Tangerine Trees

Been soooo busy lately. What with sorting out invitations for my 30th Birthday extravaganza (it isn't for a while yet, but time's a ticking, and I do like to be organised!), the dreaded annual car insurance search (done!), and still finding time to celebrate the bank holidays and socialise (two barbeques within one week, heavily featuring my first attempt at banoffee pie, and fridge cake, just like they had a the Royal Wedding! I so need to do my Denise Van-work-Outen DVD...)

I've also been fairly prolific with my creative dalliances. I think it's the impending pressure of the Summer shows coming up. I've just had 2 pieces accepted for Bury Art Week. I haven't shown there before so am quite excited. Then there's the Great Sheffied Art Show, which is pretty much the highlight of my year. I'm hoping to submit four or five pieces for selection next weekend (haven't quite decided yet), so I'll have fingers and toes and all other appendages crossed, and hope you will on my behalf also!

I've recently reprised my doodled trees motif and am quite pleased with the result.

I've been told that the effect is quite pschedelic, and although that was not the intention originally, I kind of agree, what with the tangerine trees, power flowers and retro backdrop.

I'm not going to put this in my Folksy shop just yet, as I think this is one of the pieces I'll submit for GSAS.

I also completed this trinket box recently, which is available on Folksy, and was inspired by a couple of European trips.

Who knows, maybe if I keep working this hard I'll treat you to a post about a wonderful little workshop myself and the lovely Stacey Grimey-Grime participated in this weekend.

What busy-busy bees!

grey matters.

I've realised lately I just love grey. Not the most exciting of shades, often used to describe something, or someone dull and boring.

Picking my outfit this morning, and pairing a cute but simple loose grey top with a crochet detail neckline, with my pillar-box red jeans, got me thinking about why.

Maybe its the sky at the moment, or the industrial landscape I've been growed-up in. I can't get enough of dove-grey eyeshadow to bring out the brown-ness of my eyes, my Bella Swan-esque cable knit gloves, the trusty grey stereo-print hoody my younger brothers covet, nonchalant t-shirts, thermal tights (much less harsh than opaque black), stonewashed grey denim...the list goes on...

I much prefer a grey suit on a man to a black one. One day I hope to decorate my boudoir like a stark, grey side-ward in a lunatic asylum. Serious!

Grey goes with everything, whether spangling up with sequins, metallic knits (like my favourite metallic grey cardi which, you guessed, I can't get enough of!), or gold or silver jewellery which match equally well, or clashed with neon when I like to pretend I'm a bit street.

Lavendery grey is the perfect contrast to the pastels I often paint in. Grey tones in my collages I feel make for evocative subtlety.

'Love Your Bones' mixed media collage, featuring an image I photoshopped of the Catacombs in Paris.

I was afraid of colour for a while. Not in my dress sense you must understand, but in my art. A tutor tried to teach me about colour theory, and advised me that a particular hue should never be selected unless there was a reason, or something symbollic to justify it. I evaded that one -and for a while stuck to a limited palette of black, white, blood red, pale pink, pale yellow and grey. Fortunately I found kitsch, otherwise my aesthetic may have been entirely different!

So here's to grey, and doing it the grey-way, like some of my fellow Folksters...

Clockwise from top left:-

Shades of Grey Hair Pins by Bina Geyer

Grey Knitted Bird Bag by Jayney Mac

Grey Wool Beret by Imogen's Imagination

Little Silver Grey Pony by The Hunny Bunny Company

There may be the odd one or two silver-grey hairs in my fringe (hey, my job is stressful, and I am nearly 30!), which I am not loving, and which are promptly plucked out, but by the most part to me grey isn't boredom, it's beauty.

masterpiece in motion

(otherwise known as work in progress!)

This was an old bathroom cabinet donated to me by an ex colleague.
Starting to get strange-ified.

Sweet Sentiment.

We're a lovely bunch over on Folksy. A mutual appreciation society for all things crafty. And I relish a bit of encouragement as much as the next person.

I was in touch with the smashing Sally from 'Sweetly Wrapped' recently, and was overjoyed, not only to receive lovely comments, but also this super-kind offer...

'Aww, thank you Emma :) I love your work too, it's very different. Are you in need of any bits and pieces? I have lots of little things I'd be happy to send you.'

Not gonna say no am I?!

I arrived home from work yesterday and couldn't have been more thrilled to receive this package. These weren't just any bits and pieces, this was a veritable treasure trove, which I cannot wait to incorporate into my next pieces...!

Any fab sweet wrappers I come across will be winging their way across to Sally.

Until then, you really ought to check out her little Folksy corner shop where she offers such delights as this popping candy card wallet, making spending so much sweeter!

 
click to visit sweetly wrapped :-)


And all for not much more than the cost of a quarter of your favourite spice.
 
Thank you, sincerely, for being so thoughtful Sally, and keep up the ace work!

why I ♥ vintage...

...and I don't mean a well aged wine. Been teetotal since August!

No sir, I mean pre-worn, pre-loved clothing and accessories.

Trawling the chazza shops is a hobby I inherited from my Grandma Lord, who I am realising I am becoming more and more like. As a kid it would be a guilty pleasure, which I'd never have carried out in Doncaster for fear of being seen (hey, I got picked on enough at school!).

As I hit my teens and cared less about what others thought, I realised my home town, as well as having nearly as many charity shops as pubs, offered a wealth of treasures. I have often thought, and don't hate me Doncastrians, that this is because most of the inhabitants have little style...meaning canary yellow 80's two-pieces with musical prints, or neon pink leopard print Fiorucci mini skirts remain hanging from the rails, gathering dust and waiting for me to discover them!

I've also spent a lot of my life either hopelessly skint or manic about money, so second-hand has been the way to feed my voracious clothing appetite. I know people with more clothes, but I certainly know a great many with less.

So heres just a very, very, small selection of some of my favourites...

...and the kittens. They heart vintage also. Included is one half of the afore mention -ned two piece, and a cute-as-a-button purple print 60's number I picked up at a vintage fair at the Bloomsbury Lanes when I took a trip 'dahn sarrf' in early December.

When in London you also must, must visit the legendary Beyond Retro. Not quite as cheap as it used to be now word has spread, but you're sure to find some gems, like the pink sequin heels in the picture above.

click for Beyond Retro online... 

Anyway, please excuse my poor image quality. No daylight plus ageing point and shoot equals appalling photos!

I mourn the loss of my favourite ever vintage purchase, and learned my lesson the hard way, after a eurovison night out at Bar NY a few years back, I stuffed this incredible pink and pastel paisley frock in the waching machine, to be left with it all felted together and several sizes smaller than it's own lining. ALWAYS, BUT ALWAYS HAND WASH!

I have no idea who the person in the background is. Or why I have a halo of green light above my head. This was a rather long time ago.

My replacement favourite is a black dress passed on to me by the mum. I hacked off the bottom to make it a cuter length, as with this blue dress scattered with oriental characters I neither know the origin or meaning of. Also from the Bloomsbury vintage fair. The black dress is particularly special because it's what I was wearing when I saw my Grandad for the very last time. He told me I looked pretty.



Vintage clothes not only bring with them their own histories. They keep on creating new stories.










Stay Strange xxx

Hoppy Christmas!

It's started!

Actually, I've been excited since about mid august. Excited is pretty much my average state of being.

But spent this morning making (somewhat over inflated) quiches and cleaning up ready for my family boxing day extravaganza, when, I heard the clatter of the letter box...(can't be that much of a backlog, mr. Royal Mail!)

If I don't count my work secret santa, and earrings from Kat which I chose myself, it's my first official Christmas gift! And no, I don't do waiting...

The boy disaster is every bit as excitable as I am, and has to be involved whenever there's a camera about. Sadly, during the ten minutes or so he toddled round with a sequin stuck to his nose, he wasn't quite still enough to photograph (what was that about working with children or animals? Or animal children?!)

You can just make out in the bakground my latest work in progress. I intend to post about it as soon as I can get some better light for pictures -hey, the days are getting longer now!

Ugh no make-up! But check out them bunny ears, courtesy of the beautiful, bunny enthusiast Miss Flora Leung. She should sell these for sure! I'm subconsciously styling a zillion Gaga-esque outfits right this second... Merry Christmas Flo!

I love to hate you.

We are obsessed with Love. Songs, stories, cinema, sentiments. Not to mention real life and our quests to co-habit and pro-create.

The word itself has become almost like a logo, and of late has been rather a la mode -jewellery, clothing prints and what have you.

The trend is exemplified at its kistch, cute and quirky best on Folksy, not least in these four fabulous finds...



(Clockwise from top left http://www.folksy.com/items/1017253-big-love, http://www.folksy.com/items/594389-Love-letters, http://www.folksy.com/items/719513-Love-Print-Knitted-Jumper, http://www.folksy.com/items/826665-Love)

Amazingly 3 of these sellers have yet to make sales on Folksy, so get over there and have a look!

I like to be a bit strange as you know, quite contrary. I thought I'd go against the grain and celebrate that other extreme and passionate emotion -hatred. And as I like to juxtapose the opposite ends of the spectrum I chose to combine ridgid, stencilled, hateful lettering with all things sweet, sparkly and candy-coated -i.e. I Hate Nice Things.

This will be on sale in my Folksy shop as soon as the snow stops casting its odd, eerie glow over every photo I try to take!

Soon to come, a love of all things grim, ghoulish and gross, or Love Turns to Hate, for all you Eighties Matchbox fans out there...

Stay strange xxx