Not exactly what I had in mind.

I lost it when I started sewing.

I was thinking of making shadows that gave the image some depht, but I got lost in stitching. (I'm a dressmaker you know) These sthitches facinated me so much that I threw overboard everything else I had in mind. You have to agree that my thread dealer has a great variety of colours. He he...
My goal was to get depth in here but it seems that height is the most accurate word.
I can see that the petals are sort of higher than the rest but some wrinkles in the background would give more of the right impression. My problem is that I don't know how to make wrinkles yet so untill I do this painting will rest.
Anyone who knows or can show me someone (a blog) who knows??



That's all for today, now the house need some cleaning.
Wish you all the best.

Something I'm working on.

This is a try to paint a quilt.

I'm thinking of painting the handsewn stiches around each petal. And at the same time add some shadows to make some depht in it.
I'm not at all sure I can do it but I'll have a try. Probably ending up ruin it but that dosen't matter. I'll have to see whether I can do it.



Quite another thing I've been thinking of mentioning to you all. Have you ever heard the name Ramon Isern? He was a great artist and he made some real good collages. He was born in Barcelona in 1914 and died in Trondheim in 1989. Check him out on the internet. I lived some years in Trondheim, that's why I know about him.
Some of his art are shown here. Enjoy!!

It's a really sunny day here now, hope you have too.

In my garden right now.

This is how my garden is flowering right now.

There is really quite a lot more but not in flower at the moment.
My rhubarbs are coming and I don't think our first soup are far away. There are a lot of tulips and other things but as said not in flower yet.


Perleblomst (Muscari armeniacum)


Hvitveis (Anemone nemorosa) this is a rear one.


Julerose (Helleborus hybrid "Atrorubens)


Primula (Primula juliae hybrid)


Krokus


Hvit kuleprimula (Primula denticulata)


Lilla kuleprimula (Primula denticulata)


Krokus and Russestjerne (Scilla siberica)

Wish you all the best!

Another watercolour painting.

I had to use this paper.

I had a leftover paper that I had to use. It's a very nice and thick watercolour paper and it would be a shame to throw it away.
This time I made one of my "don't know what it is" sketches and painted it with watercolours. I'm really in love with my watercolour palette.
The colours feels so "earthy" and real in a strange way. They don't feel syntethic in any circumstance. What do you think?



As I said I don't know what it is, just something that lived in my pencil and wanted to come out. I'm still amazed when I compare the painted sketch to the final result. It changes so much with these dots.
This time I chose to leave a space undotted and I think it works well. I will try more of that and perhaps just dot some spaces.
I've snapped photos before and after, to show you the differens. It's just like two different paintings, don't you think?




Best wishes to all of you.

From where do you get your inspiration ?

Quite often I'm asked this question.

It's a complex thing this. I think I was born a crafter, as long as I remember I have made things. I even can remember when I was three years old and saw some ladies crocheting and I stood in a distanse and practised the movement with my hand. One of the ladies said that it was important to practis in an early age. They probably had great fun, me standing there.

Another memory is how I used old schoolbooks (notebooks)filled with writing and filled all the loops with colour trying to make patterns. I really loved it if I could make a flower or a house or other things. Very exiting.
All these books are thrown away and that's really sad, I would have loved to have them today.

Another thing is that I don't allow myself "dull time" which means I always try to do something I like doing. If I'm in need of quietness I read or I walk in nearby woods, in the mountains or by the sea. Always trying to keep the spirit up.
My curiousity also help me moving on, whenever I see something new to me I wonder whether I can do it and I'll have to try and that leads to variety.

I strongly believe in variety because when one "thread" is close to empty I just follow another one. And when doing other things new ideas are coming to me. I've always been thinking of writing down my ideas so that I can go back and look for new things when needed but I never did. It seem new ideas are coming anyway.



(Sandra and I made these. Mine is called "watermusic" and Sandra called hers "space" I think they are quite inspiring. Sandra is 8 years old.) By the way, Sandra always asks me why I don't write Laila 53 years on my things. I'm laughing, what to say to that question? Well that's another issue.


But, what inspires me the most are colours. I have a lot of pens, watercolours, crayons and yarns. A glance at these things is what it takes to start the movement most of the time.

For many years I used to study all kinds of advertising stuff which came in my mailbox, just to learn about colours and my own reactions to them. Very interesting ting to do and I learned a lot about my own attractions towards colours. That's why I know that the colours are the main thing to inspire me.
And that's why I don't live in a "white house"(!) all my walls are coloured.
Every time I enter a "white minimalistic home" I don't feel the least inspired. That doesn't mean that those homes are not good or anything it's just that we are different as persons. I'm a colourful person!

That's what inspire me, what kind of stuff inspires you?

Have a nice day everyone!

Some Aboriginal-like paintings.

(or perhaps I should say dottings)

I've been trying a new tecnique.



These two blue ones was the first I made. I've used a white and a black pen and a little of a glitterpen. Ordinary pens won't show colour at this strong coloured paper. Most of them turn black or brownish grey. Best to use white or black or as I did, glitterpens.

The bookmark has several different colours made by glitterpens. The text says Good Book. While doing this bookmark some great new ideas came to me and I will try them soon.
When finished I felt like trying some more, and decided to make a painting (watercolours) showing the surroundings in where I live. I have seen a few original paintings and wanted to try it myself.

I did some sketching and started to paint.
And this is how it looked when the painting was done.



This is the point when all the fun starts.

First thing I did was to line out the frame, and then I started to dot. All the white ones first. One has to consentrate, all the dots as even as possible and the space between them even too. No rules here, so as good as one can manage. My next image shows the painting when all the white work was done.

Isn't it amazing how the white colour can lift an ordinary painting not to mention a dull painting. I think it's the light in the white colour that does that job. I can assure you, this is a very exiting way of doing things. I could have stopped now and let the painting be as it was but I wanted to do a "real" one.



I've used a lot of symbols to tell about my surroundings. I've even invented some new ones. In the sky I've made a lot of stars and a couple of 'copters. Well there IS a lot of 'copters nowadays. If you want the whole story just search for Aboriginale symboles and you'll find my story. I have to add that my use of symbols is how I understand them it's not nessesary the right way to use them.

What did I learn from this?

The first thing I learned was: always have a timer when doing this! Suddenly my husband was back from work and no dinner ready for him....Ouch.
It's so fun and also timeconsuming, but it's sooo relaxing. I don't need to meditate
nor do I need morning pages. This is a much more fun way of doing it.(just remember the timer though)
Next time I skip the symbols or I invent some new that feels more like me and now. I also learned that when dotting a coloured space the colour of the dots better be a little darker than the space itself. The more even the colours are the less the dots shows off. That's what I've learnt today.
What have you learnt today?

Here you are, this is my painting called " Where I live"

ENJOY and a very nice weekend to you all!

Remember the grey page in my journal?

I'll give you my version.

Let me start by saying that today it's one year since I started blogging. It's incredible I just wanted to see if I could do it and now I'm deep into it.
It has been a year with lots to learn and a very fun year too.

Now back to my spread. The grey page I had so much fun making and new things popping up all the time. There could be several ways to solve this task but this was my choice. When finished I stood back to study it for a while and saw some very different images that could have been done. What I learnt was to have a look in a distance before deciding what to do.

Now I'm curiouse, what did you see? Did you spot any of my images?

The other page became a try to make a collage but I feel it's more like scrapping. It was fun to make though and finding all the different things to use. Almost like a treasure hunt in my own home.
Some buttons from past times (mother of pearls) and the one that pops up. Anyone who remembre these? I think I've used them when I was a little girl.

The initials with flowers are originally made for embroidering but I felt they were suitable to this page and it's atmosphere. Back in those days they did mark everything this way. ( don't think they ever heard the expression: time is money. he, he, he) Mostly the work they did was delicate and well done.

Well, thats about it just want to wish you all a joyful day and tomorrow I'll show you some Aboriginal-like things I've made.