Soul journal

Here is the start of my soul journal - I am picking up on the challenge over with Sarah. I showed you the preped and journalled pages yesterday and today I have moved on at a pace. I claimed my first page. This meant writing this book belongs to... and then using my name to create the design.
This was very self indulgent, but in a good way and made me nostalgic for atime when we had to write our names al over everything, my school books looked like a less artistic version of this, and then I got a little bit sad not to have been using my real name, my maiden name of Mace instead of Taylor!
On the next age we were to gather our Souls armour, the things that ward off all the difficulties we encounter. Man this is powerful stuff, I haven't really thought like this before, us Brit's and the stiff upper lip and that! Here is a close up of a bit I really like.
I used metallic colouring pencils, a black matte marker and metallic gel pens to do the armour page. Included in my armour are - Kindness, trust, honesty, friendship, love, patience, self belief, creativity, poise, counting to 10, diplomacy, family and truth. I also decided as this was a cheap address book I am working in I would cut off the edges of the pages and so I am going to have different shaped page edges.
On the next page we were given a kind of scavanger hunt I challenged myslef to only use one magazine. I am also well guilty o not being able to choose, so i have more than one pic for some.
Top Row : A butterfly, a pattern, something red, a number, a pattern, something I own (flip flops) and the letter R.
2nd row: Something that smells nice, a smile, an A, something that tastes nice ( a pear) a leaf, an eye, something I want (a mega diamond)
3rd row : a bird, a pattern, a chair, something beautiful ( a piece of amazing jewellery with mega beads), something comfortable, something exotic (shells and starfish), and a colour I love turquoise +orange.
Bottom row : The letter T, a flower, a hand, a circle, something blue, Something exotic, A colour I love (turquoise)


The background of the page is washed with acrylic, this acrylic is then scrubbed immediately with paper towels to give a great sheen. I used a metallic acrylic.Love this spread. Next is a big journalling piece, to cover the whole 2 pages in small text and then use metallic tape. Well they say the sun always shines on the ritious and from having no tape this morning a qick trip to b+Q yielded electrical tape, and foil tape in the bargain bin, and then in LIDL on sale aluminium tape, so yey! I will be onto it tomorrow!

Arch for Arleeand a journal start

End of term is but 4 days away and so I am getting in the art mood! I have completed Arlee's arch ...... I think? I found some diods earlier left over from a school project and knowing Aree's love of found items they may just have to be added. But essentially it is done. I gathered up some silk and used my embellished felt again. I added a piece of painted embossed wall paper and added a felt barouque cross/flower.
I addedbuttons and a hand made tassell too. The top of the arch, is a little hard to see but is a piece of my embossed aluminium, using the impress machine. I know Arlee was having gadget envy but she will drool when she sees it in the flesh!
I read on Jo's blog that Sarah Whitmire of Caspiana blog was completing a soul journal. Now I have been interested in journalling for a while, but couldn't seem to go ahead on my own. Sarah's prompts are fab, so inspirational so I made a start. I bought an address book today in the pound shop for .... yep a £1 and proceeded to stick lots of the pages together so I have thicker pages and about 14 pages in total. I followed Sarah's instructions on using a text background, I didn't have an old dictionary or yelow pages so I got some text from a bridal magazine, I find they have amazing colour and lovely layouts. I found a piece that had both WALES and SWANSEA in it so those are the highlighted squares/ cirlces. I just wrote for 3 minutes, which was suprisingly easy, I was shocked.

Next comes Gesso and the design part. I am loving it! Thanks Sarah, I am going to learn lots about journalling but maybe about me too!

New bag and stunning pupils

I made a new bag this week in a squeezed out hour on the strike days. No kids were allowed in so I got 5 minutes to play. I found this amazing bit of fabric, a lovely upholstery weight and a great retro poppy on it, too good to end up as a sample so I made a bag. Here's one side.
and the other.
Now for my gorgeous pupils. It was prom night at Birchgrove yesterday and what a fab night it was. One of the staff made a great lip sync'd video to Don't stop me now by Queen and all the staff (sept me!!!!Ha!) danced and sang along, well I am hurting today from laughing so much. The other funny thing was seeing the girls trying to wedge each other in the toilet cubicle, and you can see why! Soooooooooooooo much fabric!

In a ilm I saw not so long ago there was a line that said.... "These girls are some of the most beautiful girls you will ever see up close" and they realy are, hard to think these are 16.
My man Kyle, who doesn't want me to blow this picture up too large or the rumours will get out!!!! He is a sweety, came to my room every child development lesson to blow me a kiss and ask if I was having a good day!
Now I know I am not supposed to.... but these are my two favourite girls, the most hard working and genuinely lovely girls i have ever come accross, Gemma on the left and Hannah on the right.
Our prom king and queen, Jamie and Natalie, Natalie's sister was prom queen too, 2 years ago so lovely for her!
Laura and Kyle again, don't they look like they just stepped off the red carpet! What a lovely night!

More sketchbook

I am still beavering away on my industry sketchbook. I used the rubber roller to layer up turquoise and orange and used the circle hole punch and ,marker pen and gel pens. I collaged also.
This is a collaged and biro sheet looking at pattern. I was really disappointed though as I bought a white marker pen and was told it would write over my acrylic and it very much does not! Back to the drawing board!
Here is a close up on the top page. Love the colour combo.
Hope you have all had a good weekend. I went with my little sis yesterday and she bought a Janome 8077, she was so excited, can't wait to see what she makes with it, if her cuffs are anything to go by then, look out she will be rivalling me soon. Have a lovely week.

No joy!

No joy with the job today! But never mind the better man one. The Head said really ovely things about my interview and siad that I made the decision very hard which they didn't think that it would be. (My new boss is a highly experienced member of staff so me making them think twice is massive!!!!). I have learnt a lot from today, I went in with no illusions, and really thought I didn't stand a chance, and it made me realy confident, I didn't over analyse, I just spoke from the heart and I knew all the answers!!!!
Anyway enough job talk.
I couldn't leave this post without a pic. Here is a lovely design task we did at college this term. We used slides, yes you remember slides, the ones that go in projectors. We used cellophane and sequins and lots of other see through things, and brusho powder to colour them. Then we projected them and photographed the projection. Fun ha!

Absence note, treats and sketchbooks

In true teacher form I am going to get in my absence note first! I am so sorry that I haven't been around much of late, i am feeling very ignorant and rude as I have recieved a blog award from Trisha and haven't acknowledged it yet. I will do when I get 5 Trisha I promise and I am very flattered. The reason I have been away in the depths is that after my interview and success with the Deputy Head of Faculty job, my boss got a promotion and so argggg, I have another interview tomorrow for the Head of faculty job. Now I KNOW I am not going to get it, but it is worth a try! The other man in our Department has been a manager on the pastoral side for a while and so will certainly get it but I have to show willing. So think of me just before lunch being put through the mill again!

Now I have some photo's of my pieces at the exhibition, not on mirror this time.



Turned out well I think, I am pleased with it!

Now for my TREAT - Look what I won! I got this amazing rint and a fridge magnet from the gorgeous Paulette Insall, her darling son picked my name from a rather over brimming bowl! I love her, isn't she lovey!

I have been trying real hard to finish my skethbooks and samples for C+G level 2 before I start the level 4. I have been surfing looking at how others deal with their sketchbooks and thought I would show mine to all those who find this part hard, so you have something to give ou an idea of how I do it. This is from my Industry unit.

Paper cuts
Design ideas for the cuff.
Well hope you enjoyed and there is only a week and 3 days of our term left so past then I will be getting STUCK into textiles work!

Look what I bought!

Look what I got! I went shopping with my Mum today and came back with this impress rolling mill, and it is fab!
I got straight to embossing some aluminium, with lace from the bottom of net curtains and flocked wall paper. I LOVE it and I am going to have a ball playing with it!!!!!! Who's jelous??? I think it is a bargain at £20.

My arch for Pam

Here is my arch for Pam, a little belated as it should have been for July. She asked for relics as her theme, so I searched the Museum of Wales for ancient treasures. The circles and 2 slashes came from the hilt of a dagger and the spiral shapes are from Cup and ring markings in stone. I used inspiration from Lynda's WOW tutorial. I foiled a piece of felt and embellished it with organza over the top. I embellished heavily from the back to get the buff colour of the felt coming through to make it look older and more corroded etc. I used the soldering iron to cut away the cirlcesand the slashes and piece the holes.
I loosey gathered up osme silk but didn't do this very acurately. I love how this has turned out.
I free machined the cup and ring shapes and added a tassle and beaded edging. I am peased with it, just hope Pam is now!
I forgot to ask, so have come back to add this. I may have accidentally signed up for the level 4 in stitched textiles! I was wondering if anyone has done it and how hard it is! I know it is going to be hard and with the new job, even worse. But in Wales trainging is substadised, also school will pay, plus I would be able to teac C+G at the end and Enid is letting me skip level 3 since I don't want to do the history part, and Enid is due to leave at the end of this course. So many ticks in the box I couldn't turn it down. Any advice you can ofer would be greatly recieved!

Get your cuppa now!

Right for the photo fest! Get your cuppa, sit back and enjoy the amazing work of the group of lifelong learning students at Gorseinon College, Swansea, Wales. As apposed to my last post this will not be a quicky! Now al good posts should begin with some eye candy, but Lesley took this literally! Here is her lovely box of choccies for the design element colour, this is for design not textiles. You have to click on it to have a look, zips, paper beads, rushed fabric etc all make up the choccies, good enough to eat!


It was so short on space Chris' parasol was hung up, all hand stitched daisies. Estyllt's medical hanging is there too the left too, both lovely!
Again for design these are a collaboration of the students work, mine is the flower. They were tiny little slides we made with cellophane and sequins and all sorts of other things, then photographed and manipulated, and printed onto acetate.


This was an awsome piece from a glass student, sorry if this is yours I don't know your name, but what a glorious piece of work. It is all bubbly, and of course a glass handbag - such fun!
Embroidery had a cross of hanging space - too small realy, but packed with gems!

and because I knew you would want to see the cactus! Again sorry don't know the artist's name she is not in my class.
The next part, mine are here. Love Robi's slashed and rusty looking bolsters! and Paulines hanging on the far right.

This is Sue's festival blanket, got to love the colours! Sue is doing level 3
Now to mine My sketch book with my tonal piece, hlaf photocopy half drawing in pencil.

My book at the back for industry.
The cover of Chris'? book I think!
Another section of the display. My bookwrap on the plinth with the lamp. Love Lesley's on the left again, on the coal industry, all layers of organza and machine stitch. Sandra's is the lord's prayer in welsh and english, every letter stitched, cut and reassembled. The piece hanging from the twig is Grace's and it is a piece of fabric based on bark, it has the word texture on it, it is crunch and yummy!
I don't know any of these works except Sue's festival blanket.


My metal and industry!

My paper quilt for true colours
My slide
My design pieces for 3D form, based on the life of a welsh miners wife.
My canvases for Ellie's illustration

Hope you enjoyed seeing these pieces, it was fun!