Just like buses:) Possesions and persona

I make no apologies for posting more pictures of my yarn because I absolutely love it. I love the colours and the way they blend into each other. I love the fact that the Goddess had her way and I dyed exactly what she planned and not what was in my head to do.

I like the way the colours go from brightest corn and summer through autumn and apples to trees without their leaves. A metaphor perhaps for this half of the year?
I'm pleased with the 2 colours I put with my original Earth dyes and that the green one I mixed myself.
I like them in case you hadn't guessed:)
Casting on the new Elsewhere jacket after this so watch this space. I'm thinking that the brightest colours need to be at the top leading down to the darker at the edges and bottom but we will see what my muse has to say about it all.
So it is Lammas or Lughnasadh today. It started with rain but we now have sunshine. I've given thanks for my growing season and my harvest, have you? Is it what you expected or wanted or did the old ones surprise you with their gifts?

Blue Witch had a very interesting post yesterday on living with just 100 possessions. Her question was could you live with that number and your reasons for and against.

It made me think about my home and the things within it. Do I need them all and why?
Yes is the short answer:)
All my belongings have history, where they came from and why I have them. To me they are part of my persona, part of who and what I am and what I aspire to. All the craft items are used, often. All the books read,often. Any books I acquire that don't merit a second reading are passed on to the charity shop or to people who would like them. I tend to order books from the library, well I have always done that but I now order them with another purpose in mind. If they are ones I wish to read again then I can purchase them and not waste my money. We have lots of book space Mr Mog and I. We both love books.
The selection is very eclectic and ranges from many bicycle books(Mr Mog) through a large children's section to fantasy(both of us). On the way they deviate through detective fiction , Mr Mog again and his collection of Alan Hunter books. Sc ifi, my Robert Heinlein collection. They pass through a medium size mass of cookery books, tarot and witchy books towards dictionaries and their like. Other shelves contain my almost complete collection of Georgette Heyer and Diana Wynne Jones novels. I also have all the Charles de Lint books and all the Terry Pratchett ones. I love escapism, life can be dark enough without voluntarily reading about it.
Almost all the people who visit our house love it, they love the eclectic artwork on shelves and walls and the smell of the house always comes up in conversation. We always have some form of incense on the go sometime in the day. It may be sticks or quite often hand blended smouldering on charcoal. For me the sense of smell is exceedingly important in our lives and I use it on more than one level. All my artwork or gifts sent to people have a secret blend of essential oils used within their making. I think opening a gift and smelling an elusive fragrance is fantastic.
These are the things I count as persona possessions. Furniture and utilitarian objects are just that, they do not reflect me the same. Yes the clothes do because I have a need to always wear colour, bright colours. Colour lifts my spirits and makes me smile. That is a good enough reason for me. I think colour plays a big part in our lives and I use that in mine.

Owls, art books,creativity and more

In answer to the comment from Sue.The owl book was one I made and embroidered a few years ago. I used to take part in an art book/page exchange. You made as many copies of a page on a particular subject as there were players, sent them to the hostess along with your book covers. She bound the book and in some cases beaded them, with copies of each persons artwork. Normally anything from 12 to 30+ people took part. So you ended up with a limited edition book each time. They all had different artwork on a theme, for example birds as in my owl book. Some wrote poetry and short stories to go with the artwork. I do have quite a few books from these exchanges. Obviously each persons book would also look different as you sent in your own front and back covers. I hostessed quite a few of these swaps as well as joined in others. The owl book was a particular favourite as it was my first time binding a book. Mr Mog did the holes and got it wrong the first time on my cover hence the additional set of holes to the right:) I think it made it even more unique.
This book was for a celestial theme
I randomly dyed cotton and added salt to change the colour.I padded the cover in parts so it feels almost quilted.

This was my page in the book. You also had to add a vellum or other clear front page before it with your details and on this I put "We are all a part of the universe"

This next one was a collaboration on the dragonfly theme:)

Can you see the beaded dragonfly on the cover? The cover was thick card or mounting board that I liberally splattered with colour.
I thought a haiku went well with the picture, the colour on the wings was actually sari fabric I scanned then printed then cut out to add to the wings.It is also lightly glittered. The cover sheet reads, "The original idea for my dragonfly came from a line drawing in our local wildlife magazine. I made up the haiku. Then scanned sari silk for the embossed dragonfly. "

Next was on the theme Given to fly.
The cover is mount board painted with various metallic paints, mulberry paper added, wild geese embossed in gold on top, the goose is stamped on more mulberry paper. The charms include butterflies, a fairy and a bee.
My page of stamped, coloured images
I came up with the words for the cover sheet also.

This next was a holiday journal page book. We all did a page of Christmas/New year/Yule ideas and impressions then I bound them. The face charm was to represent Janus, looking both ways into the old and into the new year.Commercial fabric that I added glitter to.

The Christmas Haiku was by Wes Magee

This next book was just one I made that has blank pages in
Hand dyed fabric with salt sprinkled on before it dried, various fabrics, silk tops etc added then embroidered. Stab bound.
The pages are all mulberry paper. This is ready to use for whatever comes to mind:)


This next one was on a Tropicana theme. Different size format for this one. Cover is tropical print fabric with different tropical ties.
Foam painted.stamped, embossed and gilded.

My page with feather. My writing. All the pages in thisbook were showcased differently.

This next was a similar idea but you made tags. Cover is Clay, stamped embossed and beaded. Theme goddesses.

My tag was sponged background, stamped goddess layered on to background and gilded. Goddess definition quote stamped.
Hope you liked this glimpse of my art books. I have a yen to maybe do another collaborative after going back through these.
It reminded me of one of my journal pages where I did a piece on artists block.
I wrote;-
Swim in the sea of creativity.
Dip your hand in the creative soup.
Imagination
+
Creation
=
Elation.

Also on the same page I'd written a quote from Maryanne Redmacher Hersey

Live with intention
Walk to the edge
Listen hard
Practice wellness
Play with abandon
Laugh
Choose with no regret
Continue to learn
Appreciate your friends
Do what you love
Live as if this is all there is

Also this quote from George Bernard Shaw;-

Imagination is the beginning of creation
You imagine what you desire
You will what you imagine
and at last you create what you will