Gelli-Plate Printing Workshop At The Steel Rooms:

I just thought I'd let you know about a gelli-plate printing workshop that I'm teaching at The Steel Rooms on May 18th.

(Hope you don't mind me mentioning it!)

I really love this method of mono-printing as it's so forgiving...

if you don't like something, you just print over it!

It's a really spontaneous and playful way of printing, and it can often spark new stories and characters...

just like this chap here.

 I photocopied him from an old photograph of a brass band.

I think he's rather handsome, and I imagined him breaking hearts across the the land as they travelled from band stand to bandstand during the summer season!

This printing method is also great for creating abstract compositions and experimenting with different colour palettes.

I'm really looking forward to chucking some paint around, and I promise to blog about our arty shenanigans too.

X

The Suffragette:

I really enjoyed stitching this piece as I really didn't have a clue what it would be about when I started.

I began by stitching a face without a drawing to refer to and it took me quite a while to work out who she was.

As soon as her eyes appeared I knew she was one determined woman!

It certainly isn't the most efficient way to work, but sometimes not having a plan can lead to quite unexpected results (and quite a lot of unpicking!)

I hope you like her.

Wishing you a very creative weekend.

X

We Love Punny Dukes!

During this half term we planned to visit the Punny Dukes shop in Matlock as we are huge fans of Katie Abey's work.

The shop is truly magical inside and there were so many treasures from a variety of amazing designers.

Poobrain cat is a personal favourite of mine and I have the pin on my favourite pencil case (along with several others of course!)

The attention to detail in the shop is incredible, there is just so much to see!

I was so pleased that the fabulous Jeff let me take his photo, he is literally one of the funniest and nicest chaps you could ever wish to meet.

And how could this shop be any better?.....

by having Butter Fingers Bakery, the most incredible cake shop next door!

(Obligatory reflection selfie!!!!)

Just look at the Cadbury's creme egg brownie that my lass scoffed!

We had such a lovely day and Matlock is gorgeous, (which is good news because I'll definitely be back for more Punny Dukes goodies!)

X

A Little Ditty...

You might already know that a few years ago I lost my hair because of  anxiety.

I've blogged about my alopecia a few times, and weirdly enough there have been some positives that have come about because of it, mainly the fact that it made me stop and really think about how I want to live my life.

Anyhow, as I was enjoying a bubble bath last night I came up with this little ditty:

Dear Alopecia,

you're having a laugh.

'Cos I still have to shave my legs in the bath.

I don't think I'll be winning any poetry prizes in the near future but it made me smile.

(Do you know, this is the first ever blog post I've written that hasn't had a photo, but believe me you wouldn't thank me if I photographed my knobbly knees!!!!!)

Have a great half-term chucks!

X

Getting Lost...

 A couple of weeks ago I found myself in Birmingham with a few hours to kill.

I'd never visited before and didn't have a clue where I was.

I can't remember the last time I'd had the luxury of an agenda-free afternoon,

and so I decided to get lost.

'Getting lost' was one of my favourite things when I was an art student in London all those hundreds of years ago, and this felt like a real adventure.

I found myself in China Town, and she was certainly looking her best, de-decked and be-jewelled for the Chinese New Year celebrations...

I couldn't resist popping into a Chinese supermarket.

I loved looking at the food, not having a clue what it was...

and just look at the fab packaging!

 I also stumbled upon the huge Bull Ring Shopping Centre and found this impressive chap covered in jelly beans!

And as the sun set, China Town became even more beautiful...

I think I will have to schedule in a little bit more 'getting lost' time, as it certainly gets you out of the day-to-day routine that so easily sets in.

Hope you enjoyed our little adventure!

X

The Universe And Wetherspoons...

On Sunday I was in Birmingham and had a few hours to kill.

One of my favourite things to do in situations like this is to sit in cafes and sketch, (I guess its because I'm basically nosey and love people watching!)

I then popped into a Wetherspoons for my dinner, and the two blokes sat on the next table to me were enjoying a pint and putting the world to rights.

I was having a lovely time, doodling away, listening to the Brummy accents and the political ruminations of my neighbours.

Unemployment, Brexit, the housing crisis...

and then they started about teachers.

'Paid a ruddy fortune they are!'

'They get 50 weeks paid holiday a year!'

And what really struck me was that I found it quite funny, that mischievous Universe sitting these two political geniuses next to someone who'd worked in education for 25 years and whose hair had fallen out because of the joys of Ofsted.

But this really was a blessing in disguise because it just reminded me that it really was ok and that I have changed so much since then in lots of little ways.

I could have got up, pulled off my bobble hat with a dramatic flourish and had a rant, but by this time they'd moved onto solving the NHS crisis, and I wouldn't want to stand in the way of political progress...

In The Old Town...

Lat weekend we fancied a stretch of the legs and a breath of salty sea air, so off we went to Bridlington for the day!

We spent the morning in the lovely Old Town, I really do love the atmosphere here, it truly is like stepping back in time...

We just had to pop into Heather's Simply Vintage, an absolutely stunning shop, stuffed to the seams with goodies and a beautiful old interior.

So many shiny things...

I should have got those slippers...

Just look at the hat box with the see-through panel...

Obligatory mother-daughter selfie!

'Tis the shop of my dreams!

There is also a fascinating shop nearby that seems to be frozen in time, I love peering through the windows at the old shop display...

See you again another time old Town...