All Roads Lead to Leiden

Oh the Internet is a funny and tangled place. A day or so ago Ama an Etsy friend from Leiden posted a picture that a local blogger, Louise, had taken of her market stand during one of Leiden’s many festive weekends. Of course, I had to pop over to the blog to read the review and reminisce over attending the same event last summer. On reading a bit further I discovered that the same blogger had just been featured by Tina,a London blogging friend who has a regular challenge post. And the challenge this time was for each of them to make a video about their respective towns, Leiden and London. So hop over here to see both of their videos.

In the meantime I have finally felt like piecing together this Ixxi that I designed with images from ” A Leiden Year”. I know it sounds a bit soppy, but I felt too sad about the end of the Dutch adventure to pin it up before now. It really felt that I was reconnecting to a part of my heritage again , only to see it come to a halt. Well, there are good sides to every change, of course, but I do plan to hang on to those strengthened Dutch ties with more regular visits – and with a bit of luck there will be another period over there in the future.

Day 20 – Painting Course with Mati Rose

Work in progress – Collaged background layer

I’ve been doing Mati Rose’s painting course ” Daring adventures in Paint and Life “. It has been a nicely paced course with lots of nudges to try out different materials and techniques . One week the focus was on collage .

Although I have done quite a lot of collage in the past – both digital and ” old school ” , I’ve never really combined it with much painting . It has been interesting to experiment with this . Main lesson with the collage has been to ensure paper is well coated with gel medium on both sides . Oh , and not to panic if it looks all wrinkled . With a bit of luck it will dry nice and smooth .

Mati challenged me to do 100 collages to see where that takes me . And I’ve decided to take her up on it !

The other new thing for me has been to work on a wooden panel . It feels completely different to working on canvas . I like that you can sand it and scrape it quite a bit more than canvas.

During the course I’ve been working on smaller panels , partly as it just makes storage a bit easier. I really need to start selling some of the bigger canvases or I will start to be swallowed up by them ! But the one I’ve used to illustrate this post started off while I was in Holland and is quite a bit bigger.. I was laying down some background layers but didn’t like how it was going and it went to the back of the queue. I unearthed it and still didn’t feel inspired to add paint – but encouraged by the emphasis on collage during the course decided to have a go with that instead.

Working on a larger scale was very enjoyable , as I do find those little squares just a bit tiny. I mixed up bought papers, maps and some of my own polaroid images too and even a bit of washi tape. I do prefer to use elements that are all my own though, so , although fine for an experiment, in future I’ll be painting up a stock of my own papers to use. It is still a background though, so the next stage will be to add more layers of paint.

Below is the “before” which I hesitate to post as it is so unappealing – but in the interests of showing the change I will ( although I will make it smaller ! ).

Mati Rose has also written a book which covers some of the techniques she has taught during the course.

Day 9 – In the Flow

In the flow and surrounded by Flow. Despite being in Scotland I have managed to keep up to date with my Flow reading – the Dutch magazine which has become popular even beyond Dutch speakers ! After this issue I think I’ll order a subscription for the Dutch one and hope to track down an Edinburgh stockist of the international one.

If you haven’t heard of Flow and you like papery things, colour and all things creative and gorgeous – then do keep a lookout for the International version. They have increased their sales points for this quite a bit in the last month or so. You will be in for a treat.

It is interesting how many niche magazines are appearing ,from many countries and very different to the traditional “glossies” in style, Frankie from Australia and Uppercase from Canada spring to mind.

If you keep an lookout on Flow’s Facebook page you might sometimes come across a giveaway – I’ve been lucky enough to receive something from them .

Day 3 – Where does Inspiration Come From ?

It would be nice to think that you could just sit down and wait for inspiration to strike, but sadly that doesn’t seem to happen often. It is more likely to hit you when you are busy doing something else.

Of course, it helps to have a few diversionary tactics up your sleeve and one of mine is to pay a little visit to the pandas or the puffins. The pandas in Edinburgh zoo have a webcam and it is quite reassuring to check in on them and to watch a bit of their day. They are never fretting about what to do next or how to “be” . They just get on with the task in hand , of eating mounds of bamboo – or having a little nap. They move quite slowly so I’ve been doing little panda sketches which are bound to pop up in a painting sooner or later.

Another one is the puffin webcam at Sumburgh on Shetland. I spent one summer where I was in Shetland every fortnight and was lucky enough to see the puffins in person from very close by. They are such engaging little birds and also very distinctive to draw. This webcam is located in a little underground burrow, and apparently puffins return to the same mate and burrow every year. This year they have returned and an egg was laid on the 1st of May. With a bit of luck in about 5 weeks there should be a puffling.

Strangely enough, if I stop “trying” and switch off for a few minutes to watch these creatures going about their daily life , before long something will trigger an idea and I will be off again.

Do you have something you do when you are feeling a bit stuck, that just unblocks things again ?
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( PS- In case you have just popped in , and wonder what it is “Day 3” of – I’ve decided try to blog for 30 days (weekdays) because I’d like to change my blog a little and hope that this concentrated focus might help with that. After realising I’d been blogging for 5 years I suddenly felt a bit lost for words and , to be honest, found the format a bit stale – so rather than stop , I chose to pay a bit more attention and see what transpires. )

Day 2 – Instagram Fun

I had a moment when I stepped back a little from Instagram. They were bought out by Facebook and I feared that the cosy and friendly space would change. It did change a little and there are periods with a lot of spam ,but on the whole it has stayed more or less the same. ( When there seems to be a lot of spam on the go I switch my profile setting to private for a little while, which seems to help a bit ).

Instagram and the whole iphonography idea has really helped me over the last 18 months or so. When I was first in Holland and without a proper base to work from , the one thing I was able to keep going was taking photos with my phone and using Instagram to share them and be inspired by other work.

Recently there have been a couple of very nice additions to my experience there. One was to stumble upon a community called #7vignettes. Once a month, for 7 days there is a theme and everyone shoots something inspired by that. It was set up by an Australian woman ( @interiorsaddict on Instagram ) and there are a lot of Australians in the group – it has been particularly nice to see vignettes showing the opposite seasons to my own. I didn’t manage to post this last time around but plan to do so again next month as it was just so enjoyable, both the shooting and the friendly community.

Instagram has also been great for keeping in touch with the Dutch connections I made over the last year and through this I stumbled upon a little contest that the lovely interiors magazine 101WoonIdeeen was holding. They invited contributions showing some colour in your house – of course, I couldn’t resist. There were over 500 submissions and twenty images were selected for publication in their August issue – I was really delighted discover I was one of the 20 !

(Incidentally, you can also view Instagram images online at http://www.instagram.com – my name there is @rhiannonmc )

Day 1 -Reviewing, Revising and Reviving – 30 days of Blogging

I have felt a little adrift with my blog over the last while. There have been lots of things happening but I haven’t felt that I wanted to put “pen to paper” and talk about them. I think partly what has happened is that I have lost my blogging groove a little. Maybe the idea of having kept this blog going for 5 years actually acted as a bit of a barrier. Also, maybe I’ve become a tiny bit bored with the format now. I want to freshen things up, both in style and content. So, to confront that head on I’ve set myself a little blogging challenge to blog for 30 days ( week days that is, as I’m trying more and more to have offline weekends ). I don’t really want to think of it as a challenge though, but more a way to focus a bit on how I’d like to see this blog from now on. I could wait till the start of the month , because I like that kind of orderliness. But that feels like procrastination, so I’m going to dive right in and start today.

Instead of berating myself for things not done, posts unwritten and progress unmade I will take note of one of my favourite phrases “Start where you are”. And when I take stock of where I am , surprisingly, I have managed to do more this year than I had initially supposed. If you are feeling stuck then I suggest you do the same, start where you are, use what you have.

Do you have a favourite motto that you use to get yourself moving again, or to encourage yourself ?

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( The image above is of some of the images on display just now at the Jitter Bean Cafe in South Queensferry – a good value and cosy cafe facing the water on Queensferry High Street )

Back to the Land of Porridge

Who would have thought that “half moving” back to Scotland would be such an upheaval ? Not quite as bad as when I moved to this little sea-side house , but still enough to cause a bit of a pause in photo related proceedings. So as not to add to the situation I closed my Etsy shop over the period . But I am happy to announce that it is back open today with a little bit of a bonus. From now until midnight on Friday I’m having a 2 for 1 offer – the less expensive item is complimentary and you just have to let me know what your choice is as you go through the Etsy checkout ( there is a form called “Note to Seller” ).

And yes, I’ve been back to porridge making too. Today was snowing when I got up and porridge seemed to be the best choice for breakfast. I like using the big oats rather than the traditional oatmeal. I suspect this means I’ll never win the Golden Spurtle ( A spurtle is a wooden stick traditionally used to stir porridge) at the porridge championships. Yes, they do exist ! I took one of my groups of tourists there in one of the early years and it was an interesting spectacle. Those golden spurtles are hotly contested. This year will be the 20th championship, in the Speyside village of Carrbridge.

Even though I might not be a champion porridge maker I do have my own little secrets. One of these was taught to me by my Godfather. How do you know when the porridge is ready ? As it bubbles along on the stove top you can hear it splutter “Ach -il -ti- buie ,Ach -il -ti- buie” . This means it still has a little while to go. When it is ready you’ll hear the song change to “Pool -ewe , Pool -ewe “. Try it – it does work !

Spotlight on Jurianne Matter

Another favourite Dutch designer this year (last year ) has been Jurianne Matter. I like her work for a number of reasons but in particular her use of designs on paper fits in with my nomadic and portable decorative themes.

My first acquistion were these paper lanterns. Nice details are that they work on both sides of the paper , and although you could use them with tea lights , using them with little electric lights works well too.

She brought out a few prints that can be framed – again using interesting cut out techniques to create 3D effects. And with the clever use of a two colour backing sheet so that again, you can personalise your choice of final effect.

And the latest addition to her collection are these geometrically patterned circles. They could be pressed into service on a christmas tree , but I think they can get away with year round decoration too. I found some white painted twigs to hang them in and they have looked great in the Dutch flat. Her colours seem to echo the colours that you find in the 30s and 50s – oranges, blues , yellows and greens – but quite muted versions.

And of course, now that we are on the move, everything can be flattened down, smoothed or folded and packed up , ready to find a new home.

You can see more of her work and find out where you can buy her designs on her own website, but if you are near Hebden Bridge the lovely Radiance Lighting shop also stocks some of her designs.

Spotlight on LoveMyrte’s Birds .

As my Dutch adventure is drawing to a close I thought I’d mark this by featuring a different Dutch designer or favourite place each day this week. I have really enjoyed being able to discover more artists and crafts people during my stay here.

I’ve had this particular post waiting for quite a while. In fact ever since I went to Eindhoven for the Hello Etsy conference. As the Dutch Design Week was on the go at the same time it was a good opportunity to have a look around at other exhibitions. And one additional bonus was to be able to visit Myrte de Zeeuw’s new studio. She has a fantastic space on an upper floor of one of the former Philips buildings – great light and a lovely spot. She allowed me to take a few photos to share with you.

If you are in the Netherlands you will recognise her work straight away as her bird cushions have been featured in a lot of the Dutch interior magazines. If her designs are new to you then you are in for a treat. Over time she has built up a reputation for beautifully designed bird cushions. But she doesn’t just choose random birds to represent, which, incidentally, she draws on her computer , feather by feather. Each bird that she depicts is one that she has had a particular connection with – such as the pigeon that marks her father’s victory with a racing pigeon as a child.

She is branching out now to other areas too, such as clothing, wallpaper and bedlinen featuring the birds too.

Her site is here – and you can read about the “behind the scenes” stories on her blog.

More Catching Up – Bookmaking on the Summer Isles

Oh my – I really do have a lot of catching up to do !  I mentioned that I was off to the Summer Isles in the spring but never got round to writing up an account of this magical trip.

I did make a 30 second video as part of the Arthouse Coop Adventure Video Project – but of course that could only skim the surface.

I deliberately chose to travel up north by public transport ,even though it would have been easy enough to drive. It was the right choice as it made the experience much more relaxed. ( Not to mention the snow storm that awaited us when we returned to the mainland.) So that was a train to Inverness, bus from Inverness to  Ullapool. At Ullapool I met up with my fellow bookbinders for a quick cuppa, followed by a  slightly nail biting taxi trip to Achiltibuie and then a 20 minute crossing on Patricia, the Summer Isles “resident” boat.

The Summer Isles consist of a number of islands, the largest of which ,Tanera Mor , is where we were headed. No roads, no cars – just a few holiday cottages and two permanent residents   Lizzie and Richard. Nothing to break the silence but the birds, the wind and the waves. If ever there was a place to just gently relax and recharge then this is it !

Of course, we were not there to be idle, but under the instructions of the lovely Rachel we were put through our paces. Folding ( to start gently) cutting, punching, sewing, sticking, measuring, muttering under our breath at tricky points, chatting, eating cake, drinking wine and copious amounts of tea.

And by the end of the course all of us had produced a beautiful hand made book – each themed around maps and places in one way or another. And each more beautiful than the next.

The days flew by, punctuated by delicious meals. And in between the meals, home baked cakes arrived, to make sure our energy levels didn’t flag.

That mixture of a reviving location plus learning new skills in a friendly environment – what could be better ?

Don’t just take my word for it – Rachel is teaching workshops in various places this year and I’m sure there will still be spaces somewhere.  And I have a sneaking suspicion she will also be back on the Summer Isles again sometime too.

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Most of the images here were taken with an Iphone – and , by request , I am preparing a short course to share my tips and tricks . If you’d like a wee tip off when it is ready to launch you can sign up here and I will keep you informed.