Wednesday, 25 March 2009

notes

I always like to have a note book with me. In fact I normally have more than one, in my pocket, in my bag. Note books for lists of things to do, things to buy (usually tinned tomatoes) things to look at, note books for ideas and things to make, thoughts.


Perhaps this makes me sound more organised than I actually am though. Things get written in all sorts of places, and sometimes I think I should just have one big notebook to capture everything...


But then I wouldn't have the pleasure of picking out books to use... big, tiny; soft cover, hard cover, ring bound; smooth paper, rough paper, elasticated closure...


These little books are for notes I think (or for thoughts. or for drawings of birds?) Soft paper cover, screen printed with feathers in greys and dark blues. 20 pages of various recycled papers, cream, white speckled. Each one is unique. I like little note books.


(and don't get me started on pens...)

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

neighbours

House buying is moving along. Slowly still. The whole process is still stressing me out, still more stressful than I imagined it would be. I hadn't expected to feel this out of control of the whole situation, to be relying so much on other people to sort it out, very frustrating! But hopefully (land registry administration willing) we should have the keys by the end of the month, and then the real fun begins...


We need to replace the electrics, the boiler and the bathroom for starters, then carpet the living room, remove the lino in the bedrooms (lino in bedrooms?!) and sand the floors, sort out the kitchen, decorate throughout and landscape the garden... And now I just want to get in there and make a start.


Anyway. These books were made from lino plates I cut a while back. I made three books with the prints, with three different bindings, but didn't really like any of them; all too fussy or not strong enough, so the idea got side tracked (and the books got put in box). A few months ago I found the plates again, and realised that the altered pamphlet stitch binding I worked out for some notebooks would work here too...


The trees are printed in black ink on BFK Rives grey paper, and also on various layers of tissue. I like the way the tissue changes the black to shades of grey. Perhaps it looks a bit like there's distance between the trees? Or mist. I like the idea of travelling through the trees as I turn the page...


I was also thinking of making some single prints of these trees for my shop, for framing, although I haven't quite worked out how to get the layers of paper and tissue to stay together. Or maybe it should be interactive? Choose your own arrangement type thing... hmmm.

Fingers crossed the solicitor rings tomorrow :)

Sunday, 15 March 2009

chicken book...


cluck.

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

books...

For those who couldn't make it to the bookfair this weekend, this week I thought I might give you a little peek at some of the books I had on sale there...


I like making little books (as you might be aware?!) and for the past few months when ever I've had a spare few minutes I've been doodling some little concertina books; just folding and sewing without having an end result in mind, and these are what I came up with, every one slightly different...


There are four left, and seen as it looks like I might be moving house in few weeks (whoo hoo!) and even tiny things take up space in the removal van, I've put them in my etsy shop :)

Sunday, 8 March 2009

Busy days at the book fair. Lots of talking and looking at books. And some sales, which is always nice :)


I shared the stall with Caroline and Ruth (who doesn't have an etsy shop yet, but we're working on it!) and they were very good stall mates indeed, especially as they covered for me for most of Saturday whilst I had fun helping children make books...


Above is a selection of the ones I managed to get pictures of, you can click to make them bigger (and there's some great details on there; like a mouse with his cheese inside his house, a puzzel book, galaxys through the window and Dr Who in his tardis!) All the children and young people were so well behaved and polite and talented, they were a pleasure to work with, and I was so pleased with all the creative ideas they came up with to fill their books. A good day.

Thursday, 5 March 2009

If you're any where near Leeds this weekend...


...come and say hello!

Wednesday, 4 March 2009

this evening

working it out...

Sunday, 1 March 2009

cock-a-doo

Today I went to visit our new cockrel. We hatched out a few chicks a few months ago for a neighbour and as she lives too close to other people to keep the cockrel from the brood, we're having him back. Apparently some people don't like the sound of cock-a-doodle-squark (he's still learning...) at all hours of the day. I love it though, especially when they're still learning; they flap their wings and puff out their chests, strech up their necks and open their beaks wide and... eeee-rkk! Nothing comes out, then they look at bit confused and get back to pecking or sunbathing or what ever it was they were doing...

Most of our hens (16 out of 19) and lovely Ducky the cock were killed by a mink before Christmas so it's been very lonely in the chicken shed recently :( But a few weeks ago a lovely white leghorn was left on our doorstep (in a sack!) so she's busy making herself at home and laying little white pointy eggs... and now (the as-yet unnamed) cockrel. He's black and white with a funny flat comb and orange legs, and he's still a bit stressed out from the move, but hopefully he'll be a beauty (and hopefully we'll have some little easter chicks to match!)


This un-chicken-related picture is to represent the other thing I've been doing today... 4 days until the book fair!