Upcycling chairs....

Stripping the finish off

Now refinished in blue and webbed

Barbara working on the seat

Green denim jacket in a new form

The finished article

A few photos showing one of our re worked chairs in progress. I did the stripping and refinishing and Barbara did the seat. The chair originally had a cane seat, but it takes so long to re-cane that we decided on a pin-stuffed seat reusing an old denim jacket of mine - a favourite one at that! 

Curlicues revived!

Earrings for sale....

In the 1980's I spent a year on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme running a craft business selling jewellery and candles. I only lasted the year, as I wasn't very organised, or self-disciplined and there is a complicated background story involving complicated relationships and break-ups.... However now at 53 having taken voluntary redundancy after spending lots of years being a librarian I have to do something. The Government seem very keen that I do not become a feckless idle layabout, however much I would like to be one. So I am once again setting up my own craft business on the rather less supportive New Enterprise Allowance Scheme. I am even selling some of the old things..... 

These earrings are some of my first makes - back in my comfort zone! I have set up my Folksy shop today, though I haven't managed to list anything for sale yet! This should be the link - https://folksy.com/shops/Curlicues and hopefully I'll actually list some things for sale soon!

Clock Tower Exhibition

Me at the Clock Tower!

I particularly like how the four Elementals paintings look together (the bottom picture). I had some lovely positive comments in my comments book -  "...Such Vibrance.Inspiring..." "...Very imaginative. It has been a pleasure to view." So I feel very happy with the having had the exhibition. Onto the Open Studios!

Dancing with Colour poster

This is the poster for my exhibition.

Exhibition at the Clock Tower Gallery

Here are some photos of the exhibition at the Clock Tower Gallery at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield. It's a great space in which to exhibit - I really enjoyed being able to stand at a distance to look at my paintings, and to see them as a group - something I can't do at home. 

The gallery is in the posh bit of the old workhouse - now used as an admin building, so lots of people walking past on their way to meetings. It is open to the public - Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. and the exhibition is up until the 24th April. I will be putting images of my new work onto Red Bubble as soon as I can, but unfortunately we are having some computer problems with iPhoto, and I haven't been able to download them yet. These images are just off my phone and blue-toothed to the computer. 

Sorting paintings for my exhibition

Nine months after the de-cluttering for the Open Studio event, my studio doesn't look too bad! (It maybe has been tidied again once or twice...) These photos show paintings I was preparing to put up in an exhibition - which went up today.... more photos to follow!

My Studio

My de-cluttered and re-organised studio. It feels so big now and it's such a pleasure to be in there. I've shown quite a few people up there today during the open studios event, I'm so glad I've got it looking really good!