welcome to my world

The whole reason i set up this blog was so people interested in my work could get to know me more and see behind the scenes into what makes me tick as an artist and how my work develops from ideas into finished pieces. . . alas i owe an apology to being slow in posts and not consistent. As followers are aware the last six months have been hit and miss for me as i have a mini pre-mid life crisis and ask myself that ever puzzling question ''what am i doing with my life?'' ... an answer I'm still yet to find. . . although I'm yet to work out the destination on the map I'm heading to, to plant some roots one thing that hasn't stopped is my thirst to be surrounded by inspiration and all things ''me''.

Whilst clearing out alot of my old uni work and starting to whittle down my belongings to a move able amount i have brought new life into my studio with bits and bobs i thought id lost and things i have recently acquired (old family photos and gloves from my grandmothers etc..)

I like the way a studio or any working space can represent a person and it interests me to see how people perceive you, and define characteristics, just from objects.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some snap shot of my desk/work area and see what you all think .... enjoy
xxx

Imelda May 11/02/11

Imelda May .. 02 academy 11/02/11

<3 Imelda May in action <3

my lovely ladies! ashleigh and louise .. aww so cute <3

(Me .. classy as ever .. sporting the new accessory of clingfilm .. a must for a fresh tattoo)

For a while now i have had a girl crush on a lovely lady called Imelda May .. for those not in the know shes a stunning irish singer that just ouzes with class and glamour. A 1950s throw back from clothing to sound .. she is amazing!! luckily myself and a few fellow ladies who love her had the chance to see her sing live .. a slightly bias view point as i adore her music but it was by far one of the best gigs iv been to. She makes it look so easy and sings effortlessly.
It was a rather grand day all round as i got some tattoo work done in the morning, lunch with the brother and then off for afternoon tea with the sidekicks prior to the gig. . . wish all days were this fun!
xxx

new addition to the tattoo collection

So after 2 long years of planning my tattoo Iv finally made the push and got it started. Iv wanted a half sleeve for a very long time and I had it started last year with the two roses on my forearm. . . then one thing lead to another loosing a couple of jobs and finding other things to spend my pennies on like gin and vintage tea dresses .. then i got back onto my arm and began drawing up the rest of my sleeve and booked in. So yesterday Mel made good progress and i managed to sit for 4 hours and got a good chunk done ... i LOVE it .. its exactly what iv had in my head and i cant stop looking at it. I'm a very happy tattooed lady :)
Round 2 booked in for the 28th so keep and eye out for more photographs .. do you like it? ...
xxx

one man's junk is another man's treasure

Likes and Dislikes of others have always fascinated me, how a particular item can amaze some people yet have the opposite effect on some one else .. all of which add to a persons character.
I'm often described by friends as a hoarder, in my opinion I'm a home-maker and like to surround myself with beautiful and interesting objects.
On a recent trip to Edinburgh to visit my dear friend, she took me to one of the strangest yet fascinating places iv ever been too. A place where curiosity definitely gets the better of you, but its OK .. your free to explore! ..
Located near the coast and on the edge of a very eerie forest lies a junkyard .. a junk yard filled of hidden treasure.
I had several 'Alice in wonderland' kind of moments clambering around old tables and chairs to find the beauties hidden behind .. although i enjoyed discovering these pieces, I also felt a little sad that they were just stood outside in the rain, looking lost and forgotten ... i would have happily given them all a new home .. but then leaving them there lets others enjoy the magic.
I hope you like the photos.
xxx

A day to escape to bonny scotland.

Everybody needs a day escape from time to time and even more so when the weather has been so awfully cold recently. So i decided to take a trip north of the boarder to visit some dear friends before Christmas, and also spend some quality time with little brother before he goes off on his travels in the new year.
It was touch and go with heavy snow fall the night before we left but thankfully it held off long enough for us to venture into bonny (but very cold) Scotland.
I love Edinburgh it is such a grand city and as some are aware I am currently putting the wheels in motion to relocate there. Little brother and I had such a lovely day, drank alot of tea to warm us up and boost us through the Christmas shoppers, the German Christmas market gave the city an extra festive buzz ... and of course a trip to Edinburgh just is not complete without my Cath Kidston fix ... which this time consisted of not just one but four new tea cups!

This little trip was the start of the holidays for me so heres wishing you a very jolly christmas and a happy new year folks!!

xxx

The Grand Tour : Customs House Gallery

Those clever little knitters have been at it again!!!

After the Christmas fair we had a wonder on down to the gallery to see the Grand tour exhibit.
This was part two, which followed on from the project Knit a coat for a boat i was involved with last year.
The Grand tour gives the idea of the knitted boat going off on its travels around the world and returning with artwork from each country ... knitted of course!!

The collection ranges from Andy Warhol, to kimonos, to a portrait of Rembrandt and Van Gogh's sunflowers.
My personal favourite was the girl with the pearl earring ... which was constructed by cross stitch and quite possibly is the most amazing piece of stitch work i have ever seen!!

Hats off to you ladies!! i was sorry i was to busy to be involved on this one but you have pulled it off in style it looked amazing

xxx

Christmas fair & open studio

This year is the first Christmas to be celebrated in the Customs House gallery shop, and to mark the occasion they decided to run a Christmas market in store, by each day of the week having different designers and artists working in store.

This was a very proud moment for me, as it was my first event working under my label, and i was to be working alongside Zanna Designs who i worked with on industry placement whilst at university. It was nice to see my work come full circle and now doing it for myself alongside the company that got me started.

It was a very chilly day thanks to all the snow that hit so the event was quieter than it might have been but still alot of fun!!

many thanks to the gallery for inviting me

xxx