Hello Darlings

How are you all? Hoping you all are well, and in fine arty fettle. I am doing well, but I do find the extra work of the new studio being built and the preparations of the classes I will be offering in September not daunting, but there is a certain amount of anxiety shall we say. I think it has more to do with the swapping over of business and the fear of it not working, which is of course totally rubbish. That with the fact that I have given myself two year for this transformation  process, is so cautious it is untrue. Fear is a natural human condition and a very good one, or we would end up doing considerably more stupid things, than us humans already manage. I think it's just, I provide everything for my family and myself, being very happily divorced and my babies depend on me to get it right,....so  no pressure. I know everything is going to be just fine, and dare I say it, even better than I can imagine. Faith is what is require here, faith in me.

Now onto some art, yippee.  I am happily still working on life book, and every time I create a new page I need to trim a strip of paper off the edge. Being me I can not just throw this out as rubbish, but I put it with other things that just haven't found a new life yet. Well I found them a job! They have teamed up with some old and empty cotton thread spools.

Like I said, old empty spool.

Of course, these come in various sizes, you should see what I am doing now, but you can't. You will have to wait until next week. Suffice to say the electricians are in at the present and you should see the things they throw away!

I spray painted  the spool black. But there are lots of colours out there.

I actually did this in the garage which is turning into the new studio, so this is the first piece of art to come out of there! How exciting is this.

Stitch the strips of paper together

Opps! Forgot to take picture of strips in progress, but I will tell you what I did. I took several of the strips and joined them together with glue. I then painted them, with kooh-I Noor dyes in greens and blues, which I have to say I am a little obsessed with at present. Then I added decoupage, stamping, and mark making with whatever I could find. Next I added stitch detail, by running it through the machine a few times changing the stitches as I go.

Join the two together

I attached the strip to the spool with double sided tape, and made two end caps, just by drawing around the spool and decorating it. These where glued on using Gel Medium. I think there is a lot of potential for these,... watch this space.

Onto other things.I have been working with Crafty Dolly Birds on journaling these passed few months, and the next time I see them we will be exploring, incorporating flaps and pockets into our journals. I love making my journals more interactive. It adds so much more interest and it makes me smile.

I started off with a small, 7 x 5 inch water colour spiral bound book. with twelve pages. Removed some of the pages to create the pockets and flaps.

Now this book has eight page with all sorts of interactive flaps and folds.

Add paint, greens,

and blues again!

Start on the pockets. Now I couldn't really stitch this pocket to the page, as I can not get the sewing machine that close, so stitch the pocket on its own, so you get the stitch detail, then glue it to the page.

Well that will have to do for now. I will continue with this journal next week for you. I will post a day early this week as a treat, and to make up for the fact I have been late the past couple of weeks.  I have created my own web site this week, which I need to provide a link for, this I am failing to manage, but I will do it! Technical support, seventeen year old son, has discovered girls! If asking nicely still doesn't work I shall have to tie him to a chair and deny him food until the link is created!

www.artefactory.org

I will be having an Artefactory Open Studio, 13th and 14th of July 2013. The full address will be on the web site nearer the time, and when I have worked out how to do the map! But I am in York, North Yorkshire, UK.  So that gives you and idea of where I am.

Oddles of arty lovikins to you all.

New Artefact web site,..... I hope!

Yes my little darlings I have at last got a web site, which I am doing myself, so it is still under construction, but it is a start. Now I have published, but it may take a while for you to find it apparently. By next week I hope to have created a link, oooooow listen to me!

http://artefactoryorg.ipage.com/Home/

See you on Wednesday. xxxxx

Late Again!!!

Oh well, there you have it folks. There are just not enough hours in the day for me at present. Actually that is a lie, there are too many hours in the day at the moment, and I am wondering around huffing and puffing and unable to settle at anything. Also this week is half term so I am knee deep in children. I am still drawing faces with gay abandon and enjoying it. Life book is another week older with a fabulous lesson with Jane Davenport which I just haven't done yet as I  am not in the mood, and I don't think you should do these things if you are not ready to do them, you wont give it your best.

This is Daisy, not finished!

Lots of changes going on for me at the present This year is going to be very exciting to say the least, but with that excitement comes fear and I think that has just unsettled me a little.  That coupled with a few pieces of bad news and I have been knocked off kilter, but It's OK, I will work though these feelings and come out of them so much stronger.

Another thing that's got me flustered, is I have started to design my Webb Site, well I must be really thick, they said this site is  "easy this" and "easy that", it absolute gibberish, I shall have to get technical support onto it, seventeen year old son, he speaks fluent gibberish.

I was teaching at the weekend, group of wonderful women, doodling in their journals,

What a talented group they are, I love them, and Chris is leaving and I am sad.

My unfinished (!) page for the Artefact book swap. My book is Suffragettes, this is a cover of the W.S.P.U, The Woman's Social and Political Union edited by C. Pankhurst. I will finish it tomorrow. I Will!

OK Sneaky Peeky Time

Plasterboard and insulation arrive for my home teaching studio.

Never thought I could get so excited about plaster board, but I am. Waited in all day for this to arrive, I will not name and same, but why are they never on time? Waiting is not one of my favorite occupations, probably whats got me all up set!!! Pathetic I know. I will go and cuddle my Gelly cats and Fairy Art Mummy.

MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL

What is going on?

No sooner do I get over one cold then another one comes along and thumps me between the eyes. I have a feeling it was the same cold, lulls you into a false sense of security that it is going, then comes back and gets for a second time! Anyway I am fighting back.

Life book this week had a fabulous interview with Julie Balzer, which was great. No set piece of work to create so I took it upon myself to create a Love Bunny picture.  When I was feeling dreadful on Sunday I sat on the sofa with my bunny and my two jelly cats, which when feeling out of sorts I like to cuddle. Andrew was busy creating my new studio, so I couldn't cuddle him. My son was out and Maisie doesn't cuddle at the moment, fifteen.  The fire was roaring and I was watching Harry Potter on the TV.  My Fifteen year old daughter was really quite mean that I was sat cuddling my soft toys! Well I am very sorry but seven or forty seven cuddling is good for you. I truly believe the world would be a better place if we could cuddle each other more and have the courage to say we need to feel, and give love. So get out there folks and cuddle someone you love today. And if you can't find someone, get a soft bunny, cat dog or whatever and make you feel  better.  And as for Maisie, I happen to know that she has a soft fluffy dog with a hot water bottle in his tummy! Anyway the bunny painting is in recognition of my bunny and I will do a painting of my Jelly cats soon.

So cute.

I love Jelly cats

Bunny Love, not finished yet.

I have also join a class my the wonderful Jane Davenport, please check out her work, this is my first lesson, a page of faces.

This is the second lesson, paint circle which I will have to turn into faces.

Other pictures I have been doing this week are,

Daisy

Adding Paint

No name as yet.

but added some paint.

I have done my face a day book, but they are not painted yet so I will save them until next week.

Just a date for your diary, Friday  27th September, 2013, "Come for Coffee", it's for Macmillan. Not only will there be coffee and cakes for sale to raise funds for the fabulous Macmillan Nurses but both the studios will be open for you to look around and displays on some of my classes  will be available for you to look at and book if you wish too. Ten percent of all bookings taken that day will also go to Macmillan Nurses. There will also be opportunity to purchase original art from me and maybe others, will have to see, it is early days. I may hold this event over two days, but not sure yet, but  Friday is a dead cert, doors open 10 am until 4 pm. I hope to see you.

OK my wonderfuls, here is a big cuddle for you and extra snuggles for Valentines day. xxxxxx

A face a day.......,

....... for the rest of the year, can I do it? Well we shall find out.

Hello you wonderful people, sorry I am a day late, but life, work, children insist on getting in the way of art! After doing the art classes with Tam and various other things I am doing, I need to practice my drawing, painting and shading of faces, so I have set myself a challenge of painting a face every day for the rest of this year!!!! I hope to use these small pieces of art as a spring board for larger canvases, which I hope to decorate my new studio with for the opening this September. More on that later! So lets see the faces.

1st of February

Second

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

Other things I have been doing this week, quite a bit of Journaling.

For the style of journal check out Teesha Moores 16 page journal on u tube. Mine is same lay out but smaller.

This is a new journal I have just sprayed with Dylusions new colours which are fabulous. The depth and intensity is wonderful. This book is hinged on both side with signatures stitched on both sides so you can "lace" the pages, as it were. I will show you more when I journal the pages as it will be easier for you to see.

Front

Back

And of course I am doing Life Book 2013 which is just the best! I am so enjoying this.

Drawing a full body and stenciling a background. Whilst creating this piece I blotted the work with paper which produces wonderful pieces for yet more journaling.

Wonderful

Please check out 21 Secret button at top of this posting if you are interested in journaling course which starts in April. Love to you all, xxxx