New Keyring in the shop

See my new keyring in my shop, do you like it?

Meet my up-cycled quilt!

Hi everyone,

I have missed you!  Haven't posted as much as I normally do because I have been a busy bee!  The last week or so I have been making this quilt!

I am really quite proud of myself, never made anything like this before, but I was inspired by this post, though I made mine without a book or pattern or anything, basically made it up as I went along with bits and pieces I had around the house.  It didn't cost me anything to make, and it even has an eco element because I used some of my husbands old shirts in the patchwork, the whole of the back and all the binding!  You can tell I am excited can't you?  

It is quite thickly padded which made binding it a bit difficult, I spent a long time cutting and ironing the strips, and even longer pinning the binding all round the edge of the quilt.

It certainly isn't the best binding in the world, as you can see, but it was a first attempt after all.

I am really pleased with it and proud of myself.  I would definitely been keen to have another go.  I have got loads of squares left because I cut tons a few years ago with the intention of making a huge quilt, but then realised it would look hideous so just chose the blue ones to make this quilt. I could choose another colour way from the selection I have for another quilt. 

Hope you have all been having a lovely week.  I have another keyring to put in the art shop, and some vintage map envelopes for the craft shop which I will put up in the next couple of days.  I have so many things I want to do, including my wreath tutorial which I promised weeks ago!  I am sure I have lots of news to share with you, like my lovely hubby on Valentines day and the fact that I have been poorly, and my recent sales, but they will have to wait for another day.

TTFN

xxx

Absolute joy!

Faithful God

I feel really happy today, it has been a stressful week at work and today was the climax.  We were having observations from the senior leadership team AND people from the council.  We were told the day but not what lesson they were coming into. When I found out they would be coming in on Thursday I just thought "oh no" because Thursday is my worst teaching day, I have dreadful classing including nightmare year 9's, offensive year 10's and wild year 8's. My only nice class on that day was year 11period 1 so I was really hoping that I would be observed for this lesson, not only because they are nicer to teach but also because it was the first lesson of the day so I would be able to relax a bit after that if they came in then. I talked to another teacher who was observed on Wednesday and he was observed in his year 10 lesson and said that I would probably be observed either in my year 9 or 10 lesson.  I didn't hear of any other teacher who was observed during a year 11 lesson so was bracing myself for a year 10 or 9 observation and planned the lessons really really well.  I did the least amount of planning for year 11 because I thought they were the class that would be least likely to be observed.  That was how convinced I was that I wouldn't be observed with them.  So I prayed and prayed last night that they would come into my year 11 lesson, and I prayed again this morning, remembering that "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14), and about 15 minutes into my year 11 lesson one of the Deputy Heads came in to observe me. I was so pleased and relieved and thankful.  In my heart I was praising God!
I thought I could relax then for the rest of the day but instead God decided to play a joke on me and sent another inspector into my period 2 lesson (year 8). I couldn't believe it, but when I told her that I had already been observed she went away "phew"  Ha ha God, very funny.  But what was interesting was that she showed me her timetable for observation and she was correct to come into my lesson, it was the first observer wasn't timetabled to be there.  This proved to me even more that it was all God's work.  What a faithful God!

New Mixed media painting

Oooh I am so excited to share this painting with you today.  It has taken me all day so far to do.  Not sure it is finished yet but I just had to share it with you all because I am so excited.  It is so vibrant and totally different from the paintings I have done before. I feel quite shivery when I look at it.  Did I really make this?  I love it! (Am I allowed to say I love my own paintings?)
Well see what you think.  Feedback always welcome as you know:

New keyring for shop and my prize

I entered a giveaway on Dinosaur Toes a while back to win a painting  by Brittan Davis from Little Owl Arts and amazingly I won!!  So I am now the proud owner of a beautiful watercolour.  Can't wait to get it in a frame and on the wall, I love the colours and the delicateness of it. She also has an Etsy shop with more of her beautiful paintings and felt accessories and jewellery.  Here are my appreciation photos:

Also, I have a new keyring in the shop:

Hope you like, and hope you are having a good weekend. 

Not made for this world

Do you every wonder if you weren't really made for this world?  I wondered this to myself today.  Got up and ready to go into town and put on my new coat and my best red shoes and felt very jolly and pretty and was looking forward to browsing the charity shops and market. Then I got into town and it was so noisy and bustly.  I had people barging into me, so was dodging in and out of the crowds, it was grey and miserable, my coat was rucking up, my shoes began to rub, my handbag kept falling off my shoulder, my hair was being blown into my face, I was sweaty, and pretty soon I no longer felt jolly or pretty and decided to go home before I had a nervous breakdown! The image of the world that is in my head when I close my eyes is very different from the reality, I have built a really pretty world for myself in my mind and sometimes I forget it isn't the reality.  Then I get disappointed when I realise it isn't true.  I feel like I am like Lilly Allen in her video LDN where everything seems lovely and colourful and sweet but then when she takes a second look the spell is broken and she sees the reality. Take a look:



When I am making art work I am in such a day dream sometimes that when I look up and outside of the window, I almost have to rub my eye, like there is something wrong with them because I just can't believe how grey the world is at the  moment.  Sometimes I wish I was living in my own fantasy because it just seems so much prettier than the reality.
I think my dream world look something like this, all pinky hued, note also the geraniums, the bunting and the Roberts Radio:



And also a bit like this:

Lolas Room

Gabrielle Kai

Skippy Designs

"If I find in myself desires nothing in this world could satisfy... I can only conclude that I was not made for here." - C.S. Lewis

Do yo have a fantasy world?  What is it like?