Descriptive Nightmares - And An Update!

Morning Blogspot ...

It's 04.43 and I'm wide awake; partly because I have a cold and can't breath properly, partly because someone sent a text to my husband's phone at about 3am which made it beep really loudly and partly because my husband snores so loud, I can't get back to sleep.

So I'm here ... trying desperately hard not to go on Facebook and waste my time on there. I've got so much I need to do to stay on top of things for my degree ... especially my file of evidence, which although looks pretty stacked with stuff, none of it has been evaluated and critiqued yet. And the longer I leave it, the more I'm going to have to do at the end. :o(

I have to say that I am a bit disappointed in myself with this blogspot. I really intended to write in it regularly - almost weekly I suppose - but I haven't done that. In fact I've barely managed to write in it on a monthly basis. The problem is I think that I have trouble downloading what's going on in my brain - whether its in words or in drawings ... I can't seem to do it very well. It is a problem that was picked up in my Disabled Students Assessment but there's really not very much anyone can do about it - there's no special computer software that can help, it's not a case of having someone sit down and write down what I'm saying - I can do that perfectly well on here. It's organising and describing what's floating around up top and then putting that into words or pictures.

I've just gone to take a swig of coffee and my cup is empty ... I'm going to make some more and have a ciggie, then I'll be back - hopefuly able to download some more of what is floating around in my brain ...

... I'm back, cup replenished and nicotine inhaled.

Where was I? Hmm ...

So anyway, let's talk about these damn handbags! They're not 'damn' handbags really, they're 'yay, handbags' ... but I'm still on my first one - the razor blade one and I'm getting a bit fed up of it now. So far, I've blunted and polished 100 blades (60 for the bag, 40 for test samples). I really don't want to do any more. It's very monotinous work and very dusty which, even though I wear a facemask, still gets onto my chest a bit. I've also bought some beaded trimming which was threaded onto a ribbon at intervals - the kind of stuff you would edge a cushion with. I took off 90 of the beaded drops and threaded them on to jewellery 'pins' - the long metal bits used in dangly earrings. I've also nearly finished putting both the razors and the beaded pins onto silver split rings so that they're ready to knit with. I'll get the rest of them finished today hopefully. What I've been waiting to do is buy a 7" clip lock closer for the handbag. Unfortunately we've just not had any spare money at all for the last month so I've been a bit stuck - but, wheyhey, we have money in our account today with the promise (via my husband) of £150 coming to me so that I can buy all the bits I need to finish all my handbags. I don't think I'll actually get to keep all of the £150 because "shit happens" as they say and no doubt some unexpected expense will land in our laps this week that we haven't budgeted for! But all I need to get this razor bag finished is £7.99 for the clip lock closer + p&p of course. Then I can get on with the knitting which will hopefully only take a few days - the fun part! And then bag finished! :o)

What I have been doing in the meantime, apart from polishing blades and threading beads, is investigating various things to put in my file of evidence. I've come across some really useful websites and magazines that will really help develop the 'business' side of my artwork next year - if I get onto the BA(Hons) course ... and it's all really exciting. I think I've actually managed to find something I want to do long-term. Usually, about half way through any project, I start realising that I don't want to do this kind of thing ever again ... but with the bags, it's different. Each bag will be different so the monotony doesn't have a chance to kick in. And I can incorporate my first love of beads and embroidery! I did notice actually that blunting and polishing 100 razor blades was really boring and very tedious, yet stringing 90 sets of drop beads was very pleasureable!! (Every time I got bored of the beads, I held them up to the light, wiggled them and then watched them glint in the light ... simple things please simple minds, eh?!!)

I've also managed to find myself a 'mentor' for next year. (I really hope I get on the course now!) Her name is Jan and she lives in Devon and does the most amazing embroidery and beading and makes bespoke garments and jewellery for her own customers or for other designers. I'm guessing she's about 15 years old than me - so about 55ish I reckon. She's been teaching embroidery for years, has just completed her MA at Bath Spa Uni and her designs are gorgeous. Her website is www.janknibbs.com. If you get a chance, check it out. I think this lady can really teach me a lot ... and hopefully I can pass on some of my newly acquired business acumen from next year, as she has trouble marketing herself and getting her website noticed.

What else have I been doing? I've spent about a week sorting out my application for the BA(Hons) top up course, getting the wording right for my statement of why I want to do the course and I've had to complete a 30 page form to get my Disabled Students Allowance continued - I had to spend two days hunting down my original birth certificate for this which wasn't where I was supposed to have filed it! Why do I do this? Why can't I just file things away in the right place first time round? Why don't I ever learn? It's not like I haven't done this before either ... I do it plenty of times, mis-filing things ... and yet I never learn! Anyway, it's been found and it WILL be filed in the right place once I get it back from Student Finance England ... if I ever get it back from them. They're not at their most efficient at the moment so it's with some trepidation that original documents are sent off to them!!!

Coffee cup's empty again ...

I've been on de-caff coffee all night but my brain refuses to feel sleepy yet ... it's so annoying. I'll be really tired in the day now - the day we can actually spend money on stuff that isn't food or bills - how exciting! I fancy a trip to Hobbycraft but it will be a bit of a wasted trip because I don't know what I want to do with my other bags yet ... but we'll wait and see what the day brings.

I think that's it for now really. I ought to get on with some of the evaluations for my file of evidence rather than wasting more time on here - which is almost as bad as wasting time on Facebook! And I really ought to tackle a bit more of my sketchbook but I'm having my usual trouble with that - which takes me nicely back to where I started actually - the trouble I have describing stuff that's floating around in my head and downloading it into some form of comprehensible format.

Oh well, I'd better go give it a try.

See ya!