In the news - Change, Coming Soon Club and Competition winner

Welcome to another special day, for us to be able to share our gifts, connect and make a difference in whatever way possible. Even the smallest effort can make a difference.  

Change

Flowers still in bloom - in October!

Yesterday I spent time in a park close to where I grew up as a child.  It brought back memories of my adventures with my brother Robert who passed away in June.  In thinking of our loss I still have a hard time believing he is gone, I said to my son Sekani that this time last year I was sitting in my brother's kitchen over a cup of tea talking about our creative paths, without a clue of what was to come.  As children we sometimes use to go to the park after school and play because it was close to our home.  The area has changed a lot over the years.  

Outdoor Gym open to all!

The park is now also home to an outside gym to encourage the locals to get fit, and a skateboard park and basket ball pitch for the younger crowd.  The apartments that you can see in the picture above used to be a school.  As you look around the park you can see that they have really taken time to consider what facilities they provide which has made it more accessible for community that live there. 

Creativity and organisation

Over the past couple of weeks I made a conscious decision that I wanted to make several changes to my processes, organisation, output etc.  I was feeling as if the things that I really wanted to do and see come to pass were so far out of my reach.  I prayed that the changes in my life I had been working on to manifest, would start to be evident.  This is really where patience comes in, any change that will be lasting takes effort and time.  You can decide to do nothing and change will still take place, whether it will bring the results you seek is another matter.  I guess in some cases my impatient side was looking for the immediate, but also know that unless you plan and make adjustments then you won't get the results you require.  

I looked at my output in my writing and art and wanted to become more focused, sharing and interacting more.  This is one of the changes that I have made on my blog, by having specific areas that I will share each day.  The frequency of my posting has increased and I have attempted to be more consistent in sharing part of my world with those that visit and also to stretch myself. For those who haven't yet noticed I have a new blog schedule:

Mondays - Material Mondays

Fabric and Crochet

Tuesdays - Tuesday Tutorials

How to....

Wednesdays - Memories of Home

Mixed Media houses

Thursdays - In the news

What's on?

Fridays - Gratitude's and Celebrations

What are you grateful for?

Saturday - Recycled Projects

Reuse, Recycle & Up-cycle

Sunday - Creating in Faith

Creating in Faith - Discussions and more

I am trying to work across the board with all of my social media, but as you probably understand - there is only so much time in a day, but with perseverance and passion a way will be made, and I hope you continue to join me as my work and practices evolve.

Competition!

I ran a competition last week on my Capturing Moments tutorial post, the prize is the mini journal below. 

The winner is Bloomers, and I am also giving a runners up prize of a mini journal and this will go to Ann K from Cairn Cottage.  Well done to both of you, hope you enjoy your mini journals!

Hot desk at the Coming Soon Club...

An organisation called  The Coming Soon Club has set up enterprise initiatives for local people who want to test out a business idea or arts or community project in a temporary space.  They not only provide the space but mentoring advice as well.  They also provide facilities hot desk and internet connection for those who normally work from home which is great if you want to dip your feet in every now and again into the office environment without the office politics.  I used them recently when my internet connection went down, it was great to be able to get on with some focused work without the distractions of home.  It is very relaxed space, they have some exhibitions on the way and they have a small cafe serving refreshments.

Creativity and Social Work

Tomorrow I am giving a talk to a group of social workers training for their AMPH qualification.  My talk focuses on being a carer and the impact of the role on my life, I will also be able to share some creative tools and reflections that I have used.  It is my third year of presenting this talk and it is great to be able to interact with the students and see how they begin to reflect on their own roles and the impact it may have on carers.


And finally...

Katherines Corner
Today is also Thursdays Favorite Things on Katherines Corner Take a stroll over there and visit some of the inspiring blogs listed in the links, you can leave a link to your post and show some support by visiting others who have listed theirs.  

Blessings to you and yours!

Comfort - Memories of home

Memories of Home - Comfort

Welcome to Memories of Home, if you would like to find out more information about the series, Click here

Being in a supportive environment is important to our growth as individuals, not everyone has had that opportunity and as adults we try and create an environment that will nurture and bless our children and indeed ourselves.

I brought a back support cushion recently and its filled with a memory type filling that makes it really soft yet firm. Whatever seat you sit in if you have this behind you it immediately makes the chair comfortable cause it is giving your back the correct support. 

In thinking about home comforts it is those things when you go away you miss, and you try and substitute. Whenever I go away I always make sure I have a shawl, I invariably get cold on the return journey back to the UK and the shawl not only warms me up but it adds to my comfort. 

What do you think about when you consider comfort and how it impacts on your well being.

I would love to hear what you have put in place in your own home environment that allows you to be comfortable.  I hope you continue to join me on my journey over the weeks, as I share my mixed media houses and look back to the memories of home. I look forward to hearing about some some of your own memories.   Blessings and peace to you!

Tutorial Tuesday - Toilet Roll Journal

In today's Tutorial Tuesday I will show you how to make this journal made from toilet rolls and recycled card. With the drive to be more 'green' this is a great way to make use of something that you would normally throw away.

What you will need:

empty toilet rolls

recycled card

packaging card - a few millimetres thick

papers and art materials to decorate.....

Here's how you put them together:

Each empty toilet roll will form a pocket for your journal, select how many you require, this journal uses 10 rolls. The card will be used to connect each rolls together

You will need two pieces of slightly thicker card taken from packaging - these will form the front and back covers

Flatten the toilet rolls and cover with some scrap paper, I have used the pages of an old encyclopedia

Seal one of the ends of the toilet roll, as you cover it above, to form a pocket that can be used to hold your tags, or journal writing.

Cut the recycled cards into strips that will be stuck to the sides of the toilet roll pockets and connect them all.

Stick the pieces of card to as many toilet roll pockets you require..

Prepare the front covers and attach.  You can paint them or add decorative paper of choice

Add paint as required to each of the pages, and make tags from some of the left over paper and card

From this to that - it's cool how you can take an everyday object and transform it!

Add some encouraging words and text to the pages, leave space for you to write your thoughts 

Enjoy spending time in your journal!

There is still 9 hours left for you to enter last weeks competition to win a Capturing moments mini journal.  Click here to take you to the post to enter.

Material Mondays - Owl - Crochet Makes

Owl – Crochet Makes

The owl is made using an amigurami pattern.

This was a really easy pattern to make and you can vary the size and colours of yarn used.  As with most toy based products if you are going to make them for children you have to make them safe and follow certain criteria.

I was quite interested in the amigurami patterns that I have been seeing and decided to try my hand at it using a thicker wool to get a quicker result, and Ollie was born... the glitzy owl.  My owl is made from two toned chunky wool and I decided to put beading the beak and around the eyes.

The bead give his beak and his eyes a bit more sparkle.  This is such an easy pattern that you can finish in a couple of hours, the thing that took the time was adding the beads.  I am looking forward to improving on Ollie when I make the rest of his family!

Owls have always been associated with wisdom and knowledge, it is interesting how two simple pieces of equipment (the wool and the crochet needle) can go on to produce some lovely pieces and I will be sharing more as the weeks pass. 

If you are considering learning how to crochet, or any other creative activity check out Craftsy online courses, at the moment they are doing a special offer on some of their classes, and they are offering some free mini courses. Click here. 

Remember the Capturing Moments mini journal competition is still running and will end on Wednesday, you have up to 4 chances to enter and maybe you might be the lucky one to win one of the mini journals.  I am planning on throwing in a few extras as a surprise, so make your way over to the post and leave your details!

Have a blessed week, see you tomorrow for Tutorial Tuesday.

Restore - Creating in Faith

1  the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition: 

sight, teeth - dental tissue,  the process of restoring a building, work of art, etc. to its original condition:

When I think of restoration I often think of those large works of art having being damaged through age and the passing of time.  Methodically the painting is sectioned off and the original paint and chemicals analysed and compared matching the type of paint that was used all those centuries ago.  The paintings then need to be in a protected controlled environment where the temperature and lighting is monitored on a daily basis.  This restoration is not an overnight thing but can take months even years before it is complete.

In our busy lives we have gone through many situations and circumstances the effects of which show the tale take signs in the way we treat ourselves or the impact on our body and health.  If you were to put your life up to be restored what would need to happen, what would the process be like and what things or areas would have to come under constructions with the necessary scaffolding to prevent it from falling down.

We would need to call in for the specialist equipment, as unique individuals the tools we need to use to repair damage done by years of neglect would be specific to us and our situation.  Where would you start, as you hold up that magnifying glass to look at the layers that needed to be painstakingly scraped away to make way for new layers to be added. Are you willing to scrap back to the foundations to let the healing begin?

By spending time in the word, our lives can be transformed, we can be sure as we allow ourselves to be blessed .  As we rest in the arms of God we will be lifted and renewed.  We will have to take the time to know every inch of our own hearts - piece by piece, for the harmony and balanced will be restored to our life.  Give it a try! 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3 5-6

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12 1-2 

Recycled Projects - Chunky Toilet Roll Journal

What do you do with all those toilet and paper towel rolls that you use?  Throw them in the recycling bin and forget about them, yes that is a start as opposed to them ending up in land fill.  A great alternative is to put it to creative use.

I am really excited to share what I made in today's post.  This is the type of recycling that  really love, being able to create and craft something that can hold so much promise out of something you wouldn't readily think of using.  

With a set of toilet rolls I decided to turn them into a chunky journal like this.

This chunky journal uses majority recycled materials apart from the paint and additional decoration that you might use on your pages.

Everything else is either cardboard from other packaging, string and a whole range of other things that would normally be thrown out!

The tags are made from recycled card.  It is made with space for you to write your own thoughts and feelings each toilet roll pocket has been painted or covered, and is designed for you to place a selection of things in the pocket.

Come back on Tuesday to see how I made them in Tutorial Tuesday.  Do share creative ways in which you have used recycled materials and leave a comment below.

Gratitude's and Celebration - Life is what you make it - Week 15

Gratitude and Celebration Journal - Week 15 - Life is what you make it!

We don't know what will happen each day and do not have any control over certain situations, but one thing we do have control over is how we react and respond.

We can choose today to see our situation in a totally new light, we can focus on all the possibilities that can come our way, the new learning and the ability to be able to go through the process.

I am grateful for the grace to deal with the situations that come my way, to be discerning of those things that I can change and the steps I can make.  For those things that are out of my control - I am grateful for the patience that has been birthed within me.

I celebrate today the space to be able to share my thoughts and encourage others on their journey.

As this week draws to a close can you think of the areas that are out of your control that you need to reassess and start to focus on the things that you can do? Do leave a comment and let me know what you plan. Have a blessed weekend!

If you want to see how I made the journal (click here)

In the News - Zen Doodles, Published work, competitions and more

Hope you are having a lovely Thursday so far, here in the London, UK we are have a really mild day with some sunshine, which is great news for October!

Doodles, Tangles and more!

Do you doodle? have you heard of Zentangles?  Everyone at some point in their life has or will doodle on a scrap piece of paper an image that doesn't entirely make any sense, a random array of lines, shading, circles, squares, faces, more lines and patterns without much rhyme or reason.  You might just happen to be one of those people who dabble with doodling while they are in a meeting on their agenda, or while talking on the phone or pondering over the activities for the day.  It isn't a planned drawing but marks on the paper.  

A Zentangle is described as ‘a drawing using a series repetitive patterns, lines and shapes, and starts off its life with a series of pencil drawn 'strings', that create separate areas to work in on the paper. Zentangles and doodling seem to be opening the way to the developing of some structure around creating a piece of art and there are a range of books which show some amazing examples of various creations, some are very complex and detailed and others are less so but still effective.  At the end of the day the act of doodling or 'tangling' or what ever you would like to call it can be very relaxing.  If you want to see what some of the other benefits which for me go hand in hand with taking part in a creative activity - check out Zentangle 

I have been dabbling and more and more created faces with lots of doodling entwined and I shared some of these a while back on my mixed media art blog.

I find it an extremely great way to unwind and relax and use to doodle in meetings, when I am on the phone I like to be forming patterns on a piece of paper and you don’t require any technical or complicated materials. 

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to have one of my pieces featured in the book Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles

This is a new book that came out in September that has been brought together by Tonia Jenny and Amy Jones and a collection of work submitted by 42 artists with me being one of them.  I answered the call earlier this year to submit an image along with the process photos.  My image was called Girl Tangle

Girl Tangle - Amanda Trought

Don’t ever limit yourself and be boxed into a narrow way of thinking.  Take time to explore and push the boundaries, it will help you grow

The book has over 100 examples of Zen Doodles with step by step instructions for creating your own, and some of the most complicated looking doodles are then broken down for you.  For those who are seeking inspiration this is probably a good idea for you as you can not only see how to create the images presented you can extend it and create entirely new image.  It is published by North Light books and it is split up into 4 chapters – Abstract Doodles, Shapes and Objects, Animals and Beasts, and Friendship and Love.  There is an amazing array of examples and things for you to try.  You can also sign up for their free newsletter at Create Mixed Media.

Tutorial Tuesday
In Tutorial Tuesday my post on how to make a mini Capturing Moments Journal I am also running a competition to win the following mini journal along with a set of 10 tags. 

Capturing Moments Mini Journal

There are 4 different ways to enter and increase your chances, leave a message on the post, you can follow me on twitter, tweet about it, and or like my page on Facebook. Hop over to the post and leave your comments, it really does want to find a loving home.

And finally...

Katherines Corner
Today is also Thursdays Favorite Things on Katherines Corner Take a stroll over there and visit some of the inspiring blogs listed in the links, you can leave a link to your post and show some support by visiting others who have listed theirs.  

Blessings to you and yours!

Savour - Memories of Home

Memories of Home

Welcome to the second day of the Memories of Home Series.  

Being in a supportive environment is important to our growth as individuals, not everyone has had that opportunity and as adults we try and create an environment that will nurture and bless our children and indeed ourselves. 

After an especially long day that feeling you get for just wanting to be at home, to put on your favourite lounging or relaxing clothes, have a cup of Spiced tea and close the door to the days activities.  

When I am away from home looking after my mother I am constantly on the go, thinking about her needs, trying to guess what she could be thinking, how she is feeling what she needs at any given moment - my constant chatter as I provide her entertainment, until I hand over to the support I have put in place. 

I look forward to switching off, placing my mind on automatic as I get into the car, drive home through my favourite route, the one that has the trees lined streets and beautiful houses and just be.  I come back to myself and my thoughts, changing my pace and looking forward to coming home as the unwinding process continues.

I like the moments of stillness, the breeze as it glides through my car windows, the soft tones of music playing in the background and and out of my consciousness and I then I pull up outside of my house. That exhalation of air as you make yourself comfortable in your favourite seat. The familiar sounds, sights and aroma of the nights meal for that moment all is well.  When you have been away from home what is the one thing you savour

I would love to hear what you have put in place in your own home environment that allows you to savour what you have, please share in the comments below.

I hope you continue to join me on my journey over the weeks, as I share my mixed media houses and some art journaling and look back to the memories of home. I look forward to hearing about some some of your own memories.