Xmas leftovers

Xmas is not over at midnight on the 25th. The house is still decorated; I have two presents waiting for friends who will only be seen later this week; there are Xmas cake, chocolate and biscuits in the tin.

And some leftover Xmas doodles ...

Spotting the Christmas Star

 Wishing for Snow

In Search of Happiness - Right Now?

Found yesterday  - in Fish Hoek.

Xmas

Meet the Big Dog

Yesterday Snous went to meet Simon's Town's famous Great Dane - Just Nuisance. To read more about him, click here.

Bad Copies - Women

Bad Copy #6 (of a painting by Polly Alakija from the exhibition We Are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made of, January 2007)

Bad Copy #7 (of a photograph by Dave Robertson from the exhibition Remember - October 2005)

Somewhere that is not here

Sometimes I wish to be somewhere that is not here ...

Collage with magazine cut-outs, polaroid and tram ticket. (Polaroid by Sarah Wallis.)

Christmas is Coming ...

This year I made origami star garlands from book pages and glitter ...

... and paper chains decorated with birdies.

No tree this year - just branches from my rosemary bush hung with decorations ...

... and silver baubles nestled amongst shells and painted stones.

The ornaments I made last year are used again ...

... they make great gift tags.

I made a heap of these crackers. Yay - another dent in my tp-tube stash. The labels were cut from tea-stained pages and lettered in my very best handwriting (i.e. not my usual griffonage - such a lovely word that...)

So, except for my collection of Santas, which provides some colour in the hallway, quite a monochrome Christmas. Fairy lights will be added later this week, and then I'm done! Are you decorating?

A walk on the mountain

The Cape is well-known for its wide variety of wild flowers. These (and many more) I snapped on the mountain this weekend.











Have a lovely week - smell the flowers, and if there aren't any, draw or paint some!

More Bad Copies

Bad Copy #4 (of a photograph of Douglas Ginberg & Christian Nerf from the exhibition One More Day to Regret, May 2008)

Bad Copy #5 (of sculpture by Donovan Ward from the exhibition Barbie Bartmann: Homecoming Queen, July 2005)

Stay Calm - Life Happens

Here is an idea for a Hollywood movie script. Lipsticked and coiffed 1950's housewife, upon opening her car door, is suddenly abducted by aliens in a biplane, and dropped in the middle of a desert somewhere in Africa, where she wakes up transformed, clutching a rusty tin can, her (now) only possession. A voice booms from the sky: "Stay Calm - Life Happens."

So much of what we have or don't have in life is an accident of birth. Not earned or deserved, as we so like to believe ...

What Anairam Found

Saturday was the last car boot sale of the year. And the next one is only in February! How to bear it??
Anyway, this time I got a few lovely bits and pieces ...

A lappie - intended to be sewn onto a cushion cover, and two mini-books (7x9 cm) with photographs of London - published by Valentine and Sons Ltd.

A tiny polar bear - just in case they all really do disappear. It is planning to take a walk across Westminster Bridge to the Houses of Parliament. What will it say, I wonder?

These two miniature plastic figurines - Japanese warriors? The lamp and umbrella can both move!

This book - not to read, but for the cover. I think I have mentioned before that I collect book jackets - preferably 1950's and older.

Inside I found this old Cape Tramways ticket ...

My best buy - a tiny carving of a deer - the legs and even hooves are beautifully detailed. I think it is bone and am thinking of making a necklace with it.
And lastly ...





... a small book called Bedside Book of Discoveries with these (and more!) beautiful wood engravings by Hellmuth Weissenborn.

What Snous Found

Good Morning, Mr Tortoise! (This one is for lisa whose post here I loved and still remember!)

Weekword: Contrast

Oh, Weekword, how I have missed thee ...
11.15 am yesterday

2 hours later ...

A weed's beauty lasts much longer if it is not picked ...

Fruenswerk chose this week's word - visit her blog for more contrasts!

Bad Copies

I love art. And I love going to art exhibitions. As a result, I have collected a box full of exhibition invitations, and I simply can't get rid of them. I can always use them in collage projects, art pages, to make cards, and so forth, I reason. So a few days ago I had a brilliant idea for a journal project: at the same time as reminding myself of our local artists (and introducing you to them), I can also practise my drawing skills. I have decided to
a) do my own interpretation, rather than trying to make an exact copy, and to delete or add bits as I wish,
b) spend no more than 5 - 15 minutes on a drawing, and
c) use only pen and colouring pencils.

I have called the journal "bad copies".

Herewith the first three entries:

Bad Copies #1 (of paintings by Mary Visser, from the Nocturnes exhibition).

Bad Copies #2 (of painting by Lizza Littlewort, from the exhibition How did Lizza meet Jake Chapman?)

Bad Copies #3 (of painting by Timothy Zantsi, from Timothy Zantsi - Solo Exhibition)

Speaking in Riddles

There was a debate around the supper table last night. I have to say that I dislike debates. They always seem to me to be about defending one's own viewpoint, or picking holes in those of one's 'opponents'. No openness to the possibility of changing one's view. Hmmmm. I really prefer dialogue, I think.

I made this page about a month ago, apropos of nothing, really. (Drawing, magazine cutout, page from 50's Pitman shorthand exercise book.)

Sort of Weekword

Oh, I have SO missed blogging and visiting all you blog-people, I truly feel a bit deprived! It is great to have family around, but it does alter the normal flow of one's life. Some of it of course I am very happy to skip (i.e. working) but others (socialising in blogworld) I do really miss.

I did not formally join Leenie's weekword (feast) - no time to produce something - but I do want to show off the feast of goodies that arrived in the post this week. Alexandra's beautiful superhero t-shirt was accompanied by a glorious array of goodies - a beautiful print, a selection of cards, leaves, and even the paper that was used to wrap the shirt features an amazing print!









I also ordered the lovely Sarah's beautiful face bird and gold-leaf paper doll - they have both brought a feeling of playful whimsy to my home ...





They were accompanied by a delightful felt brooch (wearing it now!), a watercolour bird and some bird ephemera.

A feast of creative arty bits have invaded my home - and I feel ready to ... MAKE STUFF!