PaperArtsy Arty Wood Block Theme - Lin Brown - 'Recycling Day'

 I'm very pleased to have a project on the PaperArtsy blog for the Arty Wood Block Theme. I made a little row of houses using Lin Brown's Eclectica collection of stamps and some recycled wood blocks recovered from wood mounted rubber stamps - remember them?!

I would love you to leave me a comment either here or over on the PaperArtsy blog!

Indigo Blu Frida

It's been a while since I've blogged so I thought I would put on here a few things I had Facebooked as I like my blog to be a record of things I have made. It's been a difficult few months. We had a wonderful service for Mum at the end of February and since then we have been sorting out the house, which is a painful process, but we had to put it on the market.

Last year I had had a wonderful day out with my sister in law, my late brother's wife, Margaret, together with the wives of his two closest friends, Berit and Gabi, to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the V and A. I'm a long time fan of Frida so it was a very special day. Such a couragious, beautiful, and inspirational woman. When I got back, I wanted to make some memorabilia of the day to send to these three women who are very special to me, but I couldn't find any suitable stamps. I was delighted recently when Indigo Blu brought out a Frida stamp! It coincided with my sister in law and one of the friends arranging to go to Dulwich Picture Gallery to see a Norwegian artist, Harald Sohlberg, as Berit is from Norway. So I made them these bags, well bags for life are so useful!

Gabi hadn't been able to make it so I have made her this tablet case for when I see her next. Gabi and Berit and their husbands have been a huge strength to Margaret and myself. They all thought such a lot of Mum as well as David.

I have been making some cards as well. I have been taking inspiration from many of Frida's self portraits and examining her jewellery, etc, her earrings like hands, and the necklace she has in one painting, which is like a swallow. In this card I have used words from the Indigo Blu Boadicea stamp set about Courage and Inspiration and Strength which I thought were very suitable. I am going to give one of this card series to Noreen, my sister of the heart, whose birthday is soon. She and I have gone through so much together over the last ten years whilst she has helped me care for Mum.