Lunamoth by Diane Etherton-Watt

I do like to see how people use the paper they buy from me. 

Diane made a lovely 'Luna' series of collages…

~ Luna Moth ~

~ Moon Flower ~

images copyright of Diane Etherton-Watt

Although she is having a bit of a break from blogging & selling, 

Diane blogs at Naturally Through My Eyes & her Etsy shop is Inspire to Inspire

The paper she used was Nepalese Mountain paper (available here). It's made from the bark fibre of lokta, which grows above 3000 metres in the Himalayan foothills. It's a renewable source & the collection & paper making provides valuable employment in the hill areas.

Hot summer weather….

…brings hot summer flowers

…. & calls for a hot summer canvas!

The sun is definitely here & has been for a while...

a few thunderstorms, but….

it's alright!

Some lovely gold powder dropped into wet lettering & down the side

Here Comes The Sun ~ Lyrics on canvas

And a couple more, just waiting for words…

could go either way

bright yellow, red & orange canvas

inspired by summer flowers

The Collective Noun for Concertina Cards?

Would that be a "fold of concertina's"? I'm still on a wedding theme, and wondering if a group of concertina or accordion cards might be called a fold… what do you think, any other suggestions?

This Bride began with Thank you's for her Bridesmaids, and then came back with special messages written for all her closest family members.

We made the family ones smaller…. 3 inches square when folded, 

to fit into favour boxes with other little goodies...

 all wrapped in gorgeous sanwaa tissue, with tags.

Not forgetting a card for the Groom, of course. 

I know she dropped hints, quite blatant ones, but he never asked me to write one for her

so I hope this groom found something equally romantic for his bride!

Wedding Table Names fit for a Princess!

Not everyone wants numbers on their tables do they? 

But if they did, a little bit of calligraphy can go a long way to making something 

that is often quite plain, look special...

Table numbers on book pages are not only for the literary lovers with a literary or bookish themed wedding. They can add a a bit of a vintage feel… 

or 'shabby chic' seems to be the description of the moment for those that watch the trends! 

I usually have a fair eye for fitting words into spaces, but when a collection are going to be displayed together, it's worthwhile being a little more prudent! 

A typed & centred list of names clearly shows which is longest & how long they each are in relation to each other. So long as the longest will fit, the rest should follow!

I wrote my list with a page above as a guide to begin with, then folded my paper over name by name…. lining each one up & making minor adjustments to spacing as I went.

As well as being Princess for a day, this bride was sharing her day with Disney princesses too!

 These dictionary pages were a perfect fit to be displayed in 5 x 7 inch frames. 

Workspace Wednesday

Making progress…. I treated myself to a desk for my 'office area' & work table to write at. 

Redundant bedside tables stack up nicely for a bit of extra shelving. It's a big change from propping my board up on top of the cooker in the caravan for the last few years!

Need to get the gouache sorted out though…. some of these tubes are rock solid & take forever to dissolve when I use them. I think some go back to the first gouache set I bought waaay back 20 something years ago. Think they count as vintage eh?!

A mega accordion book- 5 feet long!

What a love story this turned out to be! A lovely lady called Lisa asked about an extra special love letter to include a marriage proposal. We decided on a concertina book with a couple of envelopes for keepsakes such as a show ticket & a pressed flower from milestone dates. Well…. the idea sort of grew… and grew.

We decided on colours early on; natural tones, charcoal & sand… layers of watercolour… more water… more colour… some acrylic...

I asked her to think about special events along the way… 

dates, places, songs etc… little things that tell their story...

She told me their tale of synchronicity & bliss, of cold feet & separation; yet always on each others mind…. until they finally re-united...

Just as their story has many strands, I wove snippets of songs alongside tender memories...

 layering their tale in a book of love… 

Extra pages stitched in, for her to write a personal letter in her own hand...

A proposal hidden at the very end...

books within books, pages to unfold...

quotes about love & words they have spoken…

 space for a ring to hide?

Lunette:- Grey & teal canvas

Background painted…

paint at the ready…

something to stop a tall canvas sliding...

a rough guide of where we want to be & words to copy,

away we go….

stand back to check, then carry on...

 add final touches…

this could be finished...

but one final request….

all varnished & done!

Lunette ~ Guy Garvey

What can be said of the cigarettes smoked

A prop for a joke or a mark on the clock

If I stopped would the bus ever come

Would the dawn ever kiss me forgivingly knowing what’s done 

Would the drivel make scribble, make sense and then song

Would the woodbines denied black another man’s lungs

Perverse as it may sound I sometimes believe

The tip to my lips just reminds me to breathe

What can be said of the whiskey and wine

Random abandon or ballast for joy

That was scuppered with trust

Little more than a boy 

And besides I’m in excellent company

I’m reaching the age when decisions are made on the life and the liver

And I'm sure, last ditch that I'll ask for more time 

But Mother forgive me

I still want a bottle of good Irish whiskey

And a bundle of smokes in my grave

But there isn’t words yet for the comfort I get

From the gentle lunette at the top of the nape of the neck that I wake to

And where are the words for the leap in my chest

When mischief appears either side of the scar on your nose

Made by a rose thorn

So you claim 

By a rose thorn 

The video is here, Lunette starts at about 4:08 minutes….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dELKUivJo4w&feature=kp

Narish Paper- 3 decorative effects with flower petals

'Narish' is the name of a paper made in the Himalyas… full of petals…. mainly yellow with a scattering of blue alongside a few fronds of leaf and fern… mmmm, delicious….

Himalyan Narish paper available here> at torn edge paper

You know what I'm like with paper! I use this for decoration rather than writing…. 

I'm not saying it can't be written upon tho!

Three different ways of using this paper to add a simple, 

but effective decoration to calligraphy...

…especially suitable as this Captain Corelli extract talks of 

pretty blossoms falling from trees...