yellowlamp

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

OK, not the most original title for an end-of-year post, but a sincere one. This year has been crazy for me. Lots of amazing things and lots of very sad things have happened - many ups, just as many downs, and so much change that my head hasn't quite stopped spinning yet.

I guess what I want to say here is thank you SO much to everyone who's read, commented on and visited this blog. I had a lot of fun writing it, and to think that even one other person might find some interest in it is flattering enough, so to think I had regular readers is mind-boggling and very moving. I too have enjoyed your blogs and reading about your own lives and creative endeavours - it's been a real pleasure, not to mention inspirational beyond measure (hey, I'm a poet too, did I mention that?).

So once my technical issues are overcome (I'll be getting broadband in my new flat somewhere around the end of January - huzzah!) I will be back with my new laptop in tow (hello, Sony Vaio of my DREAMS, I love you!), a newly designed website (with a shop! imagine!) and a new blog.

Until then, may you all have a wonderful New Year and I can't wait to see what's in store for us all in 2011.

The Big Knit

2010-07-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Want to know what I'm going to make with all these lovely balls of wool? You'll have to go here to find out. If you want to join my knitting collective, feel free! Just sent me a message and I'll send you the details. It's going to be fun. And you might just* receive a homemade badge to wear whilst getting clicky. JOINNN USSSSSS...

* you definitely will, Brownie's honour

Old chair made new

2010-07-31T11:00:00.001-07:00

Something I did today. Until now I've had a no phone, no computer day. It's nice. I'm going to try it more often. Once I've finished these posts, I'm turning it off again :)

Making and unmaking

2010-07-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'm crocheting something with leftover balls of white, cream and grey 100% wool. All the balls are one-offs, none quite match perfectly, and I kind of like that. I'll show you what it is when it's finished. All this crocheting makes me think about starting a knitting project so that it's ready for winter (as I have absolutely no doubt that's how long it will take to knit something useful). But for the moment, I'm really into crocheting. I find it more soothing than knitting - maybe it's because it's only really about the flick of a wrist, or maybe it's because I can see results quickly. I know that last part is very satisfying, and necessary, at the moment.

Things are in flux for me right now. Old ways are being phased out, new things are on the horizon, but still just out of view. I'm stretching my eyes as far as I can but I know that it's only patience and time that will really reveal them to me. So in the meantime, I crochet, I draw, I paint. It helps.

Me and the sun

2010-06-22T09:28:00.001-07:00

I've always had a complicated relationship with the sun. Until recently, it'd always meant discomfort: being too hot, too sweaty, not having the right clothes, not being able to wear my favourite clothes, which are all only suited for the other three seasons. The pressure to wear less and show more is not to my liking.

My other half is the total opposite. As soon as the sun comes out, he wants to be out there, basking in it, even if really, it's still a bit too cold. As soon as he gets home from work in the evening, if the sun is out, the first thing he does is go out onto the balcony with a drink and spend some time with his eyes closed and face towards the sun. He's not into tanning, if that's what you're thinking. I think it just nourishes him, renews him. He's always talked to me about its health benefts, its mental benefits, its association with lightness and fun. I've always listened, but always with a slightly bratty scowl - I, after all, know best.

But I'm starting to think he's onto something. I've started to hope for a bit of sunshine before I get out of bed in the morning. I've even moved around the furniture in my studio so that my desk is under the window - when I'm in there on a Monday and Tuesday, I now get sunlight all day right in front of me, and at around 4pm, the sun swings around to the west side of the flat and I get a bright, white streak of it splattered all over my desk. I'm finding this to be glorious. Who would have thought it. I'm sitting here now, with the warm sun on my face, neck, my chest, my bare arms and it feels amazing. What would happen if I actually went outside, directly under it?

It's funny how personality and proclivities towards certain weather often match. I think I am more naturally downbeat, mellow, quiet, with a strong streak of obstinance (or passion, as I like to call it) running underneath - it's probably no surprise then that my very favourite weather is a storm: the slow build up, the sudden rise in temperature, the feeling of a stillness, the first flash of lightning then the clattering thunder and torrents of rain that follow. Heavy rain is my friend. But lately I'm starting to let the sun make a little cameo here and there. Maybe soon I'll start seeing rainbows.

On a good day

2010-06-15T10:24:00.001-07:00

Mondays and Tuesdays are my art days. That means I'm either making something, painting or drawing something, or planning or researching something. I have the odd day off if I'm not feeling great, or if something comes up that I must do that day, but generally, I like to keep those days for what their main purpose is.

That said, I don't often go outside to research. This is slightly crazy. I live in a vibrant city filled with natural (and some wonderfully unnatural) beauty and quirkiness. There is a gorgeous beach and a rather big sea a two minute bike-ride away. There are many cafes I could sit and sketch and read in. There are fabulous places to grab a bite to eat. There are many strange and fantastic people to take inspiration from.

So today, I embraced my fears of venturing outside (usually borne of a slight agorophobia built up from spending so much time on my own on those two days; or weather-dictated, which is hugely lame, I know) and donned my comically unsexy bike helmet and went for a little ride.

I cycled to City Books, my favouritest of all favourite bookshops in Brighton. Did they have the obscure 1950s womens crime fiction novel I was looking for? Course they did. Promptly helped and served by a lovely bookseller too. (I should say something here about booksellers, having been one myself: on the whole - though I realise I am generalising and it's a bit naughty to do that, but this is my blog, so there - there is a huge difference between someone who works in a shop that also sells books, and a bookseller. A bookseller will delight in being asked questions, will be only too happy to actually engage in a conversation about their beloved wares, will helpfully not only show you to the book you are looking for, if it's in stock, but offer to order more by the author, or similar, for you at the drop of a hat - please support local bookshops whenever you can, booksellers are an increasingly rare and neglected species and need your support).

I then popped back on my new bike (I'll blog about bikes, new and old, in the week) and instead of taking the main road into town, I cycled down the one way road the wrong way (sorry, enormous Mercedes that almost knocked me off my bike) and straight onto the seafront. The weather was gorgeous - sunny, a nice little wind pushing me towards town - pretty much perfect, really.

I stopped off at Paperchase to buy some new notebooks (a journal, a little sketchbook to carry around, a new 'ideas' book), then felt my tummy rumble. Lunchtime. I thought about heading to the beach, but there's not much nice to eat down that way. I pushed my bike towards the Pavilion Gardens (I'm such a responsible cyclist - ignoring the earlier one-way road anecdote), then once back on the road, cycled to Iydea, in mine, and quite a few friends' opinions, one of the best vegetarian places to eat in the whole city. I ordered the quiche (I always order the quiche: it is a personal policy, I don't know where it came from, but it's always worked for me and why change now?) accompanied by mixed vegetables and chickpea salad, and the best raspberry lemonade I've ever tasted. Seriously, it was that good.

I then went on to meet my wonderful friend Michelle Cobbin at Cafe Nia for a coffee, then onto Michelle's exhibition at City College, where she's just finished her foundation course. I wish I had an art website to link to for Michelle (soon, I hope, soon). She is a wonderfully gifted abstract painter and creates sometimes enormous, sometimes tiny, sometimes just inbetween canvases and paper paintings that will draw you in like a hug. Her use of colour and shape and line is gorgeous, and she's only just finishing a course. I can't wait to see what her new projects outside of art school are going to be like. Needless to say, the paintings she had on display were just great (I'd had a sneak preview a few weeks before, but seeing them in situ for the exhibition was a real pleasure). I would love to be able to offer her a deservedly large sum of money to own one. Maybe one day.

After leaving Michelle, I jumped back on the bike and headed for the seafront for the ride home. It was one of those days where everything just sort of turned out great. Moreso probably because the events of the day were something I usually make excuses not to do. I heard something said last night on a show I love: that many beautiful moments do not equal a life. I disagree. I think life is only a series of beautiful moments. We just need to recognise them.

Garland update

2010-06-08T02:16:00.000-07:00

All the garlands from the Giveaway have now been mailed - hopefully, yours will be with you soon. Thanks again for visiting my blog and for entering the competition.

Garland giveaway: The Result

2010-05-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Sunday 23rd May was a big day in the states: the anticpation, the waiting, the excitement about finding out the results, the bitten fingernails, the chewed cushions...In case you think I'm talking about the finale of Lost, think again - the felt garland giveaway results are in!

As I had such lovely responses (and quality is always better than quantity, ain't that right), I'm giving a garland to everyone who entered the competition. You've all been emailed for addresses, and I hope you all like the colour combinations that come your way!

Thanks for visiting my blog and giving me some fab blog recommendations - many hours of happy reading and inspiration to come! - and I hope to see you here again soon.

Thanks especially to Tammy, The Heartful Blogger, for putting up a link on her Sew Mama Sew-listed giveaway, and for Glovecat for funnies and for coming back here time and again :)

Garland giveaway

2010-05-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Sew Mama Sew, I've decided to have my first giveaway since starting this blog back in 2009.

Up for grabs are 5 felt garlands, measuring around 55cm long. The first four appear in these photos, and the fifth will be made specifically for the recipient. To win one, please leave me a comment and recommend a blog I might like, and tell me what your favourite colour combinations are. Don't forget to leave your email address in the comment so I can contact you for a postal address.

I'll be choosing winners on Sunday 23rd. The competition is open to anyone worldwide. Good luck!

Coloured circles

2010-05-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

I'm making something with coloured felt circles at the moment. I'll post more about that in the week. As me (and H - thanks, toots) have spent hours over the weekend cutting them out, I wanted to make something with them first, so here's a little animation. I set up a little studio which involved black card, box files and an A2 sheet of card, and the camera tripod balanced on a box. It's just a sketch but it might be a good springboard for other works.

For those of you who love Al Jarnow, you'll recognise his influence immediately. For me, he's the greatest animator ever. He has the ability to move me, make me smile, bring a tear to my eye, or boggle my mind, often all within the same 2 minute film, and most likely with just a few coloured blocks of wood or a pencil and a stack of index cards.

You should buy this as soon as possible. It's one of the most inspirational things I'm glad to say I now own, thanks to an excellent tip-off from H. That boy knows his stuff.

Happy Friday

2010-05-14T16:23:00.001-07:00

For some reason, I'm always compelled to look at sfgirlbybay on a Friday, which is fortuitous because Victoria always wishes her readers a happy, happy Friday and posts beautiful dreamy photos. I love Fridays. They mark such possibility: I know that come 5 o'clock (or more like 7 o'clock these days), I can look forward to 4 and a half days of freedom in which to do the things that I like to do most in the whole world.

Right now, though, I'm tired from a long, overtime-filled, 3-day week at work, so am going to retire to bed with the latest Patricia Highsmith book on my list, which arrived yesterday from Abebooks, The Cry of the Owl. I like owls a lot. I don't like to think of them crying. I do hope I've made the right purchase.

I can find no cheerier photo to celebrate Friday with than this beautiful Amy Butler wallpaper. Oh, to have just one wall in one room adorned with it, those bright blues and lilacs and purples and navies, hypnotising me and carrying me into my imagination. Is that really too much to ask?

Happy Friday, one and all.

Playing

2010-05-10T04:40:00.001-07:00

The word 'play' was always used on my college course. 'Play' with that picture. 'Play' with those colours.

It always really irritated me.

I now realise the word annoys me so much because it is anathema to my impatience and need for perfection first-time-round. I am a slow learner: it has taken me many years to realise that this is impossible. I always want something to turn out exactly, if not better than, the picture that I have in my head before I make it, regardless of my skill level or experience. When I do make something I'm less than pleased with, I'm disappointed. Rather than tell myself not to have such high expectations, I throw a tiny internal tantrum and turn my attention to something else. Block it out. The healthy way of dealing with things. (Actually, in fairness, I used to be ten times worse than I am now. Imagine the cussing, the broken dishes.)

But, what I'm finding lately, is that the dread word 'play' is appearing in my imagination more and more. Take, for example, these felt peacock feathers. I've been working on a theme of peacocks for quite a few months now, exploring different ideas and seeing where they take me. I made a circle garland from felt this weekend, and as I was clearing up the pretty scraps of coloured felt, I was suddenly struck with the idea to try layering some elements of the peacock feathers I've been painting with felt, and seeing what they looked like.

This is where the notion of playing comes into it's own: my first thought was to make them for somebody, which would require perfection, as my warped mind demands. Then I started to worry about how to put them together, how to present them, how to explain what they were for etc. Good grief - if I can create something to worry about from nothing, I'll do it, no matter how minor. So I thought, why not just play around? I've been using the sewing machine a lot this weekend, so I got it out again and started to stitch over the layers randomly at first, then more deliberately.

The results are above.

This is the bit that scares me and that I need to get over: I don't know what they're for. I think I preferred them before the stitching. I don't know if I'll use them for anything, or develop them some more. There are questions, and I'm not usually very good at leaving work 'done' still with questions hanging over it.

But look - I'm growing. They're just sitting on my desk now. I might leave them out so that they stay in my mind for a bit, and see if anything develops overnight. See? I'm patient. I'm cool. I can do this thing...

It's a new dawn, it's a new day

2010-05-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ok. I realise it's been almost exactly two months since I last posted anything, following the end of the 100 Days Project which gladly took up most of my energies for a few months back there.

But two months postless is no way for a lady with a blog to behave, so I pledge right now to remedy the paucity of posts and start, like, writing stuff. One of my main problems is that I read so many brilliant blogs, that it's kind of exhausting - I spend a lot of time getting inspired to make things/see things/do things, and some time actually making/seeing/doing, but I either forget to write about it here, or I take terrible photos of what I'm trying to document which totally disheartens me, and I just get put off composing anything. A bad habit, I know, and one that I wish to break.

So what better to snap me out of this fug than reading my friend The Tangled Yarn's latest blog entries - might I add, my pregnant friend The Tangled Yarn, who has just moved house into a home with land that she shares with her lovely man and her parents, on which she is setting up a smallholding, running a household, preparing for a baby, all whilst happily snapping away and writing lengthy tomes with helpful tips, with a few yummy recipes thrown in.

It kind of shamed me.

So here I am, getting ready to spend May posting at least a couple of times a week. I'd love to have the stamina of a Chez Larsson, posting once a day in the week, and leaving the weekends for finding yet more inspirational stuff to share on a Monday, but I am too fickle and fidgety for that. Again, bad habits.

I thought I'd just give you a quick update as to what I have actually been up to since March 10th, all of which will at some point be ellaborated on:

making a new penfriend (yes, I'm in my 30s, so what)
entering a competition (yes, I'm in my 30s, so what)
giving our previously badly laid out, messy and totally storage-room-esque bedroom an overhaul (photos to follow)
working really hard at my dayjob. ugh.
planning a trip to my hometown at the end of may
getting caught up in election fever (we had a mini party. yay political nerdiness. and at time of writing, we still don't know who will be running our country. gulp.)
stressing a bit
buying new clothes, finally
finishing 'this sweet sickness', the seventh of patricia highsmith's twenty-two novels, all of which i've vowed to myself to read, in order (yes, i'm in my 30s, so what)

And until I gather photos that are shareable and words that are readable for my next post, here's a photo of a lovely sofa I now must have, courtesy of sfgirlfbybay. Enjoy. See you soon.

Endings and Beginnings

2010-03-10T05:09:00.000-08:00

Well, this is it. Day 100 of the 'One Hundred Days to Make Me a Better Person' project. It's been so good: I've seen so many peoples' work that I probably wouldn't have been exposed to had I not been involved, and met some new friends in the process.

For me, this project has given me a new sense of discipline that I don't think I had before: to stick to something, without fail, for one hundred days, has been very hard work at times, but it's definitely taught me that if I stick with something, the payoff is so much greater than the individual parts. Is that betterment? It probably is. Which means this thing has worked, in many more ways than just that one.

I'll be going to the finale event this evening in Hackney. Why not come along? There'll be music and laughter and artwork and lovely (better!) people: what could be nicer? I'll report back on here about it, accompanied by photos, before the week's out.

Thank you to everyone who's supported, encouraged, commented, admired, given advice, made me laugh, made me smile and given kind words over the course of this entire thing. It really has been all about the people involved, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

I've just set up a website for my illustrative work. I'll be continuing with this blog (though it might relocate), but check out the other site at www.kelleerich.com for paintings, illustrations and more. See you there soon!

Day 99

2010-03-10T05:08:00.002-08:00

Day 98

2010-03-10T05:08:00.001-08:00

Day 97

2010-03-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

Day 96

2010-03-10T05:06:00.000-08:00

Day 95

2010-03-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

Day 94

2010-03-10T04:39:00.001-08:00

Day 93

2010-03-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

Day 92

2010-03-03T11:26:00.002-08:00

Day 91

2010-03-03T11:26:00.001-08:00

Day 90

2010-03-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

Day 89

2010-03-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

Day 88

2010-03-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Day 87

2010-03-03T11:22:00.001-08:00

Day 86

2010-03-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

Day 85

2010-03-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

Day 84

2010-03-03T11:00:00.001-08:00

Day 83

2010-02-22T02:02:00.002-08:00

It's been a while, I realise, since I put any new drawings up, so there are ten here, all at once, ending with a garlic press, a most essential kitchen utensil. I've had a strange and busy couple of weeks, marred by migraines, but then, what's new, but also full of reconnections and realisations. February has been the summer action blockbuster to January's silent movie. I'm hoping for a bit if independent cinema action in March - I may take to wearing a beret to encourage it.

Day 82

2010-02-22T02:02:00.001-08:00

Day 81

2010-02-22T02:00:00.001-08:00

Day 80

2010-02-22T01:58:00.002-08:00

Day 79

2010-02-22T01:58:00.001-08:00

Day 78

2010-02-22T01:53:00.001-08:00

Day 77

2010-02-22T01:48:00.000-08:00

Day 76

2010-02-22T01:46:00.002-08:00

Day 75

2010-02-22T01:46:00.001-08:00

Day 74

2010-02-22T01:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday

2010-02-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

Day 73

2010-02-11T13:09:00.001-08:00

Day 72

2010-02-11T13:07:00.001-08:00

Day 71

2010-02-11T13:06:00.001-08:00

Day 70

2010-02-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

RIP (Lee) Alexander McQueen

2010-02-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

16/03/69 - 11/02/10

Old Frames/New Frames

2010-02-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

Picture frames are expensive, aren't they? I find it difficult finding one that's the right size, shape, colour and price, so lately I've been updating old frames I've had sitting pictureless, and buying second hand ones to re-paint and re-use.

I've had a stack of pictures I wanted to frame and hang for a while, but brand new frames are not exactly top priority on my to-buy list. Here are some paint jobs I've done recently (neatly tying in with my other obsession, the colour grey, in all it's lovely tones - the frame above, originally wood and gilt, took the acrylic paint really well).

I bought this frame this morning from the British Heart Foundation for £1.50. It's just a little smaller than A3 size, and was pure gold gilt - nice. It didn't take long to cover it in deep grey acrylic, and it only took two coats to complete the transformation.

I painted the back board bright blue, to give a nice contrast to the picture I intended to frame.
The two smaller frames, around A5 size, were picked up at the same time, again for £1.50.

After framing the picture and securing the back board with masking tape, I added a strip of thick insulation tape, so that when I lean it against the wall on the mantelpiece, the paint doesn't mark the wall. So 3 frames for £4.50, and a new piece to display.

Monday in the studio

2010-02-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

Today I've had a whole day in the studio. I love days like this, but today I'm feeling a bit restless. Rather than do little bits of nothing, I thought I'd show you my studio. This idea was inspired by Sandra Juto, who writes my favourite blog of all. Sandra often posts photos of her studio, and I'm always inspired to either marvel at the placement of her things, or retreat to my own space and get on with something productive. I'm lucky enough to have some of Sandra's work in my studio, hanging on my inspiration wall, and it's nice to look up every now and again from my desk and see such wonderful things to keep me feeling motivated and creative.

So here's my studio tour. Hope you enjoy.

These lines of string hang above my desk, and I keep on here lots of colourful, lovely-to-look-at things that keep me inspired and focused. I have some calendar/prints from the lovely Sandra; some crochet pieces I made myself; the front cover of the new Vampire Weekend album (I love their aesthetic); a colourwheel, which always comes in handy; a painting of a pheasant I did that forms part of a project I'm working on (more to come on that); a card from The Otherist, a beautiful little design and art store in Amsterdam that became my Favourite Shop In The World as soon as I entered it; an illustrated luggage tag and postcard from the lovely Tammy over at The Heartful Blogger; and some other little bits and bobs that change from time to time.

I'm a bit of a stationery nut, but it's taken me a while to purchase things that I actually need or are useful, rather than just because they look pretty (that helps too, of course). The blue folder and sketchbook above contain bits and pieces for a project I'm working on, and the Whitelines notebook holds an everyday to do list, based on a system created by Bill Westerman, which is the first system I've used in a long time that totally works. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you're into it, you do actually start to get things done. Imagine. As an avid list-maker and an equally avid procrastinator, this system does make me want to do things, if only so I can check off the cute little boxes at the start of each item.

Over on the right side of the desk is a little pile of things I use regularly. There's the water jar, that needs refreshing; the camera case; some little notebooks; a pack of buttons I just bought from an otherwise useless craft fair, and my fine pointed pens for drawing. For some reason, I find it difficult to draw in pencil. I think it's because I favour the first mark being the ultimate mark, in that I'd rather work with a mistake made in pen, than rub out pencil marks and try, try again. I think it's a sign of my impatience, really. But also, I like the idea of art being about the moment, and if the moment happens to include you messing up, well, so be it. And I make many mistakes, just to support my theory.

Oh, how I love this chair. I could write poems about this chair, essays, even. For me, this is the best seat in the best spot in the our home. I love sitting here with the lamps on and the radio playing, crocheting, knitting, drawing, surfing. The little cushion I made is just the right size to support my lower back, enabling comfortable sitting for hours, and the blanket behind is handy for when it starts to get a little biy nippy in the evenings. As you can tell by the photos, there's not an awful lot of natural light in studio, so it's nice to be able to sit near the window and look up at the trees and the sky outside. (I also made sure that my desk is in such a position to enable me to see out of the window at all times - I don't think it would be half as nice if I couldn't.) The studio has really changed a lot in the past few months, mostly due to this chair, and now it's a place that I like to sit well beyond tidying up my things for the day. It's a great thinking chair, as my grandad would probably have said.

This is the other little chair, on which I keep my crochet projects, and in their absence, my feet, if I'm working in the blue chair. This is another streetfind (the blue chair I found on our street when we first moved in, and in fact 90% of the furniture in our place is either found on the street or given to us), which I covered in deckchair-style material that I had left over from making screens for the balcony, and a little gold lame cushion to sit on it, for a bit of added pizazz. Behind it are a whole load of labelled magazine files that I keep stuff in - one for patterned paper, one for card, one for plain paper etc. It's the only way I can keep clutter out of view, and be able to lay my hands on bits quickly, should inspiration strike. And what's best is that each box is pretty messy, but from the outside, you'd never guess. Tricksy.

Next to the magazine files, we keep all our magazines and some of our art books. Unfortunately, the shelves in this bookcase (an Ikea one from long ago) gave way quite some time ago, so now we have to stack anything we store in it. It's probably better this way though, as the thought of everything coming crashing out of it whilst we're asleep gives me the heebie-jeebies. Resting on top is a beautiful Sophie Calle book given to me by H for my birthday, that I'm yet to read. I plan to make a date soon: me, the book, the blue chair and a cup of tea.Above the magazines and books are some tins that I used for storage, and a vintage typewriter. I love tins and they're dotted all around the studio, and the flat for that matter, being used in various capacities. The tin on the left was designed for Habitat by one of my favourite artists, Hennie Haworth. I've blogged about her before, here and here. The tins I bought from Cissy Mo, a cool little Brighton shop, a few years ago and the Clipper tin was just a nice bonus with the teabags I buy. The typewriter I bought for £3 a couple of years ago at an open street market in Brighton, in the hope of fixing it someday. It's an orginal Olympia Deluxe, the coolest thing being that it types in italics, if you please, but I can't get it to work...I think I'm going to have to move it to the living room in the hope that a friend sees it and suddenly reveals a passion for fixing old, decrepit typewriters. Here's hoping.

Just next to the window is a previously big blank wall, which my friend Michelle suggested be filled with all my 100 Days drawings, to keep an eye on progress and to make it easier to see if I'm about to reproduce something! It makes me feel a little unsure, to have my own work up so prominently, but for practical purposes, it's really handy. It's only two-thirds filled at the moment, so we'll see what it looks like when all 100 drawings are up there.

OK, time for tea now, and a homemade white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie, then back to work. I'm slightly distracted by the fact that it's just started snowing heavily outside! All the disruption caused a few weeks ago by heavy snow has melted from memory, and I'm excited all over again by seeing these chunky, perfectly geometric slivers of ice floating outside my window.

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you're having a lovely day.

The Loveliness of the 100 Days Project

2010-02-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that I love this project? I know these uploads are a bit late, but I have been dutifully making my drawings each day. What I also wanted to post was a pic of some beautiful gifts I received in the post from Tammy over at The Heartful Blogger, which is now one of my favourite blogs, since finding it through the 100 Days Project. I love post and I love gifts. Tammy's drawings really are heartful, and skillful, and colourful, and interestful (OK, I made that last word up) and I love catching up with them each day and taking interest in how she chooses a particular angle, a particular scale, a particular subject for her wonderful drawings. She also writes beautifully. We illustrators have to stick together, and I'm so pleased to know Tammy now, thanks to this fantastic venture.

If you haven't already, you must check out the other bloggers listed in the 100 Days section of my blog (including that of my good friend Emily over at The Tangled Yarn), as well as the official blog list from the project website. There are cartoonists (I am a full-time Edward Ross groupie now), artists, poets, writers, bloggers, designers, makers...It's brought together so many kind and creative and giving people, and I think it's just a little bit brilliant.

There's only 31 days to go now. I wonder what we'll all do when it's over?

Day 69

2010-02-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

Day 68

2010-02-07T15:27:00.001-08:00

Day 67

2010-02-07T15:24:00.001-08:00

Day 66

2010-02-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

Day 65

2010-02-07T15:18:00.001-08:00

Day 64

2010-02-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

Day 63

2010-02-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Day 62

2010-01-31T12:18:00.000-08:00

Day 61

2010-01-31T12:17:00.001-08:00

Day 60

2010-01-31T12:15:00.001-08:00

Day 59

2010-01-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

Day 58

2010-01-31T12:02:00.000-08:00

J D Salinger, January 1st 1919 - January 27th 2010

2010-01-29T01:33:00.000-08:00

"Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them - if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry."
- J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Day 57

2010-01-26T15:46:00.001-08:00

Day 56

2010-01-26T15:45:00.001-08:00

Crochet

2010-01-25T08:29:00.001-08:00

After months of frustration and toil, last week I finally figured out how to crochet a granny square - the logic at last kicked in and has made me go a bit crochet-crazy...It's been my dream for years to make a granny square blanket, so finally seeing the square form in my hands was quite emotional...Hey, an achievement's an achievement, no matter how small, right? I really love Debbie Stoller's books, so to accompany Stitch 'N' Bitch, I bought The Happy Hooker, Debbie's guide to crochet. It's fun, helpful and modern and is packed with really nice patterns of items that you would actually want to make and wear/use/give as gifts.

These are the first two granny squares I made -
- the larger of which has now tripled in size, into this semi-blanket (it measures around 50cm by 50cm at the moment):

I plan to keep going for another 20 or so rounds to make it into a full size blanket to go on the bed.

I'm finding the making of the rounds so therapeutic and relaxing - it's so nice to sit in my studio with the radio and the lamp on for a few hours and get stuck in, with my stash of Debbie Bliss Rialto DK next to me. I know I've blogged about Rialto before, but it's honestly the nicest wool I've worked with. It's 100% extra fine pure merino, is so smooth to the touch, and the colours are bold and look beautiful alongside eachother, which makes it especially perfect to use for a project like this.

In the name of variety, I also tried to use some cotton and a smaller needle to make smaller squares:

I think this size yarn does work well with a more intricate granny square design like this (I figured this pattern out by looking at a different type of square online, drawing it, then working out the stitches, as I couldn't find a pattern for it!), but it's not great to work with - the strands tend to seperate quite easily, so I found myself unravelling some work to redo it. Still, it's nice for more detailed patterns.

Here's a couple of other squares I put together today:
As a knitter first, I have to say, crochet was a leap for me, but with perseverance, it came right in the end. Now I have to master the straight-line crochet. Eek. That might take a bit longer...

Day 55

2010-01-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

I like this love theme we're meant to be doing. It's nice to have a rule sometimes.

Day 54

2010-01-23T10:28:00.002-08:00

Day 53

2010-01-23T10:28:00.001-08:00

Day 52

2010-01-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Day 51

2010-01-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

Day 50

2010-01-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

Birthday

2010-01-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

I felt too ill to go out today to celebrate my birthday with cake, as is tradition, so my sweet H brought the cake shop to me. There was a pink cupcake for me, a peppermint chocolate one for H, and a banana toffee one to share in front of a movie later on. There was homemade bread too, which I made in the afternoon. I also had happy birthday sung to me down the phone twice each by my niece and nephew in their most anglelic voices: my favourite presents of the day. What a lucky gal I am.

Day 49

2010-01-19T12:07:00.001-08:00

Day 48

2010-01-19T12:06:00.001-08:00

Day 47

2010-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Day 46

2010-01-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Day 45

2010-01-19T11:05:00.001-08:00

Day 44

2010-01-13T15:07:00.001-08:00

Day 43

2010-01-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

Day 42

2010-01-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

Day 41

2010-01-10T15:49:00.001-08:00

Day 40

2010-01-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Day 39

2010-01-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

Day 38

2010-01-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Day 37

2010-01-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

Day 36

2010-01-06T15:49:00.001-08:00

Oh, Amsterdam (part one)

2010-01-06T06:59:00.001-08:00

I love Amsterdam. I just love it. I love the sensibly dressed people. I love the curt yet genuine welcome from locals when entering a cafe or a bar or a restaurant. I love the canals and their cobbled neighbours. I love long, slim, slanted buildings. I love taking a peak inside the windows and seeing slick Low Countries/Scandinavian design everywhere, from accountancy offices to design studios. I love the busyness. I love the casual and all-pervasive artiness. I sometimes wish I could live there, if only I could master Dutch and think of something I might be useful at there.

Our trip was cold from start to finish. We arrived to 0 degrees weather, and left with a measure of -6. But I didn't mind, not even when I got the sniffles on the penultimate night which foretold a snotty, sniffly cold with which I'm still putting up. When it snows in Amsterdam, it means it. It came down thick and fast and heavy, silencing the traffic and the trams, the footsteps and the chatter. The night became brighter than any daytime sky, a gentle pink, with arches of peach around the streetlights. The late night walks from cosy restaurants were like a dream - we were carried back on clouds of snowdust, padded up and layered up and handholding and arms-rounding, finding our way slowly back to the hotel, prolonging every minute.

It's hard to be back. I remember many holidays where by the last couple of days I longed for my bed, my pillow, my own kettle and teathings. As much as I wished I could magically transport my bed to our hotel this time, there was something else I longed for: the kind of freedom I felt walking beside those canals to be transported back with me once I got home. I know, post-holiday blues are inevitable. But this feels different. I think it means I will make many changes in my life this year. I came back to a life I didn't quite recognise as fitting me anymore. This is a good thing. Sometimes a bit of distance creates clarity. It motivates change. And the snow here is somehow prolonging the memories, which feels nice.

List Frenzy

2010-01-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

I had to post a link to a really interesting (for me, at least) blog I found earlier this evening.

I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit fanatical about lists and all their related media: notebooks particularly (squared pages are a firm favourite), pens, jotters, spiral bound; basically anything that symbolises maximisation of organisation, even if they lay empty for a while whilst I'm pondering the best way to organise my organising (I think I'm probably a better planner than a do-er sometimes).

Anyway, the article seemed to hint at a movement away from electronic devices for organising (I've never owned a Palm/Blackberry/iPhone etc and all but two phones I've ever owned have been hand-me-downs, including my current 3-year-old model) so this appeals to me massively - mostly because it means that hopefully people who are smart enough to have mastered these devices will now be coming up with even smarter ways to use paper notebooks, which is something I can learn from, and therefore A Good Thing.

I've had an ever-growing to-do list in my head for about two weeks now and have, somehow, been unable to commit it to paper for fear if it being overlooked/ripped out/not adhered to. Perhaps once I've read this piece and all it's links I'll be inspired.

And for the similarly-minded of you out there, here's some notebook eye-candy I'm favouring at the moment:

I know, I know, there's nothing new about the Moleskine. I've been using various versions for a few years now, and just love the quality and pristine-ness they represent. They just make list-making (and drawing, for that matter) all the more delicious, in my view. I've heard alot of inverse snobbery around them recently, which is what happens when something cool gets big, so I have one thing to say: haters, stay away. Moleskines rule.

Finally, here's the blog of another notebook crazy I just stumbled upon. I mean that in the most affectionate way, you understand.

Day 35

2010-01-05T07:48:00.002-08:00

Happy new year to one and all! I've been away in Amsterdam since 29th December, so this is my first chance to post actual drawings. They're mostly just pen as I didn't take any colours away with me. I've got lots of lovely pics of the holiday to post when I can get some time - we went to the CoBrA museum whilst we were there and I fell in love with many more artists. Photos coming soon.

Day 34

2010-01-05T07:48:00.001-08:00

Day 33

2010-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

Day 32

2010-01-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

Day 31

2010-01-05T07:45:00.002-08:00

Day 30

2010-01-05T07:45:00.001-08:00

Day 29

2010-01-05T07:44:00.001-08:00

Day 28

2010-01-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

Day 27

2010-01-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

2010 awaits...

2009-12-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to friends old, friends new and friends regained. It's going to be a wonderful one :)

Day 26

2009-12-26T16:04:00.002-08:00

Day 25

2009-12-26T16:04:00.001-08:00

Quarter of the way throught the project. Well done, lovely people.