House for rent!

I was watching some beautiful blue tits nesting in a friend's bird box and decided it was time I put up one of my own. This one was rather plain so I spruced it up, I think it resembles a Swiss cottage now! Hopefully Clive will put it up just at the apex of my little shed, it will give the birds a lot of shelter. Clive suggests I put it to one side to save being decorated when I step out the door, only time will tell which one of us is right!

I saw two sparrows munching on the bird seed I put out yesterday, such a joy to watch!

January has come to an end at last, lets hope the bitter cold of today gives way to a little spring sunshine! I bought a huge bunch of daffodils, which are to me like a vase of sunshine!

To give me something to look forward to I spent time this morning sowing seeds, carrots, sweet peas and tomatoes. I am hoping to get a green house but before we go to the expense of buying a glass one, Clive wants me to try a plastic one for the first year he seems to think I will lose interest after a while... me? er um...let me think... fads.... lets see shall we?

A touch of luxury

I am a fan of old fashioned white cotton sheets, this was a plain oxford pillowcase that I added a beautiful lace trim to. It looks far more expensive now!

Look What I found!

All the bags and magazines have been full of corsages, I am loving the vintage look that is currently in vogue! I made this little one a little while ago, (glue guns are so addictive!) the centre is a massive sparkly gem, I bought it at a discount store, two for 50p (they were enormous earrings!!!). These are really good fun to make, and the glue gun makes light work of it, far quicker than stitching!











I bought this adorable cardigan in the Oxfam shop this weekend, (the ribbon is my addition!) It is a beautifully fitted knit, in angora wool! a snip at £3.99 and luxuriously soft.

Yellow, I know is not every one's favourite choice, but about a year ago I sent for a dress from Jonnie Boden, when it arrived it was yellow! Yellow I said to myself, well that is going straight back!

Being firstly very inquisitive and secondly a strong believer in serendipity I decided to try it on! Oh it was really gorgeous! I have very pale porcelain skin, and the yellow did not make me sallow at all! I loved it so much I wore it for the Prima Photo shoot last year, (my profile picture is the one they used in the magazine!) So I am a yellow convert!

This looks gorgeous with my back dress, but today I wore it with a royal blue pinafore type dress! As you can tell I am a poor shy wallflower!

It has been quiet here lately, since the art booster I have been painting and catching up with some fabulous new friends I met at the group.

I also attended a meeting of the HSP group. I discovered I was HSP about three years ago, but only discovered the meet up group just before Christmas. It was absolutely wonderful, so nice to be in a room with people who struggled with the same things. HSP's are like Empaths, I can stand next to someone and experience their emotions, which is not always great fun! HSP are are more sensitive to their surroundings as well as the moods of people around them, they are unable to watch violent programmes, need to have time alone as they become overwhelmed more than non HSPs.

There are also HSS, which are high sensation seekers, (I am one of those too) who need to find new experiences enjoy novel items! They want to do it all, courses, classes, hobbies, etc, they get easily aroused, (not sexually but creatively) by objects such as fabric, or ideas but may become so overwhelmed they become exhausted at times and need to withdraw. (Find out if you are HSP here)

I recently bought the book and it has explained so many difficulties I had in my life. I was told as a child "don't be so sensitive, harden up" but I just could not do it and still can't. I have had so many problems with so called assertive people but never understood why I could not stand up for myself, I think I have at last found the reason! I feel as if I have been given the key to understanding how to stop making the same mistakes over and over again!

So much has happened in the last couple of weeks, I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store! I am going to the Brighton stiching show in a couple of weeks, should be great!

For Syd

As part of the creativity booster session we have to send a fellow artist a little piece of art, so on the same theme as the butterfly canvass, here is Syd's little canvass, (it is small 6cm by 4cm!) I hope he likes it!

Begin

Here is my latest picture, inspired by the workshop on Saturday, we discussed all the blockages that stop us painting, or engaging in art or craft activity. The background consists of comments from our 'inner critic' as well as all the excuses we use to stop us from being creative. On top is an intricate butterfly: black background with silver overlay. (I did these wings three times, once using parchment and once on the card and then again because the glue smudged all my intricate drawings!!!
At the bottom of the canvass is the word

'Begin'

Daily sketch and what I am reading

I apologise for the lack of craft at the moment, but I am concentrating on the daily sketch challenge set last Saturday. Here is today's sketch based on some beautiful tulips, a wonderful reminder that Spring is on its way despite the snow!





My new book arrived today, after the great book Taking Flight, I thought I would try this as Amazon recommended it as a partner. It is all about making the most of your life!

It has been a really hectic day, so I have had a little tipple then I am off to the bath with this slotted into my bath book rest!

Oh look what arrived this week!

It's arrived from KapomCrafts Etsy store, a lovely new case for my new iPhone! When I saw it I fell in love with the gorgeous fabric, and when it arrived it is simply beautifully made, each stitch is perfect! The gorgeous soft fleecy fabric is going be a cosy place to keep my little toy!
I adore it.

If you do get the chance, it is well worth buying stuff on Etsy, not only do you have access to some very wonderful talented people, but it is so satisfying knowing you are giving your money to someone who will feel encouraged that their skills are appreciated, and not some poor child working in a sweat shop to make a profit for a huge business! So, not only do I get something wonderful and unique, but I also get to feel a little smug about it too!

I don't know if you remember back in November I covered a large A4 diary, well I had a great idea for using it. Laying in my lovely warm bubble bath the other night, (after hearing about a colleague's boiler break down) I felt incredibly grateful for the warm water, warm towels etc, so I decided I would start a diary called threes and fives. Now that sounds a strange name for a diary but bear with me.

I was listening to a programme on the radio, about how time seems to speed up as we get older. When we are children a year seemed such a long time, but when we are adults it just spins by. The presenter said it was all down to new experiences.

New Experiences are the markers in which our brains mark the passing of time, so as a child has lots of new experiences every day, time seems to be made up of lots of markers. Of course when you are an adult the new experiences reduce, hence fewer markers through out our year and therefore it seems to just vanish.

Well, back to threes and fives. Every day, I plan to put in three things that have made me happy. This may sound a little Pollyanna but it can actually lift depression. (Don't get me on to how our society is driven by making us always stay in a state of need) So that is the threes.

The five is my attempt to slow down time, I will try and find something every day, or at least once a week, where I experience it using one of my five senses - as if it was the first time!

So if I want to reach for a lovely bar of chocolate, i would record what that experience is actually like, what senses do i use? How does the chocolate smell? What does it feel like to have it melt on my tongue!

I am pledging to do this at least once a week, but I don't want to make this blog an extension of the book so I will post it on my flying blog, if you fancy a go just add your experiences in the comments part. I would love to hear about yours!

Happy New Year to you all.

here's to slowing down time!

Creativity Booster Workshop

I went to a creativity workshop at the Art House in Southampton today, what a wonderful work shop it was too. It was so nice to get together with like minded people and talk about all the fears that stop us expressing ourselves fully. I met some wonderful people today, their kindness was so encouraging. I have struggled a little at work, being myself, sometimes I worry that when I talk about all the things I do my colleagues think I am boasting! I was thinking of holding myself back, not talking about my art, painting or dancing. Not everyone has the courage to be creative, and sometimes it means they resent the people who do.

So I was absolutely delighted to receive this from the tutor on our course today, I thought I would share it with you.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - speech by Nelson Mandela was originally written by Marianne Williamson

So I was absolutely delighted to receive this from the tutor on our course today, I thought I would share it with you. If you have a talent then show it to the world, be proud of who you are and don't let others stop you.

Birthday card for Claire

I made this lovely card for my colleague Claire, as it is her birthday next week. It is all hand made, the handbags are made from label templates, folded into little bags with double sided stickers.

I went a little overboard with the glitter but it turned out OK, I hope she likes it. It is all January birthdays in our office, four in all. I had mine on Monday and C bought me a wonderful new toy - an iPhone. It is fantastic, I love it, the combination of iplayer, phone and contacts list. It is simply great fun, as I can keep in touch with my face book and email too.

We went dancing for New Year's Eve, it was a great way to see in the New Year surrounded by friends. Let's hope this year will be full of health, wealth and happiness! Happy New Year to you all.

Snow Day!

Well, I apologise to those of you suffering in the snow, but the weather today filled me with joy! I was able to work from home, so I did not have to struggle through the snow! All my clients were happy and accounted for by 10am!

I am so grateful that our boiler packed up a few months ago, as I woke to the sound of our nice new one working hard at six this morning!

Today has felt like a gift, time to relax and feel cosy at home! It has also been wonderful to hear the children's laughter as they travel down the little grass hill in the park at the end of our road. It isn't often that we are given the chance to simply stop, and as a Nation we have been given a little holiday!

Although we had snow falling most of the morning it was not as bad here as the rest of the country, listening to the local radio last night, I was so sorry to hear about people trapped in their cars but there were also some wonderful stories, like the cafe owner who had delivered over two hundred free cups of tea to stranded drivers. I think we are a caring nation, it is just sometimes we need adversity to bring us all together.

This has been a wonderful day, a chance to stop and enjoy the sensations, the crunch as it settles under my feet; the wonderful swirls and patterns left by the ice, there is nothing quite like the silence that comes with snow. A great opportunity for mindfulness, just enjoying the moments! What made a wonderful afternoon was that C had been sent home early so we had a lovely afternoon together!


The snow wasn't so popular with the chooks, they were reluctant to leave the coop this morning, usually they are squawking loudly! They spent most of the day in their little dirt den, which gives them an opportunity to scratch round the dirt, but protected from the weather as it has a little roof. However, Edna and Dolly were more than happy to eat the bird seed I put on the roof of the coop, their favourite place to watch the world go by!

What a fabulous day!