Grandma's House

Hi Friend! Long time no see. I have been galavanting up and down this rock over Easter, visiting family an friends so please forgive the lack of blog posts. I have been feeling pretty uninspired to write or read blogs for a little while, but I recognised this as my need to have a break from it all. I have recharged the batteries (and watched all three seasons of Arrested Development on Netflix), and feel just about ready to share some of my travel stories.

First up - a Looooong overdue visit to my Grandma in Cambridge.
Most people call her Mrs G, Mother or Ellen. I have always called her Nanny. She is an absolute force of nature, strong like you can't believe in mind, body and spirit. Grew up in poverty in Hoxton, lived through the Blitz in East London. Had 5 children (two of which died in adulthood - one of which was my Dad). Took in countless waifs and strays over the years including my Mum, me and my sister when we fled my Dad's violence, alcoholism and adultery - she always supported us.
She lived with my very poorly Grandad until his death earlier this year, and he was not exactly an angel, more like a lovable rogue. She cared for him selflessly for years. She is an absolute inspiration, and this is only half of the story!

I took a few pitures around her house, to remind me of my visit and also as I have long been fascinated by her and want to document as much as possible.

I was so pleased to find her in high spirits. Full of love and laughter, generous as ever - and with a new spring in her step from her new found freedom. In her own words she is going to - live her life exactly the way she wants to. This will perhaps be the first time she has been able to do just that.

I feel incredibly lucky to have her in my life, and especially in my family.

Do you have any inspirational people in yours?

busy bee and giveaway preview

Hello you.
I feel like it has been ages since I blogged, I have had withdrawal symptoms. I have barely had time to read blogs never mind write one. I have been a busy bee.
I had a deadline to meet for Monday - art cards for Coastal Creatives...

I am such a huge fan of music of all types. Held within the lyrics of songs are many answers and touching sentiments, as well as profound and insightful words of wisdom.
If you have any song lyrics that could add to my collection please leave a comment, especially if you have a special song. I am taking commissions privately and through Coastal Creatives for my lyric pieces. Art cards are £8 and canvases are £40.

A really exciting first for my partnership with Coastal...a piece on canvas...

...here's some detail.

I love this song, and it has a deep spiritual meaning for me and has brough me great comfort though some difficult times in my life.

As well as this I have been making some exclusive Art cards for my freshly decorated and spring cleaned Etsy Shop. Listen to it *ping*

I love it. Is it ok to love your own shop?

I even had time to whip up a knitting needle case for a special someone's birthday...

Featuring fabrics from: a stash a friend gave me that used to belong to her amazingly talented Mother (she stitched the cross stitched flower fabric), a charity shop pillow case and an old pair of PJs! I love the stories my works tell, to me, through the fabrics I use. Often it makes me laugh too, if it holds a special memory - like the amount of time I spent in those pjs.

So....as you can see a busy week or so.
I am so excited to show you all the things I have been making. If you have any feedback I'd love to hear it. Blog comments are awkward but once you get the hang of it they're oki doki.

Oh, and good news is Coastal Creatives have asked me to make another 4 canvases!!
Back to the sewing machine then.

What have you been up to?
Love, me x

P.s...keep them peeled for a very first giveaway this week!

Revolutions

I just posted a tweet about how I never get any time to blog during the working week, and here I am getting a post out there at 930pm on a school night. Chuffed.

I just have to post my resolution list for 2012, I don't feel like the year has truly begun until it is out there. Olivia and I started a new tradition this year, on New Years Day we got out the art equipment: watercolours and pens etc, and made really pretty versions of our resolutions to hang up. She already went through my list last night over dinner asking me if I have done them. I have made a good start on a few.

I am excited to start working on these. Did you set any goals for this year?
Love, me x

Year in Review - 2011 Good Times

I made some new friends this year and got to spend time with the well established ones. I love having a small and trusted group of friends, who are more like family to me. I have a need to connect on a spiritual level with friends, I don't do flim-flammy relationships well. I am very lucky that I have just enough lovely people that I can cope with and remain a good friend to them. Here are the highlights of good times spent with lovely people in 2011:

Good times include: seeing my friend Kelly from LA for chips and beer; seeing my gorgeous friend Laura from Thailand and her daughter Laela; Olivia's first day at secondary school; walks with Nana; days out in the summer with Lisa and Amber; coffee, gardening and chats with Anna, a trip to the Knitting and Stitching show, my first Outfit Post, Olivia turned 12 and a new friend - Rosie.

Lots of love there. What a great year for it. Fingers crossed next year will be just as full of love and laughter, gossip, tears hugs and best of all Tea and Coffee!!

Love to all my readers, friends and family for 2012 x x

...Birthdays and Creative Days...

Today we had a house full: it was Olivia's birthday in the week (she has reached the grand age of 12). We were so busy on her actual birthday that we saved up all out excitment for the weekend.
We started last night with her friend coming over for a sleepover, we had pizza delivered (we never do this!) and we watched 'Arthur'. It was lovely.
Today I had 10 people over for a delicious lunch of Fajitas with all sorts of extra stuff that doesn't seem to go but, did - like houmous, halloumi cheese and guacamole....yum!

You can see my homemade banner a little bit too - upcycled from old papers.

I have been messing about with taking shaky photos on purpose (honest)...and processing them in the free program Pixlr-O-Matic. One of the many online photo editing tools I use, you should give it a go, I am totally addicted!

I have my final delivery of things for Coastal Creatives tomorrow, I will also take some pictures of their display of my pieces to share with you all. I can't wait to see what they have done with them.

I think I know when a product is really good because I don't actually want to let it go, which is how I feel about my baby clips! They are so beautiful...

What are you Wearing?

Today I wore a couple of new purchases and wanted to share as I love how it looks.

Skirt - charity shop £1.00 (originally Zara)

Vest - Olivia's (don't tell her)

Leggings - Tesco £4.99

Cardigan - donated by a friend (originally Zara)

Bracelet - Poundland...£1.00

Need to do something about shoes, as I don't have enough! I was just wearing these flip-flops around the house.

I am reallly loving my fringe, my Mum just cut it for me and it looks so nice. I have managed to work out how to make it look just right with a little pair of straighteners my Mum gave me (I am not the type for fussy hair and am usually so un-girlie about things like straighteners). I like how it looks, I can't imagine not having a fringe.

Apart from all that I have been falling in love with twitter. It is so amazing to be tweeted back from people who I really admire in the blog world, like Kara from I Might Just Explode and Thursday from My Girl Thursday.

Next week should be nice and quiet, no making deadlines or birthdays. Maybe I'll get back to doing some of my sketchbook. What are you up to? Love me x

More Summer Sketchbook

Here are some more pages from my Summer Sketchbook, which has now become 'My Sketchbook' but these pages are from the summer. This year was a great one for my artwork, the weather was so bad it meant many gloomy days in with cups of tea. making a mess with art materials.

These pages follow on from the last I blogged, a mixture of: sculpture garden with Lisa and baby Amber on a very hot day, booking myself in for various craft fayres that were disasterous, Weight Watchers and booking Olivia in for her cycling proficiency.

The thing you can't really pick up with these pages it that they are cut out in places, maybe I should have photographed them standing up, looking through? I loved this page until later I drew a black pen page and it messed up the man's face on the left...now he looks like he has a rubbish moustache!
This one depicts: cold cold days at the beach in August, more raffles (hoping to hit the jackpot, only one a bottle of ketchup!), treats, and my journey to get work into Coastal Creatives.

Hope you like them...

Seeing as we are on a summer theme, thought I would drop an old picture of little Olivia when we used to live in the Caribbean. This, for me is the ultimate photo of a Caribbean child - so free and happy. She still loves Mangoes so much, even though we have to pay for them these days! This picture fills me with motherly love ♥

My little baby will be 12 next week! She has asked for a Soda Stream machine...I can't wait for her to get it so I can make one (hehe).

This weekend I will be sorting out her birthday requests, working at the It's All Been Done Before Vintage Festival, making final touches to my Coastal Creatives consignment...and maybe I might get time to drink tea, listen to the radio and enjoy some Autumn sunshine. Love, me x

...Afternoon tea...

Just wanted to post a picture I took at my Mum's birthday tea. I took her to this gorgeous Art Deco building that used to be a newspaper print room, and is now just called The Print Room.


It is such a beautiful place, and we ate like royalty: finger sanwiches, the most delicious scones with clotted cream and jam, tiny cakes and washed down with masses of the finest tea. We have all decided it will be an anual tradition!http://theprintroom-bournemouth.co.uk/

Rainbows!

Today was a busy one...
The sky was busy too, check out the amazing rainbow that turned up!

Oh, and that there is my big baby: Olivia ♥