Clutter

First thing on my agenda today.....was to tidy up the mess I left in my studio yesterday.......it really was quite bad, even by my standards and I'm normally not worried by a bit of creative mess. Sometimes I find I can't think clearly when the mess is overwhelming, it feels like a cluttered workspace = a cluttered mind. Anyways, it's all ship shape now and it allowed me to think about what was lacking in that niche in my Altered Book.

After much thought...all of five seconds.....it came to me that actually it didn't need much more in the niche, it was the niche itself that was the problem. I had painted all the Tim Holtz tissue wrap that was in the niche and it kind of blended in with the colours on the page.....it really needed to be a contrast. Next step, rip out existing Tissue Wrap and replace with new.....ahhh, much better. Then it dawned on me that my niche needed a frame.....poor excuse for more washi tape but it worked....now I love my niche and it's contents!!!

I just want to step back in time a little bit to the period when I was selling everything off in the shop. Many customers asked me if I would sell my artwork and old class samples. The reality was that there were some pieces that had sentimental value to me, a couple that I really liked but then what the heck was I going to do with all the rest so I agreed to sell them off and donate the money to charity. Last week, I finally got around to opening the envelope with all charity pennies in it and sent off a cheque to my chosen charity, The Isobel Hospice which is where a very special lady, my friend, Tricia Livings spent her last few days. Initially, Tricia was a customer of mine but she soon became a dear friend and gave me some wonderful advice when I was going through a very difficult time. To those of you who liked my work enough to part with your hard earned cash, thank you so much, collectively you raised £550.00 and donations like this make such a huge difference to the everyday care of patients at the hospice.

On a lighter note, I'm off to pack my suitcase.....I'm flying to Holland in the morning for a creative weekend with my friend Lia Sauer, owner of De Craftorij in Ede. I am teaching three classes there and I can't wait to see her new shop. Not sure if I'll be able to blog whilst I'm away, if not, will fill you in on Tuesday.

Lin