The case of the dodgy monitor

A week or so ago I was browsing around blogs as you do, and checked out how about orange, a fab design blog. Jess had featured this fab hue test, which I proceeded to do. If you want to try it, you MUST click here. My first score was a dire 27. I couldn't believe it!! Then I thought, hold on, I cant be that bad at my job!! So I decided it was time to buy a new monitor(a bad work person must blame her tools right!). Mine was 6yrs old after all. After some research I decided on a 20"Samsung. Now here I am looking lovingly at it after my wonderful hubby bought it home for me the other day!! Ive just redone the test and improved to a 7! Yippee theres hope for me yet!

Freecycle

I know I usually blog about design, but this is really great: Freecycle is a fantastic Eco friendly idea, and I joined today. You have to follow the link and find a recycling group in your area. Then you can offer or request anything you want, within reason (it actually states you can't put your kids on!) Then off you go, clear out the loft, put something on that you were going to take to the dump and someone else may want it. It all helps reduce land- fill!
Oh and this is my orange butterfly brooch that is nothing to do with freecycle!

My journal day!

Yesterday I was inspired by blusheds journal day, so here's mine today, it will be my longest post ever!
Started by taking the girls to school in the freezing rain, but every cloud has a silver lining, and ours was a lovely rainbow arching into the sea!Took a photo of this gorgeous leaf that a girl in the village gave to me. Lovely colour. Checked out some blogs and had a cuppa tea! Inspired by Robins orange post so here's one of her cards with some of my grans orange fabric from the 1970s!Did some drawings for my new design and started it in illustrator. My brother rang for chat and then I went onto lynda.com to check out some techniques. I learnt how to make my own art brush! Then had to run to fetch my youngest who finishes school at lunchtimes until Xmas. (not alot of quality design time then!)After lunch Louisa hijacked my computer, so I made a start on a bag for my brothers girlfriend. As it turned into such a lovely afternoon we went down to the village for a wander before picking up Ruby. We went by the pond....okay so I did that especially so I could put our pretty little village pond on my blog!!
We popped into the local museum garden and found some great sculptures by a local artist Marion Briggs. Next stop to pick up Ruby and then off home, where....................... I'm now finishing my blog and will then proceed to make the dinner and all of that kind of palava that you have to get on with. I can actually see why I dont get much done now!

Birdy card

I have lots of old designs stacked up in my studio, as these days I have to print them out for myself to actually see, then I just send them off into cyberspace, to my agent. I used to have to print them out and then post them in the mail, and before that it was a case of painting by hand..oh for those days eh! I loved sitting painting all day!! I still like to draw in my sketch book, but I miss using a proper brush.
Anyway, this has turned into a rant about the good old days, must be getting old! The point is that old print-outs make great appliques, a good way to recycle your work too!