ART HAUL

 

There was a time, not so long ago, when the purchase of new fabrics and stitching supplies had me doing the happy dance . Before that it was new scrapbooking papers, cardstock, brads and albums. Then, years prior to that it was new DMC threads for my latest crosstitch or tapestry. Ofcourse, lovely new yarn was , and still is, a welcome purchase. Throughout the decades I have accumulated and stored so much stuff from my creativity and have found that some things are still useful for my new found art hobby. However, many things shall never be reused and I have been gradually tossing things out, rehousing stuff and supplying the OP Shops with many things. Last week I cleaned out a lot of scrapbooking supplies only keeping what I thought I could use. Now my cupboard has been emptied of one small set of drawers, a paper storage rack,a craft trolley and plastic drawers. This new space is now storing some boxes of patchwork things. Now I have more room for art supplies.  Yey! 

Last week I bought some arty stuff and 2 books that I had ordered arrived. Now I am doing the happy dance again.

                                  I am trying more gel pens.

 

More Tombow markers to add to my collection.  A battery operated eraser. No, I am not being lazy lol. These erasers are very fine for small areas so clumsy me doesn't end up creating smudges. The sharpener is easier for my hand to hold . I want to try alcohol markers and I needed a small pencil case.

I am now quite excited to start these 2 colouring adventures.

I have not done a lot of colouring recently but did do 5 more leaves on this page. Layering and blending can take a lot of time but I am happy to just spend an hour here and there.

                               Thankyou for stopping by . 

ANOTHER STRESSFUL WEEK

 

A lot of stressful things have occurred simultaneously this past week again but I have ventured into my craft room for an hour here and there when possible. This page was done with waterbased brush markers, pencils and gel pen.

Then I decided to get stuck into using only coloured pencils and practising blending.

Now I am colouring another page using pencils without any other medium ...yet. 

I have read the 3rd book in the Rivenshaw series and have started the final one.

Wish me luck this coming week !  

SORTING , READING AND MORE COLOURING

 

After having another procedure on my back 2 weeks ago ,( the first of 4, plus a previous one in March), I am just starting to recover from it and am having another next week.  While I had a bit of oomph, something that usually eludes me, I decided to sort through more of my patchwork and quilting stuff, particulary UFOs and sorted them ready to give to someone in particular who can finish them and/ or give them to others who can and then donate to charity.  It is just a matter of being able to catch up again after soooo long. 

There are 5 bags so far and I am yet to sort through more fabric . I still have a few drawers and containers to go through but one can't rush these things.

I finished this book last night and have read a couple of her previous novels. Another Aussie author.

Meanwhile I have coloured a few pages since my last post. I have used a combination of waterbased brush markers, pencils , black markers and gel pens. 

 

This is the current page I am working on using pencils...so far. Mixed media seems to be my thing so who knows how this page will end up being coloured. This particular colouring book can take a bit of watercolour as the paper is thicker.

Well, that is what I have been up to while trying to de stress. Now I am popping over to look at your blogs today. Thankyou so much for visiting.

MORE BEANIES

 Same yarns, same pattern but different sizes.  I have been knitting children's beanies in size 4 -5 and this week I knitted 3 more in size 1. I have pictured them next to each other to show the difference. 

I am so pleased to be enjoying reading again and just finished the 2nd book in the Rivenshaw series of Anna Jacobs'. There are 4 in this series and I have the next 2 ready to read.

This colouring page is nearly finished. I am not happy with the bunnies and need to make some changes . There is so much to learn but I am just enjoying the relaxing process.

I hope you are enjoying some relaxation.

BEANIES, BOOK AND PENCILS

 

I am pleased to say that I have knitted more children's beanies. I dropped the first lot off at my local woolshop for KOGO and found myself buying 3 balls of lovely variegated yarn to knit some more. I got bored using the yarn in my stash and wanted something not as plain. I have completed 2 and the 3rd one is nearly finished. 

Before purchasing that yarn I finished another one from my stash.

It looks like I am getting back into reading mode and I finished this Aussie book written by a new author I heard speak on the radio. It was quite enjoyable and I think it would make a good mini series. 

I mentioned ' needing' more coloured pencils . Well, I bought them lol. I only had 24  Prismacolor Premiere pencils and if I bought a larger tin I would have ended up with a few the same. Fortunately, they are available to buy individually so I selected 22 colours I wanted ( oops, 'needed'). Now I have them in my new pencil case, although some are on my table being used at the moment. It is these little things in life that bring me joy. 

So many stressful things are happening in my life all at once so I embrace anything that helps me relax or brings me joy. We all go through these times and I guess the thing that gets us through and keeps us sane is our creativity. Blogland is such a wonderful place for inspiration so I thank you for being a part of it. 

BEANIES, BOOKS AND COLOURING

 

Brrrr, winter has arrived and my fingers need to be busy while sitting watching my mindless streaming shows. I decided to knit some things for charity using the lovely soft left over yarns I have from many crocheted blankets I have made. Hmmm, what to do.......ah, beanies! So, thanks to the beanie queen, Karen, I have made 4 children's beanies and have another on the go.

My colouring is keeping me relaxed during a very stressful time. I am learning many techniques and just enjoying the process.

I recently bought a lovely new colouring book, one of many by this very popular illustrator/ designer/ artist? I don't know what the official term is for people who do these colouring books. This one is special because it is more than just a colouring book. It is a quest to eventually unlock the castle door at the end. Clever! I shied away from it a while ago because the pages are so busy and intricate but now I am eager to have a go and started it yesterday. I have discovered that I 'need' more pencils as I have a limited colour range.

I am proud to say that I finished another book. This one is the first of a series by Anna Jacobs and I already have book 2 ready to read. I enjoyed another series of hers which was set in the 1800s and this series is set at the end of WW2.

I hope this post has not been too lengthy. It feels good being productive again even though I am not doing as much as I used to. It is a busy time mentally, physically and emotionally at the moment so some crafty time has been great.

CIRCLE OF LIFE

 I have been off air again because my dear dad, aged 93, passed away on Mothers Day, 11th May. I miss him terribly but he knew we were there with him and love him.  

The clouds lifted just days after dad's passing when my stepdaughter announced that she is having a baby! We are going to be grandparents again! So this has brought us great joy. 

Not much art has been happening apart from the occasional hour or two zoning out doing some colouring. It has taken me a month to read this fabulous book, the second one I have read by this author. 

I have some new art supplies I purchased a while ago so hopefully I can share these with you later.

Take care.