New work and a new Bag

Hello

It's very wet and thundery here in Monty today, every now and then the sun tries to break through between the downpours, but it's not succeeding.

I've been tucked away in my studio all week working on pieces for my exhibition "Nothing but a House", i've managed to finish quite a lot of projects, which is good because we have visitors mid week and i won't get much done for the next two weeks or so.  

 Mixed Media Stitched Collages

 Detail

 Detail

 Detail

XOX

I was lucky to find some more vintage tins recently 

for my "house vignettes"...

(gorgeously worn)

 ...So i started work furnishing them

Wallpaper

 the upstairs floor

stairs

I still have a lot of work to do on these, next is the furniture i.e. tables, chairs, beds etc.  

XOX

 I'm quite excited about this:

 My very first attempt at making myself a bag

 This is an across the body small bag, just big enough to keep a purse/wallet in and a lipstick maybe.  Great for a summer day.  The design is my own and quite complicated for me, but i wanted something a bit different from just a square or a rectangle.

 It's made from vintage fabric, even the strap and i used vintage thread (which i have an abundance of), a nightmare to use on modern sewing machines, but i'm glad i persevered.  The button is new(ish), i just thought it suited.

Fully lined an usable, I'm very proud of myself.  I'm working on some other designs and will try and make a few more.

Thank you to all of you who have purchased my work over the last few weeks, i am doing my best to update my Etsy shop more regularly, but please contact me if you see anything not yet on there.

Tara for now, have a great weekend

XOX

Nothing but a House

A bevy of beautiful houses....

Hello, something different to show you today.  I'm covering in my lovely shop Indigo Moon for this week whilst Gav completes his DVD.  There isn't much room to work but i found these pretty papers i've had hanging around and decided to have a play!

 I made over a hundred of these over the last two days whilst sat in the shop (i was supposed to be stock taking!!!  ...this was more fun though), they're all different, different sizes, colours and shapes and as always when i'm creating in the shop people want to buy - I sold eight and quickly replaced them by making another eight.

I'm thinking garlands maybe...

Happy Friday, another post soon

XOXO

A little bit of everything

A very good Sunday morning to you.  It's another beautiful (if just slightly chilly) day here in Montgomery.  The sun is shining, everything is a lot brighter and i can hear the birds twittering outside the windows.  This is the first relaxing Sunday i've had for a while, nothing to do at all today so i shall be taking it easy.

Having said that by 'nothing to do' i mean household wise.  We've had some wonderful friends visiting for the last few days and the house is as clean/tidy as it can be.  Creatively there is always something to do, but i'm well on target for exhibition work so i can afford a little break.

Here are some pieces i've been working on for my exhibition "Nothing but a Home" (title still subject to change):

I've been playing with clay for a while and wanted to make these small houses.  They were quite difficult to construct as i wanted the walls to be a thin as possible.

 Which is not easy with wet clay so i had to partly dry it first, but then it became harder to fix it together.  However, i wasn't looking for total perfection.

 I've since broken the ladder!!!  it fell off whilst i was moving it and then a creepy lady appeared when i wasn't looking, i think she lives here somewhere, there are always strange things happening! 

This is the second one without the roof, ahem...the roof pieces have since slid down the back of the radiator whilst drying...  I kind of like it better without the roof actually it reminds me of half dereliction, maybe i'll put a broken chair and table and peeling plaster/wallpaper in this one.

So...what's in order for May?  For the next two weeks or so i'll be busy in my shop 'Indigo Moon' covering all week as Gav is still busy editing the 'Uriah Heep' DVD he's currently producing, he also needs to catch up on a few admin bits too.  I'm continuing to work on my exhibition pieces for August but will also be planning my social media updates after receiving a message from facebook that i haven't been on my page for a while!!!  Not really the way to go with a business page is it?  So i have to make sure there are regular updates there and elsewhere.  Clarity and Blur will be getting a face lift too - not sure how/what yet but i'm working on it.  Some ideas are forming at the moment  so watch this space.

In the meantime i thought i'd show you my nice sunny kitchen and the vintage enamel sign gav put up last week (meant to go in the shop but we thought we'd enjoy it for a while), you can just see a bit of the sunlight soap one above the door..

And last (but certainly not least) another one of my gorgeous puppy in her favourite place, i love how she crosses her paws when she's relaxed, like a little old lady.

 Adorable

Have a nice bank holiday weekend (in UK anyway)

XOXO

Forging ahead

Well, that didn't work so well... planning ahead an all that...

Sorry i didn't post on Thursday as promised...life just seemed to take over, i'm still feeling a little out of sorts at the moment (nothing too serious) but i ran out of steam by about three o'clock. 

Today though is a little less hectic for me and at least i managed to finish my little glass hangers (hopefully they'll be in my Etsy shop over the weekend)

Little pewter and brass frames 5cm x 5cm

on the reverse there is a little watercolour drawing 
and it's signed

Each tiny house is hand torn from a piece of vintage legal/mortgage envelope, painted and has a tiny french button sewn on, a word from a poetry book and gold leaf

I'm relieved to have my exhibition finally booked for the 1st August this year at the Old Bell Museum here in Montgomery, i'm quite excited and will tell you a little more about it soon.

The theme will be about the House and Home but it needs a little more thinking - this is a piece i'm currently working on:

an old printing tray filled with houses made of clay.

I've painted some of them in the style of the houses on the above hangers and have words and other embellishments to add as work progresses.  This is a substantial piece and will look great in my exhibition.

  

I have so much planned for this year i'm going to have to stay focused to get it all done.  Some of the nice things include a visit up north to see family (sometime soon), a "Creative Day" in February at Weston Park, Shopshire arranged by the very lovely Viv Sliwka of Hensteeth Art, trips to the local theatre (the Hafren) to see comedian Rich Hall (fantastic), "Call Mr Robeson" a life with songs (more on that soon) and in April a new production of Dylan Thomas' "Under Milk Wood". In addition I hope to get to St David's, West Wales in May to see the art exhibition of Peter Blake's "Under Milk Wood", 25 years in the making.  Then there is the Malvern Show and the Festival of Quilts Show at the NEC Birmingham in August with friends.  Not to mention a few trade shows for shop stock and the bands that Gav will drag me off to see in between!  Phew!  So looking forward to it, it make me feel alive.

I'm currently creating to the fantastic sound of David Bowie's "The Next Day" album and loving it and am moved by the sound and lyrics of John Grant's "Glacier"

"This pain
It is a glacier moving through you
And carving out deep valleys
And creating spectacular landscapes
And nourishing the ground
With precious minerals and other stuff
So, don't you become paralyzed with fear
When things seem particularly rough"
John Grant

Have a great weekend.