WOYWW - MINI ALBUMS!

Well it is so long since I lasted posted 'What's on your Workdesk? Wednesday'. I have missed it, as I love looking back to see the state of my workspace what projects I have been working on.  I enjoy looking at other workspaces too, and I see Julia is starting to collect mugs on hers....  a sign of business perhaps?  Julia is the host of WOYWW so do pop over and see what others have been up to and to say hi. But for now here's my floor rather than my workspace:

I came back from a creative residential this weekend and so far I have not unpacked.  Well, not wholly true.  I had almost completed a mini album and wanted to finish the last few pages, so while packing away I left this and materials I needed to hand.  Just a few last pages and it is done!  Pheww!

 

Now if this was Journal Your Christmas 2012 I would be very excited.  But actually it is 2011... (hang head in shame).  I didn't even attempt an album this year because I have a lot of UFO'S (unfinished objects) and really do not want to keep adding to the pile.  And so I took them along this weekend with intention of completing some of them. 

 

 

And .... I did! 

Here I posted about a mini album that I started to make at my monthly crop.  And now it is finished and I am so happy with it.  I don't often make albums about 'me' so I loved thinking about some of my favourite things:

 

And there is more!  I also completed not one, but TWO 'Learn Something New Every Day'  albums!2011 and 2012.  I learnt from making my first album and this time I prepared pages and embellishments in advance.  During the summer it is lovely to sit in my campervan during my lunch break and to create while I am at work.  A mini album is perfect for this, especially if everything is organised and at hand.  But I started other projects and the album was left unfinished.  And when I
look through my albums I remember how much I enjoy creating them and what they mean to me.  So there is a want to finish them and not leave them undone. And as I worked on these two albums I recognised some similarities:

2011 - floods while camping in Wales

2012 - floods while camping in Yorkshire

 

 

2011 - I waited a long time to find the boots I wanted

 2012 - This trip to Yorkshire with our son had been a long time planned 

 

And so not to disappoint - here is my workspace today.  Actually these tables live in my cabin but we swapped them at Christmas so we could comfortably fit the family round the table for dinner.  I can't currently get into my cabin to work - there are new kitchen worktops balanced on the table and it needs a really good tidy and de-clutter. Oh dear......

But this year my one word is TRANSFORMATION  and this is what I am planning!!  And with a week off work I am making a start right now. I have new bookshelves in my study and I have been busy re-organising this morning.  Time now to crack on!

Hoping to be a regular here again and have a good day what ever you are doing!

 

 

LIFE IS GOOD

I have just returned from 3 days at Grafham Waters, a creative retreat where I unwound, completed a number of mini albums, and indulged in wonderful home cooked food and great company.

This time we were a varied bunch of beaders and quilters as well as those of us who like pretty papers.  And it was surprising how much we all shared... 

• Our mountain of stash
• Ways of organising by colour or pattern 
• Our NEED to buy more even when we have abundance...  let's face it, we never have exactly the right shade, size, pattern, however many we have!!
• Our pile of work-in-progress or UFO's (unfinished objects).

And what's more, I now have a week off work to continue my unwinding....  bliss! 

It won't be continued play, as much as I would like it to be...

Projects around the home continue and I have new bookshelves in my study to fill and piles of paperwork to sort through and organise.  And as we are snowed in I don't feel any urge to leave the house so I will be list-making and setting myself challenges. 

And the occasional treat too.... because all work and NO play is not in my rule book!

Have a good week what ever you are doing. 

Just One Word for 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Have you chosen ONE WORD?  I have done this the past two years and have found it a powerful experience.  First year was 'INTUITION'.  I knew it would be a difficult time in one way or another and sometimes to sit still and just listen can be powerful and what is needed.  So it was a good reminder to do just that, and I found I can trust my intuition.  It has made me more confident, more relaxed, more self reliant.

My word for last year was PROGRESS, and again, how well chosen.  So many personal, practical, and creative projects had been started.  It felt much was in progress and I wanted it to continue; for it to be a positive year, with some of these things finally coming together towards completion.  And they have!!

 

 

My utility room is finished. 
And with it the dining room and kitchen. 
It has involved walls being knocked down and rebuilt, radiator and sockets moved, and redecoration.  My kitchen doors have been replaced (Thank you Ikea!!  I would recommend their kitchens and after service 100%). 
And I bought a bookcase from a local antique shop.  Well, that turned out to be a labour of love but after hours and hours of preparation and repainting, I love the finished look and it was just what I was after:

I have also painted and upholstered chairs and I have a table and other furniture I want to upcycle.  After years of living in limbo, not certain whether to make some drastic changes, it has finally started to fall in place. 

Phew!! 

It feels like a big relief, and it has been progress indeed, in so, so many ways.

So, what of 2013?

I still have lots of plans....  lots around the home and to do with my creativity.  But I am also doing lots personally.  I want to be fitter and more healthy, so I kicked the new year off by setting up an online group and aim to get Fit For Fun!  I am doing this with others and we will support, encourage and motivate each other.  I am using the 5:2 programme, and I'll be posting more about this another time. 

Since July I have been working through Julia Cameron's book - The Artists Way. 
Have you heard of this? 
I bought the book years ago, and was totally inspired. The corners are dog eared and I have high lighted pages and written notes in it.  I wanted to engage with it, use it.  But somehow it got hidden on the shelves among my piles of other books until an online friend invited me to join her group and to work through the book together.  Instead of completing a chapter a week, we are doing a chapter a month.  Much more manageable and realistic!!  There have been other things in my life that have also caused a shift in thinking and relating, but I can truly say this book has been AMAZING!  This also deserves a post in itself so I will save more for another time. 

So, back to my question: what of 2013?  Well, after much thought my word just has to be:

 

 TRANSFORMATION 

                 noun:

•       to make different
•       a change or alteration,
•       the act of transforming or the state of being transformed
•       a marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better.

.... because so much has changed and will continue to change this year.  It's all positive and exciting. 
I hope your New Year has got off to a good start too, and I would love to hear what your word is, if you have one.

FAREWELL 2012 !!

Well, it has been quite a year in one way and another.  My One Word for 2012 was PROGRESS and how appropriate that turned out.  In many areas of my life I made huge differences, all positive.  Of course there were some down times too, but overall it was an amazing year. When I look back, one of the things that makes me smile a lot is our family celebration of the Queen's Jubilee.  I never did get to post about it.  And so I am taking this opportunity to look back and capture a treasured memory.

I decorated the house with bunting and paper chains and prepared the table for a family lunch.  And much to my Mum's surprise and delight I'd bought in traditional Pie and Mash with liquor.  Now my son in law has never tried this and he looked a bit suspicious, but soon there were empty plates and much praising that I had come up with this idea.

Then, we made origami boats and floated these in an old tin bath. The bath belonged to my grandfather, in the days when some homes did not have a bathroom and  the family bathed in front of the fire once a week.  Some people hang on to family silver.  Me... tin baths and memories.

 

And in her usual caring way, Summer made certificates for everyone.  Some were for 'best floating boat',  'best design', and a special one for my Mum:  'Sorry you didn't win the race'.

 

After this we went to a local farm.  The weather, as you might recall, had been wet, wet, wet.  But being British we were not going to let that spoil the day.  Our farmer rearranged the 'street party' in the barn, with long tables and wonderful music that was fitting for the occasion. 

We sang, danced, and celebrated this wonderful occasion, and being with family and friends made it special and memorable.  So I am ending this year on a high, with happy memories and hoping that 2013 will bring the same and more.  Time with family and friends is precious and I wish you all good health, happiness and everything you for yourselves.

 

FAREWELL 2012

 HERE'S TO A WONDERFUL 2013 !!!