Spend Spend Spend

A recent post on the kingdom of style blog raises the age old issue of retail therapy, I shop therefore I am. I remember an experiment in Vogue a couple of years ago where the editor tried not to spend on anything other than necessities for a month she did not find it easy. but that's the industry she works in. 18 months ago I was financially struggling and I had to make some serious lifestyle changes that removed all unnecessary expenditure, at first it was agony but it has got easier I have removed triggers including wheels, no car, no credit cards, stay away from Ebay, work hard make sure you have no time to shop. Go to a shopping center with the most tight fisted miserable b***er you can find. But when life gets bad nothing can compare to a 5 hour shopping spree to assuage the misery's of life, call me shallow but.. On Friday I finally received next years timetable, 3 months late and with 1 day to absorb and sort out problems. The timetable was the professional equivalent of being sent to Siberia and came without warning or justification. At that point with more time I would have spent a months salary, but luckily I didn't 2 hours later the problem was resolved, danger was over but who can resist the sales? not me so off I toddled with Leyla to keep me in check, and what larks we had
1. Knitted cotton shift dress slate blue & dark moss scoop neck T shirt, Gap
2. Wool & cashmere hoodie, Jigsaw
3. Black wool scoop neck jumper, French Connection
4. Slate grey linen cardigan, Whistles
Not forgetting Bday pressie for Lucy and various stuff for Leyla
Daisy and Kitty hit the same shopping center next week help!

New Work

5 new pieces that were very satisfying to make using a mixture of paint and collage a technique i will work on when I return to work. I did start some collages last Friday but they have a long way to go yet and some recent painting need some serious adjustment add to this a pile of watercolours to paint I am getting quite productive. I am absolutely determined to setup my Etsy shop after this holiday I have grown in confidence selling on Ebay recent shipments to Thailand and Australia went without a hitch and having bought some lovely prints recently i now have a better concept of packaging so watch this space..

And hello to this..

Well soon enough.
Walking into my daughters bedroom last night I was confronted with enough flashing lights to bring a small light aircraft into land, 2x mobile phones charging, 2xDS charging and the electric toothbrush winking away. What did we used to do without this gadgetry? This time last year I faced an eight hour flight without these necessities eight long hours with just a packet of crayons and a puzzle book to entertain 3 needy children not much fun there and when we got to Egypt they were having a heatwave and lovely though the place was our constitution was severely lacking. So this year we are hitting Porthmear beach, 5 hours in a borrowed Toyota Yaris probably costing the same price as last year, but rain or no rain I cannot wait for a change of view. Poor mum is now stuck at work, she was offered refuge in the football stadium but graciously declined the offer for a bed in the university, soften by top table food but I don't think shes looking forward to the mess back home...

Its goodbye to this...

Eat your heart out Mr Pollock this is a view of a desk top in my room. I am strange because I like the build up of paint and so the students are positively discouraged from cleaning the tables..

lucy in the garden

lucy in the garden, originally uploaded by hens teeth.

Happy birthday Lucy

Far Far Away

Once again I find beautiful clothes from across the sea this time America www.cynthiaashby.com

Be creative

Last night I had one of those epiphany moments, I was watching a programme about the brain and how it functions and it started to answer a question that has been niggling me for the last 5 years.
Why it is that girls who are talented and creative at the age of 14 suddenly become, by the age of 16 wooden, stilted, anal artists unable to produce a cohesive composition, let alone use the materials in a flowing creative way?
In last nights programme Doctors analysis of the brain showed that if the left side of the brain, (the one controlling logical thinking) was allowed to dominate the right side of the brain (the one controlling creative thinking) then that unconscious ability to render and think out of the box is destroyed.
The way the government has pushed and pushed all its money into TECH bloody NOLOGY is sucking the creative life force out of our students, Vocation and ologys are dominating our lives when in fact we should be nurturing the right side of our brain.
My feeling of impotence makes me so angry, but I am vindicated and I will continue to make students look and draw and feel, not plan and design. And that goes for me too! Shove the handbook, I am painting this holiday..