FINDING JOY

 

Having had so much going on for so long with personal and family health issues surmounting and no end in sight, I changed direction craftwise to accomodate my lack of time, energy and focus. I was lost being unable to stitch, crochet , knit or do patchwork. Being a creative person I need something to do for my soul, to keep my spirits up and to find joy again. You are all very creative people yourselves so you can probably relate to what I am saying. I decided to let go of my previous life as a patchworker and quilter, gave away heaps of fabric and unfinished stitcheries and made way for a new journey down the mixed media art road. I hope I don't bore you now that I have little or no stitching projects to speak of and I am merely a beginner playing with paints, pens, pencils and whatever takes my fancy. It brings me joy.

I have already been playing with watercolours , markers and gel pens but have never really practiced techniques with coloured pencils. Colour combinations, blending, making new colours etc is all new to me. So, when I saw Sarah Renae Clark's new colouring book with so many great reviews I decided to buy it. Unlike a lot of colouring books this one is hard bound and has high quality paper which means that it can cope with most medias such as watercolours, ( not overly wet), pencils, acrylic markers, brush inks etc. Alcohol markers still bleed through the back but I can cope with that. I also love the fact that she is so down to earth and an Aussie.

Isn't it lovely! I also love how Sarah has written this inside..

I tried a light wash of watercolours to see how my 1st chosen  page held up and used coloured pencils and a gold gel pen to add my own details . Success! Well, the colouring needs a bit of practice but I liked adding my own creativity. As a child I always added things to the colouring pages and it appears that I have not outgrown this habit fortunately. 

While shopping in Kmart a few weeks ago I came across these packs of glitter water based ink brush markers . I only bought one pack as I did not know if they would be any good as there is no actual brand. Well, oh my goodness! I love them! So I returned and bought 2 more different colour packs and recently bought another colour that wasn't there last time. I am still getting used to them as the flow is unpredictable , as can be seen on the page ,but they give a lovely sheen and fine glitter effect particularly in sunlight. 

I was restricted colourwise but it was a good challenge for me. 

I guess that is enough for today with so much narrative and this is just the start of my journey.

 Thankyou to those who reached out to me. Your thoughtfulness was very much appreciated. 

 

CATCHING UP

 

I have been trying to catch up or at least start to keep up with everyone's blog posts and have enjoyed seeing all your lovely projects as always. All I have to show is more, another 18, crocheted blooms now totalling 159. 

And...my first completed book this year. ( But I did start it just after Christmas). Fiona McIntosh's latest novel. A lovely read as are all her books, but this one was rather special for me as it is set in Wiltshire where my grandfather was from and where I visited nearly 10 years ago with my youngest daughter. My grandfather also had some beautiful heritage apple trees in his backyard here in Australia which I loved climbing as a child. Unfortunately, these were removed by a family friend who bought the property after my grandparents died. Why were these apple trees significant? All shall be revealed if you read the book . * wink*

I have another book begging to be read and I already have a list with more to be added as I see what you are reading. If only I could read more than one or 2 chapters at a time! 

3 MONTHS

 

I know I have been inactive and unproductive for a while but I had no idea that it has been 3 months since my last post. I have not looked at anyone's posts or done much at all in that time but I am trying to get back into some crafty activities even if progress is slow and sometimes non existent. 

To ensure I sent a Christmas gift in time to a family friend in the U.K , I started a couple of small crosstitches to make into hanging ornaments a few weeks prior as I knew it would take me longer than usual. I found the free designs online, selected threads from my stash and managed to do a few rows every now and then.  I think I posted them just in time.

During the past week or so I have been crocheting more blooms in the hope of finishing the project some time this year! I have made 152 and I need 200 but I am not going to have enough yarn. Plan B shall eventuate at a later date.....

The final book I read last year was the latest Victoria Purman. I started the latest Fiona MacIntosh novel prior to Christmas but still have a few chapters left to read. My reading has slowed down like everything else these days as I cannot seem to read more than one or 2 chapters at a time. 

In an attempt to inspire and create further enthusiasm for my newest hobby I invested in some good quality watercolour brushes before Christmas, an early Christmas gift to myself. I love Emma's free You Tube tutorials and her brushes are lovely. The packaging is gorgeous with her own watercolour design on the box and I shall be using the pretty box to keep some things in. I was certainly doing the happy dance when they arrived.

So, now my next thing to do is catch up with all your blog posts. I shall just be looking at your latest ones but hope to keep up to date after that. I tried to join in the Zoom chat at the weekend but couldn't get my camera to work so I apologise for not persevering after 3 or 4 attempts popping in and out. Maybe next time.

Happy New Year to all.

A BIT HERE, A BIT THERE

 

Weekly blogging is hard to keep up with lately as my crafty progress is slow these days. Health challenges often get in the way of productivity especially when daily household tasks and responsibilities need priority and I have no energy left for anything else or pain is not being managed sufficiently in order to be able to focus properly. Without creativity I am lost, bored, and fidgety so I have tried to adapt my crafty pursuits in order to simply make me happy without timelines , lots of mess to clean up or any pressure to create something amazing. Hence, my watercolour adventure. It has only just begun and I am leaning towards abstract water colour but I did try a more conventional tutorial recently which I half completed a few weeks ago and only just managed to complete yesterday. I have great difficulty concentrating when there are interuptions so this had to be done in 2 sessions weeks apart and I lost my mojo. So, here is my 1st watercolour which I am a bit nervous about showing to anybody but a girl's got to start somewhere. Shhhhh don't tell anyone I showed it to you. Hopefully, like most craft, I will improve over time. I think I could have added more finishes but decided not to.

    I finally completed my grandson's Pikachu crosstitch .

          Now I have started a Christmassy one for a gift.

   Find joy in your craftiness, relax and enjoy the process .

STILL NOT MUCH TO SHOW

 

I missed a week because I really hadn't achieved much at all. The past week I have had a crook gut so crafty pursuits have been put aside apart from starting a watercolour on Saturday which requires a couple more sessions to complete. I did do a bit more of the Pikachu crosstitch. It is only small so it is frustrating that I haven't already framed it by now. 

Remember my battle with the naughty bird pulling my seedlings out 3 times? I just removed the chicken wire at the weekend so I can actually see the lovely blooms now that they are established.

The wire also protected the plants a bit from the awful high winds we have had, so that is why I left it on a while longer.

My eldest daughter always comes up with great ideas to make birthday cakes each year for my grandsons. She usually uses a theme of whatever they are into at the time . It was my youngest grandson's 5th birthday recently so she decided to create a Batman cake. 

I think my girls were deprived as I never made many birthday cakes for them , certainly nothing as elaborate as my daughter has made each year. Some mums I knew made cakes from the Womans Weekly Birthday Cake books but not me. How about you?

This morning I finished the 5th and last book in a series I have really enjoyed reading. I think I shall look for more series this author has written.

                                         Happy crafting! 

ANOTHER CROSSTITCH

 

Now that 2 of my crosstitches have been framed I have started a small one of Pikachu for my youngest grandson. I did another Pokemon character for his big brother so now he will have one too. His bedroom has recently been repainted and he has a new bunk bed so it is good timing. 

Not much other craftiness has been happening apart from some failed practice watercolour techniques I am trying to master. However, I have finished reading a great novel which is one of the best books I have read in ages. It is witty, quirky, and an absolute joy from start to finish. If you are a baby boomer or older you will most likely appreciate the main character's frustrations being a woman in a man's world during the 1960's.

                                          Happy crafting.

FINALLY FRAMED

 

My latest 2 crosstitches have finally been framed. I think I did a better job this time using the lacing method but I did find it a bit difficult to line up everything and keep it straight. The results are not too bad.

I was very excited when my new set of watercolours arrived on Friday. These are better quality than the ones I have been playing with and came with a black pen, brush and pencil as well as a few bookmark sized pieces of watercolour paper. Just perfect for my current newbie needs.

 I couldn't wait to do the swatch card to see how lovely the colours really are. I shall do another swatch on my own  paper to get a better idea how each colour looks more blended from dark to light. 

Earlier last week Darth Vader came to spend the day with us. He sure eats and giggles a lot.

Finding joy in a new hobby, finishing projects, and time spent with my youngest grandson are positive aspects of the past week . Some of the week was a challenge pain-wise but it was good to reflect on the days that were better. 

Which leads me to ask you ....what were the best things about your week?