*Leaps from behind a curtain with jazz hands*
Yes I'm still in one piece. Plans may have gone a little awry over the past couple of weeks but The Colonel and I have made it through alive and mostly in one piece. My wibbly brain did its thing again at the beginning of the month and, as a consequence of its impishness I spent the greater part of a week under a blanket in that freaked-out world that only my mental pathways can create! To illustrate, I shall harness the powers of The Colonel and his photo journal -
Where's the kitty?
So anyway. Fortunately, a couple of gorgeously lovely people had given me inspiration for a couple of projects so I dragged myself back to the realms of (tenuous) reality, raided the craft cupboards and got crackin' with some arty fartyness, which eventually helped me to find some momentum....a controllable tempo. My inner metronome has a wanton arrhythmia which plays havoc with my focus, but working with repetitive tasks is a control and valuable measure. Avoiding more random, unfocused arty pursuits, I rooted out my needles, threads and fabrics and began stitching. Wow did it help..... Hell yeah! I can't show you too much of my efforts as I know that they're winging their way to recipients as surprises from lovely fellow bloggers, but one item has arrived safely at its destination so I can at least post a few piccies to give you an idea of what I've been up to:
.....iiiiiiiiiiiit's a journal bag!! It's red plooshy squooshy velvet with pretty butterfly fabric lining and, oh, a LOT of yarn, sari silk and cord tassely goodness! I love colour. So shoot me. And yarn. And fabric. I am weak and have no self control. *sigh* .....but it's so FLUFFY!
It was delivered to its new lovely owner along with the red 'key' journal. It is very cuddly! I mean, not entirely PRACTICAL, but it's full of luscious colour and lovely woolly goodness!
I have made a journal pouch for myself as well, but it IS practical, I'm afraid! It fits in my bag without getting tangled on stuff and holds my journal and pens - it'll do nicely...
I know, I know, but it's still cuddly! My lovely blog buddy Kathy from Kathyinozarks has nudged me into embellishing so I think what I'll do is wait 'til I'm finished with this journal, THEN foof-up the bag, pimp it out with yummy yarns and beads and such so that it stands out on the shelf amidst the rest of the journaly chaos! Whaddaya think? And if you love the idea of scrumptious hand-spun, hand-dyed bespoke yarns, go give Kathy a visit and say hi!
*ARROOOOO--GAAAAHHHH! SENTIMENTALITY ALERT!*
Actually - that brings me around to something that's been on my mind for a while. In this world of disassociated, disembodied anti-social media, the BLOG seems to stand alone as a place where intelligent, kind, generous, talented and friendly people can find a genuine meeting of the minds with fellow bloggers. The people I have met through blogging are all - without exception - inspiring and welcoming. I've had such dreadful and life-shattering experiences with people in my life that it left me broken and devoid of trust. I want to take the opportunity to thank you, my fellow bloggers for helping me to begin to rebuild my faith in humanity. You are a true gift. I've asked some of you if I can feature one or two of your photos in my blog posts and THANK YOU for saying yes! Over the next few weeks I'll be highlighting as many amazing blogs as possible and I hope that you'll go visit and let them enrich your lives as they have mine.
And now, schmaltz over, moooooooving on....I have three new journals up on Etsy. They're roughly 8"x4.25" and are ideal for art journals! Here's a sneak peek:
Happiness journal:
Oriental Splendour journal:
Uk post prices are still as cheap as chips, however I've noticed that fees to ship overseas are not quite such a bargain. I've priced by the best weight option including very basic shipping insurance and I've decided that I'd rather play safe with selecting shipping weights as reducing packaging can result in damaged goods, which is not acceptable. What I CAN promise is that I'll fill each and every parcel sent with treats and goodies right up to the shipping limit, so that the cost of shipping will be offset by having a box full of awesomeness to open and enjoy. Post fees will effectively be offset with fun and useful goods. It's scary that it costs the same amount to ship just one book as it does to ship a box filled with extra stuff. I can't help feeling that post services are simply out to diddle us out of our hard earned cash. What do you think of post charges? Do they stand in the way of your sales? I'd be interested to know how you handle the problem so let me know if you'd like to by leaving a comment below.
I have a week full of posts for you. As promised, I have some journaling ideas, tutorials and exercises which I hope are helpful. I have a look at a couple of my canvases and more besides. Better late than never, eh?! I'll leave you today with a colourful journal page and a big hug of thanks for visiting me and being epically patient with me and my useless temperamental (emphasis on the 'mental'!) brain! See you soon - Shroo :) xxx
