Festival and family

It's been another full on couple of weeks, but all great fun. The Exmouth Festival coincided with my family visiting so there's been plenty to do.

I was able to put some of my work on display at the Blackmore Theatre and it was good to get one or two items finished in order to do it!

Here's a picture I finally completed - it's called 'Heartfelt'. I'm rather pleased with it as I hand felted the background and topped it with a ceramic button I made a while ago. I know the photo is on a bit of an angle, but any other shot I tried to take reflected either the rest of the bedroom where it now hangs, or me taking the picture!

 

I also hung a couple of scarves I made a while ago from bamboo poles as wall hangings. These I spun  from sari silk. It always amazes me how a ball of random fluff can end up looking like this once it's been spun and knitted.

I had some of my hand spun, knitted and felted bags on display too.

As well as this bag made from some thicker sari silk.

Once that was all up and on show other than a spell of stewarding on the Monday I was able to spend time with my sister, mum, niece, her husband and my great nephew. Graeham and I had a full day's digging on the beach on the holiday Tuesday while Finn directed operations and gave out spades. He'll make a great foreman when he grows up. Then the action moved on to Crealy the next day with the weather still with us. Thursday saw mum, Judith and me eating ice cream on Budleigh beach and then on Friday we all met up for scones and tea before they had to get ready to head back to Surrey.

On Sunday it was back to the Festival withthere workshops at Seadog Gallery. I took the wheel along as well as a couple of drop spindles and some chopsticks (yes chopsticks) so that anyone who dropped in could try their hand at spinning some merino and silk (yes with chopsticks) to make simple bracelets. 

The sun shone, sandwiches and scones were plentiful and it was a lovely day in Anna's garden. I had time to watch Hayley teaching others how to craft mosaic panels and even got to try making a felt flower in Natasha's workshop.

So, from then on it's been back to the day job, with plenty of writing to get to grips with! 

Today we've been shopping for fabric. A bit of household sewing to do - I'll show you when it's finished....

Phew.... Time for tea I think - and an evening of football......

I'm Baaaaack!

It's been a while, but at last I'm back (or baa-ck) with the blog.

So much has happened that if I were to begin filling you in I'd be here till midnight - so I'll just carry on as if I've never been away and try harder to keep up to date. That includes rejoining Handmade Monday and enjoying all the other posts there each week....

I finally gave in to sense and said goodbye to my first wheel... 

I was sad to see it go, but there's not really room to keep everything and I use my travelling wheel more so it's gone off to be used by a really nice guy who farms alpacas.

I've finished one or two patchwork-y pieces.

The first was a recycling project... The front here is made up of old felted jumpers

While the back is old worn out t-shirts...

Finally here's the crocheted mini wall hanging that I started ages ago.

It's now got a starring role on display! It's Exmouth Festival this week, so I've put it in the exhibition at the Blackmore Theatre - part of the Exmouth Art Trail. I've also got some bags, a couple of sari silk wall hangings and a felted picture down there. I'm stewarding at the end of the weekend so I'll try and get some photos to add....

More news soon.... I promise it won't be such a long wait between blogs this time!

Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend.....

Plenty of inspiration (but not much action!)

There's been plenty to see and hear around Exmouth over the last week or so with the festival in full swing! It's been good to get out and about and enjoy what's been going on, soaking up the creativeness of lots of people as well as the long awaited sunshine!

Firstly the music continued in the gardens - this picture doesn't really do the crowds justice, but it's been busy throughout the festival with good weather almost all the time. In fact it's the first time for ages that the sand sculpture competition hasn't been drowned! Sadly as I was being good and chained myself to the computer to finish the teaching notes I needed to get done I don't have any photos of that this year!

We popped into one of the local bars/pubs for lunch the other day and they had an exhibition of some sparkly collages. (They often exhibit work by local artists/craftspeople.) Again apologies for the photos, but they were great. The collages included all sorts of bits and pieces - paper, beads, sequins, miniature treasures - and were on coloured/painted canvases. I keep looking at the two I've bought ready to make some creation or other thinking I'd love a go at that... When I get wround to it - you'll be the first to know....

 

 Then we soaked up some sun on the beach. I still have to pinch myself sometimes to realise that I really do live here, even after seven years. It's all so different from a 'proper job' near London. I never actually thought I'd be just ten or fifteen minutes walk from the beach and yet that's exactly where I am!

 

 

I also needed a card for a friend's birthday and while I was in the shop/gallery in town I saw this. It's by Moose, one of our local artists, and I couldn't resist it. Just about sums up the fun!

 

 

While I was there I got one of those 'I make stuff like this' moments. I just wasn't brave enough to chat to the manager about whether or not they might be interested in some bits and pieces like the handmade brooches like these...

 



Any ideas?
Right I'm off to get a coffee and enjoy Handmade Monday....
Who knows I might get my act together this week - it is spinning group on Wednesday - I might get that bear finished!

What do you mean it's Monday again!

Yep, got caught out with busy-ness and didn't get to blog last week. So what's been going on?
Well, I've been away working in Orpington for a week followed by some more time in Wales, I've had some fun at my sister's and seen all my family while I was staying with her (one of the big bonuses of working near London!) and met up with friends. I'm ploughing through the writing on my desk(top) and it's also festival time here so loooaaaddsss to get up to - sadly most of it resulting in zilch photos!!

Anyhow, the sun is shining and I'm about to have a few days off so I might even get something creative on the camera.....

The week at my old school was good. As I mentioned it means seeing a lot of my sister, mum and nieces and some really nice social meals out - one of which seemed to involve a lot of Sangria - don't know who suggested that (eh Juds!). Juds and I also tried our hand at decorating mirrors with shells. As I left her place before the glue was completely dry I don't have any photos, still if they've worked and the shells are still stuck on I'll get some next time I'm up there!

I was also able to browse Hobbycraft as the girls (and Richard) had bought me a voucher for my birthday. Among my buys were these...

 

 

So now I can really have a good try with needle felting and hopefully save my fingers from the barbs. I did get some other stuff, but I can't show you or it won't be a surprise for someone....

 

While I was in Wales I did manage to get on with the merino that neds to be turned into a teddy, but this is as far as I got before running out of yarn.. just needed a bit more for the arms...

 

 

 

Hopefully I can beg some at spinning next week so I can finish it off. I've almost finished the dress for it too - that should hide some of the uneven spinning!

 

 

It was our wedding anniversary last week as well. Thankfully I had enough time to put a card together.... I had bought the wooden heart a while ago thinking it would be useful at some point - and it was!

 

 

As far as creativity goes there's not much else in the way of photos - although I've been writing plenty for work - sadly words don't work for the camera so you'll just have to take my word for it that it's been extremely satisfying, especially now I'm about halfway through the task.

 

It's also Exmouth Festival as I write - the website here shows last year's events - the video gives a flavour of what happens here - everything from Reggae to Sand Sculpture, clay modelling in the park to Soul Bands and fireworks.. all free and enjoyable - especially when the weather is as kind as it's been so far this year. We went down to hear Souled on Saturday night in the Gardens - a nine piece band that a friend's husband plays with. There's so much going on in and around Exmouth creatively that it makes me feel positively lazy!

 

That's about it I think - just off to Handmade Monday for a catch up and some inspiration.. hopefully I'll have time this week to comment on some of the lovely stuff there.....

 

Have a good week....