As many of you know I’ve had a pretty eventful & challenging 5 years. Nothing lasts forever and this is happily true for the lows as well as the highs.
My happiness barometer has always been my creative output. Some creatives make their best work in hard times but for me it’s the opposite.
When I look back on the week just passed I can feel and see how far I’ve come. I had a productive week, a sure sign that I’m feeling more settled in my relatively new country surroundings and really enjoying my art again.
I made my first cushions on a sewing machine I bought 15 years ago and have never used! Gave some boring cupboard doors a makeover, made loads of candles that would have cost upwards of £80 for below a tenner, finished painting a Xmas box for my daughter and painted a dressing table I bought on eBay. I also nprepared some ideas for our first, official art workshop in our new studio which I’m so looking forward to hosting.
Rich & I visited “Farley’s” which was was the home of photographer Lee Miller & her Surrealist, artist husband Roland Penrose. I still haven’t seen the film about her that’s just hit the cinemas but I can say that their home was inspiring and has made me want to learn more about such a fascinating & talented woman. Farleys is a 15 min drive from our studio and really worth a visit if you’re into surrealism & photography.
And here’s the fruits of my labours below.
The great thing about making your own cushion is choosing a fabric and knowing that you’re unlikely to see it in anyone else’s home. I bought this fabric for £20 per metre from Fabric Wonderland in Halland. It retailed over £100 per metre. I pulled an IKEA case apart and used one side, leaving it still attached to the zip so all I had to do was machine the front square on in my lovely fabric. I made another from scratch which took a little longer as I had to take it easy around the zip insertion.
No excuses! Grab a bag of organic soya wax online and get melting. You shouldn’t be inhaling nasty chemicals From ludicrously expensive candles. OK, buy them once if you have to for the pretty glass but then make them an eternal flame. Clean them out when finished with a quick swish of boiling water and kitchen roll, throw in a wick ( attach to bottom with a melted blob of wax) and fill them up. I,ll pop up a tutorial soon and a couple of workshops next year where we can explore making beautifully fragranced candles. How about decorating the glass with a painted design? Would make a great, bespoke present.
Rich & I made this copy of a vintage mirror which I’ll post about soon too. The green glass, Victorian lobster plate is from a set of 12 I found in a little brick a brac shop near Speldhurst.
Hello quirky!
At least we might notice you now 🙂🙃
Walnut handles screwed through painted cork mats for a bit of dimensional interest. I chopped in some wood at the bottom of one door to level it up, scraped Hines back to clean brass and egg shelled the whole lot in Cinnamon Sprinkle by Dulux to give more warmth to the living room.
Watch this space for a wall mural, making a sofa and a sale of mid century lights and some Victorian pieces from my old home
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