Hello dear souls.
You find me in a restless and wistful state of mind at the moment. Do you ever feel like that? Like you can't settle long to any task, that life is held in limbo somehow, and the mind wanders aimlessly to places far away and lends itself to dreaming quite a lot.
And add to that mixture, unsurprisingly, the creative juices seem to have stopped flowing. All dried up, nothing doing.
Oh dear, it's a funny old state of affairs when life suddenly goes all tipsy like this without warning, and all the comfortable normal stuff is suddenly quite bland and very uninteresting.
I find my weary little mind asking some rather Big Questions too, about whether this part of the world really suits us any longer, but if it doesn't - what then? I find myself hankering for my life by the sea again, having a beach on the doorstep and always being amazed by that. I know, some of you may be reading this and thinking 'yep, we'd all like a bit of that!' but this thought is starting to drive me to distraction and the feeling of being landlocked in the middle of the UK is sending me quite claustrophobic!!
I don't want this to be a maudlin post, but I want to be a real person here and share what's really happening in my little world. Im going to continue musing, listening to the things that keep popping in my mind and see what evolves.
In the meantime, whilst my head is firmly ensconced in dreamland (where I live in an arty and bustling little beachside abode) I will share with you some pictures of some new Hand Illustrated greetings cards.
These are pencil and watercolour drawings on Canson watercolour paper,which has been mounted onto a blank white card, titled and signed...
...and both of them are available in my Folksy and Etsy shops ~ the links are in the sidebar :D
Similar cards have sold well before in the little gallery in Lincolnshire, and apparently some people like to buy them to frame as they are in effect, tiny original paintings!
I hope you like them!
This is quite a short post today, (a day later than usual my friends as yesterday I was to preoccupied to write anything) as Im off to town very soon. I want to welcome some new followers who have joined my blog recently and to thank you for stopping by with such nice comments - Im still in awe of the lovely people I have had the pleasure to meet through blogging and Im looking forward to meeting many more - oh, I must apologise too, been a bit poor on Blog Visiting this last week, but hopefully this post may go a short way to explaining why.
Hopefully normal service will soon be resumed and life will soon find a scoop of normality from somewhere to relieve this unsettled feeling.
Til next time, sending mucho love your way...
J x
Oh Julia, I know just how you feel. Those days when one is so restless and unsettled. There is nothing majorly wrong, but nothing majorly right either. I seem to be having a lot of those days lately too. I live in Hampshire and hanker to live in Cornwall. I sit and dream, and sometimes days go by and I think all I have done is sat in dreamland. Everything is so much more complicated when you have children and sometimes I feel I will go insane stuck in our house for much longer. I want the salt breeze to pass by my house, and I want the children to be able to play on a beach after school and not wait until the holidays. Well, one day, we shall realise our dreams my friend and get to be by the sea! I hope the restlessness calms a little for you and that you have a lovely weekend. xxx....p.s...the cards are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt's a mad and frustrating thing; feeling content with your lot at times and at others not at all and restless and trying to figure out what's going on in your head.
ReplyDeleteHope your life gets back to the former soon!
xx
p.s loving those cupcakes!
Hello sweetie,
ReplyDeleteYes i know exactly how you feel!!
I often feel that way about were we are,if only i could just pick up snowdrop cottage & put it in my beloved cornwall by everything that gives me sooooo much pleasure & makes me smile.
But remember it is good to have 'dreams' & hopefully one day they will come true!
Sweet dreams. xx
Hello, I like your little cards :)
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your yearning for the sea - I luckily live just a couple of miles inland but can't even holiday 'too far from the edge'. I thinks its something some people just crave.
Sorry you're feeling so restless, hope things settle for you soon. That's a creative mind for you!
ReplyDeleteLove your little cards. :)
Vivienne x
Hello Julia ,
ReplyDeleteI'm not suprised you are missing the sea .Your pictures of Northumberland are stunning.The coast seems to be a great source of inspiration for your lovely artworks too.
Hope you soon feel more settled ,or make a big decision!
Jacquie x
love the cards.
ReplyDeletecompletely understand the need to be back by the sea. we felt that way and were brave/crazy enough to make the move, we're 3 miles from the beach, which was as close as we could get and still get some town life too.
Love the cupcakes xx
ReplyDeleteOoh lovely cupcake! Sorry you're not feeling yourself. I hope you find the answers. x x x
ReplyDeleteHello you. I think it's good to be wistful and ponderous from time to time but I know from experience that it can be a bit worrying and unsettling. It will pass and you'll be back on form very soon. Ax
ReplyDeletePS Those cupcake cards are very tasty indeedy...
Funny to read a complete stranger's words and to say to yourself: "yep, I know the feeling".
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the artistic flow will come back, it is like a wave of the sea, comes and goes....
Ups, sorry to remind you about the sea, probably not the best idea! :)
It's unsettling feeling whistful, I'd love to live by the sea too. Not just for the views but the smells, the swimming, the lovely saltiness. But here I am in sunurbia, dreaming. Lets hope our dreams come true!
ReplyDeletethe cup cakes are gorgeous - I too love the sea and always miss it after a holiday - just keep painting!
ReplyDeletehi Julia...yes, I too have felt this way..it's only normal..and it lasts for a short while...
ReplyDeletethen we get fed up and our creative muse comes back and we begin to play again and create!
i'm sort of itching to get into something creative today, but thus far, nothing! maybe I'll just continue reading..until something comes up...
have yourself a great day..and I love, btw..your cupcake cards! they're sweet!
come by if you have the time and the inclination!
ciao bella
creative carmelina
I hope you are back to your settled self soon, those days are not fun when you brain wonders to places you would prefer it not to be. Lovely cards by the way.
ReplyDeleteOh the hours I spend thinking about my home in the countryside and the way it looks and how I feel living in it, and then being rudely awakened to face the reality of my humble little flat in the city. I can get so obsessed with how I want things to be that I plot and plan how I can make them happen. In the end I know I will get there and I am sure your dreams will come true soon enough and we will be viewing gorgeous pics of you on the beach lapping it all up. Love and Hugs
ReplyDeleteEm xxxxx
Ohh Julia...
ReplyDeletethere is nothing wrong with you... I think they call it post seaside holiday blues...
If it lasts longer than a month you might have to seriously think about acting upon it...
The mind is a very powerful thing..
The heart is also a very powerful thing...
The soul is also a very powerful thing...
All put together...
All aligned so to speak...
Well... when aligned I would say you need to act...
Good luck with your restlessness...
myself, I think restlessness is a neccessary part of our life...
makes us, make decisons & look at life on/as a new page...
Oh I know what you mean about needing to be beside the sea. I grew up across the road from the beach, but for the last forty years have been away from it, even though now it is just a short drive away...it's not the same as seeing it, smelling the sea, being able to just open your door, cross the road and there you are, on the beach. And I know that stale feeling when you want to do something desperately but not a clue what... you start things and discard them, they're not what you need to be doing. Everything makes you feel dissatisfied and grumpy. And you will see you are far from being alone.... maybe not much comfort though. If you want it to happen, then it will, if it's meant to be, it will be. Hold on to the dream though, there's nothing wrong in escaping into your fantasy world of a house on the beach.
ReplyDeleteHi Julia ,me again.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know your lovely parcel has arrived safely today. I've aleady done a post about it.
Thankyou again
Jacquie x
Just playing catch up after my holiday - the photos in your last post are just beautiful. I hope you find some peace soon. Come and live in Cornwall and we'll get a studio together - with a seaview and everything!
ReplyDeleteOh dear Mrs. I hope that you soon feel settled again. Your cards are really really lovely. xxxxx
ReplyDeleteYes I certainly do feel like that sometimes, life is all about ups and downs isn't it? You can't get the ups without any downs but these little fairy cake pictures are so sweet! xx
ReplyDeleteI understand Julia. I feel most fidgety at the moment. Your cupcake paintings look most yummy. I want to paint at the moment but just can't for some reason so I have been doing some crochet instead! I hope that your restlessness soon passes and you can put things into perspective once again.x
ReplyDeleteLovely cards Julia and the Northumberland pics in the previous post are wonderful - what a beautiful spot.
ReplyDeleteFeelings of restlessness pass as one gets older, I have found! Having said that, I live beside the sea so don't experience the claustrophobia of all encompassing land! Hope that you have enjoyed your weekend, Lesley
Hi Julia, I haven't had time to read through all of the comments, but I just had to let you know about this site http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/ - great meditation - might be just what you need! I've been trying it tonight and feel all woozy :)
ReplyDeleteJo
x
I tell you it's N'umberland that does it, it creeps into your soul for sure..I ALWAYS feel like this when I come back from there every single time. Other particualr coastal spots do it for me too. it passes my friend, it really does, you will feel happier in a while I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteDo you know of Janet Bell?? She was living for yrs in Cheshire, painting her beautiful seascapes and dreaming of living by the sea...then one day she made it a reality and upped sticks to Anglesey...maybe truly you need to think of how to achieve your dream??
Sending you love and hugs, I have been in your shoes so many many times but have learnt to let it pass over.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hey Julia, I have been having a hooky day today and was thinking about you as I was hooking away and thought 'when I finish this row, I will just send you a little message to say that I was thinking of you and hoping you were feeling a little better', then I saw your message on my post....and smiled a big smile! SO glad! Have a lovely rest of a day! xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Julia
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel as I have felt that way too... Can't seem to be inspired by anything and everyday life somehow not feeling the same or as much fun... Luckily theses are temporary passages in our life. You will feel it all come back again soon. As to not feeling that the place is not right for you anymore then, I recommend that you seriously consider alternatives. It is a big step but it can open up a whole new life and new opportunities. Over the years I have lived in 11 different places. One of them was Kent. I didn't feel it was right for me but stayed there for 17 years for various reasons. I eventually moved to the West Country where I had always felt at home even though I wasn't born there. I had been on holiday to Dorset, Devon, Cornwall & usually stopped on the way in Somerset.
I moved to Somerset 8 years ago, it feels so much better for me than Kent ever did. Now I am close to all the other counties in the West Country. I'd love to live in Devon as a first choice but Somerset was more practical at the time we moved because of work.
Moving can be a gamble but it can also bring so much!
Here is hoping that you feel more settled soon.
Take care Julia
Isabelle x
Hello Julia, you are not alone; I’m having the exact same feelings as you are having at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThe cards are beautiful!
Love Lou xxx
Hi Julia, I think I know how you feel...sometimes that creative well just seems to have dried up temporarily. The good thing is it is usually only temporarily!
ReplyDeleteYour little cupcake cards are delightful, so beautifully painted and whimsical. I can see why people buy them to frame.
Thanks for popping by as you do and for your comments. The little pink kimono is a beautiful print isnt it with those lovely plum blossoms and I love the inside with the little horse. Have you painted little Japanese people wearing those beautiful fabrics?
Take care, sending you a warm plum coloured hug.
Jacky xox
Oh my you have been sooo busy while I've been away! Your cards are just delightful, they would look just perfect in Rose Cottage!!
ReplyDeleteI was enjoying the seaside last week and I am missing it so much, I have been sitting with Mr Hook this evening creating some seaside bunting to take me back - I will share it soon.
Thank you for your kindness, it is so very much appreciated, sending you hugs Debs xx