There has been ...

There has been a birthday, my thirty eighth. This year she baked the cake pictured above for me and each piece was a slice of perfection I can tell you. I sat up in bed, blankets wrapped round keeping the cold out. Hiding from the snow once home from school drop off, I steadily ate my chocolate dream whilst working my way through my favourite movies. It started as an indulgent day that led into an indulgent week somehow - my birthday week I kept saying in my head. So much so that in an e-mail to a loved one who was asking for career advice I responded: 'I currently liken myself professionally to the grandparents in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', so I'm probably not the person to ask!' 

A perfect week-end just me and my hubby, courtesy of my mama offering to have the grandsons for a sleepover. There was walking and hand holding, talking and laughter, coffee and cafes and yes I mean plural. Visiting a gallery, a bookshop, a comic book shop worthy of the scent au fart. Ambling aimlessly through the city. A spontaneous visit to the cinema to watch a film that we knew nothing about, smiling extra smiles for the clever straw trick that the barman revealed when he tucked the bent part of the straw into our old school coca cola bottles to stop them bobbing out. Yes we drank coca cola and it felt like a first date, up until I said 'hey, you're eating all the nuts!' 

There was purchasing of wine and halva and films. There was a comedy situation where a card got declined because someone forgot to transfer money from one account to another and tried to purchase halva and glucosamine because we were walking by and why not get it now when we're free and have no kids and can pop in just about anywhere if we want. Thank you smartphones and thank you online banking and thank you halva, your name serves you well 'sweetness'. Oh how we enjoyed you as we snuggled up watching our films, rambling with wine giddiness and favoring a night in over a night out.

Also this week there has been lots of looking and reading of new treasures, books and an illustration publication. There has been some thinking about how to come up with a clever thing like Wes Anderson always using futura bold in yellow. There has been ignoring of a self imposed deadline. Coveting of cameras and colours and pretty things. There's been looking through old photographs, looking at pictures of the children having fun outdoors on a currently very unusual sunny day. There has been some avoidance, some distraction, rebellion and laziness, yes I admit laziness. There's been some reminiscing of when I turned sixteen and my siblings presented me with the jellyfish swatch watch I'd been wanting for weeks. I received a new swatch for turning 38 and happy I did feel at knowing that walls can hear and if not walls then my boys hear through them. There has been a four way cuddle in our 'is this really a kingsize bed because it doesn't feel like it when they attack' where my eldest boy delivered my favourite line of the whole week: 'Dad your ears look like bacon!' Well, what more can be said ... nada!

Watching 'Moonrise Kingdom' whilst trying to ignore the messy desk in the background

Cameras, polaroids, old school chair, classic font ... what a pretty window display!

More of the pretty window display ... prettiness!

Nobrow publication with front cover illustration by Stuart Kolakovic

Nobrow publication with front cover illustration by Blexbolex

Confession: Sometimes I don't think it's enough to just make pretty things.

This week I've been trying to break out of my easy come, easy go pattern of creating images solely using scraps of paper and a glue stick, I've been trying to remember how to experiment. You know, that process where you start to like something that's developing but if there's the slightest hesitation you paint/draw/wipe/stick over it. This used to be a process that I used commonly and instinctively but space and time and a lack of habit have meant it feels like more effort than I would like it to be. So, experiment is what I did with my itty bitty bits of time this week. I'm currently working on A4 size canvas but I've bought some A2 and larger that I'm looking forward to using too. I found some work from my last 'experiment' featured in this post and want to do more of it, I may just get back to my norm of A1 paper for some oil stick and pencil on paper fun. Susie Sue -Series Two has also been playing on my mind lately, it's exciting to think of her once more! Another confession: I feel quite smug that in spite of a very busy week, I have managed to make something new ... even if it is a little bit pretty.

Hanging my canvases around the house at the moment.

I must remember that I like working on several pieces at a time.

Temporary Collages

Today, when I was meant to be sorting out a whole heap of mess, instead I found myself making little temporary collages from my .... well my mess! Tomorrow is D day, I must get that mess sorted so that my table is clear enough to work at, with everything in its place. As we speak, hubby is sat at MY table with his laptop completing some work for school, so hey I can't be doing badly if it's already a functioning space huh? Somehow though, this small and just my very own little space is already being invaded. When I started clearing the table today I found a note from my eldest boy, it said 'hey mum, welcome to your new table. I really like it. Can I use it sometimes?'. The answer is: why, of course!

P.S I've always dreamed of wandering round Tokyo in pretty shoes! Well today I did so in my day dream ... sigh!