Subway Art

This is a new one to me.  When I opened the email from the new Mouse Paper Scissors class yesterday and saw that the project was to create Subway Art, I hadn’t really got much idea of the kind of thing in mind.  But as the day progressed, as I worked through the project, I began to see where this was going and, I must say, to rather like the concept.

The prompt was about gathering all the old addresses from our past and between us, we managed to remember them accurately – even though some of those places were very short-term!  But there was a small seed of doubt over one or two of them – did we really live at number 276 or was it 25-something or other?  And that “plot number” – didn’t we get a proper address before we moved on?  What number did that become?  So that sent us to Google Maps and then, of course, we had to take a look at streetview!

and there it is…house number 2 of our four “married” homes.  Hard to imagine that we lived there at all, so short was our stay.

As the day progressed, it was quite fun to fiddle about with the text, to fill in the gaps with other bits and pieces and to create something rather effective from not-very-much-at-all. 

Not only that, but I discovered a whole new raft of ideas by following a pinterest link.  I think I might just have found something worth developing further.

and then

my friend Mary must have read my last blog post almost immediately, because she not only came up with the excellent suggestion that I settle down with a good book  but even suggested the title.

Now, I respect Mary’s advice so went straight to my Kindle, downloaded the book and got right into it.  Good choice!

The other “cure” was a great evening at WI with a lovely performance of Dylan Thomas’ writings, accompanied by piano music.  Though it would have been great to have sat in a comfy chair with a glass of something in hand, on this occasion the village hall had to do!  The warmth of the voice, the soothing music and the magic of that atmospheric writing worked wonders – we lingered longer than usual over our coffee and long after the chairs had been put back, the hall locked and everything secured, we stood in the exceptionally mild evening air chatting, not really wanting to break the spell.

Get a flavour of the evening here.  We might not have had the joy of hearing Richard Burton speak, but you know, the effect was just the same.

One of “those” posts

Generally speaking I’m a little ray of sunshine. 

Yes, really!

I think it’s fair to claim  my status as an optimist and I try hard to follow the little voice in my head (I think it’s my Mum) who says “Do it gracefully or don’t bother”.  As a result, I tend not to dwell on the negative, I try not to be critical and if something’s not quite right, I work on the principle that it surely wasn’t meant to be like that.

Or?

Yes, it’s hard to admire the basket, isn’t it?

Perhaps it’s because the builders have been drilling all morning?  Maybe the dreary weather has something to do with it?  Possibly the fact that I don’t seem to have had a moment to breathe since last Saturday has influenced my mood, but for sure, I’m ready for a little brightness and more than a little fun fun fun.

Back to school

Yesterday morning, there I was in the bathroom with Radio 3 playing one minute and the next, I was back at school.  More accurately, I was standing in morning assembly listening to my music teacher and virtuoso organist play the most thrilling and memorable piece as the headmaster made his entrance.

Picture the scene.

Not only did I stop and listen to the whole piece on the radio, I came straight downstairs and played it over again on Spotify.  Magic!

New toy

The internet is full of temptations for those of us who love to play.  Whilst in gadget girl mood last week, I stumbled upon this.  I read reviews of the complete Epic Letterpress set when it first came out and even spent time in a PaperSource store watching a demonstration, wondering if I might find one useful.  Back home, I’d forgotten all about it, the moment had passed and I managed quite nicely without.

But then I got an email from somewhere I’d bought one or two things, offering the “starter kit” for £14.99 and realising that I could use it with the Big Shot die cutter I hardly ever put to work, I hit “buy”.  Remembering some of those early reviews, I also ordered another plate.

Whilst I was working yesterday, the parcel was delivered, so this morning I had to play.

First results using the plates included in the set weren’t too bad, but the designs are crude and a little heavy handed.  I was glad I had the more detailed plate to experiment with.

Half an hour and a few test runs later and I’m pretty pleased with the result.  Okay, I can see why the letterpress afficionados are scathing about the outcomes, but for those of us who just enjoy the process and haven’t got the room or the budget for the real thing, this adds a new trick to the repertoire.  The “emboss” aspect of the print is well defined and even on the most basic heavy paper/thin card, gives a further dimension and adds interest to the design.

Could I have achieved the same result with just the letterpress die and the BigShot?  Did I really need the “starter kit”?  Well, in many ways, yes, the same result could be achieved using the BigShot and one of the “letterpress plates” on offer (which are hard plastic, not soft rubber like the normal rubber stamps).  But the £15 spent on the starter kit included the letterpress platform which is like another “sandwich” for the BigShot, a tube of ink, a brayer and a sheet of perspex to roll the ink out on.  Oh, and the set of pretty basic printing plates which I doubt I’ll ever use.  Still, not bad value, I think.  The Sissix plate is very good; well defined and didn’t cost a kings ransom.

Maybe something to add to your Christmas list, Maggie?