Introducing... Loula Belle!

 It is funny how my 100th post has turned out to be the one in which I announce the change of my name.  Not so long ago it was my 1 year blog anniversary (which I didn't celebrate, I will however be doing some celebrating so keep your eyes peeled) and I find it a little strange how these things have occurred around a similar time.  It is time for change though, and the last 12 months of my work have been an important process that have enabled me to see things more clearly.

So, introducing... Loula Belle!

Loula Belle At Home is a new concept that I have been working on for the past twelve months, and is a home ware label aiming to bring a little glamour to those mundane chores we face in the home each day.  The name has come from my mum, she used to call me Loula Belle as a child and it makes me smile when I hear it so I had to reclaim it. 

The next few months are going to see lots of changes, and I have lots of hard work to do!!!  I will keep you posted, I am excited, and hope you will like what you see.

Here is a sneak preview of what is to come.

 Many thanks to all those lovely girlies that are helping me along my way.

x

HELP US SAVE OUR LOCAL GALLERIES

I made a decision when I started this blog, not to be particularly political when writing for it.  However, it is a blog about my creative work (mostly!) and I feel passionately about children having creative and practical experiences.  Drumcroon Gallery in Wigan is under threat of having its funding from Wigan Council withdrawn.  Unfortunately the North West doesn't have its fair share of galleries, and it is therefore important that we do our best to save what we have.

As a designer/maker, I feel that projects like this provide fantastic opportunities for people, in particular young people (who may come from backgrounds that would not traditionally visit galleries etc.), to access the art world, have first hand experience of galleries, and have the opportunity to create their own pieces of work whilst visiting the gallery.  It also provides the opportunity for children in schools to work with artists on projects in school, allowing them to recognize their own creativeness.  I don't want to harp on, so this is what the Save Drumcroon Group have to say:

After 30 years of pioneering work, providing education in art to thousands across the borough, The Drumcroon Gallery is facing the real possibility of closure.
Wigan Council is considering withdrawing its subsidy from the gallery as it is forced to axe millions from its budget.
If you are one of the thousands lucky enough to have been through the doors at Drumcroon, be it as a pupil, or in later life, we urge you to join our group and raise the much need awareness to the plight of this outstanding establishment.
Even if you have never visited Drumcroon, but believe in the importance of art in the community, and more so the positive impact it can have on future generations, we urge you to sign up, and spread the word! 


Please help save this service by taking a few minutes to sign the Save Drumcroon petition by clicking here.  You can also join the Save Drumcroon Group here.

Many thanks.

Another busy week (and a half!!)

I can't believe that another week (and a half) has passed, and that it is nearly the end of February!! I am far too busy and life is flying so fast I am finding it difficult to find time to babble about my doings!

Here is this week in a flash... 

... a lovely bucket of flowers (literally a bucket, they were in a galvanized steel bucket!) from my hubby declaring his love... I gave him Jamie's 30 minute meals hoping to encourage him to cook me a lovely meal.  He couldn't hide his disappointment!!!

Pattern making...

... to enable me to reduce the piles of fabric in the living room...

... and free Lily from her back breaking work.  I really must organize my workspace upstairs and get an ironing board up there.

At the end of the week I was making a collage patchwork with a group of children at a primary school in Wigan, with the theme of New Beginnings.

Today I finally got around to making some fairy cakes with both the Fairy and the Tinker.  The Tinker thought for a moment that we were making dough and stuck both hands in, gooey mess everywhere!!!  Very tasty cakes though and the Fairy did an excellent job of decorating them in her usual pink way!!!

Oh, and to top it off...

... potty training.  Weh hey!!!

Looking forward to the new week.  I am guessing it will be hectic with both the children at home.  Happy half-term to all those at home with children!

New life, new beginnings

Yesterday I had a whiff of Spring.  The wild wind had ceased, the sun shone, the air was warm(er) and it smelt like Spring was coming...

... today it is wet and miserable!!!  However, the new shoots show signs that winter is on its way out and that better weather is on its way.  New life, new beginnings!!

Talking of new beginnings I am busy beavering away at the moment creating my new collection (hence the lack of online updates).  It is a year since I went public with my work, and this spring is going to see it turn a corner.  I look forward to telling you more.

Getting Creative in Schools

Last week I did some work in a primary school in Wigan for a couple of days, as part of the excellent services provided by Drumcroon Gallery in Wigan (if you live in the area, please go and visit, they have a fantastic exhibition on at the moment).  I loved it!!  I love working with young people, and being able to get creative with them, and see them explore their own creativity was fabulous.  

I had the pleasure of working with 2 groups of year 4 children for a couple of days.  Their theme was snow and ice, and we were focusing on colour and shape to create a piece of work, rather than drawing a picture (a difficult task, they are so used to drawing a 'picture' they found it difficult just to make marks by exploring shapes).

The first session, we got pastels out and made a mess!!  They were covered, and although some initially made a fuss about having dirty hands, they soon get into the flow and created some lovely pieces.  The colours were fabulous and they really explored mixing and changing the colours.

These were then recreated in collage, using recycled paper from magazines.  

In the second session, we had a look at stitch.  Spent a bit of time learning to thread needles and create lines with thread before using these new skills on top of the collages they had done previously.

Like I said earlier, a fabulous couple of days.  The children were great and most of them really enjoyed it.  I am looking forward to doing more!

My new shopping bag

It is great to see some fantastic reusable bags being produced by some of the big supermarkets.  I have been known to bring back big shopping bags from France in the past, but we seem to be catching up on the reusable bag front.  Hoorah.  

I love this one...  I managed to pick it up in my local Tesco a week or so ago.  Apparently they came out at the beginning of December, but I have only just managed to get my mitts on one (either they have only just made it up north, or I have a sheltered life!!!).  They have been designed by Orla Kiely and have been made to raise money for charity.  Each bag costs £4 with 50p of that being donated to CLIC Sargent, the UK's leading children's cancer charity, and Orla's personal charity the Royal College of Art,  helping to fund bursaries for textile students.  If you haven't already 'bagsied' yourself one, get yourself out to Tesco before they all disappear.

Pain in the ..... foot!

This week I have been suffering from Plantar Fascilitis (inflamation of a ligament in my foot).  It started last Saturday, when out shopping with the Fairy.  I hobbled around getting shooting pains in my heel and couldn't understand why as nothing specific had occurred.  All I could link it to was the numerous hours I stood at the ironing board* the previous night pressing pieces of fabric and cutting out hexagons for a quilt I am gong to start. The doctor informed me that this could have been the tip of the iceberg and that the only solution was to put my feet up for a week, use heel pads and do some exercises.  I couldn't even do any sewing as it is my peddle foot!!!  

Although I did enjoy sitting and reading for long periods of time... I do have a lot of work I need to do, so coaxed my left foot into action ( I am very right handed, and thought that I would be very right footed, but my left foot coped very well with the challenge!!).  Alongside some new pinnies and some other new products I have been fiddling with (all will be revealed soon enough), I had said that I would make kit bags for the children (mine and my nephews/nieces - 6 of them, aged 6 and under), for when we are together so that we can keep their things in order.  I made simple drawstring bags, each with their initial appliqued on.

Hopefully it will stop confusion and keep things a little tidier!!!  I love the spotty fabric... it looks red in the image ( it is gloomy up North and the light is terrible), but it is bright pink with orange spots.  I love this colour combination.  Fruit salad, pull your teeth out sweets, from the 1980's!!!

*re: ironing board - my New Years Resolution (to myself) was not to have the ironing board continually up in the living room.  So far I have failed miserably, as soon as the tree went and things get back to post Christmas normality, the ironing board went up... and hasn't been down much. I really must organize my workspace and get a board in here!!!