toe up socks

I found this part-finished crochet project in my room this week.
I think I started it when I flew to Australia last year, and then promptly forgot about it on my return.

It'll make a nice project to start the year though, especially as these old favourites now have big holes in them.

advent

Ben and I both made surprise advent calendars for each other this year.
I enjoyed both the making and the opening very much.
A nice build up to Christmas.

2014

Happy new year!

2013 was my favourite year to date - I hope this year lives up to it!
I'm off to Iceland on Friday which seems like a good way to kick things off.

Above is one of the Christmas cards that Ben and I made this year. Can you guess which robin was done by who?

And some more photos of our production line...

eotr

I went to End of the Road a couple of weekends ago. A lovely time as always!

Highlights included: David Byrne and St Vincent, Teleman, East India Youth, Belle & Sebastian, Jens Lekman and Tigercats. Oh, and Breakfast with the Inkspots. An early morning treat.

I guess that means autumn is drawing in now. I've already noticed leaves on the ground, and mince pies in the shops!

Good thing I've still got a summer holiday to look forward to.

sea shells and butterflies

Well, August slipped by in a flash. Not sure what happened there.

At the beginning of the month I took a trip to Oxford to listen to some nice music in a bedouin tent. While I was there I also paid a visit to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum.

I've been meaning to go on a trip there since I did my MA so it was nice to finally have a look at the collection. I found the mummified animals most interesting.

around the house

Paper pineapple // New sheets to start the week // A rose from the garden

let's make...cushion covers

Ben & I went to a screen printing workshop at Super+Super on Monday evening. We were a bit pooped after a 6 hour drive home from Cornwall but we're both pretty happy with our efforts!

I want to make some more now. Maybe next time I'll try something a little more intricate.

Here are some sketches I used for inspiration...



Penguins are nice.

floral

There are flowers everywhere at the moment. Everything has bloomed all at once.

I'm finding it hard to resist bringing some home with me every day.
Not so great for the hayfever...

a summer birthday

Here's a card I made for my mum's birthday earlier this month. She threw a garden party with a hog roast, and luckily it landed on the first warm day of summer.

 It was a very good time!

a sweet pouch

I crocheted this acorn pouch as part of a sweet pouch swap I took part in a couple of months ago.
In return I received some nice treats in the post all the way from Texas. I like Hot Tamales.

A bank holiday in Bruges

From top: The view at Rozenhoedkaai; Benedictine nuns in Begijnhof; A horse we met by Damme windmill; On the way to Holland; Waiting for the boat tour; Stork nest in Sluis; Begijnhof bluebells; Cycling along the canal to Holland; Resting in Minnewater park.

A good time.

a is for apple

I haven't spent much time making things recently, but here's an apple I made for a new arrival who said hello while I was in Australia.

It has a rattle inside so it's a treat for many senses.
Probably not taste though.

absence

I haven't disappeared. It's just been a very busy time.
I'm sure it'll calm down soon...

east coast

I'm flying to Australia for a while tomorrow.
Be back soon....

black + white

A birthday present for Yumi.
Thanks to Stephanie for the pattern.

a Venn diagram

n. A diagram using circles to represent sets, with the position and overlap of the circles indicating the relationships between the sets.

Cape

Some more very quick drawings.

aviary birds

I keep getting distracted from what I'm meant to be doing at the moment, and instead end up painting colourful birds.

Maybe it's a coping mechanism for getting through the cold, dark months.

Let the bells ring

This week I entered a competition held by Resident to win one of 20 pairs of tickets to see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds perform a live rehearsal ahead of their tour. The task was to recreate an album cover from Nick Cave's back catalogue.

Above is a work-in-progress photo of my entry, and it did the job! A bit of a surprise as I thought it looked pretty wonky...but I'm not complaining.

The gig was last night at the King Alfred ballroom and it was really REALLY good! Gig of the year? Possibly!

If you haven't heard it already, you should definitely give the new album a listen. It'll be worth your while.

Border fancy canary