I am back and the laptop is much better!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I have been beset with difficulties. Building work at the studio, so much dust! Problems with work, I got a cold..., poor me, and to cap it all the laptop got a virus. It felt like everything was conspiring against me!!!!!! Well thankfully things are on the mend.
I must take this opportunity to thank my gorgeous boy for sorting out the laptop for me, he is such a star and I am so very proud of him.

Thank you Corrin. xxxx

Other news we have just celebrated Halloween and Andrew put on yet another fabulous display. It takes him all day to set the out door thing up then it is operational for about an three hours then everything has to be dismantlement! I think he is crazy, but that's why I love him.

That's not Andrew but Boris.

Maisie and friends went trick or treating as creatures from Minecraft! Whatever that is!

Well done to Maisie as she paint all four of those heads, took her hour. I do hope her friends appreciated her hard work.

You may or may not know but a group I was associated with, The Crafty Dolly Birds has disbanded, but like the phoenix from the ashes a new group has emerged. Still very crafty but more mixed media now, with arty fingers in  a lot more pies. The group is called Ephemera etc..... We meet at my studio once a month and play with stufffff! I believe i speak for the group when I say we have the best of times. 

Here is the Ephemerist making journals using pamphlet stitch.

Next month we are making Star Books.

We have had just two meetings to date and on the first meeting a challenge was set to create a lunch box in keeping with my house!

Come and visit the Ephemera etc blog at the address below
http://joannemwilson.wordpress.com/

Here is what I created,

Car boot find, for £1, old battered case.

Remade the corner with fabric and gel medium.

Polished and decorated the exterior.

Made tray for the interior.

Lunch time requisites, gin bottle, folding cup, aspirin tin, knife rest, candle stick, knife and fork...and of course a napkin ring.

Lower tray,sandwich box, plate and napkin, cork screw salt and paper!

Complete with a book of Wordsworth.

Last week I had an impromptu couple of days off from my work a day job. So I took this opportunity to clean up my work room up stairs. Not finished as Andrew kindly built me some more shelves which I need to paint.

Only a small room but stuffed to the gunnels!

Many a happy hour spent in this window.

New book case, Thank you Andrew. x

I am NOT a hoarder.

OK I am off to do boring paper work, cuddle me!

I love my boy, He went on a crusade and battled bugs, I will post tomorrow. x

I do not know what is going on with my blog, but I am unable to post anything unless it is typed in the title space! I will try and sort it out.

Treading Water

Hello everyone, how are you? Things are very busy here with very little to show for it , it seems at the moment, but I am sure it will all come together. Had to put together five pieces for my application for next years York Open Studio, these are the items I sent in , so wish me luck,  because that's what it seems it is all down to!                                                                                                                                                      

Hand painted journals

Hand painted primitive dolls

Collage on board

another collage

Domino jewelry 

Now we have to sit back and see what happens.

Really into junk journalling at the moment, be it will pre-printed papers or literally junk! Packaging, junk mail all sorts really,

An old book.......

gutted!

Strengthen the spin with fabric glued in place.

Cover in pretty paper.

Inside and out.

Make a heap of signatures...

And stitch them into your cover.

Need to decorate the front now.

Friday the 27th of September, I am having a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan cancer support, 9.30 am until 12 noon. There will be Tea, Coffee and Cake for sale. So if you are in the area and can spare the time and a little cash for this wonderful organisation we would be delighted to see you. I am afraid  my studios will  not be open at this times.

113 days to Christmas!

Just thought I would share that with you! I am back sorry it has all been so sporadic, but life can be like that. I  have been so busy what with earning a living and the building work, not to mention two adorable puppies! They are adorable, but heaps of work.

Oscar and Hector, helping with the new build.

Art wise I have been quite busy, but lots of unfinished projects at present. This is not due to boredom more to do with the drying process!

I have been doing a lot of surface treatments. This is mainly done with acrylic paint, over boxes, books and just about anything else I could find to play with. First I glued on cardboard cut out cogs and glossy accent "rivets" the painted it black..., then brown, and so on.

You maybe be able to see the effect better on this piece. This was a kiddies board book that got the same treatment.

More Mermaids. Mermaid Circus One with Teesha and Jane has now finished, they have started another one, but I didn't wish to do it again at the present as there are not enough hours in the day. However I did do a few more mermaids.

This one is for life book, complete with mermaid.

Now onto something else, an altered book, made into a journal. Now this journal will be made using 12 by 12 decorative papers. There are so many ways of altering books and this is just one. This is made with the intention to write in it and collect day to day memories and thoughts.

First take a book and gut it!

At this point I photocopied it as it had some nice end papers which couldn't be removed.

Strengthen the spine with fabric and glue as I will be stitching into this.

Gave the book new end papers, which  I stitched a pockets onto the left hand side before gluing down.

Stitch in six signatures.

This book is full of pockets and flaps, and lots of areas to journal your socks off.


Now onto the new studio and building work. Had some changes of plans on this as we were supposed to be putting in the new toilet. Had to postpone that, but don't worry ladies I have plenty of buckets! The change of plan was down to some security issues, so the side of the house, which is the entrance to the teaching studio had to be changed, from this.....

To this!

A shame in some ways, but it had to be done, and it makes for more space to create art!

Just in the process of applying for York Open Studio for 2014, see what happens. Oh yes and there is a new family member....,

meet Edgar Allen Crow.

Isn't he handsome, Andrew bought him at a car boot sale a few weeks ago. I forgot to tell my sister, who isn't good with birds and she nearly had a fit when puppy sitting for me so we could go to Beamish in peace! So Sorry Tilly. x

The woman in black

Hello, there I was walking around the car boot last Saturday, when on the grass I saw two nicely painted eyes looking back at me. No head, no body, just the eyes. So taken by these that I looked all though the vendor's stall to see if there was any more of this painting. Sure enough there was. I asked the gentleman the cost of said picture and he stated £1.00! So I bought the poor woman to see what I could do with her. If nothing else she could go in an ephemera swap, at least three in her current condition! She, as you can see was in a bad way and the paper and card very fragile.

So I glued her back together, not the best picture fixing I have ever done, but each time you moved any part of it more fell off so it was a case of just doing the best and living with the result, and here she is....

I was particularly drawn to the picture as there was a tiny photo of the woman glued to the top left hand side of the picture, which the artist had used to create the painting, not seen that before. Also on the back there are some prompt for colouring, hair black, eyes blue, not much colour, and some thing I can't read, plus a number 85826 and a sort of monogram or it could just be a scribble, who knows, but I like her.

Photograph of woman, top left hand side of painting.

not sure if that is a signature or just a scribble!

Glued together and a copy taken.

looks at home in the front parlor.

See you all soon. x

last blog for a few weeks, I will be on holiday!

...and I can not wait,  I so need a holiday this year. I knew 2013 was going to be a busy year but boy!!!! And it has gone so quick. How is your year going? Well  it maybe very busy, but great fun. Just getting back into the studio mode. I do find it hard to swap between Open Studio, and then getting back into arting every day.

This bag of goodies was given to me from a lady up the road as she knew my studio and some of the things I do. She  hoped these items would come in useful for me and my students, how very kind.

Bought this cute fox book at the car boot, feel an art journal coming on.

Gesso the front cover.

At last doing some Life Book work. So pleased to get back to it.

Car boot finds last week, The big white roll are large self adhesive stickers. I think they will work great with the big shot so making my own stickers. Colour them with distress ink

And now for puppies news. They had their first trip to the vets last Saturday for their first injection and a check up. Both in excellent health and very well behaved. Hector was fine, but Oscar was a little under the weather for a few hours.

Hector and Oscar both enjoy large plant pots of soil still.

And watching the car flap, and indeed using it.

Resting still a favorite

arrrh!