hello if you read the blog!

There will be four costumes, several towers (some never seen before – OK, if I’m honest some still to be stitched together) and numerous framed pictures.  All will be for sale (from £45), there will be postcards and fabric scrap packs (from £3.50).

Ice Halo

Seen last night about 10.30pm, what an amazing sight.

Paintings

As a break from the intensive fabric work I’ve been painting. 
Something very different from my other paintings, but why did I not do this years ago?

Why, why why?

Isn’t this colour work just “me”?

(Sorry for the slight blur)

And painting on fabric too, hoping I’ll be able to handle this again very soon so I can finish the embroidery and beading.

Nature

Doing what it does best…..

Producing wonderful art in my garden.

Did we skip Spring?

Whooo! today was 16 degrees (Celsius) and full sun.. SIXTEEN! 

yes SIXTEEN!

How wonderful is that?  The birds were singing, I grabbed the camera for the first time in weeks, I flung open both the studio doors and worked with
NO HEATING ON.

It felt good.

Which considering the disasters of yesterday* was a good move for my sanity.

Can you see that BLUE SKY behind Buddha?
Excuse the shouting – I am HAPPY!!  BLUE SKIES!!!  WHHOOOOOO!!!!!

I’ve been working on the third costume – below are crows flying in the sky.  This part is a quilted corset, I started the skirt too.  Next I’ll be getting into some painting with markals and stencils, more stitching and then beading, so just a few hundred hours of wonderful wonderful work…..

Whilst waiting for inspiration (or from tomorrow for paint to dry) I’ve been finishing other projects.

Now this is the modern embroiderers table;
Daylight lamp
Coffee
iPhone (checking emails / news / music)
iPad (rerun of House of Cards and lots of iTunes Uni videos to watch)
mini speaker
mouse with red ears
and Ikea soap dishes (prefect for beads)

Along with a collection of silks, lace, threads and beads.

What more does a girl need?

Outside in the garden I could finally see my plans starting to form;

This area has been cleared (note no caravan), the bricks and slabs have all been gathered from around the garden and are ready to create an area of hard standing and a border around the greenhouse.

This area will be fenced off soon – wait until you see the gates, they are fabulous.

The old hedge has been pulled out and the ground prepped.
New fence appearing soon.
Note feature rock (its a family joke).

And below – see how you can alter the picture with the aperture setting?

 

Maybe I should finally get the safety cladding off the electricity wires?

What’s that you say?  Snow, next week…
ah, maybe wait then.
Snow forecast for Monday….and Tuesday….. and Wednesday too.

Daisy your time might have arrived!

* yesterdays disasters (which will be hilarious next week)

1. Cracked two terracotta pots
2. Put away bottles, beer can jumps off shelf and explodes.
3.  Soaked in beer – strip off to my knickers and bra and put clothes directly into the washing machine.
4. Put slippers in bin – dripping with beer.
5. Woven wall hanging covered in beer – hope it will survive a hand wash
6. Sari from Dubai covered in beer – dry clean??
7. Wash down the floor, door, boxes, hoover, broom…
8. Wondering if Guinea Pigs will enjoy beer infused hay?
9.Open email and discover I have lost a bid for a commission.
10.Friends car has died so coffee is cancelled.
11. Toaster dies (great excuse to buy a snazzy purple one)
12. Switch on hoover – strong beer smell comes out!

House smelt of burnt toast and beer…
…. brings back memories of student days!

Beach walk

Today we were all ready for rugby at Berwick when a phone called informed us it was cancelled due to the cold weather.

As we were all layered up we decided to head to the beach for a walk (it was spectacular) and then to a friends for a cuppa.

Loved it.