I am experimenting with acrylic paints, and am pleased to show off my most recent finished painting, which is the one on the right above! Both paintings above have been done using a set where the picture is pre-printed onto the canvas, ready for you to paint the colour on with the acrylics - kind of like a grown up paint-by-numbers, without the numbers. I have found this a great way to get used to the paints, before experimenting with your own design. These were both fun to do, though I have to admit, the one on the left is still my favourite - the cakes look good enough to eat! It is also a good conversation starter, I have had many groups of people sat discussing which of the cakes they think looks best!
I like the look of this Cubist Pink canvas - I think my next project may be to try designing my own canvas, using this one as inspiration! I shall keep you posted.
Since the budget was announced, I have heard a few people complaining about the suggestion of charging for plastic carrier bags. I however, think this is a good idea - plastic carrier bags are such a waste, and the majority of the time, so unneccesary. People do not tend to reuse them, and those which do get reused break pretty easily as they are not designed to last long. So here are some longer lasting, more eco-friendly suggestions, based on bags I have bought and love!
The Co-op sell Fairtrade cotton bags - these are fairly big and really useful, and can be folded pretty small when not in use, so are handy to carry round.
Another handy bag is the Onya bag - these bags are made from the same material parachutes are made from and so are very strong, and they fold up into a small bag which can be attached to your keys or handbag, ensuring you can always have this bag with you for when you need it! I find this bag very useful, as I was never very good at remembering to take bags with me when going shopping - now I always have one!
Magic Number Three cafe in Saltaire sell these lovely bags which are huge, with straps long enough to carry over your shoulder. These bags are great for when you are doing a big shop, but do not fold down so are best for when you are planning to shop! (If anyone if interested in one of these bags and can't get to Saltaire, email me and I will arrange to buy and post one to you - the bags cost £3.50 (plus P&P if buying from me)).
Finally, the most recent bag I bought is the "Plastic Ain't My Bag" bag from We Are What We Do. This website is designed to inspire people to change the world using small actions, and I am loving exploring it so far!I would highly recommend everyone to check out the site, and to register and track your actions! If you do, please add me as a friend using the email address fearful_penguin@hotmail.com - it would be great to see how you are all getting on!
I hope this has inspired you to stop using plastic bags - in fact, I DARE you to!
I love music - I find the music I listen to can often enhance my mood, and I listen to a wide variety of music depending on my mood and what I am doing at the time. This morning, I found myself wondering, what makes a good song? What's the difference between a good song and an amazing song? Is it the lyrics? The melody? The bassline? Clearly, it is a mixture of all these things, and is different for everyone. Personally, I find lyrics are very important for me - I rarely like songs which just repeat one or two lines. My favourite songs at any moment tend to be ones in which I can relate to the lyrics.
When crafting, I like to have music playing in the background, to help inspire and motivate me. I have found the best music for this is catchy, happy, poppy music! Music which is easy to listen to, and which I can sing along to. Recently whilst crafting, I have been listening to a mix cd which I received from a friend full of summery songs, The Long Blondes, and Lucky Soul. Also featuring have been The Hoosiers, The Wombats and Kate Nash.
What music do you listen to when crafting?
(Apologies for the lack of posting recently, I was ill with flu, normal service shall resume shortly!)
