Finding Inspiration

Hello All,

Sitting at work last week listening to music that I hadn't heard for ages and suddenly a song called 'Oh My Mama' by Alela Diane came on:

It is such a simple and beautiful song and really struck a chord with me. At the moment my eldest daughter is finishing infants and moving up to junior school and my youngest finishes nursery today and starts school in September. This week is the last week when it is just the two of us and although I am looking forward to some time to myself I also feel really sad. It is the end of a chapter and it has gone too fast, I feel I haven't been able to keep up and I will miss her a lot! This song really captures the feeling of being a mother for me.

I decided I needed my journal to channel some of these feelings:

I was also inspired by a fantastic artist called Mary Wangerin whose use of colour is fantastic! This page was done in my altered book and you can see in the top right an old fashioned image of a mother figure coming through from the original page. The text is taken from the song as is the imagery of the little bird.

I also did a quick page in my small journal:

This one is to express that feeling of time moving on relentlessly and not being able to keep up while days slip away. The text on the feather reads "days are lost to distant memories"

I will still struggle this week and in the coming months to adjust to the changes happening but journaling about it helps me to get my head around things and move forwards.

Bye for now xxx

Birdie Bunting Video

Hello All,

As promised here is my new video showing how I made the Birdie bunting I made for the May swap.

 I hope you enjoy! please feel free to leave comments or ask any questions.

New monthly challenge for June is titled 'pieces of the puzzle' so I will get my thinking cap on about this one! I am also currently planning some more face to face sessions and must MUST get going on making my mini journals to sell at Dovefest festival in August! time is flying by!

See you soon!

May Art Swap

Hello All!,

I haven't posted for a while as I was away camping with my family and I was waiting until I had confirmation that my swap partner for May, Reeah from South Carolina, had received my piece.

The theme this time was banner/bunting and we had to create 5 flags of standard size, here is what I made!

The poem is by Maya Angelou and inspired the piece really. I chose some little songbirds and painted over them on mixed media backgrounds and added homemade paper flowers and some ribbon and lace.

Here is my response from the lovely Reeah:

From Maria Meade to Lisa Goddard

I received your swap package you sent today and I have to tell you  . . .       I JUST LOVE IT!!!
The birds, the colors, the backgrounds, I could go on and on but suffice to say it is just beautiful Lisa!  I thank you with all my heart. I showed it to my whole family and even my 15 yr old son likes it and he's at that age where he doesn't like anything I show him, LOL!
I will post the pics I took of it tomorrow.  It's late and I'm pooped for today, ha, ha :-)
Oh!  I can't go without telling you that I was just taken back by the hand stitching you did with the ribbon!  I was just blown away with that and the lace on the bottoms!  Just gorgeous.  I already have it hanging on my lace curtain that's on my window right next to where I sit in my Art Room.  The ATC is just beautiful as well.  I love it all and I thank you very much!!!
Big Hugs!!
Reeah.

 I have really enjoyed having Reeah as a swap partner and sending emails to one another, It is a great feeling sending my work across the sea and to have it so appreciated! I have also made a vid of me making these which I will post up in a bit!