It's the time of year when I get the urge to nestle and make my house cosy. I want to make a new blind for my window and tie backs for my curtains...I have a desire to sort through my fabric stash, and fold it into neat piles whilst dreaming of things I can make with it. I discover enticing projects in magazines and on Pinterest that I suddenly need to be making. I want to be cooking delicious, seasonal soups and soul warming food; like French toast on a Sunday morning, gently scorched golden and crisp, and generously dressed with a spoon of my favourite Berries and Cherries jam.
Such simple things like making my home cosy for the colder months, and preparing good food makes me feel very contented.
I also like the colours of this time of year - if ever there were a siren from nature that Summer was up and Autumn was in it's the glorious rainbow leaves that adorn our trees so briefly, before the high winds have them spiralling and spinning to the ground. Green melts quietly into the palest of yellow and deepest of ochres; and then the dramatic russets and golds, tarnished with bronze and amber illuminate the stark branches against vivid blue or wildly dark grey skies. I see firey reds, scarlet and purple ~ the city is ablaze with colour and it's beautiful.
Out shopping the other day I stumbled upon a bunch of sunflowers, very reasonably priced in my little supermarket I might add, that were just begging me to take them home. I put them in a crochet covered jam jar and enjoyed seeing their happy yellow faces enormously.
The simple things...
...like winding crochet cotton onto wooden pegs and planning a little project with those faded, vintage colours on a tiny little hook...something to brighten up my little house...
... and making a warming chicken and vegetable soup to eat whilst escaping amongst the pages of Country Living magazine...
It was whilst I was enjoying this very bowl of soup that the Postie brought me something rather exciting. I'd been waiting for this particular parcel for some time, with a mixture of trepidation and expectation. You see, I'd made the decision to have a collection of my art work printed professionally as greetings cards and had sent my images off to a lovely printing company to be turned into proofs. I was over the moon with how they have turned out, what do you think?
From the Christmas Collection:
From the Coastal Collection:
I'm going to be busy placing an order for these now, and they'll be available in my Gallery Shop very soon.
There is much to do on the art front; I'm making plans for the work I'll be taking to the Christmas Fair in December, as well as keeping busy with several commission pieces. In the midst of all this, I would love to make space to create a brand new Christmas card design - I suppose I'm rather late with this compared to some, but I'm sure I can make it materialise in time if I try!
I wish you all a beautiful weekend, wherever you are in the world.
Psssst!!! Have you subscribed to my monthly Art E-zine yet? I can promise you some wonderful seasonal discounts to come in the next couple of months on my art! Just complete the box up in the side bar and look forward to it plopping into your inbox x
The cards are really lovely Julia. Let me know when they will be available in your shop and I will come and pick some up. Hope you are well. Natalie.
ReplyDeletei love your work! the Christmas cards are adorable!! can't wait till they are in the shop so i might be able to purchase some!
ReplyDeleteIt seems this time of year makes most of us think of home made soups, being creative with all sorts of different materials, nesting. And the colours... favourite for me at the moment are the peonies in the back garden, the foliage going the most glorious shades of ruby red and russet, cutting them for the house, mixing with supermarket bought alstromeria. Spiced carrot and coriander soup made for lunch. Toffee apple crumble for Sunday lunch pud. And this afternoon.... home made cake with the new Jane Brocket sewing book.
ReplyDeleteLovely.... hope yours is the same.
I so recognise what you are saying. I have two weeks off from work now and are planning to clean up my little room where I save all my fabric, yarn, mosaictiles etc.
ReplyDeleteand make long walks to clean my head and enjoy the colors of autumn. In the evening, close the curtains, put on some candles en snuggle under my blanket to hook a new blanket or knit for my, soon to be born, grandchild.
I love your paintings, they give me such a happy feeling!
Hmmm, soup and Country Living, excellent!!! Love your cards , I still have one from a couple of years ago, I couldn't bear to part with them all!!
ReplyDeleteNow as for Crochet, arggggh, I am so trying to get it and was trying Attic 24's neat ripple pattern, but alas I just can't do it and I was doing quite well and even bought a stash of wool ready for my lovely crochet blanket, but I got so cross and frustrated I threw it in the corner!!!!! I want a really easy blanket pattern that even I could do, oh what to do!!!! xxx
Oh Noelle, I perhaps shouldn't laugh but I am, at the thought of you chucking your wool in the corner!!! Have you tried Granny Striping? That's pretty easy, and Lucy has a good pattern for that on her blog. Best of luck chum, Im sure you'll get the hang of it given time.
ReplyDeleteLove J x x x
I Love the cards, Julia and love the autumn!. It's very busy round here; I have been baking more than usual for my kids (cookies, cakes etc) and making more soups than in the summer. Crochet projects that I had abandoned in the summer, are back on my basket and my lap in the evenings and am also back to Uni to study so, yes, I can feel that autumn has arrived! I managed to finish the book "A year by the sea" and loved it! Thanks for the recommendation. My hubby is reading it now :-0 !!!, Pati x
ReplyDelete