a good book

I like books, bookshops, online book browsing. I like books with pictures, books with words, and books for kids, old books and new books. I own a lot of books, and would probably have more if I had more space.
A few recent acquisitions include this stack of old books which I picked up at my local bar boot sale at the weekend:

These are not books that have been purchased for reading mind you, they are intended as props for my photographs - I picked the ones with the spines I liked the best, not really paying any attention to the books themselves. They were 20p each, so I chose 5 and parted with a pound happily. They all have a very old book smell to them - a little bit fusty and dusty.
When I got home, I discovered that I had picked up:
- Idylls of the king, by Tennyson - printed in 1910 and once owned by Winifred Baker (who had written her name in lovely handwritten script in the front cover)
- The Church and the new order, by William Paton printed in 1941
- Under the rope, by Stanley J Weyman, printed in 1911
- Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley, printed in 1855
- Modern Motor Cars and Commercial Vehicles - I can't find the author or date on this one, but if I want to find out about the principles of a four stroke engine, or the theory of a petrol engine, then I'll know where to look.
Books like this were from the pre-consumerism (if that is such a word?) days. They were once highly prized possessions, and often worked hard for. It's such a shame that they ended up in a car boot sale for 20p each. If only they could tell their life story - now that is something I'd like to read.

My other new books are ones that make me drool.
- Over and Over - a catalogue of hand drawn patterns by Mike Perry

- Illustration Play - Craving for the Extraordinary, by Viction:ary (this book is amazing - I would highly recommend it, not least for the thought that has gone into creating a beautiful book - before the contents have been added)

 I'm currently beavering away getting an online portfolio together to showcase my digital design skills

but I'm itching to get sewing again though too - there just isn't enough hours in the day.
I was browsing around in my local Cath Kidston shop this week, and noticed that they sell some vintage fabric tote bags. I was so tempted - but I didn't buy because I knew I could make one myself - and I have the prefect fabric for it too:

I did manage to accidentally buy some flip flops though. Well, it is almost summer!

dresses and kitties

It's been scorching this weekend - so much that I got burnt even with factor 30 suncream on. It's nice to have good weather of course, but I would have liked it a bit cooler on Saturday when I was in London, with my bridesmaids looking for ideas for bridesmaids dresses. We tried on lots of dresses and styles and came away with a definite colour in mind - slate/pewter/mocha - and because we are having a winter wedding - something that looks a bit icy.

This dress was one of the first we tried on and a definite favourite of my sister but wasn't right for both my bridesmaids who are very different shapes and heights. I'd also be happy to have the dresses made but haven't got a clue where to start looking for a dress maker. Can anyone recommend a really good seamstress in south of the UK?

Here's a little something I was working on before the weekend:

Stevie was really not looking very impressed with the new cat in the garden:

If you like this...

Please vote for me in the spoon flower contest here

Thanking you muchly!

fifties inspired

Today's pattern of the day is this fifties inspired repeat which I have entered into the spoonflower contest.

 I'm still enjoying my Illustrator dabbling and have several little designs on the go at the moment.

A bit later than promised, the random number generator has picked number 1 (Lucy Locket) for the Kitty and number 2 (Spoon badger) for the scrapbooking papers. I'll be emailing both of you to get your postal details.
Trash 3 will be making its way to ebay - it will be treasure for someone I'm sure.

one man's trash...

Spending more time at home has really made me feel the need for a proper clean up.
I've been busy cleaning, sorting, categorising and de-stashing my home all week. It's tedious but rewarding all at the same time.
I'm pleased to say that my spare room is looking and feeling more like a usable studio/office now and I know where everything is and everything almost has a place. The are plenty of bits and bobs that don't have a place though, so I have accumulated a huge pile of items which will be making their way to ebay soon - one man's trash is another man's treasure, as the old saying goes.

I'm still dibbling and dabbling in illustrator, and have decided to capture some of the stuff that's going on in my life, in illustration/pattern design form - it's a good way for me to practice.
Monday this week marked the third year of my journey into the blogosphere, so I've created a couple of patterns using the number three (click on pics to enlarge):

I thought I'd also give away three lots of my 'trash' to anyone out there who wants it (I'll post it anywhere in the world).
No. 1 - Giant monda kitty - he was a prototype, but I found him just a bit too big really

No. 2 - a huge pile of craft/scrapbooking papers and some paper flower embellishments

No. 3 - 4 balls of soft fluffy yarn. It's acrylic (not really my bag) and ever so soft. It's white with black flecks.

Please drop me a comment here if you'd like any of my trash. It would be helpful if you could tell me whether you'd like trash 1, 2 or 3. I'll pop back in on Monday 17th May and draw the trash recipients at random.

Illustrator part 2

It's official, Illustrator is my new best toy. I'm having the most amount of fun with this. Thankfully, despite my wobble on day 3 of the course, I managed quite well on day 4.
I popped into paperchase to pick up a few greetings cards for inspiration and to push myself to learn some of the techniques I've been taught.
The first couple of designs here are designs I have replicated from a greetings card and a book cover

These designs are all my own - in a fifties style

I feel so enthused about this - I'm loving my newly gained skills and what I can do with them. Leaving my job really was the right thing to do, it just feels so right.
These fifties designs have also given me some new ideas for something of a fabric nature, which I'm going to work on next week.

Illustrator

I managed to get through the first couple of days of my zero to hero Illustrator course without many problems. I've been spending the time during lunch breaks and tea breaks trying a few things out using the methods I have learnt - here is an example of what I've done on day one and day two. I'm happy with this so far, and can see many possibilities for my design work which is really exciting.

Today we were into the advanced sessions, and I have to say I struggled with it a bit. I think I needed some more time to practice the basics before moving on. I was bit slower than the others in the group who have used design applications before, and I kept falling behind like a lost sheep. I was quite frustrated with myself at times.

Tomorrow is the last day of the course, and I may not be a hero, but I will be more than zero. If all else fails, there's a huge (and very good) manual which accompanies the course so I can refer to this. I can also retake the course for free at a later date if need be.
I'm still a fan of the pen though, and have been doodling some little houses, which might become a digital design, or maybe a stitched piece.

I'm looking forward to getting on my sewing machine again next week, I've missed my Bernina!

Monda loves... Seamstar

I should be making a roast dinner, but instead I'm doing computer bits - you know, the kind of thing where you did have a purpose when you went on the computer but then you got distracted by an email, or an idea, or something you remember that you meant to do last time you were on the computer, and before you know it, you find yourself at a fabric website you've never seen before.

I'm blogging it because I know I'll want to go back and spend some money another day - when a roast dinner isn't waiting to be cooked, so check out Seamstar here and look at some of the lovely fabrics, like these:

I think I must be feeling bright and geometric today.

Tomorrow, and for the rest of the week I'm off into that London on a 'zero to hero' Adobe Illustrator course. I'm really hoping that I will be a hero by the end of the day on Friday, because I am very definitely at the zero stage at the moment.

Monda loves... Lasso the Moon

This is rather exciting in the world of Monda - you can now purchase my work via the very lovely lasso the moon website. I'm in great company too - there are some very talented and clever designers also represented:

Pop over and have a look. I'm sure you'll find something you like.

LEGOLAND gets political

LEGOLAND Windsor have got on the political bandwagon. This is 10 Downing Street in London miniland. Nick Clegg and David Cameron are carrying Gordon Brown out of No. 10 towards a 'Brown's Removals' van.
I wonder what the scene will be after Election day on 6th May?

the preparation phase

Before I take the world by storm (I'm feeling quite ambitious!) I'm doing lots of preparation. That preparation is currently taking the form of an overhaul of the spare room, because I can only work in there if I actually like being in there, and at present it looks like a junk room, cum spare room, cum office.
The start of the preparation is the filing cabinet - which frankly we have just been stuffing things in for the last 5 years. It was bulging and fit to burst, so for the last 2 days I've been sorting and shredding, and re-filing. It is truly tedious but so necessary. A clean start and a fresh palette is what I need. I think it's a mental clear out as well as a physical one. 
I now have enough shredded paper to sort out any hamster or gerbil for at least a year - shame I don't have one but I think I'll offer it up on freecycle and see if anyone wants it. It might be good for paper making too.
I have kept all the envelopes though - there are hundreds of them. I have plans for these involving stitchery

I've been making some use of the new wool I purchased on holiday last week. I'm actually making something for myself for a change - just a simple crochet scarf.

The good thing about this, is that I have forced myself to look in my crochet bible and find out how to do edging. I'm happy with it, despite it not being strictly scarf weather at the moment. I might not actually have enough of the wool to finish it off - so thankfully I found some more online here. What a fab wool shop.

I also wanted to show my lovely leaving gifts from my former work colleagues. I was asked (on the quiet) if there was anything I especially wanted, so told them I'd be happy with anything Cath Kidston (well you would, wouldn't you). I received a lovely new bag, a pretty stationery box, pencil case and note paper.

I also received 4 Martini glasses and a bottle of tequila - my cocktail reputation clearly precedes me.
My quite unexpected present was a magnolia, called Eric apparently, after the variety (although I can't remember his full Latin name). I'm going to re-pot Eric into a bigger pot so if I move he can come with me.

Such lovely thoughtful gifts.

a highland holiday

By way of explanation of my absence here, I've been on holiday this past week, up in the Scottish highlands. The plan, before the volcanic ash is that we would fly from London to Inverness, and hire a car for the duration of the 2 hour trip to our destination. With flights, airport parking and car hire all cancelled at the last minute, we got in the car and drove for 12 hours to get there instead (a 12 hour drive!). We had a great week - the weather on the whole was good, one day we had thick heavy snow and bright sunshine within about an hour of each other! Despite the lovely sun, it was chilly up there, and we were thankful that we'd chosen to take plenty of warm clothes and waterproofs/wellies etc, and for the underfloor heating in the lodge we were staying at!

Somewhat naively, I wasn't prepared for the stark landscapes, main roads which were single track and like a roller coaster, towns which had one or two little houses and the odd shop, and  no mobile or internet connection. Oh and millions of sheep!

It truly seems like a different way of living, and is maybe what appeals to the many artists and crafts people who work up there. We were just a few miles away from the Isle of Skye, so spent quite a few days driving all around and exploring the little villages and hamlets, and sometimes the only thing at the end of road was a loch and a little artists studio/house/workshop, or a tea room which was the annex of someone's house, or a little shack/shed in their garden. We were visiting out of tourist season, so all of these places were quiet and it's difficult to believe that the artist can actually make enough money, but having spoken to one ceramicist, she told us that she spent the majority of the out of season months making, as she doesn't have the time for making during the busy summer season.

One of the little places I visited was a hand spinner of wool and silk. The lady who owns the shop dyes her own wool too. I felt it was only right to support a local crafts person, so spent a silly amount of money on wool. I now just need to think of something to do with it all.

 Our little cats missed us this week (and we missed them). When we got home last night, mellie came to meet us on the path and was literally yelling miaow's as us, and little stevie will just not leave me alone today - here she is just lying behind my laptop, sticking a paw out to touch my hand every few minutes

'

Also, it's official -  as of 16th April, I am unemployed. This feels weird, but exciting all at the same time.
My work colleagues got me some lovely and very thoughtful gifts and I had many emails from people wishing me luck and telling me they would miss me. I had a leaving speech from the Snr. Director of our department and I had prepared a few words to say also, but when the time came, I just had such a lump in my throat and couldn't say anything.

I'll pop back in a couple of days to show you my leaving gifts and tell you a bit more about my plans for the next few months.

The plan for today is to have a TV day - we're both totally shattered after the drive home yesterday. If you've emailed me ( I have loads in the space of a week with no internet!) I'll get back to you soon.