Colour therapy

Have you heard of "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron? I have a copy and from time to time I browse it.  One of her recommendations is to go an an ""Artist Date" each week, where you take yourself off to do something simply for pleasure and to fuel your creativity.  I love them when I get around to going on them.  They are uplifting and reassuring and are without a doubt great therapy.

I'm going to share photos from my artist date at the weekend.  Usually spent alone - this one I had Mum for company and there is no-one better than her to accompany me on an artist date.  Being an artist herself, she is an inspiration...she is so so creative and oozes ideas and encouragement constantly....so we oooed and aaahhhed .... and discussed possibilities....and got more and more inspired and excited....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near me is the most wonderful shop - it is a veritable treasure trove and I'm sure it's reminiscent of a souk or something you find in the middle east/asia.  If you ever need a sari - this is the place to go.  Buttons, trims, ribbon, tassels, velvets, silks....you name it it has it.  The cutters use adding machines to total up your purchase... I love adding machines.  Probably a left over my first job as a trainee accountant, before we worked on computers...my god I sound old! 

 

and.....here is my swoon fabric of the day......

 

 

 

ísn't it  TO DIE FOR?......

 

P.S. The shop is Homecraft Textiles

Russian Doll Quilt progress

In the January holiday I started sashing my doll quilt together.  I love the spotty linen I've chosen.  It is going to look great when it is eventually finished...not a stitch has happened since I went back to work....sad, sad.... this quilt is years in the making...as are all of my current projects.  I tell myself it's part of the evolution of each quilt.  Because I work on them erratically and interuptedly (did I just make up a word?) they finish up quite differently to how they might have if I'd busted through the process in a weekend....something I just can't imagine...who does that ...is it possible?  I've grown more and more fond of these little dolls as they've lolled around my studio for years.  They're well and truly part of the family, so this quilt - when it eventually is a quilt - will not be able to leave our family - they're just such good company! :)

A little bit of hooky in my life (sung to the tune of Lou Bega Mambo No 5!)

I managed to squeeze in about an hour of crochet this weekend.  Lucky me.  Hopefully with winter on the way there will be more hours to come.....Life is soo ridiculously hectic lately.  I wish I could win Lotto, find a sugar daddy, not have to work full time....but I do and I'm lucky in so many ways....

I've just been making squares which I'll eventually sew together to make a totally random Nanny McPhee style rug. So far I've made 50 and I think I'm going to sew in the ends of these before I make more, perhaps even sew a couple together...or no?  Should I wait...I have this little discussion in my head as I hook away....

The little squares are going to be a scarf one day.  Just totally random squares of colour joined together...I'm just going to make one in every ball of colour that's going into the rug and see what I think at the end...