Balance and Blogs

I have a wonderful friend who makes hand bound books, sketches beautiful things and is all round talented! (last year we teamed up and she made those incredible leather hand-made note books)
















Each week she cleverly has a word which she writes or creates about. In her busy life I don't know how she does it!


















A few weeks back her weekword was Balance and she chose my painting...

http://thegiftshed.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/weekword-balance/

Here is the link to her blog - she is a prolific blogger - puts me to shame!

Bookmarks for Thought

Way back before Christmas, when I was standing proudly selling my art at the markets, I created a set of bookmarks which put into words some of the thoughts and feelings behind my paintings.

I get great delight in both writing and painting, so it felt natural to take the images into a poetic form...














I have created words for 5 of my paintings

Listen ...
"Listening to the inner self requires stillness and courage ... sometimes the inner self is wilder that the outer! This is where all first steps begin"

Faith ...
"We can not know what the future holds for us once we take the first step. We must trust... and take the step anyway."

Fly ...
"Once we step out in a leap of faith we often realise that the imagined was much more fearful that reality could ever be."

Balance ...
"True wisdom comes in knowing when to balance the passions of the heart ... with the reason of the head."

Clarity ...
"Sometimes when we search far and wide for the 'answers',we discover that we knew them... all along"

The elves have been making notebooks!

I share my hideaway studio with other artsists, one of whom makes utterly beautiful hand-crafted notebooks. We were chatting over a cup of tea and decided to collaborate. I got so excited I hardly slept that night!!!

So voila! Together we have produced these beautiful notebooks. The leather on them is soft as soft and the colours she has chosen are gorgeous. She is one talented lady and the needles she wields are the scariest things I have seen in a long time! She showcases her talents here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGiftShed

I imagine people sitting and writing their innermost thoughts, sketching ideas, creating poetry and dreaming dreams into them and it brings a feeling of deep gladness to my heart. I have written journals and poetry since I was a child and I have kept every single one of them, marks of my voyage through time.

Here's the link to them in my etsy shop
http://www.etsy.com/listing/63602048/balance-handcrafted-notebook

I made up bookmarks to go in each one with some words about each painting.


"Listen ...
Listening to the inner self requires stillness and courage ... sometimes the inner self is wilder that the outer! This is where all first steps begin"

Faith ...
"We can not know what the future holds for us once we take the first step. We must trust... and take the step anyway."

Fly ...
"Once we step out in a leap of faith we often realise that the imagined was much more fearful that reality could ever be."

Balance ...
"True wisdom comes in knowing when to balance the passions of the hearts ... with the reason of the head."