Gee How Quaint

The Flagephant

These little friends are now residing on my husband's bedside table. Thank you to everyone that has helped to make this possible. Happy 2011!

Future Self #Reverb10

December 21 – Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)

In five years time I would be *grumbles an age that you didn't quite hear which seems a bit old but am sure when I get there it won't seem too bad*.

The art tour will be well behind me. I hope to have built up to something fun and exciting and boundary pushing again.  Our family may have jumped from 2 to 5, including the little white dog that knocked me down in the snow yesterday.  My current house is quiet and fairly well-ordered.  My future house will be a hub of activity and busy.  So, I will tell my future self to TRY to not be so damn perfect at everything because you will fail, fail, fail.  So what if there are piles of laundry to do and floors to hoover and dishes to clean.  Just go out and have your fun with Chrissy and Jo or Tilly and Sammy or Danny and Chris.  Go and build snowmen.  Go sledging.  Have your fun and run through the snow.  Because this is the kind of life you have been imagining for years, so you better go out and enjoy it.

How about my former self of 10 years ago?  Well, you've found me at one  of my lowest points, unfortunately.  What would I tell myself?  Don't be ashamed for having found yourself at a women's abuse shelter.  You didn't know it was going to end like this.  It could have happened to anyone.  You've made some mistakes and things will only get better from here.

So good luck, Cass.  You're life is going to be brilliant!

 

Lesson Learned #Reverb10

December 17 – Lesson Learned   What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

Good question.  I have actually had to sit back and think about this for a couple of minutes.  Usually I can fire off answers to these prompts quite quickly. 

I learned that I can dream pretty damn big.  This is down to the art tour I have been planning since 2009.  (To read more about that, visit Heritage Art Tour Blog). The full extent of what I had been planning didn't really hit me until this year, when I started contacting all the venues and firming up dates.  I was met with a lot of 'uh, this isn't how things are usually done' and 'what gallery are you with that is doing this again?' and brick walls and bad days and good days and stumbling blocks and bull dozers to plow through those blocks.  I had no idea what I was scheming until only just a few months ago.  With the shelves of books and paperwork I have accumulated in the past 16 months, the beast of a project is getting restless and wants to get out. 

I think I also learned that I am not content unless I am planning my next big step.  Looking forward in a good way, not in a stressed out way.  I do live in the moment of the day, working as I do, imaging what the end result it going to be. 

How will I apply this lesson?  Hm.  Maybe I need to just learn to accept it.

What about you?  What have you learned about yourself in 2010?

 

My dirty little secret (and other unlikely things in my possession)

Look at it.  Loooooook into the tiny painted on eyes of the cherub.  Be hypnotized by it's saccharin cuteness and incomprensible ability to keep you staring, although you know that the right thing to do would be to look away.

This is my husband's most hated possession of mine.  Every time we move and he sees me put it into a box he begs for me to put it into the bin instead.  He's done this sort of begging 6 times now and still, yes still, the cherub/kitty/music box survives.  Why?  Why you ask, well I shall tell you.

My step dad is a very interesting, wonderful character indeed.  He has tattoos galore, sometimes sports the long hair, is a former biker, former railroad worker and has even jumped from a train to avoid serious injury or possible death.  He gave this cherub/kitty music box to me one Christmas not so long ago.  I love to think of this man, in all of his rough exterior glory finding this little angel, carrying it to the check out desk and telling the nice lady behind the till that this is for his daugther in the UK.  It is because of that image in my head, that I will never part from this very unlikely possession.

To be honest, everything on my Glue It To My Husband's Bedside Table list is something that I dearly love.  (Thus the reason for the water soluble glue). 

The Flagephant was a gift from my mother.  I know she must have felt like her Christmasses had all arrived at once when she found this gem.  When I was younger, I collected elephants.  I think she remembered this and well, to find one decoupaged to within an inch of its life in an American flag, how perfect could a gift be! I didn't grow up with my Mom.  I visited her a couple of months every summer, so really, any attempt to try to figure me out and what I like, I greatly applaud. 

As for the Hay Heart, I received this from a good friend of mine in Switzerland.  The knitted duck is from the guerilla knitting event from last year's Maker Fair in Newcastle and the small painted elephant is from a recent trip to Turkey.

Do you have anything in your posssession that would make people think 'Wait...What?!  You own that?'

 

5 Minutes #Reverb10

December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

My God.  How depressing.  Okay.  I'm going to skip the alarm bit as I don't feel like I have even that much time to think today. 

What would I most like to remember?  I would like to remember how incredibly helpful my family and new acquaintances have been with the art tour.  I have been in contact with my Grandfather's cousins, people I have never met.  The notes, photos and additional information have been instrumental in the life of this massive art tour project.  The kindness of people can almost bring me to having quite a strong emotion, one of great gratitude that nearly makes me have a little tear in my eye.  I would also want to remember receiving my Roberts Radio as a gift from my husband.  That was ace because of what he said it represented.  He said that it was to show me how much he supports me working from home, creating my little artworks.  We have had our disagreements in the past regarding my jobs (sometimes various, sometimes lacking).   And the shock of seeing a photograph of my Dad with a full grey beard. 

What would you like to remember from 2010?

 

*Update - as of right now, we are only 3 comments away from Hay Heart being tacked down.

Appreciation #Reverb10

December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

My friends.  The old ones and the new ones.  I wouldn't call them 'things' and when I say 'old' I don't mean that they are feeble and infirm.  Again, this has to do with all the moving around that I do.  I was devasated to be leaving my friends in Newcastle, but I have been very lucky to make wonderful new friends in Edinburgh.  I have been very lucky to land where I've landed as my friends have made trips up to visit. Which is super rad as I can then share my local knowledge, which there isn't much of in my head yet, but I will work on acquiring more.

What do you appreciate? Please feel free to comment.  You know.  For the cause.

You know you want to see the elephant with the decoupage flag

So far we've got ourselves to 10 comments.  I know what you're thinking.  That American flag elephant must must MUST make it to the bedside table.  Well, there's only one way you can make that happen. 

You can comment on each days posting if you like.  Tell your friends.  Tell your neighbours.  Let's make this happen.

Thanks.

*Update for 29th of Dec - We have reached 40 comments!  Bring on the Flagephant.

What's your next step? #Reverb10

What's #Reverb10?  This is #Reverb10

December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

My next step?  That's a good question.  After I recover from the crazy of the festive season, I need to get back onto work for the art tour.  My next step is to create lots of rough sketches for the rest of the sheets, pillow cases and tea towels.  I then need to take these ideas and reduce them down to small scale and create the bespoke prints and artworks that I must make for some delightful, wonderful and amazing contributors that helped fund this mammoth project.  I'm definately not short on the 'doing' end of things.  I don't really suffer from having lots of ideas and never making them happen.  I suffer from the lack of ability to carry out a basic maths equation and possibly a restraint when it comes to buying fancy coffee drinks. 

What about you?  What's your next step?

Remember, for every 10 comments I get from now until December 30th, I will glue a piece of tat to my husband's bedside table.  If you have no idea what this is about, hop down to the entry for Dec 11th. So please, PLEASE leave a comment.

Thanks.

Things - #Reverb10 (mildly funny)

December 11 – 11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

Hmm.  Does it have to be something physical?  I think I will mix it up a bit with tangible and intangible, even if it may not be in the rules.  Cause I like breakin' rules.  I am THAT rock and roll.

1. Trying to figure out other people's expectations of me and trying to live up to those.  It's disappointing to myself and it's disappointing to the people in question.  Forget it.  I will just be the person I am sure God (yes, I am one of those) created me to be. I will combat these sneaky thoughts by standing back every so often and asking what my motivation is behind the crazy behaviour.

2. Socks with holes in them, as well as their sad and left behind mates.  These will be relegated to the bin.

3. Clothes that I haven't worn in 3 years or that make me look like I live on a sidewalk.  Obviously, send em on to charity, but only if they are still nice.

4. The rest of my Gee How Quaint stock, as I have decided to focus on my artwork.  These will just gradually sell out.

5. Great books that I will  never read again because I never re-read books.  I will donate these to friends or to charity.

6. The three wicker baskets of yarn currently accumulating spiders in my garage.  After shaking the creepy crawlies free, I will give these to friends (after warning them about a possible spider infestation.  Actually...is that very kind?  It probably isn't).

7. The big box of random crap that follows me around from house to house.  I have no idea what is in you, but it can't be very needed as I haven't opened you since 2007.  Not sure why I am even referring to said box as 'you'.  See how attached I have become to it, you...it.  Argh!

8. Old bedding that is not so lovely anymore.  Because, well, I'm running out of things to get rid of now.  I may go back to the intangible list now. I could create some sort of rug with this.  Like what they made in the 'olden days'.  How do you make these rugs?  Anyone?  Anyone??

9. Getting easily offended when people don't ask me questions about what I do/am doing/how I'm doing.  I mean, I ask loads of questions to other people because I am actually genuinely interested.  And when I say 'people' I am really actually only talking about one person in particular.

10. Cushions I bought 8 years ago that don't match anything, even in the way that it's uncool to not match.  I'll make puppets out of these.  Yeah.  Puppets.  With wiggly eyes.  Then realise it was all a bad bad mistake and chuck them in the bin.

11.  (Thank God!!) My husband says I should get rid of all the tat I use to decorate the house.  I won't get rid of them...just pile them onto his bedside table...glue them down with super glue...and laugh laugh laugh.  Mwahahahahahaha!

 

The End.

Or is it?  I am currently running a little contest.  For every 10 comments I receive, I will glue one item of tat onto my husband's bedside table on January 1st, 2011.  What will you give up in 2011? This can be tangible or intangible.

 

 

Wisdom #Reverb10

Not sure what Reverb10 is all about?  Click on this for more info: This

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Now this is going to be super romantic.  Get your nice cup of something warm and nestle down to read this.  The wisest decision I made this year was.....to....use Twitter to meet people.  Totally romantic.  I bet you're swooning now.  I also wanted to be informed about what was happening in my new city, so have used Twitter as my Guide To Edinburgh.  It has been rather amazing.  These are the good things that have happened because of this very clever decision:

I met a funny and wonderful friend I like to call @whoopdedoo.  She eventually used her own cleverness to be instrumental in putting together a wonderful community that can be followed at @greensnightout.

I saw on the Twitter grapevine that there was a new shop opening up in the Grassmarket and then proceeded to pester the owner of the shop.  Enter @HannahZakari and her boutique of goodness.  I was then picked up on the @crafthconcept radar and am now selling my artwork through these two venues.

Then of course there are all the people that I carry on a good banter with in the Twitterverse.  I find out about gallery events, openings, exhibitions.  I hear about book groups.  There is also work in progress and updates to catch up on.  Right about now I am probably sounding like a big fat sad-o, but I tell you, it has been key in helping me to settle in my new town and venture out to see and meet all sorts of interesting things and people.

So.  There you go.