Memories

I made a little memory box yesterday......for two reasons. Alysn at The Beetroot Tree asked me to make one for a forthcoming exhibition at her gallery on the theme of Memory.

"Memory | Sat 30 July 2011 - Sun 11 September 2011
In support of the Alzheimer's Society we will be inviting you to purchase a memory box pack online to create you own work for display alongside the exhibition."
I decided to make it for my Dad, who died last year after suffering from dementia for approx 3 years. Inside the box are a selection of small photos plus a copy of my 'letter to Dad' which I read out at his funeral. 

As its Fathers Day on Sunday it felt especially appropriate that I should make this in memory of him :-) 
If you'd like to join in, you can read more about the challenge here and also on Alysn's blog here. There's a £3 charge to help raise funds for the Alzheimers Society.


I made quite a few things yesterday.....

 ...bread (in my brilliant Panasonic bread-maker)

 ......fairy cakes

 ....and my special Lavender and Peppermint cream. I need to work on some more attractive labels I think :-)

Peachy kept his eye on me for most of the morning.....

....until he fell asleep :-)

My Colours....

I've been happily working with my favourite colours over the past two weeks. Maggi and I spent a great day together at her house just over a week ago. She showed me how to do nuno felting in her fab garage/workshop.......

Maggi at work

First attempt below; front and back. I worked on a piece of dyed silk and laid wool and silk fibres on top before wetting, soaping  and rolling. The final step involved whacking and bashing - great fun :-) Hopefully if you click on it you can see that the silk puckers and creates a lovely effect.

Second piece; front and back.......my fav one. Looking forward especially to sewing on this. Not sure which side to use though!

Maggi kindly gave me a piece of blue cotton velvet to use for my Spirit Cloth cushion.

I extended the stitching out onto the velvet.....

......et voila!

I now want to find something to stitch around the edge........maybe :-/



Peachy has been helping me choose fibres and fabrics for my latest sewing project.....

...he doesn't damage them. Honestly. He just goes a little crazy sometimes.....
I can empathise with that.... ;-)

The elegant Nectaroscordum has almost finished. It's now making me think of fairy castles.........

........so sweet.

And finally.....DH and I decided to make the most of the glorious weather and went to Monsal Head in Derbyshire last weekend. We haven't been there for years and had forgotten how stunning it is.
(Click on the photos)

 The viaduct used to be for trains...but now its cyclists and walkers only.

If ever you get a chance....go there :-)



Back to the drawing board.....

I decided to go back to drawing and painting last week....here's my first attempt before I started using the paints and crayons. I also want to quirkify her in some way (still pondering :-)

I've had major problems with my computer which my clever son has done his best to rectify but we aren't out of the woods yet. This was one of the problems......

 

 .........its a 'mother board' :-) It makes my brain hurt just to look at it....to think someone actually understands all that. 

I still need a new operating system though - there goes another £88 :-( 

A couple of posts ago I said I was playing around with this image from my garden, with the idea of altering it for mixed media projects.

Up to now I've cut out the flower in Photoshop and altered it with different backgrounds and textures.

 

 Still a work in progress.......

Next step -  drawing/painting/printing.

Back soon :-)

Sitting Stitching.......

I've been playing with my embellishing machine over the past few days...mainly to provide something for me to stitch onto :-) This started life as a flower corsage which went completely wrong so I chopped it up and felted it onto a (wet felted) background. Now it looks like a cocoon :-(

But this definitely isn't a landscape.......... ;-)

My favourite flower of the moment (now the bluebells have gone) is my Nectaroscordum.
I believe it belongs to the allium family. I love this one's bendy stem.

I'm taking photos of it at various stages of growth and have started doing some sketches and digital art with the intention of creating designs for a new project I have in mind. More later.....

Whilst I was in the garden today I spotted this brown blob on the hydrangea.......

.......got in a little closer......

...and touched it.......eeek!!!!!


Photo isn't brilliant but you can click on it for a better view.

One of the big garden debates this spring has been what to do with the dead cordylines....they are in gardens everywhere! Ours is over 5' tall.
I took off all the dead leaves.......

....and now Peachy uses it as a climbing frame! :-)
Fortunately its not on full view as its at the side of the house.

Apparently they can still sprout......but I'm not convinced.
I took a photo of the bark today; how many faces can you see???

I think I can see an owl too....... :-)


BTW...this is how it looked last summer (if you click on the photo please excuse blue bin and bag of compost) .

Maytime, Playtime........

I really must try harder to blog more than once a month..... but April wasn't really a time for sitting at the computer; it was much more suited for walking, cycling, gardening, sunbathing and barbecues :-)
But I did manage to make another Spirit Cloth...a tiny one this time (my wrinkly hand is there to show size :-) ) It's going to be the centre panel for a cushion - when I can get hold of some dark blue velvet.

Last week The Living Threads group of textile artists held an exhibition very close to where I live. I managed two visits! Had a lovely day with Maggi and then went again with my friend Lynne. I used to belong to this group when it first started in 1982 but had to give it up because of my job. Fingers crossed....I'm hoping to join again, so maybe I'll be involved at the next exhibition in two years time.

Unfortunately no photos were allowed at the exhibition -  but I can show you a felting kit I bought there! Hoping to have a go at this tomorrow....

We've been out and about over the last few weeks...went to Calke Abbey to see the wonderful gardens and the fabulous display of auriculas.

Calke has not been over-restored; which is why I like it so much. The orangery still has beautiful peeling paint on the walls (great for textures!). I took this photo in the corner; the damaged wall almost looks like a church window. I haven't altered the image - just added a worn edge.

Lots of people have photos of bluebells on their blogs at the moment...its been a great year for them. We went to Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire and walked amongst them in the sunshine. The smell was as beautiful as the sight of them...what bliss.

The next photo is for Patty...we always have a debate at this time of year about how her American bluebells are different from ours :-)

Another day...another walk; this time to Dale Abbey about 5 miles from where we live. It has one of the smallest churches in the country, a hermits cave in the hillside, the remains of a 13thC abbey and a great pub!

The bit at the end on the left is the church......the rest is a farmhouse!

Peachy News
He's been enjoying the sun, as you can see.......and watching the plants grow ;-)
And....he now has his own door!
He loves it and uses it so much, I just hope he doesn't wear it out.....

It's operated by the microchip in his neck....how clever is that!!!

Right, I'm off to sit here and read my Country Living magazine.
I'll be back soon .....hopefully before June ;-)