GPPS Street Challenge No. 48 Been there, done that.

As soon as I saw this month's challenge from Michelle Ward for the GPPS Street Challenge I knew what I would do.  However actually getting some time to do it was another matter as it's been a busy month with time away from home at board meetings and conferences.  But I REALLY wanted to do it.  So yesterday, amidst packing the case for yet another conference (this time one I am running  for 2 days plus an optional retreat), I just got the paint, gel medium, stencils and pictures together and went for it!

This marks a really fun day I spent with daughter no.4 when she came home for Christmas part way through her year on placement with designers.  She was working for Lanvin in Paris but has a real interest in Yoji Yammamoto and Issey Miyake as well as Maison Martin Marjeila who all do very interesting things with shapes and fabrics.  There were two exhibitions we went to. One at the Royal Academy on Art, Fashion and Identity where we saw Alexander McQueen's famous red lace dress (sorry no photos could be taken!) and then on to the Barbican to see the Japansese Fashion exhibition.  Both were fantastic with lots to see, be inspired by and thought provoking.  In between the two exhibitions, we headed off to Dover Street Market and into the Rose Bakery for a spot of lunch - one of the their special quiches with salad and some delicious jasmine tea.  Best of all it was time spent with a lovely young woman who is full of creative ideas and who I love very much!

Just some info on what I did to the pages of my journal: I painted the two pages in acylic paint (one red and one black) and then stencilled over some white paint in places.  I made a pocket with red carpet tape, to put some more little photos from the brochure in, and secured the cut outs and pictures with gel medium.  Note to self - don't put gel medium all over the page if you want to write on it afterwards, which I did!!!  I tried to write with both a white and a black pen but  it didn't really work too well.  I think I will add some more journalling probably on other paper and stick it in unless anyone has any other thoughts?  Ok, must finish the packing and start concentrating on the day job!!

Thoughtful Friday no. 124

The journey to happiness involves finding the courage to go down into ourselves 

and take responsibility for what’s there: all of it.  

 Richard Rohr

A delighted Fluff-a-tier!

I had such a fun day recently at the Fluff-a-torium learning how to wet felt a picture and then add some needle punching for added effect.  I haven't done any wet felting for a while and it was great to get back into the swing, to choose from all the deliciously coloured wool tops and to come up with a design from nowhere and give it a go.  I chose to do a picture which included my 'word for the year' which is delight.  As you can see it became quite a flower affair!  Gill is a great teacher and provided great music for us to 'felt' by like The Gaton Project and the Kings of Convenience amongst many others.  Such a happy day. Thank you so much Gill!

Thoughtful Friday no. 123

."........When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms. When it is over, I don't want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument. I don't want to end up simply having visited this world." From the Poem "When Death Comes" by Mary Oliver

The Dabbler

Once upon a time there was a dabbler who liked to dabble in all sorts of crafty techniques and artistic endeavours.  One day, amidst many of her daily emails, there was something which caught her eye! It combined lots of things that she truly loved just at that moment - paper, canvas, paint, text, fun embellishments and a new thing - beeswax!  So she just had to give it a try - just have a little dabble in it to see how it felt and what she might come up with.  So some lovely people received these as gifts at Christmas

And one lovely lady had this for her birthday recently

Then a little dabbling with wrapping paper and ribbon sent the packages on their way

There'll be more dabbling for sure and maybe more dabbling with wax and canvas too!  

Thoughtful Friday no. 122

"The highest reward for a person's toil is 

not what they get for it, 

but what they become by it"

John Ruskin