Who is thee Worlds biggest lover of Cornwall?

Any takers?! Well, I beat you to it! Ask any of my Cornish friends and they will tell you that I love Cornwall almost as much, if not more, than the Cornish folk themselves. I have just returned from a wonderful weekend down there with John, Janet and Neville. Janet's brother has a cottage in St Just and kindly let us stay there for a long weekend. So last Friday we headed down there. One of my good friends, Abby and her husband Will live in St Just too and this weekend they were having their little girl Florence christened. That was really the primary reason for going down, if any reason is needed at all! I hadn't met Florence yet and was rather excited. She did not disappoint and I am pretty sure she made it top of the list for cutest babies ever. It is so nice to see them happy as a family and enjoying their first baby so much. They are both fantastic and natural parents and seem to be really enjoying their new jobs as mother and father to Florrie. We had a quick catch up with them Saturday morning, before heading to Sennen for a walk. After the recent storms, the Cornish coast is looking a bit battered in places, but still as terrific as ever. The sea at Sennen was so crazily rough, I have never seen waves as big, I think even bigger than we saw in Indo. Sennen is one of my favourite beaches of all I have ever visited, it has lovely clean sand as well as some rocky parts and its more of a cove than a long straight beach so tons of character to it. Sunday we went to Florence's christening, a lovely service and a big thanks to Abby and Will (and Florence) for letting us share their celebration with them. She was very well behaved and didn't cry at getting her head wet :) After the christening we had a walk around Penzance. The coast here is particularly bad after storms, such a shame and is going to take a lot of work to get it back to the way it was. Monday we headed to St Ives- I found a brilliant textile artist who has her own shop, among many other artists. St Ives really is an arty hub so I did enjoy it :) Also bought some clotted cream fudge, a must when ever in Cornwall! In the evening we met with Abby,Will and Florence to go for dinner and have a proper catch up. Which was lovely. As they live right down in south Cornwall I don't see them too often but they are always cheery and never change when I do see them, such a blessing to have friends like that. John and I both adore Cornwall and the lifestyle and are praying we can one day find a job down there! The hunt might need to start soon, after this trip I think we are both itching to get there now. I love the scenery, the cliffs, the coves, the minack, the sea, the fudge, the people, the pastys, the accents, the cows, the markets, the air, the colours, the breeze, the scones, the ice cream. Just everything about it really! We have another week booked to go in September which will be our holiday this year, and I am looking forward to it even more now. Even after travelling to far away and exotic lands, Cornwall still snatches the top spot of my most favourite destinations :) If you haven't been... go!!!!

Feeling Blessed

So I have the day off work and I am sat on a train headed to Cheltenham to see the wonderful Mr Hobson. I have a cheese and celery sarni and listening to the genius that is Bon Iver. Lovely! I visited my step mum and brothers for the evening last night, which as always was lovely. Kim cooked us a delicious dinner and we got to spend some quality time together- a rarity now they are all growing up and off doing their own things. They have had a rather rough six months or so and I am just so so lucky to have them. All three of my brothers are unbelievably talented and bright, and I know in my heart that one day they will be doing wonderful things with their lives. I hope they believe in themselves as much as I believe in them. Last weekend I visited my beautiful mother over in Malta, who is another one who has had a bit of a crap time lately. She is such a clever and inspirational woman, and she will be fine again soon- she just needs to get her sparkle back. But on this train, just thinking about my loved ones I remember just how lucky I am and now I am feeling very blessed. That doesn’t even mention the rest of my family whom I love dearly. Or my truly magnificent friends who never fail to make me laugh – dotted around the country I am never far from one of these people. My job is going swimmingly and I really am a lucky girl. I hope in my heart that one day everyone will experience a little of this happiness for themselves, and to all of you who are in my life who add to these feelings and make me so lucky, thank you xxx

Friends in Expert Places

I spoke to a very lovely lady I know the other day. I dropped her an email asking for advice as her husband is a rather talented artist and together they have created their own fashion label- how fantastic! I wanted to know if either of them had any tips for someone getting interested in art, as just recently I have been considering many things around motivations, style, creations etc etc. She gave me some grounded advice : everything you do, do it from the heart not with selling in mind; when people don't like/buy your work it isn't a reflection of your work just a reflection of where they are at; PERSEVERE. Her email resonated strongly and re-affirmed thoughts and feelings I already had about the direction of my little arts venture. I have decided for the future that I will no longer create items for sale- but purely for my own enjoyment and work on developing my skills. I found selling things took away my creativity and added way too much pressure, thus removing all enjoyment- which is why I am doing it surely?! If anyone does ask to buy an item I would be more than happy to sell it - however, only at cost price which is usually between £1-£2 - I have decided to suggest to purchasers when they buy something that they also make a small donation to their favourite charity, but ultimately this is up to them. I would absolutely love for this little venture to one day turn into a social enterprise, spreading the joy and colour of arts and crafts whilst also adding value in other places too. But for now I can just enjoy the journey, and as dear Kate advises- do everything from the HEART <3

music memories

Ever been somewhere and a certain song comes on and it takes you straight back to another place?! Amazing isn't it! I love it when this happens, especially songs which are attached to happy memories. I was just painting away with the iPod on, and a certain song came on - Backseat by Atlas Genius. This song takes me back to the summer. For those who have read my blog for a while you will remember 'that journey' from Hanoi-Hue in Vietnam where our bus broke down. We were 3 hours from our destination and on our second break down of the journey. We hadn't eaten for almost 24 hours and ended up spending 3 hours at the side of the road in 35 degree heat before managing to hitch hike on another bus. I was laid in my bed-seat a bit squashed up as the bus was over-filled and rather peckish I must say. We were hot and bothered and spirits dampened. I remember laying there and thinking 'Thank god we are finally on our way'. This song by Atlas Genius was the first song that came on, and I was filled with elation. Elated that we were no longer stranded, elated we were on our way to Hue, elated we were on our way to food! It still fills me with that euphoric feeling- odd that I could feel euphoric in such a bizarre situation?! Another one, is Def Leppard- Pour some sugar on me (and any other Def Leppard/Bon Jovi/Thunder). This takes me back to younger years sitting in the back of mums car, while she blared this out with the windows down and we both sang along. I can still remember all the words to the whole Bon Jovi album 'Crush'. All of these songs mum used to play just transport me immediately back to that care-free feeling when music is playing, you're singing along and there are no troubles in the world. Beautiful . Just in case you haven't had the pleasure- both songs mentioned are linked :)

C C C CHRISSSTMASSS!!

It is almost upon us! For some it is a time of eating, indulgence and joy. For me, I enjoy seeing my family and friends the most. I don't care too much for gifts, the food is nice, but again, if it wasn't there I wouldn't mind an awful lot. I do absolutely love seeing people whom have special places in my heart and I don't necessarily get to see the rest of the year. It is the one time of year when most people are together and we can share joyous moments, creating memories and enjoying time with each other. Everything is ready for the day, I have purchased and made gifts, wrapped them, finished work- nothing left to do now. As the day grows closer and closer, there are festive treats in shops, yuletide glows flowing from the streets, and carol singers a plenty. I even have glittery nails! One thing which is stuck in my mind however, and I can't seem to shift it is that for some the festive season is a time where they are just reminded of the treachery and solitude in their lives. The homeless who may have no where to go, the elderly who have no remaining family, those affected by natural disasters who no longer have a place to call home. I should be excited and anticipating the fun and festivities. And I am. But these people are on my mind and I just feel like it must be harder than ever for those less fortunate at this time of year. Last year, Mum and I volunteered at a homeless feeding project on Christmas Day. One old fella really stuck in my mind. I was collecting pots to go and wash them and he was sat slurping his mug of tea all alone. I asked if he would like me to get him a cooked brekkie. He just peered out from under his beanie and grunted 'leave me alone'. My heart broke for him. I was sad for him that he was unhappy, and hungry, and had no one special to spend the day with, even to share a few happy words. But the truth is that there will be hundreds of people out there who will unfortunately not be able to celebrate, or have no one to celebrate with, and for them, this time of year must be very difficult. I count my lucky stars that at this point in life, I am lucky enough to have money to provide myself a roof, food in the fridge and that my family and friends are all fit, healthy and well.So as I enjoy the day with my wonderful family surrounding me, my prayers and thoughts go out to every single one of those people, and for them (and the rest of you) I hope that the new year of 2014 brings better days and a glimmer of hope.

Inspiration

So, as many of you know I have recently started my own small crafty business, Bintang Arts. I have been selling things online on Etsy and through Facebook, and have done a couple of events too. I absolutely love making things, the colours, the textures, just creating something new. I have a strong interest in photography too and often take the colours from a photo I like when making something. I also love upcycling things, taking something which had one purpose and giving it a new lease of life by turning into something else. It is good for the planet to reuse these materials and saves on costs too. It also often means that no two things I make are the same, which is somewhat special. I have been trying out all sorts of techniques and experimenting really and have decided to stop making certain things and concentrate on a few items. So from now on going forwards I am going to try and make everything from upcycled materials where ever possible. At a few of the events I have done and some other small similar businesses which I have seen, I have wondered what it is that makes those businesses successful. Part of that success I have observed, is that they are making things which are popular. I have questioned whether I should be concentrating on more ‘popular’ items before realising that being ‘popular’ isn’t what inspires me and if I go down that route my inspiration and creativity will soon die. I don’t want to be one of these people who will sell out to commercialism and forget why they started something in the first place. I was first inspired as a small child when doing all sorts of crafts with my god mother- just ‘having a go’. Most recently inspired by places in Asia such as the Arts Centre in Bangkok and the beautiful artists of Ubud in Bali. The last thing I want is to forget those inspirational moments and become a ‘business woman’ rather than a craftsman or artist. So here is to inspiration, keeping that inspiration alive and sticking with it.

But it isn't even New Year yet...

I know it isn’t the New Year yet, but alas, I have made a resolution. I never usually bother, well, I do, but they often get broken in the first week or so as they are usually a bit pointless which leads to me not bothering to keep them. However- this one is a little different. Just recently I have been feeling like there is a whirlwind in my brain and I just can’t seem to concentrate on anything. I will be at work and can’t think about work, or be cooking dinner and be so distracted I have cooked it, eaten it and washed up without even realising I started. Not good. So- here it is- the big resolution. To pay attention.  It seems so simple doesn’t it. I know you are probably thinking, ‘Well I pay attention’ - but do you? Because I know recently I haven’t been, not at all. The effects of not paying attention I have found to be quite dramatic. I have stopped enjoying things that I love- simply because when I am doing those things I’m not actually ‘doing’ them . Like writing for example, or sewing, or painting, or cooking, or walking. Instead of paying attention to the beauty of the colours, or the feelings of passion I have about the subject of which I am writing, or the textures and tastes of a meal, my mind has been whizzing around on ‘stuff’. Well, mind- here’s news for you – no more whizzing! Now we will pay attention to what is happening and enjoy it. So- with my new resolution, this morning I thoroughly enjoyed a walk to work- no mind whizzing but in fact absorbing the stunning autumnal colours which are soon to be gone. I wonder how I came about this resolution? Well, as a result of my mind feeling a little ‘whizzy’ recently as I wasn’t quite my pecker old self, just a bit fed up and my creativity  had taken a knock too. Normally I would do something I love and enjoy in these circumstances, but even that wasn’t working- and then I sort of just realised my world and experiences were passing me by whilst I was obliviously whizzing. Whiz whiz whiz! I also thought about recent times when I really enjoyed those things, eating, writing, creating. And one of those times was when I was travelling – which is all about enjoying the moment you are in, and absorbing it, and well, just living it.  So I thought I owe it to myself to take these everyday opportunities and just enjoy them again. The colours, the faces, the nature, the designs, the smiles, the smells, the patterns, the emotions, the tastes, the textures – absorb all of them. Just take ten minutes today to try my resolution, and pay attention to what is around you. It might even spur you to think of one of your own ;)