learning

Yes, I'm back to school the next weeks (started two
weeks ago)- as a student. That's why I rarely have time
to blog or do something for my shop. But I've learned
a lot and collected a few things on the way.



I didn't learn only at school. This week I've learned from
the nature as well. About letting loose (still an issue for
me) - to let go of a fixed idea, to let go of life, to let go of
feeling guilty -, but also not to give up.

In other words I've learned..

1. never try to cross over a bridge in a middle of a
heavy windstorm especially if you weigh under
50 kg,

2. but if you notice the situation a bit late, then don't
give up, keep on going, as the storm (or the bridge)
will be over (and this applies to any kind of storm
in life, I think..),

3. nature gives life and nature takes life away and
sometimes you can do nothing but to accept it.

I was walking near the forest with a friend today, talking
about death, funerals and so, as something felt just about
a meter in front of us. It's kind of a ball made of moss.
I first thought it was a bird nest. My friend rolled it and
a naked mammal baby felt out of the ball. I was really
shocked! She rolled it further more and we found another
one underneath the ball. So she rolled it further, so that
it doesn't lie on the street anymore and we grabbed the
(probably squirrel) babies carefully with the moss and put
them on the ball, covered with moss and twigs we found.
As I stood up, my friend shrieked as she found another two
babies just behind my feet. She carried them to the others.
I wanted to cry - those tiny, naked bodies, I don't think
they will survive. For a moment I really hated the windstorm..

be my friend

Remember I told you I wasn't satisfied with some felt
items last Friday? Well, one of them was the hedgehog.
I first had his felted spines "combed" to the front. It
looked cute, but somehow I couldn't find the right stitches
for him. I felt so insecure about it, that I did some sketches
last night, before I ruined everything by directly stitching
him (the bear was directly stitched without sketching, for
example).



I like the left bottom stitches best, but it wouldn't fit
the punky spines. So, I "combed" them back. It looks
less cartoon-like, but as soon as I added the first stitched
spines I knew I'd love him.



I hope to get more muses for the other items ;)

happy valentine's day!

As I wanted to tidy my workplace and opened up a box
to put a new item I'll list today, I found five small things
in there. These are three of them (the other two are
a tiny turquoise and a tiny glass bead) - perfect for today,
right? ;)

me and painting

Painting with other materials than watercolor or gouache
is something that takes me a good amount on courage
to overcome myself. I'm not sure why. Probably I had
kind of a trauma LOL

Two times in my life I've tried oil painting, but I didn't
like the result (I know, I shouldn't give up after only two
times, but I didn't have the patience). I like to work with
acrylic better (especially since it dries quickly), but up
till now I couldn't say I like the feel of it on canvas. I
have some half-started or half-finished canvases sitting
here *sigh*

Before Christmas I bought a book of acrylic paper for a
project I had in mind, which doesn't have to do with
acrylic at all (it was just discounted and has the perfect
thickness ;)). Last midnight I suddenly got the desire to
paint. I hesitated, either I should paint on canvas or on
paper and finally decided to try the paper. I'm glad I did!

It's of course a pain, that the paper rolls whenever it got
too wet, but it flattened pretty quickly as the paint drying.
I painted until the morning (I was finally in bed at 6 am,
because I of course had to grab a TWest first ;)). The
paintings - which supposed to be mixed media work - are
not finished yet. I think, I'm procrastinating the next
step, because I'm afraid to overdo them.


the skin was pretty dry from felting, that it looked like
an elephant skin - noticed while waiting for TWest ;)

I was thinking about the next step, when I saw the soft
light through the curtain (oh, what I call curtain is not
really a curtain - it's a makeshift, which became an ultimate
solution up till now..). I got a sudden muse to paint it and
I did. It's far than perfect, but I really, really love it! The
first time, that I'm really excited about my acrylic painting
and so I dare to show it here (but maybe I'd change my
mind tomorrow..).

experimenting

Sometimes life just goes as it likes and not as you plan.
I knew that, but it always caught me by surprise and
it felt like I'm almost drown. Let loose is not something
I'm good at. So, this is something which helps me stay
on the ground at the moment. And sometimes I chant -
even in a different way than a friend once taught me..


from my sketch book - chanting and practicing handwriting at
the same time (actually, the mantra is nam-myoho-renge-kyo,
but I was interested in the flow of writing it and the sound rather
than the correctness in spelling)

So yesterday the street carnival has started again, but
this year I decided to lock myself up at home. I was
experimenting with an idea instead. This time my couch
was my working table while I sat on the ground.



I'm loving the typography on the vintage thread spools..


I actually have some felt items ready for the shop, but
I'll wait a bit till I list them. Something is still missing -
I'm not feeling right about them yet (argh.. I'm a really
weird, complicated person - why can't I just list without
having a 100% right feeling about an item...?).

wait for me

I'm late again. This time it's really a challenge to think
of a story for this one. I first tended to make a sad or an
open end, but then I thought, most people would rather
be able to identify themselves with a happy end. So,
here it is..

Long time ago there was a girl, who was waiting for
her fiancé to come back home from a long journey.
Each week he sent her a letter, telling her stories from
the cities he had visited and how much he missed her.
One day, she found a seed in the letter. It was a seed
of a magical plant, which a stranger he saved had given
to thank him. He told her to sow the seed and watch it
grow day by day. The first bud would come, when he'd
set sail to come home. And the day after the second bud
would start to flourish - he promised, on that day he
would be holding her in his arms...

No preview pictures for the next days. So, let me
surprised you (or not ;)).

on the lake

It was very windy yesterday, but thank to the wind it
became a sunny day in the afternoon. So, after doing
some errands I went to the lake to relax a bit and took
some photos (thanks, Carita, for the nudge ;)).



I wanted to show you the Alps, but it was too far to be
seen using my camera - even if I zoomed in. Still.. I
hope you enjoy this clip (and don't get too dizzy from
my shaky hands and the wind ;)). Flickr let me uploaded
the video, but I wasn't able to watch it, so I decided to
delete it. Sorry!

coming #4 and more

I'm late. I've taken lots of pictures today (some are for
my neglected photoblog), but my computer is very slow
and as I already predicted yesterday, it wasn't easy to
tell a story about the bear. So, the photos will be edited
tomorrow. And here's the story to this listing..

Not so far away from the lonely garden, there is a forest.
An enchanted forest, in which a bear and his friends live.
Whenever the bear plays with his friend, they soon have
to look for him. The bear loves playing with his friends,
but he loves eating berries even more. And the enchanted
forest is full of berries...

First I wanted to let the bear "blank", without anything.
But it seemed so naked. Somehow I got an illustration in
mind, so I added the stitches. And the size.. I think, it'd
rather suit a man's finger.

The bear and his friend, the linnet.


.. as silhouettes..


And this one will be listed tomorrow.


I hope, today it won't be so windy like yesterday.

coming #3

I didn't have time to take pictures by daylight today,
so this preview is a bit wiggly and blurry, but the best
I could get tonight...

dance with me

Here's the story of the brooch.

In a land nobody knows the name of, there's
a lonely garden full of weird plants with twirly,
green branches and red flowers. Once you open
the gate and place your step in the garden, they
soon become alive, trying to reach out for your
hands to lead you dancing to the music of the
whistling wind...

Telling stories to an artwork was one of the tasks I've
learned in the art class at high school. I'm digging out
the skill I've learned years ago with my new listings now.
Let's see, how far my imagination would go ;) I don't
have a preview for the next listing, since I couldn't make
up my mind, which one I should list first (anyway, it
would be harder to find a story to either..). So, I decided
to have a listing-free day tomorrow, as I'll be in the B&M
shop again ^_^

I found this video on top of the list, when I typed "dance
with me" on YouTube. Didn't know the song or the band
before, but it's sweet...

Nouvelle Vague