It's my birthday today!!!! YIPEeeeeee

more to come later : )

Yipee    I find myself in a most wonderful treasury full of such pretty pieces, all of which has been currated by a fellow etsian by the name of J. Mullin. Her shop is a feast for the eyes too be sure to stop by when you have the time.  : ) (oh incase it is not very clear the necklace in the bottom right hand corner is me)

Woohoo  I just went to see the new "Sex in the City" Movie, I don't wanna spoil it for anyone who has not seen it yet, but for anyone who was a fan of the  television series, i promise you won't be disappointed.

Do get carried away!

Got me  a treasury which i called "things i have learned in my life so far"  (It  could do with some lovin if you are so inclined) You can access it here : )

It was insprired by a lecture i heard at the Hub in Edinburgh onWednesday night, by the internationally renowned graphic designer Stefan Seigmeister. He talked about his most current work, a project by the same name, Things i have learned in my life so far 

The idea originated from a list Stefan had  written in his diary but if you go to the website you can add photograhh/draw/paint/sculpt/craete your own "lesson learned" and then upload it. 

It seems like fun to me  and some of the etsy images in my treasury could certainly make it in there!

I've got a hand - in for a mixed exhibition on the 24th (aaargh still tons to do!) and i mentioned some of my sketches/process a few days ago, (2nd May) so here is one of the final prints, along with some inspiration.  Needless to say my inspiration has long since gone  : P

Yesterday was Bloggers Unite for Human Rights day and i forgot!!!  how stooopid am i!

Still better late than never?  i had been thinking of a poster my mum has in her office, a visual representation of the Declaration of Human Rights. This in turn led me to think about the Arbroath Declaration of Independence. ( I live about an hour down the east coast from Arbroath) 

To simplify somewhat, the declaration was drawn up in Arbroath Abbey on the 6th of April 1320 and it urged the Pope to see things from a Scottish point of view and not take the English claim to Scotland seriously. The stirring rhetoric of the Declaration have made it famous through out the world and its influence can be felt, for example,  in the United States Declaration of Independence which, used the Arbroath Declaration as part of its basis. (source)

(ok history lesson over i promise )

Please allow me to quote from it:

" It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we fight, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself."

 You can buy the  Declaration of Human Rights poster here and help support the wonderful Amnesty International, who work tirelessly to protect Human Rights for all.

My friend and i were rummaging in TKMaxx the other day before going back to pick up her little one from play group. Just as i got to the till i spotted a teapot reduced down to £2, i picked up the box and it showed a white teapot with london iconography on it, you know red double decker bus, Union Jack etc. What a bargain thought i and added it to my haul of other goodies including, a yellow flute glass - £1 and a white blouse - £7. Then i get home and take it out of the box. It might just be the UGLIEST teapot in the world !!!! It is in fact a Henry VIII th teapot, you know the kind that looks like a toby jug. I laughed and laughed, my sister asked why i did not open the box and have a look while in the shop, which clearly i should have, but in my defence, i assumed the pictures on the box represented the product inside, no? The moral of the story is, stop being such a cheapskate!!!!

But i did get a copy of Nina Simone's Greatest Hits for £3.99 at Borders Books so am off to sing along with her : ) (You might want to run for the hills)

Found myself in a most wonderful treasury today, that's me in the top right hand corner  : )

The curator is feltathome, who makes the most wonderful bags, phone covers, and pins to name but a few, her work really is unique.  You can view her shop here .

It is so lovely and warm here in Scotland that i need a sun hat  when out and about for any length of time.So i pulled out last years hat only to find it was a little tired looking so what better excuse to buy a new hat on etsy! After much deliberation i decided on this one from the wondrful sidneysidney. (as well as great hats she also does the most lovely freehand machine embriodery designs) It's made from original aged silk and i loved the little red trim at the edge of the rim. Can't wait for it to arrive, (i bet it rains all week  he he).

Out for a walk at the weekend and what did i see, theses lovely wee ducklings! I thought it was a little late in the year but i'm sure the mummy duck knew far better than i! They were so little and fluffy looking and they were making that tiny wee peeping noise, which would melt the coldest of hearts, not that mine is cold you understand : ) The on the edge of a car park we also spotted this majestic swan, fast asleep or so i thought but i'm sure she was keeping an eye on us. The cherry blossom is in full bloom here in Scotland and to be outside is such a joy  : )

It was quite early on Sunday morning so  i was fortunate enough to bag a treasury  : )

It is called "Grow old along with me the best is yet to be"  a quote by Robert Browning

I've got a mixed exhibition coming up soon and the hand in date is the end of the month. So i thought i would share the process i go through with you. Step 0ne gather together all of my little scribbly sketches and compile a visual record of all the images i want to turn into linoprints, (last image). This last stage is vital to me, it probably looks like a scrappy mess but  without that visual record  i would not be able to keep to schedule and therefor i'd go mad.