New Year Resolution

Blogging on the first day of the new year. It was not a resolution but it should be. With moving, Christmas and no internet for a month, blogging has been neglected. The first of the year has been productive - blogging and creating too. I was a bit lost after the flurry of Christmas card and gift making. I watched lots of videos for ideas and decided it was time I tried an album.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the loss of photographs now they all go from digital camera to computer. It is so easy to loose them all if the machine dies. Like the bank that cannot give you cash if ‘the computers are down’!!!! Even with scratches negatives are much less fragile through time. I am going to try this year to print most of my photos and create prints not just invisible ‘files.’

With this new years resolution in mind I have made an album for my Mum. It is for Mother’s Day so I will not photograph it extensively and spoil the surprise if she looks in. I used a template from http://www.mycreativespirit.blogspot.com/ I think this lady has a brilliant eye for design in her pages and she is wonderfully calm and clear in tutorials. I have been inspired to make albums over the holidays.

I wanted to use a sea theme as we live near the sea and have lots of lovely photos of us all in water and sand. I have used Graphic 45 and a range of papers. I have also used a range of sea themed embellishments and stamps including Crafty Secrets Mermaids, Cherry Pie Art Stamps and my new inks from Santa. I have finished the album pages but I still have to make the tags and photo mats once I have printed out the pictures. I got really excited after making this and tried other formats but I like this one best so far. It is a great format for a beginner.

Christmas without snow

Wow where did October go?! I am still looking for a cheep big house, in our street and still with a pool! no luck so far. I am settling into Christmas card making in the meantime. Christmas in Western Australia is very odd for me. All the European seasonal traditions with images of snow, cosy fires and holly berries are just alien to the actual landscape and season here. It summer and it is really hot!!! 45℉. You get cards in the shops of Santa on the beach, koalas and in Santa hats. I am trying alternative Christmas cards but moving away from clichés I am starting with my favourite place Venice. I have been making Venetian Christmas postcards today. It is very green no envelopes and everyone can enjoy them on the journey! I have used some lovely Italian themed stamps I got from Cherry Pie Art Stamps and my new red glitter embossing powder.

Venice Christmas Postcard

A Rainbow of colour

‘The plunge’ was obviously not the prelude to a flood of writing!

I’ve been busy making stock, as opposed to blogging which is obviously not going to be prolific! It was a distracting week as the house we rent was sold within 7 days! We are a bit disorientated and will have the hassle of moving soon. Life always sends bolts out of the blue and as they go this is a minor upheaval.

I’ve been distracting myself from it all by working on gift tags for two of my ranges: Enchanted, with fairies and mermaids and Wonderland which is Alice themed. All of them are quite romantic and vintage looking. As it is not ‘serious art’ who cares, it can just be gorgeous instead.

It is strange working with stamps after years of being a photographer, I realized they have a distinct relationship. A stamp is a latent image and there is a negative-positive element to the production of a finished piece. I have also gravitated naturally to composing through a mechanically reproduced image, rather than those that are painted or drawn.

After years of black and white and muted colours I am really enjoying working with lots of colours - matching ribbons, threads, inks and card. A pastel rainbow is covering my desk.

Taking the plunge

Writing your first entry is a bit daunting. I feel like I should have some momentous plan or purpose for my blog. I guess it is really a way to gather together all the elements and people in my life. I have two homes Ireland all my lovely friends there and Perth, Australia  and my family and new friends here. Two places on opposite ends of the globe are bound to create some sense of emotional disorder. I also have parents in Spain and my oldest school friend lives in Sydney. I know historically Women who followed their partners out here found letters ‘home’ an essential part of their wellbeing. I have sent letters since I moved in 2006. But lets face it they are a dying art. This is the age of email, Twitter and Facebook. I have decided blogging is the way to go for me. Everyone is included family, friends and all those who stumble into my life and it’s interests.

The other purpose of my blog is launching my business

Paper Wishes by Amanda.

I am going to be producing and selling paper goods - cards, gift tags, notebooks, tiny, pretty, paper things. The stuff we all buy to decorate and organise our lives - making notes, pegging or pining ‘stuff’ up, - keeping together the ephemera of daily life. I guess it’s a girl thing isn’t it gathering together and creating some kind of order from all those elements of our multi layered lives - kids, work, ‘Coffee- buns’*, dishes, cooking, shopping, loving, laughing, eating, we do most of the remembering don’t we what has run out in the fridge, our Mother in laws birthday, who has what in their sandwich and just where is that very important thing the kids abandoned last week and need more than life right this minute!

Well that’s what I am going to make stuff to keep your life together - notes and greetings. That, together with Coffee and of course chocolate keeps us sane.

Well the first blog is over whew! Now I can relax into it. A final note on grammar not something I ever excelled at and not something I am going to let impinge on the pleasure of my blogging, so be prepared for ‘creative grammar’!

 

*Definition: “Coffee buns” used to describe those moments of indulgence, warmth and wonderful conversation between people over a hot drink and something sweet and yummy. Can be taken at home or in a public place. (This word comes from a very special lady one of the sanest most positive people I have had the joy to know)