Here's to 2016!

Wow I am amazed, here we are Old Year's Night, as us Norfolk born people call it.

Or New Year's Eve.

We all review, assess, and perhaps set challenges of all sorts for the new year ahead. I've heard and read a lot recently on having a 'word for the year'.  Something which speaks, has meaning, and can inform and apply to many areas of your life.  My immediate reaction is.... 'oh dear, what rubbish'.  However it seems a word to guide is more successful than any Resolution.

So I thought on such a word.  Create is obvious, so many ideas not being realised.  It also applies to things like, making a nice garden, learning a new skill.  However, I think I've found a better word to live by.

FUN

For all sorts of reasons life seems to have become too grown up, sensible, practical.  Could do with a large helping of silliness, remembering how to dance whilst in charge of the vacuum.  Make art in fun bright clashing colours, just because I can.

I've challenged myself with my art this year.  Not a deliberate, prior plan, but found myself stretching ideas and techniques used.  Must not let those live in isolation.  New experiences too, such as the Book Fair, which had been in my thought process for a very long time before turning into reality.

As always my arty life is spent in the company of others, from my friends and colleagues in The Material Girls and Embroiderers' Guild, to individuals who share the interest and love of creating with a needle, with paper, and paints, whose company is shared and invaluable in all sorts of ways.  I would like to thank those who also share their art on social media, blogs, websites, Facebook, Pinterest.  You likely don't know me, our paths have never crossed, but much pleasure is gained from your generosity.

So here's to 2016

may your notebooks overflow with ideas, your needle be busy

and above all else, may the journey

be filled with FUN.

Bandit and Spike

The obligatory cat photos which increase readership

more than anything deep and meaningful!

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas 2015

Looks like no White Christmas on the way, not even a touch of frost, so you can have some white doodle stitch trees.

Best wishes to everyone

Beverley

Tis the Season....

for little bits and pieces, catching up and contemplating.

Well let's go back to the Book Fair.  A couple of things I don't believe I shared.

I made these brooches from book pages - Jane Austen - and sold a couple of them.  Wasn't sure of the what and how etc being my first Book Fair, so didn't go overboard with making.

Also at the Book Fair, I was doodle stitching into book pages, trying to make myself look interesting, and also needed something which didn't need a lot of concentration with people around, something to pick up when it was quiet.

I'd grabbed a chapter from a small book to take with me and a couple of skeins of thread.

Stitching in black.

Completed half of it and decided to do reverse of that already but in white thread.

Actually turned out several people asked about it, and I've had feedback that one lady was inspired to stitch in her own journal notebook.  So good idea to do.

Oh and in case doing any of this kind of work in a book has you screaming..... it did me when I first thought about it.  However, on discovery that charity shop books get passed down the line to other charities, and if not sold eventually they get dumped, plus at one shop I had to fight to buy an old book, as staff deemed it too brown and aged to possibly go out for sale. Learning that, made up my mind. The book gets a new life, repurposed, the charity shop gets some money, and I get to play, 

Here's some more play.

Wooden heart decorated with book page, teeny bit of my stitching on paper,

stencils, paint and a flower.

My friend, Pen, gave me a whole bag of wooden hearts, its about cm in depth.  So decided it was about time to reinvent and give back to her.  So I turned one into this.  I've got a couple more prepped with paper, so will see what they turn into.

Finally our last Embroiderers' Guild meeting of the year, this past Saturday.  Really enjoyable, lovely chatting with people, usual cheating and fun with the quiz.  And we had a quick make.

Really good idea made out of Christmas fabrics, they look very effective as we were shown samples on cards, wall panels, napkin holders, place settings etc.

So there we are - Christmas a week away, and so far I've consumed two mini mince pies and that's it! With all the prep sorted, cards done, presents delivered, parcels posted, I have a whole week to get on with makes needed for Exhibitions in 2016.