my weekend = the mist

the mist is always disturbing
the knowledge of the unknown
things lurking
waiting
on this day the light was so bright that it gave an even more strange and unnatural a glow

it unsettled me and my far too vivid imagination

found = presents under £20

i always enjoy searching out great gifts for my loved ones
i try to put lots of thought into each gift but avoid extravagance
i find it tasteless to spend obscene amounts when some people have so little
but that doesn't mean you can't buy wonderful things and stay within budget
here is my selection of gifts that i'd love to give OR receive this year
AND they are all under £20

infinity ring £6.37 esteverde
salt cellar £17.84 fixstudio
gypsy armlet £19.12 just stylish
chocolate biscuits £5.09 janjou patisserie
mucha locket £8.92 lizabettas
leather journal £15.93 inblue 
all on etsy

appreciate = robert farkas

i adore foxes
and i'm a bit obsessed with them of late
i suppose it's their dash of fire in the depths of winter that attracts me
i see them rarely as i live in rural area and they have more places to hide
and this painting captures that ethereal quality 
vulpes vulpes by robert farkas

my weekend = winter clouds

i know i live in a beautiful place
see

i rarely look at it with jaded eyes
but sometimes it can even take my breath away
everything about this view is wonderful:
the sea, the clay and sandy cliffs nearest, the chalk cliffs further off
but the clouds...
it was a bitterly cold walk with a biting north wind but it was worth each numb finger

this photo is taken with my samsung mobile

made = sister style tote bag

my eldest sister loves making crafts and appreciates them as birthday gifts
she loves butterflies too, hence the detail
i simply used a bought plain tote and fabrico fabric pens and drew everything free hand 
you can see the colours i chose were muted, after all, it IS autumn

I am really pleased with how it turned out
and the most important thing - she loved it!
my only tip: don't drag your hand across the wet ink it WILL smudge until its dried

my weekend = wet wool

this is nature's own decoration

beads of water glisten and bring life to something disgarded
it is so pure
who would need gaudy trinkets with this nearby?

paper + card = robin christmas card

christmas is just over a month away
where did that year go?
my family have now come to expect a handmade card
sounds fine, doesn't it?
but when you have a MASSIVE family like mine, and you work too, it can get down to the wire
i've often posted them knowing that they will arrive after christmas, not good

here how i did it:
i drew a bird template on tracing paper
then just transferred the image to my plain brown card
i went over the pencil with a black ink outline
i used my thumb to apply some red acrylic to give the robin his red-breast
when that was dry i put a tiny amount of glue on the red breast and sprinkled on some red glitter
i had recently bought the embossing label maker
the embossed merry christmas gives it a little extra something
it's light hearted, QUICK and effective
perfect

appreciate = kamilla marant

there's always a piece of me that's outside in the wild
even when i'm inside at work i feel that my soul is wandering in the mists or in the woods 
fox by kamilla marant captures the cunning slinking nature of the foxes beautifully
with a modern, angular twist

my weekend = the cold sea

the sea is so dark in winter

it is forbidding and mysterious and yet has an imperious beauty

it looks as cold as it must feel

not that i tried

inspired = gilded pumkins

happy friday, everyone
i've found a gorgeous decoration inspiration to share

i'm always looking out for inventive ways to decorate
and found this great idea on martha stewart online
the americans seem to go in for pumpkins and squash decoration in a big way
especially for halloween and thanksgiving
but i'd like to try gilded pumpkins as my decoration of choice for christmas
do you think it'll work?

i'll update you with my version in december

appreciate = catrin welz-stein

this picture epitomises how i feel most of the time 
summer dreaming by catrin welz-stein
it is a stunning and beautiful idea
as well as being executed with enviable subtlety and precision

my weekend = newtown

i was back at newtown, again
it doesn't have the bittersweet feeling of a few months ago, luckily
where i needed it as a relief 
now it is pure pleasure even when it's drab and damp with a biting wind

found = shawn lovell metalworks

some people say that we should nuture our inner child

i would say i do that more than most

nevertheless
this bed took my breath away
it just sings 'sweet dreams'
this is a bed which was made for fairy tale reading
it's made by shawn lovell
quite frankly, justing watch the short video of her working is relaxing
by keeping the rest of the room simple,
i think even an adult nature lover (who, me?)would get away with it

or if it's too much, for the not so young at heart
this would definietly beautify a garden

made = clay mobile

continuing my fling with clay, i've made a mobile

mobiles are meant to be innocent and childish
so i kept mine simple and naive in keeping with that feeling

this was fiddly task
threading the hand made bead stars onto the wire, painting each one...
i could go on but i won't bore you
nevertheless, i think it was worth it

appreciate = john william waterhouse

everyone has phases in their taste is art, don't they?
i certainly do

when i was in my late teens i adored the pre-raphaelite artists
more than adored, actually
it was almost as if no other artists could compare
at the time, i loved ALL the paintings, bought prints, collected books on the subject, visited galleries...
you get the idea
thankfully, my artistic appreciation has widened since then
however,
i still admire the mastery of my favourite pre-raphaelites: burne-jones, ingres, millais and waterhouse
coming across a waterhouse that i don't remember clearly, reminded me of those days of devotion
i wasn't into bands or pop culture to any great extent
i had a misplaced rather than misspent youth
never really feeling at home with my peers who loved bros, wham and madonna
ophelia, hylas and the lady of shallot were my idols
this picture by waterhouse circe invidiosa (circe poisoning the sea) stands out for me
my liking for this picture is, i think, as superficial as enjoying the intensity of the colours
vibrant yet dark

i don't see malevolence in the pose of the character but perhaps the lack of it has more menance

what's your take?

my weekend = wild woods

this photo would have been made perfect by a tiny red riding hood skipping at the end of the path
even without her this photo conveys the dangerous beauty of the woods
the brothers grimm would have approved, i'm sure
mill copse, yarmouth

made = christmas wishing star

did someone dare to say christmas?
well, it is almost november after all, so it's allowed now, surely?
i'm hoping to have a christmas craft stall and i'm preparing some stock
this is one of my first makes - it's a clay base with gold leaf and stamped lettering

what do you think?

DIY = 'quote' tote

this is fabulous and easy
it's also infinitely customisable with your favourite saying or quote

you will need:
a plain tote
2 contrasting colours of fabric paint
pencil or dissolvable fabric marker
paintbrush (s)
newspaper
masking tape

layer the masking tape horizontally across the bag
you could measure and use less masking tape, but i'm lazy
remove alternate strips of tape to create a row that you can colour

with your pencil or dissolvable fabric marker, draw a speech bubble 
make the bubble large enough to contain your words

blend your fabric paint to the shade you like

place a sheet of paper or some newspaper inside in case your paint leaks through
paint the strips up to your  pencil lines and masking tape 
make sure you don't paint into your speech bubble

when you've done the lot, hold it up to the light to show weak spots that need a touch more paint
allow to dry

paint the outline of your speech bubble in black
go over any bits that don't 'take'
i stripped off the masking tape as i went
wait 'till that is dry before lettering otherwise you'll track the black paint EVERYWHERE

it should end up like this, waiting for your message

now it's time to letter
i did this free-hand but you could use a stencil
as you can see it may need a couple of coats to create bold lettering

once your words are painted
allow to dry fully (according to your paint recommendations)
use a hot iron to press/seal the paint after drying
don't rush the lettering if you are doing it free-hand or you could make a mistake
(i made a spelling mistake with this one - weep!)
so i'll show the final picture of one i made earlier

what will yours say?

what i'd wear = get me to the beach

As I'm giving up work soon, online window shopping is the best I'm going to do for a while.

Here's a cool and minty outfit I created on Polyvore today.

Get me to the beach by mintymontague featuring flat heels

Calypso St Barth long linen dress
$165 - calypsostbarth.com

Oasis flat heels
$30 - oasis-stores.com

Flora Bella woven bag
$155 - calypsostbarth.com

Leather bangle
€176 - nelly.com

Heidi Klein raffia hat
$130 - matchesfashion.com

Metal sunglasses
$577 - boutique1.com

Ocean Photography- Sea Green Home Decor- Soothing Beach Cottage Decor-...
$45 - etsy.com


Get your pic-nic, we're off!
Tinkety Tonk

what i'd wear = grey line

Ah, I do love a good old window shop.  

As I've jacked my job in it's all I'll be able to do soon anyway.

Polyvore is great for the financially challenged, like me.

You can live a vicarious life of a swanky socialite.

And then call your collection something really pretentious, like I have.

Mwaaaaahahaha

Grey Line by mintymontague featuring stuart weitzman pumps

 

Kick your Essex heels high!
Tinkety Tonk

paper + card = father's day card

i made my dad this father's day card.  

i had spent a fair bit of time making him a present too, so I wanted something quick but effective.

i always do him a card with a nautical theme as he was in the navy and we share a love of historical naval fiction. 

he loved it.

here is the process:

 

 

 

When I rubbed out the pencil I was, at first, annoyed that the pen ran 

(I clearly didn't wait long enough for the ink to dry - typical)

but then I realised it looks like mist and added to the effect.

And frankly, parents are the most forgiving when it comes to artistic errors, it's their job!

Tinkety Tonk

my weekend = spun silver

i always need to get outside and breath more deeply

look at things growing and changing

freshly ploughed and rolled soil of the fields lends a brown monotony to the countryside
but looking closer, you can still find small signs of beauty
tiny reminders of the manifestation of life
often reestablishing the balance after man's manipulation of nature

appreciate = anthony mccall

this piece of art is so lovely I wanted to share it
it is definitely the use of light
anthony mccall sixteenth minute
I don't know what it means to you, but light is precious to me
sometimes i look up into a moon beam or ray of sun and just wallow
this makes me think of that blissful moment