Well, not me personally, you understand, but some of my work!

Now this is exciting.

So let me take you back a bit.

You remember the Open Studios?  Back in June?

And do you remember that I told you that a gallery had expressed interest?

Well, Vitreous Art at the Wakefield Estate between Towcester and Milton Keynes is now showing some of my work, so I popped over to have a look.

They have some stunning work on display.  I feel honoured.

They also do stained glass workshops - there was one running when I popped over which meant I was not able to go mad with the photos. It was full.  People were learning about Glass Fusing.





My work is next to some really established artists.

My photos don't really do it justice.  If you look at their gallery pages you can see better detail of some of the artists they stock.

Better still, pop up and have a look (if you are in the vicinity). The cafe next door does great tea and cake!

... to match that dress.

If you remember, a couple of posts back I shared my foray into dressmaking - the first time for many years.  And I was very pleased with the result. Making a pattern from a dress I already have means that I have something that fits and suits! I am chuffed, I really am.

I had fabric left over, so decided to make a bag - a matching bag, though to wear the dress and have the bag at the same time might be a bit over the top. Yep, and you guessed it, no pattern - so I had to make my own.

Anyway, I lined it too, so although made from dress fabric it should be quite strong, though it is not designed as a shopping bag, and I used some leather off cuts I had for the handles.

I am please with the result.  Basket style.  I mulled over the idea of having a flap, but I don't have a decent closure and thought a popper would be a bit naff. So a simple boxy basket style it is.


It's the same bag - this is just down to the variation in the fabric!


I used pelmet vilene for the bottom and the sides to give it stability, and a lighter vilene for the narrow ends. It is lined with an off cut of quilting fabric - something I had in my stock - and I doubled the leather for the handles as it is a very soft finish leather and would not be strong enough on its own.  And the lining even has a couple of pockets! Golly but I am on a roll!

I am so please with this I am tempted to try a smaller bag - a little shoulder purse or similar.  I have still got fabric.

And so in the spirit of remembering, I went on the Ghost Train!


And admired the lovely roundabouts.






And then the next day was one of the few glorious days we seem to have had this year, so I took the dogs down to the beach for a morning coffee (me, not them, and I was sitting Molly - she of Rob Turner China.)

That is the Isle of Wight out there!



And we watched the local sailing club get their dingys ready. It all looked very complicated, and these things look more like kites, if you ask me!


Its a shingle beach!



And in the distance we could see the yachts racing off Cowes - it was the first weekend of Cowes Week.


And an enormous tanker out of Southampton seemed to be cutting right through the middle, though I am sure that was just an illusion.

In a recent post I shared with you one of my dog walks in the heart of the 'home counties'.

But you may know, if you pop by this little bit of bogland from time to time, that my other home is down on the Southcoast - Gosport (next to Portsmouth and opposite the Isle of Wight).



Or rather this is my proper home - the day job is based in Milton Keynes, hence my 'home from home' in Buckinghamshire.

And recently you may have been aware that the latest competition for the  Americas Cup has just kicked off - its a big sailing jamboree.

The British Olympic sailing hero, Ben Ainslie, is leading the British team.

And Portsmouth has thrown it's support behind the British Team. A new HQ building has been constructed right on the harbour, tucked behind the Still and West (the pub that guards the Portsmouth harbour mouth) and right next to the Isle of Wight ferry terminal.


(This fab photo is taken from a friend's balcony. They have a flat in Gunhwharf Quays and a happy evening can we wiled away watching the coming and goings of the ferry! There's the British Ben Ainslie Racing building behind.)

The racing kicked off in Portsmouth, and so it was that on a recent sunny Saturday we found ourselves on the Haslar Sea Wall at Gosport, squinting through binoculars watching the racing.


That is one of the racing yachts - with the bright red sail. And one of the sea forts that sits in the Solent off Portsmouth.  I am not sure which one this is, but think it is Spitbank Fort - once a key part of the Harbour (and Navy) defences, now a swanky hotel!

But I think this photo gives you a feel for how huge the Americas Cup yachts are - or rather how large their sail area is.  This one is the New Zealand boat, sponsored by Emirates Airlines.

I have never seen so many boats in the harbour.





We all enjoyed the sunshine.



But the next day was so awful that the racing was cancelled! It was wet and windy and cold! So cold that we had to put a fire on! And it was the last weekend in July, for goodness sake!!

Ok, so I might be slacking a bit on the art front, but I haven't dried up completely.  As I mentioned in my last post I have been doing a bit of dressmaking.

Back in April, at the Quilt Village show at Uttoxeter ( which, by the way, is likely to be my only quilt show this year - but that's a whole other story in itself) I bought some fabric from the African Fabric Shop.

I find the day job really satisfying but boy, does it eat into my creative time and sap my creative energy!

And then that old adversary insomnia popped back this week - so that's me wiped out then.

What's a girl to do?  Why - wander the web of course.

I have a week in Italy planned for the beginning of September and I am getting more determined to start creating little travel journals. I dabbled last year, when I was in Spain, but it was just that, a dabble. This year I want to be much more creative while I am away.

Watercolours travel well. They are small and compact and I do like the effect that you can create with them.  So I have been doing a bit more research.

And first up I found this from The Frugal Crafter. Boy can she talk! If you can get over the chitter chatter then it is fascinating to see how she builds up the picture. Little things like "start with wet paper and a big brush and move to dry paper and a smaller brush" - a little gem of a tip! That is something I can remember.

And her use of a sponge and paper towel to help create the texture - another brilliant tip. She dabs away at the wet paper to marvelous effect.



What I love about this is that it is not a masterpiece - I would not want this on my wall, but perfect for a sketchbook.

Next up I found this. Again using watercolour, but a very different approach. Not so useful for a little travel journal - I am not taking stencils and a pot of gesso with me - but nevertheless a usefull technique for a creating backgrounds. One to try for some textured background papers I think.

In the meantime, I have been a bit busy doing a spot of dressmaking. I will share that in my next post.  

As you know, if the day job gets a bit much I can find it difficult to make time to create work (or even do sketch booking - though I do try!)

Then, if you pop by this little bit of bogland from time to time, I go off on little web wanders, read blogs etc.

And I found this on the Paperartsy blog.



Now this might not be your style, but it is the process that I found very interesting. It is based on Russian imagery.  Worth having a look if you are a painter. 

The whole of the base colour is gold, and then other colours are added on top but leaving some of the gold exposed. And because many Fresco paints are translucent the gold shows through.

I might give this a try in my sketch book.

(Note: if the link does not work try pasting this address into your browser

http://blog.paperartsy.co.uk/2015/08/2015-14-inspired-by-russia-by-liz-borer.html )

• If I were to boil this situation down to two choices, what would they be?
• What kind of openings for opportunities can I see in my life?
• There is always another way. What other options can I see?
• Am I prepared to move into a new light? See from a new perspective?
• Am I ready to cross over from one phase into another in my life?

ps. Sorry about the formatting. It's all wrong I know, but looks fine in the template and I can't fix it. Grr!