another bad photo to prove I still exist

Work in progress- i'm not sure where this is headed, I just started doodling with the embroidery threads and apart from knowing that each colour has to stay in it's own corner I have no preconceived plans for this piece at all. I think I needed a bit of a break from the fortune tellers for a while and this has been perfect sitting in front of the tv with a blanket over me type of work. I should point out, once again, that I don't actually know how to embroider properly so it's all very much a process of discovery for me, but I like process and so often it's more important to me than the finished work, so i'm happy to carry on along this side path for a while.

terrible photo taken on my phone

This is a terrible photo, but I just wanted to prove i'm still alive and doing something. This photo is doubly annoying because not only was it taken on my phone, and is terrible quality but it also shows up the bit where I need to un-pick and re-stitch some words that I did a little lopsidedly.

Soft Ground Etching

I'm still coughing and spluttering, but now it seems like everyone else around me is too, so at least I have company. Here's an etching I did the other week- we are trying out all kinds of techniques on one tiny plate- this was soft ground etching, and today I added some hard ground etching to it (which i'll be able to show you next week). It's been fun to just play around and see what kind of marks can be made- I did some etching many many years ago and really liked it, despite the fact you have to s-l-o-w right down for it. I also did some monotype today as well, which didn't work out the way I planned, possibly because I hadn't really expected to be doing it and need to spend a bit longer thinking about it before I go ahead and dive straight in.

At the moment I feel like I am seriously behind on so many things- I am very behind on reading other people's blogs, answering emails, answering comments, drawing, zine making, reading books and making art. I blame the cold partly, but also the fact that all of a sudden there's been an upswing in my social life and i've had visits from friends, performances to go to and exhibitions to visit.

Rediscovering what hankies were made for

Today I had to dig into my mountain of vintage hankies and actually use one to blow my nose- it seemed like a strange thing to be doing, using a hankie for it's original purpose and not something to embroider, print or fold. So now I am sitting with a hankie up my sleeve, a horrible cold and a feeling of impending doom...

I'm very behind on reading blogs recently, i've been sticking my head in real books and reading all about Malaria and things like that...come join me here on Shelfari.

I was playing around with some of the fortune tellers i've been making, and decided I really liked how they looked all stacked up like this. I've got to get on with making a whole lot more of them as it feels like time is running away from me at the moment- May seems so close now! I went and got some frames today from Habitat as i'd decided to start stockpiling them, rather than having to buy them all at once nearer the date of the exhibition- but I still came away £50 lighter, and that's just the beginning of the frame buying!

Immortalised!

cam tossing
Originally uploaded by Kissing Candy

My friend Becky immortalised my pancake tossing success in art. Last week another friend of mine asked me if I would pose for her, as she was feeling inspired by some Lucien Freud paintings she'd been to see and i'm suitably fleshy. It seems I am the current number one artists muse in these parts.

ps- if you view Becky's flickr photos I should warn you that a lot of them are not work safe by any stretch of the imagination (although all the ones of me are!)

Tidy House, Tidy Mind

While i've been away from blogland i've been busy making this. It's a glass cabinet filled with things from my house, i've called it 'Tidy House, Tidy Mind' because really I have neither of those things. At the moment I should be typing up the long long list of things that are included in this piece, but everytime I stop to think about just how many things I crammed in it makes me feel reluctant to start.

The scary thing about this piece is that even though it's full of things there's still no way of telling that anything has been taken from my house- still packed to the rafters with 'stuff'.

There are lots more photos over on Flickr- thanks to Jason for lending my his camera after I managed to leave mine at my friends house.

If I were in London next week i'd be going to this (yanked from the pages of Craft Guerrilla):

Oh my goodness, Craft Guerrilla is ONE YEAR OLD in March! We need very little excuse to party so when we've got a genuine reason then we go all out. Our next DIY Craft Night is on Wednesday 18th March and it will be our birthday party.

There will be new Spring / Mother's Day themed craft kits to make or give as gifts and the launch of the Craft Guerrilla CRAFT-ZINE!

I often wonder if the crafting community is made up of especially generous people or if the Joy of Craft makes you become a generous person. Either way, crafters love to give and we Craft Guerrillas are no exception. Even though it's our party (and we'll cry if we drink too much gin) we are giving away a FREE GOODY BAG to the first 50 people through the door!

I'll also be on hand to advise on mending and darning tips so bring along all things holey and I'll help you to fix them. Fix them, don't throw them! That's HOLEY things for mending, not to be confused with HOLY things as I don't know how much help I'll be there.

If you fancy learning to knit then myself or Louise can help you out and I'm even thinking about basic crochet lessons if you fancy it? Bring your own hooks, needles and wool and I'll bring a few spares for you to borrow for the night or to buy for life. Don't get your k2tog in a twist! Got a pattern that needs deciphering? Kfb and bring along any troublesome projects and our craft tutors will do their best to help you out.

Don't forget your "Guilty Pleasures" tracks for the Handsome Twins to play and in honour of our birthday the Craft Guerrilla DJs are mixing up something special just for you...

When? Wednesday 18th March
What time? From 8pm onwards
Where? The Castle Pub, Walthamstow
How Much? FREE ENTRY (small charge per craft pack)

**** FREE GOODY BAG FOR THE FIRST FIFTY PEOPLE THROUGH THE DOOR. WHO LOVES YA? YOU CRAFTY LITTLE DEVILS! ****

Oh dear it's been over a week since I posted, and now i'm posting about something I already told you about- one of my walls of art. It was lovely and sunny over the weekend (well it was last weekend and on Sunday) and I took the opportunity of taking a photo of this wall, as i'd never really been able to get a good photo of it since it's been 'finished'. If only the rest of my house was this well organised!

October and September when the process began.