Art for Heart's Sake

My Brain is Full of...

...too many things!  I lay awake for ages during the night with all sorts of things rolling through my head ''how am I going to get the garden looking good for November'', ''crikey, I ruined the book cover I need to alter for my guest designer spot next month, how am I going to redo it using one of my own (luckily I have another one just the same)'', aagghhhh all those sorts of things!  Needless to say I woke up this morning after waking up a few more times when I finally! managed to get back to sleep, feeling as though I hadn't been to bed.  Ugh!

Today I am going to plant our garlic.  I am a few days late as traditionally it is planted on 22 June (the shortest day) but never mind, at least I am getting it in on the last day of June.  I have decided I simply have to do a little gardening every day, bad neck or not.  For one thing, it keeps me sane!

Yesterday I really struggled with this design challenge.  It's almost like sitting in an exam, as soon as you know you HAVE to do something it suddenly becomes over-the-top difficult.  I think I'm over-thinking it and I just need to do it the way I'd do it for me!  Phew...

Two customers came to visit my nursery yesterday - they'd bought a couple of hardy geraniums a few years ago and now want some more so that's great.  They had a good look round the garden too, even though most things are looking fairly weedy!  Ooooh I'm looking outside and here are two gorgeous big greenfinches on my studio steps!!!  Crikey, that's a first.  They are such gorgeous birds.  Hmm the phone just rang and off they went.. dang.

It's a glorious day so I must get out into the garden just for a little while.  This pm I am going to work on my design and I also need to think about making a video while making a rolled fabric flower because I'm giving a demonstration on how to make them at a local garden club in late July and thought a video on a big screen would be good before I demonstrate in person as it might be hard for them all to see me do it.  I am incredibly lucky to have a brilliant tripod that was my father's, thanks Dad!  Phew...  More tomorrow.  Smiles..

Happy, Happy Place

Hi, yesterday I finished an art piece that I've been working on for a week or so when I have time.  I wanted to try using soft pastels because I'd had a play with them the last time I was at Jacqui's and I loved working with them.  This piece just evolved and every time I look at it I want to smile.  I haven't thought of a title for it yet, so if you have any ideas please let me know.  Here it is!

 
And from a different angle:

 
and again:

 
and finally:

 
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed doing this, even though at times I was a little stumped as to what to do next.  Thank you Milli for the dressform idea, it looks perfect!

Today I am going to start re-weeding my nursery plants and tidying up the few that I didn't manage to get to before.  I have a couple of potential customers coming sometime today so we rushed around this morning moving a few pots off the pathways etc.  Our plan is to either make a sign or get a sign made advertising my nursery and art studio ''open by appointment''. I'm hoping to have the sign ready by Spring as my little business needs a boost! 

Well I'd better go and start in the nursery. Smiles..., big ones...

 

Happy Tuesday

Hi there, it's Tuesday and I'm happy!  At the moment I am looking at a piece of art I've almost finished and it just makes me ''happy''.  I love the colours in it and it has come together in a lovely way, more lovely than I expected!  I will share a pic of it as soon as it is completed.  Before I spray sealant on it I need to check that the sealant won't react with the gel medium I have used.

Here is a photo of the gift tag I made Milli.  As you know I adore gold acrylic paint and I have found just the right shade of gold - it's not brassy or dull, just very elegant.  I love using it to highlight images etc.

 
I made this tag so it can also stand up and I think I will do this from now on.  It's not easy to display a gift tag unless you lean it against something or lie it down (not that I expect them to be displayed, giggle).

Today I am going to plant some onions and pak choi, even though my physio has told me not to garden.  I really need to get them into the ground and I don't honestly think 20 minutes of gardening is going to hurt my neck, particularly if I do my exercised straight afterwards to ease it.  Physio is making a difference to the pain in my upper back thank goodness even though I am told we have a long way to go as there is something ''in there'' that just won't budge at this stage!  I go again on Friday and have exercises to do every two hours.

Well I'd better go and hang out the washing.  It's another beautiful, slightly chilly day but we didn't have a frost this morning...boo hoo.  Is one frost enough to sweeten my parsnips??  Giggle...

First Frost!!

Hi, yay yay yay we got our first frost FINALLY this morning.  It is almost mid-winter and until now there have been no frosts in sight.  I absolutely adore seeing sparkly white grass from the warmth of our living room!  Unfortunately it was fairly cold in the house this morning too because the fire burnt out during the night - bother!  It was 0.9 degrees C (around 30 degrees F) when we woke up this morning and 4.5 hours later it has only reached 5.9 degrees C.  It was lovely walking Chester this morning and feeling the cold air on my face. 

On Saturday night John went out to watch a rugby game and I got to treat myself to one of my favourite meals (John loves it too).  I was trying to think what to give myself as a treat but all I felt like was grilled pure pork sausages with oven-baked pumpkin, broccoli raab from the kitchen garden and a baked potato.  When I dished it, it looked so good I simply had to take a photo.  Here it is!

 
It was as delicious as it looks too (well I think it looks yummy! giggle).  Last night's venison casserole was scrumptious too as were the gooseberries.  Hmmm ok enough talk of food, I'm making myself hungry.

Today I am going to start working on what I am going to make for a Christchurch-based wonderful scrapbooking supply store.  I am so so happy that I was chosen to be a guest ''off the page'' (anything not scrapbooking) designer for July.  I'm a bit nervous too because I have to make something that people will enjoy looking at.  I am going to alter a beautiful 7gypsies book cover and I will also do a couple of gift tags too, plus perhaps one other project depending on how much time I have.  It is almost July so I really need to get started. 

The gift tag I made my friend Milli turned out really well and I'll post a photo of it for you tomorrow.  Until then, big hugs...

Rushing Today!

Hi there, it's Sunday and I'm rushing today.. hmmm something not quite right with that although weekends have taken on a different meaning now that John is no longer working.  We woke up late and it's already 11am, crikey!  I've done my usual morning animal tasks and have recorded my radio show too.  I just need to email that off and then I will be getting the venison casserole underway to slow cook this pm.  We want to go into Nelson to get a couple of things and the house needs vacuuming and dusting because we have a friend coming over for dinner tonight.  Yikes that reminds me I need to get the gooseberries out of the freezer for dessert.  Aaagghhhh I'd better go!  More tomorrow.. breathe, Philippa, breathe!! Giggle...

Zumba Was Cancelled Last Minute

SOB!  I so look forward to my zumba session each Saturday morning but this morning there just weren't enough people there to warrant it.  So sad!  Usually we have around 5-7 people but only 3 turned up today and we were about to start when one girl just suddenly decided to go home so that was that.  I was a little peeved I have to admit because it meant that the two of us that really wanted to do it, couldn't!  ACK!  Needless to say, maybe it was the universe looking after my neck as the physio had told me I could zumba but not to use my arms if possible.  Hmmmm I think I would have looked very interesting!  Giggle.

Here is a photo of the scrumptious macadamia and choc drop biscuits I made on Thursday.  I made them a little bigger than the last batch mainly because we got to around biscuit 35 and started thinking ''are they finished yet??'', no 20 more to go!  This time the batch made 35 which is perfect.  I have to say they are truly delicious and I look forward to my cup of tea each afternoon so I can enjoy one.

 
Ooh just looking at them makes me want to dive into the screen and devour one.  It's a fairly chilly day today even though the rain has stopped.  It didn't rain yesterday either, but stayed grey and cold all day.  The sun is just trying to make an appearance so maybe the afternoon will warm up a bit. 

I am working on a gift tag for a belated 70th birthday pressie this pm.  Our friend Milli is coming over for dinner tomorrow night and I feel so bad I haven't done anything for her birthday (which was in APRIL) yet.  They were overseas until early May and somehow I just didn't get the tag done so today is the day!

John is off out to a rugby match tonight so I am going to cook one of my favourite comfort meals and catch up with some tv programmes I have recorded.  I might dabble in some art too except I need to make sure I sit up perfectly straight to help my neck.  It is feeling a bit better after a particularly gnarly physio session yesterday.  I'm not sure I like this ''traction'' feeling.  Ugh..  Right I'd better start on this tag.  Smiles...

A Photo to Make You Smile!

 
Hi, don't you just love this photo!  Chester was lying on the edge of the kitchen looking most disgruntled because he'd been told to leave the kitchen and lie down so many times!  John grabbed the camera and put it on the floor and this is what we ended up with.  I just absolutely adore this photo and it makes me giggle everytime I look at it.  Crikey, look at those paws!

Yesterday I ended up going to physio in the afternoon about my upper back.  The pain is being caused by an incredibly badly restricted neck, bother it.  My physio uses the McKenzie method (Ruth, do you know this method?) and it looks as though I am going to have a few ''traction'' sessions over the next few days (hopefully not many!), plus some ''chin in'' exercises to do several times a day.  I decided I needed to go because my right arm was feeling weak yesterday. When she first started treating me sitting up the pain was going down my arm so I then had to lie on her treatment table while she worked on me. 

Oooh I did bake my biscuits and I'll share a photo with you tomorrow.  They are absolutely too scrumptious!  This pm Jacqui is coming round and we are going to play with gold leaf, which will be such fun.  It is so fiddly to work with and ends up flying everywhere but that's part of the pleasure of it.

It is very wintry today (finally!!), it's only going to go to 12 degrees C max and there is a veil of high cloud too.  Brrrrr, feels great! Giggle, yes I'm nuts.  Well I'd better fly as have to leave for physio in 30 mins.  Have a great day/evening.  Smiles...

It's Raining Again..

... and everything is WET, WET, WET!  A perfect day for staying in my studio and creating - well tidying up my table so Jacqui and I can have space to create tomorrow afternoon.  I can't wait because I'm going to show her how to play with gold leaf which is so much fun!  I need to make a belated 70th birthday gift too so it's a perfect time to do that. 

This pm I am going to bake macadamia nut and dark chocolate biscuits and I can't wait!  So far I am managing to stick to my ''buy no biscuits for the rest of the year'' idea and I look forward to making biscuits which is wonderful.  I used to love baking and I got out of the habit of it quite a few years ago.  We don't eat a lot of biscuits but at least I know exactly what went in to them, when we do.

We are now past the shortest day of the year so it's all down hill until Spring.. but wait a minute.. where is our lovely cold, frosty winter??!!  Many of the country's skifields are unable to open because there is no snow and in some cases, I really mean ''NO SNOW!'', which is very, very odd.  Places like Queenstown and Wanaka rely on the winter ski trade to keep a lot of business and cafes going so I really hope they get some snow soon.

Crikey I've just realised it's almost lunchtime!  The day is flying again so I'd better go and get ready to make my biscuits.  I'll try to remember to take a photo this time!  Smiles..

Trying something out

Hi, it's Wednesday night and I'm sitting here in our living room typing on john's ipad2. It's great to know I can use this when we are mobile! Smiles more tomorrow

My Best Side??

Hi I hope your week is going well so far.  I'm off to bootcamp this morning even though my right upper back is still causing me loads of discomfort.  I am hopeful that using it will help to cure it! 

Before I went out last Friday I got John to take a couple of photos of me just for fun.  Needless to say there was a lot of hilarity because I got the giggles so we settled on a profile of me for a change.  My best side????  Giggle.  I love the way this photo shows the different shades in my hair - sort of dark and silver (thanks Mum for your gorgeous silver hairs!!) then with auburn in my ponytail.  Yes, I can honestly say ''I LOVE MY HAIR''!  Smiles, I need to dash out the door...