Smile...

This is a piece I've done on what feels like suede stretched onto wood. I'm not sure if it's real suede or synthetic and it's been interesting experimenting on it that's for sure.

I'd promised a canvas with quote at the beginning of the year to a friend. I've been coming back to it for so long now (I scrapped two earlier attempts months ago) that I no longer know if it's good or not. Do you ever get like that? I hope it is as I really want to give something good. My girls and Craig like it but I think I have just been looking at it and agonising over it for to long now... honest opinions please.

The quote is lyrics from the Nat King Cole song "Smile" and holds special meaning for the person it's for, hence my worrying over whether it's good enough. I never was meant to grow nails I tell thee! I couldn't fit the whole song on and remain readable so picked bits out.

The initial suede base had embossed flowers on - I thought they were dandelion clocks but have since found out they may be alium? Either way I loved them and decided not to cover them completely but to make a feature of them. So after laying down a background of acrylic paint and texture paste, more acrylic, glimmer mist (Perfect Pearls) etc. I picked out the flowers in thick watercolour paint and then picked out more bits in Glossy Accents. The quote is done in black glitter glue, Black Copic, Black Fineliner, white gel pen and white Posca pen. The suede really, really didn't like any of the pens hence my having to use so many and try to just keep laying it down till it stopped sooking it up!

I really like how the suede is still soft in places and really took the paint well giving some nice texture but I think if I added quotes to any future attempts (I have two more unaltered 'canvasses' here) I would think of another way to do it.

Thanks for stopping by and of course your words of wisdom ;)

Secret Santa - Coming Soon...

I've noticed some C-word swaps starting up so I thought I'd pop a post up and see if anyone would be interested in another Secret Santa swap this year? Last years was so much fun!

For anyone who didn't take part you can scroll back through the posts and see who sent to who and who got what by clicking this link :) 

It's an anything goes swap, lots of legitimate stalking of your recipient involved to find out their likes... all the better to compile a fabulous pressie :) Last year we had a minimum spend of £10 and people topped up pressies with bits from their own stash, handmade some goodies, stalked people's wishlists. It was great :D

If I get enough interest I'll do a proper 'official' post in a week or so... I think we kicked off properly towards the end of October last year and had a sending cut off date as the beginning of December to allow for reasonable travelling time. (Post office being what it is around that time of year!)

So, if you are interested - pop me a comment below or email me through the button on my sidebar so I can get a gist of interested people :) Don't worry about international postage and whatnot - I'll try and keep you posting within your own country although if you don't mind posting internationally just say.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Rocking My World Friday...

It's that time of the week to reflect back and pick out the good bits. Click the piccie above to join in :)

Firstly, my baby turned 5 yesterday! I can't believe it - it doesn't seem so long ago I was bringing her home from the hospital. 

We let the girls choose what they want to have for dinner on their birthdays. This can be their favourite home cooked meal, a takeaway or go out. Ruby chose Pizza Hut this year - we hadn't been since she was in a high chair and were pleasantly surprised when we got there.

They have a 'Happy Hour' during the week between 3pm and 5pm. We bought 3 adult pizzas, 2 child pizzas, 3 sides (garlic bread) 5 unlimited salads, 5 unlimited drink refills and 4 unlimited ice-cream factories! We were all stuffed and it came in under £30 making it not to bad for a treat! Plus, I suppose because of the time of day, it was virtually empty in there making for a nice quiet eating experience! Good choice Ruby :)

We wont mention how I nearly got wedged inbetween the table and the seat, well not to much! Just as well I didn't have the ice-cream and bubba didn't kick to much!

... ... ... ... ...

Have you discovered collabor-ART yet? It's a new blog set up by Sarah with the purpose of mixed-media artists collaborating in swaps, art collaborations and what not. It's got a great feel to the site and some amazing art going on. I took part in the Mystery Parcel swap recently. The intention was for people to go shopping through their own stash and compile a goody box for their swap recipient, including a little handmade something as well. I don't know if my swap partner has received her gift yet (hence my not blogging what I'd made her) but I received my present from my sender this week. Oh wow. I had Donna and was amazed to receive this huge box of goodies which included some of her very own designed rubber stamps. (Which I've been seriously drooling over!) 

And her handmade something was this gorgeous framed print of her Red Lady. My very favourite of her paintings and the one that actually led me to discover her blog in the first place. Isn't it gorgeous? Am going to add magnets to the back so I can put it on the side of my fridge (which I can see from my desk so I have taken to putting favourite little bits there.) 

 And this fab dangly domino charm...

Now as part of the terms of the swap I have to create something within one month using three of the things Donna has sent me so I'll be doing that this weekend :)

Thank you again Donna :)

... ... ... ... ...

Mojo is still here! Yay! I swear I'm getting that instead of nesting.. because I'm certainly not doing more housework! Have been working on three things this week and hope to do posts soon. Still mainly things I have promised people throughout the year and am just now actually finishing. Thank you so much again to those people for their patience - I seriously hope I never ever, ever have a year (and a half) of such un-creativity again. Not good. Not good at all.

... ... ... ... ...

Potentially I am 17 days away from our new arrival. I swear a couple of times I've thought he was coming - my back is really playing me up and that's where I get all my contractions. Other times I think he's going to be like his sisters and make me wait an extra two weeks. I'm so uncomfortable at the moment and am not getting much sleep as you can imagine but would much rather he was active like this and my know he is OK than him be a quiet bubba and be wondering what was going on in there. In some ways I have really had enough now and can't wait for him to be here and in other ways it will be a sad time when it's no longer me and him as I know this will be the very last time I will have a bubba in my tum. Not long now though, either way :)

... ... ... ... ...

Lost. We are nearly finished Season 2 and the whole family has now really gotten into it - am watching so much I'm actually having Lost dreams... which makes a change from zombie dreams I must admit! We avoided any spoilers when we couldn't watch it while it was on TV so we are watching it with fresh eyes and it's great hearing everyones theories!

... ... ... ... ...

Survey sites. It might take a while for them to credit you but I now have £27.51 saved in Amazon vouchers towards the Galaxy Tab2 I am saving up for.  (I want one to be able to do online classes out at my messy desk. trying to do it indoors when everyone wants to hog my PC is an impossible task!) Only £257.39 to go then! :P Slow going as it is - it's fun to see the total creep up!

... ... ... ... ...

Other quick positives...

• Craig and the girls helping me out. From helping with my socks when I'm struggling to reach my feet to helping with dinners and dishes.
• Gorgeous autumnal reds peppering the trees.
• Tesco's new fruit and nut rolls on their bakery counter! Yum, especially spread with Laughing Cow blue cheese triangles!
• Hot baths and long soaks.
• Thinking about starting up the Secret Santa swap for this year :D Do you want to play? Take a peep here.

... and that'll do me for now :) How has your week been? Thank you as always for stopping by :)

Rocking My World Friday...

... Monday edition ;)

A little late but still time for a look back on the positives of my week (last week) Want to play? Please do - click the picture above to pop along to Virginia's and link up :)

Firstly has to be to the Olympic Torch Bearer who must have paid a visit to the school on Friday. Ruby came out bursting with the news that she had met the "Limp Tick Man" and it was the proper one because he had a white suit on and she was allowed to hold the torch :) Look at the size of it compared to her! She said it was heavy! I'm amazed that some of them ran along holding that up in one hand!

... ... ... ... ...

The lady who spotted Miss Ruby scouring her fence line for pine cones and invited us into her garden, handed Ruby a carrier bag and told her to fill her boots with all the pine cones she wanted. End result - a happy lady with pine cone free lawn and happy Ruby who spent the remainder of the evening painting. We still have LOADS left!

... ... ... ... ...

This beauty arrived in the mail during the week -

I've taken a couple of photos because as usual I am not doing it justice with my piddle poor photography skills.

  

I was a tad gobsmacked to say the least. This is a large painting by Sam called "May You Always Be Watched Over" and it represents the bubby and me surrounded by My Mum, Craig, the girls and my silver crow as guardians. Isn't it beautiful? I wish you could get an idea of the colours and amount of texture in real life - I just keep looking at it. We are going to have it in the bedroom near the cot until bubba is older and then we'll hang it downstairs. I really love it - thank you Sam. And thank you Sam's lovely daughter for the beautiful card too.

And by a strange coincidence - the very same day Sam posted my painting... Silver Crow came to visit our bird table! I kid you not - first time ever! My photos are rubbish because I didn't want to scare him away so these are taken zoomed right in through two rooms and a window... this is just before he jumped onto the table.

I cannot tell you how pleased this made me. Our street is quite bird friendly and nearly every other garden has multiple bird tables with an assortment of goodies for the birds. We just have a metal stand cemented into a flower pot which Ruby fills with seed each morning... and he chose us to visit! Very, very happy!

... ... ... ... ... 

Now what else...

•  A lovely lunch out with my friend Caroline which involved us partaking of a bacon sarnie which had the strangest side salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion... mango and melon!! Shouldn't work... but it did!), sharing the most gorgeous fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside plate of chips and having a good old natter and catch up.
• A last drive before bubba arrives, to Hastings to spend the day with Craig's Mum. Lovely day with her and some canvas board/mini canvas bargains from the ESK store in town to boot!
• Mojo still hasn't deserted me again! Hurrah!
• Spotting the latest Somerset Studio mag on eBay and Craig ordering it for me to take into hospital. Double hurrah!
• Craig has finally, finally agreed it is stew weather so I will be cooking up a big old batch of veggie stew and dumplings this week! Triple hurrah! (Been fancying that for ages but been to hot!) And I cook it in a ginormous saucepan so we have enough to last all week, because it always tastes better after a couple of days!
• Devvie Monster getting to go on a school trip to the Tate Modern. Jealous? Moi? Maybe!

And that I think will do me :) Thanks for dropping by - how has your week been?

Sisterhood Of The Travelling Sketchbook

You're not seeing things - two creative posts in one week. My paintbrushes are in shock!

These pages were inspired by a teeny tiny picture on the side of a box of very yummy Linda McCartney asparagus and cheese frozen tarts. The picture is literally just under 2.5" by just under 1.5" but the colours leapt out at me. So I snipped it out and went to fetch my watercolours.

I wasn't trying to copy the original picture, just the feel of it if that makes sense. This is my background, several layers of watercolours. The white 'splatter effect' don't know if it shows up to well in my photo - is salt sprinkled on while the paint was still wet and then brushed off when it was dry. At the end, I did a light spattering of glimmer mist. Love that stuff, must invest in more than one bottle!

I then added the Alfred D. Souza quote that inspired me so much at the beginning of the year.

This was printed on normal printer paper -  then covered in Lyra Aquacolour (watercolour) crayons, wet it down and sprayed with glimmer mist before pegging on the line to dry :P It's just then cut into strips, stuck in and outlined in fineliner.

I continued the rest of the very long quote onto the journalling page overleaf (forgot to photo that) but the quote in it's entirety reads:

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time to still be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life...

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time … and remember that time waits for no one… 

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy…

 Happiness is a journey, not a destination."   I'm really pleased with these pages and I actually think they might be my favourites out of all the ones I've done for the Travelling Sketchbooks. For a lot of reasons. I've been trying to hold that quote in my head all year and I do think I have had a change in attitude. I think they also mark the end of a very, very dry spell in my creativity. Also, I've been trying to loosen up and go more abstract and less literal with my painting for so long. Try to get out of my head that things have to exactly resemble what I'm trying to paint and then end up frustrated when I'm neither realistic nor abstract - I love the "loose absract-y but still see what it is" look, don't know if I'm describing it right but I think this is the first time I've started to grasp it and be pleased with the outcome with these pages. I just hope Kathy, whose book it is, likes them too :)

Thanks for stopping by :)

p.s After a couple of comments and emails asking about it I've checked the name on my bottle of glimmer mist. Only to realise it's not called glimmer mist at all. It's called Perfect Pearls mist and is by Ranger. Oops. (Mine is Sunflower Sparkle.) I guess I always just call it glimmer mist because that's what it does - makes everything glimmer and sparkle :) Depending how close or far away you hold it you can get a lovely misted effect or great big denser splats. I love it - had mine nearly two years and still have a third of the bottle. I use it a lot. 

Easy Peasy Birthday Cards...

...for the card creating challenged. AKA, me.

I had two birthdays last week and, already feeling guilty at not managing to make something lovely for two good friends, I decided to at least try and cobble together a card. I don't do well with cards, don't know why I struggle with them but I do. 

Anyway - Jo had shown these gorgeous postcards on her blog that she had found in Ikea. So when we headed off there the following week I picked up a packet. They really are lovely. 

So, I... 

1. Adhered them to some card stock with double sided tape.
2. Laboriously and tirelessly slaved away, adding Glossy Accents and black glitter to pick out some features.  
3. Wiped away the sweat, tears and blood as I drank several large cups of tea to recover and waited for those bits to dry.  
4. Stood back and admired a couple of beautiful birthday cards. 
5. Wrote in them.  
6. Posted them.

 Job done!

*Phew*

Owl has goggles, specs and eyes Glossy Accented while the key is glittered.

Bunny has hat and bow tie Glossy Accented while his eyes are glittered.

You'll notice that I didn't add a birthday sentiment to the fronts - I thought that the recipients might love the images as much as me and so this way they can cannibalise the cards to use in future projects themselves. Aren't I thoughtful? 

Yes, I am totally claiming this as creativity. Ingenious creativity at that. Every little bit counts at the moment.

Have a lovely day and thanks for stopping by! :)

Rocking My World Friday...

Hello, hello, hello lovely people :) It's that time of the week again. Already. Seriously? Seriously! Here's a peek at what's made me smile this week...

Going out for a carvery last weekend with my Dad, Craig and the monsters. I love a good roast dinner but I don't like cooking it so it's been a while since we had one... and this one was yummy. I've been struggling to clear a plate recently and have resorted to snacking throughout the day, I'm guessing bubba is squeezing my stomach or something. But believe me - I was not leaving anything on that plate. It took a while but I scoffed the lot. Roast turkey, roast potatoes, boiled new potatoes, cabbage, peas, carrot & swede, parsnips, stuffing, gravy and a yorkshire pud, eaten outside in the sun. Yum yum yum! And best of all? No dishes to wash afterwards! Lovely jubbly.

... ... ... ... ... 

Snail mail. We opened up a gorgeous little stripey jumper and hat from an online friend Nicola this week, knitted by her Nan :) Isn't it lovely?

 ...and also a  parcel of purple booties and mittens from my bloggy friend Carol...

She also included some stickers for the younger two monsters (who are sticker FIENDS!) and a moustache straw set for the Devvie monster (who is obsessed with moustaches!!) But look what she popped in for meeeee.... skeleton plasters! No, I'm not sharing with the monsters. Not never ever!

Thank you Nicola and Carol - I'm constantly surprised at how thoughtful and generous everyone is. Our little bubba is going to be one cool dude. Though I do feel sorry for Craig - his joy at the announcement of a boy and his vision of finally clothes shopping with him to find little outfits in shades of brown and beige, little chinos and such, are slowly fizzling out! Haha!  I'm lucky he has such a good sense of humour! I'm not completely taking over -  we did sort out and put away all the bubby clothes together this week. There is a half and half mix of goth/rock and little brown shirts, fluffy teddy bear jumpers and the like. He's either going to be really well adjusted and creative or have a split personality - I reckon it'll all mix together well ;)

... ... ... ... ...

I'm on a mad catch up this week. We are literally just weeks away from our new arrival... arriving. All of a sudden I'm getting a burst of creativity so am trying to catch up on all the things I've promised people throughout the year. Yep - the year, because it just seems to have gone in a blur of sleep. It's worked out well with the girls back to school, I am able to flit between projects during the day... well, before I crash and have a couple hours sleep before they get home. I've not liked being very uncreative this year so am hoping this feeling stays after bubba is here too. I have to thank people who have stuck around and still read my ramblings even when I've not been making much. Is this my version of nesting I wonder?

... ... ... ... ...

Netflix. We've realised the whole series of Lost is on there and so is Firefly which Sarah keeps saying is a brilliant show. We only saw Lost up to where they stopped showing it on channel 4, think that was about halfway through and that was years ago so we've started again from the beginning. An episode or two a night once the girls have gone to bed :) Something to fill the Walking Dead/Once Upon A Time gap!

... ... ... ... ...

Craftie Charlie the craft shop - I ordered a friends present from them and emailed them to ask not to include an invoice as it was a present I was having sent direct. I got an email back saying no problem and they had gift wrapped it too. How's that for service? Couldn't believe it! I've never shopped with them before I have to admit but I certainly will again! So nice to see lovely customer service in a time when (in my experience) it's a disappearing thing.

... ... ... ... ...

And that is that - I'm sure there is more but my dinner is cooking and it still smells not burnt so I better go check it while I can ;) I hope you had a lovely week. I'm off to Virginia's to link up - why not come over?

Thanks for stopping by :)

Rocking My World Friday...

It's that time of the week again! What's been...

 

Oooh where to begin? Somewhere... because I want to be on time today :D

Firstly - fabulous snail mail again! Lovely, lovely Sian saw the blanket my sister made for bubba and made a gorgeous little skull & cross bones hat in the same colours. Honestly, my picture does it no justice - the purple is much deeper and richer in real life. It's so soft and snuggly and down right adorable! This is being sneaked into my hospital bag pronto!

She also made such a cute little hat with teeny ear flaps and all. So, so cute!

 (My pictures are so rubbish - but I love my model, this is my stash egg where I save £1 coins for paint *g*)

Thank you so much Sian - I'll say it again, this little one is being so spoilt!

... ... ... ... ...  

These three monsters all went back to school this week! Pheebs started high school (or the Academy as it's now called!) And Ruby started 'big school.' (Primary) Ruby is still half days for the next week to get her used to it but then she goes full time, all day! Methinks we'll have a tired monster for the first few weeks then. They all seem to have enjoyed their first few days back even if only to catch up with their friends :)

It was very quiet at first, even Cooper was moping around and whining, not sure what to do. Even though Craig works from home, he's out the back in his office for the majority of the day so it was strange just me and the hound looking at each other. I almost put Cbeebies on for him...

But then, then we embraced the quiet. Cooper stretched out on the back of the sofa, sunbathing, safe in the knowledge he wasn't about to be catapulted off. I relished the sound of... silence. No TV, maybe the occassional bit of bird song. And today... today I got my paints out for ME! They are sadly depleted and in need of restock as the girls have been using them all summer. (Will have to drop some major hints at C-word time!) But it was pure, pure bliss!

*Happy sigh*

... ... ... ... ...

Asda has been pretty cool this week. (For my international visitors, Asda is a Supermarket, one of the more competitive... I think they might be part of the Wal-mart group now? Did I see that on one of their signs?)

Anyway - we managed to get the girls school bags there quite reasonably and then we spotted some Olympic stuff reduced, so look what Craig bought me...

Olympic Duckie! Reduced to £1.25!  :D 

We popped in there again today as I had spotted some sketch/note books on our last visit and wanted a closer look. They're pretty cool. I forgot to take pictures and it's to dark now... but they look like Moleskines. Leatherette cover with elastic to hold closed. Really thick creamy paper inside and expanding pockets inside the covers. Sound like Moleskines too don't they? They're not, obviously. They're just Asda brand. But I picked up an A4 sized one for Ruby's birthday at the end of the month (£4.00!!) and an A5 one for me to have a play around in. (£2.00!!!) Craig walked away in the end as I was standing there gabbling about how much they would be if they actually were Moleskines and what a bargain they were. But they are aren't they? I think I need to go back and buy a few more - it would be daft not to don't you think?

Anyway - this is why we have bought Ruby a new large book. This is her old one, an A5 sized book that's she's had since she could toddle...

I love it to pieces but I think she definitely needs a new one to play in :)

... ... ... ... ...

Talking of Ruby and her art - I framed her masterpiece this week. I personally think it looks amazing and she's chuffed to bits that we framed it. It now takes pride of place on the shelves above my desk. My Dad wants one for Christmas I think, judging from what he was saying yesterday. He ain't getting this one!

 ... ... ... ... ...

Other things this week... A lovely surprise today, I found out I'd won a spot on an online Fresco style painting workshop from Joyce's blog. Lovely jubbly - can't wait to start that!

A really nice midwife appointment that resulted in my thinking about training in midwifery in the future. It's something I've often thought about, for many years, and she was very encouraging. As was Craig when I put all joking aside and we thought about it. Wouldn't happen in earnest till bubba was at least 4 or 5 but there are things I can do now to make a start - like improve my maths etc. Is something to think on anyway.

Devvie helping out with dinners this week, much appreciated - the dreaded lethargy has come back in full force of an afternoon and I usually just zonk out for a nap around 4pm! She's actually cooking really tasty meals - she better watch out - I might let her do it full time :D

Autumnal hints. The leaves are starting to change colour. Yay! Hoping it brings with it the cooler weather. I love Autumn, my favourite time of year!

Looking back on old Rocking posts. I was trying to remember when we last saw my friend Lesley. She lives in Scotland and is hopefully coming down to see us soon. (2 YEARS Lesley! How can it be that long?) And I just got engrossed in reading back on past posts, and remembering. And smiling at things I'd forgotten. I love this little weekly exercise, I really do.

Seeing my friend Cas for a cuppa -  she lives quite near me but what with one thing and another weeks usually turn into months before we see each other. So it's really lovely to have a catch up when we do!

Lovely things people do - certain family/friends. I'd just like to say that small things people say and do - they really can have a huge impact. It might seem a small thing you are offering or giving or doing or just saying but it means such a lot. I don't even know if they know how lovely what they do is... or if they know I mean them... or if I am making any sense at all... but thank you!

And I'm waffling. So I think that'll do me...

Thank you for stopping by - how was your week? I'm off to link up with Virginia, why not pop over and join us?

The Pulse of Mixed Media by Seth Apter

The Pulse Of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed by Seth Apter

The book says:

Listen Closely... can you hear it?

Can you hear the voices? Thoughts, insights, confessions from the creative community sharing ideas, trading secrets, venting frustrations; asking and answering questions such as, "What colour rarely shows up in your work?" or "How do you express vulnerability in your art?" Or "What is one current trend that you wish would go away?" As artists, we are curious by nature and there is a longing to see inside the hearts and minds of artistic souls of our own kind. That is the beat of our lives - the Pulse of Mixed Media!

In this book - a complex survey of artists around the globe - there is much for you to discover:

• Visual insights: Many questions are answered not only in words, but often through visual art, and include self-portraits from 31 spotlight artists such as Pam Carriker, Danny Gregory and Judy Wise.
• A diverse sampling of provocative questions: Over 100 artists share their thoughts on everything from colour, media and tools to emotions, secrets and self-revelations.
• Insightful statistics: Data from thousands of participants collected through polls on the authors blog reveal a remarkable analysis of the creative community at large.

Indulge your inner voyeur and soak up some inspiration with The Pulse of Mixed Media today! 

I say:

I'll start off by saying that I'm aware of the authors blog but haven't visited it properly (yet!)  it's more through word of mouth on other blogs that I know of it... and so don't know anything about the author. I do know of some of the artists featured within the book, either from seeing them showcased in other art/craft books or from already being a visitor to their own blogs/web pages. I must admit - the vast majority are new to me.

This is unlike any art or craft book I've read before. There is some really lovely art in this book - the various spotlight artists have created self portraits and there are some art pieces created in answer to some of the questions set... but the main focus of the book, for me at least, is on the text. The responses to those questions are very honest, unflinching, a real peek into each artists mind set, personality, dreams... The blurb is not wrong in saying that the questions are provocative - some answers made me smile in recognition of those same feelings within myself, some were so sad in what the artist was revealing. Some were funny, others wistful, nostalgic, positive, negative... some of the answers really rubbed me up the wrong way. What you have to remember is this is personal opinion and in some cases brutally honest. It's an interesting peek into the way artists think and feel. The way they feel towards art - both theirs and others. Even the way they feel about other artists... or people they feel shouldn't be calling themselves artists at all! (Ah - that age old argument!)

A really interesting book - one that I either found myself nodding along with or snorting in annoyance. I borrowed this copy and  I wont be rushing out to buy my own, simply because it's not one I feel I would come back to again and again to read  over and over... but I did really enjoy it. I'll be noting down the artists websites (from the handy directory in back) that I want to visit and explore further and then I'll be posting this copy home again - still mulling over some of the answers in the book. It'll certainly spark conversations between you and anyone else who has read it.

Recommended read. 

Seth Apter - blog
@alteredpage - on Twitter
North Light Books

Many thanks to Sam for the lend of the book and thank you for stopping by :)

Rocking my World Friday...

...on Sunday :)

It's that time of the week again where I join Virginia and the her merry band of Rockers in looking back and cherry picking out the good bits in our week.

 

Lovely snail mail is again on my list this week. Look what arrived from Ewa of Green Pixey Amigurumi's (She who is crazy and clever enough, when asked if she could envisage an Alice Cooper angel, came up with this!)

One of her gorgeous, gorgeous crochet amigurami flumplebee's for bubba... isn't that neck just perfect for little hands?

...and an equally yummy pair of crochet hand warmers for me! She made them in some of my favourite Autumnal colours! I've wanted hand warmers for sooo long! Aren't they fantastic?

Thank you Ewa, this bubba is being thoroughly spoilt before he even gets here and I am very lucky too!

... ... ... ... ...

We spent a lovely couple of days last weekend in Hastings at Craig's Mum's house. The weather wasn't very kind to us on the only full day we had there but we battled the wind and rain to have a lovely day out in the town. We saw interesting things... (though we have yet to spot the Banksy, think we know where it is now for next time!)

We hid in the arcades in between rain showers...

This little monster was surprisingly good at  driving though she needed the help of big sis to reach the accelerator ;)

And we had fun playing dress-up in the free museum...

Add to that eating chippies in the open air and raiding the charity (thrift) shops for bargains before back to Nanna's for a slightly damp but delicious barbecue and it was a lovely little break. Thank you Nanna Irene - made up for the girls not getting a holiday this year :)

... ... ... ... ...

We had our very last scan this week. I haven't uploaded the picture because you really can't see much. Apparently it's hard to get a decent one at this late stage. However, we are told we definitely, DEFINITELY have a boy, without a doubt. He is very healthy looking and has a full head of hair (amazing that they can tell that from those black and white images!) They reckon he's about 4lbs 8oz at the moment and looking extremely comfortable... my hopes for an on time or even slightly early birth are slowly disappearing ;) Methinks we have another one who is extremely settled. I'm bracing myself again for being two weeks late. Craig says if so it actually works well for him as if I have to be induced he can schedule his work deliveries around it. So that's alright then. Aren't I accommodating? (You can imagine how much eye rolling went on with that comment!)

... ... ... ... ...

What else did we do? Oh yes, we went to Ikea. We had one of their yummy breakfasts and then had a slow wander round the store. Had to be slow - Craig had thrown his back out while making alterations to his bird room and I was having Braxton Hicks/False Labour contractions so  we were alternately sharing the trolley to lean on and hold us upright. Oh my - I never had those with the girls, talk about frightening! We are going to ease off on my driving over the coming weeks because I don't want to start having them in the car. Touch wood it's only when I've done a fair bit of walking at the moment... phoned the midwife when we got home and was told to take paracetamol and lie down when it happens.

Anyway, IKEA. I came home with some frames, some mirrors to alter, some glass jars to make pressies out of, some hanging buckets for my stu-studio, some art postcards... would have come back with pin boards but couldn't find them. Particularly annoying when the person next to us in the queue trundled up with 4 of the blighters! Next time. 

Then finished up with a cuppa while Ruby played in their little park area - and best of all, my Dad drove. I do hate driving there as driving home (the Lakeside shop) is always a traffic nightmare!

... ... ... ... ...

The Paralympics, enjoying very much. Ripping up paper and sticking in my journal as backgrounds... just to be doing SOMETHING creative, finally starting to catch up on my book reviews, um... Marmite on toast, hot sweet tea, my lovely firm mattress for my achy back, Facebook - I'm getting less and less social as the weeks go on (sorry everyone) and it allows me, easily, to not lose that last thread of contact... my family, my friends, Dr Who being back just when Walking Dead and Once Upon A Time finishing had me lamenting the loss of anything to watch...

And that my lovelies is that I think for this week :) If you fancy a positive shufty at your week - why not join our little group over at Virginia's? 

Thanks for stopping by :)