Filofax Anyone?

I have purchased my first filofax.

Now what do I do with it...?

I'm sitting here looking at it, and it's kind of intimidating. I think it's mocking my disorganisation!

I do need to be more organised, without a doubt. I jot 'important things' down on scraps of paper, the backs of envelopes, on odd receipts and then later  can't find those bits of paper. I will doodle, draw and write down ideas that should be in a sketchbook in the same manner with the intention of saving the scrap paper somewhere safe until it can be transferred into a sketchbook.
Instead I end up with copious amounts of crumpled paper taking up space in my bag, in pockets, in the car door and invariably they end up in the bin.

The purchase of the filofax was not a spontaneous thing. Oh no, this is supposed to be an investment. Someone (own up whoever you are) suggested it would be a good idea and managed to convince me that it was going to be the answer to everything.
I shall be able to  organise my art life so that it merges seamlessly with family, work and life outside of my head.

What am I talking about?

Any talk of studio time, forthcoming exhibitions, organising deliveries for masses of mdf, running to the 24 hour asda at 5am in paint covered overalls appears to prompt people to ask, "What sort of thing do you do?"

It's much easier to show someone plus a visual can engage them much more, however lugging around piles of 4ft square MDF isn't exactly practical. Therefore the aim is to have a mini portfolio that looks professional in all situations, hence the filofax, that universally accepted professional must have.

So, I looked at them in WHSmith. Felt a bit queasy at the pricetags and wondered why there was nothing that seemed more 'me'. The leather ones looked way too professional, the vinyl ones looked nice and friendly but much less appropriate. There was a nice patterned fabric one but it seemed to detract from what was to go inside.
I figured a filofax just wasn't for me.

However, I was milling around TK Maxx with no purpose and there it was nestled among half a dozen boxed, leather filofaxes. It's called 'Urban'; understated waxed grey/green canvas with a leather (or very good fake leather) spine. £10.

Someone else's Urban

Woohoo! :) I'm a big fan of grey/green canvasy things and the fact it isn't screaming look at me I'm brand new and shiny!
It's got several pockets (good) and is quite tactile (also good) but what excited me most  is the polypocket inside (yes I am that sad). I can keep bits of random 'stuff' in there! Those unexplainable bits of tickets, found objects etc. that I keep for incorporating into art whenever. Plus I could add more and maybe have ACEO's in.
There's a bit for business cards, bank cards etc, and a pocket that looks secure enough to hold some money so perhaps I can finally dispense with having a purse (I hate purses, they are so clumsy and never the right size for your bag/pocket/glove compartment etc).

I think I'll try having a section to write down my amigurumi patterns, and a mini folio with pictures of those too, and another section with good quality photos of finished artwork, which may or may not get
divided up into things like drawing/mixed media/sculpture as time goes on.

It might even be nice to have some drawing paper in it, and I'm surprised no-one on etsy or any of the similar sites offers drawing or watercolour paper etc for filofax use. (Feel free to steal this idea cos I won't do anything with it!)

Hopefully, filofax will be my new best friend (and thus needs a more aimable name than the filofax).
Although, there is always a chance it will end up discarded and lie forgotten about under a car seat or at the back of a drawer somewhere....

Rabbit's Rebirth

I pulled out my amigurumi rabbit pattern the other day. Now, it was just a list of numbers typed into a sticky note on the computer. Nothing to say what list of numbers refered to which individual body parts, no pictures, nothing, so it was really nice watching him/her emerge on my crochet hook.

I've changed it a little, but it's the same rabbit, it's just evolved a little bit.
This one has a loop stitch tail, basically because I didn't have anyway of making pompoms at work and didn't want to wait. I think it works okay, but could be better with maybe smaller loops or something. Definitely worth experimenting with.

Now she just needs some friends and then maybe a new home... anybody looking to adopt a little bunny?

Hopscotch

PIF Pay it Forward

I'd never heard of PIF before, but it's most definitely my kind of thing so when I came across the forum post on Folksy I just had to join in. I'm waiting on a lovely felt ipod case arriving so I can show it off on here.
In return I put up one of my new Little Owls for 20p, went and had a coffee and when I came back he had found a new home!!!
He's very quick to leave the nest because I only just made him while I was at work today. So, say hello and goodbye and hopefully his new owner will love him.

PIF

Inspiration Avenue - Wings

Ohh, love this theme as birds seem to be featuring heavily in my life right now.

I've just finished an amigurumi parrot (albeit she only has tiny little wings), a bunch of (wingless) little owls, and a paper bird for daughters birthday birdcage.

However in the true spirit of wings rather than birds, my entry is the photos below. 

These were taken at South Queensferry, looking out between the Forth Bridges and taken quickly through the car windscreen. My son and I bribed the seagulls with sandwich crusts.

P.S.

Forgot to say, my Folksy shop is open once more albeit a tad sparsely stocked for now.

Strawberry Rose

Little Amigurumi Owl

My eldest daughter is leaving home for university next week. She's all packed and looking for bits and bobs to make her flat her own. She'd seen some keyrings in a store somewhere and phoned to tell me that I could have made them so much better (aww, it's nice when your kids are proud of you). 

Of course she then asked for me to do just that, a wee owl, a wee bird or something. So here she is, my first 'Little Owl'.

She's only about 4cm high and dead quick to make. I already have a bunch of blind friends for her, they are just awaiting their eyes arriving from U.S.

I thought I might write up the pattern for other folk to make their own, so if anyone wants it just let me know so that I don't forget.

Little Owl

Lucy 8

I found a prototype amigurumi bat amongst my wool stash, so I thought I'd try for a Little Miss Muffet (not really scary) spider.
Lucy turned out to be more like an octopus though....
Maybe it's the yellow, if I'd used black fluffy wool would she have been a spider afer all?

Lucy

Life Drawing Class

There's a life drawing class every other Wednesday, which I really ought to go to much more often because I always thouroughly enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone who will stop and listen long enough.
The twenty minute poses suit my way of working and every time I go I get a little closer to drawing the way I should be, it's just a pity the class is only three hours long.
There will be an exhibition of work this September so hopefully by then I'll have something I'm truly happy with.
It feels close if that makes sense. Last night's drawings were just about what I want but I ran out of large sticks of charcoal and desperately wanted a paint brush and even bigger paper!
Check out Delta's website for details of the next class.
Pictures coming when my batteries have charged! :)

(it took a while, they were very flat).

15 minute pose

Out of Date

I've been busy crocheting again! :)
Having already moved all my wool stash etc to the studio I impulsively set out a table with some toys at the Open Studios event. Toys that had been languishing in a box from long ago. They all sold and I had a special request for some more which I couldn't refuse.
I decided to get organised and sorted through the wool stash and got a few pleasant surprises when I found wool I'd totally forgotten about or what indeed it had possibly been purchased for.
I also found a pile of snail shells that had never been given life, so I had absolutely had to finish them.
So, I'm sitting here at work (prime crocheting time!) with a row of snails staring at me wondering what to do with them. My Folksy shop has been empty for ages so I might just get round to restocking...
In the meantime I did a search for my snails on Google (why not?) and stumbled across this page this page with one of my snails on!
What a lovely surprise, even if it is almost two years later!!!