November is Art Every Day Month

I saw this over on Bonita Rose's blog 'A Life Unrehearsed' and for some reason, despite starting a new job, I decided it would be a great thing to join in with :)  If you fancy joining in too, you sign up here.  There's no pressure, just a good challenge to have a go at.  I've invested in some luggage tags so that's going to be my minimum, and hopefully by the end of the month I'll have completed a number of them and maybe some pages and pockets for them to go into :)

From next week I'll still be working at the Bean and Brush but only for two days a week (Wednesday and Friday); the other three days I'm teaching in a local special school.  I'll be working in a few different classes as I'm covering teachers' preparation time.  I'm really looking forward to being back in school, although the break has done me a tremendous amount of good.

I've just finished prepping next month's 'technique of the month' - zendoodling on bisque!  Very relaxing I have to say and I can't wait to see this little piggy when he comes out of the kiln all bright and shiny :)  For each technique I make a step by step photo guide so people can refer to it in the studio...

Think this red and white coaster will look very different when it comes out of the kiln too!  

I'm always looking for inspiration and found these on Etsy ...

... beautiful hand doodled pottery by Polly Harvey.

WOYWW 125 -little gnomie

This morning saw me at my sewing machine again, this time making a picture of a gnome for my friend Kate, who's birthday it is on Friday.  Like me, she loves gnomes, so I thought I'd have a go at stitching a picture of one.

Now I need to make me one as I love him so much!  Especially the needlefelted beard :)  He's made up of a variety of fabrics, and mounted using an embroidery hoop.  The toadstools were a sock I found hanging around my sewing machine lol!

I'm sharing this as part of What's on your Workdesk Wednesday, a weekly event hosted by the lovely Julia Dunnit, where you get to see what everyone else has been up to today!

EDIT: I've discovered where the other sock went (and why there was a sock next to my sewing machine in the first place lol!) - my fourteen year old daughter Sophie used it to make a sock monkey :)

PDCC#104 and All things weird and wonderful, all creatures great and small (to be sung!)*

* blog title shamelessly knicked from Sue's blog 'cos it fitted my post beautifully

I can't believe that this week sees the two year anniversary of The Play Date Cafe Challenge!  Where has the time gone!  I've not managed to play along since I stepped away from my place as co-collaborator with my fabulously creative friend Julie Ranae, and on the design team, but this week is half term and a bit quieter work-wise so last night I collected some fabrics and set too...

I LoVe this colour combo, that creamy yellow is just gorgeous, and I knew I had some old velvet curtains in a similar green to this so...

... now I have a new owl in my collection :)  I started him by sewing some yummy aubergine coloured velvet onto a similar colour felt, then I attached this to a piece from the curtains.  He's stuffed with a bag of rice so he sits up and doesn't fall over.  He doesn't look very happy to me, and I'm wondering how you make happy owls!  Any tips gratefully received :)

But then, Lucy Casson's creatures don't look happy, but the actual pieces make me smile!  This is one Sue and I saw on a visit to Knighton on Saturday.  As part of Powys' open studios event, Lucy Casson had some work on display, so we went and had a look :)  

There are a few artists working in the Old School House, 

...some with tastes similar to Sue's ;)...

(these were in the porch on our way in!)

...including another artist who works with recycled metal...

This is taken from a balcony looking down, how cool is that giant fish slice!!!?!  

'The Voles think God is Dead!'

We had such a fab day out, and Sue's shared some different pictures on her blog if you'd like to share in our fun day :)

pop up books

I found this whilst browsing a variety of book art online.  I AdOrE pop up books and would love to make an elaborate one!

lots and lots of teaching, of varying different kinds!

Tuesday evening saw me teaching the staff from Moorlands Junior School.  We masked a variety of shapes on plates and mugs then added dots for pattern.  They were a great group of people, and a number of them commented that they didn't normally like craft but that they'd really enjoyed themselves.  I can't wait for their pieces to come out of the kiln as I know they'll be impressed with what they made!

Then yesterday saw me teaching a Year 5 class at Moorlands.  In the afternoon I had an hour long art lesson followed by a flute lesson.  The art I was teaching, but the flute one I got to be a pupil too!!  I can now play the notes B, A and G on the flute, how cool is that!

After reading 'Ish' by Peter Reynolds to the class I did some 'one liners' followed by some blind contour drawings aka Carla Sonheim :)  These nine and ten year olds were keener to have their drawings 'look' like the real thing but did give it a go.  Bob's one liners above were my favourite - he was the only one not tempted to trace back along the lines...and he really looked for his blind contour drawings of a dragonfly and a butterfly!

I did mine on text paper...

... and added coffee stain around the outside of the image.

I did a deal with the class, if they did one blind contour drawing, they could have a second piece of paper to do a drawing whilst looking!!

After getting my books marked at school I hotfooted it to the Bean and Brush to teach my Autumn Platter.  I love how different they all are!  How fab is that 'keep calm' one!  The lady brought  a print out of the words and crown which she turned into a stencil, then masked the words underneath (...and drink wine!)

They'll all be heading for the kiln tomorrow once the Moorlands' pieces are out :)

Now for a bit of a rest today, and some journalling as relaxation :)

just a little something

I really should keep a stack of postcard size cards to decorate and use for notes to put in envelopes with payment etc, but at least I always have tags to hand!  I made these two today with scraps of paper, a new stamp I picked up at Port Sunny, and some stitching ...

I'd just like to say a huge thankyou to everyone who came by my blog over the weekend for Operation Julie's Smile :)

Everyday is a day to smile

I'm so pleased to be one of over 120 bloggers participating in this amazing blog hop for Operation Julie’s Smile.  If you came here from the The Craft's Meow Blog, then you are in the right spot.  If not, you may want to start from the beginning at the Sweet Stamp Shop’s blog and take your time.   You have ALL WEEKEND to hop with us and win prizes!

Nicole Rixon, of the Sweet Stamp Shop, came up with the plan for this blog hop when she heard of Julie's plight (you can read Julie's story here, or over at the Sweet Stamp Shop), and has gathered numerous prizes from both a wide range of companies, and from individuals, which are available to win by leaving comments, contributing to the fund, and/or hosting within the hop.  Julie has spent many hours putting this hop together as her contribution to the event.  And today is the day it all kicks off!!

If you've not visited me here before, welcome!  I love to make all sorts of things, sometimes from paper, sometimes from fabric.  Today I'm sharing a fabric creation that I made whilst on holiday in Cornwall this summer.   I loved making these hand felted necklaces; the little tiny shells are ones I found on the beach near to where we were staying.  This is my small contribution to the huge collection of over £1,500 worth of prizes available during this blog hop.   

After needle felting merino wool and snippets of wool, ribbon and lace to a piece of acrylic felt I added tiny beads, a little stitching and the local shells.  I'm definitely a 'snippets' girl, even in my work with paper I'm always using little tiny bits n pieces :)

Julie and I go waaaaaaaaaaaay back, meeting on the internet over ten years ago now, and I'm honoured to be able to help out my fabulous friend in getting her smile back.  The above envelope is the result of one of the little packets of goodies Julie sent me last year (we exchange things when we have a pile of lovely stuff to share!).  Julie sent me a punched shoe shape which I cut round to create a corrugated version, then layered it onto some collaged paper.  This is featured in this month's ' the stamper's sampler', again due to Julie :) :) :)  I still can't believe they gave me such a good spread, I even dreamt about it last night lol.

My British reserve means I hate asking for money, but I also know that if we all lived nearby we'd be helping out our friend in numerous ways, including financial, so if you'd like to make a contribution, click on the link in the sidebar.

To be eligible to win a prize, don't forget to leave a comment before hopping over to 

 Made by Fee

Good luck!

my art journals IN PRINT!!!!

Oh I'm so excited, I still can't believe how much coverage the lovely Cynthia gave me in the latest issue of the stampers' sampler :) :) :)  I'm also very proud of myself that I kept it secret all this time ;)

I have to say a huge, huge THaNKYou to Julie Ranae because it was Julie who told me about the stampers' sampler artful envelope challenge earlier in the year (and sent me a punched shoe shape which I cut round to create the one featured below!).  I adore using envelopes in my journals, and to create journals from, so bravely trusted them to DHL and sent them off to sunny California!

Flicking through the magazine yesterday I could only find my work in pictures 4 and 6 above so assumed this was a heads up for the challenge being featured in the next issue.  Taking it to work to show my colleagues I discovered that the challenge was in this issue...

...and then even later (duh, I really wasn't concentrating), found the feature Cynthia had run on my 'Stamped Journaling' :) :) :)  I'm so happy, I still can't quite take it all in!!!

Thanks so much Cynthia for loving my work, and your sweet description of my talent too [whilst I describe myself as 'playing with paper, paint, inks and odds n ends', Cynthia says 'Sarah is clearly an artist and innovator as well as an experienced stamper' - how cool is that!!!!]

The Stampers' Sampler is available in the UK from Wendy at The Stamp Attic, and from Rainbow Silks.

Tomorrow I'm one of 120 bloggers taking part in a huge blog hop 'Operation Julie's Smile'.  There are over £1,500 worth of prizes in the prize pot and the hop runs the entire weekend so should be a good 'un!