off the wall: part one

I'm rather lucky to have two studio spaces at the moment. One at WASPS artists studios in Dalry where I paint and varnish, saw and glue and a clean desk at home where I sew. 


I like to use the space above my desk as kind of scrapbook of curios, keepsakes, and interesting things. But my wall has begun looking a little sun-damaged and tired of late: it's in need of a rethink.


Before I un-peeled and un-picked the blutac, I took one last look at the wall that was. Which got me thinking why everything was there in the first place...

1. Megan: My dearly departed cat -she took a helluva grumpy photo.
2. Strawberry with a googly-eye: Something I painted for The object is not important as long as there is, 2006. 
3. Mexican papel picado banners and spider plants: Glasgow Women's Library
4. Three-eyes on four-legs: A freaky stuffed sheepie photographed at Skógar Folk Museum, Iceland my favourite museum EVER. I love how it looks as tho it's floating down an imaginary river!
5. British Wildlife: postcard by The Caravan Gallery.
6. Bouncy ball machine: photographed in the Berlin Fernsehturm. The sparkly blue machine has a lovely hand-written note (black marker pen on squared paper) saying "Defekt".
7. Deadly Pirhana (sic): something I found on the interwebs. A beautiful hand-painted and badly spelt circus banner: "Predators of the Deep, Real and Truely Blood Curdling".  
8. How to Work Better (After Fischli and Weiss) No.2: A note to self.
9. Jean Carlu Aquarium de Monaco: Postcard sent from Musee des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
10. Beadwork Basket: "Coloured glass beads on wire armature with white silk satin, said to have been made by Elizabth Clarke (1665-1699), England c.1675", a beautiful postcard from The Burrell Collection, Glasgow.
11. Cat with grapefruit: another classic from the intertubes.
12. The back of mummy's head: photographed in Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin
13. Leopard print lady and cat: an old birthday card.
14. Jean Cocteau Sommeil hollywoodien, 1953: postcard of one of my favourite paintings, from Centre Pompidou, Paris.
15. Büste der Königin Nofretete: postcard from Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin. I couldn't go round that place quicky.
16. Camouflaged raspberry canes: by Ian Hamilton Findlay photographed in the garden at Little Sparta, Dunsyre, Lanarkshire. 
17. Freedom Is Not Something You Are Given It Is Something You Have To Make more Mexican papel picado banners and spider plants: the banner I made with Space 44 in 2007 as part of the Collective's One Mile programme. Photographed at Glasgow Women's Library.
18. West African shell with googly-eyes: also painted as part of The object is not important as long as there is.
19. Stripped jellies on the seashore: a newspaper cutting my best-friend sent to me. I remember it was a runner up in a national photographic competition but can't remember the photographer.
20. Dolly Parton: I selected this photo especially for it's wall-to-wall HAIR! 
21. Ivor Cutler: A tiny newspaper cutting of Ivor Cutler in his lovely cluttered sitting room. 
22. Inge Morath, Young woman with Steinberg mask and fur coat, NewYork, 1961: I bought this card for 10p at the National Galleries of Scotland Sale in the RSA one year. They now flog their bargains on line - go look-see.


Coming soon part two: Old frames and new flames plus a wee how-to on my new bargain-acious framing method...

put a little bow on it

I found this little cutie pie in The Sentry Box whilst snooping about Glasgow's West End the other week (see some lovely photos of the shop here). I said: "you'll go perfect in my kitchen". She was a steal for mearly 99p and with a little recycled ribbon from my ever growing ribbon box I have a brand new "must bake" reminder on my wall. As if I needed the encouragement.

I am a greedy hoarder of trimmings and things and I'm always a little reluctant to use them up. Surely the purpose of having a stash it being able to dip into it? But no, I just like knowing it's there. Not that my ribbons are all that special - I mostly snip the hanger ties out of my tops! But every so often I tug a bit out and be-ribbon something or other. Here was a bag of Parkhead Humbugs: 

So what is in my cake tin, I here you ask? This bready Breakfast Banana Loaf from BBC Good Food. Without the glaze, it's a good not too sweet one using wholemeal flour making it rather, well - wholesome. I especially like the inclusion of the word "breakfast" it adds a certain justification to having it at any old time of the day (or night). My only issue was with the tin size (when is a pound not 450g?) so have a couple of fairy cake cases ready for the extra mix, I say. Which reminds me...

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