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

my weekend = geese in flight

this autumn isn't quite Keats' 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' on the island
the mists are here but so is a very bitter north wind
there is an upside: the geese are starting to arrive from their tundren wastes
making the the melancholy skies lift and beat with life

appreciate - john singer sargent

the title of these piece belies it's beauty:
female head in profile by john singer sargent 
i've been sketching most days this year to practise my skill
i can't say i've noticed much improvement, disappointingly
maybe i should just admore the greats insead

DIY craft = clay gift tag

i'm having a bit of a clay thing going on at the moment
i think i might be in love
it's such a forgiving medium
and you can produce something really chic in a very short time
which is always good in my book

you'll need:
air drying clay
a small shape for indenting a motif (mine was a small heart bead)
a pin for creating a thread hole
thread of your choice
optional extras:
glitter/gloss to enhance your pressed motif
rolling pin
small circular cutter (mine is a tiny pot)
you could shape the circle and flatten by hand 

roll out your clay to about 1 inch diametre 4mm thickness

press out your coin shape

press in your little motif

create a small hole for thread using a pin or wire

allow to dry and add a touch of glitter

Add your thread

 

 

 

 

Add it to your gift

i'm really pleased with how they turned out - a stylish outcome for little effort

my weekend = autumn berries

this weekend i picked some luscious haws, rosehips and elderberries
i popped most into a litre of port to make a winter tonic
i used some of the rose hips to infuse oil (i use it on my body)
last year I made elderberry cordial to stave off colds but i have plenty left to see me through this winter


the berries are so gorgeous
they have such a ripe voluptuousness, don't you think?
 

autumn has to be one of my favourite times of year

paper +card = abstract birthday card

my friend lives quite a way from me 

invariably her birthday present is via a third party

this year was la maison du chocolat who do amazing bouchee delicacies
the real love bit comes via a handmade card
as she has her own sense of style, i like to avoid the twee
so i came up with a stamped card with resin and gold stiches that is orginal but still pretty