I can't hardly wait...

(with good in my head to help me on my way)

I am feeling back on track again and I have managed to get a whole lot of work done this week for my exhibition.   As well as this I also have been been getting on with a few things I'm involved with during the next few months...

The Mosaic Wine Box Auction... The invited artists are asked to produce and donate artworks for auction. They all start with a ‘blank canvas’ in the form of a standard pine 2 bottle Winebox.  They then go up for auction to raise money for a community based vocational service for people with disabilities.   Last year they raised $30,000... so I am really pleased to have been invited to be a part of this.  And the really cool thing is, as a thank you each artist gets two bottles of wine with part of their wine box design as the label!  Here are last years wine box designs...  So I will post some images of my finished wine box soon.

I also have the yearly 'plunket' show coming up at the end of May as well, another auction for a good cause down in Timaru.  I have been thinking that one day I might go on a road trip and visit all the  galleries around New Zealand that show my work, there are quite a few that I have never even visited.

I have also enrolled in Kelly Rae's e-course... which starts at the end of May, so this will be something to look forward to after all the other things on my May to do list.... I can't hardly wait!

loosing myself for a while...

Here are a few girls I have been working on this last week... they are all in different stages of being completed, especially the one with the gaping hole in her stomach.  I really struggled last week, over thinking everything and especially thinking I had to so something completely different for my exhibition.  Then I suddenly realised on Saturday night that what I had been working on before was ok.  That is when it hit me, people who like my work don't want to come to my exhibition to see something completely different.  It's like when you hear a good song on the radio... you go and buy the cd, and find yourself really disappointed to hear that none of the songs are like the one you fell in love with.   

I can't really tell you the great sense of relief this simple thought has bought me.  It was amazing how angry and upset I got with myself when I was so caught up in what I thought I should be doing, I lost myself for a while.

But in loosing myself for a while, I did do this as part of a bigger painting and I really think it has potential for development.  I used a Golden medium (clear tar gel) on the bottom part under the wave line, you cant really see in this picture but it gives an encaustic effect.  So I think I am going to play with this some more...

a little spark of excitement...

I had the lovely Tara stay with me for a few nights during the holidays... I was a bit nervous as we hadn't meet before and I am a little shy with new people.  It didn't help that Hannah was worried she might be an axe murderer!  Anyway she didn't bring an axe and we had a lovely few days and time went so fast.  Although things didn't go exactly as I had planned, coming down from Te Mata Peak my car broke down.  I had to ring Mum and she was a bit angry with me that I didn't have an AA membership and had to use hers...  she said she's going to join me up for my birthday... (although I actually want an atlas for my birthday).  Anyway my wonderful mother lent me her car for the next few days so we could carry on with our site seeing plans (since then I have had to buy a new car, it is a white Dawoo something, for those that are interested).

Here are a few of my purchases from our shopping trip in Napier...

Some wonderful cards from Ooma, a French book (not sure what it is about as I can't read French but is just beautiful to look at) from Provincial Interior Designs, a lovely coffee cup from Brocante, a little Japanese pottery spoon from Raku and a new scarf also from Brocante... so much fun.

Lately I have been feeling this little spark of excitement slowly burning deep within... it is the kind of excitement which comes when a group of like minded women get together and organise something great, really great.  Our little local etsy group is growing and we are starting to develop a real network and support system for ourselves and each other... and this excites me very much.

a little change...

(flowers or snow flakes)

I have been meaning to change my blog title to Sleep and her sisters for a while to tie in with my etsy shop, so that is what I did today.  I am actually just putting off starting on some pieces for my exhibition in October...  I have not felt very inspired the last few weeks, and am getting those annoying doubts creeping in again.  I really have no idea what I am going to do for the exhibition and it really scares me.  I did have a few vague ideas but they just seem silly now.  In the past I usually have an idea of how I want it to look... but there is nothing.

What I have been doing though is pulling weeds (and no I didn't replant them into my neighbours garden) though as I was pulling them out the thought did make me smile.  We also got our winter wood delivered and I stacked it all in the shed... with the help of Hannah and Ben.  But after a while Hannah got a sore head and back and decided she would have a break and Ben just decided he didn't want to do it anymore.  But he did come out when I had finished to tell me I did a good job.

So I am glad I got these jobs done but the uninspiring mood I am in is scaring me a little.   Maybe it is just the out of routineness of holiday time?  I don't know, but I am just going to put it out there and see what happens...

please please please let me be inspired!!! 

odd thermostat...

So... I had two complete days of rest and I am better now...  nearly all better.  I spent the next few days catching up on some work for a few galleries and a few extras including this piece above.  I have been in a really weird head space lately, I've been dreaming of flying.  

Autumn is really settling in and it's getting a lot cooler, especially early morning and the evenings (although Ben still likes his bedroom window open as he falls asleep, he has an odd thermostat).

I made my lemonade scones... they were good.  I will post the recipe if anyone wants to try.

Lemonade Scones

2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup wholemeal flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salk

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup cream

1 cup lemonade

Sift flours, baking powder and salt into a bowl then mix in the sugar.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the cream and lemonade.  Mix quickly and lightly until combined.

Gather the dough together and pat out to 5cm thickness on a lightly floured board. Dip a cutter or upturned glass in flour and cut out scones.  Place scones on an oven tray and bake at 200˚c for 10-15 minutes, or until scones are golden and cooked through.  Wrap in a clean tea towel as soon as scones are removed from the oven.

bother...

OK so it seems I am starting the holidays with a sore throat, a sniffly nose, an achy head and eyes... bother.