Day 84: Orange cake

Day after being sick as a dog, I tried to make something in the studio, then I gave up and went to do some baking instead...Good thing is I didn't burn it (that much) on the other hand it was kind of average, didn't taste of oranges enough and could definitely bean more soaked inside...But I was sick and quite pleased I made anything at all. I did some knitting too but it's just a beginning of a cardigan so nothing much to show...

Day 83: A severed head

Yesterday I tried to make a friend to scrappy but then I got migraine that lasted all day and ended up being very unpleasant. I haven't been that sick for years so not a great weekend over here. Hopefully that will be it for few months. So to reflect my migraine; here is a doll with severed head. I made the body and then I made the head (with red hair) that didn't fit the body at all, so I undid that and started another head and then gave up...

Maybe one for monday...

Day 82: fox in flowers

Thursdays are normally oil painting days for me but since the weather is so good that had to go on hold. Now you probably are thinking that I am having some time off, having tea in the garden, watching birds and the river...oh how mistaken you are..how I wish it was so. 

Nice weather means hard work on the boats. I have been scrubbing and painting for last three days hence i am exhausted. I spend two hours cramped in a tiny cabin so my legs hurt so badly now that I was contemplating throwing myself down the stairs this morning rather then having to take steps down :)

It's all good though, I am learning new skills and that is always a bonus in my book. 

For today I managed to scribble a fox...now i am going to thr.. I mean go downstairs for a cup of tea before bed..

Day 81: Bird-Woman Totem Sketch

The ambition for this little sketch is to become an icon-style painting with gold background. If I ever get round to it...

Day 80: Water color snow owl

Day 79: Rock Llama

Today was the day I thought I would get ahead a little and maybe make two things...Before I spent half a day on FB. Anyway, I often make things I see, this little lady comes from Mollie Makes craft magazine. But even though I am making something using someone else's idea I try and put my own spin on it. Hence instead of pretty pastel colored fluffy llama I made a fuschia rock llama sporting an earring. Still very cute though.

While I was stitching away my husband went to the garden and made THIS!

I could have cheated there and just pretended I made that too, but that would be only flower arrangement I would have made so clearly suspicious. I can't put any flowers together. Please observe how it hangs over on one end to create a pretty spread :) 

And below is just a picture of my one-eyed cat Poppy, who is usually creamy white but from now until autumn rains will permanently be dirty grey due to her love of rolling in dirt :) Also she is not allowed on the bed when that dirty but they obey as long as I am in the room. As soon as I turn my back the rules are scratched out and we start from zero, me going no, no, no and they looking at me like I'm crazy...

Day 78: Origami Crane Ear Ring

Today was about making something together with 365ers Facebook group. As we are all making something for a whole year, the idea is to make something s bit similar every now and then. So today few of us decided to be inspired by  Ellen Katsumoto Fithian who is folding one crane for each day and sending them all over the world. You can find her lovely craned here: https://www.facebook.com/366Cranes, please 'like' her project. 

Myself decided that folding cranes can't be that hard and I could turn this out in no time. Soon I was sweating over a youtube video not being able to make a 'petal fold', cursing myself and my stubborn head thinking that I will never make a tiny crane to become an ear ring. Two hours! later I have managed to learn how to fold a crane and made a little ear ring..pheew..that was close. Origami - not easy!

Day 77: Felty Hedgehog

Finally some nice weather on a day off so of course a day spent working on a boat, sanding away. Quite achy now but still determined to make something so I made a little hedgehog to be made into a brooch when I finally buy some fittings. I also wanted it to have little bead eyes but of course, can't find those beads enywhere. I mean why would I put them with the rest of the beads, that would be so easy...too easy...much more fun having to turn everything upside down.

That's for tomorrow, I'm off to have some cinnamon squares and watch trash on telly now....

Day 74: A little crocheted envelope

I am persisting in my crochet endeavours. I happened to stumble across a small pattern of an envelope and thought: here is a great way to both practice and not get bored as I am making something :) It's bit wonky as I decreased it a bit on one end without intending to do so, and it is smaller then the pattern and sewing together is a bit dodgy on one side but still I am pleased, it's sweet.

The base is my mother's crochet tablecloth made in traditional way with white yarn. She actually made me a huuuuge tablecloth, it took several years but it is great. I mainly want to crochet amigurami and it is also easy to take on planes unlike knitting for knitting needles are terror danger....so are small crafting scissors...beware.

Here is the link to pattern if you are a novice, for you experienced folks, maybe there is something else worth looking at there: http://violetbellasworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/crochet-envelope-diy.html

Day 73: Home made dream catcher

My sleeping patterns are a bit erratic to say the least. I have been bordering on insomniac for few years but now I am much better, although certain periods it goes back to very few restful hours of sleep. I also get funny dreams, often dreaming about people I don't recognise, watching from the side what they are up to. Sometimes I go through whole adventures like film plots but I can never remember them fully, so no block buster there ...

I also get nightmares, often I am back in a space where I have perceived myself as happy but in the dream becomes a place of nightmare. Mostly I tend to forget my life at the moment and think I am back in time. And then there are some rally bad ones but I'm not going into that. Anyway, when I woke up this morning after night of half sleep, I got a thought in my mind, saying dreamcatcher. I took it means I should make one, so I have.

Not one afraid of improvisation I rounded up stuff from my stash, some old ribbon (£1.50, I knew it would come handy), half of an embroidery hoop (the other half is missing), some paint, a piece of yellow string I had forever, rose quartz a friend given us and some feathers collected from walks.

YouTube being my crafty friend I saw a tutorial and turns out, not that hard. Colors are blue and yellow for sky, red for earth, stone is for earth as well and channeling of dream energy and feathers are for trickster, Hermes, messenger between earth and sky. Thanks husband for helping me with wrappping string around feathers and sorting the stone out.

Day 69: A really good drawing of fox cub:)

Well I was determined to come back with revenge on my own drawing. After the horse drawing disaster ( although people have been really kind to me about that one) here is a drawing I am really happy with. Instead of assaulting the paper with B pencils and smudging, I was following advice of an wildlife artist and drawing with H pencils from left to right so not to smudge, using a brush after eraser rather then hand to keep a crisp finish. Happy with that:)

Day 63: Some days I turn around

and there is past staring me in the face. 

Day 60: A bit of progress

I have been working on this piece on and off for last few months and as it is egg tempera it is painstakingly slow. This is an image before and after and several hours of work in between just to add few more layers. I have now finished covering major areas and work on details is about to start. The size of this piece is about 20x20cm and the shiny background is 22ct gold leaf. Hopefully I will get some time to finish it soon as I have two new pieces to start on...

Day 59: Softy Heart

A little knitted heart and another in making:)

Day 58: White deer on felt

Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by white deer myth. It is one of my favourite images and I have made it several times. This one is inspired by a japanese white deer mandala, you can see some pictures below. 

For this particular piece I half-felted (partially felted) background and deer separately and after cutting out deer shape from white half-felt I put the two together and did a full felt. A bit tricky as felt shrinks with about 20% so hit and miss with shapes. After it dried I machine embroidered deer shape as well as the cloud it stands on. 

I sort of think maybe it needs more work but I can't see what that would be at the moment so I will leave it for few months and then maybe have another look. I would really like to paint the whole mandala but I need to find a good quality print first.

AND I managed to get into kitchen again. I seem to be finding that inner vegetarian cook again. Here we have: a spinach and egg roll with mushroom and creme fraiche stuffing, mm-mmm-mmm!