Mood Boards.....

I'm currently fiddling (happily) with pictures and natural objects....making collages (or 'mood boards' or 'inspiration boards' as they seem to be called on Pinterest and Flickr).
I feel a need to give these another name though; in a way they are photo collages (except if you google that something different comes up). Still life? Not really..... Any other ideas?
Maybe I can invent a name ;-)
Anyway, it's rather therapeutic and means I can get out my vast collection of natural bits and pieces.....and photos and magazines.....and make 'temporary collages'.
As I said in a previous post, some may be more permanent pieces of art and involve some stitching. Still working on those....

The magazine page is from my current favourite publication 'The Coastal Lookbook' published by Country Homes and Interiors.....

I am besotted with images of the coast and anything connected with it. The colours of course....plus the whole idea of living by the sea with all its associated sights, sounds and smells. This is a gorgeous magazine...can definitely recommend!

Here's a sample of items from my 'coastal collection' ;-)

I guess this is actually a 'mood board'.

I've signed up for a 'webinar' called "Styling & Photographing Inspiration Boards" which I saw on Helen Hallows blog; you can read more about it there. Helen is a brilliant artist who I am lucky enough to know and be able to visit as she lives very close by. You can see an example on her blog post.
Can't wait for the webinar.....it's like a proper lecture; you have to be at your PC ready at a specific time and it lasts for an hour. I guess I will have to take notes!

Whilst on the 'beachy' theme....we recently came back from our sixth holiday on my beloved Skiathos island (and have already booked again for next June ;-)
If I was in a position to live anywhere I wanted, it would be a toss up between St Ives and Skiathos. I love them both with a passion.
I shall now bore you with a few pics......

 Skiathos town harbour....

The start of the 'steps', where there are cushions outside all the bars on the steps up the side of the harbour......

Our closest beach.....Troulos

View from the Bourtzki (an 'attached' island by the harbour).....

Skiathos town......

 Open air cinema..... showing Mamma Mia of course!

Church at the top of the hill.....

...and the view from the top......

...where Sophie posted the letters to her three dads in Mamma Mia :-)

Ok.....that's enough for now ;-)
Happy July!

My gorgeous cerinthe.......

Show and Tell.....

After yet another blogging holiday ;-) I thought it was time to show what I've been up to. I'll try not to be too wordy as there are quite a few photos. I've been busy making things to sell in my daughter's salon, plus I spent a few weeks celebrating my recent 60th birthday. Well that's my excuse..... :-)

Anyway, here goes.........
1. A felted piece for a journal cover .....part done on the embellishing machine, part by hand.

 2. Journals for my daughter's salon/shop.

 3. Also crochet/bead bracelets...

 3. ...and organza flower brooches/hair clips. (Love making these :-) )

 4. A felted/collage card for a friend.

 5. A drawing which I'm in the middle of... (she insists on looking sad although I've tried to cheer her up :-/ )

 6. Gorgeous threads which I bought from Maggi's new online shop  www.maggi21handdyes.com
 I've just ordered some beautiful fabric pieces too. I recommend a visit...she's a whizz with those fabric dyes!

7. A recent holiday in Skiathos (a birthday treat). My favourite Greek Island and our 5th visit :-)

 8. The Beach is back in Nottingham city centre! And yes...we have had a couple of sunny days recently to enjoy it!

 9. Enjoying a San Miguel in the Caribbean-style bar next to the beach.

 And finally......
 10. The Boy
He's grown so much he's struggling to fit on my knee. He wriggles and squirms around, trying to get comfy.......a messy tangle of limbs! Reminds me of this photo from a while back.

Click on pics for a closer look....especially the Peachy one ;-)

Ok....I have 2 days for blog-visiting before I go to Knaresborough on Thursday. For those of you who can get there, Feva arts week starts there on Friday :     http://www.feva.info/UserFiles/Image/files/Programme_2012_PDF.pdf

Fingers crossed for sunshine!

Back From Skiathos

Just got back a couple of days ago from our annual trip to Skiathos - one of our favourite Greek islands. Why do we love it so much? Well it's quite small, we can fly from East Midlands airport (a 10 min drive), the beaches are wonderful, the town is very pretty and full of great bars and restaurants, its not too crowded and there are no night clubs or discos (that we are aware of!)
Here are a few of our holiday memories.....

We spotted a wedding party in the town one day and Brian took this lovely shot of the bride.
Iced coffee in the beach bar was a favourite before starting sunbathing!

Some of the huge variety of plant life including flowers from the sea, a heart shrub and cactus trees.

A swallows nest in the beach bar was a big attraction. They looked like puppets ...so cute!!  (Click for a closer view)

Peachy was so glad to see us when we got back; nine days of being kept in a cage at the cattery must have been hard for him to bear! After giving us loads of fuss he spent half an hour tearing up and down the stairs through the lounge and conservatory, round the garden then back in and up the stairs again (he was just a blur) - then he finally collapsed and had a nap.

Nine days without him - how did I bear it..... :-)

I'm Back......

Can it really be only a week ago that I was lying on this beach........

...swimming in this pool

...catching this ferry to town
...admiring this view on the way

...eating this food (a shared platter!)
...and drinking cocktails by the harbour?

It seems like just a distant dream now!!! But I feel very fortunate to have been there and I had a wonderful time. Skiathos is a very small island with lots of lovely sandy beaches and a beautiful town........and possibly the shortest airport runway in the world! (Landing is quite exciting).

One of the nicest things about coming home was finding a parcel of treasures waiting for me from my lovely friend Lynn. She and I have been doing the Suzi Blu 'Goddess and Poet' workshop and Lynn did a fabulous painting which you can see here. I was thrilled to find that she'd printed it onto fabric and made a special book for me using wool felt (gorgeous!) I absolutely love this and will keep special things inside all the little pockets.

I recommend a visit to Lynn's blog...its delightful. And occasionally her dog Cooper writes a post (you should see what he has to endure, poor thing - read his latest blog).
Oh the joy of doing swaps with friends!! Its so exciting to open a parcel and find precious things like these. Thank you Lynn....not just for all this but for the wonderful help and support you've given me recently. I have some truly FABULOUS blogging friends!
I finished this mini canvas today (5" x 5")......I don't really like yellow and don't know why I used it; but it turned out kind of ok I suppose.



Now I need to do some blog-visiting.........

I'm back!

Oh I wish I was there now! This is me next to a church above the beautiful Skiathos town which looks huge, but it isn't really. Its just a glorious mixture of houses, bars, shops and tavernas. The rest of the (tiny) island is quite a contrast: just countryside and small resorts. click on the pic to see the town in more detail.
Love Linda xx