B u r s t i n g

 

 

 

I have been traveling on this path, and it has a distinct hue of greens and bursts of rainbow colours.

I think it is the Light, you know. That has been showering us and then the shedding of shadows, yes,

the shedding, that has been good. * shrugs *

 

My life a kaleidoscope of children and lights and colours and many places to discover.

I am on track, and my path is brilliant, even with the pot holes and the unexpected hill here and there.

I have been writing. A lot. There is a stain of black ink on my fingers that has not left yet. Not for months. And there is lots of bubbling ideas and colourful illustrations sitting in folders.

I am creating and walking and shedding and most of all enjoying the Light.

 

I will be back soon with more photos and I hope I still have some readers left on my blog.

I have been too quiet. Too absent.

 

But I will be getting back into sharing bits of my life, my art, my creations and my loves.

 

If you are reading along, hello!

I certainly hope you are enjoying this wonderful Season as much as we are!

 

xxx

 

 

Surrounded

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am surrounded with all the things that I love so dearly.

 

This endless green certainly is beautiful.

Thank you Seasons, for all this wonderfulness

 

x

 

random me

Cloudbuster. Potential poet and photo taker. Limbo dancer. Nail biter. Cake baker. Bread hater. Lemon green tea drinker. Licorice lover. Old book junkie. Remote. Private. Outspoken. Digger and diver. Driven and driver. Ecclectic. Traditional. Cliche. Contrary. Redhead. Freckled. Lost. Quietly. Seemingly balanced. Word wanderer. Ponderer. Dreamer. Simplistic. Easily pleased. Hobo. Slave to morning coffee. Mediator. Peacekeeper. Meditator. Sensible. Risk taker and rule breaker. Random.  Pointless. Up hill climber. Wall flower. Found.

blue for you. little blue book {four}

little blue book of diddles fiddles and doodles

Fancy that...

There is nothing fancy about me really. I am a bit of a simpleton. 

I do not have a large studio room to call my own. Instead I have my bits and bobs stacked and stored just about everywhere around the entire house. This is what we call the Treasure Hunt; having to find what you are looking for, and finding things that you lost ages ago instead. My working space is my house, where ever I can sit, that is not overwhelmed with toys and whatnots. I sit at the kitchen table, highly damaged by over use, and always have the company of someone little chatting to me as I work. 

I don't have fancy supplies either. Only own one paint brush. A tiny wonky one that I do all my painting and lettering with. I have had it for years, and has been used by many little hands. I can't get myself to go and buy another one, unless this one fall apart completely. 

Finding pencils in this house is impossible. We think there is a Pencil Gremlin around that eats them at night when we sleep, since any newly purchased ones get lost within the 24 hour time frame. 

So I use what I can find. 

Alas, my watercolour paints are messy and much loved. I rarely wipe away old colours. 

Because you know, I might have to use 'that' particular colour again. 

But I do love messing about on paper. 

Creating images that make me happy and smile. At the kitchen table, with little people talking to me,

with my mediocre and damaged art supplies. 

I am just not very fancy 

Oh If you would like to join in on my Give Away

there is time until Friday to leave a comment here

x

Home

I am often alone, and rarely lonely.

I am very quiet, and never shut up.

I thrive on stress, but hate feeling pressured.

I am utterly lost, and don't wish to be found.

I am married, but have no ring.

I love the quiet, and fill it with music.

I am compulsively restless, and dream of doing nothing.

I don't like weeds, but wish my garden was a carpet of poppies. 

My memory is abysmal, but I can't let go of the past.

I despise shopping, but love going out.

Just so I can get that "coming home" feeling.

So long

Goodbye to dear August. Soon you will leave us for yet another year. 

 

 

 

On thursday our children will return to school. And I will return to work. It somehow makes me sad nevertheless. Even with the weather staying quite beautiful here in the South of France for quite some time still. I will miss the colours. Time does go by too quickly. 

So long, Summer. You have been wonderful!

Revival

For many years I have had my sofa, large, heavy and loved much too much. 
It's creamy colour faded and tired. It traveled with me from Ireland, to Holland, to England and now it 'lives' in France.  And I simply could not get myself to get rid of it. It's sits five children and a grown up easily. So we spent two days dyeing it a deep red, and making new cushions.

It is now the happy bright area in the house! Bursting with colour.

[In my perfect world, my sofa would be light and creamy white, it would survive little children's hands for about 24 hours :) ]

Because I just love it, no matter how old and worn out it is. 

... and after all that work, it is time for a cappuccino. Or perhaps even two!

• I have closed my shop, by the way. I am working on totally new 'things' and sadly I am not able to do both + be a mum to five during the Summer Holidays. I feel badly, but I re-counted my hands, and there is still only two of them. No matter how much I have wished to have at least another two sets .... 
• [ really excited about the new stuff ] *does one of those happy dances*

All you need is love

It has been over two and a half years. In many ways time has flown by, in other ways it has felt like a crawl. But we are in France for a while now, and finally I have started turning my house into a home. What kept me? I don't know really. But I have felt very lost. Not always in a bad way. Sometimes I feel it has pushed me in ways that nothing else could have done. 
But we are here, in our old stone church home, with an ancient grave yard as our neighbours and the mountains and endless trees over looking us. 
I can't believe it took me this long to realize that all we need is love. No matter where we are. Home is something that is on the inside, not the outside. 
I made this large linen cushion yesterday, to remind myself that I am actually blessed with all the good stuff. You know, the love stuff. 

For you

Our love has changed,

It’s not the same,

And the only way to say it

Is say it .. it’s better.

I can’t concede,

This way I feel,

For all the time we spent, together,

Forever .. just gets better.

See what I’m trying to say is:

You make things .. better

And no matter what the day is,

With you here .. it’s better.

I’ll stand by you,

If you stand by me.

I think time that I, reveal it,

‘Coz I believe it

It’s better

See what I’m trying to say is:

You make things .. better

And no matter what the day is,

With you here .. it’s better

Ooh the more I .. talk .. to .. you

The more in love with

E .. vry .. thing .. you .. do

Doo doo doo doo doo doo

See what I’m trying to say is:

You make things .. better

And no matter what the day is,

With you here .. it’s better

Our love has changed

It’s not the same

And the only way to say it

Is say it .. it’s better

[ Tom Baxter/Better ] 

Click to listen to this song

Happy Father's Day/Birthday Richard
Thank you for making everything in 
our lives better
x

Vive la différence

In between doing lots of painting -there I go again- I put a frame together, and painted that too! [ blame the hands, the brain has nothing to do with it ]
I had no print/picture that would fit it's large size, so I painted something myself. Which seems to be such a running theme in our home lately. The celebration/acceptance of being yourself. And if you happen to be different, it is nothing to be ashamed of, it should be celebrated *nods* 

I can't say I am done. The bed room is next, then the hallway and landing.

And truth is that I am not quite done with the living room yet. Or the kitchen.  

But I 'need' to do some work on paper, and will be adding lots of new cotton tapes to my shop in a week or so. I am not too happy about my shop being closed, but it is the only way to get my to-do-list to shrink. 

In the mean time, if you get a chance, go and do something different, be different somehow. It is a great feeling to to break out of routines. 

x

Long Weekend

 

Dirty socks are mandatory on a weekend out.

It's been such a long and hot weekend. Summer has truly arrived in our little part of the world. The flowers are blooming every where, and we are counting lizards yet again, and discovering weird and wacky creatures living in the garden. Dipping ourselves in the river near our home was a perfect way to end our day. 

Hard to believe that the Summer Holidays are so near. 

Where does time go? 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!