How dreadfully boring it must be for you to read here that I have been too busy and not in the right frame of mind to create this week.  Although, I mindlessly started knitting a 1x1 rib scarf from some homespun yarn....  I really like the texture of this scrap of knitting.  It has soothed me.

The saddest thing is that I'm working this weekend too.  Although, for the first time in my life I am being paid overtime... normally I would take time in lieu or flextime... but I already have so much flextime accrued that it was starting to become ridiculous. And really, this is a case of a manager far removed from me making last minute decisions which significantly increased the workload of my little group at a time when I just couldn't-fit-any-more-in.  So they can pay the workerbee to make this all happen for them - they'll meet their bonus targets this year LOL.

In addition to "The Fun Adventures of Claire's Engineering Career" - we played and lost our touch football final on Tuesday, I went to an exhibition opening on Wednesday, had a hairdressers appointment on Thursday and last night watched the touch football grand final in the wintery rain, then had pizza and talkies with friends at their house.See.  The excuses never end.  I hate excuses by the way, never use them if I can help it... no one wants to hear them.  Least of all you I'm sure.

So.  Onwards.  Here are a few links I have recently enjoyed:

Meabh Warburton: A tapestry weaver who currently lives in the South of France (sigh).  Lots of glimpses of her life and artistic process.  I'm glad I re-found this blog.

Rag and Bone: Books, book art, bookbinding, paper craft, paper making, box making, journaling, design, print & patterns, textiles, origami, art events - the blog of a bookbindery.

Design?DNA: The blog of Amy from Nashville; I love the mix of stuff that has come up on Amy's blog - especially the textile and architecture related bits :-)

I seem to be going pretty well with painting in my journal at the moment so I decided to buy some pre-stretched canvases and to do some paintings for our bedroom.  The painting of the bottle above came together pretty quickly and I like it.

The bowl has been hard, I've repainted it a few times and it still isn't right.  And all the photos I've taken of it show a terrible rubbed halo around the bowl, which I can't see in real life. 

But regardless of this, the two paintings go pretty well together because I used a similar palette for both and the same horizon (or whatever you call it).  I'll probably tweak around with the bowl a bit more before I call it done. 

I've got another canvas and I want to paint something along similar lines, probably of one of my painting jars.  I like painting transparent things, I think.

Here are a few links I have enjoyed recently:

How to make a felt Rug.  A visual treat from Festive Fibers from New Hampshire.  I had to google NH to work out what it meant LOL.

Strange Maps:  Do you love maps? Old maps, new maps, silly maps or any maps?  This blog is for you.  I'll probably be hunting through there for months to come.

Zimmermainia:  This blog is for people to post about knitting from Elizabeth Zimmermann's patterns/books/writtings.   You may nor remember it, but I am knitting a jumper (sweater) for myself using a 'recipe' from EZ's Knitting without tears.  I picked it up to knit a bit more last night, but cant find the colour chart I made for the yoke.  I may have to do another design.

Illustration Friday: The blog, lots of great links about illustration and art.

Painting is addictive.  I've been drawing more 3d shapes... I accidentally cut this drawing up (just started hacking into something crappy on the other side, turned the page, gasped and realised I just cut up my favourite page of the day- a heap of overlapping, transparent cylinders.  Oh well.  I stuck the leftovers down on another page and nearly like it just as much.

The lid of my bottle of clag glue isn't orange, but I liked it that way so I left it.

 More links I have enjoyed recently:

Ruby Crowned Kinglette: The blog of Stephanie from Seattle.  Textiles, art and magnificent photography.  Totally inspiring.

Dancing Crow: The blog of Lee Thomson. Quilts using strong imagery... YAY!!

18kt: The blog of Masaoms from Barcelona.  luscious Images of beautiful jewelery.  I love the shapes.

A bowl with a spiral

Cones.

I bought some artist quality acrylic paints recently and I've discovered that my red paint will not produce a good purple.  I think I need to get a 'blue' red to make it work.  I love the oranges and greens I'm getting though.... I love green :-)

Edited to add... These were done in my journal, the additional/contrasting rectangle is a partial section from the opposite page from the main painting (digital cut and paste).

More play :-)  Ink, paint and fabric.

I spent a fair portion of today dyeing fabric, about 50m.  It is all going through the washing machine at the moment.  Unfortunately I ran out of yellow dye half way through, which had a major impact on the colours I could go for.  There is probably about 10m which will need to be overdyed.

Here are some recent links I have enjoyed:

El Cielo Studio - the blog of quilt artist Suzie Monday from Texas.  Yet another blog which I plan to read through over the next week.

The Website of Stuart Haygarth - a lighting designer and artist from the UK.  I recommend that you have a good browse through his products and projects sections. His Dungeness piece reminds me a little bit of the rock drawings of Sue Lawty.

The Incomplete Manifesto - from Bruce Mau.  I think I'll read this one a few more times as there is heaps of stuff there which is very applicable to me.

Book by its Cover - is the blog of Julia Rothman from Brooklyn. Images of books from her collection.  I am particularly interested in her links for artists books and I plan to get back and explore them all in the near future.

I'll be away for a few days for work.  Chairing a meeting of engineers who work in the same field as me.  I still have to prepare a short presentation on the formal risk management process we have implemented in our region.  Ho well, life isn't all a barrel of laughs I suppose.

Thank goodness I have a creative outlet, even if I'm rather crap at it sometimes.  Case in point:

but, we are all about wrecking these days, so I'm fine with it.

Keri Smith has just launched a new project called Wreck This Journal.  So in the spirit of letting go and being a bit more free and open with my creativity, I have glued some stuff into my journal :-)

Bay leaves glued around an outline drawing of a little pottery vase.  I was hoping the leaves would add a nice savory aroma to my journal, but I think the clag glue may have drowned it out. 

I found the dried brown leaf on the floor this morning so included it in the glue party.  It was probably carried in on the fur of my dog, Reuben. (so I feel like it is 'very Keri')

Fabric glued over the top of a drawing I did of these pods.   I have had these pods in my workroom for years and they have popped up in various bits and pieces I have done over time.

Last week I was given some fleeces, which have been sealed up in a drum for 20 years.  Given their vintage I decided to wash them straight away, so I have spent the last couple of days washing, rinsing and drying wool.  They are in pretty good condition, surprisingly.  One was very dirty and will need careful carding prior to spinning, but one is a gloriously long stapled beauty with hardly any vegetable matter.  I spun up a sample and it looks very promising. 

My sister Meg, who is an artist, has made her first foray onto the internet by setting up a myspace page for herself :-)   I'm not at all familiar with myspace, so I have not worked out how to actually view the photographs of her art yet... perhaps I have to set up an account for myself (?).

The tree that was making a shadow on the rubbish skip earlier this week.

You know.  After the whinge in my last post, I started a new quilt.   It was like I needed to get the little bit of frustration out that was blocking my creative system because, almost immediately and with out much thought, I just started something.

I also think I've been reading too many home decorating/style blogs lately as I am trying out 'colour stories' for my new quilt (I never would have termed it that way before... never). 

The grey and the red are already committed (ie sewn together), it is just a matter of the greens.  And what how I will proceed to an applique design...  I had thought of covering the quilt in circles (similar to the sample in my last post), but I have started to have more grandiose plans.   Which could result in disaster or brilliance LOL.

Now, I have had a rough day at work.  I have cried and now feel totally wiped out.  So I'm gonna go to bed (leaving Riscy in charge of the chicken soup which is simmering on the stove) and I will wake up bright as a button tomorrow, ready to tackle all things engineering and all things quilt  :-)

I've been feeling a little weird lately, keen to make something (anything) but I'm not totally committed to making anything in particular.  Do you think it has anything to do with me turning 30?  Perhaps I should have had a party to mark the occasion and then move on... instead, it is a constant thought... "I'm in my 30's I should be doing stuff.... all that stuff."

Anyway, I'm feeling this way and the entry deadline is looming for the FABRICATE juried show.  Last year I had a piece that I knew in my gut was good so had no real hesitations about sending in an application... this year I have nothing. So the question is... do I force it or just go and read in bed?

Actually (and moving on to a more positive place).  I do have a couple of ideas, but I don't have the right coloured fabrics dyed up.  Perhaps I'm due for another dyeing weekend... this weekend. Ok it is decided.  I can go and read in bed now, and do some dyeing on the weekend so I can actually make the quilts I am imagining. Solved. (maybe)

Now some links:

Feltbug: The blog of Mandy Prowse from London, she works in textiles, sculpure, papier mache ...yummo :-).  I'm definitely going to sit back and browse through this blog more over the coming days.

Self v's Self: The blog of Hazel Dooney from Australia, she is a painter. This blog is aptly named as Hazel is quite introspective, a good read and pretty thought provoking at times.

Found Object: The blog of  Tay MacIntyre of Portland.  I love the way she snaps photos of inspirational things she see's about the place, she uses her camera the way I should.  She also has a online shop selling her jewellery called Twirl... I am totally in love with her bowl rings