julia crossland ~ artist

Colouring the Days

2012-02-07T13:09:00.000Z

Yesterday I felt compelled to rush out and fill my house with blooms. I don't usually spend too much on flowers, and will often pick up a little bunch of daffodils for a pound or so and be content to look at their sunny yellow heads. But yesterday, overcome by a sudden need for colour, I went out and treated myself to a veritable armload of the things and plopped them in jam jars and vases around my house.

Candy pink tulips, indigo irises and a starburst posy of tiny, sweet scented narcissi.

I know it seems frivolous, but the satisfaction that these colourful visitors are bringing me is magnified and deep seated each time I see them.

Determined to make this a week of colour (to counteract the overcast behaviour of the weather) I also found myself some new threads...

Now I'm quite excited about these; you see I'm planning on making a necklace, but before I could start, I needed to unravel the rainbow skeins and instead of creating tiny balls from which to crochet from, I took inspiration from Pinterest here and did this:

Old style wooden pegs are the best thing ever for looking after your skeins of floss and embroidery threads. I got very excited when I first saw that picture on Pinterest and was determined to do it myself.

I shall share more about my necklace project with you soon!

In the meantime, we have been enjoying a snow laden weekend here...

Much fun was to be had out sledging, making snow angels and snowmen before retreating inside my Mum's cottage to be handed big steaming mugs of hot coffee and cookies. I took mine outside, and went for a wander. I do like how snow makes everything look so effortlessly beautiful.

The seedheads looked particularly beautiful against the white snowy ground, and a recent vapour trail looked ever so much like a pretty garland against that bright, azure blue sky...

I must confess to liking being indoors at the moment though. I like my cosy house and all it's homely corners and I'm slowly getting used to the fact that I have all this extra time on my hands now my Small is off being busy at school. There are often too many hours in my day, but gradually I am fillling them with nice homely type things, such as tea drinking, crochet or like today, a spot of baking. There is nothing more comforting to the soul than to have the aroma of baking in the house on a snowy day.

Todays bake was oaty cookies, enhanced with a generous scoop of chopped brazils and juicy sultanas. I've already consumed three, and am tempted by a fourth...

On the arty front, I'm pootling about with my sketchbooks, contemplating a new painting and working on a couple of commissions here and there. Here's one I recently finished, now safely in it's new home in Italy:

One last thing before I leave you (to dash into the kitchen to replenish my cookie plate) ~ a copy of Her Nashville came through the door just now. Seeing it in 'real life' is all rather exciting I must say!

I hope you all have a lovely week, I'm so pleased you came to see me today!

Love Julia x x x

I Wish for Spring

2012-01-31T11:51:00.002Z

I don't like to wish my life away, but I wish for Spring. I wish for warm air as I open my back door and step into a new morning. I wish for a scent of promise and optimism in the morning breeze as I hang out my laundry, a wish for that feeling of contentment as the sun arcs the sky like a splendid white gold ball. I wish to sit outside on my bench with a cup of tea and a magazine and close my eyes to feel that warmth on my face, and to open my eyes to a blue, cloudless sky.

I long for days when colourful flowers open their tender buds and share their colourful beauty, and I wish for the days that are cerulean blue and forever posted in my memory like hazy snapshots that makes me feel deeply happy whenever I remember them.

I look around my little home, my tiny, crochet strewn home and I feel grateful for it's warmth and cosy interior on this cold Winter day; the sky is the colour of dirty dishwater and even the skeletal trees that stand like sentinels on the riverbank seem sullen and miserable. I buy a bunch of Spring flowers and they instantly cheer me, remind me that Spring is just a whisper away, that already we are flying into February at the speed of sound and the first month of our new year is almost over.

We take walks in our nearby countryside, the air is cold and bites your skin, and there are icy puddles for jumping in. There is a weak sun, and at a lone farmhouse someone is burning wood; fingers of blue grey smoke curl up into the still air and hang like fine gauzy ribbons along the valley.

We wander through enchanted forests and hear birdsong from the treetops. Now and then something small and unseen flits between the branches, we sense movement and life, but see nothing.

We come across a gaggle of geese on one of our jaunts, their bright orange feet a cheery contrast to their snow white bodies and the hard white frosty ground.

We admire the frostbitten seedheads, wintery sculptures that line the side of the river before turning towards the cafe to warm our hands around fat mugs of hot tea.

Winter is making the most of the crisp outdoors, and cosying up indoors with gentle projects and crocheted blankets.

There are lots of things to cherish and enjoy in the Winter...but oh, I wish for Spring.

J x

Here Comes the Bride...

2012-01-24T10:22:00.000Z

No, not me, in case you were wondering! :D

In November 2010 (which seems a hundred years ago now), I was approached by an American magazine ~ Her Nashville ~ to create a cover for their bridal edition...and here follows a story full of twists and turns and angst and upset and frustration and finally, a Happy Ending.

The art director of the magazine had seen some images of my textile work somewhere online, and liked the style.

I think it was this kind of thing that she had seen...

So I got busy sketching brides...

...and sent in some samples for her to see. She really liked the second one so I got to work with their colour scheme, choosing fabric and embellishments like tiny pearls and vintage buttons. It felt like quite a challenge to be commissioned to do something like this, as my usual commission work involves paint and canvas! Still, I love a good challenge, love stepping out of my comfort zone to explore new ground and all that so it was full steam ahead!

The first job involved making templates, cutting out the figure and laying it all out, then I began to freestyle embroider the first pieces with my sewing machine...

It was quite a project, and I found I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I had to get the piece ready for dispatch shortly after Christmas (2010) so that it would arrive in plenty of time for their January deadline.

Details were added when the Little Person was tucked up in bed asleep...

...little buttons and hand sewn pearls...

You'll be pleased to know I trimmed her hairy arms before she was sent out! Anyway, the bride was soon finished and ready to be packaged carefully up for posting.

And that's when the trouble began.

The bride was taken to a small village post office on our way out to somewhere else right after Christmas. It was quiet, there was hardly a soul about and I remember feeling under par, that feeling you get when you think you're coming in for a cold and your head's a bit fuzzy and you're not quite with it. So the parcel was dispatched and off we went for a pub lunch or something like that and I felt delighted to think of it finally winging its way across the Atlantic to the magazine offices.

It must have been a few days later I was tracking its progress online...only to find there was no progress. There was no news about my bride at all.

And suddenly it dawned on me.

There hadn't been a customs label attached to the parcel!!!!!!

Have you ever had that dreadful sinking feeling in your belly, like a ten tonne stone has just settled there and a doom laden feeling clouds your head?

What should have been roughly a five day service to the States turned out to take four weeks. There were strong restrictions in force at all US customs offices back then and things were being delayed by days if not years. What chance did my parcel stand without that Very Important Label? I felt so annoyed at the Post Office woman, she ought to have known an overseas parcel needed one of those, but at the same time I felt annoyed with myself - I knew from previous experience that international parcels needed that label but feeling under par had entirely overlooked it. Perhaps otherwise I may have had the forsight to mention it...but c'est la vie!

The parcel arrived at the latter end of January and missed the deadline for the February edition. I was gutted.

However, all the way through this awful problem I had a great communication with the Art Director. Between us we contacted US customs, the American postal service and Royal Mail with umpteen phone calls and emails to try and find the AWOL package
.

It finally arrived, and although it was late, they decided it was better late than never and decided to save it for THIS years bridal edition!! Hurrah!!! But oh what a wait!

You are welcome to take a look at their digital edition here.

So there we have it! I'm proud as punch to have my textile art on the front of a mag, and it's one of those moments that's up there with the time my 'Harbour' painting was featured here. I am forever in awe at the way the internet can bring the world into your living room, how it opens up opportunities and doors that may otherwise never open. I am eternally grateful to it and feel quite blessed sometimes by the things I've been asked to do or be involved with.

Talking of bridal related things makes me think of Valentines day which is creeping ever closer. I'm contemplating a design for a card and hoping I have the time to do it! One thing I've discovered since my little girl went to school is that despite her been gone until 3:15pm, there doesn't actually seem to be any extra time to do things...this baffles me slightly, but on I trot, making art as and when I can...and I recently made this which I hope you'll like. It's something new, a bit different...

It's called 'Three Little Words' and I imagine it would make a lovely romantic gift for someone. I have plans for a sea themed one next and am enjoying working on these little mixed media art boxes enormously!

You can find out more about my new work here.

Well I think I've waffled on long enough! What a lengthy post it turned out to be! Are you still with me??!!

Thanks for reading and visiting, I feel a BIG cup of tea coming on...

See you soon,
Love Julia x x x

Anyone for Crochet?

2012-01-17T10:55:00.000Z

Hello :)

Do you remember quite a while ago I started a blanket from that lovely book by Nicki Trench ~ Cute & Easy Crochet...

I had a stash of acrylic wool (a mixture of King Cole and Stylecraft Special DK), and started in earnest to make four hundred or so little squares...

...well it's been a while since I did any little squares, but at the weekend I decided to dig the yarn bag out and crack on.

Thing was, I felt a little bit burdened by the idea of making four hundred squares. I know I could have made a smaller blanket, I suppose you can make any shape or size you like with a pattern such as this one, but a New Idea presented itself. Just as I was thinking 'well if I'm not making my little squares blanket, what on earth can I use all this wool for then?' the answer to that question popped in my head and there was no going back.

I would make a cushion out of the little pile of squares for my little girl's bedroom, and I would use the rest of the wool to make a Granny Stripe! blanket

So that's what I did on Sunday.

As luck would have it I already had a small square cushion pad, and I had sixteen little squares already made up which fitted just right.
Sunday afternoon was spent crocheting them all together, along with many cups of tea and spontaneous games and lego building in between.

I made the cushion envelope style, and sewed on some sparkly pink buttons to fasten it together. Needless to say, my little girl is over the moon with it, and it now sits with Bunny on her bed.

But you know how it is, when you've got the seed of an idea blossoming in the recess of your mind, you want to get cracking on it. Well, I do at least. I was itching to start my Granny Stripe once I'd made my mind up to do it and once Small was in bed, I got busy.

Out came those gloriously sweet shades of wool...and out came the hook...a couple of hours of delicious hooky bliss ensued...

I confess to being in love with Granny Striping; how easy it is, how lovely and rythmical...how soothing it is to work up and down those colourful rainbow enriched rows, and how quickly it seems to grow!

I can heartily recommend doing a Granny Stripe blanket to anyone - it is one of the most satisfying things to have in your WIP basket. I've decided to make this blanket for my daughter, the colours are so sugary bright and just right for a little girl. As for the wool, I think I've mentioned before that as far as acrylic wool goes they seem pretty good, not overly greasy or squeaky, and the colours make it a very happy crocheting experience.

I'll keep you updated on my progress, if I carry on at this rate it might be finished in just a few weeks!

Before I go, I'd just like to thank you for your comments and enquiries from the last post, you're very kind and it's much appreciated :)

I hope you're enjoying a bright sunny week, thanks for popping in to see me today...

Love Julia x

Hello

2012-01-13T14:24:00.001Z

Hello!

Remember me?

Many moons ago I used to write a little Blog (*gigglesnort) but have recently fell off the rails and not written at all.

I thought it high time I popped in to say Hello, wish you a very belated Happy New Year and to let you know that yes, I'm still here. And how about you - are you well? Did you have a nice Christmas? Goodness me it's been a while hasn't it!

It's nice to be back although I'm up to my eyeballs in all things new. My little girl started Big School last week and I have gently been acclimatising myself to 5 full days of being practically child free. I confess to finding it a derailing experience, yet in some ways it is ridiculously exciting to find myself with just me for company, to have all this time at my disposal to do with what I will...bliss yes, but in many ways I do miss that dear little ball of energy and am practically dizzy with excitement when it's time to go and fetch her home.

So..although I have all this extra time, I'm still getting used to it and can't say I'm getting anything extra done. However, I have been busy on a commission which I've really enjoyed doing - it's been a while since anything like this bobbed along...

Surprisingly, from showing this picture on my Facebook Page yesterday, I've had rather a bit of interest from people...so this morning I have been beavering away to create a New Page on my website...

...which makes the whole process heaps easier for everyone. You are most welcome to take a look if you like by clicking here.

As an antidote to work related things, I have made a New Year Goal to start walking more this year. Before I had my little girl, we would walk all over the place, disappearing for hours on end up mountains and the like. It was glorious. Now she is older we have discovered after several short(ish) excursions that she too enjoys walking, as long as it includes falling down small ravines, jumping in mud and leaping about in streams.

We like all that, so off we went last Saturday on a little 3 mile jaunt not far from our house.

We didn't realise that there was a gale force wind blowing at the top of the hill, the poor wee slip of a thing nearly took off, it's a miracle we managed to grab her before she sailed over the hills to Manchester.

But still, it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and we look forward to more walks as the weather improves. Have any of you noticed that the evenings are slowly, ever so slowly getting lighter earlier? Isn't it just the best thing ever? It fills me with such excitement, makes me think of all the nice things waiting just around the corner; drifts of snowdrops and crocus, warm evenings sat in the garden, trips to the coast, camping....ahhhhh...lovely!

Anyway, it's time I was off - a cup of tea calls me before I have to head up the hill to collect the exuberant Small, I hope you all have a smashing weekend and look forward to catching up with you and your blogs again soon.

With much love
Julia x x x

Being Creative Gallery Check In ~ December (and what happens next)

2011-12-29T10:32:00.000Z

Hola!

I'm bringing you the Gallery Check In for December a couple of days early this month, with it being New Year and us still very much in Holiday Mood!

I hope you've all enjoyed your Christmas, wherever you are in the world - this Gallery Check In is the last one of the year, and this post will also explain what will be happening to the Being Creative Project Group in 2012.

The theme for December was WINTER.

I decided to include my recently re-found painting, Yorkshire Snow to the Flickr Group Pool, as this conveys Winter to me just perfectly...dark dry stone walls, a white patchwork of snowy fields, tiny farm cottages and swirling snow storms...

I hope you've enjoyed the theme this month, and I look forward to seeing your contributions in the Flickr Group and in the Gallery - you can add your link to the widget at the bottom of this post to link back to relevant work on your blog, website or photo hosting account. PLease do not link back to any online market place such as Folksy or Etsy please, many thanks!

I've really enjoyed hosting the Being Creative Project this year, it's allowed me to discover some amazing souls the world over, and it's been a pleasure to connect with these people and make new online friendships.

So, you may be wondering where the group is headed in 2012...?

I've given this a fair bit of thought. I knew that I wanted to continue to host a facility for people to come and be inspired, to be creative amongst a group of like minded souls and to be able to share images of their work. I wanted the Project to be flexible yet supportive, and I knew I wanted it to be informal and friendly and accessible.

In 2012, the Project will operate in a slightly different way - it will still be up and running and there will still be themes for you to work from. What I'm going to do is launch a Theme Pool (which you can access on the Being Creative page of this blog above from early January). The idea is that there will be a whole heap of themes for you to choose from, so you get to choose something that really lights your creative fire rather than be stuck with one that perhaps doesn't.

You can also choose how long you want to work on your theme; you might pick one a month like before, or pick one to turn into a year long project...you might also want to work with a different one each week - the choice is yours. I hope this flexible approach makes the group more appealing and accessible for you all.

Another change is that I'm not going be hosting the monthly gallery pages any longer. You will be able to share images of your work in the Flickr Gallery Group which is already hosting some amazing works of art and craft and is a really inspiring place to visit. You can add your images there whenever you like, and there is also a discussions forum if you have any questions or require some support.

I will also continue to send out the Being Creative Project newsletter - this will be sent to you on a happily random basis and will be bulging with inspiration, guidance, advice and tools for you. If you haven't signed up already, you are most welcome to do so and can find the sign up form on the Being Creative page (click tab above).

So for the last time, I give you the gallery to host your Winter themed work. I'm looking forward to seeing your contributions this month! The gallery will be open for one month so you have plenty of time to add your links.

I hope you are happy with the changes, and that the group still provides a friendly and supportive space for you to get creative. If you have any questions, i'd be more than happy to hear from you.

Sending you love for your creative journey, and wishing you all a sparkly and marvellous 2012 ~ thank you so much for taking part, hope to see you all next year!

Julia x x x

My Guide to a Stress~Free Christmas

2011-12-09T13:59:00.000Z

'A Letter to Santa' ~ watercolour on paper

Hello dearest!

Winter has landed early in my little corner of the world; the temperature is barely above zero and there are snow flurries and gusty winds which have left the trees bare and grey. However I do like this time of year; I like to see the white snowy fields criss-crossed by the dark dry stone walls and a brooding Pennine sky looming above, I like bracing wintery walks followed by drinks of hot chocolate, curled up on the sofa wrapped in homemade hooky blankets and a good film on TV...

...in stark contrast I Do Not Like overheated shops, big queues, hustle and bustle and the rush to get to Christmas. Nor do I enjoy catching bugs from being in germ ridden, overcrowded places or the stress that can come from Christmas shopping. I also dislike arguments with family and friends brought on by stress and a car crash of everybodys' mixed expectations of how things should be.

So, I'm going to share some simple secrets on how to get to the big day, serenely, on time, feeling relaxed and in tip top health. I promise you won't be disappointed - it's so simple and it all works.

'Snowflake Angels' by Carys

Here goes:

1: The Fend Off Colds and Sore Throat Miracle Remedy (aka: instant Pep Up Tonic)

I make this myself, a lot. I like to drink this as a soothing, warming herbal tea. It's wonderful if you're feeling under par, at the onset of a cold, or feeling the razor sharp swallowing that comes with a nasty sore throat. It's my instant pep up and bacteria fighting winter tea:

You need: fresh ginger, fresh thyme, fresh organic lemon and a manuka honey (or good antibacterial one, such as Troway Hall's). A little loose tea leaf infuser is useful too, to hold the herbs and spices (otherwise you can just put everything in a beaker and strain through a sieve into your mug).

Best made fresh, Makes 1 mug:

Grate or chop a thumb sized, peeled piece of fresh ginger.

Snip up a generous palm full of fresh thyme. Add both of these to your infuser.

In a mug, add a teaspoon of good honey and a couple of teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Pour boiled water over all the ingredients and leave to steep for 5 -10 minutes. Drink up and enjoy.

'Snowflakes' ~ Crochet pattern by Attic24

2: Do Easy Christmas Shopping - or Don't.

There's a couple of really easy ways to avoid the nightmare of Christmas Shopping...those bustling, busy, hot shops full of queues and crying children.

Don't do it.

Solution 1: The obvious one, shop online. Do it all online. The amount of stress you'll save yourself is un-bel-ieeeeeveable. There's nothing you can't order online these days, so save yourself the hassle and stay home.

Solution 2: Choose Handmade. In these days of feverish mass consumerism, I'm finding the gentle art of homemade more and more appealing. Handmade is the way forward and there are oodles of books and magazines to whet your appetite and inspire you. My favourites are Mollie Makes and Handmade Living.

Hand Embroidered Lavender Pillow gift 'Cornishware Jug & Daisies'

3: Let go of Expectation.

I'm one of those people who roll with the flow on a lot of things although I do have a perfectionist streak which comes from a Virgo moon bobbing about in my birth chart somewhere, so I do have to battle with that part of me sometimes!

On the whole though I think I'm pretty easy going about how stuff turns out these days. Take my Christmas tree for example, it's not perfect. It's covered in a myriad of different rainbow coloured decorations and lights and is ever so slightly tipsy, with the fairy on the top listing drunkenly to one side - but that's ok, we don't mind things like that. It makes me smile to see it :)

However, Christmas can bring out our inner perfectionist. We can want the whole day to go a certain way, to look a certain way. We can want the people we're with to be a certain way and we mentally prepare for it down to the tiniest detail and feel crushingly devastated when something goes 'wrong'. Some folks prepare for this one day for months. Can I just say...and I know some of you reading this will already have elaborate table layouts planned and a time table written out - please, for your sanity, just try and release your hold on any expectations you might have about it all. Let the day come, and let it go. And in between, relax and enjoy it. Things will go wrong, things won't always go as planned. Relaxing our level of expectation will release a whole truck load of stress, which is a good thing - I mean, Christmas is meant to be enjoyed, right?

All decked up! My daughter chose those funky pink lights!

4: Congratulate Yourself

Yes. Do this often. In the middle of everything you're doing, stop right where you are and hug yourself (I mean it, this releases endorphins like you won't believe). I also encourage you to say something like 'You're so GREAT!!!!!! You are doing such a WONDERFUL JOB!!!' This is a good thing to do - it makes you instantly feel better and a little self love goes a long way in helping you be nicer to others. Don't wait for someone to pat you on the back for your efforts (you can get grizzly waiting for, or expecting a compliment), do it yourself.

5: Nurture Yourself

Probably obvious, yet as essential as breathing in and out. Nurture yourself. Be kind to your body and mind. Do relaxing things for yourself; go outdoors for walks and breathe in good wintery air, do some gentle exercise like yoga or pilates or take yourself off to Zumba and dance your butt off! Take deep relaxing baths laced with essential oils to lift the spirits (i heartily recommend grapefruit and eucalyptus for this time of year), drink plenty of water - at least 6 to 8 glasses a day, and sleep. Switch off your computers at least half an hour before you turn in, and do a bit of reading to gently unwind and prepare your body for rest.

Looking after yourself first isn't a selfish thing to do, you're actually going to be in a better, healthier and more naturally giving place to look after your families when you do this stuff for you.

All of this works, I swear. And I know this because I do it myself.

And I hope, in a small way, these little stress busting tricks and treats will help you too.

Sending bunches of mistetoe and a glass of mulled wine your way...

Love Julia x x x

Being Creative Gallery ~ November

2011-12-01T14:32:00.000Z

Hello!

Welcome to the Being Creative Gallery Check In for November. The theme for November was....

VINTAGE!

Before I launch the gallery link I just want to apologise for not getting an inspiring email support letter out to you this month. November has been Bursting-at-the-Seams-Busy and before I knew where I was, it was almost Gallery day again. Somehow I bypassed the part in my To Do Book which said 'Being Creative Email' and sailed forth. This has taught me that sometimes with even the best intentions, we sometimes cock up and forget stuff, and that's OK, it shows how spendidly human we are I think!

I hope you have managed to find some inspiration for the theme, and I look forward to seeing what you've been up to!

If you have a piece of work you would like to post in the Gallery this month, then you are welcome to add your link using the widget at the bottom of this post. The link must lead back to a picture of relevant work, either on your blog or on your Flickr or photo hosting account (I do ask that you please don't link back to any online market place, such as Etsy or Folksy, thank you).

The Flickr Group is also open to post your images on a daily basis, while this gallery will be open from 1 - 31st December. You can easily access any of the gallery pages from the link in the right hand side bar.

Don't forget, you can still sign up to receive the Being Creative Newsletter, which I send out once a month. You will receive a free mini Being Creative e-book with this, along with links to some blog entries that you may find inspiring, and which may help you get started on your creative journey. Although there's only one more theme this year, you are still welcome to sign up and join if you haven't already by clicking the tab at the top of the page.

The theme for December is...

WINTER.

Thank you so much for taking part, I look forward to seeing your Vintage inspired work!

Julia x x x

Knitting and Stitching Show Treasures

2011-11-28T15:27:00.000Z

(A treasure of rainbow lovely~ness)

Yesterday, I went to Harrogate; to the Knitting & Stitching Show...

If you are lucky enough to have ever been to this eevent, you will understand why I am writing this basking in the afterglow of utter Inspiration Overdose. Not having been before, we weren't sure what to expect. We knew it would be good, but not as good as it actually was. We knew it would be big, but not that big (we were blown away by the actual Bigness* of it ~ *a totally made up word to convey just how big it was). We knew we would see things that would charm and tempt us and on that score we were completely right.

We set off on a cold November morning, with the sun behind us rising in a crisp blue sky over hills and fields - at least it was until we got to Leeds!! Navigating that city isn't for the faint hearted - I feel like such a country bumpkin as urban driving (one way systems, sudden lane changes which mean zipping across four of them to get to a swift and sudden turn off etc etc) is not really my cup of tea these days. Still, we got there eventually and celebrated a whole day of wandering, gazing at yarn, thread, felt, textiles, gallery exhibits and the like by going for a large mug of coffee and something sweet.

Having neglected to take any pictures of the event itself (silly me) I can only entice you with the handful of beautiful goodies I chose to bring home with me:

Buttons, felt balls and yarn...

The felt balls are for a piece of felty jewellery I'm going to be having a go at creating. I will post pics as soon as it's done, but in the meantime please feel free to gratuitously drink up those terrific rainbow colours - don't they just pop and zing?? Don't they make you feel just ridiculously happy?

(Ocean Blues...wonderful sea colours, I'm quite in love!)

The buttons, they're just wonderful. I'm not quite sure what they're made of, but they seem to resemble polished coconut shell on the underside, and a smooth, polished ceramic on the top in dreamy ocean shades. I don't quite know what to use them for as yet but they had to come home with me, I knew that for sure!

Of course, it was probably inconceivable to imagine coming home without a bit of yarn..and oh, the Yarn...oh my.

The yarn I chose is by a delicious company called Nimu Yarns. They are a family company based in East Kent and create the most decadent and beautiful hand dyed, hand painted yarns you may have ever set your eyes upon. Ever. In the whole world.

After much 'oooh~ing' and 'aaahhh~ing' I decided to treat myself to a skein of Aira in the Grasholm shade. It's 400 metres of pure, unadulterated silk in the most divine shade of mermaid oceany turquoise. And I am saving it until I find the perfect pattern for it. At this point in time I'm sitting with a vision of a slim, drapy kind of scarf which can be worn in the warmer months...what do you think?

Another deeply inspiring moment was to be had when I wandered past the Selvedge Stand. Something caught my eye...and I glanced again...quickened my pace and was all of a sudden standing before a real life Sophie Digard masterpiece!!

(photograph ~ Sophie Digard at Selvedge)

For those of you who are familiar with Sophie's crochet work you will perhaps understand why I went into a trance like moment as I stood before one of her scarves. The tiny stitches, the colourways and detail is like nothing I've ever seen on earth. I understand that she has a team of highly competent women who crochet up her designs somewhere in South America (I think!) which would go some way to explaining why there are so many amazing designs available as it would surely take a Very Long Time to create even one of these pieces don't you think?

I then moved on to gaze longingly at her jewellery...oh my goodness, heart stopping moment - for two reasons; the first one being the absolute beauty of a necklace made intricately from yarn, and secondly, the price tag...which I think it was £127.00...

One day I would like to think I'd have the patience to try and make my own Sophie Digard inspired scarf, but in all honesty I think I'm one of those souls who just isn't made to create teeny tiny faffy pieces of work. Fortunately I am one of those people who never say never, so one never knows...but for now I think I'm best (and happiest) at gazing adoringly at the stuff from people who can.

'Til next time, thanks for coming by
Julia x x x

A Story About Making Old Furniture Lovely Again

2011-11-22T11:30:00.000Z

We have a new addition to our family.

Actually, we have two but i'll tell you about this one first; our new Welsh dresser.

Way back in February my other half happened to mention that there was a Welsh dresser for sale. It was being advertised in the little cafe over the road and he'd had a look at it and thought right away how it could be done up and made to look lovely. As this is something I have long wished to have in my home I went to have a look at it. Standing in the corner it was very tired, shabby and 80's looking with it's awful dark varnish, but I could see the potential same as he had and immediately got rather excited, envisioning it standing in our little house adorned with all our favourite bits and pieces.

We bought it for £25.00 and got to work sanding back that nasty varnish...

I'm afraid I don't have an actual before shot of it to show you just how dark and awful it really was, but you get the idea...

However this renovation business was not plain sailing. After choosing and buying the undercoats, primers and paints we got to work making this old bit of furniture look good as new, but we hit a problem: Staining. Yes, the lovely milky white shade of paint we had originally chosen turned a rather sickly yellow as the old varnish leached through.

It was left a while as we worked out what to do. I contacted a furniture restoration specialist who suggested sanding it back and then coating the whole thing in shellac. It seemed like there was a light at the end of the tunnel but as some of you may know, shellac is not the cheapest product to buy and we had a heck of a surface area to cover. Back to the drawing board then!! My Dad had a lightbulb moment and went up to see his old friend John Carrack (brother of the famous Paul) who has run their family paint business in Crookes for years. John sent him home with a tin of some special sealant and my Dad took over the project of re-sanding, sealing, re-undercoating and the like, whilst I danced off happily to buy pretty coloured door knobs and some new paint!

After months of hard work and nothing happening, it was ready:

It has moved into our little house and looks as if it's been there forever. Typically I got rather excited and immediately started to adorn it with bits and bobs...(and did I mention that it needs bunting? I didn't? Oh it so does!!)

I found the toadstools in John Lewis recently, they're actually tree decorations but for now I'm liking them just sitting companionably together on my new dresser :)

The paint I chose was Porcelain Blue by the Craig & Rose 1829 paint company. The door and drawer knobs came from a selection at Chatsworth House and a lovely little shop in Holmfirth called The Gift Horse.

Prior to my Welsh dresser moving in, I finally got myself a proper desk to work from. For absolutely long enough I have been working and painting away at my dining room table and this has been fine up to a point but I was feeling that I'd really like a little chunk of my home where I could do my computer work and smaller pieces of art; a work space I could call my own, that I didn't have to clear off to serve meals etc. Now as some of you know we live in a very SMALL house, there really isn't space for an individual studio and so I have chosen my favourite corner, by my inspiring bookshelves and back window for my new desk.

I found my desk in an antiques centre in Sheffield, I saw it just over a month ago and I fell instantly in love. I saw it in my mind as being the perfect desk; it was big enough for my bits and pieces, but small enough to fit in our room without overpowering it. It has an unusually long drawer that opens from the side for keeping all my Important Things in. I also get to leave my painting stuff on it, and I love doing that.

I think it's important that we cultivate a creative space that makes our hearts sing, that bring us joy. A good place to work from is good for the soul.

It's also a dream to sit here and work, glancing up to see the birds fluttering about and watch the sun orbit our riverside garden. Although I'm still in my little house, working in the same room, having my own desk here gives me my own little sanctuary to retreat to for work and painting stuff. I love it. It's all mine.

So! Before I go today, I'd just like to thank all of you for your lovely comments about my crochet work ~ you're so kind and I do appreciate the time you spend reading my blog and writing your thoughts. I also appreciate all of you lovely folks who read and leave quietly, thank you too for stopping by :)

Well, I have a few Christmas Card orders I need to be cracking on with now, so I'm off! I hope you're all having a smashing week, sending love and mugs of warm gluhwein to you!

Julia x x x

A Rather Hooky Ta~Dahhhhhhhhhh!

2011-11-15T17:54:00.000Z

It's finished!!

At long last, my Japanese Flower Scarf is completed! I finished it last week but the weather has been so drab and grey here for days on end it has been difficult to photograph it. Anyway, today the fog cleared for a few glorious hours and I managed to take a few pictures for you. It was made from remnant balls of wool that were left over from my Rainbow Ripple Blanket; it's mostly Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK with the odd bit of aran here and there. It's lovely and soft, and surprisingly warm, what with all those holes!

It's a feast of colour...

...I am smitten!

And I am also pleased to share with you that my other scarf, my Stripy Rainbow Bliss one is also completed. I spent a long while the other afternoon sewing in all the ends; you may recall me not so long ago sharing some WIP photographs with you:

To be fair, it doesn't look that much different now it's actually finished off properly, it's just a little bit longer than it was.

I'm well and truly kitted out for the cold weather now, lots of soft warm woolly goodness to wrap around myself...I'm actually kind of looking forward to the colder days now so I have an excuse to wear them!

And of course with two projects done and dusted, it doesn't stop there. I have embarked on another Japanese Flower shawl! There is something so lovely and cosy about shawls and I've developed a bit of a need for them around the house; they're so practical and yet so comforting. I trawled the internet for a while, looking for another pattern but something kept on bringing me back to the Japanese Flower one. It's so easy, so quick...and it wasn't long before I remembered something Vanessa did here. I was all fired up with enthusiasm for this idea and before too long made an excuse to visit my local yarn emporium (aka John Lewis). I came home very happy with a brand new yarn stash...isn't that one of life's little pleasures? No, it's actually a Great Big One.

And so here are my colours ~ a dark peaty grey, a vanilla cream and soft purpley heather shade. The wool is a gorgeously soft, chunky merino by Wendy. I'm rather glad it wasn't super expensive either as it seems to disappear quite fast (it been made on a No.6 hook). I haven't used this particular brand before but I'm quite happy with it so far, and the shawl (due to the thickness of the wool) is growing at a satisfying speed!

It's been a pretty creative time here this week what with all this hookyness and my on-going purges of decluttering. In the middle of said decluttering a favourite painting was rediscovered. Tucked away for safe keeping during our decorating renovations a couple of years back I had actually (believe it or not) forgotten all about it! It's an acrylic painting on a box canvas, and goes by the name of Yorkshire Snow:

I am wondering if it may make a rather nice Christmas Card, as an alternative to the illustrative ones I have on sale...?

...I could perhaps temporarily re-name it, to make it more appealing to everyone...maybe 'Winter Snow' instead of 'Yorkshire Snow' - what do you think?

And it may also work rather well as a print. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

Anyway, I've just noticed that I shouldn't be here - I need to be getting my bod off to Zumba!! Thanks so much for popping in to see me!

Sending love to you

Julia x x x

Christmas Tiptoes In...

2011-11-08T18:07:00.000Z

Before I go any further, I had better warn you that this post includes some rather gratuitous pictures of Father Christmas and Reindeer. It also includes several mentions of the 'C' word and if you shudder at the mere thought of it in November then do feel free to depart and come back again next time! (I won't be offended - honest now!) ;D

Being in the art business though, I seriously have to keep up with what everyone else is doing (or get left hopelessly behind) and so, I'm going to give you a quick peek into the festive part of my gallery!

Some of you may already know that my little Christmas Card Emporium is now open - I haven't liked to shout too loudly about it up 'til now because a lot of people are (quite rightly) allergic to All Things Christmas until at least December the 1st but now Bonfire Night has passed, I thought I'd just let you know what's in store...

Christmas Cards are available both individually and in packs of eight...each one is created by hand, titled and signed by myself. The individual cards are presented in a cello envelope, and the sets are finished with a festive red raffia bow and tag. 10% of all my card sales go towards the Down's Syndrome Association which I am so pleased to support; my nephew Oliver who is now 5, was born with DS and it is a pleasure to be able to give something back to such a wonderfully supportive organisation.

You can find out more about the DSA here.

My Christmas card shop features the return of some popular designs...

...and also my newest one; Christmas Kiss...

There's also free P&P for customers within the UK but I do ship worldwide too!

I'm really pleased to have my cards and prints in several lovely shops already this year, including the gorgeous Andrea Willis Designs in Scarborough, and The Rowan Tree in Devon.

(Andrea's gorgeous shop)

And on the subject of Christmas, my original paintings and fine art prints would make a wonderful gift ~ sign up for my newsletter to receive an exclusive discount!

You are welcome to visit my online gallery by clicking here, and you can sign up to receive my newsletter by clicking here.

Thank you so much for visiting me today, and if you've got this far then thanks again for putting up with so much Christmassy~ness!
Next time, light permitting (it's been dank and awful and photographs nigh on impossible to take) i'll be sharing not one, but TWO Ta~Dahhh moments of the hooky kind with you!

I do hope you'll drop by to take a look!

Sending love
Julia x x x

Enjoying Autumn

2011-11-03T11:30:00.000Z

Hello!

We've been enjoying a weirdly warm November here, although I'm not complaining, there is something rather nice about wearing just a t-shirt and cardigan when you're meant to be swaddled up in scarves and winter coats!

This last weekend, we took our annual chestnut gathering jaunt to Clumber Park. It's a little tradition that we began a couple of years ago and makes for a nice day out with a tasty picnic, flask of hot tea and forest walks. After a damp start, the day turned out to be fine and sunny, just the right kind of day for romping about in fallen leaves, gathering up those shiny brown nuts and dealing with cheeky squirrels.

Someone seemed to be having fun, dancing in the leaves...

...and it's amazing what you find when you're searching for chestnuts!

This little fella came right up by our feet, and helped himself to some of our haul!

We had a lovely walk through the forest; I love being near trees, I find them very peaceful, they have a lovely calming energy...

...and the colour of the leaves this time of year is breath taking!

I think nature is good for the soul; watching the seasons unfold, seeing wild animals and birds in their natural habitat is a lovely antidote to the often busy and full lives we lead.

Talking of busy...and I'm going off on a right old tangent here! Remember a couple of posts ago I told you I was finally making a start on getting rid of four years worth of accumulated junk? And you might remember I showed you this corner of my bedroom (*shudders at the sight of it again):

I confess to being pretty alarmed at the thought of tackling that lot, I can tell you. But as I sat and looked at it (as it looked back at me, all momentous and impossible) I had a thought: take it all to bits, and then do it one bit at a time.

I gave myself half an hour. Three bags of really good baby toys, unused cushions and throws for the charity shop, and one big bulging bin liner for the rubbish later and it now looks like this:

I cannot express how light and happy this made me feel. In fact, I did a little jiggy dance and squealed a bit.

I've also got a few nice toys that I'm going to have a bash at selling on ebay too - you can't see those though, I've made a fresh pile of stuff to the right of this photo (lol).

It really does help (when clearing out and clearing up) to repeat the mantra 'I love my home' instead of 'damn I hate chores'. It kind of has a calming effect, and creates an urge to actually make your home nicer (or it does for me!). I'm not after a perfect showroom style house, that would never be us in a million years as we like our trinkets, colour and lived in feel a bit too much to go minimal! But I'm certainly feeling happier at how things are coming along, and much relieved that so much unused stuff will be hopefully finding new homes, with owners who actually want it!

One last thing before I go...

(a recent watercolour sketch from my sketch book)

I realise it might have been some time since I wrote about anything arty or woolly. I want to reassure you that there will be some hooky posts on the horizon, and some arty ones too. I'm in the middle of working on some ideas (painting wise) which will hopefully see a new range of artwork available for children and families. I'll be sharing more of this with you soon, but for now let me just say it's an idea that has been percolating for many months and I'm looking forward to starting it!

On the hooky front, my lovely scarf just needs those pesky ends sewing in and I'm kind of contemplating another blanket...a stripy sort of blanket, which would be good to have going alongside the little squares one I've got on the go already. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you!

Sending love,

Julia x x x

Being Creative Gallery ~October

2011-11-01T10:03:00.000Z

Hello

I hope the 1st of November finds you well ~ the theme for the gallery for the month of October is Fire...I have a feeling this may have been a tricky one, but all the same I will look forward to seeing what you have created, or hearing about your ideas.

'Fire' for me conjours up many images and ideas; the colours of fire are so inspiring and are so in tune with our current season: burning ambers, golds, oranges and reds...but the heart of a flame can also be blue and green and white.
Fire can also mean passion - a passion of the soul, a fire in the heart...I wonder if any of you chose to take the theme in that direction, and create a piece of work based around that?

The Being Creative Project has so far being an eye opening journey for me, and even on the months where I don't actually create anything I find myself still thinking about ways I could tackle the theme, and I'm being inspired in new and different ways. I see this as positive growth ~ as artists it is easy to become comfortable within the boundaries we create for ourselves, to work with what feels OK and familiar. It sometimes feels a little scary to push beyond that, to consider something new, to have to think about something we may not ordinarily do so. I am pleased that from this project I have been able to work with clay, have rediscovered embroidery and also considered getting into linocut print work again. I wonder what avenues it may have opened up for you?

If you have a piece of work you would like to post in the Gallery this month, then you are welcome to add your link using the widget at the bottom of this post. The link must lead back to a picture of your work, either on your blog or on your Flickr or photo hosting account (I do ask that you please don't link back to any online market place, such as Etsy or Folksy, thank you).

The Flickr Group is also open to post your images on a daily basis, while this gallery will be open from 1 - 30th November. You can easily access any of the gallery pages from the link in the right hand side bar.

Don't forget, you can still sign up to receive the Being Creative Newsletter, which I send out once a month. You will receive a free mini Being Creative e-book with this, along with links to some blog entries that you may find inspiring, and which may help you get started on your creative journey. Although there are only two more themes this year, you are still welcome to sign up and join if you haven't already by clicking the tab at the top of the page.

The theme for November is: VINTAGE - I hope you'll have fun with this one and I look forward to once again seeing all your creations!

Thanks for taking part,
Julia x x x

Red Shoes

2011-10-27T12:21:00.001+01:00

There comes a point in your life when you have to indulge in a deep longing; we all have them, our own deep rooted longings and mine happened to be Red Shoes.
I can recall when my fascination with red shoes began too, it was many moons ago when I was a child and saw the famous film 'The Red Shoes' where the beautiful Moira Shearer danced her socks off in a pair of the most captivating red ballet slippers I'd ever clapped eyes on.

Now 38 years young, I decided it was high time to indulge one of my lifelong whims; no, I'd never be Moira Shearer but I could and would find a pair of bright cherry red shoes which would delight and excite that little inner ballerina of mine.

And I did.

I cannot begin to describe the joy as I opened the box - I happened upon something of a bargain too as this pair cost far less that it should have!

And of course, you can't wear red shoes with boring old socks, no that would never do! Stripes are the order of the day, and each time I glance down at my feet I feel absolutely ditzy with glee!! Red Shoes and Stripes!!!! Hurrah for indulgence!!

*A little note on indulgence, in case you think it's completely frivolous and unnecessary: I'm reading the fabulous Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, who observes that the days are long but life is short. How right she is too! I've really begun to think about how I spend my time and live my life - how to inject more Happy Moments into it and live as fully as I can in every moment - it's proving to be an interesting project.

I'm not really a person for blowing huge amounts of moolah on clothing or footwear; to be honest if I ever go shopping for myself it's usually clothes of the smaller size that end up coming home with me for my daughter! Reading her book gave me a bit of a permission slip to do something for me - and it's quite difficult to be honest, when you're used to mostly doing stuff for everyone else.

Talking of doing stuff, I've decided to tackle the over-cluttered chaos that is my house. Gretchen's book also covers an inspiring section on de-cluttering and oh my, if anywhere needs it, it's my house! My bedroom, which by rights ought to be a sanctuary of relaxation and tranquil surroundings is currently more akin to a charity shop, piled up with old baby toys, books and clothing. It has become a veritable dumping ground for Things That Don't Have a Home or are no longer useful or useable. Going to bed in this chaos has long been a bit of a nightmare, and I've put off tackling it due to the sheer enormity of the task. This is just one corner:

I was also more than delighted to stumble upon this post by dear Lucy over at Attic 24, and this one here at Domesticali. Heartily inspired, I ordered the book Ali wrote about and got busy reading.
Things now seem achievable, and I'm actually feeling pretty positive about getting stuck in. I've already made a start, and have three large bags to give away to charity shops from Just ONE CORNER (not that one above either, another one!) It sounds horrendous, it is - was, but I'm getting there, in just 15 minutes a day which is mightily do-able in my scheme of things!

I will share a picture of this corner when I've tackled it - rather than seeing it as a nasty chore, I'm trying to adopt the attitude of Home Loving instead and it does seem to slightly increase the feeling of wanting to keep it nice rather than not.

Right, that's me for now - I have a date with my wee girl to go and find a big pumpkin this afternoon, so we shall venture out into the grey gold wet day that has descended upon our corner of South Yorkshire and go hunting for a good one.

Sending you love,
Julia x x x

**Edited to add - the shoes I got are these ones by a company called El Naturalista :)

'Mug Hug' - Making Handmade Gifts

2011-10-19T14:36:00.000+01:00

I have recently become rather involved in Little Handmade Projects of the gifty variety. I like handmade. I love that you can pootle about on the internet and find all manner of inspiration and ideas. I love that there is such a wealth of good craft books these days, such as this one and this one. I like finding time to make something special for someone special, someone who I know will appreciate the effort and love that goes into handmade.

I also like the recycling element of it. Using up scraps of old fabric from tiny toddler dresses and tops that don't fit anymore; finding age old threads and buttons to make pretty things with. But I also like trips to craft shops to buy the necessary ingredients to make things with too; embroidery floss, pretty textiles, new yarn, unusual buttons...

So, you get the idea that I'm all for handmade making and giving, and with a family birthday looming it was with some excitement that I finally got to make something I'd had my eye on for a while in this book here:

Some of you will be more than familiar with Nikki Trench's book, Cute and Easy Crochet. I have already started to make that pretty squares blanket, but these little Mug Cosies have been calling me for many moons.

It being Mum's birthday, it seemed like a good idea to make her one of these. She likes tea, she likes handmade and so I felt I was off to a good start. What's not to like eh?!! I'd also seen something in the current edition of Mollie Makes magazine that caught my eye; an advertisement for their next issue featuring this:

Ooooh yes - me likey that!! A little teabag type thingy on the side of the Mug Cosy. So I thought I would improvise and make my own.
On looking at the picture and pattern in Nikki's book, I noticed that the cups they had used were straight sided, whereas mine were curved. I knew I'd have to decrease or add stitches a bit in order for the Mug Cosy to fit nicely, so I ended up making up my own pattern and working from the top down in double crochet and single crochet, with slip stitches in cream to finish. Would you like to see how it turned out?

I'm really quite happy with it, considering I didn't use the book pattern at all, and it ended up being an Adventure in Crochet as I fumbled my way along and hoped for the best!

To finish off the Mug Cosy (which from this point on I'm calling Mug Hug because it sounds so very warm and huggy which is exactly what it is meant to be and also because it's my own slap-dash pattern and therefore methinks it's ok to re-name it!), I found a little wooden flower button at the very bottom of my button tin! What luck! It finished off just nicely!

Next, I found a little piece of creamy muslin and embroidered the message "I 'heart' tea" on it. I hand sewed the edges and then used daisy stitch to make the teabag string which I just ran up the side of the Mug Hug.

The wool I used for this was one of those bargain buys too - a ball of Sublime cashmerino aran (I used a number 4 hook as opposed to a 5 too, for a tighter finish). It only cost £1.99 and the cup cost £3.00 from Sainsburys so I reckon that's a bit of a bargain, don't you?!

Anyway, one more bit of hooky news before I go. You may remember a week or so ago I told you I wanted to give that teeny tiny crochet a crack, the one where you use a really tiny hook, a 1 point something or other and fine crochet thread...well let me tell you I've made a start, I've had a go and boy oh boy do I admire the folks that make ridunculously big scarves using this method. I have made several circles, it took me forever:

Although I do like them. Very Much Indeed - and I am thinking that rather than die of overwhelm thinking about making a scarf (thing of dreams at this point in time) I shall perhaps tackle a colourful doily to stand a nice plant on or something. It's the kind of crochet I've got to be in the mood for, and I've got to have natural daylight to be able to see it well enough as those wee stitches are very tricksy. So I won't be abandoning my rainbow bliss scarf just yet...oh no, infact I'm hoping that's going to be my next completed project - the chilly weather has prompted me to dig it out and get it finished!

Right - I've a Special Birthday Meal to prepare, so I'm away to the kitchen to be busy!

See you again soon, thanks for visiting today!

Much love
Julia x x x

Annnnnd.....The Winner Is...

2011-10-17T16:25:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Thank you very much to all of you who took part in my Christmas Card giveaway. I was really overwhelmed by your response, and would like to say thanks for taking the time to write such lovely things - and for helping me reach my FB target of 1000 in super quick time, I didn't expect that at all!!

Anyway, without further delay - onto the important bit! Using the online Random Number Generator, I am pleased to tell you that the winner of the giveaway is....

...number 66, which is Made By Lolly!!! If you would like to get in touch with your address details, which you can do by filling in the Contact Form here, I will be able to send you your prize which is a special set of five of my newest Christmas Cards; 'Christmas Kiss' - each card is hand titled and signed, and they are all wrapped in some brightly festive red paper ribbon and finished off with a tag (as you can see on the photograph at the top of the post)!

There's also another Special Little Something which will be included in the package of the edible variety. I do so hope you will be pleased with your prize!

I wish I could have sent all of you some goodies, I really do - but thanks again to all who took part! I'll be back again a bit later this week, with some hooky updates!

Sending heaps of love, Julia x x x

** ps: for those of you who have spotted that there were 82 comments, and only 81 entered in the RNG, one of the comments had been deleted so wasn't counted. x

Giveaway Time!!

2011-10-11T13:14:00.000+01:00

'Christmas Kiss'

Hello to you!

I know, I know...it's only October but I couldn't wait to share my newly completed Christmas Card design with you all. Please feel free to leave now if you can't bear All Things Christmas this early (I totally understand)...or prepare to hang about and read on if you'd like to hear about a little giveaway I'm proposing!!

I thought it would be fun to celebrate getting 1000 likers on my Facebook Page - and I'm almost there, currently at 960 as I write this. It never ceases to amaze me that people are both curious and supportive about what I do, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to have a little giveaway to say Thank You for that.

One of the reasons I'm hosting the giveaway here is that it also gives me an opportunity to thank all of you lovely souls who come via my blog to visit and keep in touch with me. It's wonderful that you take the time to read and leave your comments, and if you're a silent visitor who reads and leaves quietly, I value you just as much as the ones who comment. I want to say 'Thank You' because through FB and Blogging I have got to know some great people. I know that online friendships are a bit Woo-Woo to some, but the fact I may not have met you in 'real life' doesn't matter ~ your presence on the internet is a fabulous thing and my life is brighter because of it.

So how to take part!

All you have to do is hop over to FB (find the link in the right side bar there) and 'Like' my art page - the quicker the number goes up, the quicker we'll have a winner! Feel free to share about my giveaway on your blogs and FB pages too, as the more who take part the merrier. TO BE INCLUDED IN THE DRAW (that's the super important bit) you need to leave me a comment below this post!

So what's in the giveaway?

Right, well that's the special bit. As yet unreleased (I'm currently working on building my Sparkly Christmas Emporium for you), I will be gifting a pack of my brand new Christmas Cards 'Christmas Kiss' to the winner (as shown above), along with a secret treat that I know you will enjoy.

The cards are all created by hand here in my little riverside house. They're printed using fine, light-fast inks onto archival matte art card, which is in turn mounted onto a white greetings card. Each card will be hand titled and signed, and the pack wrapped in a cheerful red raffia ribbon with a tag. It's a lovely gift to win and I hope you'll join in the fun and take part.

Sending you oodles of gratitude and love ~ good luck!

Julia x x x

Tiny Crochet Inspiration

2011-10-06T15:22:00.000+01:00

Hello!

I've decided that I am rapturously in love with tiny crochet. Have you ever seen it? It all began a few months ago when I also fell in deep throes of love with a little website that is known as Pinterest...oh my goodness, this place is the stuff of serious addiction, and it was on here that I got a glimpse of something that knocked my socks off, made me almost collapse with desire; that gave me a serious dose of the Wanties....and then a serious dose of the I Can Make It Myself's.

Pinterest, for those of you who are not yet familiar with it, is a place of many beautiful, virtual pin boards. You can take pictures off the internet to create your own pinboards, or repin other peoples pins from their Pinterest boards. If you decide to venture into this world of gorgeous, desirable things, then prepare to lose several hours of your life to it. You will be hooked!

This is a link to my boards...you can see how much fun I've been having can't you!

Anyway, I digress...I was talking about Tiny Crochet. And after being inspired by this here, and this here I got myself a teeny tiny crochet hook, and some very fine thread.

I confess to it being very tricksy to do, after spending most of my Crocheting Years using much bigger hooks and much thicker wool. But I'm not giving up!
The downside of teeny hooks and teeny crochet thread is that it will obviously take a lot longer to make anything wearable than it would using DK yarn. But...on the other hand the fragile, web like nature of the finished item is so utterly desirable then I figure it's worth the time and the effort.

So. Another WIP begins. Slowly. Gradually.

Meanwhile....

Seedheads & Boats is now available as an open edition signed and titled print! You can find it in my gallery shop, just click here to go directly to the page and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

I have also just launched a special offer on my fine art cards; you can now buy 5 of your favourites for £10.00, saving £2.50 when buying individually. You can click here to see this offer.

On the painting front I'm cracking on with my Christmas card design, but struggling to be Christmassy at this time of year. It all seems so early (and I'm sure most of you will agree that it is) but at the same time it's necessary. So snow and reindeer it is then! Perhaps it will come together once I get my mitts on Michael Buble's new Christmas CD - yes, I'm certain that will help as I'm rather partial to that twinkly eyed chap and his dreamy voice!

But back to Autumn...

...The nights are really drawing in fast now. I am lighting little lanterns and tea lights of an evening. I quite like this time of year, when we naturally retreat indoors; I love the wild weather when I can snuggle down and work on my Christmas Gifts ~ did I tell you how much I'm enjoying making my little hand embroidered lavender pillows? You may remember this one, I shared it a few posts back:

I'm just about done with my second one too, which has a blue and white Cornish ware jug on it full of daisies. It's such a gentle and relaxing pass time and I think I like it as much as I like my crocheting. I look forward to the darker evenings when the little one is in bed, when I can get on with my Projects...and by the way, this project is almost done too!

I've really enjoyed working with that beautiful Andes yarn. I'm going to have a bit left over too, and I'm wondering if it will stretch to make a pair of arm warmers...oh my word, I think I need to put the brakes on a bit with all these ideas and WIP's I've got on the go!! Anyway, that's about it from me today - I send you mugs of spiced hot chocolate, golden forest walks, warm candle light and lots of love. Thanks for visiting today,

Julia x x x

Being Creative Gallery ~ September

2011-10-01T09:00:00.007+01:00

Hello to you!

September seems to have whizzed by very fast, and I can hardly believe that it's the 1st of October already! I imagined that when I wrote up this gallery page about our Autumn theme, I would be looking out my window at stormy grey skies, and frisky breezes whipping up carpets of fallen leaves into spirals of colour. But today, as I write this the temperature is creeping up towards the 80's, the sky is pure azure blue and there is a magnificent yellow sun cracking the pavements. Butterflies are wafting about the garden lazily, and we are wearing our t-shirts and coolest clothes. Autumnal it is absolutely not but there we go, that's the Great British weather for you!

I decided I would add my most recent painting to the Flickr Group this month. After all, it was painted with this time of year in mind and represented a coastal Autumn to me. I've also noticed some new offerings in the group pool which I haven't had a chance to comment on yet (but I'll make time to visit and have a good old nosey as soon as I get the chance) and there looks to be some really interesting offerings this month.
I continually love how creativity is expressed in so many different ways - the members of the group who share their work surprise me each month with the variety and ingenuity of their creations.

So!! The theme for September was Autumn.

For those of you who would like to share your work via your blog/Flickr or other photo hosting webpage, you are very welcome to add your link to the widget at the bottom of this post (please just link to the page your work features on). Don't forget to use the whole caboodle of http://www...etc or else the link won't work.

Anyone who has already posted in the Flickr Group are also encouraged to share your images in the gallery here too. Please don't be shy about sharing...encouragement and support is the key to growing in confidence with your creativity, and although it can feel a little scary, I think you will feel a huge sense of achievement when you share your work and get feedback from the other participants or blog readers here.

You will be able to add your 'Autumn' themed work to the gallery here until the end of October. There is also a list in the sidebar so that the gallery pages are easier for you to find.

For those of you who are working on the project and don't have the facility to share pictures of your work, then you are welcome to add your thoughts about your creative journey so far in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on taking part in the Being Creative Project, so please do share or feel free to email me privately.
The theme for October is: Fire

You can post your work freely in the Flickr group as and when you like; don't forget to make use of the Discussion facility if you have any questions, or require some support :)

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you've done this month - thank you so much for aking the time to share your colourful and glorious creations!

Much love
Julia x x x

(edited: oops, seems I got ahead of myself on the calendar! We're in October, not November as I previously wrote, but the theme is still Fire - apologies for the confusion) x

Embroider Me Happy

2011-09-29T11:30:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Apologies for my absence in Blogland of late - it's been a while hasn't it? I'm afraid I had a little disagreement with a hand blender (aka an Awful Accident) at the beginning of last week and ended up with a huge bandage which made it very difficult to type. It took me an age to type an e-newsletter for the Being Creative Group and I just didn't have the juice to write a post! You might be wondering what on earth happened, but I certainly don't want to upset those of you who might be reading this with a nice piece of cake and a cuppa...i'll just say I was Very Lucky I didn't lose an important finger whilst cooking something and leave the rest to your imaginations. It's all healing nicely and yes, I also felt awfully silly for being so absent minded.

Moving swiftly on....

Being one handed meant an abrupt end to crocheting. This realisation made my heart sink as I was intent on finishing my Rainbow Bliss Scarf. But if crocheting was impossible, then so was doing the dishes and I didn't mind about that part!! Itching to create something though, I had a flash of an idea to set about making some Christmas gifts...and decided the sewing stuff could come out for a play.

A little jaunt to the haberdashery was had, and I came home with some lovely vintagey coloured embroidery threads. My idea was to make some Lavender Pillows, and you can see my first effort at the top there.

I haven't done any embroidery work since...ooh, let me think...forever!! No, I did it as a young girl and used to spend hours working on cross stitch pieces too. It proved to be a lovely distraction (as I stroked yarn and missed it dreadfully) and also very relaxing. I could easily hold the embroidery hoop in my poorly hand and stitch with my right - oh yes, I was very lucky in that I didn't damage my Painting Hand!! Can you imagine if I'd done that??!

My first design has been stolen by my daughter - she slept with it inside her pillowcase last night and went out like a light! I ordered a little bag of French Lavender which has the most beautiful fresh and heavenly scent (my garden supplies were harvested but ended up looking rather magnificent in an ancient stone marmalade jar and it was unanimous that they should stay there, so they have - they're in my kitchen looking gloriously summery).

I'm looking forward to making some more of these, with plans for some seedhead designs and a request for a Peppa Pig one...I hope the recipients will be pleased with them!

Although we are still only in September, and it feels awfully early to be chattering away about Christmas gifts and the like, I'm afraid I have to get ahead of myself even though I don't naturally start to feel Christmassy until the very end of November. There is so much to achieve it seems, and I have already begun work on one of this years card designs...want a peek?

I managed to sneak an hour of painting in this morning, despite it feeling very wrong to be painting Rudolph and snow as the sun cracks the pavements and we waft about in our summer clothes that we'd just packed away. An Indian Summer is a lovely gift though isn't it? A last taste of warmth; lazy golden days that give way to cool evenings and peach melba sunsets. In a few weeks we will be trudging up to school in horizontal rain and tornado style winds that rush down the valley from the Pennines, so we are making the most of it whilst it lasts.

It's time for me to pick my little bean up from nursery now, so I will bid you farewell! Thanks for dropping in to see me, I'm looking forward to properly catching up with you now that all my digits are back in working order!

Sending love
Julia x x x

ps - note to the Being Creative Project people ~ Gallery will be posted on 1st October, not 30th September as mentioned in the e-letter!

Seedheads and Boats ~ A New Painting

2011-09-16T14:32:00.000+01:00

'Seedheads and Boats' acrylic on paper ~ 34cm x 34cm

Hello friends,

I've just had the nicest possible morning ~ I managed to get a little time to myself in which to finish this painting that I've been working on in fits and starts over the summer. It seems a long time ago since I began this one, and if you recall, it all started with a little drawing in my sketchbook...

I had been happily inspired by a book I had purchased round about this time called Plants and Places by the talented print maker, Angie Lewin. I have long been a fan of her work and had coveted this book for ages before it finally came to live with me. There is page upon page of her print work, featuring her trademark seedheads and other native flora; and peeks into her sketchbook which are themselves beyond beautiful.

I myself have rather a love affair with the latter end of summer, when the dry stone walls here become fantastically enhanced by the skeletal shapes of teasels and cow parsley. I've been known to stop the car suddenley on quiet country lanes to collect small armfuls of them to bring home and draw.

So anyway, I think what I'm getting round to saying is that Angie's book was the catalyst for this particular painting. I decided I wanted to paint a late summer window scene with found objects from the shore on the ledge, overlooking a harbour. I also wanted to focus (unusually for me) on a limited colour palette. The colours I worked with mainly on this painting were:

Titanium White
Yellow Ochre
Raw Umber
Paynes Grey
Cobalt Blue (hue)
Buff Titanium
Cobalt Teal
Cadmium Red

These paints are from the Daler Rowney Artist Acrylics, and Golden Acrylics ranges.

I also use Derwent watercolour crayons to add texture and detail.

As the painting progressed, I was reminded of a time I had spent in St Ives one October a few years ago. We stayed in a little fisherman's cottage just up from the harbour, and although there were still plenty of people about, the town seemed much quieter since the summer hoardes had returned home. It also had a beautiful light to it. I remember there being a warmth to the days too, warm enough to sit down the harbour and catch the sun, but which turned to an unmistakeable autumnal coolness come teatime.

I hope I've managed to convey a feeling of this time of year in this painting.

As well as using my imagination to create the layout and Angie's book as inspiration, I also wandered down the riverbank beyond my house to collect some real seedheads to use in the work (alongside the ones I had drawn in my sketchbook). It was a bonus to discover a huge undiscovered bank of blackberry bushes as I went foraging and I shall be going back down there later on with a big bowl to fill up!! I feel a blackberry and apple tarte tatin coming on!! (something else that is very much a part of this time of year).

So once more I am at the point of feeling euphoric that another work is done, but am also on the brink of 'what next?' It's a bitter sweet feeling to complete a painting; I've probably said so a hundred times but the journey through a painting is so deep and involved, there are highs and lows, there are absences and intense periods spent together...it is really like a love affair and I miss it when the journey is over.

However, I have a few small ideas I'm keen to start on so the fact I have projects lined up is a good thing at least! I recently ordered some tiny canvas boards and have Great Plans for those, not to mention designs for new Christmas cards which are already happily percolating away!

The painting will be available shortly in my gallery, in both original and printed format.
I hope you all have a glorious weekend, sending love and thanks for visiting ~

Julia x x x

Rainbow Bliss Scarf

2011-09-14T11:14:00.000+01:00

Hello there my lovelies!

I'm far too excited to wait for a grand reveal of my Rainbow Bliss Scarf, so I am popping in today to share some WIP pictures with you.

You may recall a little while ago, I purchased a Special Gift for myself ~ some rather beautiful and luxurious Debbie Bliss Andes yarn...

I knew I really wanted to make a cosy scarf with this wool, after being inspired by one I had seen on the most amazing French blog here. I was instantly smitten by the random stripes of Cecile's scarf and set about finding a pattern that would be suitable for my own.

I eventually (after heaps of searching) stumbled upon a rather nice one which is known as Sultan Stitch; you can find it in the Handbook of Crochet Stitches by Betty Barnden. It's a fairly easy one to follow and I reckon most folks who can do a Double Crochet (US) stitch would be able to pick this pattern up relatively fast.

This wool is an absolute dream to crochet with, it's almost like working with warm air and so very, very soft. I managed to save up to buy three more balls to add to my collection, and these are the colours I am using for my randomly striped scarf here:

From left to right, top row: Ruby 08, Gold 06, Apple 10
Middle row: Denim 12, Duck Egg 11, Sage 09
Bottom row: Rose 15, Dusky Pink 16 and Fawn 05

I'm almost looking forward to the colder days, so I can put this on! It's going to be a pretty long scarf as I like to be able to wrap them around myself a couple of times. It won't be long before it's finished though, the rate I'm going, just got those pesky ends to sew in and then it will be ready to wear!
I have to say that I'm also enjoying the randomness of the colour scheme on this scarf...adding whatever takes my fancy and not being to rigid about it. The colours also look delicious when nestled next to one another...

I think when I have completed this scarf, I will have to finish my Japanese Flower Shawl (which you can see here), and which I'm making out of the remnants from my Sirdar Sublime rainbow ripple blanket. You see, I was rather blown away by yet another beautiful make by Vanessa over at Coco Rose Diaries here...what an inspiration she is, and thanks to her I am now inspired to get my own well and truly done. I do like scarves and shawls, there's something very comforting about having something warm and soft to nestle into when it's cold and windy outside.

Despite Autumn arriving here rather suddenly though, I am rather looking forward to the cooler seasons. I feel a longing for walks in the forest with my little family, a carpet of crisp golden leaves below us and a bright blue sky above as we look for chestnuts. There is nothing more satisfying following an afternoon of chestnut hunting than to come home to hot buttered crumpets and pots of steaming tea. I love Autumn, and it makes me smile to think of those happy times just around the corner!

So! I'd best get cracking if I'm to finish all these projects if I'm wanting to wear them this side of Christmas! I will be back soon, hopefully with a picture of myself modelling the finished Rainbow Bliss Scarf - and also with my flower shawl to show you too!

Thank you for stopping by and visiting today, sending love to you, wherever you are in the world ~

Julia x x x

The Land of Procrastination

2011-09-07T11:41:00.000+01:00

(a little corner of my newest painting...which is being created during small chunks of time)

Hello dear souls,

I hope September finds you well. I am writing this blog post as monsoonal rains lash the window and the trees opposite the house sway dangerously in a tornado style wind; it feels as if Autumn has arrived early in these parts!

So anyway, I wanted to write a wee post to follow on from the one I wrote about the Creativity Hiatus. I felt it might be useful to those of you who find that your Hiatus has turned into Procrastination and Stuck and if you're wondering how the heck to get past that part.

It's happened to me alot - I'm actually a fantastic procrastinator! I've been through the Hiatus part where nothing happens and then I start to feel glimmers of inspiration returning. I've felt the excitement as new ideas manifest and new opportunities present themselves, and I've also felt the hesitation as I do nothing about them and find a million and one different reasons to avoid starting. Here are a few I use, you may recognise them:

I'm too busy

I have household chores to take care of

I have to go shopping

This cupboard looks interesting, lets empty it!

Ooh, I've been on Facebook for three days!

I'm too tired...

This is the part when the Hiatus has transformed into Procrastination - and you need to watch out for it. We can get seriously stuck here, because the Land of Procrastination is a nice place to be. We get to dream our dreams, languish with the nice feelings those ideas bring us, and we get to wander around imagining how it will all turn out...and we don't lift a finger to do anything beyond that, because that's when it becomes real.

And that is what scares us.

When you've had an absence from creating, it can be pretty scary to start again and it can also be tough to rouse yourself out of the feelings of inertia. I'm going to give you a couple of ideas on how to move through the Stuck and get going again - and these ideas work because I still use them myself.

Choose to take a Small Step: For example - get your pens and a sketch book out, and lay them on the table for a day or so. You don't have to physically start drawing right away if you don't want to (the idea is to keep these Small Steps very minimal). The energy that will arise from the motion of actually getting your stuff out is momentous and not to be underestimated.
Take Five Minutes: Literally, yes. It's enough to begin with although you may find (as I do) that five minutes can elapse into an hour or so without you being aware of it. Next time you pass your creative pile on the table, and you feel moved to do something, do it.
Do Something Different: To get the creative energy moving, you might want to try something a little different. I sometimes make cakes or do a bit of gardening to get myself into a creative frame of mind. This is a great energy shifter. You may notice that it fuels you up to get started on what it is you've been putting off doing. I recently made bead bracelets with my daughter, and then that same day had a cracking design idea for a Christmas Card which I hurriedly drew in my sketch book (conveniently laying on the table just in case).

I hope these little ideas help - I'll be sharing more ways of dealing with Procrastination and moving through Stuck in my new E-Book which is nearly completed and which I'm really excited about sharing with you! Meanwhile, you can also check the resources out in the side bar where there is a list of Inspiring Posts that may be useful to you.

Wishing you a bright and delight~filled weekend, thanks as always for dropping in to see me!

Much love, Julia x

Being Creative Gallery Check In: August

2011-09-01T10:06:00.000+01:00

Hello

Welcome to the August 2011 Gallery for the Being Creative Project. The theme this month was Travel. Have you taken part this time? Are you ready to share some work with us? I do hope so as I'm looking forward to seeing how you have used the theme this month!

I have been travelling about a fair bit myself this month ~ we were lucky enough to visit Northumberland for a spot of camping and I was inspired by the beautiful Farne Islands that we took a boat trip to whilst we were there...the RSPB ranger on Inner Farne (where our boat docked for an hour of exploration and tranquility) explained that this time of year the islands are used as a resting place for birds passing through on their migrations.

This got me thinking about birds and travel, and the amount of miles that these feathered souls fly to reach their destinations. I wanted to share a piece of work that would depict this time of year and a flock of migratory birds travelling their annual journeys.

I seem to like the wistful feeling that arises as Summer draws to a close and the first signs of Autumn appear. There are gentle changes to the landscape and unseen movement in the natural world that tell us that the seasons are changing; it's often more of a 'feeling' than anything visual at first. But the sight of a faraway flock of birds, their distant calls just audible in the still air seems to lend itself to something melancholy, lonely and magnificent all at once. In that moment you know that you're seeing and hearing the rythmns of nature repeating their age old patterns, ones that you can really feel, that you're connected to and that beat like a drum in the very centre of soul.

Here's a piece of work I did a few months back which captures the very essence of this time of year, and the theme of Travel...

'Home' - available in my gallery at www.juliacrossland.co.uk

So!

Gallery Posting: You can share a URL link using the link tool below. Use this to link back to your Flickr, other photo hosting webpage or Blog page, but please do not link back to Folksy, Etsy or other online marketplace stores.

The gallery will be open from September 1st ~ September 30th so you can come back and post your links through the whole month if you're still working on something, which is absolutely ok by the way - this isn't school and there aren't any concrete 'deadlines'. I prefer to not restrict projects by killing them off with a deadline anyway, it sounds so terminal and causes unnecessary stress and worry - and this is meant to be fun remember! So, worry ye not if your work isn't finished already. Why not consider giving yourself an extension...oh and I love what author and artist Sark did with that word; she disected it and turned it into a word with new meaning: ex - tension...get it...?!! I just love that idea and it completely works for me! Feel free to gift yourself with one if you need to!

In case you lose this page during September, you'll find a link in the right sidebar which will enable you to find the Gallery post again, once new blog posts replace this one.

You can also post in the Flickr Group pool (there is also a link in the right hand side bar) and your work will be welcomed by the friendly and supportive members of the group. You can also use the Flickr Group as a place to open a discussion, to see what other people have been working on, and to find inspiration for your own creations.

*Note about my role as Being Creative Project Host: I am really enjoying hosting this group on my blog for all of you but I am choosing to step back from the actual creating side of it and will be running it in more of an administrative way. By this I mean that I will be focusing more upon the supportive element of the group; dealing with personal emails, sending out the newsletter and working on the monthly gallery pages. I will of course share art/craft and illustrations with you where possible but I have to allow for the fact that I'm sailing this little ship single handedly and there are other business and family commitments that I have to allow for too. I am thinking about choosing a piece of work from the Flickr Group to feature on Gallery Day when I don't have a relevant piece of my own to share...what do you think about having your work featured on my blog? I hope that these little changes don't upset you or cause a problem for you ~ please share your thoughts with me in the comments section below.

I would just like to thank ALL OF YOU who have signed up to receive the FREE e-newsletter so far - there are heaps of you (wowzers!!!!) I hope that you are enjoying the newsletters which I aim to send with scoops of guidance, ideas and support for your creative journey.

Don't forget, if you haven't signed up to get your copy of the Being Creative Project E-Letter yet, then you can do so by filling in the form on the Being Creative Page; there's also a FREE MINI CREATIVITY E-BOOK for you, to get you started on your creative journey! Aaaaaaannnnnnnd....talking of books, I'm sooooo excited!! Some of you may know that I've been working on a brand new Creativity E-book these last few months and I'm pleased to say it's all finally coming together and will soon be ready to lauch! As well as it being chocka-doodle full of illustrations, guidance, tips, inspiration and support, I'm really delighted that there are also a gorgeous scoop of creative entrepreneurs who have dedicated their time, wisdom and experience to contributing to this book too.

I'm looking forward to sharing it with you all ~ sign up to the newsletter to be the first to hear about the launch!

Righty~ho! This month's theme is Autumn. I hope you will be inspired by misty mornings, carpets of golden leaves, the scent of bonfires, home baking and walks in the forest...what does the word Autumn conjure up for you?

I'm looking forward to finding out.

Sending much love, thanks for taking part!
Julia x

A Creativity Hiatus (and what to do if you have one)

2011-08-26T11:44:00.000+01:00

Hello,

I am in the middle of a Creativity Hiatus. I think this one has occured quite naturally from the drowsy gentle August we've been having here. When a Creativity Hiatus descends, nothing much gets done and there's no inclination to do anything either - for me I'm talking about painting or drawing or writing (my e-book).
I walk past my current WIP and I don't feel the itch to get stuck in again...

...I just feel a calmness and a quiet knowledge that the time to come back to it will present itself soon enough. There is no panic, no urgency.

I see my bookshelves, crammed with creative reading material, business books, inspirational books...

...and I feel no need or desire to be reading them right now. It's a system shut down and I am happy to potter and trust that this quiet lull is a very necessary part of the creative process.

I used to get pretty frustrated and peed off when my Mojo left town. That's how I used to describe it when I felt that all my creative energy had drained away, that there was nothing there apart from an inexplicable emptiness. It used to terrify me if I'm honest.

And so I used to force myself to create stuff. I'd get my paints out and think 'right, today is Painting Day. My Mum has my daughter, I have to paint something!!'
I would sit there surrounded by my paints, my brushes, my paper and I would stare at it all and feel completely unmotivated. My mind would be a blank, as blank as the paper in front of me and I would feel tension creeping over me, a mild panic settling in my belly as I realised that nothing was coming.

Needless to say, I would maybe half heartedly begin a painting but it didn't work out right and I ended up feeling worse than I had done before. Now I felt hopeless as well as unmotivated. Yuck.

There is an easy way to deal with a Creativity Hiatus, to make it easier on yourself. Here's what I've discovered:

Go with the flow.

Allow the quiet parts when nothing happens - let go of the panic and know your creativity will return soon enough.

Don't try and force yourself to be creative - it's a non starter and guaranteed to make you feel worse than before.

Relax and do other stuff, take the time it takes. It's all OK.

A Creativity Hiatus usually occurs before something Big is about to manifest. I began to notice a pattern occuring as I thrashed my way through these deserts of emptiness; that despite the quiet, the lack of enthusiasm, the lack of inclination, the lack of energy it all of a sudden one day Happened again. And it happened in a Big Way.

The quiet time was eventually rewarded with a new opportunity, with a brand new idea, with a new direction. It resulted in a new wave of energy and a surge of enthusiasm and inspiration. It always ended in a positive way which is why I now trust a good outcome when it happens to me.

A Creative Hiatus is a necessary part of the creative journey, and I hope this post has helped those of you journeying through your own.

Wishing you all a glorious weekend ~ sending love
Julia x x x

Delicious August

2011-08-23T15:54:00.000+01:00

Hello!

At long last I manage to find a few moments during this full to bursting month to sit down and write a blog post! How are you? I hope you're having a glowing August!

It's been a while since I was in Blogland; I've been here, there and everywhere you see ~ a spot of camping, time with visiting family, out with friends, play dates...oh my it's been a rather pleasant whirlwind of lovely things and I must confess to not getting much done in the way of Work or crochet.

Speaking of which, and assuming you have noticed the rather enticing snapshot of those curly skeins of wool at the top of this post, you might be wondering 'Another Project?? What can she be up to now!'

Let me explain :D

I confess I gave into temptation and purchased (as a Holiday Gift to myself, as you do) some of that gorgeously soft Debbie Bliss Andes wool...oh how very dreamy it is! Perhaps one of the nicest yarns I have ever had the pleasure of being able to buy. It's not cheap no, not by any means but sometimes a girl has to indulge in a little luxury and I must admit to feeling like a child in a sweet shop as I was choosing the colours! I have plans to make a cosy Winter Scarf and I'm very much looking forward to choosing the exact pattern for it (still in a quandry about that to be honest!). I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime I'm pleased that my Japanese Flower Scarf is literally just a hand~full of flowers away from being finished...

Here it is, draped over the sofa and I'm really delighted with how it's coming along. I might have got this finished had I taken it on my recent camping trip to Northumberland, but alas I FORGOT MY CROCHET STUFF!!! Oh dear, HUGE heart sinking moment as several miles up the M1 I realised my mistake. Nothing like a nice bit of hooky by the sea, but it wasn't meant to be this time. However, we were more than occupied by our destination when we arrived, filling our days with marvellous things...let me show you:

We took a boat trip to the beautiful and lonely Farne Islands...

In the bright morning sunshine, seals basked lazily on the rocks as we sailed by...

...and mooring up on Inner Farne, we were able to tiptoe up to the cliff edge to witness a Mama and her fluffy brood on the nest. The guide told us that there were many birds using the Farnes as a resting place during their migrations at this time of year. It really is such a peaceful and special part of the world.

Back on dry land we enjoyed the miles of white sandy beaches, paddling in the crystal clear seas...

...and not without company! Curious Eider ducks decided to come and meet us, my daughter was completely entranced by them (as was I, they came so very close).

Evenings were spent at the tent, wrapped in blankets sipping hot chocolate in our mugs whilst watching Mother Moon rise; a soft apricot globe in a dusky blue August sky...

...or at our lovely local pub, The Jolly Fisherman at nearby Craster...

...isn't this one of the best views to enjoy a nice crisp pint of local beer with?
A walk past the harbour and beyond was a nice way to walk off our tea too - if you're ever in the area I cannot say how good the food is at this place and highly recommend you drop in and enjoy it!

So here we are back home again. And when the weather is dry we've been out walking in the most glorious late summer scenery. Our moorland heather has suddenley burst into bloom and it's the most outrageously beautiful purple this year. There is mile upon mile of the stuff and it is heart stoppingly beautiful. I feel very lucky to have this all on my doorstep to enjoy :)

And so, August melts dreamily away and soon it will be September. Soon it will be time for school runs and uniforms again. I have loved every minute of these holidays; rainy days spent indoors building dens out of the clothes horse and old travel rugs, playing Snap and Pairs for hours on the living room floor, spontaneous picnics, camping, painting, planting, baking, walking, having family to visit and tasty barbecues infused with laughter and joy...Simple, wonderful, glorious summer holidays.

I shall miss them, yet I shall remember them for a long time to come. I hope your August has been one to remember.

Sending you love, thanks so much for dropping by;

Julia x x x

Seedheads and Seashore

2011-08-05T15:19:00.000+01:00

Hello friends,

I'm in the middle of a new painting which was inspired by seedheads, I started to notice them on my travels as July melted warmly into August. There are architectural shapes appearing in the hedgerows and the skeltons of cow parsley sway in the sunshine next to the first (early) blackberries. There are voluptuous poppy seedheads in my garden, full to bursting with next years harvest and I don't know about you, but I am all of a sudden finding myself caught unawares some mornings by the whisperings of late summers arrival. It's a gentle infiltration of feelings and signs that come now and then; a slightly lower sun casting shorter shadows, leaves turning that dry, faded green, and a wistfulness that passes in a moment so brief, you wondered if you imagined it as another warm and dry August day unfolds...

So all this got me thinking about my next painting; out came the sketchbook and a coastal drawing emerged from my imagination. I'm working on a much larger scale for this painting, and after marking out my space I put down a rough background wash:

I like having a base colour to work from. There are two reasons for this: the first is that it is easier for me to start work on a coloured background rather than a stark white one, and secondly it provides a wonderful depth to the painting on top. You could try it yourself, using different colours.

Once the background colour is dry, I draw my picture onto it using watercolour crayon. This allows any lines to dissolve into the work as I paint. Here's a glimpse of the work in progress, I'm really pleased with how it's coming along and I'm also enjoying working with a slightly limited colour palette for a change!

Maybe some of you will see this painting and feel that you recognise the location. I have a habit of doing this with some of my work; integrating my memory of a place into the painting so that although it is not the actual place (as in that it's not drawn exactly from a picture or photograph), you get a strong feel for where it might be all the same.

This picture is being painted in acrylics. I find myself using a rather dry, almost scrubby way of painting in places, and then layering over with almost translucent, watered down paint to create luminous glazes. I'll share more with you as the work unfolds :)

Most of you who are familiar with my little blog, will know that I have a weakness and a love affair with the coast, and despite being landlocked in a village just north of Sheffield I like to go as often as I possibly can to get my 'fix'.
Last week I stayed with my sister in Suffolk, and we took ourselves off to the beach for the day...

...can any of you guess where this might be?

It's a tiny little place called Sea Palling in Norfolk and it reminded me very much of childhood holidays on the east coast. There's a long and winding lane, flanked by tipsy old fashioned telegraph poles that leads into the heart of the village which is a cluster of little buildings nestling at the base of the dunes. There's a couple of houses, a B&B, a small amusement arcade, a chip shop and caravan park, and then there is a ramp leading right off the road which you walk up and then there is the beach.

Norfolk has the most amazing beaches. Most people tend to grimace slightly when you mention the North Sea, imagining it to be a cold, disgustingly brown affair that you wouldn't let your dog paddle in. This part of the coast has mile upon mile of creamy, fudgy coloured sand, and crystal clear water. I was utterly seduced by the simplicity of the place: dune grasses, sand, a huge expanse of sky, and turquoise water as far as the eye could see.

There were lots of starfish on the beach, beautiful peachy orange ones of all sizes. It was one of those days where we paddled too deep and got our dresses wet, but didn't care too much; and we went home late with sand in our hair and didn't mind too much about that either.

It was one of those days I shall remember for a long time.

Well, I think I've gone on long enough! Before I end, I'd just like to tell you about my little Book Shop which you can see in the sidebar there. I've put together a collection of my most inspiring and favourite books and you can now buy them directly through my little 'shop' via Amazon!

I wish you all a happy, and sunny weekend. Looking forward to catching up with you and your blogs, and to seeing what the participants of the Being Creative Project Group have posted in the gallery so far!

Thanks for stopping by today, hugs and love
Julia x x x

Being Creative Gallery Check In ~ July

2011-08-01T14:58:00.000+01:00

Hello and a belated but warm welcome to the July Gallery for the Being Creative Group.

I'm just back home from a little holiday down at my sisters and am doing a rather quick blog post so you have somewhere to link your gorgeous work from! I'm looking forward to seeing your contributions this month, and will be adding mine in due course (I'm typing this out in between bundling loads of washing on and unpacking a tremendous amount of bags - sure we didn't take that much stuff with us!).

Anyway, the theme for July was 'Summer' - I've already enjoyed seeing some of your creations in our Flickr group. For those of you who have just signed up to the group, you are welcome to join the Flickr group too. This is a useful way of sharing what you have done if you don't have a blog or access to share your pictures with us any other way.

You can use the link tool at the bottom of this post to share links to your Flickr page or blog page - just copy and paste the URL to create a direct link that allows others to see your creations! The gallery for the July theme will be open until the 31st of August for you to post your links, you can also find gallery pages for previous months in the side bar.

I must apologise if this post seems a little rushed - indeed it is! I was actually due home yesterday but we were delayed by a sudden heatwave and took off to the Norfolk coast instead of coming home (naughty naughty). I've heaps to catch up on so I'm going to leave it short and sweet for now - normal service will be resumed for next months gallery page, where you will be able to share work for the August theme of TRAVEL. I'll be posting out an e-letter for subscribers of the Being Creative Project Newsletter during August with tips and creative support for this months theme. If you haven't signed up already and would like to, it's free to do so and you will also receive a free mini creativity e-book! Just fill in the subscription form on the Being Creative page (tab at the top of the page).

If you are new to the group or have any questions, please get in touch!

Sending love,
Julia x

Blanket Love

2011-07-22T12:01:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Thank you so much for all your fabulous comments on the last post, about my Rainbow Ripple Blanket Ta~Daaah! I was blown away with them, and I'm delighted you all like it so much. I've now started work on the New Blanket, and I'm absolooooodely in love with those little squares that are appearing, somewhat rapidly each evening.

The extra balls of yarn that I ordered online arrived and I have to pass on Big Thank You's to those of you who have been recommending Stylecraft; excellent choice it turns out as I'd ordered three balls from their 'Special DK' range and I'm really pleased with it - plus it's cheaper than the King Cole stuff. Anyways, I think the three bolder colours pull those sweetie jar colours together beautifully ~ I ordered Shrimp, Saffron and Grape and now I am beyond excited about this blanket, can't get enough of it...

Here are the new colours, nestling in my yarn bag - can you spot them?

Much better don't you think?

So, the last few evenings have seen me getting very busy with these little squares which are amazingly easy, and surprisingly therapeutic to make. But oh my word, just look at all those ends...

I've took a tip from Vanessa at Coco Rose Diaries who also made this blanket, and who waited until the end to sew all the ends in. I have to agree with her, if I did the ends each time I finished a square this blanket just wouldn't happen. I'm going to have to dedicate some serious time to doing it all when the squares are finished, but I don't want to think about that part of it yet (I really don't like the yucky sewing in of ends). So, here's how it's coming on so far, I do enjoy laying out the little squares in rows to get a feel for how it's going to look:

Can you see why I'm so excited? Those colours just Zing!! I can already picture it when the squares are crocheted together with that lovely raised edging, it's going to be amazing. Only several hundred more squares to go, but oh my goodness it's going to be so very worth it, and all the more wonderful because it will so very cheap to make - bonkerdoodles cheap actually in comparison to the luxury yarn I used to make the last one!

Aside from all this hookyness, life has been pootling on here as usual. I'm working on some sketches at the mo for a rather larger painting than usual. It's a coastal themed one and I'm looking forward to sharing it's progress with you when I get started on it. The Circus illustration is still very much a WIP ~ I've come to a point with it where I'm not sure if it's going the way I really want it to go, so am giving it one of my famous cooling off periods and will return to it when I feel more inspired.

One more thing to tell you before I disappear for the weekend - I am now being represented by the fabulous 'From The Wilde Gallery'. I'm really delighted to have my originals, prints and cards included alongside the work of all the other hugely talented artists and designers.

You can visit the website here - it's well worth a look.

Well I think that's me done for now - once again, thanks for dropping in; it's always lovely of you to do so. I hope you have a smashing weekend, sending love to you,

Julia x

Rainbow Ripple Ta~Daaaaah!!!!

2011-07-19T10:37:00.000+01:00

I have to warn you - this post is very much a festival of Ta~Daaahing over my newly completed Rainbow Ripple Blanket. If you are not in the mood for gratuitous shots of bright coloured yarn, and artfully draped blankets then I suggest you skip this post and come back another time :D If you are, then sit back and prepare your eyes for a burst of rippling lovely~ness!

You may remember me starting this blanket way back in February 2010. It has taken a long time to finish it - 18 months to be exact but it finally is finished and I have to confess to being absoloooooodely and completely in love with it.

Just look at those gorgeous rippling colours...it sends me into a slight trance looking at it. In fact, this will be the perfect Dreaming Blanket...imagine one of those days where the need to snuggle up and spontaneously nap occurs... It fits the bill perfectly.

I used a lovely bunch of colours from the Sirdar Sublime Cashmere Merino DK range. Needless to say, it was not a cheap blanket to make; and that is also one of the reasons why it took me so long to complete (I had to keep saving up for new yarn supplies). However, it is beautifully soft, and naturally warm and I know it will become a well loved, well used blanket over the years (which kind of justifies the expense).

The measurements of the blanket are approximately 130cm x 130cm square. I would tell you how many balls of wool I used, but as it's taken me so long I've kind of lost count.

There were heaps of ends to weave in, which I finished off last night. There is something very pretty about all the little inchy bits of wool collected together in a bowl.

The pattern, which is fantastically simple to follow, can be found at Attic 24 Blog here.

My sofa is becoming one of my favourite, and most comfortable places to be in the whole house. It is a feast of colour and soft yarn...I love it.

So what next, you may be asking - of course I'm still working on my Japanese Flower scarf which I started in June and it's coming on nicely in fits and starts. But it seems I cannot be without a Big Project. No, there has to be something on the sidelines that I can go back to over time, that may take a while to do but is satisfying in that it's there and can be picked up and put down as the feeling takes me.

A Blanket then. Another one.

And this time a request from my daughter; 'please can I have a blanket for when I get my new Big Girl's Bed?'

How could I possibly say no to that? So I dug out the only pattern that I'd been itching to do, from a rather lovely book I treated myself to some time ago:

You can find this quite cheaply on both Amazon, and The Book Depository websites. There are some gorgeous things to crochet in it, but this is what caught my eye:

See that blanket? Oh my - heart stoppingly glorious!! I am already With Wool for this...

...these are some of the colours my wee one helped me choose, much lighter than my normal bright palette, but she likes the wool that looks like sweeties. I'm waiting on three slightly more vibrant shades to be delivered that weren't in stock in my local wool shop and I think that these will stop it looking too wishy washy.

The wool I'm using for this project is a rather cheap acrylic one. The stuff in the picture is King Cole Big Value DK (a couple of pounds for a 100g ball). I've worked up a few squares already and whilst it's a pretty soft yarn and will make a perfect blanket for general everyday use (read den making, snuggling, spilling drinks on etc) I'm finding it a teeny tiny bit greasy to work with after a time. I'm guessing it's because acrylic yarns are oil based, but I'm going to bear with it as it ought to be cheap as anything to make; which in these cash strapped times is a bit of a Good Thing isn't it?

Right - well that's about it! If you're still reading along after all those hooky yarny pictures, thank you! I'm so glad that you stopped by today and would like to thank you for taking the time to visit and read. Also, apologies too because my little trips around Blogland haven't been so frequent just lately due to me having a rather Busy Time of it both work and family wise, but I will endeavour to catch up with you soon and just wanted you to know, I haven't forgotten you.

Sending you love

J x

When I Grow Up I'm Going to Be...

2011-07-14T10:57:00.000+01:00

(WIP ~ Circus illustration, as yet untitled)

I was one of those people who, when asked as a child what they wanted to be when they grew up, had no idea. Well, what I mean to say is that I knew deep down what I wanted to do, but I never dared to admit it out loud. I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to draw pictures for books.

I have to admit that I didn't have the courage to follow my heart back then and I wandered aimlessly through my teens without a clue of which career would substitute what I really wanted to do, and one which would please my family. There was a very strong feeling back then of having to make one single career choice that would span a lifetime. Somehow inside, I knew that this was not only an impossible decison to make at the age of 16, but also a ridiculous one.

All of my friends seemed to have Plans. They knew they wanted to be in Catering, or Beauty Therapy. They wanted to be Social Workers, Nurses, Engineers and Mechanics and they all enrolled on the appropriate courses whilst I took on three A-levels, two in subjects I didn't even really like.

And so I began to pretend. I pretended I wanted to have a career in art history and I applied to Sheffield Polytechnic for a course in the History of Art, Film and Theatre. I wasn't very excited by it, I just felt that I was pleasing a whole heap of people by doing this. Needless to say, when my grades weren't high enough to be accepted for the course, I wasn't too disappointed.

It seemed the next stage was to find some form of employment, and so continuing to ignore my deepest desires, I pretended I wanted to be a receptionist and I went out and got a job being a receptionist. It didn't fulfill me - and I hated wearing a suit (I'm absolutely not a suit person). The people who I worked with were great, but the job itself was dull and I turned into one of those people who become an automaton 5 days of the week and only came alive on a friday evening when it was time to go to the pub with my friends. I would get a tight knot in my belly on Sunday evening too - the party was over for another weekend; it was time to go back to work.

I knew I couldn't go on like that. I couldn't slumber away week in, week out, counting down the days of this precious life waiting for my retirement where I'd finally have the time to do what I wanted to do.

Following the path of convention and pleasing other people had led me right off track. I was in my mid thirties before I began to live the life I had always dreamed of living, and it's all happened with a million little baby steps too. My careers advisor would have had a fit because I had heaps of jobs before I got to this point ~ I was a chambermaid, waitress, shop assistant, tele-sales assistant (that one lasted half a day), payroll officer, sign maker...but they all helped to shape me in some way, and they all helped me identify the things that I didn't want to do in my life.

I wonder how many people in the world gave up on their dreams and desires because they weren't encouraged, they were scared, they didn't know how to begin or they were worried that their folks might not approve?

I wanted to write this post because I sometimes receive emails from people who tell me that they wish they had done with their lives what I am doing with mine; but that they've left it too late, that it's easy for people like me.
I wanted to write that age doesn't have to be an obstruction for following your desires. Even if you have spent your life doing Something Else, it's not too late and it can be easy for you too, you just have to take the first tiny step and give it a try.

As well as these kind of emails, I've also had some from people who are in their sixties and seventies and have just started taking dancing classes and painting lessons. I've had one from someone who has been too busy parenting for twenty years to create, and has just done their first drawing again after all that time.
I absolutely love to hear stories like these, of people taking a chance to rediscover their creative spirit and do what they love. You can start living the life you've always dreamed of, right now in tiny chunks wherever you are in life. Just think of one little thing that you could do today that would begin to make this real for you. I'm not telling you to hand in your notice at work, or turn your life upside down, but I am inviting you infuse a little bit of what you dream of doing into your life now. What about it? What are you waiting for?

If you'd like to start, a great place to begin is the Being Creative Project. It's a group where me and a whole heap of other people share art and support one another during the process. You can find out more by clicking the link above, and don't forget when you sign up to the mailing list, you receive a free copy of my mini e-book!

I'll be back, hopefully very soon with a bit of a CROCHET REVEAL...not wanting to give the game away too much, I am referring to a BLANKET that looks a bit like this...

Oh the excitement...it's only needing a couple of rows and it's done!! Oh, and lots of ends to be weaved in, but hey-ho it shall be completely worth it methinks!

I'll see you soon - have a gorgeous, sun~filled weekend!

Much love, and thank you for visiting and reading,
Julia x

How To Charge the Right Price for Your Work

2011-07-07T13:36:00.002+01:00

'The Rainbow Painter' watercolour and ink illustration

Hello!

I wanted to write about how to price your work today; it's one of those subjects that can be quite mind boggling if you're just starting out on your creative selling venture, but also an icky one for those who are already selling their wares and don't feel as if they're getting the right price for their lovely stuff.

Moolah is a funny subject, and most people feel a bit self concious talking about it - luckily I'm not one of those people and I'm happy to share my thoughts and some little bits of wisdom on the subject of selling online with you here. I have learnt many lessons along the way, and I hope what I'm going to share with you will be useful.

First off, there's a story.

Once upon a time there was an artist who used to paint bright and colourful pictures. She wasn't confident about selling her work so she would give it away for free. If someone in her family, or a friend said they liked a painting, she would give it to them and this went on for some time. However, an emptiness and a slight feeling of annoyance was growing. The artist knew that alot of effort had gone into her paintings, and she was thrilled that other people liked them, but the balance of the energy exchange was all out of kilter.

For 100's of years, people have used money as a tool of exchange - in the olden days, people used to trade in 2 piglets for a cow, that kind of thing...but nowadays we tend to use cash. Whichever way you look at it, it's still an exchange which keeps the balance happy. What's the balance? it's this: You and your customer both receive value from your product ~ you get some well deserved moolah for creating something marvellous, and your customer gets to become the new owner of your marvellous creation. Balanced energy exchange ~ all happy ~ Hurrah!!

So anyways, back to the story: The artist here who had been giving away her work and getting nothing given back in return, was starting to feel pretty lousy...and she realised that in order to feel better, and for the beneficiarys of her pictures to feel better too, then she had to start charging a price for her work.

So how do you work out what the right price is?

This can seem like the hardest thing in the world to work out, but it's actually pretty easy.

First off, you need to work out your costs and come up with a total. When I say costs, I mean things like materials and sundries such as box canvases, paints, mounts for prints, paper, printing inks, shipping materials, postage costs etc...Time is also a factor that you might want to consider. Many artists find that they earn below the minimum wage per hour when they divide up the price of their painting by the number of hours it took to create it! Write everything down in a notebook; you might be surprised by how much you are spending (both materials and time) when you see it all written down in front of you.

Now, you need to figure out your profit. No point spending all that precious time and energy creating something hot, just to charge the recipient for the materials it's cost you - you're not going to feel too great unless you're earning something for your effort.

If you're still unsure what to charge...

HOT TIP: Have a look online at other artists or craftspeople who's work is of a similar nature and level to your own. You can easily find these people by visiting Folksy or Etsy. See what they are charging for their products, find the average and use these prices as a guideline when pricing up your own work. It doesn't hurt to do a bit of homework and see what the competition is up to.

Next question you want to ask yourself is: "Does this price feel right to me?"

Does it make you feel good? Does it feel uncomfortable, like it's a bit too much? Does it feel like it's not enough? Only you can be the judge of this; only you know what went into the item you're pricing, so listen to your gut on this one.

The right price will feel good, and that you're getting what the product is truly worth to you. When you get that feeling, that's your price - but feel free to tweak it accordingly.

I often revisit my own gallery pages and investigate the online marketplaces to compare how my stuff sits in relation to others. I don't want to price myself out of the market by charging too much, and I don't want to underprice myself just for the sake of saying I got a sale (a sale under those circumstances is a bitter sweet affair I can tell you!). Whilst in Cornwall recently I made a point of noticing what galleries were charging for prints and originals - the recession is showing and generally the prices of original art is down a tad and I like to make a habit of keeping an eye on the market. I sometimes have to change my prices if the cost of my materials, or shipping goes up. It all has to be reflective or I'm making a loss and that tips the Balance into the negative for me.

I hope that this post has been of help to some of you who have been struggling with making the first steps at selling your work - listen to your instinct and don't be afraid to ask for what you're worth.

Big love

Julia x

BIG PS: Thank you SO MUCH for all your gorgeous and kind comments about the magazine feature, it made my day to discover and read them all! Have a happy weekend, see you soon.

Handmade Living

2011-07-05T08:38:00.000+01:00

Hello to you all!

I must confess to writing this post with more than a little excitement. I have been featured in the gorgeous Handmade Living magazine - yes, little old me!! Oh my goodness!!

I knew that there was going to be a little mention in the August edition, but the poor people in the magazine aisle of the supermarket didn't, and I think (according to my other half) I squealed rather loudly upon discovering The Page:

There's my painting!! Woo~hooo! :D

It was a really lovely surprise to see that, and a really lovely write up too. Also mentioned were my friend, designer Kirsty Elson, (you can just see pics behind my flash of her fab driftwood cottages there), and Nina who blogs about coastal living, over at Tabiboo. If you haven't had the chance to get your hands on this magazine yet, it's well worth it - there are some excellent projects of things to make and do. But don't let me spoil it - go out and grab yourself a copy!!

Oh ~ and if you like the artwork that was featured, you can bring a little piece of the coast into your home with your own seaside inspired print ~ signed, titled and gift wrapped...and you can get it here!

So, a couple of posts ago I promised you some crochet news; such as updates on the Japanese Flower scarf...

...which is almost (but not quite) finished! In fact, I'm wondering if to keep on adding and make a triangle style shawl, or just stop at 3 rows and have a long, wrappy type affair instead. I think the wool stash will have a major role in this decision as I don't want to be spending too much on lots of new yarn (as yummy as it is) so I guess it will stop when the wool runs out!

This is a rather short-ish post today, as I have much to do and so will be back again soon with some more art to share with you, and hopefully some WIP photos of the crochet shawl/wrap.

Thanks for dropping by today, and one more thing before I go - thank you very much to everyone who took advantage of the One Day Art Sale - I do hope your pictures have arrived with you safely, and that you're happy with them!

Right, I'm off - really!
Love to you
J x

Being Creative Project: New Mailing List and FREE Creativity E-Book!

2011-07-01T15:18:00.000+01:00

Hi!

I've just popped in to tell you about the brand new Being Creative Project E-Newsletter that you can now sign up for.

The group is slowly growing as new people subscribe on the blog, and sign up to the Flickr Group. I felt it was time to introduce an email newsletter to keep the group focus going, and to provide a better way of connecting with participants regarding gallery days and other relative stuff. I've also had feedback through the blog and by email from participants who think this would be a good thing to have too.

About the newsletter...

If you sign up, you will receive at least one monthly newsletter which will let you know about Gallery Day (when you get the chance to share links on my blog to images of your work on the web) as well as relevant tips, stories, support and advice.
There is also a FREE Creativity E-Book for you to download, to help get you started on your creative journey!

I love the emails that I've had from participants, that have said how the group has provided a safe place to start creating again ~ some people who have taken part haven't done anything in years and it has been a catalyst for them starting again ~ others have used it as a platform to try new mediums to create work for the monthly themes. I love that the group is expanding and helping people make creativity a part of their lives.

If you want to sign up, you can do so by clicking on the Being Creative tab at the top of the page here, and scrolling down to the sign up form on the page.
Just fill in your details, it's free and it's easy and you will receive an email with a download to your free Creativity E-Book!

Meanwhile...

The gallery is open for you to share links for June's theme of OCEAN. You can find it here, or by clicking on the link in the sidebar.

If you are not a part of the group already, are new here and would like to find out how to start taking part, then click here to read all about it. You are very welcome to sign up and join in the monthly projects, and all ages and abilities are invited.

Thanks to all who have signed up so far, and taken part. Don't forget to share this with family or friends you think might like to hear about it!

With love, have a great weekend!

Julia x

Being Creative Gallery Check In ~ June

2011-06-30T09:00:00.005+01:00

Hello friends, it's that time again!

This months theme was 'OCEAN' and there's been some great pieces of work emerging in the Flickr Group - I hope I'm going to see more now that the gallery is open with links back to your blogs and websites!

The ocean for me is a huge source of inspiration. At first I contemplated doing an underwater scene, and then something more scenic, but undecided I just let myself loose in my watercolour book and this eventually came about:

'The One That Got Away...?'

This is a watercolour and ink piece. I wanted to do an illustration that showed something under the sea, so I could use all those delicious deep blues and teals. I also posted a painting in the Flickr Group that I created a few years back, which is now in a private collection in Australia called Dream Haven. It reflects the calm and tranquil nature of the ocean when housed behind strong, stone walls:

Before we get down to the business of opening the Gallery this month, I just wanted to write a little about posting work that's been created in the past, in the Flickr group.

I really don't mind you sharing pieces of work that you have created in the past, if you feel that the work is relevant to the theme that is being hosted. However, the main focus of the group is to encourage creativity now, and the idea of the monthly themes is to have a brand new project to work on currently. I love the work that is emerging through the group and hope that I continue to see you sharing more of your current works as well as older creations too.

So, back to this month's theme: OCEAN

For those of you who would like to share your work via your blog/Flickr or other photo hosting webpage, then you are very welcome to add your link to the widget below (please just link to the page your work features on). Don't forget to use the whole caboodle of http://www...etc or else the link won't work.

Anyone who has already posted in the Flickr Group are also encouraged to share your images in the gallery here too! It's going fantastic to have a monthly source to access everyone's work so please don't be shy!

Email Support

I would also like to take this opportunity to ask the group whether they feel they would benefit from email support? I am considering setting up a mailing list for the participants who would like to receive tips, ideas, guidance and coaching via mail. Is that something you feel would be useful for you? Please let me know if you're interested in the comments section below.

You will be able to add your OCEAN themed work to the gallery here until the end of July. There is also a list in the sidebar so that the gallery pages are easier for you to find.

For those of you who are working on the project and don't have the facility to share pictures of your work, then you are welcome to add your thoughts about your creative journey so far in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on taking part in the Being Creative Project, so please do share or feel free to email me privately.

The theme for July is SUMMER

You can post your work freely in the Flickr group as and when you like; don't forget to make use of the Discussion facility if you have any questions, or require some support.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you've done - thank you so much for sharing the vibrant, colourful energy of your glorious creations!

Julia x

One Day Only - Summer Art Sale!

2011-06-28T08:41:00.000+01:00

Hello!

If you are on my Mailing List, you will already know about the One Day Summer Art Sale that is happening this very day! (ooh, by the way - if you are on my list and didn't get that mail, would you make sure that you add me to your contacts page/white list/address book to ensure my little deliveries end up in your inbox and not your junk vacuum ~ thank ye).

So, a bit more about the sale:

1. It's a compleeeeedly and most generously lovely discount of 20%

2. You can use the discount against any ORIGINAL PAINTINGS, OPEN or LIMITED EDITION PRINTS.

3. P&P remains FREE within the UK (shipping charges apply internationally).

4. It's a one day opportunity to own a little chunk of sparkling colour by yours truly, for a pretty awesome price. Most people on our wee planet think nothing of spending several hundred quidlets on mobile phones that are out dated within a year, yet art lasts a lifetime, often costs considerably less, and undoubtedly brings oodles more pleasure to us.

5. The sale starts right NOW. And it runs until midnight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of the things that are available in the sale...

Harbour - original acrylic painting on paper, with mount and underboard ready for framing along with a colourful selection of original paintings.

A range of Open edition signed and titled prints,

and Limited Edition Prints, such as 'Home' featured above; signed, titled and numbered.

Fine Art Cards are not included in the sale, but you might want to check them out anyhow because they're rather lovely and each is handsigned by yours truly!

If you have any questions or would like to reserve an item, them please get in touch with me.

I am also considering offering part payment plans for original art where you will have the option to pay in installments for your painting. If this is something that interests you, then please email me your details and let me know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To take advantage of the Art Sale, just visit my online gallery, and then email me to let me know what you would like to purchase, quoting the code on the voucher at the top of the screen. I'll email you an invoice with the 20% discount and all art will be mailed within 3-5 days of payment being received and cleared.
If you have any questions then please email me.

Thank you for visiting today, for reading, and for your continued support!

Have a great day,
Love J x

Seaside Sketchbook

2011-06-24T14:31:00.001+01:00

'The One That Got Away' ~ Watercolour on Paper

Hello!

I thought I'd take five minutes to share some of the sketches from my holiday with you (and work done at home inspired by my travels), as promised in my last post.

I tend to carry a small hard backed sketch book with me in my bag most of the time (either a small moleskine or A6 Daler Rowney), along with a pencil and fine line waterproof black pen (a Staedler number 01), so that I can catch interesting moments that might make for good paintings later on.

Do you remember the photograph I took of the harbour wall in Falmouth in my Holiday Post? Here it is:

I drew the above sketch whilst waiting for a little boat to take us back to St Mawes, just before it started to rain!

Drawing in a sketch book has the same ability to transport me back to a place in time as does a favourite tune. I can recall sounds, atmosphere, scents, how I was feeling, and the weather just by looking through my sketches.

These little boats were drawn from our car, parked up above the beach at Portreath. It had lashed it down with monsoonal style rain all morning and we had taken our wee girl to 'Build a Bear' as the beach was out of the question. After this, we drove the odd mile or so to the coast and after we had finished our picnic, all huddled in a steamy damp car (no, not the nicest of scenarios!), the rest of our little party, wrapped up in waterproofs, took her down on the sand to look for shells. The rain had turned to drizzle with a blustery wind by this point, and I remember making the most of ten minutes solitude to capture a couple of little boats in my book, that I could see out the window to my right.

Looking at this sketch now, I also remember armies of dark grey clouds marching heavily across the horizon, and the sea was leaden and dark, with a bright aquamarine band on the shoreline. Raindrops spattered across the car windscreen, and gulls shreiked and harassed the occasional huddled figures of tourists, who seemed intent on making the best of it despite the soggy conditions.

When I came home, I used the sketch above to do a sunnier painting:

I like turning something 'real' into something more illustrative!
The top painting is unfinished, I decided to begin the second one below instead and embellished it with stamped letters.

The paints I used for these pictures are my New and Compleeeedly Delicious White Night set (shown above in spanking new condition before I got stuck in!).
The paints are Russian, and have been produced by a company in St Petersburg since 1934. They use very fine pigments and even honey in their colours. The colours themselves are extremely fine, fantastic to blend and mix and are proving to be a very valuable investment.

I have been using them again this morning, to create something slightly different...

'Party' ~ Watercolour on Paper

I hope you have a fabulous weekend, thanks for dropping by - i'll be back soon to talk about crocheted blankets on a budget, and an Almost Finished shawl!

Love J x

A Free E-Book for You

2011-06-22T19:17:00.000+01:00

I had a great idea today.

To make a little E-Book, with some of my favourite and most popular crochet tutorials in it for you!!!

It was one of those ideas that couldn't wait. I had to get it done pronto or it would become one of those ideas that kind of dissolved and turned into a hazy memory if left, one that never got completed, and so, while the idea was fresh and exciting, I put it all together.

I decided to call it, quite simply 'Colourful Crochet'. Because that is exactly what it is.

This little E-Book is completely FREE, available to read online (click on the pages to enlarge the text) or to print off at home to keep. I've chosen the following patterns which I know alot of people have enjoyed using:

Garden Flower Mobile Phone Pocket

Popcorn Flower Granny Squares

Teeny Tiny Heart Bunting

Chunky Crocheted Bowl

Toasty Mitts Arm Warmers

So, after oodles of writing and outpourings of excitement and creative energy; here it is! You will also be able to find this book on the Free Goodies and Tutorials page (tab above) and in the sidebar.

Please feel free to spread the Crochet Love and share this with your friends and family. I'd love to think this little book is going to travel far and wide and I do hope you enjoy it!

Next time: Seaside sketches and paintings!

Mucho love
Julia x

Heaven-on-Sea

2011-06-21T15:57:00.000+01:00

Hello!

(Summer's Beach, St Mawes)

Finally I have found a little space in my day to share my little trip to Cornwall with you. Oh friends, it was a wonderful week - I haven't been down in a good long while you see and it was heaven to see familiar places again after such a long time. After those hectic, weary weeks beforehand too, it was a real tonic to unwind and not have anything very important to take care of or do, no real responsibilities...bliss.

We stayed in the little village of Portscatho, in this very cottage close to the square and a pebbles throw from the sea. Just a short walk around the corner and you could be standing above the picturesque little harbour, or on the little beach...

...and we had a gorgeous view from our cottage window...

There is something very special about waking up to the sound of gulls calling, and then opening the curtains and seeing glimpses of the sea from your window. I also managed to squeeze in a bit of al-fresco hooky time too, in the little walled front garden.

The first full day there, we awoke to heavy fog and torrential rain though. Not a good start, but we found our waterproofs and headed out (typical Brits, going to enjoy it no matter what). It poured down for most of the day and by mid afternoon it had turned to gales with intermittent showers. We headed for Porthleven where the sea was wild and the waves were coming up over the harbour wall!

The next day couldn't have been more different. In St Ives, the sun shone and our wee girl was in and out of the sea on Porthgwidden beach almost all day.

We finished a rather lovely day with a meal at the Ocean Grill, freshly caught fish and a chilled glass of wine...and what a view!

I really liked the decorative glass work inside the restaurant too:

Tired but feeling extremely happy, I walked back along the harbour to the car. The tide had come in and the sea was that brilliant seaglass-green colour...

I could quite happily sit and watch the water and the waves around St Ives for hours, the colours are wonderful, and so very beautiful. I find the sea to have a wonderful energy, it's constant movement, changing colour and moods...it's hugely inspiring and nourishing to be near to it. Even on a rainy and cloudy day the sand seems to glow as if the sun shines upon it, and the sea has that bright gleam of soft creamy jade about it. People talk about the special 'light' at St Ives, it's why the artists originally flocked to the place, and I can understand why they loved it so.

Later in the week, we went to Mousehole. I love this tiny place, where old fishermens' cottages cluster together around it's pretty harbour, and wandering lanes lead to tiny galleries and cafes.

One morning, we drove to St Mawes, just a few miles from where we were staying. Having not packed a picnic that day, we bought fresh baguettes at the St Mawes Bakery, a little building right on the harbour, and then nipped over the road to the deli where we stocked up on local cheese, pots of prawns, rolls of pink smoked salmon, and garlic and lemon mayonnaise before finally making our way to Summer's Beach. What a treat!!

(Gorgeous coastal cottage at St Mawes)

A trip to Falmouth by boat in the afternoon was planned as we ate our feast. The sun shone on the journey there and the sea was a deep jade green. Carys and I went to see the Richard Tuff exhibition at Beside The Wave Gallery. How I wish I could buy one of his paintings, alas they are rather beyond what my little purse can afford!!

Waiting for the boat to take us back to St Mawes, I was rather taken with the harbour walls around Custom House Quay. I liked the way that different sized stones had been used in a rather pleasing way, and the ochre yellow lichen that had grown upon them contrasted with the grey of the stones beautifully! I did a little sketch, just before our boat arrived, and then it was time to put the drawing things away and climb aboard.

The boat journey home was a cold affair and we had foolishly left our warm clothes back in St Mawes (Cornish readers please feel free to guffaw loudly at this point). The weather had turned and a light drizzle accompanied us, along with a cold wind. The boat bounced up and down on a generous swell, and a couple of our party alighted feeling a little queasy!

Another lovely discovery for me this visit, was the Helford Passage. I've long been a fan of Daphne DuMaurier books, and one of my favourite stories is Frenchman's Creek. To be in the vicinity of where this woman took inspiration for her books was amazing, and although we didn't actually make it to the location of Frenchman's Creek, it was enough to stand down on the quayside at Helford Passage and imagine it all.

There is a gentle drowsiness to this part of Cornwall which I find irresistible; it has a quiet charm that is far removed from the heaving bustle and busyness of St Ives, and you feel yourself relax in this quiet, pretty place. As the tide lapped up the shore, and we retreated to the path (with a very annoyed four year old who can't quite fathom out why the sea has to eat her sand) we decided to have a meal in the Ferryboat Inn...local mussels for me, caught in Fowey that same day, with a nice bowl of chips and a cold glass of white!

A week goes far to fast, and before we knew it we were saying our goodbyes to our quiet little village, and it's tranquil surroundings. Heading inland for home always makes me feel slightly flat and wistful, so I promise myself to come back again.

In the meantime I have a memory full of inspiration, a sketchbook full of new drawings (more about those next time) and ideas which I'll be sharing with you all soon.

Thanks for dropping in to see me, looking forward to catching up with all of you soon.

Julia x

The Sea, The Sea...

2011-06-20T12:56:00.000+01:00

Just peeping in to wave "Hello".

I'm just back from a little holiday, and I wonder if any of you can guess where I went? It's been the most lovely time, despite the ever changing weather (blustery gale force winds and lashing rain storms one minute, paddling in the sea under a blazing sun and huge blue sky the next). I'll be sharing more about my trip with you in the next few days, along with some sketches I did out and about that I think you might like. Plus, I'm also in love with a New Blanket idea...so I'll tell you more about that too! Thanks to all of you for your kind comments about the crocheted phone pocket on the last post, it was really nice to read them all.

Off to tackle a huuu-mon-gus ironing pile and yet more laundry...where on earth does it all come from?? How can just three people get through so many clothes in just seven days??!!

Back soon,
Much love Julia x