September!!!

I was reading a blog today and noticed the date of the last post - 5th September. I thought to myself - 'What is Blogger talking about. It isn't that far on in the year.' Then I realised... it is the 7th September... I would like to know what has happened to the last year? It seems no time since I lost Sam. It also means it is just a month 'til my birthday. Eugh!!!

The robins have started singing again. It is the one sounds that reminds me of frosty, cold days where spiders webs glisten on the gorse bushes and the mist glides around the pine trees. Autumn must be coming. My favourite time of year. All those golds and reds, the chill in the air and warm, wooly jumpers, a cup of tea and a good book - no more beautiful time of year to my mind.

With that in mind I have been making some Hallowe'en themed items in autumnal colours - some hand carved rubber stamps which then transformed into some hand painted and printed paper and some ATCs for a swap (the ones in the previous post).

I also had the good fortune to e-mail a very nice, helpful fellow this week. Seth has his own blog called The Altered Page. I highly recommend taking a look at his work. His mixed media work is wonderful, rich in colour and depth. As mixed media work is not my forte, I can only hope that one day I will be able to produce mixed media work to that standard.

More pictures

A few more bits and bobs. The hallowe'en piece was made using hand painted paper and hand carved stamps. It has to be one of my favourites.

Tagged

Well, it seems I have been tagged by the brilliant and talented Chrysti. I'm really chuffed. Six quirks about me - I'm soooo going to have difficulty with this. I am one giant quirk. In fact it has taken me two days to come up with six.

1. I have a thing for men in glasses. Reading glasses to be specific (not that Top Gun look with the sun specs - bleaugh!). I find men more handsome if they wear glasses.
2. I prefer animals to humans. That is not to say that I dislike the company of people - I like to talk. However, animals are centred, have purpose, don't bitch, complain, lie or stab you in the back (but who's bitter? ;o)) and if you tick them off they eat you - or at the very least bite you. You know where you stand with animals.
3. I don't go to bed at night. I am usually awake until between 1.30 to 3.00am and am at my most creative late at night.
4. I hate romantic, mushy movies, books, etc and love action/adventure films, sci-fi and fantasy. Yes, I was, and still am, a tom-boy.
5. I get distracted reading books. I read something interesting in the course of a book which sparks an interest elsewhere and before I know it I have gone from reading a history of Leonardo Da Vinci to The Great Big Cookie Book via The Life of Muhammad, Eastern Philosophy, a reader for the technology of pre-industrial cities and The Official Guide to the X Files in one evening.
6. I find rocking back and forward meditative - especially while waiting for things to download over my dial-up connection.

There are probably many more personal quirks I could come up with but seeing as it took two days to decide on six I figured I had best publish them before it's Christmas.

Tha Hallowe'en Bear Showcase

More photos and yet more to come later this week. I am in my most productive period in two years. So many things to try. I have one of those semi-evil glints in my eyes - you know the one the mad professor has in those old B movies?

I have also included a photo of a really cute bear my sister bought for me this week. I love Hallowe'en and she felt inspired to buy her for me. Such a great colour. In fact I was inspired to make some Hallowe'en ATCs in the same colour when I saw her. I'll post them later in the week for all to see.

Harvest Pt 3

Anyway, the point of the 'harvest' title was not so much the harvest of pretty images and craft items (although that works too) but the fact it's the middle of harvest here. I'm watching the combines tootling away in the fields as I write. Goodness knows what the grain will be like. We have had so much rain and so little sun this year it's amazing anything grew at all. Still, it has allowed me to stay inside and try out lots of stuff.

I have a new exhibition starting in Kelso soon. I always leave things to the last minute now (I used to be very organised) so I have been dashing around screwing eyelets into picture frames and cleaning glass. Wouldn't you know it - I didn't have enough screw eyes! I had to use great, big ones. Not aesthetically pleasing but they do the job. Must remember to order some more wee ones.

Harvest Pt 2

Here is a collection of miscellaneous crafty items I made: a bag, paper beads, mail art, fragrant wax tarts (oh, if only there was smellivision!) and items made with ultra thick enamel.

Harvest

I have been doing a lot of other creative stuff recently but never get around to photographing it. So a mighty struggle ensued this afternoon with my scanner and camera and I have uploaded a few bits. More to come - Blogger won't let me upload my pics in the way I want... GRRRR!

Update

I had an incident with a wren this afternoon. It decided to have a holiday in my living room. Not the most welcome visitor when I've just had new carpet laid. Feisty little bleeder too. I couldn't catch it despite using my softest voice to tell it everything was going to be OK. It finally found its way out via the door. Hope it isn't away to tell its siblings about the new carpet.

Update on my news: I finished my Open University course - thank goodness. Not the most inspired course I have taken. As the old school reports often say, 'Could do better'. Just waiting for the results now. I have also been getting alot of greetings card work to do. Handmade cards seem to be very popular. Time to expand the line a bit I think but I am not sure which way I will go. I also took part in an exhibition, sold all my pieces and was invited to do another one at the end of August.

On the downside my online shop was shut down through no fault of my own. The guy running them just decided to finish up with them. The trouble is he didn't tell anyone and I found out by chance that they were gone. So now I have to think of a new idea for selling online without having to spend alot of money on it. My stuff does not sell on Ebay but Etsy seems to be popular. The trouble is that Etsy only sells in dollars - not handy for my UK based customers. I still have not managed to update my art web site due to lack of web publishing applications and I am getting really concerned about that. I might just shut it down and use Art Wanted as my base. So much to think about.

Mysterious world

Today I received something in the mail that got me wondering. It was a postcard in a handwritten envelope with a first class stamp (no expense spared!) advertising a web site. This web site states that various heads of state are psychopaths. Mmmm, strange - in more ways that one. It seemed to originate in Edinburgh although I am not totally sure of this (blurred post mark). I am not in touch with someone who might have sent me this, do not know anyone in Edinburgh and am currently wondering if having my home address on the internet is wise. My family's reaction to this incident was telling me not to touch it as it might be infused with anthrax. I'm not sure whether to worry about their state of mind or the rest of the world's.

Beady I

I have been inspired by the ladies making beads on Art Techniques this week. Lots of pretties. Plus there is an article in Cloth, Paper, Scissors about paper beads. So I made some myself. Fabric beads, paper beads and some from metal tape.