All wrapped up

Yesterday, I mentioned about the Spring-fling arts festival we'd happened upon. Another delightful installation had my heart singing out with love. Not only was it based on my favourite little cottage (in-the-world!!) but it was gift wrapped and we discovered it on my birthday.

This wonderful wonderful wonderful cottage was called 'COUCH' and had been covered in stretchy sofa material - apparently it had taken 3 months to make. It fitted like a dream with the corners being joined by zips and the chimney being completely covered - each brickwork lump and bump fitted and dressed in the fabric. I could have cried for the love of it.

I walked around and around. Took so many photos and stroked the house. We chatted to the installation artist - Alice Francis who was dressed in the same fabric too!

One day - I will live here, till then I will just have to look at these photos and dream!

Inspiration

A couple of weeks ago we happened upon , whilst on holiday, an event call the Spring-fling, which occurs during the first week of June and celebrates arts and crafts in Galloway. We wandered around artist's workshops and homes and came away enthralled, delighted and inspired.

Youngest was so inspired by one exhibit that he actually created a smaller version to suit a homework topic.

We had wandered into a willow workshop and fell in love with all the creativity and joy the willow sculptures exuded. Outside was a quirky sprite-like figure happily 'juggling' pink wellington boots and a mystical woodland lady with huge swirling skirts.

The door way to the workshop was as equally quirky and inviting

And inside, the space was dominated by a huge willow tree

The boys were fascinated, both decreeing they wanted one in our house too, I agreed and Himself, although raising his eyebrows as the silliness of the thought, probably would love it too.

What Himself did like was the huge mermaid in a shell (although at the time we thought it was a coracle - it was only afterwards when we looked at the photos we could see it was a shell)

Suitably sated and inspired that when we came home from our holiday,  Youngest started his homework with enthusiasm.

The topic was to create a sculpture or some form of artwork to reflect the positivity of life and the environment and he immediately set about planning a tree like the one we saw at the willow workshop.

We all marched off to the local beck and fought our way through a swathe of nettles and brambles to help collect some willow for him, which he painstakingly wove and wound until he had a tree shape.

He then wrote a list of positive words down, then cut out coloured leaves - writing down the words he'd found on each leaf. These were then tied on the tree. He wound barbed wire at the base to represent evil and gave the tree a tree post - naming it 'strength'. We were amazed at his creativity and I am kicking myself at not getting a final picture of his tree - which is now at school. He carefully/triumphantly carried his tree in this morning with such a grin on his face - bless him!

A quick 'call' into an art gallery

We'd been out walking in the Dales all day and now that the unusually fierce afternoon sun was beginning to mellow and our legs were noticing the miles that had passed beneath, we finally returned to the car.

We drove out of the sun-drowsy village and it's daisy filled green and followed the narrow lanes to the Settle, it's larger but still village like neighbour. Settle has wonderfully tortuous lanes snaking through cottages perched on the sides of the hills. You have to squeeze through gaps originally designed for horse and cart between toll houses and tiny homes.

Suddenly after the almost claustrophobic jostle of housing, a little village green appeared hosting a huge tree, a telephone box, post box and bench. Himself grinned as he told us to go and visit the art gallery.

Art Gallery?

Where?

Here of course! 

It is call The Gallery on the Green and has events and special guests exhibiting their art throughout the year. When we visited - all the art work was on the ceiling so we all got a crick in our necks as we craned up to look at the pictures.

So that you don't have to suffer the same affliction, here for your perusal is the ceiling in all its arty glory!

So we duly signed the visitors book and returned to the car having enjoyed the delightful unexpectedness of it all :)

Enjoy the rest of your day, with love hawthorn xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Friday

.....this morning has been a time for.............

crafting...............

thinking........ (thanks Lovely Lady)

calculating and measuring......................

wondering and planning.....................

knuckling down to stringing along yule pressies.............

drinking tea and thinking................

illustrating and..............

.....playing with colours

And you? What's been keeping you busy today?

I've got such big thoughts and ideas frantically whizzing around my head that I am sure they will spill out soon and get lost or confused. Fortunately I have some wonderful friends and family who are there to support my off the wall plans. I will keep you posted and who knows, some of you might get involved! 

But - as ever - work stops play - whatever you get up to this❤weekend❤ - enjoy!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ hawthorn xx

Being Creative

As part of my Revolutions - I wanted to tackle my reluctance to draw more which due to time constraints, due to lack of confidence, due to lack of -  well, lack of 'oompff'  I never seemed to get round to.

So when  Julia from julia crossland  offered the opportunity to bloggers to 'Be Creative', I jumped at the chance.  

Then, me being me, and well, lacking that oompff I mentioned earlier, I only managed to do a quick sketch yesterday and photo-ed it today. I wanted to make the end of March deadline. 

The theme was "Garden" and I kept looking at my winter weary garden and felt no inspiration so in the end I found a photograph I took last year of the honeysuckle that drapes itself in a cheerfully untidy tangle over our fence and used that as inspiration - with that in mind, I now present to you :

Being Creative for March - Garden

I have to post my picture on a flickr group page, but seem to have bungled that!! Oh well, off to try again. :)

Vive la Revolution and other such things.........

Today is yet another dreich day. But I am not letting that dampen (sic) my spirits! I thought I would just quickly post a bit more about those beautiful jewel coloured wools I received. I had intended in finishing the crochet part of my latest project whilst out on the 'Raid Tan Hill' but I was kinda busy so my crochet is still a WIP.

But every time I look at those colours they gladden my heart and cheer up my day!

How can these wools not make me smile?

What am I making? Well .. it's a - no wait - will tell you later, sorry :) I was inspired by a picture I saw once and thought - I can do that!

And what's more it involves crochet and felting and sewing. How's that for getting on with the Revolution!

************************

Another of my Revolution edicts was to draw more - I've not sketched for a long time and feel very very rusty so please excuse the wobblyness of it all - 

Right - enough chat, got things to do, places to be, sick children to tend to (yup the next one is down with some sort of bug) our house feel like a cottage hospital at the moment with one or the other of us down with some lurgy. Never mind - these are all things that make the rich tapestry of life (yeah right!!)

***************************

15.03.10 - when really what I would rather be doing is this...............

College work strikes again. The deadline looms which is counterbalanced by the enthusiasm waning.

I am doing a subject - that although interesting is not what I am interested in.

I would much rather be doing this....................

or this.............

or this.......

But - hey - ho, this part of the module has been completed, time to post it now then off to work.
So starts my week.