A reminder of Morocco.

After looking back at my design book on Hawaii, I had a reminder this week of another book I made. My book was all about Moroccan cuisine and, when I saw this M&S ad in the paper, I thought some of the pages of my book were similar to this design, below, made with spices.

As well as the ad in the paper M&S are also running a mouth watering TV ad to promote their Moroccan tagine. Yum!

The circle in the middle of my front cover was made with spices dropped on to PVA glue. It's got a rough feel to it.

And the inspiration for my book came from one of my favourite television chefs, Rick Stein.

I'm very happy that he's back on TV at the moment on a new gastronomic road trip from Venice to Istanbul.

When you open my book you can smell the spices. 

This page was all about the saffron that grows in Morocco.

 I saw star anise in the M&S newspaper ad. I also used a star anise for some artwork on a page of my book and made a little printing block. The chillies were made by a cool iron melting a plastic ribbon, the sort that florists tie round a bouquet. It bubbles up nicely.

Drinking mint tea is a favourite pastime.

This was my favourite page, orange flower and rosewater.

Pomegranates.

Lemons.

Tagines.

Dates.

Aubergines.

Freshly baked bread every day. I did some rust dyeing on muslin.

Fish, of course.

Goats that climb trees.

Cafe tiles.

I had enrollled for my C&G course and was undecided on a country for my main research and design when Rick Stein's programme came on the TV -  'Mediterranean Escapes'.  It must have been 2008, I think, and once I saw him smelling the spices and wandering the souks of Morocco, well I was entranced. My choice of country was decided.

Think I'll  have to go off and buy that M&S Spiced Lamb and Apricot Tagine now!

Say Aloha!

The beginnings of the Stratton compact collection got me thinking about other collections I have.
Like this one...

Who needs expensive diamond rings?  I really treasure this collection of seashells.
The tiny, tiny ones on the left of the photo below come from Hawaii.

My son brought me the shells.  When he was at university he spent a summer on a work placement in Canada, and after all that hard work he met up with friends for a holiday in Hawaii, as you do!

One of the ladies in my old craft group showed me how to make the paper box that I keep them in. 

And I treasure this shiny blue piece of abalone that a college friend gave me.

Having a fresh look at the seashells got me thinking about Hawaii as I chose it as one of my countries for Research & Design when I was doing my City and Guilds diploma.

 I've got a collection of design books too!

I wasn't very confident with the art side of things - much preferring the stitching - but it was a required element of the course.  Now, when I look back, I can remember working on this book mostly at night, as I was looking after my granddaughter part time, and worrying about finishing the course within the two years.

Well, that's enough of that. I'd like to be catching a wave but instead of that I'm catching a plane.

Two Stratton compacts...and the start of another collection.

Well, if you thought my mum was an old doll at 90, my brother-in-law's mum can beat that at the grand old age of 94. Her birthday was the day after my mum's 90th.  My mum and his mum now live in the same care home. Last year we had to clear my mum's flat to sell and this year he's been doing the same with his mum's house. It's not much fun.
So when I was over in England recently my sister and brother-in-law gave me two vintage Stratton compacts that had belonged to his mum and I think they are lovely.

My mum's generation would have used a powder compact whereas now we prefer to use foundation.
In those days it was Max Factor Creme Puff.  I saw my mum powdering her face on her 90th birthday, although she doesn't bother much with make-up nowadays.
I remember her rouge as it fascinated me when I was young. It was Bourjois, in a little round cardboard box and I think it had blue and white fancy writing.  You can still buy Bourjois but the packaging is nowhere near as nice.
Her lipstick was always bright red!
I cleaned up my Stratton compacts and I've put them on the pine chest in the spare bedroom.
I call it 'the old fashioned room' because that's how it looks.

 I seem to be making a vase collection. The green glass vase belonged to my mother-in-law.

The vase with the pansies was my Grandmother's.

The glass vase in the background is hand-painted with orange rose buds and was a birthday gift from one of my son's. 

It came from Past Times. I used to love everything in that shop, no longer there, on Belfast's Fountain Lane.

                                   This cheeky papier mache bird was a present from my mum.

Inside are two painted eggs.

                               Here's another glass vase and I love it. It was also my Grandmother's.

There's a box of old family postcards that I've been collecting for years. 

I can't bear to part with any of them.

           Reflected in the compact mirror you can just make out a shelf that houses another collection.

  This shelf came from one of my Auntie's, it's from the 70's I'd say. 

On it I've got a collection of birds, they're mostly Hummel, and there are a few Wade animals. 

              Now I've inherited the Stratton compacts I can feel another collection coming on!