my creative week

I have been on holiday all this week and thanks to spending a rather creative day with my friend Lynn Holland I managed to continue the creative theme during the week in odd moments.  First the day with Lynn - I was glad to be going because I needed some bits and pieces to give to my good friend Sue Woolley for her birthday and her induction as minister to the Banbury Unitarian Fellowship.  I didn't bargain for the fact that Lynn would make me create something rather than buy one of her wonderful doodly-bird creations!!

First came the paper - Lynn had some gorgeous blank paper and with a micron pen and some crayons I set to............... 

                                                               

 

  and I must admit I enjoyed doing this .

 Then of course I needed a book to go with the book to read (Sue loves to doodle as I do!!) So here is the book that I created a cover for - again thanks to Lynn pushing me!!

                                                                                                  

then Lynn carefully wrapped it for me and tied it up with some co-ordinating raffia.

 Lynne took some photo's with her ipad (must get one sometime)

 When I got home I used some bits and pieces that Lynn had given me to create a card.

 It was a pleasure to give Sue her pressy and she really appreciated the fact that I had created so many bits and pieces.

Of course once you start creating it is addictive and in some odd moments in the hotel over the weekend I managed to start a new sketchbook/journal.

 

so this is just the beginning and of course I did do a bit of doodling but guess I will save those for a different blog, another day!!

My new blog

Well I don't know how this is going to work out but in the last two or three years I have gone from someone who did nothing creative outside of my work life except for maybe a bit of knitting or crochet to someone who can't stop creating and finding new skills.  It began with quilting first and this sort of set me going as I then added creative writing and then painting in watercolour and more recently doodling.

To begin with this might be very retrospective as I look back through various projects until gradually I catch up with myself into posting more current work and projects. But first a backward glance at the variety of stuff I am engaged in (when I am not working as a full time Unitarian Minister that is.)

This was my first real quilt which I made for my mum - it took nearly two years from start to finish but it was worth it. Large quilts still take a long time but I only really have one day in the week when I can get down to sewing.  I have joined a quilting group which is a great help. There will be more pics in another blog to catch up on more current quilt projects.

This was an early watercolour (postcard size) - I just love working in watercolour.  I don't go much with drawing first but tend to just paint straight onto the paper.


W-i-n-d   
 

A favourite time

I remember dad.

Is winding wool

             arms extended

             aching as you wind

             swinging round past outstretched hands

Surely. . . 
               here my love for yarn, began

                         in the feeling of the textures

               as you wound.

I remember when
I did the winding too. . . 
               first tight
               then loose. . .
your gently swaying arms allowing me
                to keep a flow
                a rhythm
                in my winding.

Thank you for this memory, dad.
               another time
                I might have chosen
                to write another wind

but today
               it is winding wool. 

                   -o0o-


This was one of my first poems - written from the scribble of a free write (subject w-i-n-d) in one of Judy Campbell's writing retreats. (That lady has a lot to answer for - she is the one who got me quilting too, and now each year I go on a writng retreat and a quilting retreat with Judy.)  Since those early days I have joined a local writing group which meets once a month and I go when I can to open mike nights when I read some of my own work.  I have started to try and write short stories too and maybe I shall post one of those . . .  sometime!!.


Finally my latest craze is doodling.  My friend Lynn Holland introduced me to this and she really has got something to answer for because I really can't stop doing them.  Sometimes called 'Zentangles' or 'zendoodles', either way they are crazy, fun, therapeutic and totally, totally addictive.

          
 Well that's all for now.  I shall have fun posting on here occasionally.


 

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