Sarah Lawrence

back after my travels

Gosh! I seem to have not had a chance to post .. I fully intended to post on woyww but the day just disapeared. We are also head long into getting ready for our annual open weekend next week.

Yesterday I was sorting out new containers for our things and this involved a trip to Ikea . Normally I would be absolutely so keen and eager but I’m still a little tired from my trip and going head long back to work…but the killer was the journey took me 2 hours!! normally about an hour and a quater!!there weere long long delays on the A46 so on the way back I decided to do a different route to avoid the blockage …and it took me just as long!!!

Will get back into the routine of posting more regularly…..

workshop

I had a lovely time demo- ing all our products at Colemans and despite the horrible rain  …so many lovely crafters came

Today I am doing a Big Stamp workshop ..so rather than post my workspace I am hoping that the class won’t mind me showing their workspace.. The before ,during and after…..this is to celebrate no.52

roses on aTwiddley Bitz frame

as I haven’t managed to do a woyww piece.

My workspace space hasn’t changed although, this after noon, I am set to complete some more quilty things.. .you will see from the photos.

Then all the participants arrive and start making!

All the things we did with a stamp ....

So the last picture is of my workspace .. where I off to work af

My space at about 3.30 pm

ter I have posted…

you-tube

My son has uploaded several new videos. You can see the by just tapping craftynotions in the search box on the you tube site…..and I delighted to say that I have followers! I was completely surprised and delighted.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=craftynotions&aq=f

The next thing that I have to do is to learn to organise my fingers better when I type….(I can spell but my fingers don’t.work at the same speed as my brain) when I do my articles and stuff  I still write every thing in long hand and then type up ! ( I can write quicker than I can type!).. there is something nice about the sound of  a sharp pencil on paper as opposed to the frantic clicking of the keys( in my case not so frantic!)….Oh don,t I sound like a luddite!!

How quickly the week goes!

Thanks to everyone who has stopped bythe blog, particularly Ann, who will be with me in Sweden at the quilter conference . We may even managed to take some photos when we are there !it is a small world .anywaty to the task in hand … my workspace ..well I have done hardly any work at the desk this week as I have taken over the teaching room here at  www.craftynotions.com

It is a lot easier to take over if I have alot of new demo samplings to prepare.However I will have to clear and clean it all away this evening as I have a class in to use the room tomorrow. The prep work is for the event thatI will be demo-ing at ,at the weekend www.colemangroup.co.uk/ So if you visit come and say ‘Hello’.

Teaching room desks covered with 'work in progress'

Paper roses..colour sprays and a little patience

more flowers ..coloured papersmade using coloursprays and glitter glue with rainbow drop centres !

craftynotions

flag fen and paper roses

There was a reed warbler in the shot but it flew off!

Last Sat urday went to a place called Flag fen . It is a bronze age site .I have wanted to go for the longest time .. nearly three years . There is a very long ,over a mile of ancient wooden trackway .Part of which has been excavated and some is preserved so itcan be seen in a specially built preservation hall.May be not everyones cuppa tea but to see something that was made so beautifully over 5,000 years ago is quite mind blowing .There wa s tiny ring dispayed …absolutly beautiful. Most items were broken as there was a ritual of placing offerings in the boggy marshy pools ..and of course they have been preserved because of those conditions. www.flagfen.com

The rest of this week has been making things for the workshops and demo days I am doing…alot of paper roses …… these can completely cause an addiction! I no longer want to be a traipese artist …the phase has passed! but now I just want to make paper roses!forever!!!

Cirque Soliel

Had a brilliant time at cirque soliel…The costumes are utterly inspiring and I now want to be a traipese artist! I am assured that this desire will pass!

Tom had a good time ..we took him out for lunch and had a mooch around Birmingham city center .. it was soo hot !!and bought all the food and extras for when his mates descended on him that evening .. he did ring the next day to say that he was awake and did not have a hang over!!

Anyway ,Thank you so much to all who have commented .. it was really lovely to know that I am now on the right track.

all on my own!

The next thing is to find my own camera and take better pictures!

A new twiddleybitz bird and border .. they are real fun to paint .the back ground is the border and when it is moist from the sp

twiddley bitz birdy .spray , paint,and a little bit of bling

ray you can ease it into a rounded shape .. let it dry and it stays where it is ! rather a neat trick me thinks .

Learning Curve

Tom is showing me once again how to use my blog. I am a middle age muddled non-cyber geek as you know. It doesn’t take much for me to forgot what to do.

By the end of this post I will have my own manual written in Sarah speak and not techno speak so I will be self sufficient in my blogging activities and Tom will be so please he won’t have to constantly say to his friends “my mother knows  nothing!” because I will become an independent mother.

Just to say.. whilst I am in the middle of my lesson…I always got told off for talking in class!

My lovely son is 21 on Friday.

Fran( my daughter) and I are going to see Cirque Soliel tomorrow ..so I will have something to blog about !

Also by way of apology( to Lois) I have some new images of a silk paper piece I have been working on. The background is silk paper with stitch, paint, gilding and buttons. Moving stitching to do but gives you an idea.

Also a picture of my work space. There is a group which shows people work spaces which I am hoping to join when Tom shows me how to but here is an image of one of the spaces where I work. Its fascinating! I’ve not tidied up. I prefer a chaotic creative environment.

Ps. I’m having a lesson on how to upload photos as well!!

New silk work

My space while making the quilt samples for my trip to Sweden

Well I have uploaded correctly sized files and I will try to do some more tomorrow! Gosh I may well start to blog more .

Now we are going to try to join some blog rings!!  there may be no stopping me !!

Bonnet Project

Well its seems as though spring is finally here. It was 17 degrees on Thursday and we were all hot! On Saturday Craftynotions were at the AMG for the embroiders guild in Nottingham it was lovely to see everybody there. One person in particular was Norma Bean and her bonnets. Some of you maybe aware of the Bonnet Project. Its the brain child of Australian artist called Christina Henri. The project is called Roses from the Heart , Norma is the UK coordinator. She is exhibited last year some of the 13,000 bonnets that have been already made at the Festival of Quilts. There is a pattern, instructions and more importantly an opportunity to participate in the fascinating adventure. You can contact Norma for details “Norma.bean at ntlworld dot com”. I’ve promised Norma that I’d made one as yet I haven’t and every time I see Norma I get an sense of guilt for not having done it, but I will!

Moulding Mesh Video Now On Youtube