This scarf was a charity shop bargain years ago and I've been wearing it as exactly that: a scarf.

It's beautiful (to my eyes) and a shame to have it either hidden by a coat or jacket, or taken off indoors and put on one side.

So, time for a transformation into something wearable to show off the rich fabric.

In making it I discovered how to use the adjustable hemming foot that came with 'Pearl', my lovely 1936 Singer sewing machine. No more turning, pressing and pinning for me, hurrah!

Two of my wonderful, eco-friendly friends have decided to get married but I can't be present at their ceremony, aarghh! So, in order to have a tiny bit of me there, I offered to make a little wearable something for M-A.

She asked for a bracelet with a small amount of sparkle so I've been making wrapped beads to match the colours and fabric of her dress.

It took a while (four shops, but in this town shopping is a social activity, chatting to shop owners and their customers!) to track down some plastic tubing to be the base of the beads and I eventually found the perfect diameter in the pet shop where it's sold for draining aquariums!

Today I plan to assemble the bracelet and add the finishing touches but there won't be any photos of it here until M-A has seen it first, approved it and given her permission!

Here is a card I've made for two of my dear friends who are going through a hard time.

This evening I've been playing with my watercolours with no plan or design in mind.

I love working like this and I'm constantly amazed by what my hand and heart produce when my brain is disengaged.

This print is available to buy, ready-to-hang from my art prints page.

It doesn't happen very often but this afternoon I actually exploded with anger and incredulity.

The situation? A phone call to my mobile phone provider informing them I want to leave them and not renew my contract when the current one expires.

Straightforward? Oh no.

How many recorded menus did I have to go through before I got to speak to a real person? Four.

How many times did I have to repeat my request? Four.

Could I give 30 days' notice as written in the T & C's? No.

Could I put it in writing? No. My letter would be returned unopened.

Aargh! And this is only the half of it! But enough. Yes, I blew up once I hung up. Yes, I swore like a trooper (I can, you know!).

Then... I got the giggles at how ludicrous the whole experience was. And now when I think about it I snort with laughter. Who'd have thought it?

For a long while now I've been unable to read works of fiction. This is peculiar for me as I've always been a voracious bookworm. The last novel I read was 'The Time Traveller's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger and I read it avidly, but since then, not a thing! My theory is that I used to read to escape and now that my life is just how I want it, I have no need of other lives to live through and no 'otherworlds' other than my own.

Now I find great pleasure in poetry. My life is made brighter and richer and even more joyful by Wendy Cope and John Hegley.

Then there are the books which I dip into every day. These are my sanity books, my printed support and my cheerleaders, the books I'm forever reading and sharing and marvelling at.

I'm fascinated by books that explore creativity. I've gleaned something from every single one on this shelf and of course  they've been inspiring, but perhaps not in the obvious way.





There is one book that is missing from this section of my bookshelf and it's because it never leaves my side when I'm at home. It's Quinn McDonald's 'Raw Art Journaling' and it's the best creative book I've discovered so far. Her blog is also wonderful and guess what? I read that every day, too!