Planet Ruby Starrs

Packing is no fun.... I am not disciplined enough to throw things away so the charity shop bag isn't very big... the bag destined for my daughter is slightly better but the boxes of ''stuff'' are towering around the house!  its cardboard city! We have done well though - most things have found a box to live in temporarily - I wish I could - and the house is looking very stark... momentarily Dr Fred commented how refreshing it looked but caught my eye... and hastily agreed he liked it better with stuff in! All the curtains are down and we have almost repainted all the walls back to the original cream they were when we moved in and it looks clean and bright ( and very stark and boring), but without all our decor a tad cold and unwelcoming and it no longer feels like home.  I suppose this is a good thing as that is what it needs to feel like so I'm ready to move on without too much regret. We are starting that week of last things, saying good...

I should have been packing up the house for our impending move but I was heading for a fairly manic moments so decided to channel it into creativity rather then madness. I did sort quite a lot of boxes and packed some precious things but then I needed to unwind so I started playing about with bits and pieces and finally fashioned the pouffe from rolled up corrugated cardboard a piece of recycled foam and some old cushion stuffing.  I encased the whole lot in a cover made from an old sheet which helped it stay in shape and held it together well.  The end product is surprisingly solid, its a wee bit larger then I had planned but its very sturdy and comfortable. Then I could start the more interesting creative part - making a cover - I'm still totally committed to only using my current stash so I made a patchwork base and then embellished it with machine applique and over laid that with some random machine embroidery.  The first side piece wasn't quite big enough so...

Big news - life is ever changing and full of surprises! We are moving house... back down south or at least its little way down nearer Leeds and family and to a house which we think hopefully is as nice as the one we are leaving... its a hard act to follow but somehow it feels right and while its come right out of the blue -it feels ok (ish)... We will be very sad to leave the sea and our lovely community who made us so welcome, good neighbors, trees and rooks all the things that have made living here so special (sheep eating your plants - ducks sabotaging your sunflowers) but the new house appears to have several advantages, which hopefully will make up for these losses. The new property is marginally bigger, it has a small 'garden room' and a large utility space freeing up the kitchen. There's a reasonably sized private sun catching outside space - may be even room  for the summerhouse. There is also a garage.  Its at the end of a small lane so nobody walks past...

I've been waffling on writing this blog for over two years now!! Time for a little reflection.... Originally I set it up as a college assignment to document, evidence, and showcase my work on the Printed and Constructed Textiles degree course.   Right from the start I decided there was more to my life then the coursework and that in fact my whole lifestyle choices and interests lend massive influence to all the creative work I undertake right from doodle sketches to the bigger more ambitious project either on a course work or personal level.  The blog evolved to include many different aspect of my everyday life some more random then others - some more relevant then others - some probably more interesting then others but to my surprise people still read it - quite a few people in fact!!! For me its like keeping a public journal and the fact that it is public makes me consider the content a bit more, and, while I do like the fact that people are reading my mindful mumbl...

A few pals have got together to work as a group on individual sewing projects, using each other for inspiration, motivation and support... sometimes a little bit of group dynamics helps to keep a project flowing  and its really good to bounce ideas around with like minded people.   There is an opportunity to share skills and resources drink tea, eat cake and have a laugh while being creative. We are trying to meet on a regular basis and yesterday after a couple of preliminary meetings to decide on which projects we each wanted to pursue we went on a 'field trip' to buy fabric.  Not me of course I am not buying anything until September (ha ha).   Considering we are four adult ex professional people (well still professional I suppose) we didn't do our home work very well and the main event was closed!!!!  Fortunately there was another fabric supplier just across the way so the trip wasn't entirely wasted. and between us we did manage to purchase some n...

We have had a quiet weekend, all the Christmas deccies are down and stored in the loft - and momentarily the house looked bigger!  I'm considering a slamitin Ruby Starrs minimalist look - but I think it will hurt too much!  Everything feels a bit 'static' after the mania of the over indulgence of festive spirits.  In spite of making no new year resolutions I seem to have tasked myself with some daily 'requirements' - 15 minutes a day to relearn my Spanish - at the moment this is very satisfying as I am just going over basic ground and feeling rather pleased with myself as I'm getting most of it right- as soon as I hit grammar I will be less enamored!  I'm also keeping up my dancing routine - at least 30 minutes a day to good tunes if I don't get out for a decent walk... now I am feeling smug as the weather had been kind and we have had several very pleasant wanders around the coast AND I've been dancing as well!!! I got a long yearned for graphic...

A new year, and new resolutions to make and break... I still didn't manage to learn to hula hoop last year so I'm not bothering to carry that revolution over... life is too short!!   Also I have spent much of the festive season with birds clipped into my hair as it was seriously resembling a birds nest so I am also abandoning the resolution not to get my hair cut again and will probably head to hairdressser fairly imminently... before mice move in!!! (I said this last year but just let Dr Fred cut it ) Moonrise over Warkworth Castle  I resolved last September no to buy anymore fabric until I had reduced my stash, so far I have managed this but I am wondering what 'reduced' actually means... I made quite a few cushions for christmas gifts surely that must mean 'reduced' - but the stash doesn't look any different!  If I manage to keep this resolution I will be be very proud (and probably miserable and even possibly ill)!! I have no new resolutions - I ...

I can't put it any better.....