Illustration friday

This week I found a great website called Illustration Friday. It suggests a new topic for illustrators each friday (hence the name) and invites you to upload your response, then all the submissions are exhibited on the site. A simply fantastic idea. This week's topic was 'Wings', and I submitted the above - a terrifying ride if ever there was!

Guildford museum

My lovely friend Beth invited me for lunch today during which I revealed a new found fact that Guildford has a museum! So abandoning our proposed afternoon of knitting and drinking tea, we battled through the wind and rain to this mysterious place about 3 minutes walk from Beth's house. I love an old museum and although the exhibits were a bit disjointed - archeological finds, old clothes, musical instruments and a train set - we had a highly entertaining couple of hours wandering around. Inevitably, we ended up in the shop, which to be honest, was the real reason for visiting - we both love a museum shop.

Throwing pots

Last week, with the icy weather taking hold, pottery was cancelled which was brilliant and a bummer in equal measures. But back yesterday with photographic proof that I do get my hands dirty on a friday afternoon.

Bright white

I've had an enjoyable sort of day, rearranging, styling and reconstructing the lounge after the decorating, and using the opportunity to take some photos (above) for my Instagram page. We, James actually, painted the walls white last week, but with the snowy weather reflecting light off the freshly painted walls, the result was nothing if not blinding. We've always painted our walls white in an attempt to recreate a scandinavian style home (in Surrey!) but this time I wondered if we'd made a mistake. Superman's ice sculpture type house (fortress of solitude for any geeks reading this - I googled it) could not have felt colder. However, the snow has mostly melted now, our stuff is slowly finding new homes and our lounge is looking as lovely as we'd hoped. Still slightly dazzling, but so much more conducive to taking an oh so stylish Instagram pic.

Although our style is not at all scandinavian with bright colours scattered all about, I perv over scandinavian style blogs like a magpie looking at shiny things. Emma's scandinavian blog and

Style files blog (suggested by my friend Gayle, who knows I love a stylish picture) are my favourites, and for shopping the super lovely Hus&Hem.

USB fingers

I've been having a few computer issues recently. So this week our good friend Jon Gilbert, go-to man for all things technical, fixed me up and now I'm up, running and illustrating again (above). He's known as USB fingers - if he could plug himself straight into the internet, he would! More illustrations on their way. Thank you Mr G.xx

More snow

This weekend we had lots of snow. Not the melty wet blobs that go as quickly as they come, but the sparkly fine powder that sticks around. The good stuff. I'm not too bothered about going out in it, but staying in the warm with a great film and a cuppa, watching the snow float past the window, is probably my favourite past time ever. We did wrap up and venture outside for a few walks though. Even Merry wore her jumper - my own creation, black and understated of course. She hated me wrestling her into it but I'm sure she felt the benefit.

Snow

The magical snow arrived as promised. James took the lovely pic of the snowflake, Merry wasn't too impressed though.

Blogging

I'm completely new to this blogging lark, and it's early days but I'm really enjoying mine. I've found that everything I do is potential blog fodder although sometimes, days like today can be terribly mundane with a hair cut, pilates, a dog walk and food shopping. Not that brilliant but all very necessary, and to spice it up there's a whiff of excitement in the air because we've been promised snow.

On my adventures ferreting about online,  I've found some amazing blogs with beautiful work and images. I've been transfixed by interiors, photographs and artwork, they've inspired me to write this blog and I've linked in my most favourite. I won't ever meet most of these people, but now they feel oddly linked to my life as I peer regularly into their worlds. One blogger I have met is my lovely friend Gayle - a superwoman if ever there was, and all round wonderful person. She is a textiles teacher and her aptly named blog, life of a textiles teacher, is a fabulous mix of her work, students work, her life and just stuff she likes. I don't get to see her very often (although hopefully will more in the months ahead!x) but it's great to have a poke about in her life and catch up on what's going on in the art department at Alton College via her blog. The image above is some recent work by her students.

Fingers crossed for the big freeze!! Wintery pics a go-go.

A lovely afternoon spent with my Mum and Hugh Jackman. Enough said I think.

Winter sun

A long walk with Merry on the downs today. It was perishingly cold, with the sun making no difference whatsoever to the temperature, but Merry seemed to love it as always.

I've also spent the day trying to sort a new phone. Although happy with my current one, it's undoubtedly dated and a bit sad. But most importantly, the camera is awful and not at all conducive to blogging and being able to take fabulous pics at a moments notice. Being a potential customer with no current contract, I assumed the world would be my oyster in phone terms. I was wrong. But after some judicious rummaging around, various phone calls and some excellent advice from my brother, who seems to have an innate knowledge of these things, I'm hooked up. Or will be when it finally arrives.

A lick of paint

We have decided to paint the lounge brilliant white, and nothing is more brilliant than that. As with every single house we have lived in, painting the walls white is a must, and is normally the first job to be done. But we have been living in a magnolia cocoon for over a year now and I have found my Instagram pictures just don't have the desired effect against a magnolia backdrop.

In my quest to fill my life with brilliance, I have realised that to just try new things all the time will be so discombobulating and exhausting, I'll wish I hadn't started. So, I've also decided to focus on the things I already enjoy. I'm going to be trying more recipes, taking more photos, experimenting with my illustration, attempting more complicated knits and, my most favourite past time of all, enjoying more general home making, hence the white walls. I think the cushion fabric above from Hus & Hem would make an excellent start. Lovely.

Scones

Today I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon lunching at a friends with excellent food, drink and company. I took scones - not the best I've made, but I suppose anything slathered in jam and clotted cream would taste good.

Pottery

Pottery today after 6 months off. I absolutely love my pottery classes and I've missed it so much. It's 3 hours of mess and laughing on a Friday afternoon, and while learning the craft is amazing (although can seem like a dark art at times) the group I'm with are a brilliant bunch of lovelies. West Street Potters, tucked away in the top of Farnham Pottery, is a particularly magical place, and the time goes so quickly that not too much is ever achieved, by me anyway.

I have found that I'm not particularly skilled in this discipline. I arrogantly thought that being a creative sort of person, the whole business of making stuff out of clay would come as second nature. But this is not the case, and after 2 years I have improved very little. But, while I most certainly joined so I could adorn my home with Barbara Hepworth-esque splendor, I realised quite quickly that being gifted here is not the point or the pleasure of it. But to bring something wobbly home and find a space for it to live, especially on the rare occasions that you're pleased with it, is the true reward. The lamp base above is my pride and joy! Unfortunately, I am not at all prolific so this doesn't happen very often, but if ever a past time made me feel brilliant just by doing it, it's this.

Pilates

I started Pilates today. I've been meaning to try it for quite literally years, but only enquired this week. I did a google search and picked Zilla Pilates because the lady who runs it lives in my road. I had no better reason, and thought it would be nice to know another person in the street.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the Pilates, but actually I really enjoyed it and think it will do no end of good to my back and shoulders which I have always had trouble with. As well as feeling brilliantly healthy, it was a lovely way to spend a Thursday morning. Thankfully I'm all paid up for 8 weeks because by the time next week comes around, I'm sure I'll have talked myself out of it again!

So far, so good.

Isokon Penguin Donkey

My newest and most favourite thing. The first thing out of the house in a fire! This definitely makes me feel brilliant. Thank you Mr. P. xx

A better, brilliant life

It's a week into 2013, but I have decided to dedicate this year to living a brilliant life.

Being very poorly for 7 years has been a hard slog, and I've spent too much time doing not too much. This is not who I was. But I started this year with a new treatment - A new start - and now have more time to myself so I'm experimenting with new experiences and saying 'yes' to opportunities and asking myself, 'Does this make me feel brilliant?!' I believe that this is the best way to full health. This year is about me being happy, being me.

Obviously I don't want to change everything. I have a lovely life with my husband James and hairy sausage dog, Merry, but not sure they always have a lovely life with me and my uncertainty about the way my life is going - changes need to be made. So, this week I have set up a Thursday morning pilates class, a new blog, start pottery classes after 6 months off sick, and am looking into trying new things that I've been putting off for years like tap dancing(!). Setting up a blog and sharing my thoughts is so daunting, and not normally my sort of thing, but by logging my progress I have an outside chance of keeping this up. 

Wish me luck - whoever you are. x