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!

Creative Friends

I was very lucky this Christmas and got to spend lots of time with a very dear friend: Laura. She lives in Thailand, so I rarely get the chance to see her, and when she is usually back she is rushed of her feet with visits and commitments.
We have such a lot in common it's crazy, and she inspires me so much I can't even begin to tell you. I credit Laura for bringing back into my life something that I had lost: me. I met her when I was not long back from a 5 year overstayed holiday in the Caribbean and I had no clue who I was, I was so 'out of it'. Laura breezed in as a new Teaching Assistant and I instantly fell in love with her, she is such a free spirit and so full of love and laughter...just my kinda person.

So this Christmas I wanted to give something back, I decided we would have a creative session together. While her beautiful daughter Laela slept for a couple of hours we got out all my Art equipment and took over the dining table for a mega session on Art Journals, (Laela did join in when she woke up):

It was a great day.
We ate Cambodian noodle soup for lunch, pizza and salad for dinner, drank ridiculous amounts of tea and played with Laela lots. We felt a bit housebound later so decided to go out for chocolate bars at the co-op...an adventure in itself!

Do you have any friends who inspire you?
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