... that my buddy and fellow Arte ed Anima member, SUSAN TUTTLE, has recently published a book entitled EXHIBITION 36 , which is now available on AMAZON. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy but unfortunately it's not yet available in the UK. (boohoo) For the chance to win a copy, visit Susan's blog ILKA'S ATTIC.
We're nearing the end of this RR and I have only 2 more Pocket-fulls to work on. This is my piece for Kathy Wasilewski's book. I used ideas from Nina Bagley's class at A&S Portland:
I know, I know, I've been neglecting this blog but I think I've been suffering with post A&S blues! I've been home for over a week and have only felt back to "normal" for the last few days. I've been avoiding the computer as I've been feeling totally blaaaaaaaah! Cooking, cleaning & washing just can't compare with attending workshops, shopping for supplies and sightseeing. This year we added a few extra days for rest and relaxation, although we still didn't do much of the resting part as there were so many wonderful sights to see - Mt St Helens, the Columbia River Gorge and Cannon Beach/Seaside being the highlights. I also got to spend time with my online buddy, Bonnie, who lives in Brush Prairie, just north of Portland. Bonnie certainly looked after me and is a great cook -she treated me to pancakes & crispy bacon, home made beef casserole and the most amazing zucchini bread.
I took some great classes with Nina Bagley, Thomas Ashman and Judy Wilkenfeld, and a not-so-great class with Robert Dancik - no fault of his but it just wasn't my idea of fun. Slicing my finger with an exacto knife didn't help!
Here are a few pics :
At last I've found some inspiration- there's nothing like house renovations to sap all the creative energy! This is my latest piece for Lou McCulloch's gorgeous Pocket-full book in which we all had to choose a letter - mine was "M":
... as we're having some home improvement work done, which involves changing the bathroom into a shower room and removing a fireplace and cupboard under the stairs in the lounge. I'm beginning to wish we'd never started! Anything that could go wrong, has gone wrong: (1) Sent wrong shower cubicle, return, wait 5 days, receive new one which was scratched, return, wait for new one, arrived ok. (2) Builder drills through gas pipe in shower room. (3) Electrician fits new downlights in shower room IN THE WRONG PLACE. Re-do and re-plaster ceiling. (4) Builder puts tiles on wall, one falls off and takes a gouge out of my new cupboard door. Checks rest of tiles which are ALL loose. Find out he's used the wrong adhesive for size and type of tile so has to be re-tiled. (5) Seals tiles which dry with white patches. Send for Area Manager of tile company who promises they will dry ok. (6) The sink I bought has a wonky side which you couldn't see when it was in the box. Contact seller who sends replacement, which is worse than the first one. Return second sink which delivery man manages to break so claim compensation from delivery company. (7) Plasterer completes work on fireplace and under stairs but leaves plaster splattered all over wooden floor & leather chair which I then have to clean up!
Also, to add insult to injury, my July issue of Somerset Studio hasn't arrived and a necklace I bought on Etsy has gone missing.
And to top all this, when the house is looking a total shambles, my cat brings in a live mouse which scurries under the printer table. I'm due at the hairdressers in 30 minutes but can't leave the darn thing so the chase begins. I put the cat in the conservatory and lock the door, she runs to the front and leaps through the open window. I lock her in the bedroom. The mouse runs from one hiding place to another and I make a barricade in one half of the lounge. It escapes. I turn everything over so that it can't hide under anything. Corner it in the porch but can't shut the door as the handles aren't fitted. It escapes. I chase it again, corner it in the porch and make a barricade. I chase it around the porch, I'm knelt down and when I look over my shoulder to locate it I find it sat on my shoe looking at me! Eventually I catch it in a bag and release it in the countryside behind the house. Arrive at the hairdressers late looking like I've been dragged backwards through a hedge .........
All this ....
... because of this:
You've heard of Glastonbury - now there's Brindleberry! This weekend my brother and niece organised a mini festival to celebrate their milestone birthdays - my brother's 60th and my niece's 40th. It was also the 18th of a friend, who's grand-dad allowed us to camp in his field in Brindle, Lancashire near Hoghton Tower (famous for being the place where Sirloin steak was invented).
The weather wasn't ideal but didn't stop us having a ball - music was provided by various bands, including my niece's husband who did an acoustic set, there was a gun-dog display, a hog roast and a fire juggling display courtesy of a friend's sons and their friends. Even the mud didn't dampen our spirits, in fact it provided lots of enjoyment for the kids (and adults)! The pic below is of my brother and his friend - more can be found on my Slide: BRINDLEBERRY 2008
A big thanks to everyone who supported the RSPCA's 'Back Off Badgers' campaign - on Tuesday the UK government announced they were not going to cull badgers in England. Instead, they are going to invest £20 million into developing a bovine tuberculosis vaccine. This is fantastic news and we would like to say a big thanks to the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs.
RSPCA
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