How much time can I spend...

...creating interesting images with my scanner and Photoshop? Quite a bit actually...

It's the lazy person's creativity as it doesn't require paintbrushes and a clear table; a mere messy desk and some electronic equipment will suffice. Following on my magical theme, we have a fairy from a picture I found, sat upon a tulip photo taken from my garden (all grown/created by yours truly) amid a backdrop of 'fiddled about with' wrapping paper that caught my eye in a cornucopia of a shop in Warwick. For wrapping paper read 'stationery' - yes, the obsession continues! In fact, I am eagerly awaiting delivery of my first batch of notecards from the printers. Yes, I stopped nattering on about it and actually created something to rival the best from Paperchase. Hallmark had better watch out...

The strange image at the bottom is actually a piece of thread from which I was inspired to well, just create. To be fair, it wasn't exactly the thread but the thing it was attached to which prompted another rush to Hobbycraft. I bought the most delightful little handmade tags from this amazing artist I discovered one day while browsing on ebay. She also has a store on Etsy. For the uninitiated, Etsy is a little like stepping into the fantasy 'other world'. It is food for the soul and sustenance to the imagination. I spend many an evening lost there in dreams of silken fabrics, vibrant textile, soft watercolours, sparkling jewels and scented summer evenings. I have a dream list in one of my beautiful notebooks of things I may one day sell there myself (if I ever tear myself away from this blog!). I even have an entire section of favourites devoted to Etsy 'shops'. For yes, dear readers, Etsy is in fact that most girlie of things - a collection of hundreds of shops devoted to selling handmade items and incredible artworks. Regrettably, dwindling finances mean I have made few purchases... but I dream and take inspiration.

Ooh I've been getting all creative...

Wasn't today just beautiful? It felt so great to be alive and out in the spring sunshine with life bursting forth all around. I spent most of the day in Milton Keynes which has beauty everywhere if you just look - from hidden public gardens, to blossom-weighed trees and an abundance of green everywhere. Admittedly, it wasn't quite as attractive as the tiny village of Shalstone which we also visited which felt like peace personified but it was none the less inspiring.

My garden is likewise full of the joys of the season and I captured some of its splendour on camera with the intention of letting go in Photoshop. Hours of fun later and I've built a complete portfolio of potential stationery items - Paperchase watch out. The pleasure I feel from simple creativity is actually uplifting and I feel a real high. Sounds silly perhaps? My only worry is that tomorrow I have to go to work and get creative about satellites and spectrum to a highly educated audience of which I fear I am currently the lowest denominator. Am I up for the challenge? Ha! Of course I am!!

Stationery inspiration

Yes, that's stationery as in paper, rather than un-moving*. Shopping today with boyfriend (combined with long walk - very healthy!) and I dragged him into Paperchase because I just love stationery and was looking for 'inspiration'. It may seem a little odd to have one's creative juices flowing just as the sight of a floral notebook, but I never claimed to be entirely sane! He can't quite understand my fascination. Maybe it is a girl thing or a writer's peccadillo, but there's something quite special about notebooks, especially new ones and in particular those with interesting covers and bits of ribbon to tie them closed**. A boring old plain red or grey cover doesn't do it for me in the same way. Once again regressing to my childhood (must be because I turned 39 this week?), I used to love a notebook. They were always full of my drawings and stories. I kept some of them for years... in fact ...goes upstairs to see if she can find any and returns clutching an early teens example with a sequel to Return of the Jedi planned out in meticulous detail and also, somewhat mysteriously, a piece of petrified wood which was also found in the 'treasures I can't bear to part with' box).

And it's not just notebooks, I love wrapping paper too. In my poor student days I used to use sheets of it as arty (cheap) posters.

Just sneaked on the Paperchase website to 'borrow' a photo to suitably depict my posting and found a print called Lisa! Then, googled the print name and looky what I found... a blog that "celebrates the world of surface pattern design" aka another stationery fan! Well, that's two of us and seeing as she has had over 56,000 views of her profile there must be more in this obsession than I had first thought. Is there perhaps a medical terminology for this addiction? Just take a look and check out some of these cool patterns. Hmm, I'm definitely inspired now!

Finally got my printer working, but unfortunately not on my pc :(

* if you can't remember which is which 'statione/ary ' - paper has an 'e' for envelope. Many thanks to Hazel Peto for teaching me this useful memory jogger.
** thank you Lindsay - they are both coming in very useful!