Saturday Morning Musings......

My Saturday morning was spent browsing round the Farmers Market in Linlithgow, followed by a visit to the recently refurbished Burgh Halls where I admired the work of British Sculptor and Photographer Andy Goldsworthy whose exhibition  Earth Ephermera is currently showing.

After admiring the exhibition I wandered through the Burgh Halls, enjoying the silence and emptiness.  The halls are flooded with light and are truly impressive.  I adore the fireplaces with inset tiles.........

xox

Pin it........

Now that my hair is getting longer, I love wearing it pinned back and am really getting into the whole vibe of adding a haircomb for a touch of instant glamour. 

Haircombs are really easy to make, all you need is a simple sewing skills and a little imagination and you are well on your way.  For this one I used black felt for the base, pre cut silver leaves and dove grey freshwater pearls and crystals left over from jewellery projects.

xox

Keeping My Head.....

A way back at the end of the summer I attended a lunchtime workshop provided by Artlink.  This crafty lunchtime activity was to make a headpiece or hat or headband.  The workshop was to run over two hours over two weeks, the last one I couldn't make due to work committments.

I hadn't anything particular in mind when I set out to make my headpiece, just something that I would want to wear and would reflect my personality.  I started by covering the base with black felt and building layers of metallic fabric petals.  

I brought the half finished head piece back home where it sat on my dresser for the next few months. With a party coming up and a final touch required to complete my simple outfit I could think of no better reason than a party to finish it - so I set to work and made some bias binding from leopard print satin and finished with freshwater pearl detail.  And....voila....here it is!

The finished piece is to be returned to Artlink where hopefully it will be displayed in one of their wonderful exhibitions.....but before then I thought it rude not to show it off and let it party in style!

xox

   

Softly, Dusky

I love this time of year, the transition of seasons.  Late Summer has well and truly past and Autumn is settling in. 

I hate the dark mornings, but love the contrast of twinkling tealights, cosy blankets, a good book and a soya hot chocolate in the evenings.

What do you like about Autumn?

xox

Magnificent Pearls......

I have made no secret that I have not had anytime to create and have changed direction with Mimi Pearl. 

I hadn't made a piece of jewellery in an age......but when one of my Magnificent Seven friends asked me to make her a necklace for her 40th birthday celebrations, I couldn't say no.  

This necklace is lovingly handmade with freshwater irregular pearls, sparkly crystals, rock crystal and sterling silver.  Finished with a love heart toggle fastening and long charms to drape down the nape of her neck.  I wish her well to wear it!! 

 

Yvonne Mullock Quilty Quilts......

It's no secret that I love quilts.  There is something so comforting about them.  They are endearing, historical and made with love. 

Artist Yvonne Mullock has put together an exhibition entitled Quilty Quilts which can be seen at the Western General Hospital Gallery in Edinburgh until 30 September.

Yvonne has recently been working alongside a quilting community on the remote island of Fogo. Featured in the exhibition are quilts made on the island,  some of them dating back 70 years. 

Yvonne is currently artist-in-residence at the Western General Hospital working with Artlink developing craft-based projects with staff and patients, including quilitng. 

Last week I popped along to the Gallery where Artlink was holding one of its Crafty Lunch hours (every Wednesday between 12 - 1) where you can join in with artists, get crafty, have fun, socialise and hopefully learn a new skill.  Amazing!

One of the projects she is working on just now is a collaborative quilt made from recycled hospital uniforms.  Whilst I was there people who had signed up for the Crafty Mission were dropping off their quilt "flowers" that they had hand stitched together from a hexagon template.  I cannot wait to see the finished result!

To find out more about Yvonne and her Quilty Quilts why not have a look at her Quilty Quilts blog.  In the meantime, here is a snippet into the exhibition and the Crafty Mission....

Yvonne admiring someone's handy work

Here's one I made earlier....a crafty missioner showing off her piece

A previous collaborative quilt

 Quilts from the exhibition........

Curiosities at the Edinburgh Festival....

The Edinburgh Festival has commenced!  The streets are full of performers, theatrical types and millions of  tourists.  Every year we go to see something but without fail we potter around the Grassmarket and High Street just to soak up the atmosphere at different times during the Festival.

Yesterday was raining, but despite the miserable weather  the crowds were out in full force. We started with a browse around the pop up market at the Grassmarket, were I bought a cute vintage tin for £2 and fell in love with the male torso mannequin which I couldn't afford! He would have made a cute addition to Headless  Edna and Leggy Peggy, no?  After aquiring a mask from Costume Ha Ha for a Masquarade party I'm going to later this month, we pottered up the hill to the Royal Mile to mingle in the crowds.

Here's just a snippet of some of the curiosities we saw.........

Halfway point.....

So far this year has seen an incredible amount of change in my life.    I started the year out all geared up for new beginnings and I couldn't have wished for more. 

My Edinburgh Half Marathon was planned - which in May I completed in 2 hours and 21 minutes (a fabulous achievement from one who detested running 6 months before, even if I say so myself!).

Whilst Mimi Pearl was going from strength to strength, I had lost momentum and interest in designing jewellery, and was quite frankly fed up of stockists swallowing most of my profits.  I made the decision to stop making jewellery, and concentrate on textiles and my real passion...sewing.  At this point I had no real outline of which way I was taking Mimi Pearl, just I was taking a back step for the next few months. 

Then at beginning of March I started a full time photography position, a job which I was delighted to get - working term time for a great company, which fitted in with Mia and Jonny's school hours.  Not only that - I get to take photographs every day!  I was learning new skills and getting to grips with working full on five days a week, training for my first Half Marathon, and running the house left me little time to concentrate on the direction of Mimi Pearl.   

Now I am in the Summer holidays, I have had a break from work and catching up things and here's where I am at the halfway year point with Mimi Pearl.....

I am in the beginnings of designing textiles to show at the Line Gallery (my one and only stockist) and will hopefully be exhibiting my work at some point later in the year with Artlink as  I have done in previous years. 

My designs will focus on abstract florals and feature cushions and blankets.  Whilst florals are normally depicted in bright and  vibrant colours, I will continue to work with what I love best and that is a soft muted pallete. 

Inspiration is coming in many forms, from my photography, to graffiti and nature.......this image was taken today and I hope to incorporate it into the blanket I am working on.

xox

London Inspiration......

On my recent trip to London with work I had little time for sightseeing.  I did manage however to catch the free exhibition Architecture As Air by Tokyo based Japanese architect Junya Ishigami.   If you love all things delicate, light and airy to get yourself down to the Curve Gallery at The Barbican to see it.

Work days were long during my short stay but I never fail to be inspired by London.  I was lucky enough to manage to squeeze in an evening bike ride by the Thames on one of Boris's Bikes with a few of my colleagues.  It was a perfect way to see London in the dark, passing the London Eye, twinkling fairy lights, airstream caravan as a cafe and crossing the Millenium Bridge with St Pauls looming towards us - all after a meal at Canary Wharf.......a perfect way to spend a Tuesday night!

xox

Graffiti......

Graffiti, a set on Flickr.

I totally adore graffiti, always have done and always will. I love the fact that someone has expressed themselves for all to see, warts and all.

Graffiti may not always make sense, but it wears with age and makes a beautiful urban backdrop.

This collection of graffiti was taken in Czech Republic and Germany.

xox

Nature.....

 Beauty can be found in a whole manner of places.  These images were taken on a recent trip to Prague and proves that there is nothing better than nature, simplicity at its best.....

Views of Edinburgh.....

I am very fortunate to have lived in Edinburgh.  It's a city I fell in love immediately. 

One of my favourite quirky things is the old police boxes that are no longer in use that are dotted around around the city (though one or two are used as coffee bars).  This particular one sits on the infamous Princes Street in the heart of the city.

One of my other favourite things about Edinburgh is it's seedy back streets and alleys, lending itself to become a fabulous backdrop for photography.  This is a little shaky as it was taken as we were driving, but I still love it........

xox



Skyline.....

Just had to share with you this stunning view I saw on St Andrews beach the other evening as the (rare) sun was disappearing...........

xox