tania howells

ten minute pastoral

It may have taken 15 minutes, but I did this painting a month or so back, while Finch was watching his favorite shows at 2 in the afternoon.  It was quick and it shows, but I sort of like it.  I often need some kind if crafting fix, just to feel like there is something carved out of the day that is for only me.  It doesn't happen that often, but its nice when it does! 

Finch was inspired by my painting and wanted to do one just like it.  I love how totally not like it is it, except for the birds I found at dollarama.

I am daily inspired by two framed farmyard scenes on my bathroom wall that I once swiped from my mums stash of  blank cards, by Christopher Corr.  I have been meaning to google the guy and would you check this out? Of course he has millions of images, all entirely magical and stunning!

So glad I finally took it out of the frame and read the back!  I never even knew who painted them, and now he is a new favorite.

This morning I am trying to learn to crochet - AGAIN.  I have been wanting to learn for years and years and I  can never seem to quite get it!  Knitting is no problem and I can read patterns and figure stuff out, but crochet!  What is it with crochet!  I am determined!  I want to do a chevron blanket with some chuncky blue and white yarn which I got re-gifted from a friend.  I was considering knitting it but it would be easier to crochet it as you would't need such long needles!  So far I am chain stitching and a bit more but, well...its a wierd mental block!

quilty time

Finch is in camp this week, mornings, so its a bit like preschool again.  I made the first above just now, a test of sorts!  My friend Sara up the street had us over for a playdate last week and I always come home with arms full of inspiration and supplies!  She gave me this ruler (and a new blade for my rotary cutter!) and its really cool!  I can see I will have trouble with getting things even and straight, like Sew Kind of wonderfuls quilts, but hey , thats my style!  The second picture is also from Sara inspiration day!  We had both been interested in English paper piecing back when she was on Maternity leave, and I had just met her.  She came up woth the best way to do it, by fusing them on to gridded interfacing and just sewing the seams quickly that way.  The result is very impressive for how easy it is!   Yay for inspiring friends!!

Amazingly , Finch will be in junior kindergarten in September and I will suddenly, be a somewhat regular person again, with my brain back to myself during school hours.  I need to get a job but with lunch break and the days end at 3:15 it might be tricky at first.  Freelance work has become almost a strange and distant memory this year and its alarming.  I am praying my editor will get back to me soon with our current project that has been on the backburner for ages and perhaps a third Willow book will happen?  I feel that once I have my brain back again a bit and no one screaming at me for snacks at all hours of the day, I might be able to get my self back into some new ways of earning a living!