Lapis #420

Hi all,
Is Wednesday coming round even faster than usual or is it just 'cos I'm back at work?


Anyway, here are my two workdesks this week - inside for jewellery, and outside for painting 

The feline supervision has been very lackadaisical this week - must be the weather!



The bits came for my lapis lazuli earrings so I had to think how to put them together. The infinity loops weren't big enough to take a lapis bead, but I thought they might have taken one of the gold knots.

In the end, tho, I preferred the infinity loops empty and used the knots for a second pair.

Finally, a thought for the families of those horribly hit by a terrorist attack, ie a van driven at them, outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in London, this week. The terrorists of the earlier attacks are not representative of Moslems. Innocent families leaving Ramadan prayers should be safe from such horrors. 

 

that's all for this week, have a good week, all! hugs, Lynne

 

Painting & Earrings #419

Hi all, it's time to share my workdesk again. If you want to know what this is about, head over to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.co.uk/, where Julia will explain all.

This week, I've been trying to improve my drawing and painting. I found it useful to find & print a picture online and to copy it, making variations.


So I was interested to see this article in the Guardian newspaper, about how children can be the best art teachers, and for them to recommend copying slowly as a way of improving.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/10/why-children-make-the-best-teachers

 I've also been watching a fantastic new series on the BBC, on the Art of Japan, and have fallen in love with a painting by Sesshu called Splashed Ink Landscape, below.


Can you believe this was painted in the year 1495? Around the same time that Leonardo da Vinci was painting the  Last Supper?? It's so impressionist. Now that's a painting I'll never be able to copy!

I've also been working out how to make myself some lapis lazuli earrings, with an infinity connector charm from the Silver Corporation.

I'm hoping I can put one lapis coin into the larger part of the infinity hoop, and dangle another off the bottom. I've just ordered them, so we'll see next time.

While I was photographing my desk, Thea decided that it's her turn to star on this blog, rather than Dino, and came and sat on me for an hour to make sure.

So have a good week, all! Please don't apologise for visiting late or not visiting, I think this circle is for us to enjoy as best we can. 


We're not all going to visit everyone or post every week, and that's fine with me, and, I hope, with you. hugs, Lynne xxx

Copycat WOYWW #418

Hi all, a busy week, this week, as I've started to work from home again, before going back to working in the office in London.

Before the weather broke, I was still painting outdoors, closely supervised by our 2 cats ;-). 

 My mother-in-law, aged 95, is in  hospital and I want to encourage her to try with the physio, or she won't walk again, so here's a card I made for her, copying Dino (and making him look a little more dynamic ;-) 

It was my birthday on Monday, so Brian and I went up to London to the Hokusai exhibition at the British Museum. http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/hokusai.aspx

My new favourite painting is the waterfall, below - the water looks so vigorous. We then had a long, lazy Italian lunch and came home.



On the knitting front, I'm trying to incorporate both patterns by making a sort of windowpane on the front - maybe a few at the bottom and a few near the top? I don't know, I'll see how it goes and how much patience I have for unravelling the inevitable snarls.

My grandfather's peonies, which are supposed to flower on my birthday,  had flowered early this year, the story of that is found here: 

http://lmcollis.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/peonies-on-my-birthday.html

That's all for this week, have a great week, all! Hugs, Lynne xxx 

Painting in the sun - WOYWW #417

Hi all, I really enjoyed last week's anniversary and received some beautiful ATCs. 
Many thanks to all who kindly sent them xxx




Now I'm off the horrible antibiotics which meant I had to stay out of the sun, my desk has moved outside.




I'm still very keen on my watercolour brushes. Thanks for all who were encouraging me last week. I've found pinterest to be very helpful, and am using it to think about how to paint specific things, like the shape of leaves. More on that another week.


Having finished the back of my cardigan, I was just knitting some pocket backs for the fronts and am faced with a quandary. I really like the random self-striped pattern they make - almost Japanese. It would only look like that in these 4" x 4" squares, due to the repeat frequency.  
So now I'm not sure whether to undo the stripy back and start again, or try to have these squares on the fronts somehow. Any ideas? 

Anyway, that's all for this week - have a good week, hugs, Lynne xxx

WOYWW #416 - Happy 8th anniversary to you all!

Hi all,
Happy anniversary to you all! I've only been part of this circle for a few weeks, but I am amazed and inspired every week by your craft, your colours and your generosity, so many thanks to all of you. 

If you want to know more, head over to the Stamping Ground, which has heroically hosted our peek at each other's crafting desks for 8 years today!

This week, I've been making my first ever ATCs, to mark the anniversary. I still work on my lap, but have had to extend to my footstool as the projects increase. It's still not as tidy as most desks.😉. 

I've used photos I took on holiday in Japan last Nov, plus Japanese paper I usually use to make nice origami boxes for packaging earrings etc. I did find the silver border stickers useful. 

I'm not a stamper or paper crafter, usually, but I make jewellery so I've added a fan charm, and wrapped them nicely (in case my gluing's not up to scratch. 😉)

My email is above, so let me know your address if you're in my PIF chain, and I'll send you my address and a card.

The other parts of my workspace this week have been focussed first on my necklace, (tbc) but mostly on my new watercolour brush pens. They've been keeping me good while I recover from my chest infection.
I don't profess to being able to paint well, but I enjoy it and in the end I think that's all that matters, don't you think?

 I did venture a birthday card for a friend today........


Anyway, I'll keep this short as I hope lots of us will join in today, have a great week, hugs, Lynne xxx

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday #415

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday #415

Hi all, well, it's been a busy fortnight. Firstly we were in Provence, S. France. 

This photo was from the amazing photographer, Nicolas Ughetto, who we met in Sault, a village just behind Mount Ventoux. 

You can see more of his photos and videos of the countryside and and wild animals here.

It had snowed about 8 inches on top so we couldn't go as high as the Tour de France riders go, but we went up to about 4500 ft.

It's beautiful countryside, with some great wines, including Chateuneuf du Pape, classy Gigondas, Beaumes de Venise and other Rhone villages, and you eat really well.

We then went to Beaujolais, where our vineyard is, for family celebrations (our friends' 60th birthdays) and a village fete.

Much dancing, drinking and an all day banquet. Unfortunately my 26-year old god-daughter fell, breaking her ankle, while running after a toddler. She's back in Paris now, in plaster and not doing too badly.

Right is a picture of me with Mr LC (aka Brian). He hates having his photo taken! 

 I liked the way they served the canapés in particular, by making bread in the form of a cockerel and serving the canapés inside.

We then went to Wales to stay with our great friends Jan (aka LLJ) and Gordon and didn't stop talking for the whole 4 days :-) In Llandeilo we had the best weather of the entire holiday. 

 

It was great sharing a workdesk with Jan, too, as shown on LLJ. 

I was due to go to a staff conference and evening party at work this week, for which the dress theme is English country gardens. I'm not a flowery person, so Jan helped me find a top in Llandeilo (it's been a while, but I love shopping with her!) and then we designed a flowery necklace I could add.

However, I got home and my cough is now a chest infection. My doctor says I have to stay at home this week and rest. So plenty of time to make the necklace, but it will be for another time. I've also sent some beads, tools and findings to my god-daughter, as she said she isn't into most crafts, but liked it when I showed her how to make jewellery.

And finally (sorry this has been a long blog but it doe cover 3 weeks) here's my desk. I'm making a long chain with glass flowery beads, denim blue aventurine, silver flowers and trees inserted.

Hugs to all. Have a great week, Lynne xxx

WOYWW #413
For the pleasure of your eyes....

Hi all, this isn't a real Woyww7 post, as I'm on holiday in Provence. We just met a photographer today, who takes absolutely stunning photos of the area near Mount Ventoux and its wild animals, which I want to share with you. It's here:
http://www.nicolas-ughetto.com/Nicolas_Ughetto_English_Presentation.html


Have a great week, Lynne x