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!

12 months ago...

...to the day we moved into our lovely new home. When I think how long it took us to get here (and we weren't even sure it was going to happen!) it's incredible to think how fast the year has zipped by. We both knew when we saw the house this was the one. Our home.

Liberated...

...from all my hair! I'm usually terrified of having my hair cut; hairdressers see my luscious locks and immediately turn me into a poodle or some kind of bon jovi groupie but I was determined this time to find someone who could turn me into the business-like 30 something I am (or at least that's what I keep trying to tell myself I am). I think I hit the jackpot this time. There's nothing like a good hairdo to fill you with oodles of confidence and considering everything I've got coming up between now and Christmas (various craft fairs, magazine launch etc etc) it's just what I need. Watch out world!!

Buzz

This is what the inside of my head looks like - pretty eh?

A morning in the woods

Chameleon

I've lost count of the amount of times I have change my online identity over the last few years. I've always had an idea in the back of my mind how I want to be seen as an artist but never quite figured out how to do it. I have too many conflicting ideas and my style changes with the wind. But in the last 12 months I have recognised this change as a progression rather than indecision and for once I feel like all my work, as different as it may be, as more unified than ever - like all the pieces have finally slotted in to place.

So of course this required one last change for my websites. I say last, knowing full well it won't be but I will change them in the future because I am ready to move forward, not because I can't decide which style path to go down.

It's taken me a while (15 years in fact) but I have got there :D and now all the fun stuff can begin....

Summer Holidays...

The last 6 weeks have gone by in a flash. We've had sun, we've had rain, we've met up with old friends, made new ones and most of all had fun. Tommorow marks the start of a new chapter for all of us, Kamal starts at the village school so no more fighting with the traffic every day, Anya starts preschool 5 mornings a week so more fun for her and more time for me to get the business running properly and a few new projects underway (exciting ones at that, watch this space!)

4 weeks ago....

....I turned 36 and took a few days off to enjoy the garden and the family and just doing nothing. Don't get to do nothing very often.

Day in the studio

Open studios is getting scarily close now and I haven't even started thinking about it thanks to work suddenly picking up in recents weeks, so I thought I would start setting aside some time to concentrate on my paintings. With the little one starting playgroup two days a week this is becoming easier, plus I have given myself a kick start by spending the whole day in my little studio working on my canvases.

I am reworking old canvases as well as starting new ones, I think the fog has started to clear finally. I had to be strict with myself and make a few difficult decisions about my work - what I want to do and where I see myself in five years time and which means letting go of a few things and clearing out a lot of old stock and projects I am frankly never going to get around to doing. Scary but essential if I am going to succeed :D

Happy Birthday Beautiful!

Blooming

I hesitate to comment on the weather because the last time I suggested spring was here it snowed again, but a lovely warm afternoon in the garden with my two little helpers it really looks like the weather has turned finally.

The lawn was mowed, flowers water, weeds pulled, the greenhouse washed to remove the green slime that was covering it.

And this time we ventured round into the front garden to see it awash with beautiful forget me nots and left it well alone.

Snow!

Think I spoke too soon when I said yesterday the cold spell was over, look what we woke up to this morning! Just two days ago we were sweltering in bright sunshine round London, good old British weather :D

Tales from the greenhouse

Now the cold spell seems to be over (maybe) our seedlings have come up in leaps and bounds since last time, now we have cherry tomatoes....

pepper plants....

lots and lots of carrots.....

sweetcorn.....

rocket and coriander in abundance. Still waiting on a few more herbs and the courgettes but looking good so far!

London

The easter holidays are nearly over *sob* so we took a quick trip on the train to the natural history museum in London to see the dinosaur exhibition.

Spent so long round this little bit we didn't get time to look round the rest of it but did spot this beautiful fossil.

After lunch we did a bit of shopping and sightseeing, here is Big Bill (ask my daughter)

and two tired but happy faces on the train home :D

Happy Easter!

Yup we woke up to snow this morning, big fat fluffy snowflakes that settled quickly. The kids wanted to go straight out in it but we though 7.30 in the morning was a bit early, not sure the neighbours would have appreciated it. By 10 it was thick enough for a snowman! Hope everyone is having a good easter!

New Arrivals!

Please meet the new additions to our family, Charlie and Echo, 5 month old kittens we adopted from the Blue Cross Center

Little monkeys have already escaped the kitchen and found my office and I have a funny feeling they are going to spending a lot of time in here, lots of cubby holes and fun things to play with.

Signs of Spring

Was amazed to discover the nestbox that hangs outside our dining room window was busy being emptied by a blue tit - no idea if he has a mate inside it yet but hopefully it would be long before we find out!

Tales from the greenhouse - Carrots!

Yeah, I know you need a microscope to see them but we have two teeny tiny carrot seedlings...

Tales from the greenhouse

We went to check on our new little seeds in the greehouse this morning, which Anya lovingly gave a generous amount of water (I really hope they germinate!!)

The strawberries are thankfully loving the attention they are getting, will be ready for bigger pots soon, and the other seedlings are doing well. We are just waiting for the first little shoot from one of the seed trays!

Sowing seeds

Took a trip to the garden centre Saturday to buy seeds for our little greenhouse. Anya decided we needed strawberry plants (always thinking of her stomach that one) so we got two baby strawberry plants, chilli, mini cucumber and aubergine and packets and packets of veggie and herb seeds

Then came the fun bit of planting them. Really have no idea whether we did it right or not but the kids had fun getting their hands mucky and we had fun afterwards cleaning the mud out of the carpet! (It was a bit too cold and windy to do it outside.)

These little baby cacti are mine for the kitchen windowsill, guaranteed not to die in a hurry!