One year ends ... Lets welcome the new one !

Hello .. it's me again :)

I hope everyone is well today ?

Today feels kind of strange, what with it being New Years Eve and all that ... I had so many plans for today, but they ended up being shelved in favour of spending the day pottering about the house and just spending time with the kids. Nothing much has been achieved today work-wise, but hey .... the house is tidy (er) and the kitchen smells of clean laundry :)

I helped Poppy to make some plaster of paris up and poured it into 2 picture frame moulds, whilst we talked about what she wants to be when she grows up .... she's decided she wants to be an actress or a singer, hehe ... bless her :D

I don't know about you guys, but I tend to feel a little melancholy at this time of year ... it's a time, for me, that always seems to remind me of those who are no longer with us. Each year that passes takes them that little bit further away.

I used to be a real party animal up until just a few years ago. I just can't seem to rustle up the enthusiasm for parties on NYE anymore.
But that's not really a bad thing ... I know that I will gain much more from a quiet evening at home, reflecting on the year that is just passing. It also sets me up for the coming year. I find January 1st a great starting point for making changes in life .. it just feels kind of natural for me...

So .... I know that I shall wake up bright and early to see in 2011 and I have a plan for the day :) I am doing some paperwork to tie up 2010, then I am making beads ;D Stuff lying in bed with a monster hangover... I want to get proactive and make a start, hehe .... so hopefully, I'll have some new bead photos to share with you real soon.

Anyway .. my end of year ramble is done with .... I just want to round off a quiet day by wishing you all a very happy New Year.
If you're off out to some party somewhere ... have the best time ever ! And if you are doing the quiet thing, then I hope you also have a lovely night ... just minus the thudding music and crowds :P

Bye bye 2010 and welcome 2011 ... A very Happy New Year to each and every one of you ... may the coming year bring you all lots of love, luck and happiness :)

looking forward

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. I have always been so bad at remembering to keep this blog updated.

Things are going to change though. Creatively, 2011 is going to be a challenging year, as I explore new media and try to figure out just where I want to take my business.

I am lucky and have been chosen as the Artist Of The Month on one of the beading forums that I frequent ... you can find this forum here ... www.beadbuddies.co.uk/forum

Part of the AOTM deal is that the featured artist keeps a blog throughout the month, to share with the rest of the forum. Hopefully this will teach me good habits and I will carry it onwards with this blog once January is over and done with .

I have decided to copy and paste every day's blog entry into this blog, so that I'll have a well established blog to carry forward after my time in the spotlight is done with :)

So here's today's entry ...

Well ... hmm ... I'm never usually very shy, but now I am having to write something about me, I am suddenly finding myself struggling with what to say ... But here I am ... day 1 of my month of blogging. I only hope that it takes you all a while to cotton onto the dull life that I lead, and keep reading.. at least for now anyway, hehe :)

Today has been a very up and down kind of day today. I still find myself suffering from a post Christmas slump, so I haven't lit my torch up today, well not since just before Christmas really. This is something which I fully intend to remedy at some point tomorrow. I have some viking commissions that need filling, so hopefully that will give me the kick that I need 

Anyway ... the up and down bit .... Today started the way it usually does lately... up early... coffee in hand, staring with bleary eyes into space for an hour until the caffine (sp?) has kicked in. Then I figured that I really need to do something positive with my day.

I started really well, deciding that I needed to rearrange the furniture in the living room. A task that I undertook with a moderate amount of enthusiasm, but I am really pleased with the results... it's so much better now :O)

Once the chaos was all set straight, I sat down with a cuppa and realised that I still had the dirty dishes to wash.... laundry to do ... cat litter trays to clear out.... ripped bin bags to clear up on the yard .. damn foxes n cats ... and I had one of those " Aarrgggggggghhhhhh !!!!!!!" moments 

One rant on facebook later and I felt better about it ... but here is the up part of my day ... later on this afternoon, my LOVELY other half decided to tell me that he had treated me to a day of learning off mandrel glass with Anouk Jasperse at Diana East's studio on the 10th of January !!! 

I could have cried, I was so touched ! It's 5 years since I last took a class from anybody, I just haven't had the money.
One of the kids (Sam, almost 13) offering to peel and dice the spuds for tea has also helped to change what could have been a really bad day into a fantastic day !

On a creative note, I have decided that I really want to diversify this year. I even went as far as buying some fimo and some air dry clay the other day too. My first thought was (obviously) to make beads, but I got to looking at some mixed media mosaics using poly clay tiles, and bingo ! All I need to do now is have a go. 

One of my favourite artists, Hundertwasser, is absolutely perfect for inspiration too ... so for now I shall end tonight's  ramblings with a picture to help visualise the kind of mosaics I have in mind ... 

Night night xx