7.30 am

Autumn Colour

Sketchbook Peek

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Sue from Nottingham Craft Mafia for her blog, check it out here!

UK Handmade Autumn 2009

The Autumn Issue is out now at www.ukhandmade.co.uk. Big thanks to everyone involved!

Chalk Hill

A while ago I decided to scrap the Chalk Hill blog and put everything in together here, but recently I've been feeling a lot more focussed and confident about what I want to do with the business and now is the time to seperate them again. I've started with a newly designed version of last year's calendar for 2010 to start things off, with lots of other products on the way. Christmas is just around the corner and I can already smell the pine and feel the cold chill in the air. Indian summer? Ha, I've moved on already and have dug out the woolies. Pop over to the Chalk Hill blog for product updates, news and features of other designers from around the world.

Settling in

While Anya was starting school yesterday I got to spend my first day in my newly spruced up little studio uninterrupted! As you can see I have got it nice and cosy (I don't do tidy despite previous photos suggesting otherwise) but I do like to be sort of organised.

So imagine my delight at spotting this pretty little chest of drawers in a local furniture shop, ex display and reduced to a mere £27! And bet you can't guess what I keep in it....

...Paper of course!! Exciting huh? A proper little treasure chest. So in between trying to finish off my techie based website jobs I was able to finish a painting (or is that the other way round). A good day all round.

A New Chapter...

starts today as my little girl begins school! All my plans for the summer holidays (like fun, work, diy and more fun) went out the window for various different reasons so there is a lot of catching up to do and the house to put back together and websites to finish and new stock to make and photograph and and and....(deep breath) but at least the daily question 'do I go to school today mummy?' is answered with a yes followed by a jump for joy instead of the usual 'oh' and sulk.

I realised I have been blogging for 4 years, starting when Anya was just a few months old. I remember the excitement at having a second child as well as having the space to change my business -I had been slogging my guts out making wedding stationery for too many years and I wanted to do something more personally satisfying as well as needing a hard earned rest!

It wasn't easy, muddle head that I am. I use a 'suck it and see' approach to making decisions so any poor soul who has stayed with my ramblings over the last 4 years has seen me twist and turn and chop and change over the path I want to take and how to get there. And guess what. I think I have finally figured something out. Thinking is my enemy. So I am not going to talk about it anymore, or worry or fret or um or aah. I am just going to get on with it. Whatever it may be. Now let's turn the page....

early morning light

We've had 3 days of sunshine and 3 days stuck inside while the house is taken over by plumbers. I won't show you the ugly tanks and boiler currently sitting in our garden so here are a few blooms that are still hanging on in the over run borders. Autumn is already in the air along with the promise of new adventures and a new focus. I am itching to get started but need to get the workmen out of the way, spend a week with my children doing the things we haven't been able to do all holiday and spring clean the house for one last time!

work in progress....

The walls have been stripped, filled, sanded and painted, the nasty carpet pulled up and replaced with clean, new wooden flooring we had left over from our last place (and to think we nearly threw it out when we moved!) and my little studio has a new lease of life. It will be a while before the proper workspace/furniture is in but with bits and bobs swapped over from other rooms in the house I am happy to make do for a while. Already feels a lot better. It's amazing what a lick of paint can do.

Kite Flying

Notebooks

Found these whilst unpacking boxes into my newly painted studio, left over from the last craft fair. They are lined notebooks I have recovered with photoprints of some of my artwork and are now in my shop. I may do more at some point but these are the only 3 left for the moment so grab em quick!

Walk to the woods

A beautiful day with my beautiful children.

I'm feeling at the moment like there is so much going on yet I have very little to say. I think my head needs a bit of space to digest all the thoughts and ideas and life stuff that is floating round and hopefully it will turn it all into something credible. So forgive my quietness, I will be back.

UK Handmade Summer 2009

Well we are a teeny bit behind schedule but the Summer Issue is now out! Just go to the UK Handmade website and click the image on the front page. (But don't forget to make a cuppa first!) http://www.ukhandmade.co.uk/

Escape

Going wild

I may have mentioned I am not the keenest of gardeners, nor do I have the greenest fingers but since moving here one of the things I have always wanted to do is grow a butterfly garden. Wild flowers offer a much more attractive proposition than the usual neatly trimmed surburban gardens (picture Barbara, not Margot lol) plus knowing I am doing something to maintain the local wildlife gives me all the motivation I need to get the gardening gloves on. (And yes mum that means I will not be hunting down the grass snake just to hit it with a brick. Shame on you.)

Anyway looks like I have already started without even trying. I must confess to having let our garden go a little wild already while we sort the house out - the garden we have set aside to deal with next year - so imagine my delight when this splendid chap shot past me while I was putting out the washing.

I dashed to get the camera and found it merrily feeding on the buddleja that is currently hiding our grubby and neglected greenhouse.

*waits for brain to kick in* A peacock! And a huge one at that. Haven't seen one of these for years! We get the occasional red admiral and plenty of whites, brimstones and skippers and a walk up the local downs will bring you the chalk hill blue I named my site after. But this was something else. And it wasn't bothered by my whirring camera as I tried to get as close as I could to get a half decent picture. Shame about the greenhouse in the background but I'm sure you'll forgive me that.

Then all of a sudden something else fluttered past my head, landed on my arm, realised it's mistake and crash landed on the roof of the greenhouse.

Thankfully it stayed there long enough for me to get a shot before flying off again.......bear with me while I look this one up....a Comma.

(Just one thing, I promise NEVER to wear dungarees. Ever.)

Diary Project 2010

It's that time of year again, Fantazya's Diary Project 2010. If you've not seen it before it's well worth checking out; the resulting diaries are pretty neat and of course its free publicity! The deadline is very soon but there are still pages free if you have time www.fantazya.ca/diary2010.html

Progress

Remember this? Plans to rebuild my studio have been put on hold while we deal with bigger things in the house such as new windows and french doors in the living room.

The fun bit - when the wall came down :D

We found ourselves out in the garden while the builders worked on all 14 windows seemingly at the same time but we were suitably amused by the grass snake found hiding under the bin.

Anya was very careful not to scare it or touch it and she made this wonderful drawing complete with black stripes.

Unfortunately grandma didn't share our enthusiasm and vowed never to visit us every again!

Wasn't long before all the house was transformed (and not a builder's bum in sight!)

Now we can start painting the studio and start to move everything back out of the bedroom which has become a temporary dumping ground. Feels like moving in all over again but without the stress and exhaustion :D

The trouble with...

...bright ideas is that they have a canny knack of turning into bigger and bigger jobs. These innocent little notebooks have meant I have spent the last 2 days (when of course I should have been ploughing through a huge list of tasks) re-designing the whole look of Chalk Hill.

I thought these little notebooks deserved a nice little paper band to hold them together and work as a set but of course my current logo didn't really work, especially as I wanted to use a pattern. It calls for a cleaner typeface and white background so this is the result. Nice eh?

So then I started thinking of new business cards, pretty labels and so on and so forth. A whole new fresh look! Starting of course with the website.

I may be gone a while.

Watercolour books

2 new sketchbooks for the shop. It was suggested I make books that are not as flowery for male customers so the top one is covered in a vintage mag design paper and the bottom one of my own geometric patterns. I'm also in the middle of making notebooks rather than sketchbooks which will be a little bit cheaper if you want a book for more general use.

(Weather update: breezy and showery and a little bit cooler, just the way I like it!)

Heatwave

I am not a sun person. Some would say it's because I'm British (you know who you are) but being red headed and fair skinned (ie. devoid of any kind of pigment expect for a few freckles) this current heatwave is making me want to emigrate to Antarctica.

Anyway, British complaining about the weather aside I've been a busy bee, spent a week preparing all the articles for the summer issue of UK Handmade, completing a few commissions and thinkng about new products for Chalk Hill and new artwork for me. Evenings normally spent doing computer work are now spent relaxed in front of the tv, sewing books and watching art programmes (my favourite one this week is this one about David Hockney) and making mental notes of what I need to do and when. With the little one starting school full time in September these next two months are going to be spent preparing for my return to full time work. I am very excited. But I am also very hot. I hate to be a party pooper but I don't do sun.

Meadow

It's not often I actually like my own work enough to have up in my house but if I could I would have this printed as wallpaper for my bedroom.

But until then I will have to console myself with a few other little treasures I have up my sleeve, Chalk Hill is about to finally blossom!

Chervil

From this...

..to this..
..to this.

Peep-o!

Inspirations

My favourite place, the inspiration for my website name, where even the weeds are pretty.

Persistant Threads

I had a bit of spare time to myself last night; kids were busy and quiet for a change, the other half had a pile of paperwork to deal with so I snuck away whilst no one was looking to have another shot with Illustrator. The thing I'm most interested in is blending the textures I create so easily in paint and collage into my line drawing and digital work. Vector art is not something I have the patience for (whoever says digital art is cheating and easy clearly hasn't tried it or isn't doing it properly) but Illustrator has tools that for a jack of all trades artist like myself that are like an aladdins cave. All I have to do is work out how to get the genie out of the lamp!

So I think I got a step closer last night - the above piece is by no means complete, I see it more like of of my journal pages. I am already familiar with transparency layers and have worked with them before with photos and line work but Illustrator's trace and fills offer up other possibilites that really excites me.

Anyway I am digressing - the title of this post refers to a new flickr group I was delighted to be invited to by the wonderful Gilfling. It seems that everytime I hit another hurdle I find a group or blog or project (or it finds me, I'm never sure which) that helps me over. And this one is no exception. Called 'Persistant Threads' its about finding the common themes that run through your work and other personal influences, photos you've taken over the years, older work, life.

I've rambled on plenty before about how I feel my work isn't always connected or consistent so this will be an interesting task - I've already come across old sketchbooks from college days and spotted themes I had started to explore that have continued to this day so lets see what else I can dig up! The flickr group is here, go and be inspired!

After the rain...

Strawberry Fair

I vaguely remember saying I wasn't going to do anymore craft fairs this year but when I got an email for a new craft tent at the local Strawberry Fair I couldn't say no. It is one of the busiest events in Cambridge and as it turned out lots of fun! Kali from Lush and Lovely was there too and I met a lot of new people such as the fabulous Tony Mills. Already looking forward to the next one :D

Sit a while

This climber has been busy propping up our fence and I've hardly ever noticed it the whole of the 18 months we have been here. But today I was sat with my cuppa, enjoying the sun (in the shade) whilst pondering, and took a brief glance at a single flower that happened to be nestled against my elbow. The flowers are small and predominately green and white that merges into nothingness amongst the mass of leaves, but on their own they have such beautiful and complex shapes, and a creamy pink tinge that give them a delicate almost porcelain feel.

There have been a number of occasions lately that have made me take a step back and look at myself and my place in the world and pay attention to the little things. To treasure what we have however small and fleeting. To remember that often events do not happen in isolation but are stepping stones to greater things. To realise that acceptance is the only way to truly let go.

I am being cryptic but this is pretty much how my life is. Nothing I can quite put my finger on but every now and again things shift. My view changes much like shedding a skin. I see things that I hadn't noticed before, realise I already have the answer to questions I had forgotten I had been asking. I've never quite understood my purpose as an artist, I don't need to paint my inner feelings or draw what I see or have any particular message to get across. It's intangible, subtle and evasive. But never completely disappears. Like an itch I can't scratch. But I've come to realise over the years that it doesn't matter so much. Having children and watching them grow into happy healthy vibrant people is far more valuable and satisfying than my own needs, artistic or otherwise. That I can be more than one person, that it isn't all about me, that I am one fragile flower amongst many. Complex but delicate, strong but dependant. Loving life and in need of another cup of tea.

Fortress

It's been a while since I worked on a canvas. I tend to have a rush of inspiration that dies quite quickly then I'm onto something new but I am finding as I go on (down to age/experience/maturity/laziness perhaps) that now I am able to stay on the same path and keep developing. I don't panic when I come to a dead stop because I know it's time to go out and look for new inspiration that will allow me to continue and stay fresh without feeling like a failure. Or a fraud. Or going out and working for a supermarket instead.

This particlular piece I have been working on for a year now and finally it is finished. I have 5 brand new ones on the go too, they may be completed soon, they may not.

It's good to let go, you should try it sometime.

A Musical Interlude

I don't really blog about music, which come to think of it is a bit odd as I am obsessed with music. It is on all the time and heavily influences my mood and my art (when I get time to get the brushes out) but as is such a part of my life it doesn't occur to me to talk about it. It just is. Anyway I thought I would share this little video I uncovered after seeing her on the TV the other day, it's absolutely adorable!

CeeGee Jewellery

Carolyn from CeeGee Jewellery wrote a lovely post about Chalk Hill a few weeks ago so it's time I said thank you and returned the favour.

Carolyn works with the finest quality beads and gemstones and has recently started learning how to use PMC clay - I think she has found her calling because her first attempts are fabulous!

You can buy her work direct from her website http://www.ceegeejewellery.com/index.htm and read her blog here http://www.ceegeejewellery.blogspot.com/

Treasure

Look what dropped through my letter box this morning, a little belated birthday pressie from a close friend, I love it - thank you Larissa! BTW you must check out her photography and crafts, we met a college some 15 years ago now and she is a very talented artist and designer. www.giggleicious-photography.com

In the picture

I've spent years wrestling with my style and trying to focus and as a result created a few identities for myself and a gazillion websites along the way. But now its time to stop. No more umming and aahing and tooing and froing as it is exhausting and I end up chasing my own tail. So here we are. We are Kala online, Karen in the real world, my shop is Chalk Hill and I am artist, designer, illustrator, jack-of-all-trades. Me. One person. And it's time to get rid of the surplus websites and blogs and shops and move forward.

So here we are. As I barely post on my Chalk Hill blog because I can never decide where my work should go (who'd have thought that would ever happen!)I am shutting it down and moving everything to here. I will carry on redecorating the place as I go so expect a few alterations along the way, just don't lean on the wet paint :D

I feel like my journey is just beginning. I have packed a flask of tea, my sketchbook and a few biscuits and off we go. Happy and free and truly excited for the first time in years. Funny what a little mid life crises does to a person. I have always been the pick-myself-by-the-bootstraps type and this is no exception. So before I get carried away with the corny one liners I am off to draw more flowers, see you soon!

Don't Panic!!

Just rearranging a few things, bear with me, all will become clear!

Picture Postcard

Here are some of the missing photos from our trip to the beach the other weekend, we are back in business!

May Day

May day is my day. And what better way to spend it than sitting under apple trees eating homemade apple pie and drinking tea, with twittering robins and sparrows bombing around waiting for crumbs to feast on. After my pre birthday jitters the world suddenly felt right again. I felt right again.

Tick tock...

My daughter has just turned 4 and after spending months talking about what she can do at 4 she is now set her sights on turning 5. (I fear it's going to be a long year!) As soon as she grasped the concept of time she has been plotting and planning - time means doing things she likes and she doesn't wait for things to happen she will find something else to do in the meantime, whilst badgering me with questions. 'Is it tomorrow yet?', 'What time is it now?', 'Are we there yet?', 'Now?'. Of course I will steadily reply 'No, not yet, later.' 'Ok mum.' and off she runs.

I can remember being young and wanting to be older but I was happy to wait until I got there. There was no great rush, I had plenty of time. Now faced with being in a 37 year old body with a head still stuck in 1998 I am very aware of running out of time. All the things I want to do I can't quite do quick enough. And I think back to the 20 something me who had all the time in the world and feel like giving her a kick up the butt and tell her to get a move on. It's not that I'm afraid of getting old, I just want to be able to look back whilst sitting in my beach hut and know that I've achieved what I wanted to.

Ignore me, I'm having a mini mid life crises, I will be over it tomorrow :D

(PS. I have 2 hours and 25 minutes before I have to pick her up from playgroup, so what shall I do first....

Chill

I was hoping to show you pics of our trip to the beach at the weekend but sadly my camera died and I can't get the photos off until I get a more up to date card reader. So we will have to make do with a pic from my trusty old camera phone of the pebbles I bought back for now.

Despite the death of my camera it was a fab day out, we found a stretch of beach as yet untainted by nasty amusement arcades and doughnut stands but adorned with gorgeous little beach huts and the cutest little lighthouse I think I've ever seen.

It's not often I find a place that tugs away at me but I am already pining to go back. I can see myself retiring in one of those beach huts with a little radio, a whistling kettle and a huge pile of books to read.

Oh and don't forget the chocolate biscuits.

What you looking for?

Toads.

Oh. Can you see any?

Don't be silly mummy, toads can't fly!

Of course. *sigh*

The little things...

I've been so busy lately I hardly had time to catch my breath. The two weeks off for easter has reminded me I need to slow down a bit and enjoy life a little. I never used to be such a workaholic so I'm not sure how it happened! So I have decided to cut back on things and allow myself to say no occasionally.

Anya brought home a pocket stuffed full of daisies yesterday and was so disappointed when she realsied they were dying. Ten minutes in a tea glass full of water soon fixed that. In September she will be off to school full time so making the most of these few hours we have together every afternoon should be my priority before they are gone for good.

Spring Break - snapshots

Happy Birthday Beautiful

love mum xxxx

...and breathe...

I'm pleased to say I made it to the Handm@de Cambridge Fair and out the other side, weary but happy. The fair was lovely, not least because it was in my home town which meant no struggling with big bags on packed underground trains and wondering if I have the energy to make it back home again.

With the magazine completed in time it felt like a job well down and I can relax over easter, catch up with all the little jobs and spend time with the family. And do nothing. If I want to.

The next task is to get all my new cards photographed and onto my website but it can wait a few more days...

UK Handmade Spring 2009

Our beautiful Spring Issue of UKhandmade is now available to view over at the website - http://ukhandmade.co.uk/main - enjoy!

Freebies...

...for the Cambridge Handmade promo bags; bookmarks and gift tags. (Between you and me I will glad when this fair is done, they are hard work!)

Busy Bee

A quick peep of my new little notebooks with my own fabric covers....busy busy....

A Spring Day in Cambridge

Mothering Sunday

Wishing all the mums in the UK (and across the world) a fabulous day!

Stacked up

I have turned into a one woman production line; all the pages are cut and folded, the covers cut, the fabric sorted (including a few of my own digitally printed ones), just enough time to glue the covers and poke the holes then tackle the sewing in front of the tv this evening and sleep....

Once upon a time...

Do you have days when you think the list of things you have to do just gets bigger and bigger no matter how much you do? I don't remember having this problem when I was younger, if anything I had a fair amount of time to be bored. I drew and read and listened to music and went out with friends and did lots of fun stuff but there were always hours where you could just sit and do nothing. Bored. Sundays in particular were boring. I never liked Sundays much, apart from knowing that Monday was coming next and I could get back to doing things.

How I long for those Sundays now. To have a real lie in (as opposed to getting up at 6.30 instead of 5.30) to read the papers, have brunch instead of breakfast, go for slow relaxing walks and come back ready for a mighty roast dinner. Then curl up on the sofa in front of a movie or with a good book whilst someone else washes up. Bliss.

But in the meantime I shall keep ticking off my perpetually growing list and hope some day soon I reach the bottom of it. Hopefully my family will still know what I look like!

Oh by the way do you like my painting? It's one of a selection of children's paintings that will hopefully make an appearance at the craft fair along with the new books I am sewing, new prints and cards. If you happen to pop along I'll be the one asleep in the corner :D

Hands On

As I have spent the best part of the last two weeks glued to the computer with website commissions I thought I would take time out to make a few books ready for the craft fair. (I'm not looking to see how close it really is!). I bought some black indian cotton rag paper a while ago with the intention of making photo albums, something I haven't made since giving up the wedding stationery malarky 4 years ago. And I'd forgotten how time consuming they were, even the bolted ones! Getting all the papers lined up and holes punched in the right place with a hand punch isn't the easiest job. Might have to invest in a proper paper drill one day. After a new computer, letterpress, new pair of shoes, a holiday, new flooring for the living room... you get the idea.

Yellow

Pockets of colour are finally springing up around the garden; daffodils, pansies, crocus and miniature iris are in full bloom. The days are getting longer, my mood is lifting, just need the breeze to be a little bit warmer so I can let the outside in. Nearly there...

Texture Journal

Being kept busy with a few commissions so here are a few pages from my journal until normal service resumes :D

A step closer...

...to getting my studio done. Found my other half with tape measure in hand drawing everything out to scale. A couple of weeks time and we will be off to the wood merchants to get the pieces cut - I am so excited!!!

Pods

Ignoring the fact that I am a terrible gardener and these once vibrant purple flowers (still haven't found out what they are called) have been dead since last summer, the skeletal seed pods that are left are really pretty close up and I thought they might make a fun pattern.

I have more nature inspired doodles waiting but work comes first...

Handmade Cambridge Craft Fair....

...is only a month away! No pressure then. As is the way with these things you sign up the year before thinking you have ages to prepare, then all of a sudden there is only a matter of weeks left! Thankfully I still have stock left over from We Make last Christmas so its just a case of getting new stuff done. Easy, right?

To see who else will be there check out the blog http://handmadecambridge.blogspot.com/

One Word Project - Final burst...

...of inspiration from today's walk round our local chalk downs. I didn't quite manage to post a photo a day (which is not surprising with my schedule) but I have a 28 photos that I am pleased with, some of which have already turned up in paintings.

Not quite sure if I will carry on with next months one word (depending of course what the word is) but I am going to continue taking photos and pay attention a bit more to what I am taking. Before this project they were more just snapshots, points of reference or structural shots to shore up my art work. Now I am trying to paint inside the camera which is adding depth and richness to my canvases and I am inspired to keep going and see where this develops.

A collage artist always need source material and producing your own not only avoids copyrights issue it adds to your own personal style, something I am finally starting to find. If I can start adding more drawn elements too I will have achieved what I set out to do.

(New readers might wonder what I am on about - to cut a long boring story short I have drawing demons which are slowly being dealt with.)

I truly wish I'd had more clarity at college all those years ago; all the elements were there but I just didn't have the maturity or enough faith in myself (or the tools!) to produce the work I wanted to do. It's been a long journey only to end up right back where I started but sometimes you need to step away and do different things to appreciate what you already have.

Latest book

is now available in my shop, if you live overseas email me and I will list it on etsy instead.

Texture Journal

OWP day 21 - 24 colours and contrasts

Finally it looks like the flowers are finally breaking through and the long awaited spring is on it's way!

This is one of the perks of living in a village. Our daily walk to school is a joy, especially now it is getting a little bit warmer and you can see a hint of bud and blossoms appearing on the trees.

Everything is a little bit brighter, a little bit greener, makes you want to through open the windows and take down the curtains and give everything a good clean. But not just yet, it is still a teeny bit too chilly to go that far but I am enjoying recording the changes as they happen.

Texture Journal

I think this must be my favourite journal / sketchbook so far, no rules, no stressing over wasted pages because everything came out rubbish, everything a sketchbook should be.

I've been told I think too much, analyse too much and this gets in the way of my creating. It's true but it's not something I can necessarily do anything about. To ask me not to think about what I do is like asking me not to breathe but maybe its time I learned to breathe a bit easier. Close my eyes and not worry about the outcome. Learn to trust myself more. This is something I could have done learning in my 20's but better late than never!

OWP day 20

Ooops keep forgetting to post my one word photos so getting a bit behind!

As all mums will tell you there is nothing more inspirational than your own children. Both of mine have seem to inherited an artistic streak which is fantastic to watch. My son loves drawing; give him a pen and a blank piece of paper and he couldn't be happier.

I have watched him in awe over the last 10 years as he has a freedom and imagination that I wasn't blessed with but my daughter seems to have my love of paint and colour and will happily paint just for the sake of it. I will often catch her in my workroom desperately trying to find where I've hidden my expensive pencils and will painstakingly go through her all her colouring books. Even at the age of 3 she doesn't go over the lines (an obsessiveness also inherited from me I fear).

I've never been a pushy mum, I'd rather allow them to be themselves and guide them when I think it might help them take that extra step. It would be fair to say I have learned more from them!

Cuteable

I was excited to see my mini paintings pop on cuteable this morning - thanks guys! The paintings have gone in to my shop and if anyone outside of the UK wants one please let me know and I'll list them on etsy too.

Step by step

When I get a spare child free five minutes I try to sit and learn a bit more on Illustrator. I have mastered the pattern feature but for the kind of artwork I want to do for my portfolio I need to learn how to add textures and collage effects to my drawings and photographs. Bit by bit it's slotting into place. It's not that the software is difficult to use but there is SO much of it and finding your way round and making sense of what it can and can't do is mind boggling. With these two gerberas we have worked (albeit badly) on gradients and textures and next on the list is clipping masks. Anyone got a spare brain they can lend me?

Starting them young...

My son has started blogging again - now a very grown 10 years old and developing into a talented little illustrator in his own right. He did this line drawing and scanned it into Illustrator and I think he needs to start giving me lessons! You can see his work, old and new, here.

Texture Journal

I may well have posted these before but as with most of my journals and sketchbooks I only get so far then never touch them again. This one however has been picked back up and is going to be finished. Honest! With each new canvas comes a new page in my journal as I reuse the leftover sheet from the image transfers and incorporate drawings and doodles, hopefully to push and develop new textile designs at some point in the future. But the wind changes direction a lot round here so we shall see!

OWP day 18, 19

These are my daughters first pair of 'proper' shoes bought for her by a member of the family for her first birthday. Although she had been walking for a good few months these were too stiff for her to walk in properly and then she grew out of them! I kept them anyway as they are just too pretty. Every little girl wants to be a ballerina or princess and my little tomboy is no exception. The pink gene kicks in eventually!

This book is the first one I made using my own fabric and has become my signature design. The daisy is a motif that seems to have followed me through life, an association to my childhood where I remember watching my mum make daisy chains. Often it is the simple things in life that we treasure most.

Illustration Friday - Instinct

Nature uses a lot of tricks to keep predators away; most instinctively know that red = danger but whether it protect protects the prey or the victim who can tell.

Mini canvases

Stop the presses I have finished something! I started these little babies ages ago but got stuck with them so left them alone until inspiration struck. If you look closely you'll see image transfers of some of my one word photos. They are teeny 15 x 15 cm gallery wrapped canvas and I may list them on my website at some point. Just enjoying looking at them for now.

OWP - Inspire, work in progress

Finally got the paints out and started some new work. The lino cuts are for the next issue of UK Handmade magazine due out in march, where I am reviewing Lotta Jansdotter's new print book which has sparked all sorts of new ideas, and the canvas is using one of my one word photos. Looks a bit of a mess at the moment but will hopefully pull together.

OWP day 15, 16,

I am trying to remember to take my camera out with me now so I can grab interesting textures and graphic shapes for backgrounds in my illustrations or paintings. Here we have a peeling door and view through a scout hut window.

OWP day 13, 14

After all the snow the weather seems to have finally turned, brighter and warmer and more spring like. These beautiful silver birches in our local park just stood out against the bright blue sky. Delicious.

Happy Valentines Day!

OWP day 12 - In the Pink

The sun is shining, I'm on top of my work for a change, the house is coming together, everyone is happy and healthy, there is a lot to be grateful for.

OWP day 9, 10, 11

The last of the snow /tree photos, tomorrow we start on the paintings :D

OWP day 6,7,8

Not long after these were taken it started raining, the snow has gone now so I made it just in time! Will have fun playing with these, especially this last one. The branches look like mad lightening flashes and will make a great texture.

Where did all the colour go?

I must confess to having a 'uh oh what have we done' moment when we started painting the woodwork white. Felt like I should be floating around in long frilly dresses and floppy hats a la Yoko Ono but I am telling myself this is a good thing. I have two children, two cats and do not have housework at the top of my list of daily priorities so it will be interesting to see how long it is before I'm getting out the paint charts looking for dirt friendly colours. Having said now I am starting to put things back in place and once artwork goes back up on the walls it will start to really come into it's own. And of course with my books safely stored in their new home and de cluttering well under way I am one step closer to having my new studio built. I can't wait!

OWP day 3,4,5

Oops - got a bit of catching up to do! One of my favourtie haunts is a small country park which is beautiful any time of year, but particularly stunning when it's been snowing.

OWP day 2

Ok so this isn't the best photo in the world but I love the depth of textures between the climbers. I've upped the levels to get the contrasts I need...come back later to see what I do with it.

One Word Project - Inspire

I've decided to joined the Shutter Sisters One Word Project, albeit hesitantly as the voice in my head is already reminding me that I said I was going to stop joining groups that I couldn't keep up with but the other voice (yes I have two, it's a nightmare) is saying you need to balance your work and this will be a good thing. I want to relearn how to use a camera properly - I did study film photography back in college too many years ago - and my drawing and mixed media work relies heavily on photographs. So as we are supposed to pick our own word for the first month I have chosen Inspire. A photograph a day that is deliberately shot to inspire artwork at some point. And hopefully a well shot photograph in it's own right, but that may take a bit of work. I'm starting with the shot from yesterday as it fits the bill perfectly. Watch this space.

Snowman

A fine end to a fun day - check out his hair do!

Inside and Out

After a weekend of painting we have glistening white walls in the living room and up the stairs. For years we vowed when we finally own our own house the one colour we wouldn't paint it would be white, but with light streaming through 14 windows and a south facing garden we decided white suits it best. And what better to hang my paintings off?

And this morning we woke up to a healthy amount of snowfall - snow in winter is a bit of a novelty in this country. It's become more common to have it late spring if at all so my daffodils will be safe this year. Now where are my wellies...

Stuff

I have far too much of it (don't tell my other half I am saying this, he would be far too smug for my liking) and if I am going to be building myself a new workspace to fit my little room some of it is going to have to go. In the photo above you can see lots of books (the tip of the iceberg) but this is the easy bit. We are decorating the living room and hallway this weekend in time for the arrival of 3 new bookcases to be placed in convenient areas of the house, such as the roomy landing upstairs and empty wall in the living room. So the books will have a new home.

The big metal monstrosity that is immensly practical as a plan chest of sorts is far too big for in here and much better suited for our garage, and is only half full of large sheets of paper and artwork, the rest are more, erm, books, card blanks and envelopes, canvases and frames and boxes full of I don't know what. I have shelves full of niknaks and curiosities and collectables that I intend to use 'one day'. I think after years of waiting it's time to be brutal and say bye to a lot of it. Especially when I still end up working on the dining room table as I have no table space in here. (I won't mention the crates of felt and fabric and wooden things I have hiding upstairs in the bedroom).

So it's time to grow up and decide what I need and what I don't need and make my space work for me instead of trying to work round it all the time. Flickr and blogger are full of gorgeous photos of enviable studio spaces and although I know they are tidied for the photos to have everything in it's own place instead of stacked all over the floor that I have to step over everytime I go make a cup of tea is going to make my creative process a whole lot more comfortable.

CPSIA

I know I live in the UK and this is a USA issue but belonging to an international community like Etsy you can't help but be affected but something like this, even if it's not directly. Read on....

Wednesday, 28 January 2009
TODAY! THE CPSIA BLOG-IN - R.I.P HANDMADE

Today is the CPSIA Blog-in. So far, today, 241 blogs carry an article. If you would like to join you can either copy the blog post below (taken from KITSCHY COO'S BLOG) or write you own. Make sure you add you blog to the list in the Etsy forums. HERE
.................................................................................................................................................................................

Less than two weeks to go now to the crucial date of Feb 10, when the CPSIA comes into effect. This far-reaching act is starting to be noticed by more than just the sellers it affects directly, with coverage in some news programmes and the US national press. I agreed to do a CPSIA post today as part of a group of Etsy sellers that are affected by this law (thread is here). As it currently stands, the following extract of text will be posted on 165 blogs today, but the number is growing rapidly.

"As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:


To the Parents of Young Students:

Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:

Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322
To the Lover of All Things Handmade:

Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:

Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:

Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:

Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:

Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html
To the American Economy:

Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:

Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

...although this was done with the best intentions the repercussions are worrying to say the least! Scary eh?

If at first...

..you don't succeed stop what you are doing after the 50th attempt, go make a cup of tea, put on some soothing music, wait for the penny to drop and try again. Who'd have thought a simple thing like taking a couple of photos of my new cards would have taken me the best part of today. My new camera decided not to cooperate so after a bit of wrestling and brain wrangling and a teensy bit of swearing I figured it out how to get the white balance right (ie nearly white instead of totally grey even though the sun is shining). The end result still isn't as good as I'd wanted but getting there!

Bloody technology.

Some days...

it just seems no matter how much I do the list of things I still have to do gets longer and longer. I'm trying to sneak in a couple of valentine designs in before it passes me by like usual and a lifetime's supply of bookbinders pva turned up this morning so I can cracking on some new books. The new fabric covers are ready and waiting!

I actually got round to updating my website and added a page for my patterns - look rather good even if I do say so myself!!

Pleeeeaaasssee!

Er, yes of course you can paint with mummy.... it's been a while since I have shared painting time with Anya so thought I would let her have one of my smaller canvases so she could hang them up in her bedroom....

...ooh look it's a butterfly....

..oh no hang on I think you should stop maybe?....

Ok mum, can I do another one please?

Er ok then, what are you painting this time?

A lettuce!

Of course.

And what about mine I hear you ask? Well it's been repainted twice now because little miss picasso was a bit slap happy with the paint brush and insisted on helping me wipe up her mess even though I told her it would make it worse. (I might wait until she's not around to finish this one!). All good fun though. Honest :D

The blog is back!

I have been busy building up a number of patterns for future work and products for my Chalk Hill shop which I will be posting reguarly on the Chalk Hill blog. I've tried to fight this double identity thing for a long time now but have finally decided to go with it. I am both artist and designer and hopefully the two will cross over and feed each other rather than compete. Life is hard enough without fighting yourself lol!

Drawing up plans...

One of my goals for this year is to do some small improvements to the house. We've been here over a year now and hardly done a thing so I am desperate to make my mark on the place. The biggest change is going to be my studio. I am currently using furniture that has been acquired from other rooms in the house and it's starting to close in on me, so I've been think on how I can custom build my own workspace and storage area that fits the way I work. Its going to have to be simple, our building skills are limited to say the least but I think it's possible and very exciting!

Oooh....

...no not pretty Charlie here although he is a cute ball of fluff but I am excited about the arrival of my new camera, just a cheapy little compact but seriously better than my rubbish camera phone. Lovely :D

Easy Does it...

The word for 2009 is balance. After a mad, hectic, crazy, stressful and exhausting 2008 this year is about going with the flow and enjoying my work and my home life. If I've made any resolutions this year it's to learn to say no; to not commit myself to everything that comes along and to focus on what is really important and do it well. I have clear goals and anything else is just a distraction. So there! Let's see how long it lasts. With the recession taking hold it's time to take things seriously so since Christmas I have been reorganising myself, looking at what I want to do and how I can make it happen which has meant a clear out of surplus stock and going back to basics. Feels good. I am slowly building up a library of patterns and am going to have fun turning them into different things for the shop. What are your plans for 2009? Hope it brings everything you wish for and more!

Merry Christmas!

We Make pt 2

Not sure how but I made it to London and back in one piece but I did - there I was worried about having not enough stuff and it turned out I could have easily filled two tables lol. Wish I hadn't been so busy chatting to take more photos but I made a few sales, got a lot of people interested in UK Handmade and got to meet people I chat to online in the flesh which was very cool. A good day out!

Now with both of my major deadlines complete I am left with catching up on all the little jobs; emptying my inbox of over 3000 emails, listing all the stock I've made, updating my websites with new work, spring cleaning the house, preparing for Christmas, writing a list of what the things I need to do to improve my business next year and setting about achieving it. But first a badly needed cup of tea.

UK Handmade Magazine

There was a time I thought this day would never happen, but here it is, the very first edition of the UK Handmade magazine. I don't think it has quite sunk in yet and there is still a lot of work to do on the website itself but to be a part of all this is pretty awesome :D. Below is a sample of the gorgeous layout by our fantastic designer Jo Askey and you can download the full version from the website. We also have a fantastic giveaway to celebrate the launch, full details on the blog!

We Make

So finally I can show you what I was up to the other week, decorating 5 tote bags for We Make. They are being sold at the fair itself full of goodies and you can see the rest (and vote on your favourite) on the We Make blog now!

AEM day 29

We are on a roll with this Christmas thing, been drawing up new patterns specifically for a few of the designs I have in mind and it has occured to me to make them transparent so I can layer them up and change the backround colour to suit, as in this bauble card. The process is starting to feel a bit more normal now and I am excited by the ideas that are springing up in the back of my mind to have a go at next year! We Make is a week away now, will I get everything done I wanted done? I think I might just manage it :D

AEM day 27, 28

This angel looks calm and peaceful, everything I am not right now! 7 more days and it'll all be over. We Make here I come!

AEM day 25, 26

My we have been busy, still ploughing through the books and trying to come up with little things that should sell well even if the bigger things don't, so today I printed out these loads of bookmarks - seeing my patterns altogether felt quite satisfying!

AEM day 23, 24

I've always loved daisychains, remember my mum making them when we were little, so I thought it would be nice to do a pattern based on one. Turned out to be a bit of a struggle to get the repeat to work, or rather to get my head round what to do, and then to remember the steps in illustrator. Got there in the end though, after 20 minutes of hair pulling and a few choice words. Technology is wonderful but can be incredibly frustrating at times!