Do you display your art work?

I have joined a yahoo group of lovely ladies in the True North Arts with Kathryn Antyr, and they have been discussing 'Do you dispaly your art work?'.
For me this question became a profound one, it really got me thinking about my art work and how I perceive myself as an "artist".
The answer to the question in short is NO, I do not display my art work, and as I realised this I became curious with myself and wondered, why? Am I afraid of what others think? Am I not proud of my stuff? Will people judge me in some way from what they see?
Then I had an Ahaa! moment.... I understood why for so long I had struggled to get into making and creating, even when inside my head I had a constant voice telling me to make things to create, to let go!
Even to this day the voice talks to me," create, just get the paints out, you'll feel better"it says. And the voice is right, I always feel better, but yet I found it difficult to keep that creative rhythm, and the reason was that I was too stuck on the end result, on having this perfect image.
Today I realise the time that I have spent in fear of not making something right, I lost in making nothing.
So I have made a promise to myself in getting the paints out more often, in displaying my art work, and creating more often, in listening to that voice who never lets up!
Also lately I have been wearing some of my creations, scarves and jewellry I made a while back.
These are earings which I made a few months ago, but felt too big so I changed the shape and yes I wore them out a few times! :)

Still having fun with my concoctions of homemade things, thought I would share another homemade beauty tip, I make this often to exfoliate the face with.
Oat Face Scrub

• 1-2 tblsp oatmeal/rolled oats
  
• enough water to make a paste

Once you have a paste consistancy, mix in a small bowl using fingers to squish the oats up, scrub on a cleansed face for two minutes.(I sometimes leave on and shower away then at the end I will rinse off with warm water). Rinse and pat dry. Oats are soothing to skin and mildly cleanses.

Other ingredients which you can add oats are:

• tsp of lemon juice, not on sensitive skins!
  
• 1 drop of lavender essential oil
  
• tbsp full cream plain yoghurt
  
• tbsp raw honey

Going away to family for the weekend and will come back with some photos of mums new chooks! The girls have the job of naming all six of them and collecting some eggs for us to bring home....wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Angie ox

Friendships and Creative Spaces

The very first thing I would like to express is a great big thankyou to Hybid J for passing on the "WaterMelon 10 Award" , I believe that it is for people who blog and share their creative spirit on line, (even though of late I have been rather out of touch on the sharing).
So again THANK YOU and I would like to pass this torch on wards to 3 other gorgeous creative ladies:

• Beverly Baird from Bunny's Girl


• Tamarak from Tamarak's Table


• Cynthia from Under a Violet Moon

These ladies have shown me that as women we can be supportive of each other and inspiring too. So thank you girls for rocking my creative boat!!!

As part of the 'Self-portrait' art prompt this month in Creative Every Day I have been thinking about what things express who I am, what things in this world help define me, show my true colours. I wanted to show you my creative space where most of my work is done. (Often this space is also over taken by 2 smaller girls!) As you can see on the left side I have a sewing machine, given to me by mum 2 x-mas's ago, haven't used it yet. But have just bought some material to make a bag, that is why I have the machine out. I love fabrics and the textures of sewing, but have always been afraid to actually do it! I feel myself resisting to do it. But with baby steps, micro movements, I will make that bag. I have already cut the material ready for sewing, just need to iron the batting on.

Another thing I have been revisiting is Aromatherapy, before children I used to make my own bath salts, massage oils and face masks. Somehow in the busyness of life having moved 3 times since having children I kind of lost a part of me, kind of forgot stuff. (I made massage blends for the girls when they were babies but then I stopped)Here and now I am slowly remembering what is important and have started to make up some new recipes for me. I have a new motto, Natural is best, if you can't eat it its best not to apply it on your body. My first new cleanser I have been using at the moment is a sugar and olive oil scrub. I have oily skin but this seems to give my skin a glow, especially now as it is winter and the heaters are so drying.

So give this a try - 2tbls of brown soft sugar with 1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and a drop of your favourite essential oil, I use bergamot. I do this in the shower and the aromas of the essential oil are sensational. When I started doing these homemade remedies I felt like it was such an indulgence. I was giving myself the time to care for myself and reconnect with my body, in winter I often feel like I hide my body under the layers of clothing and don't even look at it until summer comes!

Hope you all give yourselves time this weekend to reconnect with yourselves and indulge a little in some YOU time...

Angie ox

To be or not to be, that IS the question!

Hello friends,

Have been away for a while sitting on my hands, when it comes to creating connecting and expressing self.

Feeling very down because I have been quite ill over the last few weeks and feeling rather sorry for myself. Also the girls have been home for the school holidays and I couldn't really sit around the house all day in my P.J.'s, would of been nice but not realistic.

I shouldn't complain at all really because we have had a lovely time, went into the city caught the train, which was fabulous because serindipily (is that a word?), I met a lovely arty lady who was drawing on stage whilst a great band was playing Brazilian music! We got chatting and she shared her process of drawing this wonderful picture she was making. (she used chalk on canvas which I never thought of doing), go check out her website for some of her art work, very beautiful especially her sculptures, http://www.mealieart.com/

We also made pizza,

Went on picnics
and acted crazy when ever possible, all whilst I was sniffling and feeling rather miserable, but one grins and says wow what a lovely time we are having! :)

GRRRR!!!! Play with me mummy!

Such beautiful girls, and growing up way too fast.

Today was raining and cold outside, we did go for a quick outing but came home soon after and I did manage to do a pastel work on canvas, inspired idea by Amelia, and it is a self portrait - an art prompt from "Creative Every Day". This self portrait was done listening to Enya 'A Cold Day Without Rain', it is representing myself coming out of the dark looking out into the colours, kind of like I felt lately, but realising that the dark is part of the light and being at peace with that, not fighting it and getting frustrated. Again kind of like I have been feeling lately. Frustrated with being sick and not feeling lively and colourful. I really enjoyed making this today, pastels are my favourite medium, and whilst I was working away to the music I felt my cheeks warm up and become rosy, it was like the fire in me has lit up again, like in the picture.......may your fires burn and keep you warm as the creative emburs burn, baby burn.

Thought I would call this "Intuition".

Lots of creative hugs, Angie ox.