Moving Onwards

Let's start off with some colour...

This is the pom pom yarn which I made up using Tunisian Crochet.  Its wonderfully squishy (very technical textile term) and hugable, so I think it might end up as a squishy cushion.  Definitely not being offered to the cat to raise his whiskers at.
Yesterday was the Material Girls last meeting before our Exhibition opens next week.  Such a full on session with lots to settle.  But it was wonderful for me to see so many beautiful things coming out of bags and boxes - there were a few big gulps on my part.  Also saw the work from Canada for the first time.  For two groups across the world from each other, working on their own "Bridging Waters" project its uncanny how things will tie in with each other.   I'm sure the whole Exhibition is going to look splendid.  I'm still not showing you my pieces, as I believe visitors to the Exhibition should have first dibs, but once its under way....  Suffice to say that I've completed my tasks, which I'm pleased about.... that is all except making a few pieces for shop sales - which I believe is only going to be at the pv.  Actually I'm not good at card making, in the sense that these little pieces of art usually cause me the most anxiety, I can get so worked up over them, value for money, but not looking cheap, enough work in them but not taking so long that materials and effort far outweigh return.   After all, to be blunt and real, it is supposed to be a money making enterprise. Give me a panel to make any day!!!
I came home and finalised an Art Trail application.... hope its OK, so many different things in my head at the moment I always get hyper worried I've missed a vital  task.  But I am getting the hang of "in 35 words or less...."    So now its wait.
I know its mid Feb, but I think its time to start with this:

A new sketchbook.  The old one isn't quite complete, but I'll cut out the blank pages, to use as pockets for things in this one, but I feel the need for a new start.  I realised after submitting the art trail application, part of my, did you remember, have you done... was simply because I'd not written it out in my sketchbook and ticked it off as I'd done it.  Oh dear, really am an old bag, need lists now, and bright post-its - but there's nothing quite so satisfying a a nice big tick to say its done!!!

Getting Organised

Oh, first, Happy New Year.  Its a bit later than I'd intended but I'm getting myself up to date with things, printing off mini calendars to stick in notebooks etc.  I used to have one notebook for everything, but actually it does get rather heavy and also confusing, searching through pages to find what belongs to what organisation, and over time I've found some places I go, I only ever write half a page, so pointless to heave a heavy tome about. So these days I have a notebook for each, much easier to just grab the red one on this day and the green one on that. I've also made myself another year book.  You can read all about the how, what, why in this posting  I did hesitate about making another, number 7, but it does prove to be very useful.

It just has to be patterned paper - and this is Tim Holtz. Vintage Shabby - which I love.  The cover is a textured paper which I bought at one of those 'fill a wallet' stands.  It will have the year added on the front at some point.  It will also have bells on!!!  Yes really.  I have a couple of bells on a split ring which will attach to the spine - so useful to then be able to find the book!!!  Wobble the table, smack the shelf, and it will ring to say I'm here!

In the back of the book I also keep a list of forums etc I belong to and my sign in details.... I thought I ought to check out and upgrade the info.   Dogeared Magazine which is a publication about book arts has a forum do dah..  Publication of the magazine itself has disappeared and lots of us are still owed issues.  But the promise has been that they will appear,  Well checking the forum, thinking perhaps I ought to ditch it, been such a long time... and what do I find, next issue of the mag is available for download for those who were subscribers.  So I hope to get access to it.  But odd... I have the blog in Google Reader and there's been no notification on there, so its only pure chance I discovered, and I don't know when notification was put up on the forum site.

In the meantime I'm toying with the idea of continuing with Quilting Arts for another year..... change of editor, may bring about changes, as such things often do.... so thinking about it.

How about something pretty

This is Rico PomPom yarn.  I'm using Tunisian Crochet to make..... well its a thing!  I tend to call these pieces Therapy work.  Its an itch to scratch, either in terms of the need to get back in touch with crochet, or to play with a ball of yarn.  I can't knit - well its more like pushing a snowball uphill - but lots of these lovely fancy yarns don't show how you can crochet with them.  I've chosen Tunisian Crochet, because I can push the pom poms onto one side.  It may turn into something, perhaps another cat blanket which the cat sniffs looks at and declares "you expect me to sit on that".  But its bright and cheerful for these dull grey days of Winter.