Reflections and my Garden

Have been spending lots of time in the garden getting it ready for Summer. So did up a diagram of the back yard so I can plot the sun. It is necessary as all my plants are going to be in pots and I want to check that they have the sun/shade they need.

I plan on using clear plastic overlays and colouring the sections each hour for the start and middle of the month. Red for full sun, yellow for sun/shade and green for shade. This way I won't loose as many plants as I did last year. Last year was the first summer in the new house and I wasn't ready for it. This year if I map it out and do so for 2018 as well I should get a clear idea of what I can plant where.

I also want to start Gesso'ing pages for painting etc. I have various recipe's for homemade Gesso and plan on playing out in the back yard asap, trying out the different mixes and seeing how they turn out.

I also want to start writing again. It is a part of my life that I have let go of over the last few years, and as I head into 2018 I want to reconnect with this side of my Creative Self which has been neglected for too long

                         

2017 - So maybe I did get somethings done

Finding this saying on Pinterest was what finally gave me the push to get going. I had spent sooooo long organizing, clearing and decluttering, I had lost my momentum and had forgotten why I started it in the first place.


Reading this made me realise I didn't have a goal - a Vision - for when it was all done, so I struggled to find the motivation to keep going when it seemed never ending.

So I thought about all that I had mused about over the year. what I had planned at the beginning of the year. What I had wanted to focus on. Mainly on Textile Arts and learning new mediums etc. My garden and making it more accessible for myself which I did start on and have been slowly adding to as the weather allowed.

 

                                   Also my embroidery, Art Quilting and Crazy Quilting

 

The hardest part about 2017 was I lost Tigger, also known as 'Her Majesty', pictured here taking care of my fabric until I needed it. I still miss her dearly.

So after realising I had lost my way I started to think of everything I still wanted to try, to experience/learn and grow in my Creative Life.  I did so many brain dumps as my mind again started to get excited. Pages and pages of scribbles and ideas.

Then I started Mind Mapping, laying down the foundations, accepting my restrictions and trying to find ways around them so that I could still do what I wanted without causing further pain. 

 

I also wanted to make my own calendar/diary for 2018, I keep buying the yearly ones but never end up using them.  So I scribbled, tweaked and finally came up with a design that I will use for the rest of the year and see how it works for me. If it doesn't then I will design another one each time until I come up with a design that works. 

Below is the templates I made of the design so I would not have to measure it out each time. Will get one ready for next week and post it later.

 

Below are some of the Journal pages I have done over the last few days. I have a lot of Quotes and other meaningful words etc, and each day I try to find something that gives me an 'Ah ha' moment.

The first one is todays, and shows the mess this year has been

 At the moment this saying I again found on Pinterest, is possibly going to be my theme for 2018. Just take each day as it is and just keep doing that each and every day. Exciting times

 

 This is my 2017 Journal cover, with my hand dyed laces and fabric. The laces I do on my own machines and I just love how the colours blend

 

This was the page that I did at the beginning of the year. And although it took awhile I am finally moving forward

 

2017 - the year that almost wasn't

I had big plans and high hopes for 2017, it was going to be the year of 'FOCUS", but up until now it has been a hard slog. But now I am finally seeing the result of many months of self reflection. I have had have struggles with depression as the cold months dragged on, and the pain just never seemed to let up, but through it all I pottered around, slowly going through my stash, downsized my clutter and cleared out forgotten bits and pieces. I reflected on the fact that I will be 55 this year and sometimes I felt that maybe I was expecting too much of myself.


But I never gave up my dreams and visions of how I wanted things to be.


And now as the year starts to dwindle I have re-affirmed myself and my dreams, visions, passions and my creative self who is still struggling to be acknowledged.


 I have started my Art Journal and most days I find something that resonates with me and I create.


But most of all I keep reminding myself;


IT IS NOT TOO LATE AND I AM NOT TOO OLD

It isn't over yet!

I haven't posted for so long. this year wasn't what I hoped it would be. But I did progress slowly, mainly in the last few months, and especially now that the weather is warming up. A very cold, wet and long winter slowed me down. Approximately 3 days of spring, and now an early summer.


I have in fact been going through my stash, on and off over the year, and when the weather cleared up I re-washed all my fabric and have been going through my supplies, as I desperately needed to downsize to fit into the house I am now in.


Although I didn't do as much as I wanted, I did focus on what I was I wanted. What is important to me, what I am now capable of doing without further injuring my back etc. In my mind I went through what I had a passion for, what I had fun doing, and what I still wanted to learn. and slowly let go of the things that no longer gave me joy, excited me, or made me eager to start a new day.


I mindmapped, I scribbled down notes, ideas and am now starting an Art journal and keep a note book beside me for when something pops into my head.  Because of a bad memory, I want to start putting books together on resources, mediums, fabrics and textiles, etc. while the memory may go the books will always be there to jog it. So YES I may not have done as much as I have physically, mentally I have focused on what I plan on FOCUSING ON, from now on..


No 2017, is not over yet

2017- And the word is FOCUS

2017 -  FOCUS


I plan on making more messes, and my word for the year is 'FOCUS'


-FOCUS on what I can do, instead of what I can't.
-FOCUS on my creative self
-FOCUS on my health


And I am sure as the year goes on I will add more to the list.




So far I have painted many pages for my Journals etc






















Made some Alcohol Inks with, texta inserts, and some acrylic paints - results are as above.




And spent time in my garden setting up a raised garden bed vegetable garden


And also tried using vinegar to de-rust some tools.






I just love it when I can do two things at once. Found a heap of tool's that had rusted after the box they had been in got uncovered. So needed to de-rust them and make some rusty material. I even tried some t-shirt material to see how it would take. Now I need to give them a good shake, leave them on the line to dry and then iron them to heat set them. Can't wait to see what they look like. P.S I soaked them in vinegar!


All in all a good start to 2017!